Saturday, October 24, 2026: Join us Tomorrow for our Emmaus Liturgy starting at 3:45pm. We will celebrate in honor of Dia de Los Muertos / The Feast of All Souls

Everyone is Welcome! 

We meet in person in Classroom 8 of Christ Church United Methodist at 1717 Yulupa Avenue, Santa Rosa 95405

or on Zoom:

Join Zoom Meeting with this link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5193158573?omn=83840699097

Passcode: 1234

Or from your browser start Zoom.com

Click on the MEET tab at the top of the page

From the dropdown menu select Join a Meeting

Enter the Meeting ID: 519 315 8573

Passcode: 1234

Homework: JoAnn and Jim ask that you bring a photo of someone in your family or a friend or someone you love and respect who has passed.

Emmaus Intentional Eucharistic Community.

JoAnn- The first of November marks the end of the yearly cycle in the circle of Earth festivals according to Earth-Centered people from around the world. It is one of the four cross-quarter holidays. Samhain, a Celtic holiday, and our All Souls Day/All Saints Day and Dios De Los Muertos is the midpoint between Autumn and Winter.  We are also still in the New Moon window, a potent time to set intention for what we want to call into our life experience. As those who celebrate Earth festivals, we are gathering for our Liturgy, for our “Earth Dance” to honor our ancestors and where we can draw guidance from each other and from all those who have gone before us whom we have known personally in life or from those guides we have come to know through story, biography, music, art, film, dance. 

Ring the Singing Bowl three times followed by a moment of silence as we peruse the pictures of our ancestors and all those we may see and remember in our Mind’s Eye. We bring them here today. They come here today! They are here with us!

Opening Song:  Earthen Vessels

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETVaQoAjqOk

Refrain: Behold a treasure not made of gold, in earthen vessels, wealth untold; one treasure only: the Lord, the Christ, in earthen vessels.

1-Light has shone in our darkness, God has shone in our heart with the light of the glory of Jesus, the Lord.

2-God has chosen the lowly who are small in this world; in this weakness is glory in Jesus, the Lord.

Call To Worship:

Pat: Listen.

All: Hear God whisper.

Pat: Press God’s breath against your heart-and listen.

All: Shush, quiet Hear God speak.

Pat: God’s tongue is love.

All: God’s voice a muted trumpet.

Pat: Listen.

All: God communicates a quiet strength

Pat: Close your eyes

All: Rest your mind.

Pat: Ride softly, gently,

All: On God’s wings of love.

Pat: Listen

All: Let God’s love transform you. 

Pat: God’s wisdom guide you.

All: God’s Spirit heal you.

Pat: Your broken life may mend. 

All: If we just listen. (By Diana Dunn Reinfeld)

Opening Prayer:

JoAnn- God of our ancestors, we come as we are. Some of us arrived refreshed; some of us arrive thirsty; some of us are not yet sure what we need. Meet us here. Quiet the voices that tell us we must earn your love or prove our usefulness.  Remind us that your grace is already flowing, your presences is already among us and your love is already ours. Open us to receive what you give freely.  Amen

Liturgy of the Word 1st Reading: Sirach 44

Jim: Now we will praise our great heroes, the ancestors of our peoples from times long past and those who have gone before us just yesterday, those we have lived with and we have called daughter, son, mother, father, brother, sister, wife, husband, grandparent grandson, granddaughter, niece, nephew, aunt, uncle, cousin, in-laws and friend.

Yahweh gave them greatness and honor and they too reflected the greatness of God in ancient times and in recent times. Some of them had power over great domains and gained their fame through their strength.  Others were advisors who possessed great foresight and s poke with the righteousness of prophets. Some led the people through their wisdom, and by their knowledge of the Love of Israel, teaching the people from their wealth of understanding. Some composed great music and wrote great poetry while others sculpted, painted and danced.

Still others possessed great wealth and power, living the life of ease in their estates.  All these were glorious in their time, illustrious in their day.  Some of them left behind a name so that people recount their praises.  Of others no memory remains for when they perished, they perished, as if they had never lived, they and their children after them.

Yet these also were godly, their virtues have not been forgotten. Remembering, those who have died in all of the wars from the beginning of time and those most recent in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, Russia, Gaza, Lebanon, El Salvador, Guatemala, Cuba, Haiti, Israel, Congo, Armenia  Their wealth remains in their families, their heritage with their descendants.  Through God’s Covenant, their family endures and their offspring for their sake. And for all time their progeny will endure, their glory will never be blotted out. 

Their bodies are buried in peace, but their names live on and on.  At gatherings such as this their wisdom is retold, and the assembly proclaims their praises.

2nd Reading : Gospel of Matthew 5:1-12a The Beatitudes

Jim: When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. Jesus began to teach them saying: 

1-Blest are they, the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of God. Blest are they full of sorrow, they shall be consoled. 

Refrain: Rejoice and be glad, blessed are you, holy are you! Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God.

2-Blest are they, the lowly ones, they shall inherit the earth.  Blest are they who hunger and thirst they shall have their fill. 

Refrain Rejoice and be glad, blessed are you, holy are you! Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God.

3-Blest are they who show mercy, mercy shall be theirs.  Blest are they, the pure of heart, they shall see God.

Refrain Rejoice and be glad, blessed are you, holy are you! Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God.

4-Blest are they who seek peace; they are the children of God. Blest are then who suffer in faith, the glory of God is theirs. 

Refrain Rejoice and be glad, blessed are you, holy are you! Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God.

5-Blest are you who suffer hate, all because of me. Rejoice and be glad, yours is the kingdom, shine for all to see.     

Refrain Rejoice and be glad, blessed are you, holy are you! Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God.

Dialogue Homily and Prayer of the Faithful is one for today.

JoAnn and All

Closing antiphonal prayer of our Dialogue Homily and Prayer of the Faithful.

Jim:

Right Side -Divine Spirit you have been with us throughout the ages.

Left Side -In remembrance and gratitude, we have named the saints who hungered for righteousness

 and whose sacrifices contributed to a more just society.

Right Side In remembrance and gratitude, we have named the saints who loved us, nurtured us, embraced us, celebrated us or supported us. We are because they were. 

Left Side -We also hold in remembrance the ones whose lives were taken by injustice, by genocide, the ones who were severed from their own sense of beloved-ness, especially children, and those who passed on our faith and those who gave us art, song, poetry, dance and film.

Right Side -Like us, we know they were imperfect, too.  Life is messy and contradictory often betraying the very justice and love we seek to embody. And yet, you O God, promise that our loving labors and those of others are never in vain. 

Left Side -Help us to lean on the witness of those who have gone before us, drawing on the love, justice, community and faith that weave us together, generation after generation- those in the past those living in the present and those who we will not know, those who will be in the future. 

All: With gratitude and remembrance, we pray and lift up all of these loved ones and situations. 

Basket of Giving, our alms and our works. We remember John at this time and all those who have given of their monies and their works here at Emmaus

Liturgy of The Eucharist: Eucharistic Prayer

Pat: May God be with us

All: And with the whole world.

Pat: Let us lift up our hearts.

All: We lift them up to God.

Pat: Let us give thanks to God.

All: It is right to give thanks and praise.

Pat: It is truly right to thank you, O Spirit of Light. You move among us as God’s

Breath, as natural and rhythmic as our own. We find you in the ten thousand things of creation.

JoAnn: You nurture in us wise and understanding hearts.  We know that your wisdom, which sees all things and is at work in all things, can be touched everywhere.  And so, with all of creation we join this cosmic hymn of praise.

Pat: Spirit of Light and love, You are within us and light our way.  We thank you for your presence and action in our world. Awe thank you for turning our hearts to peace in the midst of conflict.  We thank you for opening our hearts to our enemies and joining our hands in friendship with those from whom we are estranged.

JoAnn: Your Spirit evokes understanding, puts an end to strife, quenches hatred with compassion and conquers vengeance with forgiveness.  It is in the holiness of this gathering and the gathering of our holiness, that we join our praise of You with that of all creation,

(As Pat and JoAnn hold up the bread and wine, everyone consecrates the bread and wine together by saying:)

All: Let us bless this bread that gives itself to us, with its tremendous weight and its infinite grace.

All: Let us bless this cup poured out for us with a love that makes us new.  Let us gather around these gifts simply given and deeply blessed.  And then let us go bearing this bread, carrying this cup, laying the table within a hungering world.

All: For, it is “Through Him, With Him, In Him, In the Unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, Forever and Ever:

All: Sung Acclamation: We remember how you loved us all your life, and we still celebrate for you are with us here.  And we believe that we will see you, when you come, when you come again! We remember! We celebrate! We believe.

Pat: Now together, as one community, we offer to you O 

God, our prayer, in the name of your beloved son and our brother, Jesus.

All: O Cosmic Being, who gives birth to all radiance and vibration! Soften the ground of our being and carve out a space within us where your presence can abide.  Fill us with your creativity so that we may be empowered to bear the fruit of your mission. 

Let each of our actions bear fruit in accordance with your desire.  Endow us with the wisdom to produce and share what each being needs to grow and flourish.

Untie the tangles threads of destiny that bind us, as we release others from the entanglement of past mistakes. Do not let us be seduced by that which would divert us from our true purpose, but illuminate the opportunities of the present moment.  For you are the ground and fruitful vision, the birth, power and fulfillment, as all is gathered and made whole once again.

Raven Woman

JoAnn: Peace

It is not an EASY peace, we but look around us and our world.

It is not a HALF-HEARTED peace.

It is the peace of God. We are called to share THIS peace with one another here and beyond! The peace of God be with you! 

Let us now offer one another this blessing of peace.

Pat: Everyone is welcome to this table.  Our God, whom the universe cannot contain is present to us in this bread.  Our God, who redeems us and calls us by name, now meets us in this cup.  So, come Beloved Friends, and take this bread, drink this wine, in them, God comes to us, so that we may come to God.

Communion

Communion Song: Bread for the World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BeInuYXITI

Refrain: Bread for the world, a world of hunger, wine for all peoples, people who thirst.  

May we who eat be bread for others, may we who drink pour out our love.

1-Lord Jesus Christ, you are the bread of life, broken to reach and heal the wounds of human pain. Where we divide your people you are waiting there on bended knee to ash our feet with endless care. 

Refrain

2-Lord Jesus Christ, you are the wine of peace, poured into hearts once broken and where dryness sleeps. Where we are tired and weary you are waiting there to be the way which beckons us beyond despair. 

Refrain

3-Lord Jesus Christ, you call us to your feast, at which the rich and pow’rful have become the least.  Where we survive on others in our human greed, you walk among us begging for your ev’ry need.

Victoria: Closing Prayer Jim:

In the Leaving by Jan Richardson

In the leaving, 

In the letting go, 

Let there be this

to hold onto

at the last:

the enduring of love,

the persisting of hope, 

the remembering of joy,

the offering of gratitude,

the receiving of grace,

the blessings of peace.

And the people of this beloved Emmaus

Community say…Amen! Amen!

Announcements: Denise