Southern Lights Sunday Liturgy

January 27, 2026

Another Southern Lights conference has come and gone. What an amazing experience. It is a highlight of the year for attendees and presenters alike. You should register and join us next January 22-25, 2027! Details here (coming soon): https://southernlightsconference.com/

You can also get access to the videos … see the website after Feb. 5 for details.

Several people asked for the liturgy we used on Sunday morning. I developed the liturgy with major contributions from priest/musician John Francis O’Mara (https://johnfrancisomara.com/) — thanks, John.

Thanks to dear friend and colleague Dr. Diana Butler Bass (https://dianabutlerbass.substack.com/) and new friend and colleague Rev. Dr. Jemar Tisby (https://jemartisby.substack.com/) for their collaboration in leading the service, and to the amazing, wonderful, brilliant polymathic musician Ken Medema (https://www.kenmedema.com/), and to his equally amazing assistant, Beverly Vander Molen.

The liturgy was also deeply enriched by the presence and participation of another new friend — poet/teacher/storyteller Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, whose work has nourished many of us for years, and who consistently produces creative work that inspires and sustains: https://www.wordwoman.com/ To have her with us in person was a steady breeze of pure, sail-filling joy. (She is a master of metaphors!)

We were also blessed and honored by the presence and participation of another dear friend, one of our speakers, Rabbi Or Rose. It can be delicate, even difficult, for a devoted, respected Jewish leader to be a guest — even a respected and honored guest — at a Christian liturgy. But Rabbi Or graciously offered not only his presence but also his participation through a prayer chanted in Hebrew. To learn more about this gifted scholar, author, interfaith pioneer, and beloved professor, you can start here: https://hebrewcollege.edu/blog/author/or-rose/

The final blessing comes from the Black Rock Prayer Book, by Brian Baker, available online here: https://www.ees1862.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/A-Black-Rock-Prayer-Book-2019.pdf

You are welcome to use or adapt this liturgy. Please credit with Southern Lights (https://southernlightsconference.com/), John Francis O’Mara (https://johnfrancisomara.com/), and Brian D. McLaren (brianmclaren.net)

ZOEoncampus.com will also be sharing adapted sections of this resource for use on college campuses. More on ZOE here: https://www.zoeoncampus.com/

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Prelude:

Invitation
One: Beloved friends, we come together to open wide our hearts to the One who disturbs the false peace of empires, the One who comforts the souls of the oppressed. We come to name and turn away from the love of power, wealth, and violence that so often dominates in our world. We come to place our feet on the path of justice, kindness, and humility, which is the path of Christ, who appears to us in the face of the refugee, in the cry of the detainee, and in the hunger of the poor, calling us to solidarity and action.

Song of Joy

Prayer of Intention

Let us pray for the world. If your heart agrees, when I raise my hand*, please say, “This is our hearts’ desire.”
O Living Light who enlightens every human being, we open our hearts to you and to one another.*

For the transformation or replacement of every system that binds the human spirit;*

For the abolition of racism, poverty, and the machines of war;*

For courage to be the voices crying in the wilderness, straightening the paths of equity and cooperation.*

For unjust politicians and oligarchs to be cast down,*

For the lowly to be lifted up,*

For the hungry to be filled with good things,*

For all who profit from injustice to be sent away empty,*

For the families of [Rene Nicole Good, Liam Ramos, and Alex Pretti] to be comforted, and all those who suffer from state sponsored violence,*

For secret police and all forms of violence and terrorism to end,*

For humans to awaken to the value of the Earth,*

For the Earth to thrive without human exploitation.*

For all of us to join you in the healing of the world.*

For hope to be our resistance and joy to be our defiance.*

[brief silence]

Let us pray for ourselves. If your heart agrees, when I raise my hand*, please say, “This is my heart’s desire.”

I do not want to be arrogant or hateful. I want to be a person rooted and grounded in love.*

I do not want to be defeated, despondent, or cynical. I want to be a person of resilient and abounding joy.*

I do not want to be irritable or short-tempered. I want to live from deep, centered patience.*

I do not want to be hard-hearted, insensitive, cruel, or unforgiving. I want to overflow with kindness.*

I do not want to be selfish or dishonest. I want to be a person of good character, honest and generous.*

I do not want to break faith with my fellow humans or fellow creatures. I want to be faithful, dependable, loyal.*

I do not want to intimidate, dominate, or take more than I give. I want to walk with gentleness upon this Earth.*

I do not want to be reactive or stubborn, addicted or obsessed. I want to be centered, deliberate, and peaceful.*

The same peace, joy, love, and integrity I long to see in the world, I want to grow in me.*

Amen.*

The Collect of the Day

One: The Spirit of Peace is among us and within us …

All: And with all creation

One: Let us pray

O Light of Peace, whose Realm is a disruption to the corrupt powers of this world: Stir up the embers in our hearts and burn like bright fire within us. Grant us the grace to wait with holy impatience for the breaking of the enslaved’s chains and the toppling of tyranny. Fill us with the courage of Mary, that we might sing the upside-down world right-side up again. May we join you in solidarity with the oppressed, working for the liberation of all your children, and restoring rather than plundering this beautiful, sacred Earth; through Jesus Christ the Liberator and Lover of all, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one, now and for ever. Amen.

Contemporary Reading

Scripture Readings

Hebrew Scripture

Christian Scripture: selections from Matthew 5, Luke 4

Sermon

Silence

Please use these few moments for contemplation in response to what we have heard. Listen for what echoes in your heart, for what the Spirit is saying to you and to us all.

Conversation:

In a moment, I will invite you to stand in groups of two or three. You will each have about a minute to introduce yourself and then answer this question: What is one thing you heard in today’s sermon that especially stirred, interested, or challenged you, and why was it important to you? We ask you to listen with gracious and respectful attention to each other. When you are finished sharing, or when you hear the music, please be seated.

Confession of Faith

One: You are invited to join in this confession of faith:

All: We have confidence in the Holy One,

Divine wisdom and power beyond our understanding,

Present with and within us,

Who is named and known in many ways across human cultures,

In whom the universe unfolds in space and time and beauty,

Whose radiance shines in every creature and through all creation,

Who loves the whole world like a wise and loving parent,

Who inspired prophets and teachers through the centuries,

And who was made known to us especially through Jesus.

We have confidence in Jesus, the Liberator,

In whom we see the character of the divine,

Teaching deep wisdom in parables,

Speaking truth to the powerful and powerless alike,

Healing the sick and feeding the hungry,

Welcoming outcasts to the table as friends.

He trained common people to be disciples,

Sending them into the world

To build a movement of revolutionary love.

The political and religious systems considered him a threat.

They arrested, mocked, tortured, executed, and buried him.

But they could not defeat him.

Even as he died he forgave them, and

He arose to live on in us through the Holy Spirit.

We have confidence in the Holy Spirit

Who unites, transforms, and empowers us

To seek the common good in the way of Jesus,

Through gracious and courageous words and deeds

Of justice, compassion, and humble nonviolence.

The Spirit moves within us to join the eternal dance

Of divine love, joy, and peace:

Many as one, mutually indwelling,

Forever and forever, right now. Amen.

Passing the Peace

Please greet one another with a bow of respect in the spirit of peace.

The Great Thanksgiving

One: The Spirit of Love, Joy, and Peace is with us!

All: And with all creation!

One: Let us be give thanks!

All: We have been blessed, indeed!

Sanctus Chant: (call and response to clapped rhythm)

Holy, holy, holy!

God of love and mercy!

The sky above and earth below

Are radiant with your glory

Holy, holy, holy!

God of peace and justice!

The sky above and earth below

Are radiant with your glory.

Hosanna! Hosanna!

Blessed is he, blessed is she,

Blessed are they, blessed are we

Who embody the glory of God!

Hosanna! Hosanna!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Amen!

The Great Thanksgiving

O Living Light, O Dearest Friend, O Power beyond all human powers, we thank you for walking beside on this journey, through times of tears and laughter, through times of rest and labor, through times of darkness and seasons of light, and in this very moment, now.

You exceed our highest thought, and our highest words can not contain you, and so we rest in your presence in reverent silence.

We remember Jesus, the story of Mary his mother, the stories of his infancy and childhood, the stories of how he would go to wild places and pray in solitude. We remember his deeds of kindness to heal the sick, to feed the poor, to welcome children, to include outsiders and outcasts. We remember the teachings that he gave, the parables he told, the questions he asked, the profound wisdom of his words. We remember his courage in confronting hypocrites and defending the vulnerable. We remember the mission he entrusted his disciples, of carrying on his example and his message. We remember his precious life and we thank you for him …

… as we pray the prayer he taught his disciples: (Sung version)

Holy one, all the cosmos is full of your love.

We behold your glorious mystery in awe.

We receive your new way of life right now.

On this precious Earth may your dreams come true.

Enough for today is all we ask,

As we give and receive grace for our wrongs

Lead us out from the crisis we’re in

And free us from evil in all its forms

So say we all, so say we all

Now our hearts are one.

The night before Jesus was rejected by the crowds and executed by the religious and political powers, Jesus gathered his friends for a meal. It was a Passover meal, celebrating an ancient story of liberation from oppression.

During the meal, he took bread and said, “This is my body, broken for you. Take it. Eat it. Remember me.”

And at the end of the meal, he took wine and said, “This is my blood poured out for you and for all, for the forgiveness of sin. Drink this, all of you. This is a sign of our new relationship. Do this in remembrance of me.”

And so now, we remember Jesus, in life and in death. May these simple gifts of bread and wine be to us a sign and sacrament of his love and presence alive in us.

As we share in this sacrament, may we experience sacred communion with God, one another, and all creation, and may we become the ongoing embodiment of Christ, our Liberator, our leader, our friend. Amen.

[brief instructions are given]

Distribution of Elements

Closing words/Thanks/Instructions

Blessing of Candles

Dear friends, we are living in a time when darkness gathers at the centers of wealth and power. It will very likely get darker still. But we have not gathered for these three days simply to bemoan the darkness at the center. We have come together to gather light at the margins, to experience what the mystics called photosis, or enlightenment, to take into our souls so much light that we ourselves become light and carry light to others, wherever we go.

And so we conclude our time with a sharing of candles as we sing a song. We want you to bring your candle home, and on any day when you feel overwhelmed by darkness, we ask you to light your candle, to remember our time together, to reflect on what we have learned and felt and shared together … and as you light the candle back home, we hope you will offer your body and life as a bearer of God’s light.

May these candles remind you that all is not dark. No matter how dark it gets, you, and we, joined by so many more, are a light in the world.

Closing Songs

Blessing and Dismissal

One: May the God who said “Let there be light” be your light in these dark times. May Jesus, who said “I am the light of the world,” and who also said, “You are the light of the world,” shine bright in you. May the Spirit, who is often represented by a bright flame, be ever incandescent in you and in us all until we meet again. Our gathering has ended, and our good work as light on the margins continues. Amen.

Black Rock Prayer Book Blessing:

“The world now is too dangerous

and too beautiful for anything but love.

May your eyes be so blessed you see God in everyone.

Your ears, so you hear the cry of the poor.

May your hands be so blessed

that everything you touch is a sacrament.

Your lips, so you speak nothing but the truth with love.

May your feet be so blessed you run

to those who need you.

And may your heart be so opened,

so set on fire, that your love,

your love, changes everything.

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May the Lord bless you with discomfort at easy answers and half-truths, so that you may live from the heart. May the Lord bless you with outrage over exploitation, so that you may work for tangible justice. May the Lord bless you with hot tears to shed for those who suffer, so that you may reach out to comfort them. And may the Lord bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, and that the world is about to turn. Go and do what others claim cannot be done. And the blessing of God All-Loving, present among us and in us all, fill you with defiant joy. Amen.

SONG: The world is about to turn

Prayers of the People

Leader: In vigilant expectation, we raise our groaning voices for the liberation of all Creation. We pray the Church and all communities of faith will become laboratories of your Spirit, engaging in holy experiments of justice, joy, and peace. Come, Living God, and set us free.