Prayers of the People: Think, Pray, Love ~ 2nd Sunday after The Epiphany RCL Yr C

For Sunday, January 19, 2025; Readings: Isaiah 62:1-5, Psalm 36:5-10, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, John 2:1-11, and celebrating the legacies of the  Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Rt. Rev. Quintin E. Primo, Jr.*

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn... [Isaiah 62:1]

  For with you is the well of life. and in your light we see light, Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you, and favor for those who are true of heart. [Psalm 36:9-10]

  Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed... there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. [1 Corinthians 12:1,4-7]

   When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you or me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you"… Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.”  And they filled them up to the brim. [John 2: 3-5, 7]

    As with so many Biblical anecdotes and parables, the story of the wedding feast of Cana is so well known that people of many beliefs and cultures have heard it. Vendors even sell really terrible wine on the streets of a town that might be Cana but no one truly knows the actual location for the Cana of this story. In John's Gospel, Jesus turned water into wine ~ his first miracle ~ and he didn't think he was ready. While quite an accomplishment, the setting for this first sign may not appear to be auspicious enough for such a pivotal event or serve humanity in any important way. Yet his mother asked and he complied, if slightly less than willing, and therefore took the first significant step in his public ministry. Clearly his mother knew her son was ready for bigger things.

   The volume of the wine changed from the water is significant; it is an abundant amount given how late in the celebration. It is a metaphor for the way the Love and the Presence of God fills us all, God's own created vessels, just as the new wine filled the stone jars. And it does not matter how late in our lives that we change and recognize the fullness of God's love within. This moment made believers of his chosen disciples: Jesus, Son of God, Worker of Miracles!

     Jesus incarnated was the embodiment of God's gifts, as we each are, in our own individual ways. For us mere mortals, discerning our gifts is not easy and many of us ignore or disclaim them, hiding from ourselves under a mask of humility, real or artificial. We may not all have the greatness to save the entire world but each one of us has abilities, knowledge, and talents that make us unique and useful ~ if we accept them ~ even if age or other issues prevent us from being out in the world as much as others we admire. Perhaps it is easier to hide from our gifts if we fear that our acceptance and claiming requires some responsibility for using them. Jesus knew his and used them for teaching, preaching, and healing. Dr. King and Bishop Primo used their gifts and did change the world around them and, often, especially as with Jesus and Dr. King, at their own peril. They each, as was Jesus and many others, for many generations and in our own time, were and are able to do great and memorable things that are written down and remembered. "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent..." says Isaiah, and by the words and actions of Dr. King, and Bishop Primo.

    What is Zion for me? What will call me from just dreaming about what I might do someday to pushing myself to action now? Dr. King said, "Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase." Our first step begins with the Gospels.

    Today’s Epistle reminds us that we are each endowed by the Holy Spirit with gifts to be used for the common good. Making a phone call or sending an email to a government representative, donating some money or clothes or food are all ways to do things that benefit others and ourselves in the long run. Bishop Primo was very clear when he said, "What binds us together now is our common loyalty to Jesus Christ..." Yet not everyone agrees on how and what to believe. If the Gospel message is so clear why are so many Christians arguing with and disparaging each other? How can there be so many divisions, denominations, theological, and ideological differences determining who's in and who's out and who's right and who's wrong, who should be condemned (or worse) and who should be accepted? If being fully loved by God, as we learn from the Gospels, doesn't bring us all together, it does beg the question: So, really, What Would Jesus Do? Here we are brimming with all we need through the gifts of the Spirit and our faith, so we can, as Mary directed, do all that He tells us. How? By remembering to Love our God with all our hearts, souls, and minds, AND, the really hard one is that we are to love our neighbors AS, in the same way that, WE LOVE ourselves. Think, Pray, Love…

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O God Most Loving, give us ears to hear, hearts to feel, and souls to know and deeply experience Your Spirit-charged words, and listen to the voice[s] of Your servants Martin and Quintin. Activate our own spiritual gifts, that we may change the substance of our lives from self-serving to full-service, and to be true of heart and strong in faith, now more than ever.

                                                O Righteous, Faithful Lord                                      

            RESPONSE:         In You our souls are free at last     

~  O God Most Loving, let us raise our voices loudly and often for those who are lost and forsaken, and in danger and despair in this life. Let us continually urge all Governments and Authorities, locally and globally, to make Martin’s Dream into truth and action, with peace, justice, and mercy for ALL. May we embody Your Truth that the Good News of Jesus never excludes anyone at any time, for any reason, anywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O Righteous, Faithful Lord

                                                In You our souls are free at last

~  O God Most Loving, calm the hearts and minds of those with physical, emotional, or spiritual challenges, and lighten the load for all who give them care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need … add your own petitions

                                                O Righteous, Faithful Lord

                                                In You our souls are free at last

~ O God Most Loving, console all who mourn as Your steadfast and priceless love gathers our faithful departed into the joy and abundance of Your House forever. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                O Righteous, Faithful Lord

                                                In You our souls are free at last

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

                                                O Righteous, Faithful Lord

                                                In You our souls are free at last

~ O God Most Loving, nurture and enhance the gifts of our anointed leaders in Your Church who strive to impart Your wisdom and keep us aware of Your eternal Presence. Guide us to discover and offer the endowment of Your gifts and strengths within ourselves. We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                                                O Righteous, Faithful Lord

                                                In You our souls are free at last

The Celebrant adds:  Holy God, Our Well of Life, as the vessels were filled at Cana, fill us with Your Light that we may see light; and with Your loving-kindness and favor, grant us courage to follow the path of our Redeemer Christ with refuge under the shadow of Your wings. We ask through Jesus, Your Son and our Salvation; and the Holy Spirit, Your Infinite Wisdom; who together with You, reign as One God forever and forever.  Amen.

* As always, feel free to edit these prayers to suit your local needs. A small attribution is appreciated.

   These Prayers of the People were commissioned by The Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew (SsAM) in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2013. They continue to be used by that Parish which is now in its 29^th year of the blending of a traditionally white parish ~ St. Andrew's, founded in 1829, and a traditionally African American parish ~ St. Matthew's, that began in 1846. St. Matthew’s was founded in the lower level of St. Andrew's as the Robert Smith Sunday School until it became St Matthew's Mission in its own location. Much later, beginning in 1993, then an African American Episcopal Vicar, the Rt. Rev. Quintin E. Primo, Jr., guided St. Matthew's from mission status to gaining full parish status in 1966 as he was to do later in Detroit with a pair of similar parishes. He was elected as Suffragan Bishop of Chicago in 1972 and in 1986 he became Interim Bishop of Delaware, then assisted until his death in 1998. He lived to see the joyous union of these two parishes into one. As many of us were privileged to know him personally, we are pleased to celebrate his life and prophetic voice this day along with the vibrant legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr. Selections from Dr. King and from Bishop Primo's autobiography are below. To learn more about the historical significance and current mission of SsAM click here: http://www.ssam.org

 A reading from the I Have a Dream speech by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [1929-1968], delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963:

   "When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: “Free at last! Free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

 A reading from The Making of a Black Bishop by the Rt. Rev. Quintin E. Primo, Jr. [1913-1998]:

  "The day of the yearly (Diocesan) Convention arrived. Presenting to the assemblage our (St. Matthew's) formal application to become a self-supporting unit of the diocese, the Rev. Canon James Birney, program developer/director for the diocese, spoke most eloquently, ''What we are doing at this moment is a symbol of what black and white people must continue to do as we offer our lives to be instruments for bringing the Kingdom of God to reality on earth. For the past 122 years, the white congregations have patronizingly supported the black mission of St. Matthew's. Today, when black men everywhere are breaking the bonds of patronage which we hope are the last remnants of slavery and inequality, the people of St. Matthew's now both black and white, are freeing themselves and this Diocese from bondage to each other. Subservience and patronage are both gone. The congregation is free and the Diocese is free. And being free, we are both free to be One. What binds us together now is our common loyalty to Jesus Christ and to this branch of His Church. In this Christian context, you are demonstrating the meaning of Black Power.'"

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