Beautiful, Beloved, Beginning

Music  Oh My Children  Sara Thomsen

Prayer:   (In unison)
Holy One,
May we come to this moment
as though we were a garden
and You the softening rain
as though we were the blossoms
and You the orchard
as though we were sand
and You the tide, offering herself to the shore.

May we come to this moment
as though we were a body
and You our beating heart.
May we come open,
to be softened, ripened,
filled,
by You.   
In Jesus’ name, Amen.                                   Catherine Smith

Scripture and Reflection
We’ve been getting ready for this gathering.
The team has been getting ready and all of you have been getting ready.
Thinking of coming, packing your clothes, wondering what it will be like this year.

Perhaps you’ve had lots of time this week to anticipate or perhaps you’ve been rushed.
For whatever way we’ve arrived, we’ve been getting ready.  And now we’re gathered in.

Just as we got ready to be here now, we pause to get ready for the Word. 
Gathered in, we say, Here we are, God,
Here I am.

And now I say, “are you ready for a story?” are you ready for the Word?

Mark 1:9-11 

In those days,
in those ancient days
that rise and ripple and flow in these days

In those days
of political oppression of peoples
of huge gaps between those who had too much
and those who had almost nothing

In those days
when the powerful trumpeted and spun and stomped a story
and the little in the land whispered and whimpered and hummed their own story
around the margins,
in the gaps,

In those days
the story
shaped of blood
and skin
of longing
and of the One who was longed for
flowed through a man called Jesus

In those days, Jesus
small town Jesus
can anything good come out of Nazareth, Jesus
almost unknown Jesus
came to the banks of the Jordan

In those days,,
that flow and ripple and rise in these days,

Jesus, followed the God-ness in him
down to the bright river
down over the green hills
when the sun was high

In those days
hand shading his eyes
he saw the people spread in curls and tendrils
moving toward the bright water
entering
dipping, rising, shining

He saw John
who was brave
and socially awkward
leathered by sun and wind
leery of softness . . . soften

In those days, Jesus came so close he
could see the tense of John’s shoulders
as he lowered those hushed people down into the water
like his hands were made of love

Later when John lowered Jesus, he knew it was true,

John’s leathered hands were . . . made of Love

Love lowered him
into the ancient practices of water poured for repentance and forgiveness

into the midst of what already has been. 

Into the river goes Jesus,
Christ,
stirring the waters with his body that is also our body;
making the waters his as he makes them ours; making all things new
making all things new. 

Under the water he goes,
as we so often go under life
and up through life we rise, as he rises,
this One who makes of the waters Grace.

Baptism is concrete and holy and full of mystery.

Out of the cloud-split heavens the words of belovedness are spoken. 
These words fall upon Christ and in Christ they fall upon us. 
We are the beloved.

In those days, in these days, in days to com
We are the beloved,
and we are beautiful to behold.    CES

Music Behold, I Make All Things New    Alana Levandoski

Prayers of the People
On each table are a few words of prayer.  When you see the words on your table match the words in the order of worship please speak them together.

We will all respond with Together, we pray.

Holy One,
Together we remember the world you make new,
Over and over again
Your beautiful, beloved people
Your good creation
And we pray.

For those bereft after fire or flood.
Together we pray.

For the land that is bereft.
Together we pray,

To know our responsibility and to be inspired in it’s fulfilment
Together, we pray.

For those that work tirelessly to keep people and animals, lands, and structures safe,
Together, we pray.

With thanks and respect for Indigenous knowledge in the ways of the land,
Together we pray.

With thanks for the grace of birdsong, the rising sun, and the deep, dark of night
Together we pray

In celebration of this rainbow month,
Together we pray,

For conversation in our differences and attentiveness to what cannot be spoken,
Together we pray,

For openness to those who rise in our faces, our habits, and our hopes,
Together we pray

In silence, for the thing that is on each heart in this moment,

            (silence, concluding with bell)

Together we pray.

For all we will be and become together
Together, we pray

In Jesus’ name,
Together, we pray.
Amen.

Music:   You Are The Beauty of the Dancer  Sara Thomsen

Blessing Into the Day
Go down now
Deep breathing down
To that place that has room
For dancing and dreaming
And the belief that we are beautiful
Go down
And rise up
And go on
in the love of God
The grace of Christ
The enlivening presence of the Holy Spirit.