Prayers of the People: The Ultimate Grain of Truth, Fifth Sunday in Lent

for March 22, 2015, Fifth Sunday in Lent, Year B. Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ps 51: 1-13, Hebrews 5:5-10, John 12:20-33

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. [John 12:24] 

...I will make a new covenant...I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts...I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. [Jeremiah 31:31,33b,34b]

         From the beginnings of Christian Liturgy until the 1950s, the 5th Sunday in Lent was known across many liturgical denominations as Passion Sunday and it marked the beginning of a two-week Passiontide. The 6th Sunday was Palm Sunday with the Passion cycle culminating on Easter Day. There are a few traditionalists that still follow that liturgical line but these days in our corner of Episcopal/Anglican Land, the official two weeks of Passiontide is no longer observed and we now look at the 6th Sunday in Lent as the Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday. That said, the readings for today, especially the Epistle and the Gospel, tell us more about what is coming for Jesus, and for those who follow him.
         I already know what will happen over the next two weeks in the life of Jesus, but ~ have I thought lately about what it all means for my life? Having been a Christian for a fair amount of time I might be willing to admit that the emotion, seriousness, and sense of the sacred has diminished somewhat.
         I find myself drawn, this year in particular, into suspending my "knowledge" of the biblical events to come and letting the Scripture and Liturgy carry me as if I was going through it for the very first time. What will I experience? What will I learn? How will following Jesus and knowing that God chooses not to remember my sins change the direction of my life - or, will I let it? This week, Jesus tells his disciples about the grain of wheat that must die in order to bear fruit: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. [John 12:32]  Now, that's a grain of truth I can live with.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ God of Compassion and Infinite Forgiveness, You have written on our hearts, granted us unlimited pardon, and still we look away toward earthly wants. Let us see and hear again, through the faith we have and the faith we want, that the coming death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus, will bring us new promise as we blossom again into the full fruits of eternal life in Christ.

 Create in us clean hearts, O God

RESPONSE:    Give us the joy of Your saving help                                                                            

~ God of Compassion and Infinite Forgiveness, let us be steadfast in requiring of ourselves and the leaders of this world, our nation, and our community, that we all be upright in judgment, truthful and justified in action and speech, and seekers of the right spirit through wisdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Create in us clean hearts, O God

Give us the joy of Your saving help

~ God of Compassion and Infinite Forgiveness, untrouble the spirits of those afflicted by illness, turmoil, or doubt, and help them trust that You have heard their prayers and supplications. We pray especially for:  add your own petitions

Create in us clean hearts, O God

Give us the joy of Your saving help

~ God of Compassion and Infinite Forgiveness, calm the hearts of the mourners as those they shed tears for in this life are now lifted up and through Your holy gates to Heavenly and eternal glory. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Create in us clean hearts, O God

Give us the joy of Your saving help

~ God of Compassion and Infinite Forgiveness, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently…

Create in us clean hearts, O God

Give us the joy of Your saving help

~ God of Compassion and Infinite Forgiveness, we commend to You all those who faithfully endeavor to minister the Word of God and the sacraments of the New Covenant, that the reconciling love of Christ may be known and received. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Create in us clean hearts, O God

Give us the joy of Your saving help

The Celebrant adds:  LORD of all that is seen and unseen, as we prepare for the trials ahead, help us each seek to be a fruitful grain to flower and feed the souls of ourselves and others through the glory of Christ. We ask through Jesus our great High Priest, and the Holy Spirit our Sanctifier, who together with You, live, love, and reign as One God, now and forever.  Amen.         

Requests for prayers or meditations for this space or private use may be sent to Leeosophy@gmail.com. All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.

Prayers of the People: Snakes on the Plain, Fourth Sunday in Lent

for March 15, 2015, Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year B, Readings: Numbers 21:4-9, Ps 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10, John 3:14-21

           The people spoke against God and against Moses...Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents...they bit the people...many Israelites died...The people...said, "We have sinned...pray to the LORD to take away the serpents..." The LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live..." [Numbers 21:5a,6-7a,8]

          For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God - not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us..." [Ephesians 2:8-10a]

[Jesus said to Nicodemus] And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. [John 3:14-15]

      Even God gets tired of grumbling apparently. After all the grand displays of glory - pillars of cloud and fire, parting of seas, manna (what, no salt and pepper?), the people had no confidence in God's deliverance. Then God sends poisonous snakes and, suddenly chastened, the people begged Moses to pray and intervene for them. God delivers - not an end to the dangers, but relief. Moses, on God's orders, made a bronze snake to hang on a pole. All the Israelites had to do is look up at the snake on the pole and they lived. God is not predictable, but God is faithful. By God's grace we are saved.
          We ALL have God's grace. We don't have to work for it - no one does. Have you ever thought or said that old expression: there but for the grace of God go I ? It is well-intended. "There's that poor guy who just got run over in the same intersection I just crossed" - but what you are saying (and maybe unconsciously believe) is: " I  have more grace than that guy." But wait, of course you don't really mean that at all. It's just an habitual expression used to reduce our own fear and comfort ourselves against the dangers of life as in: Whew! Dodged that! Our lives are filled with danger, there are all sorts and conditions of "snakes" that trap us. God doesn't promise our earthly life will be easy or safe. We just need to remember that John 3:16 isn't just for football games, it is for us in every day: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. As the Israelites were directed to look up to the pole, Jesus tells Nicodemus that the Son of Man is also to be lifted up. All we need to do is to look to Christ in faith for our salvation, and realize the grace of God flows through us. And, maybe, stop grumbling quite so much.
       

T'was Grace that taught...

my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear...

the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares...

we have already come.

T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...

and Grace will lead us home.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O God of Enduring Mercy, as we sometimes grumble in the wilderness of our own making, let us look up out of our earthly frustrations to see the true light and gift of Your eternal life through Christ.

 

LORD God of Goodness

        RESPONSE:      You deliver us by grace through our faith                                                

~ O God of Enduring Mercy, as we observe and participate with the course of those in worldly power on our planet, in our country, and our local community, help us to advocate for all who are lost in the darkness of human trespass. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

LORD God of Goodness

You deliver us by grace through our faith

~ O God of Enduring Mercy, shelter the hearts of those suffering through illness, addiction, or homelessness, and give rest to those who worry and care for them.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

LORD God of Goodness

You deliver us by grace through our faith

~ O God of Enduring Mercy, clothe the grieving in the peace of knowing that our loved ones live in eternal resurrection with You.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

LORD God of Goodness

You deliver us by grace through our faith

~ O God of Enduring Mercy, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently…

LORD God of Goodness

You deliver us by grace through our faith

~ O God of Enduring Mercy, in the presence of the Holy Spirit, Moses turned to You, and Nicodemus turned to Jesus for understanding and help in leading Your people to You. Guide the souls, the minds, and the hearts of those who bring Your word to us that we may, together, turn our lives to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

LORD God of Goodness

You deliver us by grace through our faith

The Celebrant adds: God of Resurrection and Salvation, strengthen our faith to acknowledge and accept Your free gift of Grace, so that we may live as You created us ~ not to perish but to have eternal life. We ask through our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who live and reign with You as One God, now and forever.  Amen.

Requests for prayers or meditations for this space or private use may be sent to Leeosophy@gmail.com. All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.

Prayers of the People: Idol Thoughts/Sabbath Moment, 3rd Sunday in Lent

for March 8, 2015,Third Sunday in Lent, Year B, Readings: Ex 20:1-7, Ps 19, 1 Cor 1:18-25, John 2:13-22

I am the LORD your God...you shall have no other gods before me. [Exodus 20:2a,3]

You shall not make for yourself an idol*, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. [Exodus 20:4]

Remember the Sabbath* Day and keep it holy...a sabbath to the LORD your God... [Exodus 20:8,10a]

            I don't have much time for this, life is so busy - I need to write an email, update my Facebook status, text my sister, and get those last three stars on Angry Birds before that Housewives show comes on. Tomorrow is the hair appointment with pedicure, manicure, and facial before the department store, Costco, and the liquor store then dinner at that new restaurant. Thankfully I'm retired - I do not know how I got everything done when I was working full-time and raising my family. So, I've decided to take this moment as a sort of Sabbath moment to think about these readings as quickly as I can for my Lent thing.  OF COURSE God is above all other gods. And idols, I don't pray to or worship idols, only ancient peoples did that. The Sabbath thing - I remember when everything was shut down tight on Sundays, thank heavens that for the sake of convenience and commerce - people need jobs you know - that we can shop for everything these days 24/7 - that reminds me I need to log onto Amazon for those shoes and I'm thinking about a new tablet...Oh and the rest of the Commandments, right, well I don't bear false witness or covet, or those other terrible things, well maybe a little covet now and then. But Jesus with a whip - wow - turning the tables in more ways than one!
           But wait, then "he was speaking of the temple of his body." [John 2:21] 
Ah, I think I need to sit with that for a moment as a sudden memory of my grandmother has taken me over. She is telling me that my body is a temple of God and I should treat it with holiness. When was the last time I ever thought of that?  Maybe I need to take more than a moment for this Sabbath to the LORD my God...
 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Holy God, Supreme in Wisdom and Love, in the covenant given to us through Moses, we have received Your Divine Principles for the direction of our daily lives. Fill us with the desire to set our love for You above all else in life and to follow Your commandments with every thought and action.

  

O LORD, our God

        RESPONSE:      You are our Strength and Our Redeemer             

~ Holy God, Supreme in Wisdom and Love, as we may struggle to obey Your commandments to benefit ourselves, help us to lessen the struggle for the well being of all of Your people. Give us courage to actively engage with political leaders to temper human law with justice and mercy. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O LORD, our God

You are our Strength and our Redeemer

~ Holy God, Supreme in Wisdom and Love, revive the souls of those lost in the illness of body or despair of mind and give comfort to all who provide others with care.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O LORD, our God

You are our Strength and our Redeemer

~ Holy God, Supreme in Wisdom and Love, infuse the grieving with Your warmth and healing as the doors of Heaven open wide to receive those we love who have now gone ahead.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

 

O LORD, our God

You are our Strength and our Redeemer

~ Holy God, Supreme in Wisdom and Love, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently…

O LORD, our God

You are our Strength and our Redeemer

~ Holy God, Supreme in Wisdom and Love, inspire the words and meditations of those who lead us in Your Church, that we may be drawn, through them, to willingly and joyfully follow the path You have set for us. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O LORD, our God

You are our Strength and our Redeemer

The Celebrant adds: Holy and Mighty God Above All, You created each of us as a living temple acceptable in Your sight, to live in and for the love of You, our neighbors, and ourselves. Guide us to always seek rest in You and help us to escape the lure of idols in the distractions of earthly life. We ask through the wisdom of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit who together with You, reign as One God, forever and ever.  Amen.

*What are the idols in your life that keep you from a holy Sabbath to the LORD your God?
* What does Sabbath mean to you?

Requests for prayers or meditations for this space or private use may be sent to Leeosophy@gmail.com. All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.

Prayers of the People: You Can't Take It With You, 2nd Sunday in Lent

for March 1, 2015, Second Sunday in Lent, Year B, Readings: Gen 17:1-7, Ps 22:22-30, Romans 4:13-25, Mark 8:31-38

For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?

[Mark 8:36]

A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out

and get more stuff. 

  [George Carlin]

            Strive! Accomplish! Acquire!  Isn't that what life in our culture is all about? Sure I know I "can't take it with me" but while I'm here there's so much I want. What's wrong with having nice things and living well - actually, there's not so much wrong  but the real question is: when is enough, enough?
          Having it all may be more of a sacrifice than we realize. So much effort and stress is required for attaining more and more and more to the detriment of our spirits and souls. Do we need  the newest iPhone, the next Smart TV, the most encompassing cable tv bundle with 500+ channels and the ability to record hundreds of hours of such soul-enriching content as anything with "Housewife" in the title, beach volleyball, or promoting ego satisfaction among stage parents, and so very many ways to shop for stuff? 
          Indeed we are meant to enjoy life and not merely endure it. Part of the enjoyment is in truly realizing, and accepting, that not all of the reward of a life in Christ comes after we die. Living more simply without a false sense of need for possessions can free us to savor the beauty of God's presence in the simple pleasures of a sunset, a child's glee, a piece of music, or the fulfilling moment of giving peace to another's soul through a smile, a meal, or just listening. We do know what we're to do, we just need to do it! God's Covenant bestows eternal grace and it is always available through simple faith. Let us work together to experience God's grace as we follow Christ and live our faith through the Gospel.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Almighty God, Giver of Life, You call us into existence; You know us each by name. Open our hearts to share in the righteousness of the faith of Abraham. Guide us to know deeply that Your Covenant with all generations rests on Your gift of never-ending grace.

 

LORD of Promise, LORD Most High

        RESPONSE:      Our God in whom we put our trust

~ Almighty God, Giver of Life, while earthly government may be rooted in human authority, grant us divine inspiration to encourage right action by political leaders on behalf of all Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

LORD of Promise, LORD Most High

Our God in whom we put our trust

~ Almighty God, Giver of Life, may those who suffer in body, mind or spirit, or whose life circumstance is filled with woe, feel the warmth and light of Your holy presence and restful peace in their souls.   We pray especially for: add your own petitions

LORD of Promise, LORD Most High

Our God in whom we put our trust

~ Almighty God, Giver of Life, give solace to those in the depths of mourning even as You, and all of Heaven, raise a joyful shout of welcome to those now returned to eternal life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

LORD of Promise, LORD Most High

Our God in whom we put our trust

~ Almighty God, Giver of Life, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently…

LORD of Promise, LORD Most High

Our God in whom we put our trust

~ Almighty God, Giver of Life, grant extraordinary wisdom to those who lead us in Your Church, that we may hear Your Word through their voices and turn our lives to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

LORD of Promise, LORD Most High

Our God in whom we put our trust

The Celebrant adds:  God of Abraham, Sarah, and all Your People, strengthen our resolve to follow the Gospel path that we may reap high profits in spirit and forfeit the temporary, transient, and false treasure of our human experience. We ask this through Jesus, Son of Man, and the Holy Spirit, Source of Wisdom, who together with You, reign as One God, now and forever. Amen.

Requests for prayers or meditations for this space or private use may be sent to Leeosophy@gmail.com. All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used, with attribution, as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.

Meditation Moments in Lent: And the Reward goes to... First Monday in Lent

          Wait a minute - what exactly does reward  mean for my life?  Maybe it's an accolade, a gift, or a blessing. Perhaps it's personal satisfaction, affirmation, or an acquisition? Are we talking spiritual reward or earthly? Maybe I should try and figure out how to define the idea of "reward" for myself. Why am I so busy worrying about a reward?
          Is it just the culture of western life that pushes us to expect to be either rewarded or punished, even by God? Certainly a lot of interpretations of theology seems to be geared that way: Eternal life or eternal damnation. No wonder more and more people are becoming skeptical of religion. Is all the reward of a faith-filled life posthumous?  

But many people want to look upon God with the eyes with which they look upon a cow; they want to love God the way they love a cow that you love because it gives you milk and cheese. This is how people behave who want to love God because of external wealth or inner comfort; but they do not love God properly: rather, they love their self interest.   ― Meister Eckhart*

Dear Creator of Me ~ 
       As the first full week of Lent begins, I want so very much to be on the right track, do the right things, think the right thoughts. I want to love you the right way. How do I do that, how will I know I'm doing it the way I'm supposed to? Do I have to wait 'til I die to find out?
      Help me pause in my anxiousness about being correct in how I follow all the rules and simply rest my spirit in you. Encourage me to give up seeking the reward of you and take on being the gift of you. For this week, my simple prayer will be: Show me your ways O LORD, and teach me your paths. [Psalm 25:3]   Let me truly discover how virtue is its own reward.   amen.



*Meister Eckhart von Hockheim [c. 1260 – c. 1327] was a Dominican priest, German philosopher, theologian, and mystic who had more than a brush with controversy. Some of his teachings were labeled as heresy and he was brought before the Inquisition. Since the 19th century, interest in Eckart's teachings have been quite popular and he is now considered a "great mystic". 









Requests for prayers or meditations for this space or private use may be sent to Leeosophy@gmail.com. All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.

Meditation Moments in Lent: Frederick Douglass ~ Prophetic Witness

      "We have men sold to build churches, women sold to support the gospel, and babes sold to purchase Bibles for the poor heathen! All for the glory of God and the good of souls! The slave auctioneer’s bell and the church-going bell chime in with each other, and the bitter cries of the heart-broken slave are drowned in the religious shouts of his pious master. Revivals of religion and revivals in the slave-trade go hand in hand."  
       ~ Frederick Douglass 1817-1895

Will it ever be more than an "Us vs Them" world where we use the name of God as a weapon to justify all manner of inhumanity towards others? Where we choose to reject, demean, dismiss, cast out, or enslave others who don't look like or think like or believe like us? Where the few, for their own sense of power and personal gain, deliberately mislead the many who follow blindly into thoughts, words, and deeds that promote mistrust, deception, hatred, and all too much violence? Are we, the many, too self-absorbed to realize how easy it is to fall into unconscious group-think "understanding" and apply derogatory categories and labels that define our relationships with those other  than ourselves? 

Holy Lord of Heaven and Earth, 
         In this sacred time of Lent, grant me the strength of character and the courage of conviction and action of Your Servant, Frederick. Move me to go beyond merely knowing  what is right and good to being  right and good, and further, to doing  right and good in Your name for all the people of this world, especially in my own community. Help me to push beyond the barriers of my own making, to see through the halos and shadows imposed by others but accepted by me. Guide my heart to remember that we are each and every one the essence of Your Creation. And most of all, when I am in the midst of a moment of anger, doubt, fear, or uncertainty, help me to thoughtfully respond rather than mindlessly react out of arrogance or a false sense of superiority. Push me to take the time to breathe in Your Spirit and the love of Christ and Your saving help again that I may exhale grace into the space around me.  Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.   amen.



*Born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Douglass ultimately escaped and, as an ardent abolitionist leader, social reformer, renowned orator and author, the power of his pen and speech, at the very least, decimated the prevailing argument that people of color were intellectually inferior.  Becoming a licensed lay preacher in the A.M.E. Zion Church in 1839, his phenomenal biography would be amazing for anyone and all the more so for an escaped slave. He so impressed the Irish and English on a tour there, that funds were raised by British supporters to purchase his freedom from his owner in 1846. He returned to the US as a free man. The US Episcopal Church celebrates Douglass as a Prophetic Witness on the Liturgical Calendar for February 20.  

 Click to see the following:  Frederick Douglass  




Requests for prayers or meditations for this space or private use may be sent to Leeosophy@gmail.com. All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.

Meditation Moments: Spring Cleaning Begins - Ash Wednesday

I do not think you should get rid of your sin
 until you have learned 

what it has to teach you.

                                                                                                                                       [Richard Rohr, O.F.B*]

                 Here we are again at Ash Wednesday as Lent begins the Christian 40-day journey to Easter. Some will give up chocolate, junk food, or alcohol as an expression of penitence. Others will take on a new prayer or meditation discipline for the period, and some will be well-intentioned, begin in good faith, but falter along the way - not unlike "New Year's Resolutions." Some, of course, won't give Lent any particular attention.

        Some of us will receive ashes on our foreheads - which can be a stark and somber emblem of our individual and collective mortality - from dust we came and to dust we will return. It is also a graphic symbol of our faith commitment, our team logo, a temporary tattoo of our family crest, the sign of the Presence of Christ - the Light of the World. 

        Let's not make this Lent a dark and dreary trudge through the wilderness of gloom and doom. Life is a gift of God, a treasure, a miracle. While we must take the time to examine our sins and acknowledge the everyday idols that lead us astray, let us also do as Fr. Richard Rohr suggests - learn what our sins can teach us about ourselves. We go through much of life unconsciously and we can't get rid of something we don't know we have. Lent is a time to look closely and discover what we've been hiding in the basement of our souls. Just like Spring cleaning - or Fall if you're in the southern hemisphere - it's time to awaken to the best of ourselves, re-discover what it means to commit our lives to Christ, and throw the sin out with the trash. Let us repent with eagerness, with attention and intention, let us turn toward the Light and thrive.

(by the way, repent actually means to have a change of heart, a new consciousness, and more importantly, to turn toward God.)


Let us Pray. From Psalm 51:

11	Create in me a clean heart, O God, *     and renew a right spirit within me.
12	Cast me not away from your presence *     and take not your holy Spirit from me.
13	Give me the joy of your saving help again *     and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.

Forgive us our sins AS we forgive those who sin against us. Amen.

*Fr. Richard Rohr [1943- ] is a Franciscan priest, the inspirational author of more than 20 practical books on contemplative prayer, Christian mysticism, spirituality, the Perennial Tradition, etc., and is internationally recognized as an ecumenical teacher and speaker having shared presentations with Sr. Joan Chittister, The Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, the Dali Lama, Pastor Rob Bell, and so many others. He is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he resides.  See http://www.cac.org for more information.



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