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, July 7, 2025

Prayers of the People: Hope for Your Future ~ 5th Sunday after Pentecost WLWC* ‘25 Yr C

For Sunday, July 13, 2025; Readings: Jeremiah 31:2-6, 8-11, 13-17; Psalm 118:14-26, James 5:1-6, Luke 13:31-35

…They found grace in the wilderness, the people—the women, children, and men, survivors of the storm…I shall turn their mourning to joy, I shall comfort, and give them joy for sorrow…They shall come back from the land of their enemy. There is hope for your future… [Jeremiah 31:2b, 13b, 16c-17a]

  The Mighty God is my strength and my might and has become my salvation…The stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Mighty God’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Creator of All has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. [Psalm 118:14, 22-24]

  Listen! The wages of the workers who reaped your fields—which you all have defrauded them out of—cry out and the cries of the farm workers have reached the ears of the Commander of heaven’s legions. [James 5:4-5]

  …some Pharisees came to [Jesus] and said to him, “Go! And depart from here, for Herod wants to kill you!”…Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets…How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings… [Luke 13:31b, 34a]

   Dr. Gafney’s choice of readings once again seems to parallel themes of our own time, when held up against the backdrop of our current national and international news.
   Jeremiah is reminding his followers that the promise of the return of Israel to their homeland is still strong, even if not imminent.  Dr. Gafney tells us that Rachel, Israel’s figurative mother, appears as a reminder to acknowledge and lament the losses suffered by Israel’s people, as a subjugated nation in exile. The acknowledgement and lamentation of such subjugation is appropriate for all times of history including our own, for entire nations as well as for ethnic, racial, LGBTQ+, and other communities exiled from the mainstream and considered separate from the “acceptable” population in a given political climate.
   The Psalm continues the promise of restoration across the journeying of history as the Epistle from James is severely unsubtle in its scathing indictment of “wealthy people.” In his time, and our own, Rachel’s weeping is for all who are inhumanely marginalized and abused by traffickers, profiteering, violence, and more. We, who are far from the top echelons of power and enormous wealth, must still take stock of our attitudes and understanding of the realities of those to whom we are part of “the rich.” As we decry the lack of empathy and compassion in various public and private sectors of our life and times, to what actions—large or small—are we each committed and involved? No matter the translation you choose, it is completely clear that James has pulled no punches.
   And Luke shows us a side of those we have been, seemingly, taught to scorn: Pharisees! Here, some are actively attempting to save Jesus’s life. They have heard Jesus preach, seen or at least heard of his miracles and healings and teachings. Perhaps, then, it is only the ones who are jealous, who jump up and down for attention, and then turn to those they delegate to impose state-sanctioned violence and murder to prove their power to themselves and their small-minded yet heavy-handed group of bullies. But that never happens now…does it?
   The promise of restoration remains and if we look for them, we can find moments of gladness, comfort and joy, in and around the moments of mourning and sorrow that occur in everyone’s lifetime. Full restoration ahead! Remember: There is hope for your future…

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ EVER-LIVING GOD, you are our strength and our salvation. Gather us under your wings as we gather and care for all who are in need. Open us to the knowledge of Your will through Your word already within us, that our acts of love and kindness are a true measure of our full faith in Christ.

                                                 O MERCIFUL GOD, FOUNT OF JUSTICE
             RESPONSE:         Our Grace in the wilderness

~ EVER-LIVING GOD, grant enduring patience and support for the souls of those honorable people, with the principles of integrity, compassion, and mercy, now serving in national and local governments across your Earth. Turn the hearts of others with selfish intent toward righteous, moral, and upright governance everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                               O MERCIFUL GOD, FOUNT OF JUSTICE                                               
                                               Our Grace in the wilderness

~ EVER-LIVING GOD, rescue and give hope to the poor, the weak, and the sick, and give strength to all who assist them. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                               O MERCIFUL GOD, FOUNT OF JUSTICE                                               
                                               Our Grace in the wilderness

~ EVER-LIVING GOD, comfort the hearts of those who mourn, as your children who have left this life are now returned to their everlasting country, where you give them joy for sorrow. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                               O MERCIFUL GOD, FOUNT OF JUSTICE                                               
                                               Our Grace in the wilderness

EVER-LIVING GOD, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

                                               O MERCIFUL GOD, FOUNT OF JUSTICE                                               
                                               Our Grace in the wilderness

~ EVER-LIVING GOD, we look to our faithful ministers of Your Word and Sacraments as our guides of truth in action. Endow them with the steadfast faith to urge and accompany us along right pathways. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                               O MERCIFUL GOD, FOUNT OF JUSTICE                                               
                                               Our Grace in the wilderness

The Celebrant adds: O MIGHTY GOD, awaken us to rejoice and be glad in every day you have given us, with hope for our future. Fill us with the spiritual understanding and faithfulness to lead lives worthy of the gifts within us all. Help us to live by the fruit of the Gospel, bearing it to and for all with whom we share this life. We ask through Jesus, our Chief Cornerstone; and the Holy Spirit, the MOTHER OF WISDOM, who together with You are One God, now and forever. 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: 

 

 

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