I waited expectantly for the SAVING GOD; she inclined toward me and heard my cry… Blessed is the woman who makes the MAGNIFICENT ONE her trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who turn to lies. [Psalm 40: 1, 4]
Let love be sincere. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. In hope rejoice, in suffering endure, in prayer persevere… Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. [Romans 12:9 12, 14]
Now Jesus came to Nazareth…and went… on the
day of the sabbath, to the synagogue. And he stood up to read...the scroll of
the prophet Isaiah. He… found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of
the Most High is upon me, because God has anointed me to proclaim good news to
those who are poor...” and every eye of all in the synagogue looked intently at
him. Then he began to speak to them, saying, “Today this scripture has been
fulfilled in your hearing…” And Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is
accepted in their hometown… there were many widows in Israel in the days of
Elijah…Yet Elijah was sent to none of them, rather to Zarephath in Sidon, to a
widow woman… [Luke 4:16-18a, 21, 24-25a,
26]
Trust and
Love stand out for me in the readings for this Sunday. Elijah trusted God to go
and find the widow of Zarephath who in turn trusted God to accept this
foreigner and do his bidding, at least to a point. She was also trusting enough
to tell him that she had only enough flour and oil left for herself and her
child. And, then God provided for them all.
The Psalm is
filled with both trust and love as well and Dr. Gafney tells us in her Text Notes,
that in using explicitly feminine language in her translations of the psalms in
this Year C material, she has translated this particular psalm to be heard as
the prayer of the Widow of Zarephath. Read through it again with that in mind
and discover a different perspective. I found it helpful as my own prayer ~
although I do feel that with many of the psalms.
This reading
from The Letter to the Romans is filled with what I feel are very helpful
suggestions rather than harsh admonishments. Not necessarily easy, yet more
attainable if we are truly working to be closer to the words of Jesus about how
we are to live our faith. For me, blessing persecutors without cursing them
(literally and figuratively!) is all too often a significant challenge.
While I have known most of this Gospel reading
this, not significantly different from the NRSV, there were pieces that surprised
me. I had never taken in the part where those in the synagogue were marveled
at the gracious words that came from his mouth. And, for some reason I have
always had the impression that those saying Is not this Joseph’s son? was
meant as a mockery. It isn’t! That said, he wasn’t particularly popular later
on as he predicted by his famous quote of no prophet is accepted in their
home-town. The comments he made to Elijah and Elisha being sent out of their
home areas to do their work was also a new point of reference for me.
Dr. Gafney
also points out that in each of these readings we see God in human flesh…in
human actions…she reminds us that our hands are meant to be the hands of
God. We’re the ones, as Jesus read from the scroll, to live so as to proclaim
the good news to the poor, preach liberation to captives and recovery of sight
to the blind, and liberate the oppressed... And yes we may well be rejected,
or at the very least unwelcome, as perhaps we may reject others whose views and
pronouncements are less or far more unwelcomed by us. So, back to the words of
this reading from Romans! The Un-Prophet-able Jesus, by his home-town standards
and other places in his short life, has been more than profitable for untold
numbers of we, the faith-filled, spiritually speaking, and seeking. Each day
brings us more challenges to keep us on The Way with our best and sometimes
less than best efforts. I’ll begin again tomorrow by trusting enough and loving
God and all of God’s people and Creation enough to take part in
meeting the needs of the saints and practicing hospitality. [Romans
12:13]
Leader: ~ O HOLY ONE, give us ears to hear, hearts to feel, and souls to know and deeply experience Your Spirit-charged words, and listen to the voices 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, to know that differences among us are fewer than our similarities, and to be true of heart and strong in faith, now more than ever.
LOVING, SAVING GOD
Hasten to help us all
~ O HOLY ONE, let us raise our voices loudly and often for those who are lost and forsaken, and in danger and despair in this life no matter how foreign they seem to us, nor us to them. 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
LOVING, SAVING GOD
Hasten to help us all
~ O HOLY ONE, 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
LOVING, SAVING GOD
Hasten to help us all
~ O HOLY ONE, carry the sorrowful through the waters of grief, as those You have called back Home now live again, forever joyful, in Your infinite love and grace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
LOVING, SAVING GOD
Hasten to help us all
~ O HOLY ONE, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions
LOVING, SAVING GOD
Hasten to help us all
~ O HOLY ONE, 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 to others the endowment of Your peace, and strengths within ourselves. We pray especially for: add your own petitions [and the legacies of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and The Rt. Rev. Quintin E. Primo, Jr.]
LOVING, SAVING GOD
Hasten to help us all
The Celebrant adds: MAJESTIC ONE, our God, Your Scripture has been fulfilled for us through the Word of the Gospel in the human and divine ministry of Christ. Let us now give our witness of the Good News to the poor, liberation to captives and those who are oppressed. May we bear Your light to all who live in peril and fear, and to those blinded by the darkness of achieving only earthly status. May Your Will always be our delight as we ask through Jesus, our Prophet and our Salvation; and the Holy Spirit, Your Infinite Wisdom; who together with You, reign as One God now, forever, and beyond. Amen.
*Readings for our Parish in this Year C are from The Rev. Dr. Wilda [Wil] Gafney, Womanist biblical scholar, and the Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. She is the author of A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church Yr C, and others in her series, and translator of its biblical selections. I definitely commend her book for the complete readings, to Clergy and Laity, for her "Text Notes", and “Preaching Prompts” whether or not you will use them in your Liturgies/Services/Preaching. There is much to learn from her work to inform every facet of our lives in Christ. To learn more about her and her work, see her website: https://www.wilgafney.com/
[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 29th 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: 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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