Liturgies from Below - UK Edition. Carvalhaes, Claudio
all you who are widows, lonely, orphans, divorced, downtrodden, homosexuals, unemployed, oppressed, and children.
Come everyone to have fellowship and socializing with God.
The God who bandages the wounded, heals the sick, feeds the hungry, provides for the orphans and widows, raises up the downtrodden, and gives hope to the hopeless.
A God who is a mother to the motherless and a father to the fatherless.
The God of nature who provides rain at the right time and blankets the soil, which is the source of our physical life.
Water and Light: Invitation to Adore
We have come together to praise God to whom we have belonged since the creation of the world, when water was created. We heard God’s voice ordering chaos with the Word of life, illuminating the darkness of an eternal night that saw light for the first time.
We come to thank God for being the water that purifies us and seals us in an eternal covenant, and to give all the glory to our creator who has always sustained us, even now.
God is our light.
May the whole creation adore him. Hallelujah. Amen.
Jesus Calls Us from the Market Stalls
Jesus calls us from the market stalls
Not to leave our livelihood behind
Jesus calls us from the market stalls
To fight the empire moving us out
Jesus calls us from the market stalls
To bring us to a home that cannot be
Bought or sold
Jesus calls us from the market stalls
To stay and work together in faith
And to turn the tales of greed
Proclaim the Dawn of God’s Reign
This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Let my people go so that they can hold a festival for me in the desert” (Ex 5:1).
Out of the house of slavery, through troubled waters, into the wilderness a new people is born;
you are God’s own.
Put your trust not in powers nor in wealth
but in the One who is creator, sustainer, and liberator on heaven and on earth, and
called out to celebrate the breaking of every chain.
We are here to proclaim the dawn of God’s reign.
Call to Adoration
The leader may include as many languages as possible or as many as exist in the community.
•The person leading moves to the center and looks around until the community is silent. This gesture reminds us that silence is a fundamental part of adoration.
•The leader starts clapping, creating a bridge between rhythm and silence. The clapping reminds us of the beating of the heart, because from the silence of our hearts and the rhythm of our heartbeats comes, “The Word.”
•The leader begins to say, “come,” alternating with “ven” and then “vem.”
•The leader stops clapping and with his or her hands expresses an invitation to come to our space, which is directed toward four cardinal points: in the first invoking “Dios”; in the second invoking “God”; in the third “Deus”; and when he or she reaches the fourth, the invitation is made without words to include any name of the Transcendent.
•At the last cardinal point the leader claps three times and makes the gesture of a broad embrace that welcomes the community, ending at the heart.
Bless Us
Bless us in your divine grace.
Bless us in your divine grace,
bless us in your love,
and bless the bread on the tables,
the hands of those who work,
the dreams of those who resist,
who still sing and hope.
Bless us as we walk in your ways,
give us your strength and vision,
may your peace give an end to death,
to hate, and to all injustice;
bless us as we seek an abundant life.
Bless us.
Advent God
For over two thousand years, Advent God, your blessings have been flowing. A river of grace and love and mercy has flowed through the desert of our lives, watering our souls, and satisfying our thirst. For two thousand years and more, we have recognized your Emmanuel presence, bringing light and life to your world. Many of us have experienced the miracle of rebirth and recreation and so once again, at this Advent season, we sing our thanksgiving anthem: “Joy to the world, our lord is come!”
But in the midst of our celebrations, Dear God, we have to admit that after two thousand years, the curse can still be found. Our lands are still infested with the thorns of injustice and unrighteousness. The briers of hatred and discrimination despoil our social and spiritual environment. In our frustration and irritation, we cry, “No more!”
Grant us the wisdom and the courage to make “no more” a reality. Even if the weeds and the wheat are to grow together, we pray for the boldness to keep on sowing good seed. We pray for the courage to confront the “enemy” with love and compassion until he or she changes from evil to good. In the meantime, healing God, we pray today for your children crying in the wilderness of oppression and dehumanization.
Help us to listen with you, as they cry, “No more!” and “Enough is enough!” Help us to share your concern for their suffering, and then empower us as we embark on a divine mission of renewal and transformation. Perhaps then our joy will be intensified this Advent season as we celebrate again the glories of your righteousness and the wonder of your love. We pray in the name of him who came and made his dwelling among us.
Amen.
God Is Here Too
Come!
Come into the place where God listens!
Where you need no money, no status, no fine clothes!
Come as you are
Broken, whole
Sick, well
Satisfied or with deep needs
Come to sing
Come to cry
Come to hear
Come to see
Come and be ready or
Come to be made ready
We are here
God is here too
Call to Worship for the Weary and Wary
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy