Meditation “Our present Western consciousness is generally rationalistic, materialist, and extraverted in its attitudes; therefore by and large we no longer believe in the reality of an unseen spiritual world. In spite of the insights of modern physicists who have exploded the old idea of material reality as something solid and firm, most of us are still encased in a materialist way of thinking that believes that only that which is perceivable by the senses, which lies outside of us and which can be made rational, exists or, at the least, is worth taking seriously. In contrast, the worldview of the early church led the early Christians to a more introverted attitude that directed their gaze into the world of the soul, which for them was a living reality. This in turn enabled them to see the profound and meaningful but irrational ways God worked through history in life, and in the soul itself to bring about the divine plan. For this reason the early Christian commentators were natural depth psychologists. They saw the soul as a battleground of archetypal forces and powers; for the most part they believed in dream and visions as a way in which spiritual reality broke into human consciousness; indeed, some of them wrote treaties on dream interpretation. They also believed that God was working out the divine purpose in the whole sweep of history and also in the human soul itself….the worlds of the unseen, what we would call today “ the unconscious “ in the psychology of Carl Jung and Fritz Kunkel, is as real, even more real, than the world we apprehend through the senses of the body. For them the meaning that lies hidden within the literal meaning is an introduction to spiritual reality itself.”
Welcome and Check in - Rev. Bonnie Tarwater
Invocation Our Dear, Dear Mother by Raffi
Our dear, dear Mother, daily provider, earth be your name. The time has come, to honor you, to know you and to show our love.” 1.You give us each day our daily grain, kissed by the sun and kissed by the rain. Teach us now to find a way to care for you in our work and play. Chorus2.Within the beauty of your silent spin, we know you’re hurting and we feel your pain. With your forgiveness we can start anew. We need a chance to make it up to you.
Passing of the Peace God Loves You and There is Nothing You Can Do About It
Sharing of Announcements - Dr. Walt Rutherford
Taize “Spiritual Realms and God” (see below)
The Fellowship of the Common Table (see below) Curran Jeffry
Offering - Dr. Leslie Ziegenhorn
Closing Prayer St Francis of Assisi Prayer
Make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy, And where there is sadness, joy, joy, joy. God grant that I may not so much see; To be consoled as to console; To be understood, as to understand; To be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive, It is in pardoning that we pardoned. And it is in dying that we are born, to Eternal Life. Amen, Amen, Amen
Check Out How are you feeling?
Benediction Blessing Song by Miriam Therese Winters
May the blessings of God go before you. May her grace and peace abound. May her spirit live within you. May her love wrap you round. May her blessings remain with you always. May you walk on holy ground.
1. Taize “Spiritual Realms and God”
(The commentaries will not be read aloud during Taize)
Commentary from Mystical Christianity, by John A. Sanford
“Jesus reassures them…and tries to explain to them a great mystery: that in God there are many dimensions of reality…As long as our awareness is limited by that of our senses we cannot imagine any way that the soul could live except in this earthly existence and frameworks. Jesus points out that there are many possible abodes in which the soul can exist; he tells how he will go before the disciples into a spiritual realm unseen by them in order to prepare a place for them in a realm of reality that the ego in its fleshy state, limited as it is to sense impression and ego-awareness, cannot perceive. This spiritual realm of which Jesus speaks is in fact, only apprehensible through inner experiences such as visions and ecstatic experience.”
Chant Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God/dess. Be still and know that I am. Be still and know that I. Be still and know that. Be still and know. Be still and. Be still. Be. (repeat)
Prayers and Silence
Gospel of John, Chapter 14 The Inclusive Bible, the First Egalitarian Translation
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God, have faith in me as well. 2 In God’s house there are many dwelling places. Otherwise how could I have told you that I was going to prepare a place for you? 3 I am indeed going to prepare a place for you, and then I will come back to take you with me, that where I am, there you may be as well.
Chant Our God is our light, Our light and salvation. In God I trust. In God I trust. (repeat)
Silence
2. Commentary “Literalist interpret John 14:6 as meaning that the literal belief in Jesus is the way…..However, others see in verse 6 a statement that is essentially mystical. ….this way is none other than the way of Sophia.... It is the Way of Wisdom, of growing consciousness, or moral rectitude, and is the way that leads us (as any good road should) to our proper and intended spiritual destination. “
Gospel of John Jesus said,4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”5 Thomas replied, “But we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus told him, “I myself am the way, and the truth, and I am the life. No one comes to Abba God but through me. 7 If you really knew me, you will know Abba God also. From this point on, you know Abba God and have seen God”
Chant Christ-Sophia your light shines within us. Let not my doubts nor my darkness speak to me. Christ-Sophia your light shines within us. Let my heart always welcome your love.” (repeat)
Silence
Gospel of John ”Phillip said, ‘show us the Abba God, and that will be enough for us. “ Jesus replied, “ Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen Abba God. 10 Don’t you believe that I am in Abba God and God is in me? The words that I speak are not spoken of myself it is Abba God living in me.
Chant U-bi ca-ri-tas et amor, u-bi-ca-ri-tas De-us i-bi est. (repeat) (Where charity and love abound, God is there.)
Silence
Gospel of John 11 Believe me that I am God and God is in me; or else believe because of the works I do. 12 The truth of the matter is, anyone who has faith in me will do the works I do and, and greater works besides. Why? Because I go to Abba God. 13 and whatever you ask in my name, I will do. So that God may be glorified in me. Anything you ask in my names I will do.
3. Chant O God hear my prayer. O God hear my prayer. When I call answer me. O God hear my prayer. God hear my prayer. Come and listen to me. (repeat)
Silence
Gospel of John 15 “If you love me, and obey the commandments I give you, I will ask the One, who sent me to give you another Paraclete, another Helper to be with you always-- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, since the world neither sees her nor recognizes her, but you can recognize the Spirit because she remains with you and will be within you. 18 “I won’t leave you orphaned; I am coming back to you.
Chant “Come and fill my heart with your peace, you the God of love are holy. Come and fill our hearts with your peace”
Silence
Gospel of John 19 A little while now and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live as well. 20 On that day you will know that I am in God, and you are in me, and I am in you.
Chant Come and pray in us, Holy Spirit, come and pray in us, come and visit us, Holy Spirit, Spirt come, Spirit come. (repeat)
Silence
Gospel of John “Rabbi, why is it that you’ll reveal yourself to us, and not to the whole world?” 23 Jesus answered, “Those who love me will be true to my word, and Abba God will love them, and we will come to them and make our dwelling place with them. 24 Those who don’t love me don’t keep my words; Yet the message you hear is not mine; it comes from Abba God who sent me. This much I have said to you while still with you.
4. Chant Holy Spirit come to us, kindle in us the fire of your love, Holy Spirit, come to us, Holy Spirit, come to us.”(repeat)
Silence
Gospel of John 26 But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom Abba God will send in my name, will instruct you in everything, and she will remind you of all that I have told you. 27 Peace I leave you; my peace I give to you but the kind of peace I give to you is not like the world’s peace. Don’t let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
Chant Come and fill our heart with your peace, You the God of love are holy. Come and fill our hearts with your peace, alleluia. (repeat)
Silence
Commentary “The awareness of the numinous may come not only from internal images, such as that of the Self, but from reality’s external to the psyche. If this is so, then the sense of the numinous may come not only from internal images,…but is also the result of impressions from spiritual realities outside the psyche—however (strictly speaking) scientifically unknowable that reality might be. If we contemplate the expanse of the heavens on a glorious clear night, or if we marvel at the depths of love of a human being whom we know deeply, are not such numinous experiences capable of arousing in us a wonder and awe that leads us to a belief in God that is founded not on rational considerations but on an experience with a reality outside of ourselves that has moved the heart to find its own way of knowing? ….Thus the love we have toward God is engendered by God’s very own numinosity.”
1. The Fellowship of the Common Table
"Praying a New Story. The Dignity of us all."
Encountering Jesus in the 21st Century
Let us begin with these words of wisdom from
The Gospel of Mathew 5:43-45 King James Version (adapted)
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;45 That ye may be the Children of Heaven.
(In Unison)
For all that has been said and all that has been left unsaid,
We offer our blessings, our hope and our prayers.
We pray, conscious that raising our hearts and minds is a gift of the Spirit of Life at work in the depths of our being.
For the presence of that Spirit in us, we give thanks.
We pray, conscious that our prayer gives the Spirit a way of breaking into word and song unique in all the universe.
For the words and songs within each of us, we give thanks.
We pray, believing we are bearers of a treasure, the Spirit of Life blessing us with a variety of gifts.
For the treasures we each bear, we give thanks.
We pray, mindful of the men and women throughout history who have allowed the Living Spirit to sing and speak through them for the betterment of our world.
For their lives and their inspiration, we give thanks.
2.We pray, remembering Jesus who so allowed the Spirit of Life to move in his life that in him we have seen the expression of the Spirit of love and compassion.
For Jesus and all he means to us, we give thanks
We pray, challenged by Jesus, to allow his life to be a mirror for us so that we might live life in all its fullness.
We are grateful for all that has brought us together, of the Spirit at work in our lives and of what may be possible if we allow the Living Spirit to be a part of who we are.
We pray, inviting the Spirit of Life, Love, and Mystery to move more freely in our words and actions. Let us pause in a moment of silent reflection….
"Through Jesus we believe we are all sons and daughters' of one God: We are the temple of the spark of life.
We believe the same Spirit that we see in Jesus yearns to live in us.
"This is our common dignity: that whatever race or creed, whatever our place or time,
We long to see our common humanity proclaimed and celebrated by all people.
We pray that the one Spirit that all people share may find a home in us for the blessing of all. This is our prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving:
The Sun rises and sets each day and night—
Blessing us with warmth and sunlight
And starlight and moonlight.
The Seasons come and go
3.Bringing us rain and growth
And harvest and rest
For the turning year
Which feeds us and gives us life
We give Thanks and Praise
For the magnificence of the Universe
The joy of birth and the mystery of death
We are humbled and turn to each other
Knowing we are brothers and sisters
In a world of both joy and sorrow
And when our seasons are done
We surrender our flesh to the earth
And offer our spirit to the stars
We give thanks and praise
We honor Jesus who welcomed all to dine with him
And receive the Blessing of Grace and Love.
Jesus would share the bread and the cup
With the righteous and the outcasts
Offering the blessings of the spirit to all
We follow Him and partake of the Bread of Life
And the Cup of Wisdom that we may partake
In the healing and wholeness of faith and love
And stand firm midst the dangers and pitfalls of this world
(The bread and cup are passed)
(silent reflection)
In unison…
We return to the world and the future we seek
Strengthened by the spirit of grace and the work of love
4. This Fellowship draws from the Feast of the Common Table, the poetry of Curran Jeffery and “Praying a New Story” by Michael Morwood, Orbis Books, 2004, available from Amazon.
Michael Morwood’s website is morwood.org. Michael served 38 years as a priest in the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Australia. He is the author of “Tomorrow’s Catholic” and “God is Near.”
Curran Jeffry can be read at curranjournal.com or poetrypoem.com/curran or in the notes section of his Facebook Page. From Chicago, he has spent a lifetime waiting tables and making poems in Chicago, Arkansas, New Mexico and San Diego. He hosts the Unitarian Universalist Christian Study Group at First UU in San Diego.
Announcements: We are witnessing the 6th extinction of life on earth and the only one created by humans. We gather to create community and to give thanks to God for all of creation. Every Sunday at 5 pm we acknowledge that we need one another more than ever before. Jesus taught a way to live in the truth and taught us that, “The truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) Following worship we invite everyone to the Mary Magdalene Cafe for a pot luck dinner at 6 pm, with vegetarian soup or main dish and drinks provided. Weather permitting we share a bon fire, star gazing and dancing. We offer weekly study of the scriptures for the following Sunday, including the gnostic gospels, with Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer, as well as dream sharing, creative and artistic projects as spiritual practice, social justice activism, and monthly Taize service as well as a Prayer and Healing services.
Children and dogs are especially welcome at worship.
NEW MEMBERS of church meeting and rituall call if you are interested.
Special thanks to Curran Jeffrey and “The Feast of the Common Table.”
Pot luck party with Karaoke immediately following the service in thanks and celebration for all who worked on the Earth Day weekend event.
Mother’s Day May 18, 5 pm at Torrey Pines State Park Beach.
Please find us near the entrance and look for our Earth Flag or come to our house at 4:15 pm and leave in one car so you don’t have to park. We will leave at 4:30 pm for it takes 15 minutes to drive there.
Weekly Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer Contemplation of scriptures for following Sunday and an ancient Christian contemplative prayer practice every Wednesday, 10-11 am.
Monthly Taize first Sunday of every month.
Monthly Prayer and Healing Service third Sunday 5 pm.
Dream Circle every first and third Sunday before church 3-5 pm.
New Nia like intergenerational dance class to begin this summer.
Painting the Dance Floor, call if you are interested in working on this.
New AA and Alanon 12 step to begin this summer.
Our Common Home Counseling Center’s services: addiction issues, PTSD, individual and group therapy, Spiritual Direction, Pastoral Counseling, etc.
Minister Rev. Bonnie Tarwater, (858) 248-5123 Affiliate Community Minister of First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego revtarwater@yahoo.com. www.churchforourcommonhome.com
Dr. Walter Rutherford Director Our Common Home Counseling Center, (858) 442-6272, walterrutherford44@gailcom, wwwurcommonhomecounselingcenter.com
Our Common Home, a church and counseling center
13014 Calle de Las Rosas, SD CA 92129