Monday, September 10, 2007

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Today we continue our study of world religions inspired by the Episcopal Diocese 'Peace Village" kit by turning to early Christianity.

CALL TO SILENCE AND OPENING MEDITATION

Peace...comes within the Souls of [humankind] when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells Wakan-Tanka, and that his center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."
From Hehaka Sapa (Black Elk), Lakota/Ogala Sioux

READINGS - STRANDS OF EARLY CHRISTIAN THOUGHT

A Reading from the Lost Gospel "Q" (thought to be earlier than Mark)

Love your enemies
Do good to those who hate you.
Bless those who curse you
Pray for those who treat you badly.

When someone strikes you on the right cheek, offer them the other cheek, too.
When someone takes your coat from you, let them have your shirt as well.
Give to everyone who asks. And if someone robs you, don't demand your property back.

The Lost Gospel Q: The Original Sayings of Jesus (Paperback)
by Marcus Borg (Editor), Thomas Moore (Introduction)

Readings from the Letters:

1 Thessalonians 4: 9-18

But concerning love of the brethren you have no need to have any one write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do love all the brethren throughout Maceado'nia. But we exhort you, brethren, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you; so that y0u may command the respect of outsiders, and be dependent on nobody. But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will baring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

1 Corinthians 2: 6-8

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away ;But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

1 Corinthians 12:13

For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews, Greeks, slave or free - and we are made to drink of one Spirit.

James 2: 14-18

What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.

A Reading from The Gospel of Thomas

Jesus said," Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all. [And after they have reigned they will rest.]"

When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."

Readings from the Gospels

Mark 4: 30-32

And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or whta parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth largae branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."

John 20: 11-18

But Mark stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing him to be the gardaener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away>" Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew," Rab-boni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hole me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God." Mary Mag'dalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

A Reading from The Gospel of Mary Magdalene

But they were grieved. They wept greatly, saying, How shall we go to the Gentiles and preach the gospel of the Kingdom of the Son of Man? If they did not spare Him, how will they spare us? Then Mary stood up, greeted them all, and said to her brethren, Do not weep and do not grieve nor be irresolute, for His grace will be entirely with you and protect you. But rather, let us praise His greatness, for He has prepared us and made us into Men. When Mary said this, she turned their hearts to the Good, and they began to discuss the words of the Savior.

Peter said to Mary, Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of woman. Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember which you know, but we do not, nor have we heard them. Mary answered and said, What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you. And she began to speak to them these words: I, she said, I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to Him, Lord I saw you today in a vision. He answered and said to me, Blessed are you that you did not waver at the sight of Me. For where the mind is there is the treasure.

http://www.gnosis.org/library/marygosp.htm

Closing Dialogue

Solo: Are you aware of the light and the peace within you?

Unison: We have the feeling and the movement,

The passion for the well-being of all.

Solo: Light spreads, just as love spreads.

Are you willing to speak your feeling of light?

Unison: Yes, indeed, we must speak the feeling.

We must act the peace.

Solo: Then let us practice the feeling.

Let us practice the action of peace.

UNISON: Let us dance the feeling.

Let us dance the peace,

Let us dance from the light.

Solo: Let us move together

In the light and the peace.

UNISON: Let us go forth in the power of the Spirit.

We ask for your comments/thoughts to continue or Sunday conversation.





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