People's Prayers

Monday, November 20, 2017

Prayers of the People: The Reign of Christ 7th Sunday in the Season of Creation '17

For Sunday, November 26, 2017, 7^th Sunday in the Season of Creation, Readings: Colossians 1:15-20, Psalm 24,

Song of Creation*, Matthew 25:31-46

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created...all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. [Colossians 1:15-16a, 19-20]

Who can ascend the hill of the LORD...those who have clean hands and a pure heart, who have not pledged themselves to falsehood, nor sworn by what is a fraud...Lift up your heads oh gates...and the King of glory shall come in. [Psalm 24:3a, 4, 9a,c]

Then the guardian of mankind adorned this middle-earth below, the world for men and women, everlasting Lord, Almighty King. [adapted from Caedmon's song*]

When the Son of Man comes into his glory...All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats...Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me...but the righteous [will go] into eternal life." [Matthew 25:31a, 32, 40, 46b]

The Season of Creation originated in the Anglican Church of South Africa and was formalized in 2008. It is designed for us to explore our faith from a Creation perspective. The overarching theme for 2017 is Environmental Justice inspired in part by the Youth Principles from the Second National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in Washington, DC in 2002, the text of which and a fuller explanation of the Season can be found here: http://prayersofthepeople.blogspot.com/2017/10/prayers-of-people-in-beginning-1st.html We use Biblical and other readings that pertain to the specific theme of each of the 7 weeks of the Season. Alternate readings used will follow the prayers.

Week 7's Theme is: The Reign of Christ

The kingly Christ is now, has always been, will forever be, but the Divine-Human Incarnation, the manifestation of the love of God that is Jesus is just over 2,000 years old. Jesus - the human face of God - came and will come again as God's own divine self on earth. It is more than difficult to comprehend, in those times we stop and remember to try, as inexplicable and unsolvable mysteries often are.

As we strive to be good sheep, our everyday lives, with their ups and downs on a variety of fronts, keep us fairly distracted and it is often very difficult, when confronted with particular issues, to remember to look for Christ in strangers, the sick, the imprisoned, and the poor - and especially in those who seem better off in life than we feel we are, or those who, in our less than best moments, we disparage as goats. Yet our divine calling is to specifically: seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves, and, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being [Baptismal Covenant, U.S. Book of Common Prayer]. Some days, some seasons, some years, it's much easier to be a goat and rest in the more comfy Jesus - the sweet Baby of the Christmas glitter, and, ignoring the other “reason for the season”, the resurrected Jesus in the bright colors of Easter flowers, dyed eggs, and candy.

But as we are at the end of one liturgical season and beginning another, it is time to reconsider our actions as members of the Body of Christ, and truly follow Jesus with intention and consciousness ~ Jesus who is our Messiah, the Rock of our Salvation, Christ the King of Glory. Let us not discard divine mystery for a false reality, but rouse ourselves from the haze of distraction, indifference, and complacency. Let us, as the blessed inheritors of the Kingdom, turn toward the inconvenient call of Christ. After all, if we believe that our very existence on this fragile island planet is truly a gift from God, what is there to lose if we live it through Christ? Wait and you'll see.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, awaken us again to the wonder of God’s fullness in You and to find You first place in our lives. Guide our faith that we may be gathered as Your sheep, and live into our divine blessings by caring for all among us, even to beckoning the goats of this life, to join with us in Your eternal flock.

Jesus, Face of God

RESPONSE: Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, clean our hands and purify our hearts that we, and the leaders of governments on this Earth, may not pledge ourselves to falsehoods, be sworn to fraud, or embrace injustice and abuse of power anywhere, across the entire realm of God’s Creation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, grant comfort and healing for all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and for those who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, soothe and brighten all grieving hearts, as You joyously receive and bless those now entering into Your gracious and forever kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, inscribe special blessings upon the souls of those anointed lead Your Church, as we journey together through the gifts and trials of this mortal life. We pray especially for: We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

The Celebrant adds: Son of Man, the Incarnation of Love, let us, sheep and goats as we each are at once, accept and extend the blessing of Your hands, welcomed and welcoming, as inheritors and stewards of Your holy and sacred Kingdom. We offer our praise to You as Jesus, our Redeemer Christ, to the Holy Spirit as the Divine Breath of the Trinity, and to our Creator, Guardian of Humankind, who together and before time, live and reign as one God, then, now, and into forever. Amen.

*Reading #2: Song of Creation

Now we must praise the guardian of heaven, the might of the Lord and his purpose of mind, the work of the glorious Father. For the God Eternal established each wonder. The Holy Creator, first fashioned heaven as a roof for the people. Then the guardian of mankind adorned this middle-earth below, the world for men and women, everlasting Lord, Almighty King. Adapted from Caedmon’s song – late 7^th century

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Prayers of the People: Christ the King, Last Sunday after Pentecost '17 Yr A

For Sunday, November 26, 2017, Christ the King, Last Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Readings: Ezekiel 34:11-16,

Psalm 95:1-7a, Ephesians 1:15-23, Matthew 25:31-46

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep...I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak...I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at the weak animals with your horns...I will save my flock and they will no longer be ravaged...I will judge between sheep and sheep. [Ezekiel 34:15a, 16,20b-22]

Come, let us sing to the LORD; let us shout for joy to the Rock of our Salvation...For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. [Psalm 95: 1, 7a]

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ...may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe... [Ephesians 1:17-19a]

When the Son of Man comes into his glory...All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats...Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me...but the righteous [will go] into eternal life." [Matthew 25:31a, 32, 40, 46b]

In this Sunday of Christ the King, the Final Sunday in the Season after Pentecost, or The Season of the Kingdom in some places, we look at the Christ of Wisdom, of Eternity, of Majesty, and Jesus, of human form. The kingly Christ is now, has always been, will forever be, but the Divine-Human Incarnation, the manifestation of the love of God that is Jesus is just over 2,000 years old. Jesus - the human face of God - came and will come again as God's own divine self on earth. It is more than difficult to comprehend, in those times we stop and remember to try, as inexplicable and unsolvable mysteries often are.

Ezekiel reminds us of God as the Shepherd, rescuing, feeding, healing, finding, and strengthening the weak, while separating the weak sheep from the fat sheep who butted and scattered the weaker. In Matthew’s Gospel account, Jesus speaks of separating sheep and goats, and between the two accounts, goats and fat sheep are not faring well with divine judgment.

As we strive to be good sheep, our everyday lives, with their ups and downs on a variety of fronts, keep us fairly distracted and it is often very difficult, when confronted with particular issues, to remember to look for Christ in strangers, the sick, the imprisoned, and the poor - and especially in those who seem better off in life than we are, or those who, in our less than best moments, we disparage as goats (or those very fat sheep!). Yet our divine calling is to specifically: seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves, and, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being [Baptismal Covenant, U.S. Book of Common Prayer]. Some days, some seasons, some years, it's much easier to be a goat and rest in the more comfy Jesus - the sweet Baby of the Christmas glitter, and, ignoring the other “reason for the season”, the resurrected Jesus in the bright colors of Easter flowers, dyed eggs, and candy.

But as we are at the end of one liturgical season and beginning another, it is time to reconsider our actions as members of the Body of Christ, and follow Jesus with intention and consciousness ~ Jesus who is our Messiah, the Rock of our Salvation, Christ the King of Glory. The writer of Ephesians prays for our wisdom, our enlightenment, and for us to know the glory of God’s immeasurable greatness. Let us not discard divine mystery for a false reality, but rouse ourselves from the haze of distraction, indifference, and complacency. Let us, as the blessed inheritors of the Kingdom, turn toward the inconvenient call of Christ. After all, if we believe that our very existence on this fragile island planet, is truly a gift from God, what is there to lose if we live it through Christ? Everything that matters! Wait, and you’ll see.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Jesus, Face of God

RESPONSE: Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, guide our hearts and intentions, that we and the leaders of governments on this Earth, may seek the lost, bind up the injured, feed them on justice, and not ravage, use, or abuse your flocks, anywhere, across the entire realm of God’s Creation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, soothe and brighten all grieving hearts as You joyously receive and bless those now entering into Your gracious and forever kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

The Celebrant adds: Son of Man, the Incarnation of Love, let us, sheep and goats as we each are at once, accept and extend the blessing of Your hands, welcomed and welcoming, as inheritors and stewards of Your holy and sacred Kingdom. We offer our praise to You as Jesus, our Redeemer Christ, to the Holy Spirit as the Divine Breath of the Trinity, and to our Glorious Creator, who together and before time, live and reign as one God, then, now, and into forever. Amen.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Prayers of the People: Our Role as Stewards, 6th Sunday in the Season of Creation '17

For Sunday, November 19, 2017, Sixth Sunday in the Season of Creation, Readings: Deuteronomy 26:1a, 2, 4, 8-11;
Psalm 116:10-17, Bishop John E. Hines*, Matthew 7:7-11

An explanation of the Season of Creation can be found here:

http://prayersofthepeople.blogspot.com/2017/10/prayers-of-people-in-beginning-1st.html

We use Biblical and other readings that pertain to the specific theme of each of the 7 weeks of the Season. Alternate readings used will follow the prayers.

Week 6's Theme is: Our Role as Stewards

When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground...and you shall put it in a basket...You shall...bow down before the Lord your God... Then you...shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.
[Deuteronomy 26:1a, 2a, 10b, 11b]

How shall I repay the Lord for all the good things he has done for me? ...I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people...I Lord I am your servant... [Psalm 116:10, 12, 14a]

I hope for a witnessing community of unquestioned integrity...For the essential question is not, 'How shall the...Church grow?' but rather, 'How can the...Church be faithful?' For that is the heritage...worth passing on to our children and grandchildren. [Presiding Bishop John E. Hines*]

Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. [Matthew 7:7-8]

It's TRUE, my grandmother always said so but I didn't believe it until I learned from experience: The days may be long, but the years are short. Time passes so swiftly now that we hardly have time to catch our breath before it's suddenly summer, then autumn, then Christmas, then another year going and coming. So much that we planned to accomplish in a given time period lies unfinished or even un-started. And some of us, younger and older, have confronted our own mortality this year, or that of those we love, in many and unexpected ways. It is time to take a moment and reflect upon what we have, and what we do, and how we connect them to our claim to faith in God.
As mentioned in recent weeks, the overarching theme of this year's Season of Creation is Environmental Justice. I think we sometimes only think of environment as grass, oceans, water and air quality and the like. In reality all of Creation is our environment. A dictionary definition of environment is: 1 - the aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences; surroundings; milieu; 2 - Ecology: the air, water, minerals, organisms, and all other external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time; and 3 - the social and cultural forces that shape the life of a person or a population. [dictionary.com] Therefore everything we do, or do not do, impacts the entire complex of Creation/Environment, justly or unjustly. It seems to follow then, that all we do out of true faith in God is environmental justice in action.
When strengthened and multiplied in a welcoming and spiritually-centered church community, faith with many hands will accomplish more together than separately. We are each called to unite in fostering the mission and ministry of Christ as we are able. Let us give to God by giving to our church in ways that extend the work of God today, tomorrow, and as the foundation and inspiration for those who come later. Let us look at each other and see ourselves as a community of faith and remember, even when we are apart from one another, we are still a part of the whole Body of Christ. Let us be a witnessing community of unquestioned integrity* that keeps from worrying over temporal issues and gives generously in thanksgiving for the continuing presence of God now and for the future. Let us celebrate all the bounty of the Lord and ask for guidance to bring justice to every part of God's Creation, search for the wisdom to keep us on track, and knock on God's holy door, humble of heart, as Faithful Stewards of all facets of Creation.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Loving, Generous Creator, today we celebrate together, in wonder and with praise, the full bounty of life You have given to each of us. Let us offer in thanksgiving, the useful skills we have or are willing to learn, our time in prayer and meaningful service each and every day, and a conscious, regular, and intentional gift of funds or other resources as we are able, to expand the mission and ministry of Christ’s Community of Faith.

O Lord our God

RESPONSE: We pledge to be Your faithful stewards

~ Loving, Generous Creator, we strive to be faithful to Your call and live unstained by the externals of this world. We must also stand up to require the unequivocal integrity of the political leaders of this Planet, this Country, and this Community, and expect them to fulfill their duty to prosper Your Creation for everyone. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our God

We pledge to be Your faithful stewards

~ Loving, Generous Creator, renew the strength and hope of those who are suffering in body, mind, or spirit, and give rest to all who minister to their needs. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

O Lord our God

We pledge to be Your faithful stewards

~ Loving, Generous Creator, it soothes our hearts to know that those who have left us here, are joyously welcomed into the glory of Your heaven, exulting in new life for all eternity. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our God

We pledge to be Your faithful stewards

~ Loving, Generous Creator, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

O Lord our God

We pledge to be Your faithful stewards

~ Loving, Generous Creator, for the faithful Shepherds of Your Church, who keep us on a spiritual track in daily life, and guide us in living the mission of Christ on earth, we give You great and unending thanks. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our God

We pledge to be Your faithful stewards

The Celebrant adds: O God Most High, awaken our souls to know that to search for Your presence in our every waking moment, is to knock on the holy door of eternity, opened to us by Your love. Let us demonstrate our faithfulness by paying forward, to continue the mission of Christ within this community of faith, that will spread beyond and into the whole of Creation. We ask through the love of Jesus, our Redeemer Christ, and for the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit, who together with You are One God, now and forever. AMEN.

*Reading #2: A READING FROM PRESIDING BISHOP JOHN E. HINES: What I hope for has little to do with growth in communicant strength, though I would rejoice at a multitude of conversions possessing integrity. This has little to do with bigger budgets, nothing to do with maintaining a respected place with the carriage-trade clientele of our society. I hope for a witnessing community of unquestioned integrity. It may - in the future, this Church of ours - be an even smaller Church because of its witness; less powerful, and less influential - as a secular society gauges power and influence. For the essential question is not, “How shall the Episcopal Church grow?” - but rather, “How can the Episcopal Church be faithful?” For that is the heritage worth sacrificing for - worth passing on to our children and grandchildren. God forbid that they should come to a time and place unashamed of the Gospel, but ashamed of us.

~ Kenneth Kesselus, John E. Hines, from Farewell Sermon in Granite on Fire, Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, 1995.

Bishop Hines served as the 22^nd Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1965-1973

Prayers of the People: What Are Your Talents Up To? ~ 24th Sunday after Pentecost '17 Yr A

For Sunday, November 19, 2017, 24^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Readings: Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18; Psalm 90:1-8, 9-12; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11,

Matthew 25:14-30

...the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, he had consecrated his guests. At that time I will...punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, "The LORD will not do good, nor will he do harm." [Zephaniah 1:7b, 12b]

Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to another. Before the mountains were brought forth, or the land and the earth were born, from age to age you are God...Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. [Psalm 90: 1-2, 12]

For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night...But you, beloved, are not in darkness for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of the light and day...So then...let us keep awake and be sober...put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation...encourage one another and build up one another... [1 Thessalonians 5:1-11]

Then the one who had received the 5 talents came forward bringing five more talents...His master said..."Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master."
[Matthew 25:20-21]

For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past

and like a watch in the night. [Ps 90:4]

How swiftly go the clock and the calendar. For those of us in the colder climes of the northern hemisphere, the fruits and leaves of the summer are now withering and fading, dropping to the ground as the darkness and cold of the winter approaches. It is a stark reminder of the frailty of life. But whatever region of the planet one lives in, we are all too aware of the rapidity of time passing when confronted with a birthday, seasonal changes, Christmas, or, quite mundanely, through one month becoming another and then another until suddenly a year of one's life has gone. Even more startling is seeing school photographs of children who have changed and grown so much since the last one. One cannot stop the time thief as the sands of the hourglass descend. What then are we to do with the time we have? The quote above: Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can... has been incorrectly attributed to John Wesley according to Wesleyan scholars. Regardless of whoever said it, it certainly seems to be the perfect mantra for we who truly want to be good and trustworthy stewards of God's Creation.
The prophet Zephaniah speaks his dire warnings not to the evil-doers, but to the complacent who sit life out neither caring nor complaining. Paul, on the other hand, speaks to those of us who know that the end of mortal life can arrive like a thief in the night, and he encourages us to encourage one another to turn toward the light and salvation offered by Jesus. In the parable of the Talents from Matthew's Gospel, Jesus also gives warning to those of us who choose to bury our treasures out of fear - or complacency - rather than attempt to do as much as we can with what we have. Just as the leaves, fruits, and flowers will send their genes and seeds to return in the spring, so must we be givers of life for the future of Christ's mission and ministry. Let us dig up our talents in all forms - money, time, and ability - and give generously and regularly that we may be God's true and faithful servants now and as the inspiration and foundation for those that are coming behind us. It has been said, "Stewardship is heart work." Our hearts will be filled and our talents multiplied through giving and doing all the good we can in all the ways we can with all the love we have and for as long as we have. See what your talents can get up to!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Most Holy Lord, our Constant Refuge, in the brevity of our mortal time, let us not rest complacently in our thoughts, words, and actions, as Stewards in and for Your vast Creation. For the generosity of life You have given to us all, for the earth and all of its treasures, let us be good and faithful servants, applying our hearts to Your Wisdom.

Infinite, Eternal God

RESPONSE: We pledge our lives to Your service

~ Most Holy Lord, our Constant Refuge, we strive to be faithful to Your call and live unstained by the externals of this world. Grant us the courage to stand up and require the unequivocal integrity of the political leaders of this Planet, this Country, and this Community, and expect them to fulfill their duty to prosper Your Creation for everyone. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Infinite, Eternal God

We pledge our lives to Your service

~ Most Holy Lord, our Constant Refuge, renew the strength and hope of all who are suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and give rest to those who minister to their needs. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

Infinite, Eternal God

We pledge our lives to Your service

~ Most Holy Lord, our Constant Refuge, let our hearts be soothed in knowing that those who have left us here, are joyously welcomed into the glory of Your heaven, exulting in new life forever. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Infinite, Eternal God

We pledge our lives to Your service

~ Most Holy Lord, our Constant Refuge, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

Infinite, Eternal God

We pledge our lives to Your service

~ Most Holy Lord, our Constant Refuge, for the faithful Stewards of Your Church, who keep us on a spiritual track in daily life and guide us in living the mission of Christ on earth, we give You great and unending thanks. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our God

We pledge to be Your faithful stewards

The Celebrant adds: Creator of All that is Seen and Unseen, guide us in our desire to be Your trustworthy servants in all that we do. Help us as we offer, in thanksgiving, the useful skills we have or are willing to learn, our time in prayer and meaningful service each and every day, and a conscious, regular, and intentional gift of funds or other resources as we are able, to expand, and pay forward, the mission and ministry of Christ. We ask through the love of Jesus, our Redeemer Christ, and in the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit, who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.

Monday, November 6, 2017

Prayers of the People: Ready or Not 23rd Sunday after Pentecost '17 Yr A

for November 12, 2017, 23rd Sunday after Pentecost, Readings: Amos 5:18-24, Psalm 70, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Mt 25:1-13

But let justice roll down like the waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream. [Amos 5:18024]

Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me...Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you... [Psalm 70:1, 4a]

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

[1 Thessalonians 4:17-18]

Jesus said, "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise...As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept...the bridegroom came and those who were ready went with him...Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day or the hour." [Matthew 25:1-2, 5, 13]

Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. [Mt 25:13] Of all the admonitions of Jesus, this one always sends a chill up and down my spine. I've spent a considerable amount of time in hospital emergency rooms with family, friends, and as part of some coursework, and the swiftness of some unexpected deaths can sometimes unnerve and unsettle even the most experienced and detached medical staff.
In my own life, the hour and the day have suddenly and stunningly whisked away those I hold most deeply in my heart so abruptly, years on I still feel the reverberation in my body, as if being hit with a concussive blow that that continues to viscerally echo through me. These wrenching experiences and this cautionary parable starkly remind me that I, too, can be gone in a nano-flash.

It's so easy to dismiss the notion of Christ's Coming Again in these current times so far and away from the time and place of the telling of this parable. We don't think of Jesus as delayed if indeed we think concretely of Jesus and his return at all. Playing the role of active Christian, faithful in prayer, giver of alms, and doer of good deeds, is all well and good but my inwardly digested attitude of Christ needs some work. Paul asks us to encourage one another with the promise and hope of our resurrection in Christ, but are we too busy and distracted in the now to vigorously and eagerly prepare for the indiscernible then?

For those afflicted with serious and potentially fatal illness, the reality of mortality is palpable and many will engage in the restoration and renewal of their faith and the relationship to God that had been set aside or even lost. For those who are seemingly healthy and busy and pursuing human endeavors, that sense of mortality is still abstract. But in these difficult and uncertain times, one only needs to catch a news report to hear of yet another horrific mass tragedy so unpredictable that it takes our conscious and communal breath away, or a natural disaster that kills hundreds of thousands and leaves millions desperate. It is no small matter for our souls to stay awake and alert, to be as ready as one can be, to seek reconciliation with God and our neighbor and within ourselves and it is never more urgent than today. Time to get more oil for the lamp, trim the wick, and start again to match my Sunday best to my daily thoughts, words, and actions. O LORD, make haste to help me. [Ps 70:1b]

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O God, Almighty and All-Knowing, deliver us from the foolishness of wasting our lives pursuing vain, empty, and temporary pleasures. Keep us earnest and sincere in living out the faith we claim, encouraging one another to remember and to trust, our coming resurrection and unending life in Christ.

Lord of Promise and Trust

RESPONSE: Let us seek and rejoice in You

~ O God, Almighty and All-Knowing, make haste to help us in these days of distressing political turmoil, distrust in one another, and increasing violence everywhere. Send Your Holy Spirit to breathe through us, that we may find courage and strong yet calm, rational, and peace-filled voices within ourselves. Give us the words to speak to, and inspire, all who hold power on our planet, in our nation, and in our hometowns, to turn the weapons of today into tools of justice, righteousness, harmony, and stability. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord of Promise and Trust

Let us seek and rejoice in You

~ O God, Almighty and All-Knowing, comfort all who suffer serious physical or emotional pain, or desperate life circumstance, and instill hope and stamina in those provide support. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

Lord of Promise and Trust

Let us seek and rejoice in You

~ O God, Almighty and All-Knowing, as our hearts weep with those who mourn, hold us all fast in Your all-encompassing Presence. Help us to find and extend consolation in Your faithful assurance of life everlasting now granted to all who live again in Your steadfast love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord of Promise and Trust

Let us seek and rejoice in You

~ O God, Almighty and All-Knowing, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

Lord of Promise and Trust

Let us seek and rejoice in You

~ O God, Almighty and All-Knowing, grant our spiritual leaders the purity of heart, the wisdom of Christ, and the fidelity of faith to guide our soul journeys toward Your Eternal Kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord of Promise and Trust

Let us seek and rejoice in You

The Celebrant adds: O God our Source, our Savior, our Destination, grant us the will, the wisdom, and the inner peace to rise each day to face our fears, decry injustice, and keep our souls awake and alert for the unknown day and hour of our new joy-filled life in You. We ask this through Jesus, our Coming Christ, and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, who, together with You, reign as One God, in heaven, on earth, and beyond all time and space. Amen.