OPENING SONG            'The Spirit of the Lord'

        The Spirit of the Lord is upon me
        Because He has anointed me
        To preach Good News to the poor
        He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
        And recovering of sight to the blind
        To set at liberty those who are oppressed
        To proclaim the acceptable Year of the Lord.

INTRODUCTION

The leader gives some introductory words relating the prayer as a journey together to discover insights regarding the restructuring within the congregation.

READING  1       AMOS 9: 11-15

In that day I will restore David's fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name, "declares the LORD, who will do these things. "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the LORD your God.
 

                            PAUSE

RESPONSE:         Spirit, hear us; Spirit, help us.

    Comfortable and well-worn are my daily paths
    whose edges have grown grey with constant use.
    My daily speech is a collection of old words
    worn down at the heels by repeated use.
    My language and deeds, addicted to habit,
    prefer the taste of old wine, the feel of weathered skin. R/

    Come and awaken me, Spirit of the new.
    Come and refresh me, Creator of green life.
    Come and inspire me, Risen Son, you who make al things new:
    I am too young to be dead, to be stagnant in spirit. R/

    High are the walls that guard the old,
    the tried and secure ways of yesterday
    That protect me from the dreaded plague,
    the feared heresy of change.
    For all change is a danger to the trusted order,
    the threadbare traditions that are maintained
    By the narrow ruts of ritual. R/

    Yet, how can an everlastingly new covenant
    retain the freshness and vitality
    Without injections of the new, the daring and the untried? R/

    Come, O you who are ever-new, wrap my heart in a new skin,
    Ever flexible to be reformed by your Spirit.
    Set my feet to fresh paths this day:
    Inspire me to speak original and life-giving words
    and to creatively give shape to the new. R/

    Come and teach me how to dance with delight
    wherever you send a new melody my way. R/

            (The Prayer of New Life - E. Hays, Forest of Peace)

READING  2          ACTS 27: 22-26, 39-44
But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island."

When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf. The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety.
 

                                       PAUSE

Letting Go - SHARING
Leader: We have all been travelling the journey of these days of renewal and change and contemplated its message and meaning. What is the Spirit asking you to let go of at this time of your life? What boats need to be destroyed that we are holding on to? What is the gift you have hope the participants receive from their meeting?

INTENTIONS             To be voiced by the group

OFFERING             Leader:    What do we gift to this gathering?

                        Responses - from the group

PRAYER
We give you thanks and praise, Source of all Being, for a world of new possibilities beyond even our dreams.

ALL We praise you especially for people who come into our lives and challenge us to grow and to become more fully human.

We praise you for our imaginations, for the ability to dream and conceive of a world in harmony singing your praises.

ALL We sing out to you our thanks and praise, Loving Creator,
because you are a God of creativity.

We praise you, Loving Creator, that you are a God of dreamers and of visionaries. You allowed Noah to dream of a world at peace with you, and his dream was fulfilled. You gave Abraham and Sarah a vision of a new people, numerous as the stars of heaven, and a nation was formed.

ALL Through the ages, people have dreamed of seeing you, and you kept your promise fully by giving us your Son, Jesus.

We sing your praises, God our Creator, because of the hope we have been given by your Word, Jesus. Speaking your wisdom, he has told us that we are your children destined one day to see you face to face and live with you in the kingdom of heaven. He has called us blessed if only we be poor in spirit, peacemakers, seekers after justice, and merciful toward all people.

ALL We praise you, Source of all Life, because Jesus has given us the Spirit that we might dream dreams and experience a new hope in the fullness of life and love.

We now remember that night when Jesus shared his vision giving us proof of his abiding love for us. While he was at supper with his friends, he took bread, broke it, and gave it to them after the blessing.

After the meal, he said another blessing over a cup of wine. Whenever you share this meal, do it in memory of me.

ALL Loving God, gathered around this table, we call to mind the life Jesus lived among us. We remember his victory over death which has made us men and women free to dream. In the spirit of his perfect prayer of love to you, accept this bread of heaven and cup of salvation.

Help us to be open that we might receive your Spirit. May this Holy Spirit be a presence in our lives and form us into a People of God, a community of brothers and sisters who will proclaim that we seek new wineskins for the new wine of our lives.

SHARING OF THE BREAD AND WINE AMONG THE COMMUNITY

Closing Missioning and Blessing

(Forming a circle and raising an arm in blessing, brothers bless and mission the group. The group voices the italicized responses.)

    May the Lord bless us in our searching and our questions:
They are the gateway to wisdom, enlightenment and peace, the way to our hearts.

    May the Lord bless us in our gifts:
These are God's providence to the world to enrich it, to ennoble it, to bring it to love.

    May the Lord bless us in the yearnings of our hearts:
No matter how difficult, they are an energy urging us forward in our quest for God and for others.

    May the Lord bless us in our vision:
No matter the climb it is a mountain peak calling us to experience the presence of the Sacred One       in new ways.

    May the Lord bless us in our leadership:
That we may witness to fidelity to our common charism and call as congregation that has been contemplated and proclaimed.

    May the Lord bless us in our decisions:
No matter the mistakes, they are our 'yes' in life, our assent to the listening to God.

    May the Lord bless us in our reflections and ideas:
No matter the doubts, they are seeds seeking nourishment, sunshine, life-giving water for our future in mission.

Presider: You have been called by God to witness and experience the many faces of your brothers and sisters in their joys and sorrows, hopes and fears.
Group: We have been called.

Presider: You have been gifted by the presence of Christ appealing to you in the faces of the poor as the man Edmund was.
Group: We have been gifted.

Presider: You have been sent by the Spirit of God to respond, as you are, in all your struggles and fragility, to the unmet needs of the people at the margins.
Group: We are now being sent.

Presider:

        May the light of your soul guide you.
        May the light of your soul bless the work you do,
        with the secret love and warmth of your heart.
        May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul.
        May the sacredness of your work bring healing,
        light and renewal to those who work with you
        And to those who see and receive your work.
        May your work never weary you.
        May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment,
        inspiration and excitement.
        May you be present in what you do.
        May you never become lost in the bland absences.
        May the day never burden.
        May dawn find you awake and alert,
        Approaching your new day with dreams,
        possibilities and promises.
        May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.
        May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected.
        May your soul calm, console and renew you.
                ("Anam-Cara" p200 John O'Donohue )

CLOSING HYMN         'The Galilee Song'  (Frank Anderson)

Br. Nick Morris (Rome)