Epiphany #resistharm Worship Suggestions

Epiphany #resistharm worship suggestions

A person could ask, “why are you worrying about Epiphany resistance worship on Christmas Eve? Have you not known that January 1^st occurs on the first of January all year? And that Epiphany is always the 12^th Day of Christmas?" Rather than asking the question, a person could quietly proceed with doing their best and give thanks that Jesus continues to show up, on Christmas and every day.

What follows are very basic liturgy helps for those planning worship services around the themes of Epiphany and resisting the harm of the Traditional Plan - from one of your friends in the Great Plains Conference of the UMC.

Thinking about our gathered group

I am predicting that at our Omaha location our worshipping group will have quite a diversity of experience when it comes to advocacy and resistance in the UMC. Because the former Nebraska Conference endured two church trials twenty years ago, some of our folks will come with a great deal of resistance experience. Others who gather with us might be feeling very new, and perhaps will be unsure what to expect. Because of our location, we will likely be welcoming people from both the most populated areas of the state and some of our smaller towns; we may also find worshippers joining us from bordering states outside of our jurisdiction. For these reasons, at the Omaha site we hope to create a very simple flow of worship that mimics the order of worship one might find in a Sunday morning service. 

Theme

We are working from both the theme of resistance that is found in the baptismal vows, and the powerful Epiphany story of the wise ones who choose to travel home by another way.

Story-telling

This is still evolving at our sites, but I think worship participants will hear from at least one person who will help interpret the story of the wise ones choosing to travel home another way and at least one person sharing a personal story of hearing God’s call inviting them to journey towards a new way of understanding God’s will for an understanding of a diverse and inclusive embrace of all of God’s people.

Baptismal Vows

The Congregational Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant found in the UMHymnal on pages 50-53 offers strong words of resistance, especially in the first two sections.

Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness,

reject the evil powers of this world,

and repent of your sin?

Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you

to resist evil, injustice and oppression

in whatever forms they present themselves?

An advantage of using this covenant from the hymnal is that draws attention to this tool of resistance. Hymnals are still fairly accessible to church members and therefore available for study by small groups and personal study. In particular, laity who feel isolated might be relieved to be reminded of this resource.

Liturgies/prayers other people wrote

I have not yet written “my own” prayers for the #resistharm Epiphany service. If and when I do, I’ll add them to this post. If someone I know writes something and gives me their permission, I will add their words.

For now, some suggestions of existing resources:

Ruth Duck, Bread for the Journey, Epiphany selections beginning on page 26

Ruth Duck, Flames of the Spirit, Epiphany selections beginning on page 25

Tirabassi and Tirabassi, Before the Amen, Epiphany section is Chapter 3

You are probably thinking, “Steph, are you just grabbing liturgy books off your shelves and reading the table of contents?” And I’m responding, “Yes. Yes I am. Our theme is universal, Epiphany prayers are universal, and we are called for such a time as this. So the story-tellers we recruit will help bring this all together.”

Other resources

In case you are trapped in a blizzard with your UMW library, I recommend The Call: Living Sacramentally, Walking Justly (McClain, Norberg, and Kruh, editors; many authors).

I strongly suggest downloading Songs for the Holy Other: Hymns Affirming the LGBTQIA2S+ Community from the Hymn Society. 

Link is here: https://thehymnsociety.org/resources/songs-for-the-holy-other/

This section may have other resources added after Christmas Eve crunch and aftermath have ended.  

Other rituals

Both Great Plains services will include the ritual of hospitality. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but baked goods might be involved. I can not guarantee the gluten levels involved. We plan to have greeters at our outside doors, because a good number of worshippers might not have visited our worship spaces prior to these services. One location is fully equipped for slides, while the other site is more purposefully ancient modern; we will do our best to anticipate the needs of those attending so they can follow along with the order of worship.

Epiphany #resistharm Letter-writing Station tips

Hosting an Epiphany Letter-writing station in support on the #resistharm movement 

Why a letter-writing station? Writing a letter is one way to practice being an advocate, which is a form of resistance. While event planners may have significant experience with advocacy and resistance, it is likely that a number of people joining us for worship will be new to advocacy. Writing a letter is a familiar rhetorical form that allows for personal expression but also eases the stress some might feel in an in-person encounter or public speech. Be sure to remind people that writing a letter “counts,” their words and feelings matter, and we are thankful they have taken the time to express themselves.

In the Great Plains, we have asked people to write our Bishop to ask him to assist us in the quest to #resistharm. The Topeka worship service has a goal of gathering letters and delivering them after the service to the Conference office, which is also located in Topeka. The Omaha location for the Epiphany #resistharm worship service will gather letters and mail them to the office on the following Monday. Different writers will have different interpretations of what it means to resist harm; our goal is to help them express their thoughts and feelings in written form. 

Hot tips for letter-writing stations: Set up tables with chairs. Have ready in good quantity: pens and pencils that actually write; notecards and/or paper with envelopes; a list of possible general points to help writers focus their thoughts; post the name and address of who you are writing - no one likes a blank envelope - and a basket or box in which completed missives can be placed.

Even hotter tip: I'll be suggesting that all authors write their name legibly above or below their signature, list their home church, make sure retired pastors list that fact and throw in one or two of the towns they served; and include their mailing or email address just in case the recipient wants to write back. 

A bit more related to expression-inclusivity: If you've got a scrap-booker in your life, you might see if they have a decorative rubber stamp of a "stamp" or other appropriate envelope decor. I am guessing 24% of attendees would be more enthusiastic about writing a note if they knew there would be some color/design work involved. For a similar reason, a person might want to include some pieces of plain paper and crayons or markers in case participants who don't yet write, like to doodle, or need extra space would like to express themselves with personal artwork. 

The following excerpt from the Great Plains UMCNext newsletter gives some background on the context and suggested content for letters written in our Conference; we would strongly suggest planners in other locations consider their own context when inviting letters. 

On Monday November 11, Bishop Saenz issued a letter to the Great Plains conference regarding LGBTQ ordination, same-gender weddings, and the implementation of the Traditional Plan beginning January 1. He wrote about the process of charges, complaints, and trials to provide clarity and information. He does see the process of complaints and charges as divisive, having adverse impacts, and drawing us away from the mission. Even so, he writes that he is bound by the discipline and will “respond to all complaints that are submitted” according to the church processes he vowed to follow in his consecration.

We respect his episcopal authority. We empathize with the difficulty of guiding and pastoring the entirety of the Great Plains, the whole divided, beautiful, painful, transformative, and tense bunch of us. We also disagree with his decision to process complaints submitted around LGBTQ ordination and same-gender weddings. He asks all sides to have patience. He asks for folks to prayerfully consider before filing any charges and for folks to “wait with hope until after General Conference to celebrate same-gender marriages.” In twenty years, 5 months may feel like nothing. But we know it won’t really be 5 months. Most GC 2020 legislation submitted involves another called GC in the following years. Which General Conference are our LGBTQ siblings supposed to wait for to get married in the church that baptized them? Which General Conference is our LGBTQ siblings called into ministry supposed to wait for to have the permission to exist authentically? To quote the Rev. Dr. King, who knew the pain of the word ‘wait,’ “we must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.”

We ask you to write letters respectfully disagreeing with Bishop Saenz’s decision. We believe the least harmful path and most fruitful use of time is not having trials and not receiving complaints centered on same-sex weddings and the sexual orientation of clergy. We have included a sample letter and writing guide for your use. While making the ask, the most important thing you can do in this letter is tell your story. Give the Bishop your voice to hold in his heart and mind. We know he cares deeply about the Great Plains, and we want the Bishop to hear your stories.