A moment of contemplation for yourself or on behalf of others on everything from the life-altering to the mundane.


Prayer: A conversation with The Higher Other who lives within each of us. An invitation to vent, to re-think, to ask, and to rest.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Prayers of the People: Peace by Piece, 5th Sunday in the Season of Creation

for November 9, 2014 5th Sunday in SoC, Readings: Amos 5:21-24, Ps 139:1-7, The Holy Qur’an 57:1-4*, Mt 5:43-48

            Love my enemies? Maybe a question parallel to another that Jesus posed is: Who is my enemy? It seems to me that most of us don't really think of having enemies in personal terms. But we sure can name and number those we dislike intensely whether we know them or not. Among other classes, there are those who hold diametrically opposed political, religious, social views and social status whose observed intolerance makes my blood pressure rise and my head want to explode as I exhibit high levels of intolerance for their intolerance ~ OH PLEASE - do I have to LOVE them? It's easier for me to love an enemy of my country - or at least pray that they go away and do no more harm. 
            It's no wonder the Prophet Amos reports that the Lord tells us our festivals, our offerings, our sacred rituals and music are unacceptable when we show up and show off our piety in Church and then head outside of the building for the rest of the week with the same old attitudes as if putting aside the costume and mask we wore on Sunday morning. All of our good worship is nothing unless we are living the everyday life that reflects all that we pretend to be while in Church. I must consciously work on reconciling my intentions with my actions, little by little, piece by piece. Until we are loving and peaceful within ourselves reflecting the love of Christ in all we think, all we do, all we are, complacency, hatred, violence, and fear will only escalate and kill us all one way or another, if not in body, certainly in soul. I don't believe that loving my enemies has to mean standing by and allowing viciousness and injury, but I can certainly take a deep breath and genuinely act and care for those less fortunate and pray for those I do not understand lest I allow my own anger and frustration to feed the whirlwind of destruction. Oh LORD, this is the hardest thing You ask of me.


LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Almighty All-Knowing God, there is not a thought, word, or act of ours that You do not see. As we offer our praise and faith-filled worship, You know how we offer You our everyday lives. Through Your Prophets and Your Son, we know that the peace of the world begins within ourselves in how we love and serve the earth and all Your people, even those we call our enemies.

                                 Holy Lord of High Expectation
RESPONSE:      Help us to let justice roll down like the waters,
                                 and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream
           
~ Almighty All-Knowing God, these are serious times of distressing political discourse, extreme fear, and increasing violence in our community and around the world. To those holding power on our planet, in our country, and our local community, even those with whom we disagree, let us give a calm, rational voice to the issues at hand as we pray especially for: add your own petitions

Holy Lord of High Expectation
Help us to let justice roll down like the waters,
                             and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream

~ Almighty All-Knowing God, grant Your peace to all those living with serious illness, pain, and uncertainty and give hope and comfort to those who offer them loving care. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Holy Lord of High Expectation
Help us to let justice roll down like the waters,
                             and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream
                                         
~ Almighty All-Knowing God, as our hearts weep with those in mourning, let us also console them with the hope of eternal life now bestowed upon those who now live in Your light.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Holy Lord of High Expectation
Help us to let justice roll down like the waters,
                             and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream

~ Almighty All-Knowing God, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, silently or aloud…

Holy Lord of High Expectation
Help us to let justice roll down like the waters,
                             and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream
 
~ Almighty All-Knowing God, as with those anointed to lead us and declare Your glory before us, Your right hand holds us all fast in Your eternal presence. Press upon our spiritual leaders even more wonderful knowledge that they can impart to us as they guide our soul journeys toward You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Holy Lord of High Expectation
Help us to let justice roll down like the waters,
                             and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream


The Celebrant adds: Wise and Mighty, Beneficent Lord, grant us wisdom and inner peace enough, within our earnest Sunday worship of You, that we rise up in our daily lives to become a direct reflection of Your love in action. We ask this through Jesus, our Christ, and the most Holy Spirit who, together with You, reign as One God, in heaven, on earth, and beyond all time and space. Amen.


*2nd Reading - From The Holy Qur’an 57:1-4
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Whatever is in the heavens and the earth declares the glory of Allah, and He is the Mighty, the Wise. His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He gives life and causes death; and He has power over all things. He is the First and the Last and the Ascendant over all. He is the Knower of hidden things, and He is Cognizant of all things. He it is who created the heavens and the earth in six periods, and He is firm in power. He knows that which goes deep down into the earth and that which comes forth out of it; and that which comes down from the heaven and that which goes up into it. He is with you wherever you are; and Allah sees what you do.









Please feel free to request a prayer or meditation to be composed for a particular person, concern, or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. If you would like the weekly Prayers of the People prior to its appearance on the blog, please send me an email. Personal prayer requestors will remain anonymous.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Prayers of the People, Saints Are People, Too!, 4th Sunday of the Season of Creation

for November 2, 2014, All Saints, 4th Sunday in SoC*Readings: Sr. Joan Chitister*, Ps 107:1-7, 33-37; Ephesians 4:1-6, Mt 5:1-12

When is a Saint a Saint in these times? Sr. Joan Chittister tells us that [Saints] are male and female, Christian and non-Christian, married and unmarried, religious and lay, pragmatists and artists, named saint by a process or proclaimed saint by the people who lived in the shadow of their lives. They are people like you and me. With one exception, perhaps. In their eyes burn the eyes of a God who sees injustice and decries it, sees poverty and condemns it, sees inequality and refuses it, sees wrong and demands that it be set right...These are people who saw themselves clearly as the others' keepers...  [see full reading below] Who are the Saints, and saints, in your life?
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Lord of All Saints and All Sinners, You have created all of us with unique gifts and we have each developed our own unique flaws. Today we celebrate those who have gone before, and those among us, who have given themselves entirely to You for the sake of us all.  Whenever we struggle, or forget, to find a single moment for You in a day, grant us the wisdom to look to the examples of saints and Saints to guide us to a glimpse of Your face, and then act accordingly, from the center of our humanness.

      Universal, Omnipotent, Boundless God
RESPONSE:      Help us to be dauntless in our faith
                                  that we may live as You have called
           
~ Lord of All Saints and All Sinners, grant us the courage to decry injustice, condemn poverty, and refuse inequality as we raise strong voices, for those who have none, to the leaders of the World, our Country, and our Community, most particularly in these critical times. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Universal, Omnipotent, Boundless God
Help us to be dauntless in our faith
              that we may live as You have called

~ Lord of All Saints and All Sinners, deliver from distress those whose spirits languish in the pain of illness, anxiety, or addiction, and endow those who give them care with patience, gentleness, and love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Universal, Omnipotent, Boundless God
Help us to be dauntless in our faith
              that we may live as You have called

~ Lord of All Saints and All Sinners, as You comfort those who mourn, help them, and us all, to always remember that our loved ones rejoice to enter their great reward in heaven. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Universal, Omnipotent, Boundless God
Help us to be dauntless in our faith
              that we may live as You have called
~ Lord of All Saints and All Sinners, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, silently or aloud…
Universal, Omnipotent, Boundless God
Help us to be dauntless in our faith
              that we may live as You have called
~ Lord of All Saints and All Sinners, we offer our praise and thanksgiving for all who have humbly accepted Your call to help us navigate our path to redemption. Help them remain faithful role models as we taste the possibilities of our spiritual greatness together. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Universal, Omnipotent, Boundless God
Help us to be dauntless in our faith
              that we may live as You have called
The Celebrant adds: Just, Merciful, Gracious God, in all humility we bow our heads and pray for Your blessing even as we often fail, but still continue to try, to embody those qualities of saintliness that will bring us to Your eternal life. We ask Your continued love and patience through Jesus, our Redeemer, and in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, who with You live and reign as One God above all, through all, and in all, for ever and ever.  Amen.


*1st Reading - A Reading from the writings of Joan Chittister:

For centuries the church has confronted the human community with role models of greatness. We call them saints when what we really often mean to say is "icon," "star," "hero," ones so possessed by an internal vision of divine goodness that they give us a glimpse of the face of God in the center of the human. They give us a taste of the possibilities of greatness in ourselves. What qualities will be necessary to live a life of integrity, of holiness, in the twenty-first century? What models of those values, if any, have been raised up to show us the way to God in a world that is more preoccupied with the material than with the spiritual, more self-centered than selfless, more concerned with the mundane than with the divine, more parochial than cosmic? (They) are male and female, Christian and non-Christian, married and unmarried, religious and lay, pragmatists and artists, named saint by a process or proclaimed saint by the people who lived in the shadow of their lives. They are people like you and me. With one exception, perhaps. In their eyes burn the eyes of a God who sees injustice and decries it, sees poverty and condemns it, sees inequality and refuses it, sees wrong and demands that it be set right. These are people for whom the Law above the law is first in their lives. These are people who did not temporize with the evil in one system just because another system could have been worse. These are people who saw themselves clearly as the others' keepers. These are people who gave themselves entirely to the impulses of God for the sake of the world.
~ Sister Joan Chittister [from: A Passion for Life: Fragments of the Face of God, Orbis, Maryknoll, NY, 1996]


* The Season of Creation originated in the Anglican Church of South Africa in 2008 and is designed for us to explore our faith from a Creation perspective. We are to realize our place in the order of God’s creating and to see and act upon the need to care for our entire life-support system - the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil in which we grow our crops - not merely humanity, but our total environment, as it pertains to ALL life.







Please feel free to request a prayer or meditation to be composed for a particular person, concern, or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. If you would like the weekly Prayers of the People prior to its appearance on the blog, please send me an email. Personal prayer requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers of the People, Saints Preserve Us!, All Saints' Sunday

for November 2, 2014, All Saints’ Sunday, Readings: Revelation 7:9-17, Psalm 34:1-10, 22; 1 John 3:1-3, Mt 5:1-12

     For centuries the church has confronted the human community with role models of greatness. We call them saints when what we really often mean to say is "icon," "star," "hero," ones so possessed by an internal vision of divine goodness that they give us a glimpse of the face of God in the center of the human. They give us a taste of the possibilities of greatness in ourselves. What qualities will be necessary to live a life of integrity, of holiness, in the twenty-first century? What models of those values, if any, have been raised up to show us the way to God in a world that is more preoccupied with the material than with the spiritual, more self-centered than selfless, more concerned with the mundane than with the divine, more parochial than cosmic? (They) are male and female, Christian and non-Christian, married and unmarried, religious and lay, pragmatists and artists, named saint by a process or proclaimed saint by the people who lived in the shadow of their lives. They are people like you and me. With one exception, perhaps. In their eyes burn the eyes of a God who sees injustice and decries it, sees poverty and condemns it, sees inequality and refuses it, sees wrong and demands that it be set right. These are people for whom the Law above the law is first in their lives. These are people who did not temporize with the evil in one system just because another system could have been worse. These are people who saw themselves clearly as the others' keepers. These are people who gave themselves entirely to the impulses of God for the sake of the world. ~ Sister Joan Chittister  [from: A Passion for Life: Fragments of the Face of God, Orbis, Maryknoll, NY, 1996]

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Lord of All Saints and All Sinners, You have created all of us with unique gifts and we have each developed our own unique flaws. Today we celebrate those who have gone before, and those among us, who have given themselves entirely to You for the sake of us all.  Whenever we struggle, or forget, to find a single moment for You in a day, grant us the wisdom to look to the examples of saints and Saints to guide us to a glimpse of the Lamb, and act accordingly, from the center of our souls.

  Universal, Omnipotent, Boundless God
RESPONSE:  Help us to be dauntless in our faith that
                             we may live as You have called
           
~ Lord of All Saints and All Sinners, grant us the courage to decry injustice, condemn poverty, and refuse inequality as we raise strong voices, for those who have none, to the leaders of the World, our Country, and our Community, most particularly in these critical times. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

    Universal, Omnipotent, Boundless God
    Help us to be dauntless in our faith that
                  we may live as You have called

~ Lord of All Saints and All Sinners, deliver from their great ordeal those whose spirits languish in the pain of illness, anxiety, or addiction, and endow those who give them care with patience, gentleness, and love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
    Universal, Omnipotent, Boundless God
    Help us to be dauntless in our faith that
                  we may live as You have called
~ Lord of All Saints and All Sinners, as You wipe away the tears of those who mourn, shepherd those who have made their way to You and guide them to springs of the water of eternal life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
    Universal, Omnipotent, Boundless God
    Help us to be dauntless in our faith that
                  we may live as You have called
~ Lord of All Saints and All Sinners, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, silently or aloud…
    Universal, Omnipotent, Boundless God
    Help us to be dauntless in our faith that
                  we may live as You have called
~ Lord of All Saints and All Sinners, we offer our praise and thanksgiving for all who have humbly accepted Your call to help us navigate our path to redemption. Help them remain faithful and with purity of heart to proclaim to us the greatness of our LORD. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

    Universal, Omnipotent, Boundless God
    Help us to be dauntless in our faith that
                  we may live as You have called

The Celebrant adds: Just, Merciful, Gracious God, in all humility we bow our heads and pray for Your blessing even as we often fail, but still continue to try, to embody those qualities of saintliness that will bring us to Your eternal life. We ask through Jesus, our Lamb, and in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, who with You live and reign in the glory of One God now and for ever and ever.  Amen.




Please feel free to request a prayer or meditation to be composed for a particular person, concern, or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. If you would like the weekly Prayers of the People prior to its appearance on the blog, please send me an email. Personal prayer requestors will remain anonymous.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Prayers of the People, Won't You Be My Neighbor?, 20th Sunday after Pentecost

for October 26, 2014, 20th Sunday after Pentecost, Readings: Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18; Psalm 1, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Mt 22:34-46

Before you speak to me about your religion, first show it to me in how you treat other people; Before you tell me how much you love your God, show me how much you love all His children; Before you preach to me of your passion for your faith, teach me about it through your compassion for your neighbors. In the end, I'm not as interested in what you have to tell or sell as in how much you choose to live and give.  
                  ~ United States Senator Cory Booker

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ LORD of All That is Holy, keep us mindful in every day to intentionally seek to love You with all of our hearts, our souls, and our minds, to delight in Your law, and, to be worthy to stand upright at Your Final Judgment.

                              Almighty God of Justice, Righteousness, and Mercy
RESPONSE:  Grant us courage in You to declare the Gospel and love our 
                              neighbors as ourselves
                                    
~ LORD of All That is Holy, help us, especially in these days, to actively engage those we entrust with the decision-making in our World, our Country, and our Community. Let us be as a witness of the prosperity of love to open the eyes of those blinded by self-interest, political machinations, and other oppressive conditions that do not fulfill Your greatest commandment.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                Almighty God of Justice, Righteousness, and Mercy
                Grant us courage in You to declare the Gospel and
                love our neighbors as ourselves

~ LORD of All That is Holy, alleviate the pain of those burdened with serious illness, addiction, and/or emotional distress, and let us bring compassion to those who give them care.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                Almighty God of Justice, Righteousness, and Mercy
                Grant us courage in You to declare the Gospel and
                love our neighbors as ourselves

~ LORD of All That is Holy, we lift up those who are bowed by grief while, in the midst of sorrow, we give joyful thanksgiving for Your welcome of our loved ones into Your eternal kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

              Almighty God of Justice, Righteousness, and Mercy
              Grant us courage in You to declare the Gospel and
              love our neighbors as ourselves

~ LORD of All That is Holy, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, silently or aloud…

                Almighty God of Justice, Righteousness, and Mercy
                Grant us courage in You to declare the Gospel and
                love our neighbors as ourselves

~ LORD of All That is Holy, we look to those appointed to lead us in worship and the care of Your Church to show us by example of prayer and preaching how to live in this life and walk together to discover all that You declare through Your Word. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                Almighty God of Justice, Righteousness, and Mercy
                Grant us courage in You to declare the Gospel and
                love our neighbors as ourselves


The Celebrant adds: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, grant us the awareness of Your ever-present breath and spirit as we consciously seek to be fully Yours in every day. Help us to show, that within the power and glory that is You, You remain the Every Day God for our neighbors and ourselves. We ask through the mercy of Jesus our Christ and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, who live and reign with You as One God, everyday, always, and forever.  Amen.





Please feel free to request a prayer or meditation to be composed for a particular person, concern, or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. If you would like the weekly Prayers of the People prior to its appearance on the blog, please send me an email. Personal prayer requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers of the People, The Human Family, 3rd Sunday in the Season of Creation

for October 26, 2014, 3rd Sunday in SoC*, Readings: Isaiah 42:5-9, Ps 146, Mother Theresa**, Luke 10:25-37
Before you speak to me about your religion, first show it to me in how you treat other people; Before you tell me how much you love your God, show me how much you love all His children; Before you preach to me of your passion for your faith, teach me about it through your compassion for your neighbors. In the end, I'm not as interested in what you have to tell or sell as in how much you choose to live and give.  
~ United States Senator Cory Booker

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Most Gracious Parent, Creator of Our Entire Human Family, keep us ever mindful that we are each sometimes the other, creating and receiving suspicion and fear, when we step away from our familiar communities. Let Your light radiate from our eyes and our everyday actions be as works of charity, reflecting the overflow of our love for You from within ourselves.

    We praise You, LORD, from the depths of our souls
RESPONSE:     We will live and act as the mercy of Christ  
                                    
~ Most Gracious Parent, Creator of Our Entire Human Family, help us, especially in these days, to stand up and actively engage those we entrust with the decision-making in our World, our Country, and our Community.  You call us to be as a covenant to Your people to open the eyes of those blinded by self-interest, political machinations, and other oppressive conditions that do not fulfill Your love for Your people ~ our neighbors and ourselves.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

We praise You, LORD, from the depths of our souls
We will live and act as the mercy of Christ  

~ Most Gracious Parent, Creator of Our Entire Human Family, alleviate the pain of those burdened with serious illness, addiction, and/or emotional distress, and let us bring a breath of compassion to those who give them care.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

We praise You, LORD, from the depths of our souls
We will live and act as the mercy of Christ  

~ Most Gracious Parent, Creator of Our Entire Human Family, we lift up those who are bowed by grief while, in the midst of sorrow, we give joyful thanksgiving for Your welcome of our loved ones into Your eternal kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

We praise You, LORD, from the depths of our souls
We will live and act as the mercy of Christ  

~ Most Gracious Parent, Creator of Our Entire Human Family, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, silently or aloud…

We praise You, LORD, from the depths of our souls
We will live and act as the mercy of Christ  

~ Most Gracious Parent, Creator of Our Entire Human Family, we look to those appointed to lead us in worship and the care of Your Church to tell us of the former things of You that have come to pass, show us by example of prayer and preaching how to live in this life, and walk with us to discover the new things to come that You declare through Your Word.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

We praise You, LORD, from the depths of our souls
We will live and act as the mercy of Christ  

The Celebrant adds: God of the Hungry, the Privileged, and All Others, grant us the awareness of Your ever-present breath and spirit as we consciously seek to be fully Yours in every day. Help us to show, that within the power and glory that is You, You remain the Every Day God for the entire Human Family. We ask through the mercy of Jesus our Christ and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, who live and reign with You as One God, everyday, always, and forever.   Amen.


*2nd Reading A READING FROM THE WORD OF MOTHER THERESA:

Whether you are a Hindu, a Muslim or a Christian, how you live your life is the proof that you are fully God's or not. Loving must be as normal to us as living and breathing, day after day until death. To understand this and practice it we need much prayer, the kind that unites us with God and overflows continually upon others. Our works of charity are nothing but the overflow of our love of God from within. Therefore, the one who is most united with God loves her neighbor most.
[From Everything Starts With Prayer, White Cloud Press, Ashland, OR, 1998]


The Season of Creation originated in the Anglican Church of South Africa in 2008 and is designed for us to explore our faith from a Creation perspective. We are to realize our place in the order of God’s creating and to see and act upon the need to care for our entire life-support system - the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil in which we grow our crops - not merely humanity, but our total environment, as it pertains to ALL life. 




Please feel free to request a prayer or meditation to be composed for a particular person, concern, or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. If you would like the weekly Prayers of the People prior to its appearance on the blog, please send me an email. Personal prayer requestors will remain anonymous.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Meditation Moments: This, That, AND The Other

You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope. 
Mystic/Trappist Monk/Author Thomas Merton
[1915-1968]

          Easy for you to say, Thomas, but difficult to do in the midst of life events. I know that all I have is now, but when now is fraught with worry and wonder about how much more or what's next... Yet, because of your words, I know that I can rest a bit, be calm-ish, and just do what needs to be done in this moment. The next moment will be revealed, and the one beyond that, and so will what needs doing.

          So here is my prayer for now:

Dear God of Present Moments, 
        Will this be a good news day, a bad news day, or just a nothing-in-particular news day? I guess it really doesn't matter, does it - whatever happens, happens, and so I ask only for the courage, faith, and hope to attend to the challenges, be open to the possibilities, and be thoroughly present to You in each moment, and to others when I'm needed, even if only through my prayers. With a deep calming breath and the spiritual sustenance of Your grace, I will walk through This, That, AND the Other - I might sometimes be afraid, but I'll know I'm never alone. amen.







Please feel free to request a prayer or meditation to be composed for a particular person, concern, or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. If you would like the weekly Prayers of the People prior to its appearance on the blog, please send me an email. Personal prayer requestors will remain anonymous.


Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Prayers of the People, The Planet Lives, 2nd Sunday in Season of Creation

for October 19, 2014, Our Living Planet, 2nd Sunday in Season of Creation*Readings: Isaiah 65:17-25, Ps 8,
St. Francis of Assisi**Mt 6:25-34

"We are moved by a sense of joy and exhilaration when the grass turns green and the flowers bloom. That spiritual and physical oneness we all share with this common homeland. "  ~ Nelson Mandela

There is plenty of bad news about the condition of our planet, of the dreadful and terrible kind, that needs our action, attention, and God-ordered stewardship.  But today, we celebrate. We come to learn more and to know this great gift of God, our Earth, more deeply. We examine its lushness, its highest peaks and deepest depths, the fragrances and the freshness. We see what has gone before, where we are, and, all of our world's potential and what we are called to do about it. This Earth feeds us and provides oxygen for our breath, its resources give us materials for our homes, fuels for heating, cooling, transportation, and so much more. How magnificent is Our Living Planet?! Let us behold our God's gracious hand and safeguard all of it for posterity.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Most-High, All-Powerful, All-Good Lord! The glory of the lilies and Your handiwork of the sea and sky pale in comparison to the gifts You bestow upon us, Your human creations. Strengthen our faith, trust, and hope as You weaken our worry, weeping, and striving for all but the righteousness of Your Kingdom.

                              Creator of Heaven and our Mother Earth
RESPONSE:    We, Your mortal servants, must answer Your call       
                              with faithfulness, humility, and thanksgiving.
                                    
~ Most-High, All-Powerful, All-Good Lord! Grant us the necessary convincing words and actions that will enlighten and animate the leaders of the world and local community to care for and protect Your Creation, our sacred Earth. There is no greater gift for the support of all living beings than the healthy abundance of land, sea, and sky. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                        Creator of Heaven and our Mother Earth
                        We, Your mortal servants, must answer Your call 
                         with faithfulness, humility, and thanksgiving.

~ Most-High, All-Powerful, All-Good Lord! Heal those who live with pain, fear, and hopelessness in everyday life and reinvigorate all those who care for them. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                        Creator of Heaven and our Mother Earth
                        We, Your mortal servants, must answer Your call
                        with faithfulness, humility, and thanksgiving.

~ Most-High, All-Powerful, All-Good Lord!  As we hold dear those who mourn and weep this day, we give thanks for the earthly lives of those You have called home with rejoicing for a new life in Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                        Creator of Heaven and our Mother Earth
                        We, Your mortal servants, must answer Your call 
                        with faithfulness, humility, and thanksgiving.

~ Most-High, All-Powerful, All-Good Lord!  We pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, silently or aloud…

                        Creator of Heaven and our Mother Earth
                        We, Your mortal servants, must answer Your call 
                        with faithfulness, humility, and thanksgiving.

~ Most-High, All-Powerful, All-Good Lord!  For all those who serve You in Your Church, who see to our pastoral and prayer needs, who preside at the Vestry and the Eucharist, who strive to bring You closer to us and walk with us toward You, we give special thanks. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                        Creator of Heaven and our Mother Earth
                        We, Your mortal servants, must answer Your call 
                        with faithfulness, humility, and thanksgiving.

The Celebrant adds: Unwavering, Transcendent God, we Your sometimes wavering people, bow our heads and bend our knees in praise and thanksgiving for Your constancy.  Keep us close in Your holy heart and help us to be as conscious of You daily as You are of us.  We ask this through our Savior, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, our Companion in prayer who together with You, reign as One God now and forever.  Amen.


*For information on the Season of Creation, see blog post for October 12, 2014, New Beginnings, 1st Sunday in the Season of Creation

**2nd Reading A READING FROM ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Most high, all-powerful, all good, Lord! All praise is yours, all glory, all honor and all blessing. To you alone, Most High, do they belong. No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name. All praise be yours, my Lord, through all that you have made, and first, my Lord, Brother Sun, who brings the day; and light you give to us through him. How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars; in the heavens you have made them, bright And precious and fair. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and fair and stormy, all the weather's moods, by which you cherish all that you have made. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water, so useful, lowly, precious and pure. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you brighten up the night. How beautiful is he, how gay! Full of power and strength. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother, who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs. All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who grant pardon for love of you; through those who endure sickness and trial. Happy those who endure in peace, by you, Most High, they will be crowned. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Death, from whose embrace no mortal can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Happy those she finds doing your will! The second death can do no harm to them. Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks, and serve him with great humility. [from Canticle of the Sun, St. Francis of Assisi, 1225 C.E.]


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