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


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

Monday, May 31, 2021

Prayers of the People: The Family We Choose ~ 2nd Sunday after Pentecost '21 Yr B

For Sunday, June 6, 2021; Readings: Genesis 3:8-15, Psalm 130, 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1, Mark 3:20-35

       [God] said, “…Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?...Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” [Genesis 3:11b, 13]

               Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord; Lord hear my voice…For there is forgiveness with you…wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy. [Psalm 130:1a, 3a, 6]

              Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace…may increase thanksgiving to the glory of God…So do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. [2 Corinthians 4:15-16]

              The crowd came together again, so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind."…And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “…And if a house is divided against itself, the house will not be able to stand.”…A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." [Mark 3:20-21, 23a, 25, 32-35]

      Many years ago, I was a young military spouse living within Fort Benning, Georgia. A military base is self-contained and as complex, or more so, as any well-run city with all the usual infrastructures within its unique mission and industry. One of the more surprising elements when I first arrived was the special team of soldiers deployed daily to remove snakes hanging from the limbs of trees in the housing areas. With a hundred thousand+ residents that includes soldiers, families with children, and household pets, having snakes drop from trees is not ideal to say the least, especially as there are a few poisonous varieties. This memory surfaces whenever I hear the Genesis story of the tempting, trickster, dangerous serpent, often depicted in trees. 
      Snakes are mentioned over 80 times in the Bible as deceptive creatures that lure us with the promise we want to hear that something God has forbidden us is actually good. While I cannot imagine being lured by a snake in this life, insert shivers here, we cannot judge a snake by its scales. Eve and Adam in turn wanted to eat that fruit and gave into the temptation having received encouragement and permission from the serpent. It is important to remember that God had told them NOT to eat the fruit of that particular tree, but temptation snakes, er, sneaks up on us all. And after all, God created us with free will to choose our way. Our freedom of choice was a calculated risk on God’s part but then if we aren’t free to choose obedience to God, of what moral value would our obedience have?
      Snakes in many guises are everywhere. We even call someone who sells potentially dangerous, medically untested remedies, a "snake oil salesman." Still today, advertised "snake oil" is a hugely profitable business and we all fall prey at one time or another, when the message, the promise, is just what we want to hear.  And so it is in all facets of human life. We are drawn to those who promise that all difficulties and troubles will be resolved if only we buy the whole truckload of what they're selling. We line up against those who try to tell us that we are only looking at a mirage because we like our sales person better than theirs. We become that divided house that Jesus speaks of. And he would know about household division.
      Even Jesus with his storied ancestry arrives in his home territory with less than a happy welcome from his family. Mary, his mother, and the brothers of Jesus think he's crazy and needs to be physically restrained. Perhaps Mary and her other sons were embarrassed by Jesus in the sight of others, for not following an expected career path. Most families I know or know of have tales about embarrassing or alienating relatives who have befouled the family tree and perhaps even been disowned. It is no easy feat to understand, support, and accept a member of the family who has gone in unexpected and inexplicable ways. And sadly, too often, a household divides. Jesus defines family for himself, and by extension for us, as those who do the will of God. And how are we to determine what is the will of God, and what is the True Source and not the snake oil? How do we choose to be part the family of Christ in addition to our own family and stand together when we each understand things so differently? We won't know for sure that we've made the right choices until ... And, until, whenever I feel I'm out on an uncertain limb of Christ's family tree, I go back constantly to my favorite prayer by Thomas Merton:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that, if I do this, You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.   ~ From: Thoughts in Solitude¸ Thomas Merton

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Lord God Almighty, as by Your Will we were created with freedom to choose, guide our souls away from human serpents that would lead us by charm and guile down the tangled garden path of earthly wants. Renew our inner nature each day that we may seek and make good Your purpose in this life that prepares us for the next.  

                                           O God of Forgiveness and Mercy
RESPONSE:      Hear our call to You

~ Lord God Almighty, infuse the leaders of this Planet, this Nation, and this Community with faith, principles, and strength of character. Lead their hearts to discern and implement Your wisdom for all Your people, that we may abide together in Your House, undivided, with no exclusions. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                           O God of Forgiveness and Mercy
                                           Hear our call to You

~ Lord God Almighty, heal and comfort all who struggle with chronic pain, addiction, and recovery, and enhance the stamina of those who give support. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                           O God of Forgiveness and Mercy
                                           Hear our call to You         

~ Lord God Almighty, we lift up with our love, all who have exchanged this earthly life for the glory, joy, and peace in the Divine Building not made with hands, eternal in the heavens with You. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                           O God of Forgiveness and Mercy
                                           Hear our call to You

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

                                           O God of Forgiveness and Mercy
                                           Hear our call to You                       

~ Lord God Almighty, refresh the vigor and vitality of those anointed to guide us, as together we navigate the time and tides of this temporal life, connecting our everyday lives and actions to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                           O God of Forgiveness and Mercy
                                           Hear our call to You

 The Celebrant adds: O God of Grace and Glory, develop in us a spiritual thirst that seeks to be quenched only in service to Your Holy Will. Through Your enduring love and grace, let us strive to become mother, father, sister, and brother to every one who chooses to live in the sacred family of Christ. We ask through the steadfastness of Jesus, and the blessings of the Holy Spirit, who together with You, reign as 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


No comments:

Post a Comment