Prayers of the People: Grape Expectations, 19th Sunday after Pentecost ’26 Yr A

Sunday, October 4, 2026; Readings: Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80:7-14, Philippians 3:4b-14, Matthew 21:33-46

  My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones and planted it with choice vines…he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. [Isaiah 5:1b-2]

 Restore us, O God of Hosts…you have brought a vine out of Egypt…You prepared the ground for it…look down from heaven; behold and tend this vine, preserve what your right hand has planted. [Psalm 80:7a, 9a, 14b]

 …in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteous from God based on faith. [Philippians 3:8b-9]

 Jesus said [to the Chief Priests and the Elders]…There was a landowner who planted a vineyard…Then he leased it to tenants…the harvest had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce…the tenants seized the slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another… When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do? They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death…” Jesus said to them…,“Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you…” …the Chief Priests and the Pharisees…realized that he was speaking about them… [Matthew 21:33a,b; 34-35, 40-41, 45] 

   In the first reading, Isaiah opens with what is known as the "The Song of the Vineyard" the short version of a much longer poem. This love-song to his beloved and the vineyard has much of the same description of preparation that Jesus, who knew Isaiah’s writing very well, is using, imagine! In this case, after all the work to dig, and clear, and plant, Isaiah says he expected it to yield grapes. However, it yielded wild grapes.* Obviously today it’s easy to discover which wild grapes are edible and which are not. But Beloved clearly wasn’t happy with the results of his hard work and worked as hard or harder to destroy it all. Isaiah says clearly in verse 7 that the vineyard is the House of Israel and the people of Judah. Those in his hearing knew exactly what he was saying in this piece and the much longer message, that Judah is called to pass judgment on itself. 

   In a parallel to the Isaiah passage, the psalmist recounts the story of the vine brought from Egypt, and tells those of its time and us now that the vine failed the Lord’s expectations. Despite all the work and planning for it to flourish, it denied its roots, so God broke down a protective wall and allowed the wild beasts to ravage it. The psalmist then pleads to God to restore and preserve what God’s right hand has planted.

   Paul recounts some of his personal history and achievements in this piece of Philippians, and while on one hand he measures those achievements as a loss he then says:  ...this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 3:13b-14] 

  The Gospel this week is back in the Vineyard with workers whose expectations far exceed grumbling about hourly pay for the fruits of their labor. This time Jesus tells the Chief Priests and Elders a parable about the tenants running the vineyard who twice trounced the owner's slaves coming to collect the owner's share of the produce. One was beaten, one was stoned, and another killed. The second group sent were treated the same way. Finally the owner sent his son, believing that, as things are meant to go, his son would be treated with all due respect. But even the son was killed because the tenants assumed that they could "get his inheritance." [Matthew 21:38b] At first glance, I wondered if these tenants could be the disgruntled workers of the previous vineyard parable working longer hours for the same pay as those who worked fewer.

   At second glance, with the group-think irrationality of the tenants’ actions, I feel as if I'm reading a headline about a local, national, or even international situation. In this country alone the epidemic of school shooting tragedies and murders based on racism, gender identity, and sexual orientation, etc., prompts me to wonder what was/is the expected outcome by the perpetrators? More recently there are “official” and non-official every-day actions of politically-fueled rage with its too-often cruel disregard and treatment aimed directly at illegal and legal immigrants. Then there are increasingly too many individual drivers who act as if they’re entitled to some kind of thrill-seeking to make the roads as perilous as sitting on a railroad track with an oncoming train. Also, there seems to be ever-escalating instances of personal behavior being more important than caring about the inherent dangers for themselves and others. The headlines on air, online, and in print tell us that “Life” is getting meaner by the moment, as we watch here and abroad to see that, not unlike in Jesus' own time, brutality is the tool of cowards, especially in groups, who know no other way but swaggering bravado to express the fear of their own impotence however, and if, unconsciously.

   And then there's the third glance where in this week’s Gospel Jesus is giving a local lesson to the disciples about what is happening then and what is to come while the ever-watching Chief Priests and Elders unhappily get the picture about who's who and what's what in this parable. And as they should and do know, God is pretty clear in The Law about how we are to behave ourselves and toward one another. In our times, we may not be able to make the world less mean, but we can each add more Christ-meaning within ourselves, and then extend it to the world. Here's to a new variety of grape expectations!

* Interestingly, for me, was an editorial development that arose in my review of the readings beyond the citations. It serves my desire for ever-greater understanding of each week’s passages thematically as well as theologically. I often use BibleGateway.com rather than pick up one of the multiple Bibles of varying English translations sitting next to me a on a bookcase. This week I wanted to refer back to a verse in Isaiah without going to one of the hard covers or to what the Parish Office sent to me as the full readings for the coming Sunday. Something on the Bible Gateway didn’t match what I remembered about what was sent. I went back to what I had received from the Parish and then back to the Bible Gateway website and looked for the passage under the NRSV tab again. It used the word rotten for the grapes in verses 2 and 4 rather than the wild that came from the office ~ I know what the Parish is using. I went to my shelf for several of editions of the NRSV by different publishers and all said wild. I went back to Bible Gateway and checked their King James Version, their New King James Version, and The Orthodox Jewish Version and all said wild. Then, I went to my shelf and looked at my copy of The Hebrew Bible which said rotten, and The Jewish Study Bible which said wild. Back on Gateway I looked at a number of paraphrases and others listed as translations for what my personal opinion believes as those that are used in more “conservative” churches, and most used, bad, sour, or worthless, while one used sour and wild. Yet I would consider King James and New King James as used in “conservative” churches. What fascinated me most was that Gateway’s Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition and the 1599 Geneva translations both used wild. My adventure in this quest took quite a while and highlighted and underlined what many of us understand about the acceptance-without-question of many for the literal nature of the source materials and translations. Sadly, many people in the pews do not.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Beloved God, our Master Planter, we, Your humble tenants, often lose sight of our temporal presence on this fragile Earth, our island home. As we strive to accumulate more earthly goods, our actions seem to show that we value the gifts of Your hands ever less. Grant us the care and consciousness to recognize our call to produce the good fruits of Your kingdom and give to others as You have given to us.

                                   O God of Hosts

   RESPONSE:     Restore us, Receive us, and Help us grow our Faith                              

~ Beloved God, our Master Planter, climate issues, war, violence in our streets, and severe poverty all surround us. Let us raise our voices to be heard in the halls of the political leaders in our country, our community, and our world, for significant action on behalf of all Your people and for this planet. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

           O God of Hosts

                                  Restore us, Receive us, and Help us grow our Faith

~ Beloved God, our Master Planter, in Your mercy, enfold those wracked with pain of disease, the anxiety of mental illness, and the throes of addiction. Grant extra energy and compassion to all of their care-givers. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

           O God of Hosts

                                  Restore us, Receive us, and Help us grow our Faith

~ Beloved God, our Master Planter, lighten the burden of those whose hearts are heavy with grief. Give us the peace to replace dirges with comfort in knowing that those we love are welcomed into the glory of You, our Living, Loving God. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

           O God of Hosts

                                  Restore us, Receive us, and Help us grow our Faith 

~ Beloved God, our Master Planter, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, silently or aloud…

           O God of Hosts

                                  Restore us, Receive us, and Help us grow our Faith

~ Beloved God, our Master Planter, our prayers ascend especially for those ordained and steadfast in their life mission to help us find our way to You. With Your grace and their prayer-filled guidance, we share this hope-filled journey together. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

           O God of Hosts

                                  Restore us, Receive us, and Help us grow our Faith 

The Celebrant adds: O God in Christ Jesus, You are the Cornerstone of our life and faith. Grant us the courage to live the life You have given us to live, by working consciously and continuously in whatever ways we have, toward the abundance in health and spirit for all. We make our humble supplication to the Son who was slain yet lives again, and the Spirit who breathes holy life into our souls, together with You, as one God, in the timelessness of Your Eternal Kingdom. Amen.

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com

Prayers of the People: We Are What We Do ~ 18th Sunday after Pentecost '26 Yr A

For Sunday, September 27, 2026; Readings: Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32; Psalm 25:1-8, Philippians 2:1-13, Matthew 21:23-32

  As I live, says the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel... For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live. [Ezekiel 18:3, 32]

  Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your path. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. [Psalm 25:3-4]

  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus... [Philippians 2:3-5]

  Jesus said to [the Pharisees]: "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going to the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed in him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him. [Matthew 21:31b-32]

    As we journey through this life, in times such as these, do you, like me and the ancient Israelites, wonder from time to time ~ “Is the Lord really here, among us?” How much more difficult for us to know God's presence in our own times without being certain if the message we are trying to understand is from an ancient self-proclaimed prophet, whom we can only assume is truly “of God,” or, if it is in the way Jesus bested those righteous, letter-of-the-law chief priests and elders, until they seemed to best him by execution. Yet what do we really know of God? So much of our “knowledge” has been about teaching us the austerity of rules and regulations on avoiding evil and wickedness. Ezekiel tells us in this passage for today, as he did just a few weeks ago in chapter 33:11, that God takes no pleasure in the death of anyone.

    Many of us would say, with a doubt or two creeping in, that we believe God is with us, even without concrete visual sightings of God's presence. But the days are busy and fraught with stress in ordinary routines, the toll of personal trials, and all the current craziness and crises in the world at large. How often do we stop and question the location of God in the midst of a Monday afternoon or Thursday night before bed, during an angry or frustrating conversation in person or on social media, or even and perhaps especially, in the happiest of occasions. Some weeks it's all some of us can do to find God on Sunday morning in Church as we attend in person or online. But for me, this week's readings say God is here with me, with us, so then, where am I with God? How am I following? How often do I just plod along in life without conscious attention to how I express the faith I claim by what I am doing?

    The Psalmist, for most of the excerpt we are given this week, is asking God teach us the ways we are to live and then tells God to forget the things we shouldn’t have done. Is asking all we need to do?

    Faith is as faith does, actions always tell the tale ~ just think of the parable of two sons in this week's Gospel. While teaching in the Temple, Jesus was asked by the Pharisees by what authority are you doing these things. Jesus then gives them the parable and they do not or cannot hear what he is telling them: that they are the 2^nd son. The popularity of John the Baptist and in his place, Jesus, was something those leaders were concerned about as both were threats to them keeping their own power. As Eunyung Lim writes on WorkingPreacher.com: Ultimately, these leaders’ failure are rooted in a profound spiritual deficiency…In stark contrast stand the tax collectors and prostitutes…among the most despised and dishonorable…believed John and repented…thus [they will] enter God’s kingdom ahead of the Pharisees.

    I need to be mindfully awake and present in a given moment, to think through how what I am doing or what I have done, expresses how close to or far from God I am to myself, not for “show” or public admiration. Is it my personal and unconscious wilderness that allows me to keep God absent while I’m in pursuit of my selfish agenda while I judge others as less worthy? What time have I spent contemplating how to attempt to discover the mind of Christ in and for all that I am doing?

    Our humility in the face of all that God has done is part of Paul's message. We know that we aren’t to be about only what we want but we need to be more intentional in our words and actions. Jesus reminds us that it isn’t always the high and mighty legal eagles that have all the answers. It isn’t always the lowly and those we choose to see as less worthy that are less actively faithful. How often do I say I’ll do something and then don’t, or pretend I’ve tried, or, to have actually changed my mind and done it? Stop, Breathe, Hear, Listen… We are obviously not likely, in this life, to see what the disciples saw in order to believe, and we are called to let mere faith be our guide as the disciples were at the beginning. When we're on that famous road paved with good intentions, it is up to us to seek and pay attention to God’s presence, in and through Christ and the Holy Spirit, within and around us. When is our yes or our no really maybe? We are not what we say we’ll do. We ARE what we DO. That is the lesson of the 1^st son in today’s parable. Self-sufficiency is more hindrance than help in discovering Who is among and within us. The basic message of Christ ~ the Word ~ is simple enough for everyone to understand. If this parable doesn’t help, try Matthew 22:34-40, in which we are given what is known as The Greatest Commandment. In those few words, Jesus gives a clear and concise direction for our lives. That’s what we are to DO, intentionally!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY 

Leader:  ~ O God of our Salvation, fill us with the knowing of Your loving presence each day of this life as we strive, in humility, to take on the mind of Christ.

                                                Gracious and Upright Lord
         Response:                 May we walk in Christ’s Ways and live by His Word

~ O God of our Salvation, guide us in our determination to press our political leaders for solutions and actions for the critical humanitarian and ecological issues of our Community, our Nation, and our Planet. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Gracious and Upright Lord
                                                May we walk in Christ’s Ways and live by His Word

~ O God of our Salvation, cradle and comfort all who suffer in body, soul, or life circumstance, and ease the burdens of those who give them care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                Gracious and Upright Lord
                                                May we walk in Christ’s Ways and live by His Word

~ O God of our Salvation, we give thanksgiving for all those newly released from earthly woes and trials, and welcomed into new life with Christ. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                Gracious and Upright Lord
                                                May we walk in Christ’s Ways and live by His Word

~ O God of our Salvation, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

                                                Gracious and Upright Lord
                                                May we walk in Christ’s Ways and live by His Word

~ O God of our Salvation, embrace and uplift all whose priestly vocations nourish our spiritual development and care for our pastoral needs, as they walk with us on the pathway to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Gracious and Upright Lord
                                                May we walk in Christ’s Ways and live by His Word

The Celebrant adds: O God within us, O Lord among us, fill our hearts with the humility to seek and reflect on the life and example of Jesus, engage in prayer-filled action, hold faith-filled regard for all of Your People, and all of Your Creation. Let us live in and work through our faith in strength and weakness, in times of assurance and times of doubt. We ask through our Savior Christ who, with the Holy Spirit, live and reign with You as One God, forever and ever.  Amen.

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com 

Prayers of the People: In the Heat of Sulking ~ 17th Sunday after Pentecost '26 Yr A

For Sunday, September 20, 2026, Readings: Jonah 3:10-4:11, Psalm 145:1-8, Philippians 1:21-30, Matthew 20:1-16

God saw…the people of Nineveh…how they turned from their evil ways [and] God changed his mind…Jonah…became angry. [Jonah 3:10-4:1]

  The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and of great kindness. [Psalm 145:8]

   Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ...standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. [Philippians 1:27-28]

   When the first came, they thought they'd receive more...they grumbled against the landowner. But he replied to one of them..."Take what belongs to you. I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you..." So the last will be first, and the first will be last.  [Matthew 20:10a, 11b, 13a, 14, 16]

    Jonah could be my patron saint. He has gone off in a serious sulk, even while acknowledging to God that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love... And now that God has seen that after Jonah’s warnings to Nineveh, Nineveh changed its ways and God chose not to bring the promised calamity on them. Ya know, like, wow, God is relenting from punishment! And Jonah is angry because God didn’t punish them even though, after Jonah spoke to them, they did repent and stopped doing what they had been doing.

    I love Jonah. He’s cranky, irritable, and eventually does what he’s told to do after all he went through trying hard to get out of it. Once he did what he was told to do with positive results he throws up his hands in anger. I can just hear him thinking: but drat and dag-nab-bit you let those people escape Your wrath, God so I’ll just sit here and sulk in the heat and hope to die! Gee, I never felt like that ever, no, never, well mostly not, ok ~ rarely-ish. DO read the book of Jonah. It runs 10^th in the list of shortest books in the Bible ~ 4 short chapters for just over 1300 words. About an 8-minute read.

   The Psalmist is most effusive in his praise for God in Psalm 145. While we are only given the first 8 verses, each of the 21 verses of the psalm are brimming with the praise, the greatness, and the goodness of God. When all is going well for us in life, this is the psalm to sing, or at least speak, loudly. Yet when things in life aren’t very good or are downright terrible, it’s a difficult one to hear if we are attempting to give God total credit or blame for all the trials in each moment of human living, as if our free will, or the free will of others, or other natural causes have no impact. We are to remember that the psalms give us a broad context for communal prayer rather than a personal application. That said, the collection of psalms reflect all human moods and circumstances and the joys, the faith, and the anger among them are often great cathartic vehicles for self-expression. The late Walter Bruggemann has several books on the psalms that bring a deeper understanding of their meaning and intent of the community of its time when written and for each of us today.   

   Next, Paul is writing to the Philippians expressing his own personal reality. He wants to die to be united with Christ as that is the ultimate goal of Christian life, yet living is how he can make Christ known to more people. His goals are rigorous and challenging and envelopes the entirety of his daily life. He is unrelenting in his writing and travels, gathering disciples and developing the leadership to spread the Word. Paul wants to be that leader for them and sets his life as an example to follow. He knows that people will lapse in their faith and commitments unless their leaders keep them on track. He expresses a human truth that he understands their struggles with living a life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ for he has struggled, too. He pledges to be with them through it in person or in absence. And with all his human foibles like us, he is still an influential faith leader through his Letters.

   In this except of Matthew’s Gospel, he tells us that the vineyard laborers in this parable of Jesus aren't happy that the Landowner is simply using his prerogative to be generous. Same pay for one hour's work as for a full day ~ who wouldn't get upset about that? Don't those who worked longer and did more work deserve more? How many of us Good Christian People would grumble and self-righteously sulk about that Landowner in the parking lot? If only we could feel ~ and stop ~ the creeping envy, greed, and judgment filling us. If only we could freely accept someone’s generosity to another without feeling as if we were somehow betrayed. Do we ever learn?

   It's a difficult balance to fight for equity and fairness for ourselves and others in our temporal life, while relinquishing jealousy and anger at not getting what we perceive is deserved by and even owed to us.  God isn't leading us by clouds and pillars of fire these days, but by the Word of Christ. Am I seeking that first? Am I hearing? Am I listening? Am I following? Am I trusting?  Or am I sulking in the heat of my perceived-as-unfair mistreatment? My prayer is to try to find that balance, to not leave the releasing of envy and grumbling to my last conscious thought; and, oh yes: Dear Lord, please, I pray that You will save me from all that I justly deserve...you know, like, that relenting from punishment thing…  

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Most Generous God, if only we could remember that Your love for us is limitless as we grumble and complain about fairness in this brief life. Relieve us of envy and guide us to stand firm with one spirit, to strive together with one mind, and to live in and for our faith in Christ’s Gospel now, with every conscious breath and every waking thought.

    Gracious Lord                                         

RESPONSE:   May our lives be Gospel worthy

~ Most Generous God, grant us the voice to move the hearts and minds of political leaders locally, nationally, and globally to act justly and always on behalf of humanity, with mercy, compassion, and kindness. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Gracious Lord                                         

                                                       May our lives be Gospel worthy                                                   

~  Most Generous God, enfold all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit into Your loving embrace, and lift the spirits of those who give them care.  We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Gracious Lord                                         

                                                       May our lives be Gospel worthy        

~  Most Generous God, we commend to Your eternal Heart all still loved in this life, who now live again and forever with Christ. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       Gracious Lord                                         

                                                       May our lives be Gospel worthy

~ Most Generous God, we pause in this moment to offer You our other personal thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

                                                       Gracious Lord                                         

                                                       May our lives be Gospel worthy                     

~ Most Generous God, grant renewable supplies of wisdom, vitality, and pizzazz to all who have been chosen to elevate Your Church into a vibrant community of faith, in every circumstance of human living. We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                                                       Gracious Lord                                         

                                                       May our lives be Gospel worthy

The Celebrant adds: Eternal God, compel our souls to desire life with Christ first in every decision and action, and to release us from carrying judgment, greed, and envy within us to the last. We ask this grace through Jesus, our Hope and our Salvation; and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Sanctifier; who live and reign together with You, One God, now and forever.  Amen. 

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com

Prayers of the People: Self-Imprisoned Heart ~ Proper 19, 16th Sunday after Pentecost '26 Yr A

For Sunday, September 13, 2026, Readings: Genesis 50:15-21, Psalm 103 (1-7), 8-13; Romans 14:1-12, Matthew 18:21-35

  What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full…Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also wept… [Genesis 50:15, 17b-18a]

   The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness. He will not always accuse us, nor will he keep his anger forever. [Psalm 103:8-9] 

   Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions...Who are you to pass judgment on...[another]? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand. [Romans 14:1, 4]

   Peter came and said to Jesus, "...how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times... [The lord of the slave said] 'Should you not have mercy of your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?'...So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart." [Matthew 18:21-22, 33, 35]       

     We continue thinking about forgiveness and our role in it. We begin this week with one of the epic Hebrew Testament stories, in which, to call this “sibling rivalry” is quite an extraordinary understatement! As is always a good practice, look beyond the basic chapter and verses of the current readings and take a look at Genesis 37, especially verses 3-4 and then 12-36. Joseph’s time before and then later on in Egypt is not unlike his dream interpretations of feast and famine to Pharoah. But if you want to know Joseph’s full story, read from Chapters 39-50 to refresh your full memory of all that he went through and all that he became. Today’s reading opens with the fear of Joseph’s older brothers that Joseph may bear a grudge given what they had done to him years before. They had felt safer, perhaps, until the death of their father whom they didn’t want to upset. Now they were worried. How would you feel if your siblings tried to kill you and then sold you into slavery to another country? Are they truly repentant or are they using their dead father as a means to save themselves from Joseph ~ and, does it matter? Joseph’s behavior toward them gives an answer.

    The psalm also seems to be an answer for these questions, especially in verse 9, as the psalmist tells us that God will not always accuse us. But for me, the most relief-giving statement of all time is the second half of verse 9: nor will he keep his anger forever. The human in us may have great difficulty unbinding our anger even as God gets over it!   

    Romans 14:1-12 gives a stark lesson in our individual accountability. If this passage isn’t perfectly relevant to our current time, nothing is. Why do you pass judgment on your brother or your sister? …For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. Read these 12 verses again, re-read, read yet again and, as we say, inwardly digest.* It is quite a prelude to this week’s Gospel.

     Jesus tells Peter that seventy-seven times we are to forgive, or, as in an older perhaps more familiar translation to some, seventy times seven.  Sometimes forgiving once feels beyond my capacity but I sure can snap to judgment in a nano-second. I do know that my instant judgment of another sometimes has to do with a projection of what I don't like about myself, specifically the uncomfortable awareness of my own transgressions. When I push myself to move beyond denial and engage in thoughtful, prayerful reflection of how I react, I remember a saying, but not where I heard it, If God forgives you, who are you not to forgive yourself?!  Of course, in these tumultuous times, anger and judgment seem to permeate the very air that we breathe. Forgiving is a challenge when the stakes feel so highly charged. Plus, when I dig deeper, I discover that forgiveness received and given isn't a mere slap-dash-high-five-good-to-go. It requires a significant, deliberate, conscious change in me without requiring the same of others.

    When I feel forgiven, it is easier to extend forgiveness, understanding, and compassion to others. When judgment and cynicism wane and I feel forgiving, the work of faith, hope, and love becomes more instinctual though not less difficult. It is a continuous process filled with detours, back-tracking, failure, and persistence in that starting-over thing. Paul reminds us that we are each accountable to God. Perhaps a sticky note that says accountable, on the dashboard of my car or on my computer screen when I log into social media will help me to remember. I also need frequent reminders that it is my own responsibility to consciously live as a disciple of Christ.

Jesus is uncomfortably clear that God will forgive us AS, in the way that, we forgive others. How simply difficult it is. Yet there are a couple of other quotes that help me remember to awaken my consciousness. One has been attributed to so many people including The Buddha, Nelson Mandela, and Carrie Fisher. Regardless, it speaks volumes to the physical and emotional self-destructive properties of clinging to anger. Essentially the message is: Anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. The other is by the late theologian Lewis B. Smedes who said: To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner is yourself. Let us work constantly to forgive even those unforgiveable in our sight, including ourselves, and free our own self-imprisoned hearts.

*inwardly digest ~ this two-word phrase appears in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer on page 236 in the opening of the Collect for Proper 28, the Sunday closest to November 16 and says: Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so the hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them… [emphasis added] It was a Collect written by the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer, who wrote it in 1549 during the reign of King Edward VI, successor to King Henry VIII. It lasted until 1553 when Queen Mary Tudor restored Roman Catholic worship. After Mary’s death, Queen Elizabeth I restored the Book of Common Prayer in 1559 and the Collect continues on in our own 1979 US Book of Common Prayer.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Lord of Compassion and Kindness, liberate us from the slavery of judgment and anger, keep us mindful of our accountability to You, and always aware that You forgive us as sincerely and grace-fully as we forgive all others.

                                                     Most Merciful Lord                                                

RESPONSE:               We are each accountable to You

~  Lord of Compassion and Kindness, in these perilous times, energize us to press for the urgency of informed decision-making and rational response to crises not only for ourselves but especially for the leaders of our Planet, our Nation, and our Local Community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Most Merciful Lord

                                                       We are each accountable to You

~  Lord of Compassion and Kindness, calm the waves of illness, pain, and despair for all whose hope is sinking; and lift the spirits of those who provide support. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Most Merciful Lord

                                                       We are each accountable to You         

~ Lord of Compassion and Kindness, our souls are comforted by the heavenly embrace and infinite peace of our loved ones who now live again in You. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       Most Merciful Lord

                                                       We are each accountable to You

~ Lord of Compassion and Kindness, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

                                                       Most Merciful Lord
                                                       We are each accountable to You                  

~ Lord of Compassion and Kindness, bestow an unlimited capacity for energy and spiritual joy to all who are anointed and entrusted to guide us by Your Word and Wisdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Most Merciful Lord

                                                       We are each accountable to You

The Celebrant adds: Most High God, quicken our faith in Your constant Presence, and impose the character and courage to forgive as we are forgiven upon our hearts and souls. Guide us to seek Your Ways, not our own, and to walk consciously through each moment of Your precious gift of our human living. We ask through the blessings of Your Son Jesus, our Redeemer Christ; and Your most Holy Spirit, our Counselor; who are, together with You, One God, now and forever.  Amen.

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