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, October 4, 2021

Prayers of the People: In the Beginning ~ 1st Sunday in the Season of Creation '21

For Sunday, October 10, 2021, Readings: In the Beginning by Mark Earey*, Psalm 100 adapted**, Hebrews 4:12-16, Mark 10:17-31

   In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…Creator God, fill and shape the time you have given us... open our eyes to see you reflected in every human face. [Mark Earey: In the Beginning*]

    Enter God’s presence with  joy...Enter…The courtyard with thanks and praise… [Psalm 100:1b, 3a**]

   The word of God is living and active... able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart...Let us...approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [Hebrews 4:12 a,b; 16]

    It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God...[but] for God all things are possible...many who are first will be last, and the last will be first. [Mark 10:25, 27b, 31]


Welcome to the Season of Creation!

          This liturgical Season of Creation originated in the Anglican Church of South Africa in 2008 and is designed for us to explore our faith from a Creation perspective. We are to realize our place in the order of God’s creating and to see and act upon the need to care for our entire life-support system ~ the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil in which we grow our crops ~ not merely humanity, but our total environment, as it pertains to ALL life. 
          From the early days of the Season of Creation at the US Episcopal Parish of Sts. Andrew and Matthew [SsAM] in Wilmington, Delaware, it was established that “the primary aim of the events of the season is to enable adults and youth to celebrate and experience the inextricable link which binds together the destinies of all of God’s creatures.” It is a moment of pause to remind ourselves that God calls us to see “what great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions” and for us to renew our commitment to making real the biblical vision of the earth at unity with itself. It is a vision of human beings of all races, backgrounds and walks of life in local communities and among the nations of the earth, living together in love and peace with justice for all. "As disciples of Christ, we are called through our Baptismal Covenant, to be instruments for the healing of our broken world," and with a renewed commitment to personal and communal prayer and action.
         We will use Biblical and other readings that pertain to the specific theme of each of the 7 weeks. Alternate readings used will be noted with asterisks. 

This Week's Theme is: In the Beginning

     We begin this Season at the BeginningProfessor Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner, describes the Book of Genesis as "the book for environmentalists." "If we had been created on Tuesday," she said, "there would have been nowhere for us to stand! God, with infinite wisdom, waited until the last day!" 

* In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. In the empty void and crushing darkness, God spoke light into being. Creator God, bring light into our darkness. In the beginning, God took eternity and formed time and space, seasons, days and years. Creator God, fill and shape the time you have given us. In the beginning, God took land and sea and filled them with life of every kind. Creator God, help us find our place within your diverse creation. In the beginning, God spoke his very image, and the returning echo formed humanity. Creator God, open our eyes to see you reflected in every human face. In the beginning, God created, and it was good. © Mark Earey, Co-Director of The Centre for Ministerial Formation and Tutor for Worship and Liturgy at the Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical and Theological Education on Birmingham, England.

**Psalm 100: 1. Shout for joy to the Lord, all earth, Serve the Lord with gladness, Enter God’s presence with  joy! 2. Know that the Lord is God, Our maker to whom we be long, Our shepherd, and we the flock. 3. Enter the temple gates, The courtyard with thanks and praise; Give thanks and  bless God’s name. 4. Indeed the Lord is good! God’s love is for ever, Faithful from age to age.  From “The Psalter: A faithful and inclusive rendering”, Liturgy Training Publications (International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc.), 1994

   In our appointed Epistle and Gospel for today, the writer of Hebrews tells us that the word of God is living and active and is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart, as before him no creature is hidden. Mark tells us about Jesus and a rich man who is looking for the path to inherit eternal life and goes away shocked and grieving when Jesus said for him to sell all that he owned to give his money to the poor. It is in this passage that we hear the famous it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. We’re also reminded that for God all things are possible as we examine our earthly possessions to see what we truly need in this life as we look ahead to the age to come for eternal life.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Creator God, draw back the veil of darkness we pull over ourselves, as You speak light into being within us. Quiet the incessant distractions of everyday life, that we may open ourselves and invite You to fill and shape the time You have given us in this place.

 

                                                Lord God, our Maker                                   
                   RESPONSE:   Let us turn to You in joy and praise

 

~ Creator God, open the eyes of all who hold political authority on land and sea and in the air across Your diverse Creation, that they may see You reflected in themselves, in every human face, in every grain of sand, and govern in all good faith. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

 

                                                 Lord God, our Maker
                                                 Let us turn to You in joy and praise

 

~ Creator God, as You raise up strength for all Your people, grant healing to the spirits of those laid low by earthly illness or infirmity, and energy to all who give them care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

 

                                                 Lord God, our Maker
                                                 Let us turn to You in joy and praise
    

~ Creator God, may the echoes of sweet memory quell the pain of earth-bound grief, as the souls of those who’ve left this ground, now soar in the peace and glory of everlasting life in Christ. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

 

                                                Lord God, our Maker
                                                Let us turn to You in joy and praise

 

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


                                                Lord God, our Maker
                                                Let us turn to You in joy and praise

                       

~ Creator God, we give thanksgiving for Your loyal servants anointed to awaken us to the wonders of all Your works, and who guide us to find our true place in You forever. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                 Lord God, our Maker
                                                 Let us turn to You in joy and praise

The Celebrant adds: Holy God, Living and Active, as we are not hidden to Your eyes, encourage us to boldly approach Your Throne of Grace seeking good and finding mercy in time of need. Propel us to faithful action and release us from the thrall of earth-bound possessions, knowing all things are possible with You. We ask through Jesus, the Son of God; and the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom of our souls; who together with You, reign as One God through all time, forever and ever. Amen.

 

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