I have been struggling with this liturgy written in an attempt to connect with not only the Season of Beltane, a celebration of the earths warming and awakening, with its rituals of cleansing and fertility and symbols of water and fire with a Eucharistic liturgy that celebrates the Trinitarian God as present in and through creation. I have written it for the ROMBS Conference this weekend, though it may end up being dramatically changed... as all things I and it I hope are works in progress...
Eucharist; Beltane
As seasons turn and earth warms beneath our feet
Invisible we see you,
Christ above us,
Christ beneath us,
Christ at our side, and within,
In you all things hold together
The atom’s light energy,
The pulsating rocks,
The oceans rhythms,
The vibrant greening of the earth…
Creator God, who called all life into being
THE EARTH, SEA AND SKY ARE YOURS.
Your presence is all around us
THE WHOLE EARTH GROANS FOR YOUR REVEALING GLORY.
Your Spirit enlivens all who dwell upon the earth,
WITH HER WE YEARN FOR JUSTICE TO BE DONE
For creation to be freed from her chains
FOR THE HUNGRY TO BE FED
AND FOR PEACE TO SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE EARTH
Here with these symbols of water and fire we celebrate
Your cleansing, healing presence. (A clear jug of water and a lit candle are brought to the table.)
Here with these symbols of bread and wine
We acknowledge your brokenness
And your givenness makes us whole. (Bread a loaf/ large roll, and wine are brought to the table)
On the night before Jesus died,
He took bread and wine
And giving thanks to God broke the bread saying
"take and eat, this is my body, broken for you"
and took the wine saying
"take and drink, this is my blood poured out to cleanse the world."
As seasons turn and earth warms beneath our feet
Here lie new hope,
New life, re-birth,
Here are the
Endless possibilities
Of the wakening earth,
May we too
Respond
Like seeds
Dying to live,
Plunging down
Into fertile ground,
And reaching upwards
To the light,
Awakened by the
Spirit's breath,
To the ancient eternal, ever new
Rhythms of life
To grow,
To glory,
To dance,
And to praise
So meet us here Holy One,
Move among us Spirit of life,
Meet us here, as we remember,
Meet us here;
Transformed and transforming
Broken and whole, given and giving,
Meet us here, that we might receive,
Meet us here, that nourished
Afresh by these holy gifts
We might live in you,
As agents of change in your world.
So now let us share together
In these gifts of creation and of God
Eat and drink that the life of Jesus may renew your life
and lead you to wholeness,
restore our broken relationships
and heal our world.
