Home Church 8th Sunday after Pentecost July 18, 2021 Rev Karen Hollis

Hilary Plowright

July 17, 2021

Home Church 8th Sunday after Pentecost July 18, 2021 Rev Karen Hollis

We acknowledge these lands upon which we worship are the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.

Preparing the Space Around You

Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here! You’re invited to find a comfortable place to worship with this bulletin and take a moment to prepare the space around you so that you can be fully in this worship experience. The goal is not to keep out the realities of the world, rather to focus on God in the midst of it all. You might want to have a candle handy for the candle lighting below and paper/pencil for the prayer exercise. There are a couple of simple and familiar hymns in the bulletin – if you need reminders about how they go, there are youtube links below. You are encouraged to listen to them as you are preparing for worship.

Come and Fill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYfW2BBtAos

I Am Walking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP_V7iUgd-8

Preparing the Space within You

You’re invited to sit quietly, perhaps with feet on the floor, taking a couple of deep breaths and bring yourself into this moment. Open yourself to the presence of God who is present within and all around you . . . as you intentionally open yourself to God, open yourself also to what you need from this time of worship.

Light a Candle

You’re welcome to use these words . . . once there was a man who said such amazing things and did such wondrous things that people began to follow him. Someone asked him, “who are you?” . . . he answered, “I am the Light of the world.” (light candle) Godly Play

Opening Prayer - J Philip Newell

Light within all light

Soul behind all souls

at the breaking of dawn

at the coming of day

we wait and watch.

Your Light within the morning light

Your Soul within the human soul

Your Presence beckoning to us from the heart of life.

In the dawning of this day

let us know fresh shinings in our soul.

In the growing colours of new beginning all around us

let us know the first lights of our heart.

Great Star of the morning

Inner Flame of the universe

let us be a colour in this new dawning.

Be still and aware

Hymn: Come and Fill Our Hearts - MV #16 (see attached)

We have sung this Taize song a number of times in worship there is a link in “Prepare the Space Around You” if you need a refresher.

Prayer of Confession - Kathy Gallaway, Iona Community

Bless to us, O God, this day, fresh made.

In the chorus of birds, bless us.

In the scent of blossom, bless us.

In the dew of the early morning, bless us.

Bless us and heal us

for we come to you in love and in trust.

We come to you in expectant hope.

Silence

O God, give us a well of tears

to wash away the hurts of our lives.

O God, give us a well of tears

to cleanse the wounds,

to bathe the battered face

of our world

O God, give us a well of tears

or we are left, like arid earth,

unsanctified.

Silence

Heal us and your grieving world

of all that harms us.

By the power of your Resurrection

restore us to new life

set us on new paths

bring us from darkness to light

help us to choose hope.

Silence

Assurance of Grace

Let us not hide from God’s blessing but receive the grace that is freely and lovingly given and walk forward into new life.

Psalm 89:19-29 - (Inclusive Bible)

One day a vision came

and you announced this to your faithful ones:

“I have bestowed power on a warrior

and raised up a youth from among the people.

I have discovered David,

who is faithful to me.

David, I anoint you with the holy oil.

My hand will be ready to help you,

and my arm to give you strength.

No enemy will oppress you

and no rebel will bring you low;

I will shatter your foes before you,

and strike down those who hate you.

My fidelity and love will be with you,

and through my Name your strength will increase.

I will extend your rule to the Sea

and your dominion as far as the Euphrates.

You will say to me,

‘You are my Abba, my God,

my rock and my deliverance.’

and I will appoint you my firstborn,

higher than all the earth’s rulers.

I will maintain my love for you forever

and my covenant with you will never fail.

I will establish your line forever

and your throne as long as the heavens endure.

Gospel Reading: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 - (The Message)

The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught. Jesus said, “Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.” For there was constant coming and going. They didn’t even have time to eat.

So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves. Someone saw them going and the word got around. From the surrounding towns people went out on foot, running, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus arrived, he saw this huge crowd. At the sight of them, his heart broke—like sheep with no shepherd they were. He went right to work teaching them.

They beached the boat at Gennesaret and tied up at the landing. As soon as they got out of the boat, word got around fast. People ran this way and that, bringing their sick on stretchers to where they heard he was. Wherever he went, village or town or country crossroads, they brought their sick to the marketplace and begged him to let them touch the edge of his coat—that’s all. And whoever touched him became well.

Two options for reflecting with the text:

Reflection by Debie Thomas on the gospel text.

You can read her essay here: https://www.journeywithjesus.net/essays/1841-rest-a-while

Ignatian Prayer of Imagination (can be done with gospel or psalm):

St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish mystic and founder of the Jesuit order of priests, developed this method of prayer. Well suited for the gospels or other narratives, the idea is to visualize the story as if you were making a movie. Contemplating a scene in this way is not simply remembering it or going back in time, rather through the act of contemplation, the Holy Spirit makes present a mystery of the text in a way that is meaningful for you now.

This form of prayer uses your imagination to dig deeper into the story so that God may communicate with you in a personal, evocative way. You will want to pay attention to the details: sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and feelings of the event and at some point, place yourself in the story.

Some might worry about going beyond the text of the story, or their imagination running too wild or going too far. If you have offered your time of prayer to God, then begin by trusting that God is communicating with you. If you are still uncomfortable, you might do some discernment with how you are praying. Where did your imagining lead you: closer to God or farther away? Is your imagining bringing you comfort or distress? At any point during the exercise you can return to the text itself.

Some people find imaginative prayer difficult. They may not be able to picture the scene easily, yet they may have some intuition or gut reaction to the story. Or they may hear or feel the story more than visualize it. In a spirit of generosity, pray as you are able; don’t try to force it. Rest assured that God will speak to you, whether through your memory, understanding, intellect, emotions, or imagination.

~ Kevin O’Brien, SJ, The Ignatian Adventure, edited

Step by Step Instructions for Ignatian Prayer of Imagination

1. Relax in your seat and centre yourself

2. Acknowledge yourself to be in God’s presence and sit with this awareness.

3. Acknowledge how you are within yourself in this moment.

4. Ask for what you hope to receive from this prayer time (the graces you are praying for): if this is your first time with this practice, you might just pray for guidance as you try something new.

5. Read either the psalm or gospel text several times (you can also use a portion of either text).

6. Close your eyes and “visualize” the images and action in the text, involving as many of your senses as possible.

7. Read the text again.

8. Close your eyes and see yourself within the image(s) you have chosen. Be there with your senses, your emotions… and let what happens happen; don’t worry if the experience takes you “off script.”

9. When the experience feels complete, take a short break.

10. Journal or draw about your experience. Simply answer the question, “what happened?”

Prayers of the People - Susan Brockley

One: Good Shepherd

All: Hear Our Prayer

God of faithfulness and steadfast love, you are with us wherever we are. Help us to be aware of your presence as we sit at home, doing church in a different way.

PAUSE.

Teach us, God, to recognize your presence with us in sad times, happy times, frantic times and market-place times. We pause now to look back on where we have seen you with us this past week and we give thanks.

PAUSE.

Thank you that although separated from each other, we are gathered around you, our Shepherd, and that you care for us.