Tag Archives: Mary

Liturgy for Epiphany 2C

17 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by in Church Life, Liturgy, Pop

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

action-astronomy-constellation-1274260

Call to Worship (Inspired by Psalm 36)
One: In God’s light, we see light.
Many: With God we are drenched in the fountain of light and life.
One: With God, we experience the river of delights
Many: Experiencing the abundance of gifts from the Source of Life.
One: God’s steadfast love extends from coast to coast
Many: And from earth to heaven, returning again.
One: How treasured is the love of God
Many: Seen in the decanting of talents and surplus of gifts.

Invocation (Unison)
Divine Decanter, you pour your spirit into our souls and your love into our hearts.  Like the transformation of water to wine, our simple aptitudes are expanded to strength our world.  In this space today, may we reflect on how to best use our gifts to better your Kin-dom and care for our neighbors.  May we ponder the ways that we can encourage our spiritual siblings to utilize the gifts they carry on their journeys.  Amen.

Prayer of Reconciliation (Unison)
God, we extinguish others’ dreams in our quest to survive.  We dowse their hopes and their courage with discouragement.  Because of our negativity and jealousy, they stop their quest to develop their gifts.  Give us the vision to see that all of us have a place on this earth.  Help us to seek success for all people – not just ourselves.  May we become a team with our spiritual siblings so that we can use our talents to create a light-filled world.  Amen

Assurance of Grace
One: God, our Divine Decanter, is lavishing us with grace and boldness as we head into the future.  Celebrate this abundance by sharing love and light with your neighbors.

Call to Offering
One: We are vessels filled with the Spirit of Gifts.  With the nudging of God and neighbors, we explore the ways that we can utilize our talents and treasures for the health of the Kin-dom of God.   As we gather our offerings today, let us reflect on the ways we can best employ our gifts.

Prayer of Dedication (Unison)
Spirit of Gifts, with gratitude we pour our talents for you.  Stir our souls today.  Move us to courageous ways of giving and encourage us to fill basins of hope for humanity.  Amen.

Benediction
One: As we head on our journeys this week, Divine Decanter-
Pour your courage into our souls.
Pour your love into our hearts.
Pour your vigor into our minds.
Fill our spiritual vessels to the brim so that we may abundantly lavish life and light into our world.

Amen!

For conversation:
Who was someone in your life who nudged you to step outside of your comfort zone and try out one of your gifts?

*****

Written by Rev. Michelle L. Torigian.  Permission to use with attribution

Mary, Gloria and Our Voices

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by in Church Life, Current Events, Life, Pop, Pop Culture, Religion

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Jungfrau der Verkündigung

I was having lunch with a priest colleague of mine today, who reminded me of the significance of today.  “It’s the annunciation,” said the priest. The church calendar remembers the day Mary accepted God’s call.

As Protestants, Mary doesn’t usually receive her due in our arena of Christianity.  She shows up in Advent and Christmas, when the lectionary text includes the wedding at Cana and as Jesus suffers in his final hours.

However, this is a woman who was sure to influence her son.  So very little is said about this woman, but what mother doesn’t make an impression on her children?  I would like to believe that the ministry of Jesus and his strong convictions not only came directly from God but also came from Mary and Joseph.

So the annunciation is the day empowering the life and works of Mary.  It was the day Mary made her choice.  When she was called to birth a savior, she chose yes.  She risked the well-being of her life to carry a baby outside the confines of marriage.  Through her power of choice, she accepted the call to birth a person and, in many ways, a movement.

I also find it ironic that March 25 is not only the Annunciation in the church but the birthday of the mother of modern feminism: Gloria Steinem.

Gloria has spent decades remembering the voices of women, empowering women to make choices for their own lives – including reproductive choices.  Through her time working tirelessly for the cause of women’s equality, she delivered women from the oppressive systems of the past and opened doors to the impossible.  Through her call to leadership, she was the midwife in the rebirth of a movement.

Out of any day of the year, I look at March 25 as the Day of Women’s Empowerment.  From Mary to Gloria to all of us, we are given choices – more than ever before.  This is a day to celebrate our power – a power gifted to us by our Mother God.

So as we wait for the Supreme Court to decide whether corporations can control the choices of women and as we watch more and more states come up with laws that try to control our bodies (including the imprisonment of women who give birth to stillborn babies), let us hope that God sends us new prophets to deliver us from controlling powers that be.