Indigenous Prayers of the People

 Prayers of the People                       adapted from Church of the Four Winds, Portland, Oregon

Presider      Creator and Redeemer, as we approach YOU in prayer: 

make us walk in beauty and balance, 

     make us open our hearts and minds, 

          make us speak the truth. 

We pray first for your Community, 

     the Church, the Body of Christ. 

We pray for all our relatives 

     and the circle of life throughout all creation; 

for those chosen to be our leaders and teachers; 

All              Creator, teach us and show us the way.

Leader        In peace, we pray to YOU, Lord God.

              We call upon the Earth, our Mother and Home, 

     with its beautiful depths, soaring heights, and deep waters; 

          its vitality and abundance of life; 

and together we ask that it

All              teach us and show us the way.

Leader        We call upon the mountains and tundra, 

     the high green valleys and prairies filled with wild flowers, 

          the snows, the summits of intense silence, 

and we ask that they

All              teach us and show us the way.

Leader        We call upon the land which grows our food, the nurturing soil,     

     the fertile fields, 

          the abundant gardens and orchards, 

and we ask that they

All              teach us and show us the way.

Leader        We call upon the forests, 

the great trees reaching strongly to the sky 

with earth in their roots and the heavens and their branches, 

     the Fir and the Pine, 

          the Cedar and the Maple, 

and we ask them to

All              teach us and show us the way.

Leader        We call upon the creatures 

of the fields and forests and the waters, 

our kindred the wolves and deer, 

     the eagle and bear, 

          the great whales and the fish. 

We ask them to

All              teach us and show us the way.

Leader        In intercession, we pray for the sick and the infirm; especially

X

Leader reads names of those on our prayer list: plus

 for the hundreds of missing and murdered Indigenous women all across this hemisphere; 

(Please add your own concerns)

X

Silence

Leader        Creator, we are surrounded by our ancestor saints, 

especially Martin of Tours, Molly Brant, Onongwatgo, Helen Peterson, Noah Brokenleg, Hehaka Sapa, Enmegabowh, David Oakerhater, Kateri Tekakwitha, Tipi Sapa, Kamehameha and Emma, and countless others. 

On this Feast of All Saints and All Souls, we remember now before YOU all whom we love, but see no longer, 

especially those in our columbarium, and those we now name:

X

(Please say the names of those departed you wish to remember.

You are invited to write them on a card and place them on our Altar of Remembrance)

X

Silence

All              Creator, YOU made the world and declared it to be good: 

the beauty of the trees, 

          the softness of the air, 

                    the fragrance of the grass speaks to us; 

the summit of the mountains, 

          the Thunder of the sky, 

                    the rhythm of the waters speak to us; 

the faintness of the stars, 

          the freshness of the morning, 

                    the dew drops on the flowers speak to us. 

But above all, 

     our heart soars,

          for you speak to us in Jesus Christ, 

                    in whose name we offer these prayers. Amen.

--From the Church of the Four Winds, Portland Oregon, found in National Indigenous People's Day of Prayer from the Anglican Church of Canada, https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/nidp-liturgy.pdf 

Alternative Acknowledgement for the Land

Acknowledgement for the Land ^{standing as able}    adapted from All Saints’ Church, Minneapolis

 

Presider      Creator, you made all people of every land. It is our responsibility to give thanks and respect to those who first occupied this land we are upon. We acknowledge our debt to the Osage Nation, the Illiniwek/Peoria Tribe, the O-Gah-Pah (Quapaw) Tribe, the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, and other First Peopleswho have passed from memory, the rightful tenders of this land. We offer our respect to those ancestors who may be interred in this land. We are also thankful for the gifts of the People of the land. 

All          Creator, let us be of good mind to make amends for the mistreatment of this land and to those who have been displaced. With thankful and respectful hearts, we pray in your Name, Your Son the peacemaker, and the Sacred Spirit. Amen.

-- adapted from All Saints' Church, Minneapolis, found in National Indigenous People's Day of Prayer from the Anglican Church of Canada, https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/nidp-liturgy.pdf

A Prayer of the Four Directions (Indigenous Opening Acclamation)

 Opening Acclamation ^{standing as able}                    A Prayer of the Four Directions, adapted from a prayer used at the Washington National Cathedral, A Celebration of Native American Survival, 1992.

 

Presider      Creator, the strength of the people, we honor you. 

Listen to the thoughts of your people. 

We respect the truth of your spirit world 

and care for your creations 

to the East, to the South, to the West, and to the North. 

All           We honor you by deeds and not words. 

Presider      We live by the ways YOU have entrusted to us 

within the circle of life.

All           Come, Great Spirit, as we gather in your name.

 

Presider      We face East: 

to your symbol color Gold, the breath of the morning sun, 

to your animal sign the Eagle 

which soars ever upward in the praise of the Creator 

and calls us to do the same, 

to your words calling us to balance our minds

in the spirit of humility and truth. 

All           We invoke your spirit of illumination and far sighted vision. 

Presider      The ways have shown us how to love you and each other with     heart, mind, and soul, and we pray:

All           Come, Holy Creator’s Spirit, Come.

 

Presider      We turn to the South: 

to your symbol color Red, the hue of revelation, 

to your animal sign the Wolf… strong and enduring. 

All           We invoke your wisdom, grace, and goodness of the ages.

Presider      The ways call us to balance of Spirit, 

and harmony with all nations, tribes, and clans, and we pray:

All           Come, Holy Creator’s Spirit, Come.

 

Presider      We turn to the West: 

to your symbol color Black, the stillness of night, 

to your sign Thunder, mighty and bold, 

to your animal sign the Buffalo. 

All           We invoke your spirit ways of seeing within the community 

and its strength to endure.

Presider      The ways call us to balance emotions 

in the tradition of truth and honesty, and we pray:

All           Come, Holy Creator’s Spirit, Come.

 

Presider      We turn to the North: 

to your symbol color White, the truth of clarity and brightness, 

to your animal sign, the Bear, 

who touches us with earthiness and all things growing, 

to your words calling us the balance of our body 

in the spirit of a good sense and humor. 

All           We invoke your spirit of innocence, trust, and love. 

Presider      The ways open our eyes to the sacredness of each living thing, and we pray:

All           Come, Holy Creator’s Spirit, Come.

 

Presider      We turn to complete the circle: 

to God the creator who cleanses the world 

with snow, wind, and rain; 

to the Creator’s Son, Jesus the Christ, 

who fills us with mercy and loving embrace of all nations; 

and to the Holy Creator's Spirit, who guides us; and we pray:

All           Come, Holy Creator’s Spirit, Come.

 

Presider      Creator, you bent the Earth like a bow 

     until it was one, round, shining planet. 

At your word the land was drawn 

     into mountains and tundra, 

     forests and prairies; 

          the waters were gathered together 

          into rivers, lakes, and seas. 

Many times, when people crossed these seas from other lands 

     they broke the circle of your creation 

     by their greed and violence, 

     and they shattered the lives of others. 

Creator, renew the circle of the Earth 

and turn the hearts of all people to one another; 

that they and all the Earth

     may live and be drawn toward you 

through the love of Jesus Christ, 

     who lives with you and the Holy Spirit 

          in the circle of the Trinity, 

               forever One. Amen.

-- adapted from a prayer used at the Washington National Cathedral, A Celebration of Native American Survival, 1992, found in National Indigenous People's Day of Prayer from the Anglican Church of Canada, https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/nidp-liturgy.pdf

Ojibwe Gathering Prayer

 Gathering Prayer ^seated                                       Ojibwe, The Rt. Rev. Mark McDonald

Presider      Creator, we give you thanks for all YOU are and all YOU bring to us for our visit within your creation. In Jesus, YOU place the gospel in the Center of this Sacred Circle through which all of creation is related. 

YOU show us the way to live a generous and compassionate life.

All           Give us your strength to live together with respect and commitment as we grow in your spirit, for YOU are God, now and forever. Amen.

-- the Rt. Rev. Mark McDonald, from an Ojibwe prayer, found in A Sampler: Native American Alaska Native and Native Hawai'ian Liturgies, Prepared for the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, July 2009, Anaheim, CA

Image: Moon of the Pheasant Dance, by Joan Hill

Nez Perce Lord's Prayer

 The Lord’s Prayer ^{(Standing, in unison)}                                         Nez Perce

O Great Spirit,

YOU are our Shepherd Chief in the most high place

whose home is everywhere, even beyond the stars and moon.

Whatever YOU want done, let it be done also everywhere.

Give us your gift of bread day by day.

Forgive our wrongs as we forgive those who wrong us.

Take us away from wrongdoings

free us from all evil for everything belongs to you. 

Let your power and glory shine forever. Amen.

-- New Perce version of Lord's Prayer, found in A Sampler: Native American Alaska Native and Native Hawai'ian Liturgies, Prepared for the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, July 2009, Anaheim, CA

The Two Ways: A Wisdom Song

Woe to us when we walk in the way of wickedness,
when we bend our ear to the counsel of deceit,
and scoff at what is holy from the seat of pride.
                                        Keep us true to your Way.

Blessings upon us when we delight in the truth of God,
and ponder God’s law by day and by night,
when we stand up for truth in face of the lie,
when we mouth no slogans and betray no friends.
                                        Keep us true to your Way.

Then we shall grow like trees planted by streams of water,
that yield their fruit in due season,
whose leaves do not wither.
                                        Keep us true to your Way.

We struggle with evil in our hearts,
tossed to and fro like chaff in the wind,
a rootless people whose lives have no meaning,
unable to stand when judgment comes,
desolate, outside the house of our God.
                                        Keep us true to your Way.

May ways of wickedness perish among us:
forgive us, O God, and renew us,
lead us in path of justice and truth,
obedient to your Wisdom and your Will,
trusting in the hope of your promise.
                                        Keep us true to your Way.

Giver of life, save us from the desert of faithlessness,
and nourish us with the living water of your Word,
that we may bring forth fruit that will last,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour.



--The Rev. Jim Cotter, Anglican priest and poet, from Psalms for a Pilgrim People.

Scripture Reference: Psalm 1, Proper 25A, track 1

The Lord My Pasture Shall Prepare (Psalm 23)

The Lord my pasture shall prepare,
And feed me with a shepherd's care;
His presence shall my wants supply,
And guard me with a watchful eye;
My noonday walks he shall attend,
And all my midnight hours defend.

When in the sultry glebe I faint,
Or on the thirsty mountain pant,
To fertile vales and dewy meads
My weary wandering steps he leads,
Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow,
Amid the verdant landscape flow.

Though in a bare and rugged way
Through devious lonely wilds I stray,
The bounty shall my pains beguile;
The barren wilderness shall smile
With sudden greens and herbage crowned,
And streams show murmur all around.

Though in the paths of death I tread,
With gloomy horrors overspread,
My steadfast heart shall fear no ill,
For thou, O Lord, art with me still:
Thy friendly staff shall give me aid,
And guide me through the dreadful shade.


-- Joseph Addison (1672-1718), hymn text written 1710, sung to the tune Surrey

The Letter of Chief Seattle

“The President in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land.
But how can you buy or sell the sky? the land? The idea is strange to us.
If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?

Every part of the earth is sacred to my people.
Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect.

All are holy in the memory and experience of my people.
We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the blood that courses through our veins.

We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the dew in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, and people all belong to the same family.

The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors.

If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred. Each glossy reflection in the clear waters of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father, my mother’s mother.

The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give the rivers the kindness that you would give any brother.

If we sell you our land, remember that the air is precious to us, that the air shares its spirit with all the life that it supports. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also received his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. …

Will you teach your children what we have taught our children?
That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the children of the earth.

This we know: Earth does not belong to us, we belong to the Earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. We did not weave the web of life.
We are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.

One thing we know: our God is also your God. …
One thing we know, which white people may one day discover –
Our God is the same God.
You may think that you own God as you wish to own our land; but you cannot.

God’s compassion is equal for red people and white.

The earth is precious to God and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator.
Your destiny is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered? The wild horses tamed?
What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many people and the view of the ripe hills is blotted with talking wires?
Where will the thicket be? Gone! Where will the eagle be? Gone! And what is it to say goodbye to the swift pony and the hunt?

The end of living and the beginning of survival.

When the last red people have vanished with this wilderness, and their memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, will these shores and forests still be here? Will there be any of the spirit of my people left?

We love this earth as a newborn loves its mother’s heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it.
Care for it, as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it. Preserve the land for all children, and love it, as God loves us.
As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you.

One thing we know – there is only one God.
No one, either Red or White, can be apart.
We ARE all brothers and sisters after all.”

-- transcribed from remarks made by Chief Si'ahl (Seattle; baptismal name Noah Sealth; ca 1780-1866), to Governor Isaac Stevens of Washington in 1854. Si'ahl was a great Suquamish and Duwamish leader. The image above is the only known photograph of this great man.

Located from https://www.dominicancenter.org/indigenous-peoples-day-liturgy/

Prayer of the Four Directions

Loving Creator God, we your people come before You. Thank you for today’s sunrise, for the breath and life within us, and for all Your creation: hear our prayer.

Great Spirit of Light, come to us out of the East, with the power of the rising sun. Let there be light in our words. Let there be light on our paths that we walk. Let us remember always that You give us the gift of a new day. Guide our steps and give us courage to walk the circle of our lives with honesty and dignity. And never let us be burdened with sorrow by not starting over again.

Great Spirit of Creation, send us the warm and soothing winds from the South. Comfort and caress us when we are tired and cold. Help us to walk our paths with joy and love, for ourselves, for others, for our four-legged companions, the winged ones,, the plants, and all creation upon Mother Earth. As You give to all Earth Your warm, moving wind, give it to us, so that we may grow close to you in warmth. We did not create the web of life, but we stand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.

Great Life-giving Spirit, we face the West, the direction of sundown. Let us remember every day that the moment will come when our sun will go down. Bring into balance the physical, mental and spiritual, so that we are able to know our place on Earth, in life and death. Never let us forget that we must face into You. Give us a beautiful color, give us a great sky for setting so that when it is our time to meet you, we can come with glory.

Great Spirit of Love, come to us with the power of the North. Make us courageous when the cold wind falls upon us. Give us strength and endurance for everything that is harsh, everything that hurts, everything that makes us squint. Give us wisdom so we may be able to make wise choices in all things that are put in front of us. Let us move through life, ready to take what comes from the North.

Great Creator Spirit, we thank you for the beauty of Earth and for all You have given us in and through Earth, our home. Remind us never to take from Earth more than we need, and remind us to always give back more than we take.

Great God of the vast heavens, lift up our spirits to You. May our hearts worship You and come to You in glory. Help us to remember that You are our Creator God. Let all that is in Earth lift our minds, our hearts, and our lives to you so that we may come to You always in truth with a good mind and a clean heart.

God our Creator, We ask that we have the wisdom and patience to listen to one another and to learn the many ways You call us to live life. Teach us the ways to live it that heal and renew it so that we may hand it on to generations to come radiant with Your goodness and glory. Amen.


Originally found at the Dominican Center,  https://www.dominicancenter.org/indigenous-peoples-day-liturgy/

Image: Ojibwe Medicine Wheel depicting the Four Directions.

Money

      an introductory lecture

This morning we shall spend a few minutes
Upon the study of symbolism, which is basic
To the nature of money. I show you this nickel.
Icons and cryptograms are written all over
The nickel: one side shows a hunchbacked bison
Bending his head and curling his tail to accommodate
The circular nature of money. Over him arches
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and, squinched in
Between that and his rump, E PLURIBUS UNUM,
A Roman reminiscence that appears to mean
An indeterminately large number of things
All of which are the same. Under the bison
A straight line giving him a ground to stand on
Reads FIVE CENTS. And on the other side of our nickel
There is the profile of a man with long hair
And a couple of feathers in the hair; we know
Somehow that he is an American Indian, and
He wears the number nineteen-thirty-six.
Right in front of his eyes the word LIBERTY, bent
To conform with the curve of the rim, appears
To be falling out of the sky Y first; the Indian
Keeps his eyes downcast and does not notice this;
To notice it, indeed, would be shortsighted of him.
So much for the iconography of one of our nickels,
Which is now becoming a rarity and something of
A collectors’ item: for as a matter of fact
There is almost nothing you can buy with a nickel,
The representative American Indian was destroyed
A hundred years or so ago, and his descendants’
Relations with liberty are maintained with reservations,
Or primitive concentration camps; while the bison,
Except for a few examples kept in cages,
Is now extinct. Something like that, I think,
Is what Keats must have meant in his celebrated
Ode on a Grecian Urn.
                                Notice, in conclusion,
A number of circumstances sometimes overlooked
Even by experts: (a) Indian and bison,
Confined to obverse and reverse of the coin,
Can never see each other; (b) they are looking
In opposite directions, the bison past
The Indian’s feathers, the Indian past
The bison’s tail; (c) they are upside down
To one another; (d) the bison has a human face
Somewhat resembling that of Jupiter Ammon.
I hope that our studies today will have shown you
Something of the import of symbolism
With respect to the understanding of what is symbolized.


-- Howard Nemerov (1920-1991), American poet, novelist, essayist, professor, and poet-in residence at Washington University in St. Louis, 1969-1990.

Money Is Also a Kind of Music

The Wrecking Crew was just the cream of the "you pay — we'll play" LA session pool, that crack squad of 50 or 60 musicians...who played on Pet Sounds and Smile and probably half the records in your collection. They didn't just play the chops. They invented them. — Rob Chapman, MOJO


Money is also a kind of music.
I don't mean the slight sleigh bell
of a pocketed change purse
or an old-time till's single tap
of triangle, ringing
up sale, or even the percussion
of post-pillage coffers filling
up, plink by plink. I think
I mean that current
of classically trained breath
certain amounts of currency
can call forth
and blow through brass.
I mean the mean
current of electricity
Carol Kaye's bass drew
from Capitol Records in the sixties,
the timesheets that took their toll
and exchanged it for
four / four time
kept without fail by the brain
of drummer Hal Blaine,
worth its weight in scale.

-- Jason Guriel (1978- ), Canadian poet and author, author of two novels written in heroic couplets: Forgotten Work and The Full Moon Whaling Chronicles, as well as the books On Browsing, Satisfying Clicking Sound, and others.

Aboriginal Canadian Thanksgiving Eucharistic Prayer

SHARING IN COMMUNION 

(Responsive Prayer Based upon Deuteronomy 26:1-11)
May Creator be present with you.
And also with you.
Let us lift up your hearts
We lift them up to Creator.
Let us truly give thanks to Creator our God.
It is right to give God thanks & praise.

Look about you upon faces that are familiar and those who are new to you, and take a few moments to move about greeting each other with “The peace of Christ be with you.”

Let’s come together before our Creator God in prayer:

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
Blessed are you, Gracious God, the Creator of heaven and earth. Like the ancient Hebrew people of the Scriptures, we too come before you on this Thanksgiving morning and make our declaration

“I declare today to the Creator my God, that we have come to the land the Creator swore to our ancestors to give us.”

As the ancient Hebrews were led to a “Promised Land”, our ancestors were also wandering people. Tracking the trails of the animals they hunted and venturing to the places where the plants and herbs grew, they in fact followed the path you, O Creator, set for them.

And when they paused in their journeys they raised their thanksgiving to you, O Creator.

Millennia ago their wanderings lead our ancestors across the ice bridge you caused to be formed over the northern sea. It was a hard and long journey, frequently encountering dangers they could never have anticipated. Our forefathers and foremothers had no way of knowing where their journey would end, yet they trusted to follow bravely wherever Creator lead them.

And in their darkest and most frightening moments, they paused, offered their seema, and raised their thanksgiving to you, O Creator.

For forty times forty years, they wandered ever southward, encountering massive forests, crystal clear lakes, bountiful game, and a land that readily provided the plants and herbs required to sustain life. The essence of the ancient teachings became apparent to them, for the Creator had truly brought them out to this land “with a mighty hand, an outstretched arm, with great terror, but also with miraculous signs and wonders.”

And in this wondrous realization, they paused, offered their seema, and raised their thanksgiving to you, O Creator.

Our foremothers and forefathers said to themselves: “We were brought to this place and given this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Therefore now we bring the first-fruits of the soil that you, O Creator, have given me.”

And so it was that at harvest-time each year, when every tribe and nation recognized that they had set aside enough to bring them through the long, cold, months of winter, our ancestors gave us the teachings of Thanksgiving.

“We were brought to this place and given this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Therefore now I bring the first-fruits of the soil that you, O Creator, have given me.”

In time the others came – traveling on great wooden sailing ships from Europe and elsewhere in the world – but seeking also a “Promised Land”. They knew little of the rigors of this new land they had come to, and they would surely have perished had not our forefathers and foremothers shared their teachings with these strangers.

But when they had brought in their first harvest, our ancestors also taught them to: “Place your basket before the Creator your God and bow down And you and the aliens among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Creator your God has given to you and your household.”

And so our ancestors, along with those who had been aliens to this “Promised Land”, rejoiced in all the good things that you, O Creator our God, had given to them and their households.

Those who came also brought new ways with them – some of which were of great assistance to our ancestors – but some of which worked much harm to the Anishinaabe. Through the teachings of Jesus the Christ we received yet another vision of you, O Creator, and came to appreciate that your message of love and compassion embraced all of humanity.

Yet, even those teachings came a great cost to our people, as frequently very little love and compassion was shown while the Anishinaabe gradually found themselves disposed and treated as aliens in their own land. From every tribe and every nation the sounds of lamentation were heard.

But, even in their sorrow, our ancestors never lost faith in you, O Creator, and they still paused, offered their seema, to raise their thanksgiving.

There followed many hard decades – years when the Anishinaabe were despised and ridiculed – the teachings dismissed and outlawed as evil superstition – First Nations reduced to beggars, dependent upon the cold charity of institutions. Even the churches that first brought the liberating message of Jesus, through misguided notions of moral self-righteousness, endeavoured to assimilate and eliminate the proud heritage of our people.

Our forefathers and foremothers were given bowls of shame to drink, and were fed upon the bread of unworthiness. Many lives were crushed and families destroyed under the intoxicating corruption of alcohol and drugs – far too many of our brothers and sisters spiritually broken by the vicious cruelty of prison.

Yet, a core of faith remained strong within some, and still they pause to raise their thanksgiving to you, O Creator, for what remained.

But you, O Creator, never forgot your Original Peoples, and thought the years of trial and testing were hard and many were broken, there arose a new and stronger spiritual flame within your Anishinaabe. Even as the ancient Hebrews were molded into a new nation by their years of harsh servitude, so too has the crucible of the last 150 years forged our people into a culture justifiably proud of it’s heritage and traditions.

As men and women we come before you now, humbled by the magnitude of the sacrifices our foremothers and forefathers made for our survival, compassionate to the festering wounds that still remain, and determined that all of this suffering shall not have been in vain.

It is with a new and flourishing sense of pride that we recognize ourselves as Anishinaabe, O Creator, and like those who have gone before us we now pause and raise our thanksgiving to you.

At Thanksgiving we remember your constant love and concern for all who have made their home in Canada, and we are truly thankful for all that we have received. We look about us at our families and friends; and we think of the security of our homes.

At these times we are drawn closer to those we love, and who in turn love us. All that we have represents the certainty of your faithfulness to us as your people, and moves us to sincerely repeat the words of the ancient hymn of praise, saying;

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord. 

God of power and might. 

Heaven and earth are filled with your glory. 

Hosanna in the highest. 

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed indeed, is the one who came in your name, and gave to us the tradition of fellowship through the “sinner’s meal of forgiveness”. Gathered together here this morning we now prepare to continue that tradition of fellowship, and so of course – we remember:
We remember that on the very evening before he died, Jesus called all of his friends together for a meal. He tended to their every need, provided for their comfort, and served each one of them.

Part way through the meal he picked up a loaf bread, (ELEVATE BREAD) and having thank you for it just as we have done, he broke the bread and passed it around to everyone present. Even knowing that Judas would soon betray him, even still, Jesus served the bread to him as well. And it was then that he said to them: “Take this, all of you, and eat it! This is my body, given for you. Each time you do this, remember me.”

And we also remember that some little while later, Jesus then picked up a cup that was on the table (ELEVATE CUP), and once again he thanked you. He passed it around then to all of his friends, and he said: “This cup is the new promise God has made with you in my blood! Each time you do this, and drink from this cup, remember me.”
And remember we do! We remember his death and celebrate his resurrection, for we wait with hope for his coming again, to bring peace and justice to the earth.

Come, our brother Jesus, Come! Send your Holy Spirit upon us and what we do here, that we and these gifts, having been touched by your Spirit, may become signs of life and love to each other, and to all the world.
Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory be yours, now and for evermore.

The bread which we break (FRACTION BREAD) is the communion of the body of Christ. Take this, all of you, and eat it!

The drink which we pour (POUR DRINK) is the communion of the blood of Christ. Take this, all of you, and drink it!

The gifts of God, for the people of God. A “Sinner’s Banquet” is prepared for all who are not too proud to confess that they have sinned, and who are willing to humbly seek forgiveness through the redeeming name of Jesus Christ. All are welcome at this table, for Christ makes no distinction between young and old, rich and poor, man or woman, or between one denomination and another. Come, and join in Christ’s meal.

(ALL WHO ARE PRESENT THIS MORNING ARE INVITED TO COME FORWARD AND RECEIVE THE BREAD, DIP IT IN THE CUP, AND PARTAKE OF CHRIST’S FORGIVENESS.)

POST-COMMUNION PRAYER:
For the bread we have eaten, 

for the drink we have tasted, 

for the pardon we have received 

through this sacrament of Jesus’ Supper, 

we thank you, Creator. 

Grant that what we have done, 

and what we have been given here, 

may so mark our hearts 

that we will continue to grow in Christ. 

May ours truly be a faith that issues in action. AMEN.





Some Words of Explanation

Our Brother Jesus asked only one thing of those who professed to follow him: “But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.”➀
Nice words, but in practical terms what does it mean to “love one another just as Jesus first loved us”? Surely one aspect must mean to serve one another, and we witness an example of that in Jesus washing the feet of his friends and serving them at the feast that we celebrate with communion.

In First Nations’ communities we recognize that there is a manner of distributing communion that honours that tradition of serving one another. At first this may seem a little strange to you, however the Spirit will soon become evident to you.

So, let us all form a large circle right here around the periphery of our sanctuary. The circle will stretch as far as necessary to include everyone of all ages, denominations, gender, race, and orientation, but close enough that we’re shoulder-to-shoulder.

We will first start the loaf of bread passing around the circle, and I’d like each person to offer the bread to the person beside them with the words: “The bread of salvation offered to you”. Since this is a feast, take a good substantial piece from the loaf when it is offered to you, and then take the loaf to serve the next person.

We’ll next pass the cup, and each person will offer it to the person beside them with the words: “The cup of forgiveness offered to you”. Please dip your piece of bread in the cup and eat, before you take the cup and offer it to the next person in the same manner.
➀ (John 13:34-35Contemporary English Version (CEV)

R. Matthew Stevens sends this Aboriginal Canadian Eucharist for Canadian Thanksgiving which is celebrated October 12-13, 2014. The litany of remembering, the blessing of the community, the manner of sharing — all are gifts that well can be used for those who celebrate World Communion Sunday, October 5, Indigenous Peoples’ Day (US) October 12, other thanksgiving occasions and in worship that lifts up the suffering and the gifts of aboriginal people of many places. We are blessed.

Stevens explains:
Quite a few years ago while serving a First Nation community it occurred to me that the typical Thanksgiving Eucharist liturgy had very little or nothing of cultural relevance to us as Aboriginal people. Indeed, some of the more contemporary liturgies read more like a celebration how the “settlers” had overcome adversity to liberate North America from the resident “pagans”, and claim it as their “Promised Land”. There’s not a lot in this interpretation to positively engage a First Nation congregation, and so I drafted a liturgy that I used in various forms for many years thereafter.

Since a significant number of these blog readers may not be familiar with the manner in which many Aboriginal congregations share communion, I’ve also included a brief explanation at the conclusion. In more recent years whenever I’ve been invited to visit and celebrate Communion with a non-Native congregation, I’ve introduced them to this same method. In each and every instance I’ve received very positive responses from everyone present, with particular reference to the unique sense of spiritual empowerment they experienced.

My note: Seema is a tobacco offering.


-- R. Matthew Stevens. Posted September, 2014 at https://giftsinopenhands.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/3423/

Canadian Thanksgiving is held on the second Monday in October.