People's Prayers: August 2025

Monday, August 18, 2025

Prayers of the People: A Conscious Conscience ~ 11th Sunday after Pentecost WLWC* ‘25 Yr C

For Sunday, August 24, 2025, Year C, CORRECTION to the READINGS previously listed:

Ezekiel 22:1-8, 12; Psalm 50:106, Hebrews 10:26-31; John 5:19-24

You, child of earth and Eve, will you judge? Will you judge the city of blood? Then make known to it all its abominations. So shall you say: Thus says the Holy God: Oh city! Shedding the blood of its own; its time has come! It makes idols for itself, defiling itself. [Ezekiel 22:2-3]

God of gods, the Maker of All, speaks and summons the earth from the dawning of the sun to its setting…She summons the heavens above—and the earth—in order to judge her people: Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” [Psalm 50:1, 4-5]

Indeed, if we willfully sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no longer is there a sacrifice for sins. Rather [there is] an expectation of judgment and a zealous fire that will devour those opposed [to God]…How much…even worse punishment will be deserved by those who the Child of God, they put under their feet and the blood of the covenant, they treat as a common thing… [Hebrews 10:26-27, 29]

…The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he is doing and will show him greater works than these, so that you all will be astonished. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son, to whomever he wishes, gives life…Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly I tell you all, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life. [John 5:20-21, 23b-24]

Such a light-hearted opening from that Ezekiel! Ok, not so much. He’s speaking the words that God gave him to speak to the former authorities in Jerusalem in its captivity in Babylonia. In experiencing the violence of forced migration, those formerly in power are also guilty of perpetrating the same to its most vulnerable people. Ezekiel, in the full reading says: The leaders of Israel among you, each one wielded power within you for the purpose of shedding blood. Mother and father are treated with contempt within you; against the immigrant in your midst they commit violent acts of extortion; orphan and widow are subjected to violence within you… The message is that if you choose to follow God and God’s covenant, ignoring that covenant and living outside of the values God places within it, subjects one to the full force of God’s Judgment. Here I offer a reminder that while Dr. Gafney’s* translations are her own, the context does not change through other translations. What is happening to those now under Babylonian rule, is the same as how they were treating the least among them in their own land.

The Psalmist also reminds us of the expectations of God in how the voluntary covenant works ~ the faithful who follow the covenant will be gathered to God. Others are subjected to God’s judgment.

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews is unclear. As early as the 2^nd century AD/CE, scholars weren’t confident that it was a letter from/by Paul. Other authors have been suggested including Priscilla who was a significant leader in Paul’s movement. Regardless, the message is clear: unintentional sin is forgiven. However, those who choose to sin are in bigger trouble and at the mercy of God. This is the theme for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which for the Jewish people is the holiest day of the year. The term “scapegoat” comes from this for the ancient practice of symbolically placing one’s willful sins onto a goat and sending it out into the wilderness to die. Thankfully, say the goats, that’s no longer necessary. And so, the Letter asks, if people, in the time of Moses were executed for such sin against the Father, imagine how much more grievous the punishment for those who do not honor the Son whose life was sacrificed for them?

This piece of John’s Gospel brings together the difficult concept of the Father and the Son being separate and yet not. They are more than simply parent and child. As Jesus says Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. If we hear the words of Jesus and believe the Father who sent him, then we pass into eternal life without judgment. Sounds easy, yes? Or not quite so.

All in all, Dr. Gafney tells us that these readings together are a rebuke to those who are convinced they are “saved” with no particular responsibilities attached. “Oh sure, I raised my hand in that meeting and accepted the Savior, I’m good, thanks!” With so many directions this life offers ~ this way, that way, or the other way ~ we must choose carefully or be sent to the wilderness to die. The daily news of abuses of people in our own country and various places in our world is testament enough to know that we each have more to do to follow and honor Jesus and by that to honor God. We are, at the very least, to have a conscious conscience to keep the covenant we have chosen with Jesus, by how we live, think, and act in this, our, one and only, human life.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ God of gods, the Maker of All, shake us from a sense of self that deludes us into believing that we are more virtuous and much holier than any other sister or brother through the arrogance of our personal judgments. Open our souls to the humility of grace received from faith-filled honor and belief in your Son, our Savior Christ.

O God, our God

RESPONSE: We, your faithful, gather ourselves to you

~ God of gods, the Maker of All, 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, relieve the needs of the afflicted, and bring Your light into our World, our Nation, and our Communities. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God, our God

We, your faithful, gather ourselves to you

~ God of gods, the Maker of All, heal the ailments of all who suffer in body and spirit, and release all minds and hearts crippled by anger and hate into the peace of Your great kindness. Refresh the spirits of all who give them care with patience and stamina. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

O God, our God

We, your faithful, gather ourselves to you

~ God of gods, the Maker of All, 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

O God, our God

We, your faithful, gather ourselves to you

~ God of gods, the Maker of All, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

O God, our God

We, your faithful, gather ourselves to you

~ God of gods, the Maker of All, we offer blessings and thanksgivings for all Deacons, Priests, and Bishops for their humanity, spiritual guidance, and devotion to Your work in this World. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God, our God

We, your faithful, gather ourselves to you

The Celebrant adds: Most Holy God, who dwells above all that is known and unknown, you are our complete and infinite source of faith, love, hope, and redemption. Urge our earth-bound hearts, to seek higher fulfillment in faith, as heirs, proclaimers, and teachers of Your eternal Truth in this life, through our thoughts, words, and actions. 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.

*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/

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com

Prayers of the People: Reshaping Our Faith ~ 11th Sunday after Pentecost '25 RCL Yr C

For Sunday, August 24, 2025, Year C, Readings: Isaiah 58:9b-14, Psalm 103:1-8, Hebrews 12:18-29,

Luke 13:10-17

If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places… [Isaiah 58:9b-11a]

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name…The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness. [Psalm 103:1, 8]

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe, for indeed our God is a consuming fire. [Hebrews 12:28-29]

And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." When he laid hands on her, immediately she stood up and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue [was] indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath... [Luke 13: 11-14a]

In this hopeful and refreshing passage, Isaiah tells us of God’s care when we refrain from the pointing of the finger [of judgment] and the speaking of evil, and turn to offer food to the hungry and attend to all other good and necessary actions for others. 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 be bearers of compassion, mercy, and kindness, and especially to be slow to anger. Perhaps keeping these words in our sight, as a prayer or a 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 shape. [I think I need these on my car’s dashboard.]

Luke brings us a significant teaching moment with Jesus curing a woman on the Sabbath in the synagogue 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, can you 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 [human-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 are they the mere mumbling of familiar syllables holding no meaning, become a form of idolatry, and then soul-damaging? And then there's the part about hypocrites. Raised as a Roman Catholic in the time before the Second Vatican Council, we were continually warned that missing Sunday Mass was a serious sin. Presumably as serious as Jesus healing the woman in the Synagogue. Such iron-clad/human-made rules can do some damage to a sense of reverence and awe.

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. There are a thousand and more ideas 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 a more genuine and personal Sabbath observance. It's past time to be more in touch with what reverence truly is and to intentionally invite an experience of the awe of God's Presence into each day, at home, at church, or anywhere we choose to allow God’s presence. Let us allow the hand of Jesus to unbend us in body, mind, and spirit, and reshape our faith to stand tall in the face of this life in this world.

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 bless You always

~ 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, relieve the needs of the afflicted, and bring Your light into our World, our Nation, and our Communities. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Gracious, Loving God

May our souls bless You always

~ O Lord of Compassion and Mercy, heal the ailments of all who suffer in body and spirit, and release all minds and hearts crippled by anger and hate into the peace of Your great kindness. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

Gracious, Loving God

May our souls bless You always

~ 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 bless You always

~ 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 bless You always

~ O Lord of Compassion and Mercy, we offer blessings and thanksgivings for all Deacons, Priests, and Bishops for their humanity, spiritual guidance, and devotion to Your work in this World. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Gracious, Loving God

May our souls bless You always

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.

Monday, August 11, 2025

Prayers of the People: PLAIN Speaking ~ 10th Sunday after Pentecost WLWC* ‘25 Yr C

For Sunday, August 17, 2025; Readings: Ezekiel 19:1-3, 10-14; Psalm 30:1-12, Romans 12:14-21, Luke 6:17-25

What a lioness was your mother among lions! Among young lions, she lay raising her cubs. She raised up one of her cubs; who became a young lion, who learned to catch prey, who devoured the woman-born. Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard planted by the waters, fruitful and full of branches from abundant water… Then she was uprooted in a rage, she was thrown to the ground, the east wind withered her fruit, they were stripped off; her strongest stem was withered, then consumed by fire. [Ezekiel 19:2-3, 10, 12]

I will exalt you, ARK OF SAFETY, because you have pulled me up and have not let my enemies rejoice over me…Hear HOLY ONE, and have mercy upon me: HOLY ONE OF OLD, be my help. You have turned my wailing into dancing; from me you have taken my sackcloth and you have clothed me with joy. So that my glory might praise you and not keep silent; GLORIOUS ONE, my God, forever will I praise you. [Psalm 30:1, 1-12]

Bless the ones who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with the ones who rejoice, weep with the ones who weep…Do not avenge yourselves beloved rather, leave space for the wrath [of God]; for it is written, “To me belongs vengeance; I will repay, says the Holy One.” No, “If your enemy hungers, feed them; if they thirst, give them something to drink; for by so doing, burning coals shall you heap on their head.” Do not be overcome by evil rather, overcome evil with good. [Romans 12:14-21]

Then Jesus looked up at the women and men who were his disciples and said ”Blessed is the poor, for yours is the majesty of God. Blessed are those who are hungry now, for you all shall be fed. Blessed are you who weep now, for you all shall laugh…But woe to you who are rich, for you all have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you all shall be hungry… [Luke 6:20-21, 24-25a]

This week is no picnic in the park with these readings! Ezekiel starts us off with a pair of allegorical prophecies, poetry as lamentation. In the first, lion is the image of the royal tribe of Judah with the lioness referencing the queen mother raising her cubs. We’re in the Babylonian exile/captivity and Judah has no authority. The second allegory references the mother as a vine which is an image for the people of Israel. In the full reading, the vine is strong and so tall as to reach the clouds and then uprooted in a rage… foretelling the destruction of the kingdom.

The Psalmist is more comforting and recognizing God as deliverer and that sorrows and joy are cyclical in each human life. Everyone experiences times of sorrow and times of joy no matter our higher or lower, richer or poorer status in life.

In the reading from Romans, Paul tells us to be with one another, in pastoral terms to be present, on the path of Jesus in those times of weeping and grief and also to rejoice with others in times of joy. It is also important to be present with ourselves in times of grief and in times of joy and, especially, to ask others to be present with us! Of course on the first read, the line that says “If your enemy hungers, feed them; if they thirst, give them something to drink…” your eyebrows may fly higher than usual! BUT keep reading and there is, were I to be completely honest, some satisfaction in the second part about burning coals. Ahem…yet the message is clear that we are not to be overcome by evil rather, [we are to] overcome evil with good.

Luke brings us to what, at first glance, seems a brief retelling of the Sermon on the Mount minus lunch. This piece is known as The Sermon on the Plain and also Blessings and Woes. Jesus is speaking to his disciples and also his mere presence is literally healing those who have simply shown up to see him. In making the statement that the poor are blessed is far from suggesting that state of being is better than another. It is truly, as Dr. Gafney says that, “…poverty…so often exists because of the intentionally oppressive and exploitative actions of the rich.” In his time and our own, the poorest are women and children, in our country and in every part of the world. As Dr. Gafney also says, “The persistence and perpetuation of poverty is a sign of the unredeemed world that will be transformed for the last time on the last day.”

The underlying theme of this group of readings is that no one can be or ever is happy all the time. One problematic part of our western culture, I believe, is the notion that all we need is X, Y, Q, or P and everyone can have all that and more to be fulfilled and happy and beautiful and healthy and wealthy… thanks to advertising and the never-ending quest for more and better and bigger and more expensive. And, for the unprepared, come the crash of unexpected life events that damage or destroy all those expectations, which also can create significant physical and mental health stress. DEEP BREATH here…

In Plain speaking: Blessed are we who have faith that is better on some days than others, with one good friend or several or a community, for us to be present with and they for us in all manner of life circumstances, even if only by zoom if not in person. Let us let God do God stuff with those who are doing woeful things and just work in our own ways to show up to help others and ourselves through difficult times. There is much good we can do in our own space and the wider spaces around us. Let’s just take the Plain with us wherever we go, feeling blessed especially on one of those days or months or year.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Most FAITHFUL GOD, throughout our human living we rise and fall in our own cycles of laughter and tears, sickness and health, fear and calm, in our own unique circumstances and durations. Turn the eyes of our hearts and souls to you in every season for deliverance and sustenance, and the guidance for caring and sharing the sweet and the sorrow with all we know and meet along the way.