In this hopeful and refreshing
passage, Isaiah tells us of God’s care when we refrain from the pointing of
the finger and the speaking of evil and turn to offer food to the
hungry and attend to satisfying the needs of the afflicted. The prophet
tells us that the Lord will guide us continually…in
parched places ~ a comforting phrase to me as in these times, our
lives are being scorched by more than the heat of climate change.
The Psalmist
calls upon our souls to Bless the Lord...who is full of compassion and
mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness. Such familiar words to
many of us, and a reminder that we are to emulate compassion, mercy, and
kindness, and to be especially slow to anger. Perhaps keeping these words in
our sight, as a daily prayer or mantra, will allow our souls to shape all that
we say and do, once our souls, and all that is within us, are in better
faith-filled and spiritual condition.
Luke brings us
a significant teaching moment with Jesus curing a woman on the Sabbath in the
synagogue, completely altering her physical shape, creating quite the firestorm.
Yes, we Christians basically know what "Sabbath" means even IF we
give it a loose interpretation and a nano-second of practice, but for faithful
practicing Jews – especially the Orthodox – then and now, Sabbath is not
optional. It is a God-mandate, a requirement given as one of the Ten
Commandments, a rich spiritual experience, beyond and within formal worship,
filled with meaningful rituals and prayer. Rabbis study the Law regarding
Sabbath for their entire lives to understand every nuance, dispensation, and
imperative to guide their congregations in observance. We Christians could do
with a reboot of some understanding and the regular practice of Sabbath time,
especially given all the available distractions of temporal living – really, self,
can I put down the phone for an hour once a week to be with God?
It is difficult
for us as non-Jews, to understand why that moment in Jesus' ministry was such a
big deal. Basically, he is pointing to the question: is it more important to
follow The [man-made] Rules and "the way it has always been done – the
way we do things here” when those local
“traditions” exclude some of God's children? Or perhaps the question really is:
when do such rules support and enhance our relationship with God, and when do
they become idolatry and soul-damaging? And then there's the part about hypocrites.
Paul warns us, "Yet once more..." that God can
and will easily remove what can be shaken so that what cannot be shaken
may remain...we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken and our acceptable worship with reverence
and awe is what God truly requires. Oh are there not a thousand
ideas among Christians of what "acceptable worship is?" For me I must
constantly work on changing the shape of my spiritual practice, beyond
attending the Sunday service. I know that I can vastly improve the inclusion of
more witness of my faith through how I live, think, and act, and especially,
with more genuine and regularly scheduled Sabbath observance, not for mere
leisure. It has been helpful for me to be part of the Daily Office Team at my
parish, that reads live on Facebook 16 times per week though not quite enough. It's
past time to be more in touch with what really is reverence and to
experience of the awe of God's Presence. It's also time to evaluate how
I decide my acceptable exceptions in avoiding Sabbath as I’m sure my list is
too long! It's time, again, to allow Jesus to touch my heart, mind, and soul so I, too, can
stand up straight in faith and practice.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O
Lord of Compassion and Mercy, stand us straight up in Your sight and
reshape the direction of our lives. Free us from the yoke of earthly
attachments that does damage to our souls, and set our daily course for the
Kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Gracious, Loving God
RESPONSE:
May our souls always
bless You
~ O Lord of Compassion and
Mercy, deliver us from any and all leaders who speak evil, oppress others,
and only serve their own interests. Guide us to support and join with all who
give food to the hungry, satisfy the needs of the afflicted, and brings Your
light into our World, our Nation, and our Communities. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
Gracious, Loving God
May
our souls always bless You
~ O Lord of Compassion and
Mercy, heal the ailments of all who suffer in body and spirit, and release
all hearts crippled by anger and hate into the peace of Your great
kindness. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add
your own petitions
Gracious, Loving God
May our souls always bless You
~ O Lord of Compassion and
Mercy, may those who mourn be comforted by the festal gathering of
innumerable angels for the glorious entry of our loved ones into Your Heavenly
City. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Gracious, Loving God
May our souls always bless You
~ O Lord of Compassion and
Mercy, we pause in this moment to offer You our other
heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or
silently… add your own petitions
Gracious, Loving God
May our souls always bless You
~ O Lord of Compassion and
Mercy, we offer blessings and thanksgivings for all Deacons, Priests, and
Bishops for their humanity, guidance, and devotion to Your work in this
World. We pray especially for: add
your own petitions
Gracious, Loving God
May our souls always bless You
The Celebrant adds: Holy
and Living God, burnish, brighten, and fill us with Your holy fire,
to shine within us and transform our thoughts, words, and actions into
continual, awe-filled, living worship. We ask through Jesus, the Mediator of
the New Covenant; and the Holy Spirit, our Divine Sanctifier; who together with
You, reign as One God, now and forever. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment