Ascension  ’Bjorcharist’

This liturgy was first developed and facilitated by folks at Church of the Beloved in Edmonds, WA.  It blends the music of Icelandic singer and songwriter Bjork with a liturgical framework from the Book of Common Prayer and intersperses fictional journal entries that explore the implications of Jesus’ ascension.  The very ‘straight’ liturgical framework helped to balance the very ‘experimental’ music, while the journal entries seemed to put a personal voice to the underlying issues of loving an ascended Christ.  The central image is a giant ball of yarn placed on the communion table (it’s actually an inflated exercise ball with about ten balls of yarn wrapped around it), which invokes the lyrics from Bjork’s song Unravel.  It takes a lot of work to pull this off, but, trust me, you’ve never experienced anything like it!

WELCOME:

ONE: Alleluia! Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

ONE: Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires

known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts

of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may

perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name;

through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

JOURNAL ENTRY 1: Sightings (Headphones Track underneath)

TWO: April 20th. Journal Entry One:  I still talk to him.  Does that sound weird?  I do.  I talk to him when he’s not around.  I’m almost comfortable with calling it prayer.  Okay.  I’ll call it prayer.  I pray to him… little comments underneath my breath during the day.  I don’t know if he hears them or how it all works. But I pray to him.  It just feels weird saying that because he taught me to pray.  I was his disciple for three years… well, I still am.  That’s a long time to follow someone around.  You know, actually I’m more his disciple now than ever before it happened.

It’s different than anything i’ve experienced… seeing him again…  We were so messed up.  Just destroyed by our sadness.

In any movie when someone raises from the dead… it’s never a good thing.  They either want to eat your brains or they want to haunt you or create other zombies or vampires or something… whatever it is, rising from the dead is never seen as a good thing.

So when he raised from the dead, initially it was terrify.  We were already scared that… well that we were going to be caught and killed like him.  But then there he was in front of us and he kept saying, “Shalom, shalom, peace.”  I saw scars.  And when I saw those scars I knew that it was him and I knew that nothing would be the same.  And he just kept showing up in these spots, coincidental meetings, some even saw him on the road outside of town…  we never knew when he might pop up next.  We never wanted to miss it.  Would he show up if we went fishing.  Would he show up when we met for shabat?  We just didn’t know.  But it was as if he was with us… invisibly with us.  And so I started talking to him… I mean, praying to him.

INVOCATION SONG: Joga

JOURNAL ENTRY 2: Regrets and Apologies (Headphones Track underneath)

TWO: April 26th. Journal Entry Two:  It happened again today.  He came to us.  Thomas was with us this time and he showed the scars again.  I don’t know how to talk about how I feel when I see those scars.  It’s strange.  They break me open and heal me all at the same time.  When I look at them I feel the dread of dropping from a 300 foot cliff and the safety of being an infant back in my mother’s arms… simultaneously.  I want to run as far away as I can and leave this craziness, and at the same time I want to run to him and grab ahold of him and beg him to stay, stay for dinner, stay for anything, just stay.  It’s funny how with just a little word, just a simple greeting heard a hundred times a day my anxiety can pass.  “Shalom.” He said.  “My Peace I give to you.”  It was all there.  The moment was ripe with meaning.  It held so much more than what was apparent.  The moment held my cowardice, my deserting him in the Garden, my hiding, my shame… it was all there.  But it also held an unimaginable surprise – his standing there, alive, and saying, “Peace”, it held a graciousness, a hopefulness… we were starting again, forgiven and friends.  That was all there too.  This is… uh… very interesting.

CONFESSION SONG: Desired Constellation (1st vs/ch)

ONE: Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Most merciful God,

We confess that we have sinned against you

in thought, word, and deed,

by what we have done,

and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart;

we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.

For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,

have mercy on us and forgive us;

that we may delight in your will,

and walk in your ways,

to the glory of your Name.

Amen.

ABSOLUTION: Show Me Forgiveness (accapella)

ONE: Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your

sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all

goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in

eternal life.

Amen.

COLLECT

ONE: The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

ONE: Let us pray,

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son

Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in

heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your

Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place

where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and

reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory

everlasting.

Amen.

PSALM CHANT: 93  (to the tune of Unravel)

The LORD is king and is robed in | majesty;

the LORD is robed and is | girded with strength.

God has established the world; it shall ne | ver be moved;

Your throne is established from of old; you are from |

everlasting.

The floods have lifted | up, O LORD,

the floods have lifted up their | roaring voice;

More majestic than the thunders of mi | ghty waters,

More majestic on high | is the LORD!

Your decrees are very | sure, O LORD

holiness befits your house for | evermore.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Ho | ly Spirit

As it was in the beginning, is now, and every will be. |

A-men.

GOSPEL 1: Unravel (acoustic-ish)

BACKGROUND SONG MP3: ‘Prayer of the Heart’

(this song will continue through “Journal Entry 3″ and “Open Space”)

JOURNAL ENTRY 3: Last Goodbyes

TWO: May 8th. JOURNAL ENTRY THREE: My dad died when I was eight.  I know it’s not the same thing, but it’s really hard for me to differentiate between the two.  Leaving just feels like leaving.

He’s going to great lengths to try to tell us why he is going to leave.  I don’t get it.  He says, “I’ve to go.  I’ve got to go to the father.  But I’m going to send you someone to advocate for you.  You know that I wouldn’t leave you orphaned.”  I’m like, “then just stay.  What can you do there that you can’t do here?  Just work from home!  You know.  Because we were just getting used to having you back.  I was just getting used to having you back.  I mean, I left everything to do this.  And if you leave again, what am I going to do?  I can’t really go back to my old life.  I’ve seen too much.  I’ve experienced too much.  I’ve changed too much.  I don’t recognize myself.  And it’s because I met you.”  That’s what I want to say to him.

Here it is, okay: God is invisible.  No one has ever seen God.  But, forgive me if this is blasphemy, but for me knowing Jesus has been like knowing God- there is a light in him, a trueness about him, a way forward with him.  What other way am I supposed to go now?  If he leaves I feel as if God will become invisible again.  How will I hold it together?

OPEN SPACE:

ONE: This is Open Space. A space of

prayerful connection free for you to explore as you desire.

Before us is a ball of yarn. It is the heart that comes undone

when faced with the apparent absence of our Lord. You each

collected a loose strand, which you now hold in your hand -

You are invited to tie it back to the ball of yarn… in an act of

intimate prayer to the God who is unseen, reconnect your piece

to the ball of yarn. The Holy Spirit is making new love with you

through the good news of Jesus Christ. We’ll meet back in 8

minutes.

GOSPEL STORY:

GOSPELER: The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according St. Luke 24:44-53

Glory to you, Lord Christ

Jesus said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you

while I was still with you–that everything written about me in

the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be

fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the

scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the

Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day,

and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed

in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are

witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you

what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you

have been clothed with power from on high.” Then he led

them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he

blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from

them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped

him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were

continually in the temple blessing God. This is the Gospel of

our Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Christ.

GOSPEL 2: Undo

JOURNAL ENTRY 4: The Re-Framing

TWO: May 25th. Journal Entry Four:  Today it finally happened.  I don’t think we will be seeing him for a while, at least not like we’ve been seeing him.

I’ve been left before, by my father, by friends, by lovers… and I’ve done plenty of leaving myself… somehow this leaving feels different.   where most all of the leaving in my life prior to this seemed to strip me of meaning, this leaving brings meaning to life.  It’s as if it’s what was supposed to happen from the beginning.

This leaving is different.  I was afraid that I wouldn’t know what to do next, but he’s giving it to us one step at a time.  Right now we’re going to wait in the city.  Something big is going to happen.  Something that will give us the power to do the next part:  we have a way forward together:  we’re just going tell people what we’ve seen and heard, and we have tons of stories.  Me, I’m just going to describe the feeling of looking into those scars and the forgiveness that I found there.  We’ll start here, then keep traveling.  Who knows where it will take us.  Who knows what we’ll say other than this: “Jesus was sent by God – we lifted him up on a cross, but God lifted him up from the grave, and now he’s been lifted up to the right hand of God.”  It sounds crazy, but what hasn’t been crazy in the last three years?

PRAYERS: Who is it? (Refrain)

ONE: Let us hand over prayers for God’s people throughout

the world; for our Bishops Chris, Nedi and Greg; for this

gathering; and for all ministers and people. For the Church of

God, let us pray to the Lord.

SING: Who is it? Who is it that never lets you down?

Who is it that gave you back your crown?

And the ornaments are going around

Now they’re handing it over, Handing it over

ONE: Let us hand over our prayers for peace; for goodwill

among nations; and for the well-being of all people. For justice

and peace, let us pray to the Lord.

SING: Who is it?…

ONE: Let us hand over our prayers for the poor, the sick, the

hungry, the oppressed, and those in prison. Pray for those in

any need or trouble, let us pray to the Lord.

SING: Who is it?…

ONE: Let us hand over our prayers for all who seek God, or a

deeper knowledge of him. Pray that they may find and be

found in him. For all those that seek, let us pray to the Lord.

SING: Who is it?…

ONE: Let us hand over our prayers for the departed, especially

those slain by war, famine and disease, and for those we name

now.  For those who have died, let us pray to the Lord.

SING: Who is it?…

ONE: Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles, “Peace I

give to you; my own peace I leave with you:” Regard not our

sins, but the faith of your Church, and give to us the peace and

unity of that heavenly City, where with the Father and the Holy

Spirit you live and reign, now and for ever. Amen.

PEACE:

ONE: The peace of the Lord be always with you

And also with you.

OFFERINGS:

ONE: Let us present before our God the gifts we steward for

the sake of the world – our tithes, our offerings, our whole

lives.

SONG: ALL IS FULL OF LOVE

We’ll be given love

We’ll be taken care of

We’ll be given love

We have to trust it

Maybe not from the sources

We have poured yours

Maybe not from the directions

We are staring at

EUCHARIST:

ONE: The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

ONE: Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

ONE: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give thanks and praise

ONE: It is right, and a good and joyful thing,

always and everywhere to give thanks to you,

Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and

Archangels

and with all the company of heaven,

who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your

Name:

SUNG: All is full of Love.

All is full of Love. All is full of Love. (x 2)

ONE: Holy and gracious Father:

In your infinite love you made us for yourself,

and, when we had fallen into sin

and become subject to evil and death,

you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal

Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us,

to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all.

He stretched out his arms upon the cross,

and offered himself in obedience to your will,

a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.

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.”

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 many for the forgiveness of sins.

Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died.

Christ is risen.

Christ will come again.

ONE: We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father,

in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension,

we offer you these gifts.

Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit +

to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son,

the holy food and drink of new and unending life in him.

Sanctify us also (+)

that we may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament,

and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace;

and at the last day bring us with all your saints

into the joy of your eternal kingdom.

All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ:

By him, and with him, and in him,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours,

Almighty Father, now and for ever.

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to

say:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your Name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those

who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours,

now and for ever. Amen.

ONE: Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;

Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.

ONE: The Gifts of God for the People of God.

COMMUNION SONG: ‘ALL IS FULL OF LOVE’

POST COMMUNION PRAYER

ONE: Let us pray.

Eternal God, heavenly Father,

you have graciously accepted us as living members

of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ,

and you have fed us with spiritual food

in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood.

Send us now into the world in peace,

and grant us strength and courage

to love and serve you

with gladness and singleness of heart;

through Christ our Lord. Amen.

BLESSING:

ONE: Now may the LORD bless you and keep you;

May the LORD’s face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

May the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you

peace.

Amen.

DISMISSAL:

ONE: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Alleluia!

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