Sophia-God is beyond, with, and within the world; behind, with, and ahead of us; above, alongside, and around us.

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1 Sophia-God is beyond, with, and within the world; behind, with, and ahead of us; above, alongside, and around us. Trinitarian Faith June 14, 2014 Susan Gallegos Announcements Introduction a Trinitarian existence As we trace the vivifying ways of the Spirit, the compassionate, liberating story of Jesus- Sophia, and the generative mystery of the Creator Mother, it becomes clear that the Christian experience of the one God is multifaceted. The God of inexhaustible mystery who is inexpressible other is also with the world in the flesh of history, and is furthermore closer to us than we are to ourselves. Sophia-God is beyond, with, and within the world; behind, with, and ahead of us; above, alongside, and around us. The religious experience of being met in this diversity of saving ways functioned historically and continues to be the starting point for seeking the intelligibility of speech about God in the Christian tradition. Shaped by this encounter, thought discerns a distinct kind of monotheism: the one God enjoys a Trinitarian existence Elizabeth A. Johnson, She Who Is Call to Worship: Gather Us In #302 Opening Prayer: William Cleary - Prayers to She Who Is Holy Mystery, your trinity points to an inner divine life circling around an unimaginable convivial relation, a loving God, pouring out goodness and life and being in incomprehensible richness of possibility and creation.. Give us the joy of a convivial circle of our own, the laughter of mutual acceptance, and lighthearted appreciation our ever-surprising diversity. Be our God, Holy Communioning Spirit. Divine Communion, present, leading, freeing, In you we live and move and have our being.

2 Reading: Proverbs 8:22-31 Thus says God s being, Wisdom: You, Adonai, begot me, the first-born of your ways, the forerunner of your prodigies of long ago; From of old I was poured forth, from the first, before the beginnings of the world. When there were no depths I was brought forth, no fountains or springs of water; Before the mountains were settled into place, before the hills, I was brought forth; While as yet the earth and the fields were not made, nor the first clods of the world. When you established the heavens I was there, when you marked out the vault over the face of the deep; When you set the sun in the skies firmly on high, when you fixed fast the foundations of the earth; When you set for the sea its limit, so that the waters should not disobey the bounds you commanded; I beside you as your assistant, I was your daily source of joy, Constantly making merry in your presence, and delighting in your descendants. Reading: Trinitarian Faith: peering within the Divine Mystery What is the right way to speak to God? This is a question of unsurpassed importance, for speech to and about the mystery that surrounds human lives and the universe itself is a key activity of a community of faith. In that speech the symbol of God functions as the primary symbol of the whole religious system, the ultimate point of reference for understanding experience, life, and the world. Hence the way in which a faith community shapes language about God implicitly represents what it takes to be the highest good, the profoundest truth, the most appealing beauty. Such speaking, in turn, powerfully molds the corporate identity of the community and directs its praxis Elizabeth Johnson, She Who Is Reading: Thomas Merton Sophia is God's sharing of [God s self] with creatures. [God s] outpouring, and the Love by which [God] is given, held and loved. She is in all things like the air receiving the sunlight. In her they prosper. In her they glorify God. In her they rejoice to

3 reflect [God]. In her they are united with [God]. She is the union between them. She is the Love that unites them. She is life as communion, life as thanksgiving, life as praise, life as festival, life as glory... She is the Bride and the Feast and the Wedding. Responsorial: (Hildegard of Bingen) Sophia! You of the whirling wings, One wing soars in heaven, circling, encompassing energy of God: one wing sweeps the earth, you quicken the world in your clasp. and the third flies all around us. Praise to Sophia! Praise to Sophia! Let all the earth praise her! Let all the earth praise her! Reading: Julian of Norwich from her Revelations We are of God. That is what we are. I saw no difference Between God and our Substance but as if it were all God. And yet my understanding took this to mean that our Substance is in God: that is, God is God and our Substance is a creature in God. For the all-capable Fidelity of the Trinity is our Father for he created us and keeps us in him. The deep Wisdom of the Trinity is our Mother. In her we are all enclosed. The high Goodness of the Trinity is Christ in whom we are all enclosed and he in us. Gospel Acclamation & Gospel Reading: Mt. 28: God be with you. And also with you. A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O God. The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All

4 power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Creator, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." The good news. Glory and praise Silent reflection/dialogue Intercessions There is no more preparation this is the transformation for which you came. Every necessary condition is in place for every work there is for us to do. Breathe your Spirit through us now. Let us flow on through the days, easily, lightly, in love. You are with us. Let our actions and thoughts bring the light of love into manifestation in the most powerful way given to us. Breathe your Spirit through us now. Let our open hearts draw others open. Let the circle grow. Let many hear your call and answer. Let the circle grow. Let us be as the sea palm anchored to rock, tossed by wind and heaving wave, returning upright to bow again, never beaten, never uprooted, always joyous in the bowing and in the springing upright. Let us remember that the first impulse is the truest; teach us to follow our heart the first time it whispers, as wind does, through our being. Breathe your Spirit through us now. Let us come openhearted, clear and filled with light. Let us come simply. Come in silence. Fill our beings with the living light, with the unfed flame, with the everlasting touch of life. Breathe your Spirit through us now. As the calm river of our lives approaches the rocky chute of the rapids let us flow on through. We are the same water. The rocks cannot hurt us. Help us remember, now and then, that we are the water and not the boat. Breathe your Spirit through us now. Prayers for the community: Response: Breathe your Spirit through us now. Let us come singing. Let us come in love. You are there awaiting our arrival, you go with us every step of the way. Be with us in peace and joy and in the rage of justice that cleanses. Breathe your spirit through us now.

5 Gathering at the Table God be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to God. Let us give thanks to God our Creator. It is right to give God thanks and praise. You are Holy Wisdom, gracious God, you who teach us your truth and show us your ways through the life and words of Jesus. You pour out your riches for us, your riches of compassion and hope, of fidelity, humility and peace, to fill our hearts as we gather here in Jesus name. We thank you, great and gracious Wisdom, for your loving kindness to us, for the special gift of Jesus in our hearts and our lives. We remember his goodness and wisdom, as he reached out to all who came to him. We remember his love, teaching your truth and forgiveness. Gathered around this table, we call to mind the life Jesus lived among us. We celebrate the death which he accepted out of love for us. And we remember that, although he died, he rose to new life to reign with you, great God of Wisdom. Pour out your Holy Wisdom, your Spirit, your truth upon us. Gather us all together into your community of faith and unite all of us in friendship across the face of the earth. We pray as Jesus taught us: Sophia-God of all, holy is your name. May your kindom come. May your will be done, here and now as in heaven. Give us the bread we need each day, and forgive us as we forgive all who sin against us. Do not allow us to yield to temptation but cleanse the evil within and around us. Yours is the kindom and the power and the glory now and forever. Amen Breaking bread together, our hearts travel on the road to Emmaus with the disciples who did not know the stranger joining them until they sat at table at the village inn, where Jesus took bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him in the breaking of the bread. Breaking and Sharing of Bread Pan de Vida #345 (Silent Reflection) Prayer after the breaking of the bread William Cleary - Prayers to She Who Is It is a consolation to us to think, Mother-Sophia, Holy Communion of Divine Relationships, that you are our journey s end as you were and are its beginning. You are the maternal source of the entire universe, its magnificent womb, bringing forth at every moment new being,

6 new life, new movement and growth, new forms of human creativity, new levels of wisdom and care upon the earth and throughout the cosmos. If it is wonderful to see a flower emerging shining and fragrant from its bud, how much more wonderful is the emergence of a human child from a mother s womb, a world of potency and promise. But words can t begin to describe the magnificence of the entire promise-rich creation as it emerges second by second, everywhere at once, from your divine womb. Words fail utterly. In silence, we observe it. We turn wordlessly toward you, Sophia, Creator Mother, Mystery, Infinite Love, Our God. Creating Mystery, gifting, loving, freeing, In you we live and move and have our being Sending forth and Blessing This is the faith which Christians proclaim: The power of Sophia-God that created the world is the power of love. The power of Jesus that rescues the world is the power of love. The power in us that changes the world is the power of love. Therefore, I bid you go in the name of love. And May God bless us and keep us. May God s face shine upon us. May God be gracious to us and grant to us, and to our entire broken world, peace. May the blessing of Almighty God the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit come upon us and remain with us forever. Amen. Closing Song On Eagle s Wings #433 Sign of Peace