Emmaus Liturgy 2/9/25: Theme:

The Transformative Power of Love

Remember: We meet at Christ Church United Methodist at 4:00PM for in person celebration. Bring a coffee cup and celebrate after the liturgy with a bit of wine, grapejuice or whatever, as we toast our new hom

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Theme:  The Transformative Power of Love

Ring the Singing Bowl


Welcome & Special Blessing

Introduction:  Mary Ellen

This is our first liturgy in our new space, and we are happy to be here!  It seems appropriate to offer a special blessing of thanks for the opportunity to be here


(With hands raised in blessing):

O God, we ask you to bless this Church for their welcoming.  We lift up Pastor Lindsey and her staff for giving us the opportunity to share space, and their commitment to social justice.  May we hold each other and all who worship on these grounds, in love and appreciation as fellow travelers on our faith journey. We are grateful.


Introduction to Liturgy:  Marcie

When Mary Ellen and I talked about this liturgy we named many different kinds of love in less than a minute.  Spousal love, love for children, parents, siblings, God, classmates, immediate neighbors,  teachers, community, environment, animals.  Most of them we take for granted.  Sometimes it takes the loss of love to make us aware that love needs to be nurtured, cared for, looked at with new eyes to make us appreciate the gift that love is.  With Valentine’s Day just 5 days away, we rush to send cards, buy candy in heart-shaped boxes, flowers for a special loved one.  I love all of it.   But this evening we want to go deeper than the commercial, almost automated, ideas of love.  True love transforms.  And if it doesn’t, maybe it’s not the love to which Christ calls us.


Opening Song:  “I Have Loved You with an Everlasting Love”


Ed Fitzgrald:  1st Reading:  —Dorothy Day from “On Pilgrimage: The Sixties”


Love and ever more love is the only solution to every problem that comes up. If we love each other enough, we will bear with each other's faults and burdens. If we love enough, we are going to light that fire in the hearts of others. And it is love that will burn out the sins and hatreds that sadden us. It is love that will make us want to do great things for each other. No sacrifice and no suffering will then seem too much.


Peter:  2nd Reading:  “A Time to Love,” Joan Chittister from There Is a Season


The Hasidic masters tell the story of the rabbi who disappeared every Shabat Eve, "to commune with God in the forest," his congregation thought. So one Sabbath night they asked one of their cantors to follow the rabbi and observe the holy encounter. Deeper and deeper into the woods the rabbi went until he came to the small cottage of an old Gentile woman, sick to death and crippled into a painful posture. 

Once there, the rabbi cooked for her and carried her firewood and swept her floor. Then when the chores were finished, he returned immediately to his little house next to the synagogue.


Back in the village, the people demanded of the one they'd sent to follow him, "Did our rabbi go up to heaven as we thought?"


"Oh, no," the cantor answered after a thoughtful pause, "our rabbi went much, much higher than that."


The rabbi's message sears the soul: Love is not for our own sakes. Love frees us to see others as God sees them.




Song:  Ubi Caritas

Ubi caritas est vera, est vera

Deus ibi est

Deus ibi est


The love of Christ joins us together

Let us rejoice in him

And in our love and care for all

now love God in return


Ubi caritas est vera, est vera

Deus ibi est

Deus ibi est


For those in need make us your mercy

for those oppressed, your might

Make us your Church a holy sign

of justice and new life


Ubi caritas est vera, est vera

Deus ibi est

Deus ibi est


May we one day behold your glory

and see you face to face

rejoicing with the saints of God

to sing eternal praise


Ubi caritas est vera, est vera

Deus ibi est

Deus ibi est


Petitions & Response

Response:  Let all that we do be done in love (1 Corinthians 16: 14)

ALL:  Let all that…

For our families, the ones who don’t think and act like we do, as well as the ones with whom we share common ground.  Let all that……

For our larger family of community and world…

For those we struggle to love….

For the kind of love that transforms us and others….

For the environment that sustains us…

In response to the pain of the world….


Jeanine:  Gospel:  John 2: 1-12

Jesus attended a wedding at Cana with his disciples.  His mother was also there.  When the wine ran out, his mother said to him “They have no wine.”  Jesus was reluctant to help, replying, “My hour has not yet come.”  His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”  There were 6 stone jars standing there for the Jewish rites of purification.  Jesus directed the servants to fill them with water. 


Then he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the steward of the feast.”  When the steward tasted the water, now become wine, he said to the bridegroom, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine, but you have kept the good wine until now.”  This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory, and his disciples believed in him.


Shared Homily

-What binds us, keeps us from loving?

-When have you been transformed by love?

-When has loving someone else transformed you?

Peoples’ Prayer: What do we bring to the table this evening?  For whom or what do we want to pray?


Lord, help us to grow in the love that you modeled for us as we strive to love more perfectly.


Pass the basket


Liturgy of the Eucharist


Marcie:  Spirit of the universe, You have filled us, and all creation, with your blessing, and fed us with your constant love.  You have called us in Christ Jesus, and knit us into one body.  Through your Spirit you replenish us, and call us to the fulness of life.


Mary Ellen:  On the night before he died, Jesus was at table with his friends.   He took bread, gave thanks to you broke it, and gave it to his friends saying,


ALL:  This is my body, broken for you.

Marcie:  As supper was ending, Jesus took the cup of wine.  Again he gave thanks to you, gave it to his friends and said,


ALL:  This cup is the new covenant of my lifeblood shed for you and for all.  And as often as you do this, you do this in memory of me.


Mary Ellen:  Now gathered at your table, we offer to you our gifts of bread and wine, and ourselves, as living offerings of your love,  Pour out your Spirit upon all these gifts and all of us, that we may be your living Body, your Lifeblood.

Breathe your Spirit over the whole earth and make us all your new creation.  In the fullness of time bring us with all your saints from every tribe and language, from every people and nation to feast at the banquet prepared from the foundation of the world.


Marcie:  Let us pray the gift Jesus gave us.


ALL:  Creator of all, holy and blessed is your true name.  We pray for your reign of peace to come.  We pray that your good will be done.  Let heaven and earth become one.  Give us this day the bread we need.  Give it to those who have none.  Let forgiveness flow like a river between us, from each one to each one.  Lead us to holy innocence beyond the evil of our days.  Come swiftly Creator God, come.  You your is the power and the glory and the mercy; forever your name is All in One.  Amen


Mary Ellen:  Let us now offer one another a sign of peace.


Marcie:  Everyone is welcome at this table.  The Spirit, whom the universe cannot contain, is present to us in this bread.  God’s sacred presence, the redeems us and calls us by name, now meets us in this cup.  So come, take this bread, drink this wine.  In them, the Spirit comes to us that that we become one with the Spirit.


Communion Song:  The Rose - Bette Midler


Closing Prayer

God still walks our streets daily.  We pray to be more mindful of this and show our love to all those we encounter.  


Song:  Love is Love is Love is Love - Abbie Betinis

LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE

Love is love is love is love.

Love is love is love is love.

Oh, love is love is love is love.

Oh, love is love is love is love. Oh...

(mantra) ||: Love, love, love. All we need is love, love love. All we need is :||

Ubi caritas et amor, where there's love,

Love is love.


Author’s Note: This song was written for the Justice Choir Songbook. It is dedicated to the victims, and survivors, of hate crimes everywhere, and specifically for those at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016. Love is often the bravest thing we do. May love prevail. -Abbie


Mary Ellen:  And this beloved Emmaus Community says:


ALL:  Amen!


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