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RSS2‘epiphany in a world of many faiths’ [14.01.01]
a eucharistic service that draws on sources from the other religions represented in our home town of bradford. we’re grateful to ray at all
hallows church, leeds for permission to use the liturgy that begins this services.
we also created an alternative beginning to the service (see below)
The Service:
This version labelled for 5 participants A-E, C being the celebrant for Eucharist.
A:
The wise men came to Jesus from another land, they were not Jews but Gentiles. They did not come from the same religion as Jesus.They came because they recognised the importance of Jesus as a manifestation of the divine, they came in reverence and respect, they came open to discover the truth of the Christ child.
They came and they returned. They returned to their lands, their customs, their religions enriched and renewed.
B:
They came with gifts, they came to receive the wonder of the Christ Child and to offer him treasures from their land and culture.They left their gifts as a sign of their respect and reverence and as a symbol of their meeting, of their touching and being touched by the
Christ Child.A:
Wise men and Women still come to the Christ Child from other lands from other faiths meeting him to offer their reverence and respect
leaving their gifts for the body of Christ to accept and experience and returning to their own faith.B:
In a world of many faiths how are we called to receive these gifts, how are we to receive and respect their reverence of Jesus as a manifestation - an epiphany of the divine - whom we proclaim as the Christ.
© 2000 Ray Gaston All
hallows, Leeds
Congregation invited to ‘find’ boxes scattered around worship area. On each is a prayer or quote from another faith. In groups discuss according to what is printed on the box what ‘gift’ might be inside (gift of understanding, compassion etc.). They may May also want to offer other ideas of gifts
from different faiths.
Then bring boxes to that altar as an act of thanksgiving for the gifts of other faiths.
A:
Gandhi a follower of Dharma the way of Hinduism said‘Jesus is a parable of God’s love’
C:
The gift of gold a follower of Hinduism leaves at the stable is the gift of a powerful sense of God revealed in the natural world. I leave these flowers as a symbol of that gift.B:
Can we receive this gift the gift of a strong sense of God revealed in the natural world and see how it helps us understand our own faith?
A:
Thich Nhat Hanh - a follower of the way of the Buddha said ‘When we look into and touch deeply the life and teaching of Jesus, we can penetrate the reality of God.’D:
The incense a follower of the Buddha leaves at the stable is the holiness of silence and emptyness, the power of meditation. I leave this burning incense as a symbol of that gift.B:
Can we receive this gift the gift of the holiness of silence and emptyness, the power of meditation and see how it helps us understand our own faith?A:
The Qu’ran, the Holy Scripture of the people of Islam says of Mary and Jesus ‘And she who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her from Our spirit, and made her and her son a sign for the nations.’E:
The myrrh a follower of Islam leaves at the stable is a commitment to the Otherness and Holiness of God. I leave this copy of the Qur’an as a symbol of this gift.B:
Can we receive this gift, the gift of the Otherness and Holiness of God and see how it helps us understand our own faith?A:
Let us receive these gifts from travellers of other ways, in the spirit that Mary received the gifts from the wise men, may we allow them to help us nurture and develop our growth into Christ.
© 2000 Ray Gaston All
hallows, Leeds
Reading
C: Matthew 2:1-12 [‘The Message’ translation]
Confirmation of faith meditation
a visual meditation using a typographic representation of the apostles creed accompanied by music and projected images from christian art.
D: Explanation of the meditation
[+ projected images & words to help focus on our faith]
Confession
D:
Explanation of ritual & mention that time might be used to confess the times we’ve failed to recognise or receive gifts from other faiths, and failed to share the good news of the Christian story.
Handwashing ritual
bowl of water passed round for all to wash hands in.
Absolution
[based on passage from the Bhagavad-Gita]
E:
Have your mind on me be devoted to me, sacrifice to me, revere me, home to me, for this is true – you are dear to me. Leave everything else behind and come to me – the one refuge I will free you from all sins. Cry no more.
Hymn: Be here now
The Eucharist:
A: The God of all creation is with us.
All: The Spirit of Life is here.
B: As God embraces us with love, let’s embrace each other in the peace of the Lord
[the peace is shared]
C: We celebrate the one-ness of God with the world in which we live:
D: Where we see a world polluted by lies and deceit,
All: God is truth.
E: Where we find the world clouded by darkness,
All: God is light.
A: When we fail to see future and promise,
All: God is hope.
Reading: [from the Qu’ran V 111-115]
B: And when I inspired the disciples, saying: Believe in Me and in My messenger, they said: We believe. Bear witness that we have surrendered to you.
When the disciples said: O Jesus, son of Mary! Is thy Lord able to send down for us a table spread with food from heaven? He said: Observe your duty to Allah, if you are true believers.
They said: We wish to eat thereof, that we may satisfy our hearts and know that you have spoken truth to us, and that we may be witnesses.
Jesus, son of Mary said: O Allah, Lord of us! Send down for us a table spread with food form heaven, that it may be a feast for us, for the first of us, and the last of us, and a sign form you. Give us sustenance, for you are the Best of Sustainers.
Thanksgiving, Consecration and Epiclesis
D: God reaches out to us, longing for us to know the peace, freedom and justice of a complete life, longing for us to be fully human.
In Jesus of Nazareth we see God as human, made vulnerable by his love for us, inviting us to share with him in bread and wine, inviting
us with a broken body pierced arms outstretched to embrace us.C: On the night before he died, during the celebration of the passover meal Jesus took and blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying,
“Take, eat. This is my body.”
Taking the cup and thanking God, he gave it to them:
“Drink this, all of you. This is my blood, God’s new covenant poured out for the many people for the forgiveness of sins.”
All: In the presence of God we ask that this bread and wine might be for us the body and blood of the Christ.
[the bread is broken during the following passage]
C: We break this bread as one people and celebrate our humanity in God. It is a symbol of life, faith and unity.
[bread is passed round to be broken by all]
We break bread with our brothers and sisters of the Sikh faith, with our Muslim brothers and sisters.
We break bread with all those who follow the teachings of Buddha, with our brothers and sisters of the Hindu faith.
We break bread with the Jewish people of God and invite all who search for the spiritual in their lives to come and celebrate life.
E: Those who are hungry – come and eat.
A: Those who are thirsty – come and drink.
B: God is among us and invites us to share
in the Holy feast.
All: We come to eat and drink in the goodness of God, that we shall be one with each other, with all creation, one with God.
C: Eat, drink, and in your heart give thanks to God.
[sharing of bread and wine]
Blessing
C: Nourished by God, go and live as children of the transforming God go and share with all people of the world go and celebrate life with all of God’s creation.
All: God is with is, now and always. Amen.
………………………….
Alternative beginning (after which the service continues as above)
The congregation are invited to greet each other with the Hindu greeting “Namiste”
(tr: I bow to the God within you)
the following reading is in two parts to be read by two people alternately
A reading from the second book of chronicles:
When the Queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s fame, she came to test him with hard questions. She had a large group of servants with her and camels carrying spices, jewels and much gold.
When she came to Solomon, she talked with him about all she had in mind, and Solomon answered all her questions.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew:
When Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked, “Where is the baby who was to be born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
She said to Solomon, “What I heard in my own country about your achievements and wisdom is true. Praise the Lord your God who was pleased to make you king. He has put you on his throne to rule for the Lord your God, because your God loves the people of Israel and supports them forever.”
They came to the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. They opened their gifts and gave him treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The she gave the king about 4 tonnes of gold and many spices and jewels.
No one had ever given such spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba everything she wanted and asked for, even more than she had brought to him.
These are stories of visitors from other lands, from other religions. Visitors bringing gifts in recognition of the importance of other religions,
visitors coming in reverence and respect, looking to discover truth.They came with gifts, the Queen on Sheba to receive the wisdom of Solomon, the Wise Men to receive the wonder of the Christ Child, all offering treasures from their land and culture.
They left their gifts as a sign of their respect and reverence and as a symbol of their meeting, of their touching and being touched by God.
Wise men and Women still come from other lands, from other faiths to offer their reverence and respect leaving their gifts for the body of Christ to accept and experience and returning to their own faith.
In a world of many faiths how are we called to receive these gifts, how are we to receive and respect their reverence of Jesus as a manifestation of the divine - whom we proclaim as the Christ?
service continues with the congregation invited to find boxes
