Practicing Christ's Compassion During Eastertide in the Midst of Coronavirus Pandemic in Worcester, Mass. April 26-May 2

A Liturgy (i.e. Work of the People) for Eastertide During the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic Week of April 26-May2 in Worcester, Massachusetts 

Below is a "liturgy or work of the people for the second week of Eastertide 2020" (here are links to weeks March 8-14, March 15-21, March 22-28, March 29-April 4, Holy Week April 5-11, Eastertide Week 1 April 12-18, and Eastertide Week 2 April 19-25) including encouragement, connection points, prayer focuses, discipleship practices, articles, videos, quotes, and more. 

We can't overcome this desert of disease on our own. We can't overcome the distress on our own. But we can die with Christ to our fears, and by His Spirit, surrender to the Deliverer who overcomes and resurrects.

For those who put their trust in God's love, the cross neither condemns nor condones, it only ever covers us with Jesus. This kind of truth is intrusive but it is also redemptive. It both unmasks and covers. It's the most beautiful truth I know. We are claimed by the devastating love of God's grace. I am claimed by a greater love. The nature of gospel truth is to confront, but its purpose is to set us free. + Alia Joy, Glorious Weakness: Discovering God in All We Lack

+ ECC Facebook Live 3rd Eastertide Weekend Message + Liturgy: Unembarrassed + Extravagant Poured Out Sacrificial Love

Mass featured call to worship from Psalm 27:4, song suggestions including The Cross Made the Change, Nothing I Hold Onto, Man of Sorrows, Break Every Chain + Fill Me Up, confession and assurance prayers based on Romans 5:20-6:7 + ECC Facebook Live 4:30 p.m. message on Matthew 26:6-13: Unembarrassed & Overly Extravagant Poured-Out Sacrificial Love, A Liturgy for Those Looking for Joy, Passing the Peace, Eucharist, and Benediction

+ Choosing joy. During Eastertide

"Lately, I've been reading, watching the nightly news. Can't seem to find the rhythm, just want to sing the blues. Feels like a song that never stops. Feels like it's never going to ... Got to get that fire, fire, back in my bones before my heart, heart, turns into stone. So somebody please pass the megaphone. I'll shout it on the count of three ... Oh, hear my prayer tonight, I'm singing to the sky, give me strength to raise my voice, let me testify. Oh, hear my prayer tonight 'cause this is do or die. The time has come to make a choice. And I choose joy! Let it move you ... Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of night, oh, with You by my side, I'm stepping into the light. I choose joy! ... " 

+ "joy." by For King & Country 

This song was prayed during our weekly ECC Friday evening prayer meeting, and, joy. helped shape our prayers together. We invite you to watch this video, sing the lyrics, and let the Spirit move you. During Eastertide's 50 days of joy, join with ECC and all of Jesus' Church and sing, "We choose joy!"

+ The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction Communal Prayer

One: Father in heaven, who made us, who came to find us, who is redeeming us, we praise You! You took on the limitations of being human that we might become the children of God. 

All: May we see that our freedom comes only in service to You.   

One: So Lord bless our days.  

All: May our prayers be good work, and may our work become good prayers. May our tables be full for giving to others ... may we embrace good limits with technology and may we discover the beauty of being present with each other. May we frame our days in the love letter of the Scriptures.  

One: And Lord bless our week.  

All: May our friendships be a fire around which all the lonely can gather. May we choose stories that form us into people who seek beauty, who love justice, and who find each other. May we discover in fasting that our emptiness is where we find Your fullness. May we sabbath in the soul rest of knowing that, in Jesus, "It is finished." 

One: Lord, give us strength for all of this. We love only because You first loved us. When we stumble on our failure, may we fall into Your grace.  

All: May our lives become lights in the darkness, so that all may see Your beauty. Amen. 

+ Foo Fighters' Call for Times Like These While You Embrace Jesus' Best of You (i.e. Who You Are Becoming in Christ) as You Live + Love Again

The beginning of Foo Fighters' "Best of You" starts with the lyrics "I've got another confession to make ... " For our Emmaus City Church officers candidates equipping, we are reading through and learning from the Belgic Confession (1561 A.D., communal), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563 A.D., personal), and Our World Belongs to God (2008 A.D., contemporary) right now, so one of our candidates shared a revised Foo lyrics for our review "I've got another confession to read ... " Also, if you haven't seen it yet, the communal video version of the Foo's "Times Like These" on the BBC Radio 1 Stay Home Live Lounge is awesome and apropos for your pandemic playlist: " ... It's times like these you learn to live again! It's times like these we give and give again. It's times like these you learn to love again! ... "

+ What People with Different Perspectives on COVID-19 Considerations Can Understand + Honor About Each Other

As you continue to reflect on and articulate your humble and gentle responses with family, neighbors, and others about sheltering in place, mask wearing, pandemic precautions, closing and re-opening of businesses, schools, church buildings, etc., here are two articles to help consider a perspective different than your own (even if you don't have a "side"):

+ FTC: Navigating Different COVID-19 Recovery Convictions 

+ R: The war between Openers and Closers shouldn't be seen as a fight between idiot death-worshippers and unnecessarily frightened tyrants

+ Soma Kids Songs Album That's Fun for Anyone

If any kids or adults are game for introducing a new worship-in-song album into the liturgy of your days this week, Soma Kids by Soma Collective is a great option. To hear how funky and fantastic this album is in singing the Gospel of Jesus in the midst of our stories as part of the grand Story of God, here are two favorites:

+ Cosmic Celebration (4:33 minutes) 

+ Blessed to Be a Blessing (4:13 minutes)

+ Be Still & Behold a Beautiful Painting

After absorbing another work of art for in light of our message this weekend (see "Jesus Anointed at Bethany" by Anthony Falbo), we invite you to spend a little time reflecting on another work of art that bares our local church's namesake:

+ Christ Over the Coronavirus Eastertide Painting | "Kitchen Maid with the Supper of Emmaus," by Diego Velazquez, 1618 A.D.

+ Praying "A Liturgy for Those Looking for Joy" for ECC and Worcester During the 3rd Week of Eastertide

When the world expects sadness, help us, Creator of Light, to look for pockets of joy. When the world is overwhelmed by darkness, give us eyes to see little delights. When the world is caught up in sensationalism, help us speak of the hidden wonders we’ve discovered, holding them up for others to see.

The sacred stillness of the early morning, a quiet moment in the sun, small children laughing on scooters, trees bursting into bloom and lillies opening ... These small joys reveal the truth of the world we live in. 

No, there is not peace everywhere and all pain has not been removed. But there are still people returning home, voices that pray, moments of forgiveness, signs of hope. We don’t have to wait until all is well to celebrate the glimpses of Your Kingdom at hand. 

Let us not deny sadness, but transform it into fertile soil for more joy. Let us not deny the darkness, but choose to live in the light. Cynics seek darkness wherever they go, but joy is the mark of the people of God. 

Help us discipline ourselves to choose joy for the reward is joy itself. Help us renew our minds until they default to joy and not fear, for there is so much to frighten us. Help us believe that the Light can be trusted, for there is so much darkness to mislead us. 

Jesus, you are both the Man of Sorrows and the Man of Complete Joy, help us to hold both sorrow and joy in the ways you’ve shown us. Help us to remain in Your love so that Your joy may be in us and our joy may be complete.
Amen. 

Note: This liturgy is inspired by Henri Nouwen’s The Return of the Prodigal Son. Each of these liturgies was prayerfully written based on the promises of God in Scripture. We’ve listed them with links, for those who wish to study further: Philippians 4:4–9 + Psalm 22 + Psalm 19:1–2 + John 14:27 + 2 Corinthians 6:4–10 + Ephesians 5:8–14 + Romans 12:1–2 + John 1:5 + Isaiah 53:3–5 + John 15:9–11

Next post: Practicing Christ's Compassion During Eastertide in the Midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic in Worcester, Mass. May 3-May 9

Christ is all,

Rev. Mike "Sully" Sullivan

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