An Order for the Healing and Reconciliation of a Strained Relationship

Those to be reconciled, along with their associates, and others involved, sit in separate sections of the church.

The ministers enter quietly and warily, stopping at each row to pass smooth river stones to each congregant. An empty cross, veiled in black, leads the procession.

A large wooden basin is placed in front of the altar.

The Celebrant says

Blessed be our Brother Jesus + Christ
Who bears our sins and weaknesses.

The grace of Jesus the Healer and Reconciler be with you
And also with you.

Let us pray.

Almighty God, in the Paschal mystery
you established the new covenant of reconciliation:
Grant that all reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body
may show forth in their lives
what they profess by their faith;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen.

LESSONS

Old Testament Lesson: Hosea 6.1-3
Canticle: Isaiah 35.1-7, 10
New Testament Lesson: 1 John 4.7-12, 19-21
Gospel: St. Matthew 18.23-35

SERMON

RESPONSE TO THE SERMON

The Celebrant says

From hardness of heart;
from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy;
from envy, hatred, and malice;
and from all want of charity,
Good Lord, deliver us.

AUFER A ME COR LAPIDEUM

Let us pray together:

The Ministers and People kneeling

Merciful and compassionate Father,
take away our hearts of stone,
our hardened hearts, our uncircumcised hearts,
and grant to us new hearts, hearts of flesh, clean hearts!
You purify the heart and love the clean heart,
possess our hearts and dwell in them,
containing them and filling them,
higher than our highest
and more intimate than our most intimate thoughts.
You are the image of all beauty
and the seal of all holiness,
seal our hearts in your image
and seal our hearts in your mercy,
O God of our hearts
and the God of our portion in eternity.
Amen.

The Ministers and People still kneeling, the Celebrant stands, walks to the basin and drops a stone with force, inviting the congregation to do the same with these words,

Beloved sisters and brothers,
let those who have not sinned cast the first stone.
Instead, humble yourselves in the sight of God
and mightily cast down your pride
and draw near to God’s presence,
raising your Ebenezer,
and asking God for his mighty help and healing grace.

The Ministers and People, one at a time, drop their stones into the wooden basin, saying

Lord, I have sinned against you and my neighbour;
heal us and forgive us.
I cast down my own pride and self-righteousness.
Amen.

The Ministers and People return to their pews.

ACT OF RECONCILIATION

When all have dropped their stones into the wooden basin, the Celebrant stands in the midst of the church, and addresses those to the right, saying,

Sisters and brothers,
I invite you now to turn your hearts to your neighbours,
and confess your sins against God and against them.

Those to the right of the celebrant kneel, and those to the left of the celebrant stand and face those on the right of the celebrant.

Those to the right of the celebrant say

We confess to Almighty God,
and to you my sisters and brothers,
that we have sinned against God and against you,
in thought, word, and deed,
deliberately and unintentionally,
provoking this cycle of animosity,
turning the face of God away from us,
and blocking the flow of God’s love in our lives.

At the following, those on the right strike their chest at each grievance.

We have wounded Jesus within you.
We have hurt you deeply.
We have caused you to stumble.
We have not taken responsibility for our actions.
We have not called ourselves to account.
We have reminded you of the past.
We have instilled fear in your hearts.
We have been disrespectful to your wishes.
We have lied and spoken untruths.
We have hurled insults and undermined you.
We have regarded you with contempt.
We have manipulated you.
We have devised tactics to cause you more pain.
We have not forgiven you as Christ forgave us.
We have judged you more than ourselves.
We have demonized you and dehumanized you.
We have made you feel less worthy to stand before God.
We have made you feel less loved by God.
We have used you and betrayed your trust.
We blame only ourselves.

In doing all this, we separated ourselves
from communion with you and with God,
trampled upon your dignity,
denied that you are created in the image of God,
and so grieved the Holy Spirit.
We acknowledge your hurt and pain.

We ask that you forgive us for these
and all other sins against you,
apologizing for these and all other wrongdoings
we have committed against you.
We are truly sorry, and turning to you,
we promise to make amends
and to make things right between us.
We promise to be more understanding.
We promise to listen.
We commit ourselves to walk forward with you
with renewed hearts and minds,
not looking to the past,
but looking forward to a future together.
Although we are unworthy,
through our many sins against you
give us another chance,
not weighing our past,
but regarding our repentance.

We want to restore this relationship.
Let us walk together again as sisters and brothers
of one Father and build each other up
as a temple wherein dwells the Holy Spirit of God.
Amen.

Those on the left of the celebrant, facing those on the right, say

In the Name of God who loves us,
we embrace you once again
and welcome you back into our hearts.
What is past is past.
Know that we forgive you, and be at peace.
As God restored fellowship with humankind
through the humility and love
in the Cross of Jesus Christ,
so do we restore our communion with you.
Let us make a new beginning together,
as sisters and brothers,
with unity and peace,
faithful to God’s commands,
and loving each other as Christ loved us.
Be you glad, dearest friends in Christ, you are forgiven.
We love you.
Amen.

Those to the right of the Celebrant now stand. Those to the left of the Celebrant now kneel, and say

We confess to Almighty God,
and to you my sisters and brothers,
that we have sinned against God and against you,
in thought, word, and deed,
deliberately and unintentionally,
provoking this cycle of animosity,
turning the face of God away from us,
and blocking the flow of God’s love in our lives.

At the following, those on the left strike their chest at each grievance.

We have wounded Jesus within you.
We have hurt you deeply.
We have caused you to stumble.
We have not taken responsibility for our actions.
We have not called ourselves to account.
We have reminded you of the past.
We have instilled fear in your hearts.
We have been disrespectful to your wishes.
We have lied and spoken untruths.
We have hurled insults and undermined you.
We have regarded you with contempt.
We have manipulated you.
We have devised tactics to cause you more pain.
We have not forgiven you as Christ forgave us.
We have judged you more than ourselves.
We have demonized you and dehumanized you.
We have made you feel less worthy to stand before God.
We have made you feel less loved by God.
We have used you and betrayed your trust.
We blame only ourselves.

In doing all this, we separated ourselves
from communion with you and with God,
trampled upon your dignity,
denied that you are created in the image of God,
and so grieved the Holy Spirit.
We acknowledge your hurt and your pain.

We ask that you forgive us for these
and all other sins against you,
apologizing for these and all other wrongdoings
we have committed against you.
We are truly sorry, and turning to you
in sorrow and good faith,
we promise to make amends
and to make things right between us.
We promise to be more understanding.
We promise to listen.
We commit ourselves to walk forward with you
with renewed hearts and minds,
not looking to the past,
but looking forward to a future together.
Although we are unworthy,
through our many sins against you
give us another chance,
not weighing our past,
but regarding our repentance.

We want to restore this relationship,
and we commit ourselves to reconciliation and peace.
Let us walk together again as sisters and brothers
of one Father and build each other up
as a temple wherein dwells the Holy Spirit of God.
Amen.

Those on the right of the celebrant, facing those on the left, say

In the Name of God who loves us,
we embrace you once again
and welcome you back into our hearts.
What is past is past.
We lift you up.
Know that we forgive you, and be at peace.
As God restored fellowship with humankind
through the humility and love
in the Cross of Jesus Christ,
so do we restore our communion with you.
Let us make a new beginning together,
as sisters and brothers,
with unity and peace,
faithful to God’s commands,
and loving each other as Christ loved us.
Be you glad, dearest friends in Christ, you are forgiven.
We love you as our own.
Amen.

The Ministers and People now stand.

The Celebrant asks the congregation,

Will you turn again to Christ as Lord?
We will.

Do you, then, forgive those who have sinned against you?
We do.

Do you repent of the sins that draw you away from the love of God
and from communion with each other?
We do.

Will you seek and serve Christ in each other, loving each other as yourself?
We will.

Will you strive for righteousness and peace, and respect the dignity of your sisters and brothers?
We will.

RESPONSORY
Ezekiel 36.24-28

I will take you from among all nations;
And gather you from all lands to bring you home.

I will sprinkle clean water upon you;
And purify you from false gods and uncleanness.

A new heart I will give you
And a new spirit put within you.

I will take the stone heart from your chest
And give you a heart of flesh.

I will help you walk in my laws
And cherish my commandments and do them.

You shall be my people
And I will be your God.

The Celebrant gives the absolution, pouring water over the stones, and saying

As you have humbled yourselves,
cast down your pride,
and have been lifted up by God in his people,
Almighty God have mercy on you,
forgive you all your sins
through the grace of our Saviour Jesus Christ,
strengthen you in all goodness,
and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life.
Amen.

The processional cross is now unveiled. A joyous hymn is sung.

THE PEACE

The Celebrant introduces the Peace, saying

People of God in Christ Jesus,
the Peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.

The Peace is exchanged. The Celebrant may encourage the reconciled to “mingle” and sit with another person from the other side.

The liturgy continues with the Eucharist.

Thanksgiving Psalm after Post-Communion: Psalm 126

Joshua Ligan 2010.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence.<!–

–> You are free to share, copy, distribute, display, and perform the work; or to make derivative works, provided that you attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor. You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

A Eucharistic Prayer using Two Readers and a Priest (Rough draft)

A work in progress. I need your help to shorten and edit it, but without losing its poetic quality. Plus, I need a theological check. The people respond in bold. Thanks!

The Lord be with you
and also with you.

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to offer thanks and praise.

Reader 1:

Endless and infinite God,
before time and the universe there was nothing.
Yet in the beginning,
you created the heavens and the earth
out of nothingness, out of the empty void.
You spoke your will
and suddenly light came forth out of non-existence.

Reader 2:

All of existence, you made out of nothingness:
you stretched the expanse from sky to sky,
you laid the foundations of the earth,
and we have beheld the miracle of being.

To you be glory and praise for ever.

Reader 1:

And you created humanity in your own image-
female and male, you created us,
the most prized of all your creation.

To you be glory and praise for ever.

Reader 2:

And when you saw what you had made, you called it good.
When we consider the heavens,
contemplate the night sky,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
what are we that you are mindful of us,
the children of sinners, that you care for us?

To you be glory and praise for ever.

Reader 1:

We stand amazed that you, O Lord,
the God of power,
the God of love,
the God of all creation is mindful of us.

To you be glory and praise for ever.

Both readers:

And so we join the saints and angels
in proclaiming your glory, as we sing (say),

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Reader 1:

Father,
long ago, in the Garden of Eden,
we were given a choice:
to partake of life or to partake of a lie
and become our own gods.
The choice was ours, and we have made the most tragic decision.
Suddenly, you became fearful in our eyes.

Lord, in your mercy, forgive us.

Reader 2:

Frightened, we hid ourselves from you,
and tried to cover our faults.
We blamed our neighbours,
pointing our fingers,
demanding vengeance,
and oppressed ourselves and each other
through our own prejudice and insecurity.

Lord, in your mercy, forgive us.

Reader 1:

In sorrow we left paradise,
where the tree of life remained,
untouched and un-tasted.
Sin sent us into a downward spiral.

Lord, in your mercy, forgive us.

Reader 2:

The prophets and sages called us
to return to you, but we would not listen.
You taught us to walk, taking us by the arms;
but we pushed you away.
You led us with cords of human kindness, with ties of love,
but we severed the bond.

Lord, in your mercy, forgive us.

Reader 1:

Though you loved us with an everlasting love,
and drew us with loving-kindness,
the more you called, the further we went away from you.

Lord, in your mercy, forgive us.

Reader 2:

Generations later,
having pushed you out of our lives,
we found ourselves without hope.

In your mercy, Lord forgive us.

Reader 1:

We surveyed all that we toiled to achieve,
only to realise that it was meaningless and vain;
that what has been will be again,
and what has been done will be done again.

Hear us, Lord, and save us.

Reader 2:

Yet in every place of anguish, there is a glimmer of hope,
for you set eternity in our hearts-
a longing to find something inexplicable and eternal.

Hear us, Lord, and save us.

Both readers:

And so, we cried out in misery-

You know our folly, O God,
our guilt is not hidden from you. (Psalm 69.5)
O Lord, hear our voices!
Let your ears be attentive to our cries for mercy! (Psalm 130.2)

Reader 1:

In your compassion,
you did not leave us to despair, but you came to rescue us.
You heard our cries for deliverance,
and sent us a Saviour:
your Son Jesus Christ, to be born to a Virgin,
a faithful woman who said “yes” to your will.

Reader 2:

This Saviour would take away the sins of the world
and wipe away the tears from our eyes.
Although you knew that we would reject him,
you sent him anyway.

Reader 1:

At our hands, this Saviour would suffer;
Oppressed, afflicted, accused-
he would not open his mouth.

Reader 2:

He would be flogged and taken to a place called Calvary,
where he would be pierced for our transgressions
and crushed for our iniquities.

Reader 1:

As he hung there on the cross,
he called out for you to forgive us.
The punishment that brought us peace was upon him
and by his wounds we are healed.

Reader 2:

After the suffering of his soul,
he would see the light of life,
for your Son, who was crucified, would rise, just as he said.

Reader 1:

By his resurrection,
he showed us that your love will not, cannot, and refuses to be defeated;
nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, not even death.

Priest:

On the night he was handed over to suffering and death,
our Lord Jesus Christ took bread;
and when he had given thanks to you,
he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said,
“Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”

My Lord and my God. Amen.

After supper he took the cup of wine;
and when he had given thanks,
he gave it to them, and said,
“Drink this, all of you:
This is my Blood of the new Covenant,
which is shed for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it,
do this for the remembrance of me.”

My Lord and my God. Amen.

Both readers:

Therefore, we proclaim the mystery of faith!

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

Priest:

Father of mercy,
we come to your table once again, as we are,
to boldly approach your throne of grace
through the merits of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
Recalling his life, death, and resurrection,
and awaiting his return in glory,
we offer you these gifts.

Sanctify them by your Word and Holy Spirit
to be the Body and Blood of your Son our Redeemer.
Look upon the offering of these gifts,
and accept our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

In our frustrations and anxieties,
assure us that you are present among us
as we gather around your altar
to receive your Son’s Body and Blood,
the ultimate price for our redemption.

When our journey on earth is complete,
and you bid us to come home to you,
receive us in your open embrace,
that in union with Blessed Mary, the Virgin Mother of God,
__________, and all the saints,
we may praise you through Jesus Christ our Lord.

By him, and with him, and in him,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit
all honour and glory is yours, Almighty Father,
now and for ever.
Amen.

Joshua Ligan 2010.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence.<!–

–> You are free to share, copy, distribute, display, and perform the work; or to make derivative works, provided that you attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor. You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

Philippine “New” Choral Music

I’m really loving the new Philippine Choral scene in which more “native” sounds have been incorporated into choral and liturgical music, instead of the Spanish and Portuguese models of the past. This piece, which I think would be very suitable for Lent, is called Gabaq-an, and it is a cry for mercy and help. The second half shocks you and makes you think “fire and brimstone” and misery with its tribal chants. It is performed by the University of Santo Tomas singers.

Our Hope Endures – Natalie Grant (Illustrated)

A presentation of Hope Church, Singapore.

Off to the P.I.!

So I leave for the Philippines on Thursday night. Supposedly I’m getting back to my “native roots”. (Images of living in a Bahay Kubo come to mind.)

In case you’re wondering what the Philippines is all about, here is the Department of Tourism website.

http://www.wowphilippines.com.ph/

The Long Promotional Video:

The Short Promotional Video:

A promo video makes note of the fact that the Philippines is the 4th largest English-speaking country:

Speaking of the Philippines as an English speaking country, you don’t even need to learn Tagalog to survive in the Philippines. You can get around all over the country in English. Seriously. Blame the American occupation. The Americanization and Anglization of the Philippines was so thorough that Spanish (the language of the former colonial master prior to the Americans) was knocked off the list of official languages. Spain’s enduring legacy is the Roman Catholic Church, which the majority of Filipinos adhere to.

Jennifer Chung (Original) – Despite It All

Jennifer Chung writes of this song:

“Everyday I learn more and more how flawed I truly am. Even though I love my family and friends more than I could ever express, I can’t promise I won’t ever do anything that will hurt them. The same goes for them. When their words or actions hurt me, I can’t disqualify their love immediately. That’s the nature of sin. It doesn’t mean we give up on the ones we love, and the ones that love us. Love is (a) battlefield. We don’t fall in love with people and come out of it the same person. The ones we love challenge us and make us better.

We have to love each other despite it all.”

Everyone makes mistakes,
But we also do some good.
That’s the risk we take
To know which friends are here for good.

I will let you down, I’m sure.
I got a lot of work to do, and more.

Could you love me despite it all,
All these scars?
Because these very cursed things are what got me this far.
I am willing to change, and I’m ready to grow.
Just say you’ll love me despite it all,
And then show, that your word is good.

People tend to come and go,
But I’d rather that you stay.
‘Cause if there’s one thing I know,
Where there’s a will there is a way.

You will let me down, I’m sure.
We got a lot of work to do, and more.

I could love you despite it all,
All your scars.
Besides, those very cursed things
Are what got you this far.
Are you willing to change?
Are you ready to grow?
I’ll say I’ll love you despite it all, and then show,
That my word is good.

Show you that my word is good.
Show you that my love is good.

Before the Throne of God Above

This is the perfect hymn when you need a pick-me-up. It lifted my spirits early this morning at work. I like the Sonicflood version of it.

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Saviour died
My sinful soul is counted free.
In God we all are reconciled
To look on Him and pardon me.
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Saviour and my God!
With Christ my Saviour and my God!