Prayers of the People: You Go First ~ 17th Sunday after Pentecost '21 Yr B

For Sunday, September 19, 2021, Readings: Wisdom of Solomon 1:16-2:1, 12-22; Psalm 54, 

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37

       The ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death…[they] lie in wait for the righteous…for their wickedness blinded them, and they did not know the secret purposes of God, nor hoped for the wages of holiness, nor discerned the prize for the blameless souls. [Wisdom of Solomon 1:16a, 12a, 21b-22]

               Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth…Behold, God is my helper; it is the Lord who sustains my life. [Psalm 54:2, 4]

            But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth...But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy...And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. [James 3:14, 17-18] 

    ...for [Jesus] was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again." But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him...Then they came to Capernaum; and...on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. [Jesus]...said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." Then he...said to them, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me." [Mark 9:31-32, 33a, 34b, 35b, 37]

       The first reading comes from The Wisdom of Solomon, considered an apocryphal book, that is not part of the “official” Christian Canon of the Bible. The word canon basically means the body of work that cannot be changed ~ not that it can’t be re-interpreted through new information and translation, just that the substance of it is set in stone ~ so to speak. The apocryphal writings for biblical purposes are those thought to have been written between 200 BC and 400 AD [or in the language of scholars BCE, Before the Common Era, and CE, Common Era, when dates became more or less standardized globally.] You can go to Wikipedia for a beginning look at Biblical Apocrypha. I offer this explanation only because if some of you are interested in reading more of this Book and discovering others in this “hidden” collection, you may not have it in your printed Bible. Many modern Bibles do include these writings in between the Old Testament and the New Testament, and they become known as "intertestamental writings." But many do not, such as the NIV and KJV (though the KJV did have them for almost 300 years). Online Biblical search sites such as Bible Gateway do not include these writings. Where they are included as non-canonical, they are, for the most part, considered to be useful for instruction without necessarily carrying the full weight of either Testament. One could spend a semester at least on discovering the levels and possible origins of non-canonical writings but, while I find this all very interesting, I believe that such effort brings no extra credit towards salvation.

       In the case of this reading, it is considered by some to be representative of the Jewish religious instruction in which Jesus grew up. This lesson reminds us that there is more to this human life than a comfortable existence. There are those who will mock and try to upend our intentions, but we are to live in God’s ways and choose eternal life as God’s child for our destiny.

       The writer of James brings being righteous into our instruction. It is one of those words we hear often in Bible readings ~ we can guess by its sound that it means to be "right" with God and in truth it does mean that, to lead a life that is pleasing to God, someone whose actions God [who knows us] would find to be justified and ethical. We are told very specifically what happens to those who sit in the seats of the scornful [Ps 1:1] and are boastful and false to the truth [James 3:14b]. James charts the course of attitudes and behaviors reflecting earthly and inwardly unmet cravings against those who find their path in the wisdom, peace, and gentleness from above. Jesus is working to prepare the disciples, again, for all that is to come, and, again, they do not understand.

       As the writer of Mark tells us, the chosen disciples were those closest and most committed to Jesus. Yet, close as they were, they were still afraid to ask Jesus to explain what he meant about being betrayed and killed and rising from the dead. Yet, on the way to Capernaum, they were arguing with each other about which one of themselves was the greatest of all. Perhaps they were confused about and so ignored the hard truth Jesus was giving because it was too difficult to digest and discuss. 

       In a culture, such as ours in the west, that teaches that one must strive to thrive through success, achievement, wealth, power, and position, it is exceedingly difficult to avoid the traps of envy, ambition, conflict, distrust, and so on. Fear of asking questions is also prevalent ~ one learns early to be fearful of being labeled stupid if one asks a “dumb” question. Perhaps each of the disciples were worried that they would ask the wrong question and fail a test of sorts. Or perhaps they were unable to determine the right question. James references that as well by telling us that if we didn’t get what we asked for, it was because we asked wrongly. 

      Jesus gives the disciples, and us, the terms of a righteous life: Be last not first, a servant of all, and those who welcome all as children in his name will be welcoming God into their midst. As followers of Jesus, we are to commit to selfless service, especially among those who make no return; humility in shedding all trace of inward and outward aspiration to greatness; and we must submit ourselves to God. The height and breadth and depth of all that is required can feel daunting. But the disciples were together in the best and worst of times as we are in our communities of faith, working together, learning to understand, committing, and submitting ourselves to Christ for the eternal life of our souls. As we draw near to God, God will draw nearer to thee and me. Ok, let's begin, you go first.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
 
Leader:  ~ God of Wisdom and Mercy, refresh our souls to keep us from envy and selfish ambition, able to resist earthly, unspiritual temptation, willing to yield and submit our hearts and minds to You.   
 
                                                      Knowing Lord                                                       
              RESPONSE:             Draw us near to You
 
~ God of Wisdom and Mercy, embolden us to stand together in Christ’s name as we strive to ensure ethical, principled, just, and peaceable governing by the leaders of our World, our Nation, and our Community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       Knowing Lord
                                                       Draw us near to You
 
~ God of Wisdom and Mercy, grant hope and comfort to all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and renewed energy to all who give them care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
 
                                                       Knowing Lord
                                                       Draw us near to You
         
~ God of Wisdom and Mercy, shine Your perfect light into the darkness of grief, as You gather those newly departed from this life, into the gleaming expanse of eternal life with You. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
 
                                                       Knowing Lord
                                                       Draw us near to You
 
~ God of Wisdom and Mercy, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
 
                                                       Knowing Lord
                                                       Draw us near to You
                       
~ God of Wisdom and Mercy, quicken the minds and hearts of those anointed to share Your Word and Sacraments with us, and free us from the fear of asking questions about our faith. Guide them to lead us in the building of a diverse worshiping community, dedicated to sowing the best seeds for a harvest of righteousness and peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       Knowing Lord
                                                       Draw us near to You
 
The Celebrant adds: O Lord our God, release us from the grip of mortal pride and temporal lures to be Christ’s selfless, humble, and welcoming servants of all. Let us seek to do the work You have given us to do, not for our own greatness, but the greatness of Your Eternal Kingdom. We ask through the glory and sacrifice of our Savior Christ; and the wise counsel of the Spirit Most Holy; who together with You, are One, boundless, and eternal God, forever and ever. Amen.

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