Liturgy of the People

Each week, our churches gather for liturgy. Liturgy is a greek word often translated as “work of the people.” It is what you and I do, in public service, to worship God. In the Episcopal Church, this service almost is always Eucharist or Communion. At the end of the service, we the people, are dismissed to go out into the world and serve. At our church our general dismissal is “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” After that, we walk out into the world. This week, we find ourselves in a perpetual state of going out into the world.

Those of us who are in a liturgical tradition of Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Lutheran and others, know that our service of Holy Communion takes on a very structured and familiar form. As we are experiencing social distancing from COVID-19, many churches have been canceled. Some are online. Many people have chosen to self isolate. For many in our communities, this will be the first time in many years that they have missed the opportunity to celebrate in public worship.

I encourage everyone to find an online community on Sunday. Saint Andrews will be live casting at 10:00am, EST from https://www.facebook.com/standrewsptc/. The National Cathedral will also have services at 11:15, EST from https://cathedral.org/worship/weekly-services/. There are great opportunities online to gather and pray the Daily Office (Episcopal Daily Prayers together) each day throughout the week.

In addition to watching worship online, this week gives us an amazing opportunity to think about why we worship the way we worship. Although, we might not be together, we can spend some time thinking about how and why we worship. Often, as we take a break from things, we find that they are missed with sweet sadness. For families at home, this week can offer an excellent opportunity for some home based teaching around our worship rituals. For those missing communion, it is also helpful to remember we are one body in Christ in the world. Although our worship might look different this week, we still find the presence of God all around us.

Included are some ways in which we might remember that God connects us and that our corporate worship, while missed, will return.

WELCOMING GOD
Our service begins with welcoming God into our presence in music as we carry symbols of Christ into our space. How might you bring symbols of God into your home? *Light a candle
*Draw a cross
*Gather things which remind you of the Holy into one special place in your house
*Set aside a special worship space or altar in your home 
*Find signs of presence of God outside and bring them inside.

We say a prayer welcoming God into our hearts and use a song of praise.
*Practice ways of welcoming God into your heart. Listen quietly for sounds of God.
*What is your favorite song of praise? Play it online.
*Look around your home, what are visible signs that remind you that God’s presence is constantly there?

GOD’S WORD & RESPONSE
We listen to God’s word. Readings for this week can be found at -https://www.lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Lent/ALent3_RCL.html

*A great way to engage in conversation of the gospel is to use African Bible Study.
1. Read the passage slowly. Think of a thought word, or image that occurs to you. If you are with family, or friends, say your word aloud.
2. Read the passage again. Listen for why the thought, word, or phrase touched your life in this moment. If with family or friends, share why it touched you.
3. Read the passage one last time. Ask, what is this passage calling me to do? If you are with family or friends, share your action aloud.

*Respond with art. Pick one of the readings for Sunday and spend some time drawing, painting, or sculpting what it means for you.

PRAYERS
We pray for those in our midst and around the world.
*Pray your parish prayer list
*Write your own special prayer for those suffering from COVID-19 and for medical professionals
*Start an individual or family prayer list
*Doodle names of those you are praying for and add artwork
*Write prayers for neighbors in side-walk chalk outside
*Spend some time journaling your own prayers and then share them with a friend or family member.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION AND PEACE

We confess our sins to God and receive peace. 
*Call or send a note to someone you have been meaning to reconcile with.
*Write your confession to God.
*Set a timer for one minute (or longer), sit in silence. Breathe deep. Recognize the peace God offers inside of you.

OFFERING
During the offering we offer our lives and all that we do to God.
*Visit www.standrews316.org to make an offering gift.
*Make a commitment to offer to God this week your time, talent, and treasure. If you are with family, brainstorm how you might serve God together. Is there an elderly neighbor that might need a grocery run? Are there people who might be isolated that need a phone call? Do you know of people who might not be able to have food? Is there a family in your neighborhood who might need help with childcare? Are there people who could use an email card? This week gives us so many opportunities to be Christ to our neighbors in so many ways.

EUCHARIST
The term Eucharist means, to give thanks. We give thanks for all that God gave for us.
*Make a list of as many thanksgivings as possible.
*Make a thanksgiving paper chain and add to it throughout the week.
*Walk throughout the house, being mindful of all that God has given you
*Take time to commune with nature, go on a nature walk and remember that God is all around.
*Call or text those who you are thankful for.

SING US OUT

Having learned a lot, we close in song to take us into the world. 

*Having read the scriptures, are there songs that remind you of them? Look them up on the internet?
*What is a song you know that reminds you to go with God into the world?
*What is your favorite church song you miss? Look it up online.

DISMISSAL
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
*As you go through the week, where do you notice the presence of Christ in the world around you? How will you continue to be Christ’s hands and feet in the world?

Wishing you a beautiful week, full of signs of God’s presence all around. May you find the interconnectedness of Spirit, Christ's oneness, and the water of life wherever you may be.

To the Emery's & All Holy Families

What kind of family do you want to become?

On Sunday, we will celebrate the First Sunday after the Epiphany. The Sunday is celebrated as the Feast of the Holy Family and as the Baptism of our Lord. As we celebrate this Sunday, I am mindful of all the images of the Holy Family. Having just finished Christmas, we can freshly remember the scenes. We remember the plastic, wooden, and porcelain creches at home and at church. We remember the rogue sheep, wandering child star, and the off centered halo from the Children’s Pageant. We can still remember the scene of all of us gathered to pay homage to the newborn king. We remember the Holy Family gathered lovingly under stars as folks came to visit them - angels, archangels, shepherds, wise men, family guests, visitors from near and far. We remember how we gathered together with them on Christmas. All of us young and old, heavenly and earthly, wise and common, magi and shepherd, male and female, ancient and new, white and black, new friends and strangers, conservative and liberal. We remember in that moment of Christmas how the roof of that Creche held all of the created world under it. And, how, in that moment the whole world was united as family under the Prince of Peace. No one in a nativity scene is ever looking anywhere other than towards a God of love represented in the form of a baby.

It is through Christ we are united. It is through Christ we become siblings in a family of love. When I was growing up, our church’s tag line was “First Christian Church: A Family of Faith.” Today, I find myself thinking about the profound ability we have to choose what kind of family we wish to be. How we can make the decisions to turn our focus inward towards the Prince of Peace or outward towards a world of chaos, anxiety, stress, and stuff that doesn’t much matter. We have the tremendous choice and ability to shape our lives to focus on Jesus peace and love.

The gift of Holy Family is a tremendous gift. In families biological, social, and church we are given a profound gift to help the world heal.

In our church year today, we celebrate a family who continues to help the world heal one hundred years after their presence with us. Today, we celebrate the life of Julia Chester Emery (1852-1922). Julia fell in line after her sister as the second Secretary of the National Women’s Auxiliary, now known as the Episcopal Church Women (ECW). She founded the United Thank Offering (UTO) which is still a tremendous ministry one hundred years later. Julia did amazing things. However, she is rarely mentioned without the rest of her family. Her two brothers who were priests. Her sister Helen who started a hospitality home. Her other sister Mary, who started the ECW as mentioned above. The whole family together leaves an extraordinary legacy of Christ’s love and service. What kinds of focus did that family have towards the Prince of Peace that they left such an amazing legacy? What was their home life like? Their spiritual life like? Their daily prayer life like? We don’t know, but I imagine most of them had their attention focused on Jesus with the intensity of a Christmas Nativity scene.

Last Sunday, we baptized infant Claire into our community. The day was filled with love and joy. As our prayer book reminds us, “Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ’s Body, the church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God.” (BCP, 858). It is also that by which we take up Christ’s ministry in the world. As we baptized Claire, we welcomed her into our own Holy Family and into the greater scene of that Holy Family gathered with the baby Jesus, common shepherds, wise magi, humans and angels, old and young, and all those who gathered before us and around us. We promised to help her grow into her life with Christ and be her holy siblings.

As we go throughout our days, there are so many choices we have about how to be. As we journey away from the manger and out into the world, where will our focus be? Will we remember the sweet baby? How we were all gathered under the Prince of Peace? Will we remember that heaven and earth stopped to adore love incarnate? Will we be distracted by all kinds of things in the things in the world as we travel home by another road? In the example of the Emery’s, I pray we will remember to focus on the Christ. I pray we will be a Family of Faith. I pray we leave a lasting impact that heals the world forever.

For more information on Julia Chester Emery - http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Julia_Chester_Emery.htm