Entire Text: Mazz

Mazz: A Celebration of Twentieth Century Prophets by Todd Jolly

Kyrie

God have mercy (and forgive us our debts)
Have mercy on me
Christ have mercy (and protect us from ill)
Have mercy on me
God have mercy, have mercy on me

Gloria 

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all God’s furry little creatures
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all God’s fuzzy little creatures
We bless you, extol you, and positively praise you,
We worship and honor, we absolutely adore you!
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all God’s feathery little creatures

Spirit, Heavenly Ruler, God Almighty, Parent of All
Children, Body of Christ, God’s Anointed, Lamb of God
You take away the Sin of the world; have mercy, oh Lamb of God
Receive our prayer, oh Lamb of God
You who sit at God’s right hand, be merciful and hear our prayer

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all God’s slimy little creatures
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all God’s scaly little creatures
We bless you, extol you, and positively praise you,
We worship and honor, we take off our shoes and get down on our knees to give
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all God’s skinny little creatures

Psalm 13 (expanded)

How long?  (How long?)
Oh God will you forget me forever?
How long?  (How long?)
How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long?

How long?  (How long?)
Shall my enemy be exalted over me?

 Consider and answer me, oh my God!
Give light to my eyes or I will sleep the sleep of death

But I trusted in your steadfast love
My heart will rejoice in your salvation
I will sing to you, God; you have been so kind

 How long?  (How long?)
My sheep, will you forget me forever?
How long?  (How long?)
My people, will you hide your faces from me?

How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long?

How long?  (How long?)
Shall my enemy be exalted over me?

 But I’m trusting in your steadfast love
My heart will rejoice in your salvation
I will sing to you, Children
You will come back home

Life Grows Dingy on One's Sleeve

(Howard Thurman:  from Concerning Disciplines of the Spirit and Concerning Love, published in For the Inward Journey.  Used by permission)

Life grows dingy on one’s sleeve, unless there is a constant awareness of the growing edge of one’s experience.  The mood of arrogance toward the ordinary person and the tendency to grovel in the presence of the high and powerful beset us all.  

We cannot be in a hurry in matters of the heart.  The human spirit has to be explored gently and with unhurried tenderness.  

There is magic all around us.  It may be that the person with whom you live every day or with whom you work has locked deep within the answer to your own greatest need if you know how to “strike the rock aright.”                

Ultimately, there is only one place of refuge on this planet for anyone;
that is in another person’s heart.

Alleluia

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The grass all withers and the flowers fade
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
God’s word will live forevermore

Kindly spare us sappy sermons, ho-hum hymn tunes, wimpy worship
Hungry hearts need holy hot-licks
Play those drums and blow the saxophone 
and show us how to love our neighbor as ourselves

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia…

Credo

I believe in one God, who, just by singing a phrase, brings whole worlds into being.  Now, that’s a God I trust.  Just like Dad, God guides us; just like Mom, God provides, and without an exception, loves every living thing.

That’s why God sends prophets, those feisty heralds of truth, like Rosa Parks, and Thich Nhat Hanh, Anwar Sadat, and Jimmy Carter, Cesar Chávez, Harry Wu, Audrey Lorde, Nelson Mandela, Corazon Aquino, Oscar Romero, King Hussein of Jordan, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Elie Wiesel, Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi, and yes, maybe even you and me.

Through the pain and struggle, God’s love always remains. 
Like a weed that keeps sprouting, God’s love just can’t be killed.

God, make us wise and gentle, make us generous and fair. 
Give us sweet, clear voices, and strong words to sing.

Sanctus

Holy, holy, holy God of power and might
Heaven and earth are full of your glory
Hosanna, hosanna in the highest
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God
Hosanna in the highest

Memorial Acclamation

Dying, you destroyed our death.  Rising, you restored our life
Oh Jesus, come again in glory

Nibbling Away

Nibbling away, trying to fill those empty spaces, those places which life, in all its brutal  honesty, has left without a decent shred of innocence; hoping this time, at last, our hunger will be satisfied, gratified that even greed and gluttony are overcome with compassion and trust.

Maybe it’s our appetites which keep bringing us back home:  our common need to be freed from all these cravings.  Why does our desire send us madly searching, just to return, seeking those very bonds we escaped?

Sipping a taste, nectar of holiness and unity; community, while at times can foster blind conformity, may yet remind us of our worth and dignity. Praying this time, at last, our thirst will be forever quenched, hearts drenched in living streams, as we’re undone by compassion and trust.

Agnus Dei

Lamb of God, you take away the Sin of the world.  Have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the Sin of the world.  Have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the Sin of the world.  Grant us peace.
A winter’s night, 1943, Maria Byrczek, a Polish Catholic wife and mother, took in a five month                                          
old Jewish girl.  Her mother had been taken to a concentration camp.  At great risk to her family and
herself Maria protected an innocent child.

November tenth, 1989:  New York Times dateline:  East Berlin, Germany
East Germany Opens Frontier to the West for Emigration or Visits:  Thousands Cross
A Jubilant Horde:  Berlin Wall Is Rushed by Easterners as Travel Limits are Lifted

Lamb of God, you take away the Sin of the world.  Have mercy on us.

New York Times dateline:  April 26, 1954:  Polio Vaccine Test Will Start Today
New York Times dateline:  April 13, 1955:  U.N. Health Agency Welcomes Vaccine,
but Stresses Need of Further Research:  Leaders of A.M.A. Hail Vaccine Test:
Missis Roosevelt Pleased by Salk Test Outcome:  Salk’s Vaccine Proves Success

Lamb of God, you take away the Sin of the world.  Have mercy on us.

 New York Times dateline:  Oslo, Norway, December 11, 1964:  
Dr. King Accepts Nobel Peace Prize as ‘Trustee’

Lamb of God, you take away the Sin of the world.  Grant us peace.

Amen

Amen, amen…
Go in peace, live as free people, serve God, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Ghost.