People's Prayers

Monday, April 20, 2026

Prayers of the People: Through the Open Gate ~ 4th Sunday of Easter '26 RCL Yr A

For Sunday, April 26, 2026, Readings: Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23, 1 Peter 2:19-25, John 10:1-10

Those who had been baptized devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. [Acts 2:42]

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters. He revives my soul and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake. [Psalm 23:1-2]

But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps...When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten...by his wounds you have been healed...For you were going astray like sheep but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. [1 Peter 2:20b-21, 23, 24b-25]

Jesus said, "...the one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name...and the sheep follow him because they know his voice...Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep...Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. [John 10:2-3a, 4b, 7, 9]

Psalm 23 is, most likely, the best-known piece of Scripture in the world among multiple religions, denominations, and sects, for the believers and for those who have no faith affiliation or belief. The origin is ascribed to King David, a shepherd in his youth, and even through many and various older and more modern translations, this psalm gives us the moving pastoral image, line-by-line, of the everyday activities of shepherds*, describing in detail how God cares for us. We heard this Psalm recently on the 4^th Sunday in Lent and may hear it again in a later reading during this Church year.

It is also true that sometimes the familiar is so comfortable that we don’t really hear the phrasing as we repeat syllables by rote. Are we contemplating the meaning and call to personal response and action behind the words, whether in this Psalm or any Scripture reading in the Liturgy/Service? We must listen again with fresh ears, minds, and hearts. The beauty and comfort of the Shepherd in Psalm 23 is easily zoned in on while the other readings seem more easily left behind. But even this calming pastoral narrative comes with a price. We, who want to know ourselves as true and faithful Christians, must rouse ourselves from complacency, listen closely for the Voice that calls, and then follow in earnest and in confidence. All that we believe we "have" on this earthly plain is temporary, which is never clearer than in times of economic downturns and international conflicts.

For Episcopalians/Anglicans, the reading from Acts this week is infused with one of the promises made by us or for us in our Baptismal and/or Confirmation Covenants: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers..." The statements of belief and the promises of the Covenant are a quick refresher and guide to the basics of true Christian living, and always worth reviewing regularly, whether or not you are of this denominational heritage and practice. [for more information click here:

BCPonline for the US version of the Book of Common Prayer - Holy Baptism - and scroll to pages 304-5 for the promises]

The rise of online Liturgy/Worship since COVID-19 lockdowns have made regular attendance available to many who are unable to participate in the usual in-person fellowship and the breaking and receiving of sacred bread. Prayer and the Apostles’ teachings are always available to us any time of day or day of the week through online streaming of services and sermons of Sundays and for many parishes that offer the Daily Office broadcasts of the prayers and readings for each weekday. For fellowship most of us can meet and greet each other in person and in many other ways by text, phone, a quick email, or online chat. As for the breaking of the bread, last week’s Gospel gave us a moment in the story of Jesus meeting two people on the road to Emmaus, after the Resurrection. It was when Jesus took bread and broke it at supper that the two disciples recognized who had been in their midst [Luke 24:30-31]. Whether we are able to receive the sacred Eucharist on a Sunday or weekday or not, for those of us who are fortunate to have several meals each day, let us endeavor to remember to say a brief prayer of gratitude for what we have as we sit down to eat, and for hope that others may also be able to receive.

In the lesson from 1st Peter, we are given the difficult and all-too-current reminder that although we are to suffer what we must, as Jesus in his Passion, we are not to return abuse in kind. We are to realize that by the wounds of Jesus we are healed as we were going astray like sheep, but...have now returned...

Somedays are easier than others with political fervor and terrible violence at a daily high pitch. Yet the Gospel of John this week also carries the Shepherd theme and comforts us with another serene image, that of Christ as the divine Gate to salvation in a safe and abundant pasture.

Let us not go astray like sheep but flock together through the Open Gate to dwell with the Lamb of God now in this life, and forever in the next.

*I commend to you a charming and interesting little book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller, for an eye- and soul-opening look at the amazing connections between the Psalm's imagery and real-life sheep farming.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Shepherd of our Souls, our Holy Gate, Your calming pasture is always open for spiritual shelter and encouragement in this life each minute, each hour, each day. As You call us by name, kindle our desire to hear Your voice deep within us and follow Your call to salvation and abundant life, now and for ever.

By Your blood we are reconciled

RESPONSE: By Your wounds we are healed

~ Shepherd of our Souls, as you stood peaceably in front of the political authorities of Your mortal time, grant us courage and confidence to peacefully and persistently urge leaders of this Country, this Community, and this World, to legislate safety, economic compassion, peace and equity for all people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

By Your blood we are reconciled
By Your wounds we are healed

~ Shepherd of our Souls, anoint the hearts, restore the hope, and give rest from anxiety to all who are suffering in any physical or emotional way, and also to those who risk their lives to give protection, rescue, treatment, and all other forms of care. We pray for those in need… add your own petitions

By Your blood we are reconciled

By Your wounds we are healed

~ Shepherd of our Souls, we entrust the souls of all who have left this life to Your care, knowing that they now dwell in the light of Your House forever. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

By Your blood we are reconciled

By Your wounds we are healed

~ Shepherd of our Souls, we pause in this moment to offer You our personal heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

By Your blood we are reconciled

By Your wounds we are healed

~ Shepherd of our Souls, Your ordained representatives in our time lead us to Your Gate with glad and generous hearts. They strive by an increasing variety of ways to bring You to us, through the Apostles’ teaching and prayer, and continually evolving options for fellowship. Through Your goodness and mercy, grant them peace, comfort, and stamina to continue Your work among, with, and for us. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

By Your blood we are reconciled

By Your wounds we are healed

The Celebrant adds: O Lord our God, we are welcomed always into Your mystical pasture, to live and thrive on the Divine Bread of Life, Christ Jesus. Awaken us again, in these and all times, to follow You along the right paths and enter through this Holy Gate to abundant and eternal life, in Your glorious and infinite kingdom. We ask this through Jesus the Christ, our Shepherd and Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom of our Souls; who together with You reign as One God, forever and ever. Amen.

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Monday, April 13, 2026

Prayers of the People: Taking This Road ~ 3rd Sunday of Easter '26 Yr A

For Sunday, April 19, 2026, Readings: Acts 2:14a, 36-41, Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17; 1 Peter 1:17-23, Luke 24:13-35

Illustration by Jorge Cocco

Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit..." [Acts 2:38]

I love the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him...Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his servants...O LORD I am your servant...I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call upon the Name of the LORD. [Psalm 116: 1, 13, 14a

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth...You have been born anew...of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. [1 Peter 1:22a, 23]

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem and talking with each other about all these things that had happened....When he was at table with them he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight...Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. [Luke 24:13-14, 30-31, 35]

"If only..." is a frequent refrain for all of us who wish we had done things differently, or the pandemic had not happened, or the weather was ___ [fill in the blank]. Mostly, though, I think most of us have yearned, with some desperation at times, for that if only I could see, talk to, and/or touch him, her, or them one more time, moment. As for the death of one loved deeply, I can say from my own acute experiences that yes, much time does soften the punch and shock of loss, and it is then the memories become ever more important with the hope and desire to believe that they are still present with us; to remember the significant, the difficult, and the quiet moments that echo within forever. It is with that understanding that we enter this segment of Luke’s Gospel about two little-known disciples of Jesus.
  Here we meet two regular guys walking down the road talking about the strange events of the prior few days. This other guy shows up and seems unaware of these events and their importance. They, surprised he didn’t know, explain it and then invite him home to dinner. Suddenly the stranger is hosting the meal and even more suddenly, as he blesses and breaks the bread, he vanishes. In an instant their eyes were opened as never before and when they realized who He was, they rushed to tell the others what they experienced. Imagine yourself in that moment…what would you think of their story in that moment?
     The Disciples had that one-more moment ~ never enough, to be sure ~ and they certainly made the most of it as here we are, more than two thousand years later, still hearing their experiences with Jesus, still hearing the words He spoke. And then, we move into our “today” mode. This account of Jesus, as so many others, fades quickly and becomes too distant, other-worldly, merely familiar, and then gone from memory, until it comes around again in the cycle of readings in Eastertide.
This day and time is perfect to hear again the story of the Road to Emmaus [eh-may-us], in our hearts, and through our own memory of loss. As they walk, let us experience their confusion, their shock, their sadness. And then, hear and remember the words Jesus tells them and us.
Let this story stay with us so that we remember and know Christ in the breaking of the bread and each time receive the sacred Bread at the celebration of the Eucharist.
AND, let us remember, or begin, to say a few brief words of prayer before our ordinary meals, aloud or silently, to give thanks and ask a blessing for the food we eat, whether it be a complete meal, a simple piece of bread, or a simple snack, whether alone or with another, as a remembrance of the presence of Jesus in the midst of our everyday life. More than a memory, Christ is always living within us, and we are purified when we are obedient to the truth he has taught us.
    As we travel the road of the life we are given wherever it takes us, when we call upon His name we know we are embraced by His love. Even when we don’t call, we are embraced from within by His love that calls to us in many and various ways. When we are living and giving as vessels of His love in our daily thoughts and actions, we are strengthened. Of course we will often fall short and fail in many ways, yet this Road always runs parallel to the hills and valleys of the path we too often choose. It’s time, again, to seek a move to the constantly available fork in that path that will lead us Home to Him, no matter how many u-turns we make.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Living Jesus, guide us out of the blindness of the “normal routine” to discover the everyday newness of Creation around us. Open our hearts to Your Constant Presence, open our eyes to see Your Way to Eternal Life, and open our souls to accept and live into Your gift of Salvation.

O Christ Risen

RESPONSE: We call Your Name in Faith and Hope

~ Living Jesus, grant us the determination, the voice, and the words to redirect the energy of those in Global, National, and Local political power, to actions that benefit all humanity and the planet above unreasonable profit. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Christ Risen

We call Your Name in Faith and Hope

~ Living Jesus, incline Your ear to us all and especially those who are lost in serious illness, emotional upheaval, and hopelessness, and all who give them healing care. We now pray for those in need… add your own petitions

O Christ Risen

We call Your Name in Faith and Hope

~ Living Jesus, we give You thanksgiving for the lives of all who have departed this life, as precious in Your sight, and now raised into the splendor of Your eternal courts. We pray especially for…add your own petitions

O Christ Risen

We call Your Name in Faith and Hope

~ Living Jesus, we pause in this moment to offer You our personal heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials…add your own petitions

O Christ Risen

We call Your Name in Faith and Hope

~ Living Jesus, pour Your special grace and vitality upon those anointed to lead us in Your Church as they enrich our souls, so to hold fast in faith, now and always. We pray especially for… add your own petitions.

O Christ Risen
We call Your Name in Faith and Hope

The Celebrant adds: Risen Lord Jesus, our constant Companion on the Road, You ransomed us from the futile ways of sin, and we are born anew through Your Resurrection. Enliven our dedication to purify ourselves by obedience to Your Truth, to live in and act through genuine love for others and ourselves, and to set our faith and hope on God. We ask through You, the Living Enduring Word; and the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of our Souls; who together with our Impartial Creator, reign as One God, always, forever, eternally. Amen.

Saturday, April 4, 2026

Prayers of the People: To See or Not To See ~ Second Sunday of Easter '26 Yr A

For Sunday, April 12, 2026, Readings: Acts 2:14a, 22-32; Psalm 16, 1 Peter 1:3-9, John 20:19-31

For David says concerning him, "I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken, therefore my heart was glad...my heart will live in hope." [Acts 2:25-26]

O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; it is you who uphold my lot….You will show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

[Psalm 16:5, 11]

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... [1 Peter:3]

[Jesus] said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."...Jesus said to [Thomas], "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." [John 20:22b-23, 29]

Dear Thomas, what infamy you have achieved, quite unfairly, I think. You have become a label ~ "a Doubting Thomas"~ for those who don't believe something without concrete proof. You watched him die, being taken down from the Cross, placed in the tomb. Who of us would not be doubtful of the claim of the Resurrection in that moment? You are saddled with all the blame for your disbelief until your eyes beheld the Risen Lord and touched his wounds. And yet, you were far from alone in your skepticism. The other Gospel accounts all tell of your companion disciples doubting. Luke 23:11 tells of them dismissing the women's account as an idle tale, and in Mark 16:11, when Mary, the Magdalene, tells them she had seen the risen Jesus, they would not believe. My personal favorite ~ in defense of you ~ is in Matthew 28:17 that says even when they saw

him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

Whenever any of us are unsure or questioning of this preeminent event in the life of Christ, despite the Gospel accounts and the significance to the whole of Christian theology and practice, we are in good company! For me the story of Thomas and the other disciples' initial disbelief, humanizes these men and brings them into this current time, as did Peter's denial of Jesus, and Judas' betrayal, remorse, and suicide. We know these people in our own lives, we are some of them when we struggle to accept and understand all that we are told in the Christian/New Testament and by those who have taught us from the pulpit or in our families. Our own doubt seems unfaithful to those who say and think they must accept it all on faith alone. Yet key elements of true faith for me are to constantly learn more, think more, wonder more, examine more, and discuss more with others. If we aren't questioning the tenets of our faith at various times, it seems to me that we haven’t really discovered the specifics of what it is that we do believe and why.

These Gospel moments allow us to be who we are in this present time and relate to those who were with Jesus and still wondered what his movement was all about even as they moved forward with him. Each time I read this Sunday’s and other accounts of Christ’s life, teachings, death, and resurrection, or any part of any of the Gospels and Epistles, I discover something new and often profound.

Whatever I believe about the Resurrection and its significance to our Christian faith, in moments of human wavering or in absolute certainty, I try to remember the words of King David from Peter's quotes in Acts 2. David isn't known for unwavering fidelity to God's Commandments! Yet these words for me form the crux of the message of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, which is to see the Lord always before me, to live in hope, and to follow the path of life He has shown me, as well as I can, through all of this life's trials. There is no better time than this moment to ponder those thoughts. The Presence of Christ is always within us, and our faith, however shaky at times, is the vehicle that keeps us upright and guides our thoughts and actions through trial and triumph. Un-doubt-edly in our human mistakes and wanderings, the writer of 1 Peter 1:4 reminds us quite specifically that what we have been given by the resurrection is: an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading...

Dear Thomas, I firmly believe that Jesus wasn’t scolding you, he was speaking to all present then and all of us now, in love, compassion, and with the utmost understanding of our human foibles and failings.

Whether seen or unseen, the results of living in faith, as Christ teaches through the Greatest Commandment [Matthew 22:36-40], will be a gift to ourselves and to others in our mortal time and in the time to come, by receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. [1 Peter 1:9]. I’m reminded of a title of a book by the late Dr. Wayne Dyer, You’ll See It When You Believe It. And even when we struggle at times in claiming our beliefs, our place in Jesus is always saved. For now, for always, Christ IS Risen! Alleluia!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Christ Risen! How often have we simply walked through the penitence of Lent, the excitement of Palm Sunday, the passion of Holy Week, and the joyful celebration of Your miraculous Resurrection, taking it all for granted because it happens for us every year? In this and all times of trial, open our hearts to truly REJOICE as if for the first time. You have suffered, died, and

Resurrected for each of us. Thomas saw and believed, help us to simply believe in the gift of our salvation.

Jesus, Messiah

RESPONSE: Our Living and Eternal Hope

~ O Christ Risen! Grant us new courage to refresh our faith in eternal life, and the energy in this life to challenge the leaders of this planet, this nation, and this community, to provide a Just, Safe, and Compassionate-filled life for all Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Messiah

Our Living and Eternal Hope

~ O Christ Risen! Ease the hearts of those who are sick, fearful, or life-weary in mind, body, or soul, and grant energy, strength, and resilience to all who give them care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

Jesus, Messiah

Our Living and Eternal Hope

~ O Christ Risen! Our joy at Your resurrection is tempered with our grief at the loss of those we love. Yet in faith we can rejoice knowing that they are with You in the miracle of their resurrection into Your eternal promise. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

Jesus, Messiah

Our Living and Eternal Hope

~ O Christ Risen! We pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

Jesus, Messiah

Our Living and Eternal Hope

~ O Christ Risen! Refresh and renew those who guide us in Your Church as they seek and find ever more inspiring ways to reach us with the continuing Good News of our own salvation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Messiah

Our Living and Eternal Hope

The Celebrant adds: Creator of All There Is, Seen and Unseen, shelter us when we retreat into doubt, remind us to seek Your Path through this life, to set You always before ourselves, and to forgive as we are forgiven, by faith in the imperishable inheritance of our salvation to come. We ask this through Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life; and the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom of our Souls; who together with You, reign as One God, forever and beyond. Amen.

Monday, March 30, 2026

Prayers of the People: He IS Always Risen! ~ Easter Day '26 Yr A

Readings: Acts 10:34-43, Ps 118:1-2, 14-24; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-18

...God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power...he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. [Acts 10:38]

On this day the LORD has acted; we will rejoice and be glad in it. [Psalm 118:24]

Since you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is...Set your minds on the things that are above, not on things that are on earth... [Colossians 3:1a, 2a]

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni” (which means Teacher)…Jesus said to her…”go to my brothers and say to them I am ascending to my Father…” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples...”I have seen the Lord…” [John 20:16-18]

EASTER is here! Hallelujah!! Christ IS Risen!!! Wherever you are on this planet whether bursting into Spring, slipping into Autumn, or somewhere in between, today our Salvation is assured, again and still, through our faith in this Risen Lord of All.

There are four Gospel accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This year we hear from the Gospel of John who tells us of Mary the Magdalene’s weeping at the tomb and, looking in, seeing two angels sitting where the body of Jesus had been placed. The angels asked why she was weeping. She turned around and saw Jesus but didn’t recognize him at first and then she did…

What does Easter actually mean to and for you? How would you describe it? Which of the four Gospel stories is closest to your memory or has greater impact for you in your daily life? Listening to and reading different accounts of the same event can give us a fresh perspective and a new experience of the moment.

Take the time in this Easter season and read all 4 of the Gospel accounts of the resurrection of Jesus*, perhaps in a small group. Read them all in several different translations. Reflect on what surprises you and what questions arise. Notice the similarities and differences. Wonder, and attempt to decide, if one account speaks to you more than another and why? Or perhaps you'll mix and match the Gospel writers' accounts to arrive at your own version. Visualize yourself in that time and place. Whatever you do, ask yourself: So what? What does it all mean for my life today, tomorrow, and beyond? What will I do ~ or stop doing ~ as a result of reflecting on Christ's Death and Resurrection?

The late Thomas Merton, who became a Trappist Monk after being a world traveler in his early life, says in his book, He is Risen, “Christ is the Lord of a history that moves. He not only holds the beginning and the end in his hands, but he is in history with us, walking ahead of us to where we are going…True encounter with Christ liberates something in us, a power that we did not know we had, a hope, a capacity for life, resilience, an ability to bounce back when we thought we were completely defeated, a capacity to grow and change, a power of creative transformation.” How important are these words, in these times, for you?

Let us seek fresh joy and creative transformation. I want to dust off and resurrect my faith, and meet and be liberated by our Christ beyond the tomb. While I firmly believe that the resurrection of Easter requires the Cross of Good Friday, as Christ is moving with us and before us, our path, though not easy, will surely lead us into the eternal Easter of Salvation and life everlasting. Choirs of angels await… And while you’re at it, don’t forget to be in touch with those for whom the Church is always distant and unattainable, who are isolated by age, illness, physical distance, and other reasons. A phone call, a note, a mail-ordered or delivered Easter basket will go a long way to keeping Christ present in their absence from us…a little taste of heaven goes a long way. He IS Risen! He IS ALWAYS RISEN! Hallelujah!

*The Gospel Resurrection accounts are: Matthew 28:1-20, Mark 16:1-20, Luke 24:1-12 [13-44], John 20:1-18 For different translations, see https://www.biblegateway.com/. Search on the passages listed and choose from a large number of translations. Some listed such as The Good News Bible, The Living Bible, The Message, etc., are not translations but paraphrases by authors choosing to make the more formal Scriptural language somewhat easier to everyday thoughts and speaking. It often helps in reverse, after reading a paraphrase turn back to the Scripture in translation to understand it more clearly.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Christ, Risen! On this Day the Lord has acted! Let us rejoice and be glad in it! In the midst of the darkness and fear in this world, let us revel in the Divine Light of Your Glorious Resurrection.

Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!

Response: Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

~ O Christ, Risen! Especially in these uncertain times, grant ever increasing amounts of prudence, integrity of purpose, compassion, and mercy, to all the political leaders of this Earth, this Nation, and this Community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

~ O Christ, Risen! Lavish Your healing grace and hope upon all who are ailing in body, mind, or spirit, and all who give them daily care. We now join our hearts to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!

Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

~ O Christ, Risen! Our grateful hearts commend to You those we love, who have now also risen into the heavenly peace and splendor of life everlasting. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!

Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

~ O Christ, Risen! We pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!

Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

~ O Christ, Risen! Infuse the leaders of Your Church with limitless energy and interior peace, as they strive in ever more creative ways, to guide our prayer and encourage us to follow Your Truth. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!

Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

The Celebrant adds: Most Holy Redeemer Christ, Resurrected in Glory, in dying You destroyed our mortal death; in rising You claimed salvation for our souls. Release us from human distractions that entomb us in this earthly life, and set us again on the path to our True and Eternal Life in You. We ask through the Holy Spirit, the Divine Breath of New Life; and our Merciful Impartial Creator, who together with You are One God in Glory, Boundless, and Everlasting. Amen.

Monday, March 23, 2026

Prayers of the People: Hosanna! Then and Now ~ Passion/Palm Sunday '26 Yr A

For Sunday, March 29, 2026, Readings: The Liturgy of the Palms: Matthew 21:1-11, Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; The Liturgy of the Word: Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 31:9-16, Philippians 2:5-11, Mt 26:14-27:66

The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”  [Matthew 21:9]

    Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! Lord, send us now success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord… [Psalm 118:25-26a]

     The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher... Morning by morning he wakens...my ear...The Lord God helps me...and I know I shall not be put to shame. [Isaiah 50:4, 7b]

      But as for me, I have trusted in you, O Lord. I have said, "You are my God. My times are in your hand...in your loving-kindness save me." [Psalm 31:14-15a, 16b]

   Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God...And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death... [Philippians 2:5-11]

Then [Jesus] went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples. "Sit here while I go over there and pray"...Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So you could not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak."  [Matthew 26:36, 40-41]

We open this week with Hosanna! The perfect short prayer, for these and other times, that we didn’t know that we knew. Before some Christian denominations began to use the now Revised Common Lectionary, Palm Sunday was a singular day by itself as a celebration. The following Sunday, beginning Holy Week, was by itself as Passion Sunday. Now and for many decades, these two parts of the Life of Christ are inextricably interwoven and significantly more cohesive and substantive when taken together than when separated. It is human nature to only want the joyful part, yet as we know all too well, in the span of mortal life we cannot overlook the difficult in favor of only the pleasurable. And, that is why the shout of HOSANNA! is more important than ever, on this and every day.

    Hosanna, pronounced “Hoshana” in the Hebrew [Old] Testament, comes to us today in Psalm 118 appointed for the “Liturgy of the Palms,” which opens this Sunday, in verses 25-26 [NRSV]: Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! Lord, send us now success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the house of the Lord. 

In original Aramaic, the language Jesus would likely have spoken, the exclamation was “help, save, I pray.” The words of the Psalm become clearer with that in mind if we shift to “Help, Lord, Help! Lord, send us now success.” In the Jewish Study Bible (of the Jewish Publication Society and published by Oxford Press 1985/1999), verses 25-26 read as O Lord, deliver us! O Lord, let us prosper! May he who enters be blessed in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the House of the Lord.

   Christian usage of Hosanna in the Christian [New]Testament has become an exclamation of special respect for the one who saves us. Neither definition excludes the other and so to proclaim Hosanna is to recognize, celebrate, and respect Jesus as our Lord and Savior even as we ask him to help us.

   The opening readings may be familiar but listen, and later read them to discover what you've forgotten or never thought about. For example, choosing the kind of animal for Jesus to ride is quite significant. Jesus was accused later in the week of proclaiming himself "King of the Jews," yet riding into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey symbolized that he was a peaceful Teacher. A warrior King would ride in on a horse to indicate a purpose of war and occupation. The procession with palm branches celebrates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem just after his miraculous raising of Lazarus from the dead just two miles away in Bethany. The greetings of hosanna are a recognition that he is a Messiah who will remove and save them from the oppression of Rome.

    The Passion narrative develops the details of his Last Supper, betrayal by Judas, and the machinations of the Chief Priests, whose local standing and power among the Jewish hierarchy and Rome, were clearly threatened by this acclaimed and unorthodox prophet and miracle-worker. All these elements were carefully noticed and recorded by the Roman occupiers and the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Council who had its own police force and trial court. How easy it seems, to go from enthusiastic cheers of the welcoming crowd to the strongly manipulated and equally enthusiastic and deathly jeers by the same people mere days later. Two thousand plus years on, it is still a story for our own time. How easily are we turned from waving palms to throwing rocks because of a few well-placed headlines or Facebook comments because we simply followed the crowd?

    Jesus enters the chaos of his times as he enters the chaos of our own. The people along the way misunderstood the significance of this man who was being accepted as Messiah. He wasn't coming for regime change but rather to teach love and peace, equality and humanity. The political and religious authorities knew he was a threat to their power and wealth and he still is. How divided our world remains over who is in and who is out even, or perhaps especially, among those who claim Jesus as their own and everyone who doesn't believe in the exact way that they do are definitely out and often persecuted.

    The message of Jesus was, is, and will always be: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. [Matthew 22:37-39; Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:25-28] 

   Although we end this week with the grief of the Crucifixion and the silence of the Tomb, we know, again, the coming of the glory and joy of the Resurrection. When is the time for Hosannas? Then and Now and Always!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God, how fast our human discontent can change to the stillness of apathy and back as quickly as those who turned from Hosanna to Crucify Him. Grant us the willingness to walk consciously through this Holy Week with fresh eyes and with the uncomfortable awareness of how often we, too, have slept in Your Presence.

                                                     O GOD of Infinite Love

         RESPONSE:           Guide Our Hearts and Minds to You

~ Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God, lighten the hearts and enlighten the minds of all who govern in this Community, this Nation, and this World, that they may choose alternatives to the violence of war to seek the path of peace, rather than self-aggrandizement through power. We pray especially for: add your own petitions