Invitation to Virtual Worship 2023-2024
Introduction
Along the way in my programs, I have brought up the 1-2-3 of God, that is, understandings of the divine that take the perspectives of first-person, second-person, and third-person approaches.
Just to briefly review… Our first-person relationship with the divine begins with an intuited sense that there is no place where our identity leaves off and God’s identity begins. Our being and God’s being flow together and are intimately shared. The second-person relationship describes the classic “I-Thou relationship.” This is about us addressing God as intimate Other. The third-person form of relationship sees the transcendent God in terms of everything that is. It sees God as the very “suchness” of life itself.
For many of us who might call ourselves contemplatives, however, God in second-person, that is addressing God as Thou, is both complicated and somehow challenging. This is probably because many of us have departed from more contemporary Christianity and its conventional worship that almost exclusively employs this second-person expression. But in moving away from these overused forms, we may have almost thrown out the baby with the bath water.
I desire to offer periodic virtual worship that utilizes all three forms of expression, but that is explicitly intentional in including (perhaps even restoring) the I-Thou worship expression. In this effort, I hope to re-establish such worship utterances as adoration, exultation, and remorse and utilize such postures as prostrations, adulations, and mudras.
Our worship 75-minute gatherings on Zoom will begin with a virtual Eucharist with selected participants sharing some of the readings and prayers (about 30 minutes). For those who can and wish to stay, the liturgy is followed by discussion and processing in triads and a brief summation (about 45 minutes). This not only helps us integrate our experience, but also builds community.
These liturgies are all different and responsive to the liturgical calendar, the seasonal calendar, and the ongoing development of this Wisdom community.
The texts of each liturgy will be emailed a couple of days before each Saturday gathering to everyone on the email list. Additionally, the link for the recording of the liturgy itself (30 min.) will be emailed separately after the service.
To receive the link and password please email me directly (bill@williamredfield.com)
Schedule of Worship Services
Saturdays 10:00 to 11:15 am
September 23 Fall Equinox and High Holy Days
October 7
October 28 Fall
November 18 Thanksgiving—Gratitude
December 2 Advent
December 16
December 23 Christmastide & Winter Solstice
December 30 New Years & Holy Name
January 13 Season of Epiphany
January 27
February 10 Lunar New Year and Beginning of Lent
February 24 Lent II
March 9 Lent IV
March 23 Palm Sunday & Spring Equinox
March 30 Easter
April 13 Easter III
April 27 Easter V
May 11 Ascension Day
May 25 Pentecost & Trinity Sunday
Donations are appreciated and can be done through PayPal on this website.
To receive the link and password please email me directly (bill@williamredfield.com)
As always, participation is open and forgiving. Simply come when you can. No worries if you may have to leave early.
Because the text of the liturgy will be sent out ahead of time, I will be calling on certain people to read particular parts of the service. This, too, is relaxed and completely voluntary.
I continue to want to create a safe and secure container for this worship work. It is for this reason that I ask those who are interested to email me to receive the link and password, as well as the other mailings.
Don’t hesitate to email me (bill@williamredfield.com) if you have any questions or concerns.