Prayers of the People: Sheep Shifting, 2nd Sunday after Pentecost '17 Yr A

For Sunday, June 18, 2017, 2nd Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Readings: Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7); Psalm 116:1, 10-17; Romans 5:1-8, Matthew 9:35-10-8 (9-23)

      Now Sarah said, "God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me." [Genesis 21:6]

      How shall I repay the Lord for all the good things he has done for me? 

[Psalm 116:10]

      Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...and we boast in our hope...but we also boast in our sufferings...[that] produces endurance...and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit... [Romans 5:1-6]

      Jesus went about...proclaiming the good news...curing every disease...he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said..."The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest"..."See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves...But the one who endures to the end will be saved."  [Matthew 9:35-38; 10:16]

      Sheep are as good or better at flocking together as their feathery avian counterparts and just as skittish when disturbed. Unlike the birds of the air, sheep have limited directional options and will frequently scatter helter-skelter when frightened. The shepherd's job to calm them is all the more difficult and important as the shepherd must continually shift the flock to different pastures for feeding and safety. But it appears that sheep do come to trust their shepherd and to recognize and remember both animal and human faces and, along with a keen sense of smell, the comfort or danger they represent. The behavior of the flock is communal and spontaneous - impulsive and reactionary - to threats real and merely perceived. How like sheep we humans are, except that our sense of "smell" doesn't always tip us off to the many wolves in our midst.  

      When Jesus, as our Good Shepherd, sent the disciples - and us by extension - out like sheep into the midst of wolves with the admonishment to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves it wasn't with the understanding that all will be easy and comfortable. In fact, then as now, the assignment is quite frightening and dangerous. The key tools for our success at attaining a share in the glory of God are wisdom and innocence. Innocence, it must be said, is NOT about being naïve or dimwitted. It is about paying attention to surroundings, who or what is lurking in them, and keeping ourselves and each other from the clutches of sin. 

      The wolves of this world are many, but there are billions upon billions of sheep. The importance of our flocking together as a community of Christ was never more crucial as now.  Jesus was clear when he says later in Matthew: For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them [Mt 18:20]. As the body of Christ, each endowed with specific gifts from the Holy Spirit, we are called to labor in the fields of the LORD to build up the Kingdom and ultimately to share in God's glory, through the sacrifice of Jesus. Our community is our safe haven, in Christ's presence, to learn from, comfort, and guide one another around the wolves of temptation and through life's difficult times. As we flock together we also reap the benefit of joyful times. God gave laughter to Sarah, and to us in many and various ways. While we may not always feel like whistling as we work, we can seek pause to enjoy our life together, gather others lost and alone in their fields, and continually shift ourselves and our fellow sheep, out of the dens of wolves, and back onto the path of hope that leads to the Heavenly Pasture of life everlasting. Hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given us.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ God of Hope and Harvest, arouse and provoke us in heart and in mind to labor in Your fields, sow to the Spirit, and reap the plentiful bounty to grow our Family of Faith.

                                                Compassionate Lord                                      

RESPONSE:               Quicken our trust in You

~ God of Hope and Harvest, keep us wise, fervent, and convincing in our quest to support justice and peace by speaking Your truth to misguided power, wherever found, in the halls of governments across this World, this Country, and our Community, on behalf of all the sheep in Your pasture. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Compassionate Lord

                                                Quicken our trust in You

                                               

~ God of Hope and Harvest, grant comfort and endurance to all who suffer from disease, difficult treatments, and desperate circumstance and renew the strength of their caregivers. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                Compassionate Lord

                                                Quicken our trust in You

           

~ God of Hope and Harvest, in praise and thanksgiving, our hearts thrive in the joy of our loved ones who now live again, sharing in the eternal glory of Your heavenly courts. We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                                                Compassionate Lord

                                                Quicken our trust in You

~ God of Hope and Harvest, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

                                                Compassionate Lord

                                                Quicken our trust in You

           

~ God of Hope and Harvest, inspire again, all who lead us on our journey to You, as faithful Witnesses of the love and presence of Christ, through their prayer and service in His name. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Compassionate Lord

                                                Quicken our trust in You

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds:  Holy God, Almighty and Everliving, safeguard our souls from the devouring wolves of temptation in this life, that we may be filled with the innocence and wonder of holy laughter, and spend our human time in thanksgiving and service for Your gift of Salvation. We ask through the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus, our Christ, and Your boundless love from the Holy Spirit, who together with You are One God, forever and ever.   Amen.

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

Prayers of the People: Knowing God or No-ing God? Trinity Sunday, '15 Yr B

for Sunday May 31, 2015, Trinity Sunday, Yr B, Readings: Isaiah 6:1-8, Ps 29, Romans 8:12-17, John 3:1-17   

 IMAGE Only, UPDATED 06/06/17 (Yr A)

       

How is a mystery explained? And if explained, it is no longer a mystery. The mystery of the Trinity is nothing if not confounding. One God/Three Persons - separate yet one, equal with different roles that are ultimately the same, belief in one is meant to be belief in all and the One that is the same but different. 
        Franciscan theologian Richard Rohr tells us that "...the Western Church overemphasized the individual "names" Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but not so much the quality of the relationships between them, which is where all the power and meaning lies!" And further, "The real and essential point is how the three "persons" relate to one another--infinite outpouring and infinite receiving..."
      Rohr tells us that "...Niels Bohr, the Danish physicist who was a major contributor to quantum physics and nuclear fission, said the universe is 'not only stranger than we think, but stranger than we can think...' The doctrine of the Trinity is saying the same thing: God is not only stranger than we think, but stranger than we can think...Perhaps much of the weakness of the first 2,000 years of reflection on most of our doctrines and dogmas is that we've tried to understand them with a logical or rational mind instead of through love, prayer, and participation itself..." Perhaps we are called, as one mystic suggested, to be almost a fourth person in the flow of God...[to read the piece in its entirety, click the link: Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation, The Trinity]
      If rational knowing all about God becomes the substance and goal of our faith, aren't we merely reducing God to our level and then dismissively no-ing to all that God is? How more engaging to know that mystery is always unfolding?
      One of my favorite ways to attempt understanding is through a piece of a 6th century creed from Dublin known as Tírechán’s Creed ~ when speaking of God it says:

He has a Son who is co-eternal with himself;

   and similar in all respects to himself;

   and neither is the Son younger than the Father,

   nor is the Father older than the Son;

   and the Holy Spirit breathes in them.
And the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are inseparable.

   Got it now?

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Holy, Holy, Holy - Lord, Savior, Sanctifier, as Jesus did with Nicodemus, undo our certainty and need to know all there is about You. Grant us openness of mind, sincerity of heart, and willingness to come to You as unknowing, to allow the wind of the Spirit, the redemption of Christ, and our birth from Above, to move through us in Your many and miraculous ways.

 Mighty God in Three Persons

RESPONSE:  We worship You in the beauty of holiness

~ Holy, Holy, Holy - Lord, Savior, Sanctifier, in a world filled with the smoke of confusion, let us answer “Here we are; send us” to speak Your voice with clean lips, to bear witness for truth and justice for all Your people, in the halls of government everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Mighty God in Three Persons

We worship You in the beauty of holiness

~ Holy, Holy, Holy - Lord, Savior, Sanctifier, help those bowed low by illness, addiction, or loneliness to know the embrace of Your strength, and give comfort to all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

Mighty God in Three Persons

We worship You in the beauty of holiness

~ Holy, Holy, Holy - Lord, Savior, Sanctifier, lift the hearts of those deep in the woe of grief and help us each to remember the Christ-promise of eternal life given to all who believe. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Mighty God in Three Persons

We worship You in the beauty of holiness

~ Holy, Holy, Holy - Lord, Savior, Sanctifier, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently…

Mighty God in Three Persons

We worship You in the beauty of holiness

~ Holy, Holy, Holy - Lord, Savior, Sanctifier, for our earthly Guides who help us find our way to faith in the things of heaven, we give great thanks. Lift them on their own journeys that, together, we will rise to Your eternal glory. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Mighty God in Three Persons

We worship You in the beauty of holiness

The Celebrant adds: Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, let us live each day as the heirs of Your eternal Kingdom in deep faith free from mere superficial belief. Help us to seek the constant newness of Christ revealed, and to experience the great love that brought about the salvation of this world. We ask through each and all of the Three Eternal Persons in the sacred mystery of the Holy Trinity, who are One God, and reigns forever and ever.  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: Thinking Outside the Triangle, Trinity Sunday '17 Yr A

For Sunday, June 11, 2017, Trinity Sunday, Year A, Readings: Genesis 1:1-2:4a, Canticle 13, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, Matthew 28:16-20

        In the beginning...God created the heavens and the earth...God said, "Let there be light...called the dry land Earth and the waters seas...Let the Earth put forth vegetation...and living creatures of every kind...Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness" and God saw everything that he had made, and...it was very good. [Genesis 1:1]

        Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever. [Canticle 13 from the Song of the 3 Young Men]

       The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. [2 Corinthians 13:13]

       Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them...And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." [Matthew 28:16-20]

         A mystery, if explained, is no longer a mystery. The mystery of the Trinity is nothing if not confounding and controversial. One God/Three Persons - separate yet one, equal with different roles that are ultimately the same, belief in one is meant to be belief in all and the One that is the same but different. Got that?

        Franciscan theologian Richard Rohr tells us that "...the Western Church overemphasized the individual "names" Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but not so much the quality of the relationships between them, which is where all the power and meaning lies!" And further, "The real and essential point is how the three "persons" relate to one another--infinite outpouring and infinite receiving..."

        Rohr tells us that "...Niels Bohr, [a Danish physicist who was a major contributor to quantum physics and nuclear fission] said the universe is 'not only stranger than we think, but stranger than we can think...' The doctrine of the Trinity is saying the same thing: God is not only stranger than we think, but stranger than we can think...Perhaps much of the weakness of the first 2,000 years of reflection on most of our doctrines and dogmas is that we've tried to understand them with a logical or rational mind instead of through love, prayer, and participation itself..." Perhaps we are called, as one mystic suggested, to be almost a fourth person in the flow of God...[to read the piece in its entirety, click the link: Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation, The Trinity]

        If rational knowing all that God is becomes the substance and goal of our faith, aren't we merely reducing God to our level and then dismissing all that God is? Otherwise, how does one claim to have faith? [see John 20:24-29, Doubting Thomas] 

      One of my favorite ways to attempt a kind of explanation/understanding is through a piece of a 6th century creed from Dublin known as Tírechán’s Creed ~ when speaking of God it says:

He has a Son who is co-eternal with himself;

   and similar in all respects to himself;

   and neither is the Son younger than the Father,

   nor is the Father older than the Son;

   and the Holy Spirit breathes in them.

And the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are inseparable.

       If we think outside the Triangle that was developed to try to contain and explain, perhaps we can arrive at the beginning where all things are possible with God. So, now that the mystery of the Trinity is solved, any questions?

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Divine and Blessed Trinity, You have created the heavens, the earth, all means of life, and, in Your own Image, humanity. You have granted us the redemption of our sins, and set the fire of Pentecost within us. All that keeps us from a life wholly dedicated to you is ourselves.

                                                All Glory to our Triune God!                                         

RESPONSE:             Let us praise You and highly exalt You forever

~ Divine and Blessed Trinity, with our God-given intellects, the love of Christ, and the courage of the Spirit, we each have abilities to exhort the leaders of this World, this Nation, and this Community, to answer Your call to serve the best interests of ALL people, and this planet, with justice, mercy, and in peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                All Glory to our Triune God!

                                                Let us praise You and highly exalt You forever

                                               

~ Divine and Blessed Trinity, grant extra grace of hope and healing upon those who are ill in mind, body, or spirit, and continuing strength and perseverance to those who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                All Glory to our Triune God!

                                                Let us praise You and highly exalt You forever

           

~ Divine and Blessed Trinity, our heartfelt thanksgivings rise with those who have left this earthly experience, lifted into eternal joy and bliss, as reward for lives well lived in You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                                                All Glory to our Triune God!

                                                Let us praise You and highly exalt You forever

~ Divine and Blessed Trinity, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

                                                All Glory to our Triune God!

                                                Let us praise You and highly exalt You forever

           

~ Divine and Blessed Trinity, bestow peace of heart, strength of mind, and courage of conviction for all You have called and blessed as guides for our souls in this life. Hold us fast as we journey together toward everlasting life in Your Holy of Holies. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                All Glory to our Triune God!

                                                Let us praise You and highly exalt You forever

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds:  Eternal and Infinite Whole, One and All, we are each endowed with Your essence to guide us in all that we do, and think, and pray. Embolden our souls to limit mere temporal diversions and seek our ultimate fulfillment in humble service to Your call. We beseech You as our Most Holy Creator, our Messiah Christ, and our Sacred Spirit, Who together are One God, forever and ever.  Amen.

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

Prayers of the People: The Gift that Keeps on Giving, Pentecost Sunday, '17 Yr A

For Sunday, June 4, ..2017, Pentecost Sunday, Year A, Readings: Acts 2:1-21, Psalm 104:25-35, 37; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13, John 7:37-39

        When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were altogether in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind... Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability... then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 
[Acts 2:1-4, 21]

        O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all...You send forth your Spirit, and they are created... [Psalm 104: 25a, 31a]

        Now there are a variety of gifts but the same Spirit...but it is the same God that activates all of them in everyone...To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good...the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. For just as the body is one and has many members of the body, though many are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free... [1 Corinithians 12:4a, 6b-7, 11]

        ...[Jesus] cried out, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the Scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow the living water.' Now he said this about the Spirit, which the believers were about to receive..." 

[John 7:37b-39a]

        We are now 50 days after Easter, 10 days after the Ascension. We have arrived at Pentecost, the feast of the Holy Spirit - the birthday of the Christian Church.

        The word Pentecost comes from the Greek for "fiftieth" and carries much ancient history and tradition with it besides its timing within the Christian calendar. On the Jewish calendar, this ancient feast is Shavuot and follows 50 days after Passover - but generally our mutual feasts do not overlap. Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai and perhaps is another reason the disciples were gathered together, in the comfort of a familiar structure of a venerable ritual, in addition to waiting for the sign promised by the resurrected Jesus only 10 days before, in his last in-person teachings.

        Remember that in the previous month and a half, they had experienced the arrest and violent execution of Jesus, his resurrection, various appearances to them, then his ascension, and their own grief and fear and uncertainty at these inexplicable turn of events. Here they are gathered together again without quite knowing what was next or when. And then suddenly a sound like a violent wind and tongues of fire resting on them gave them more than good reason to be bewildered, astonished, and amazed! And then, their ministry began in earnest, taking Christ's message far and wide.

        Today we are blasé. We know the story too well; we are immune to the thrill and amazement of a story about tongues of fire. We pack the churches at Christmas and Easter yet come Pentecost, all seems routine even if a "festival Eucharist" is celebrated. Of course Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter are all critical to our Christian history. We can't have gotten to this point at all without Christ's birth, death, and resurrection. But it was on that Pentecost's arrival of the Holy Spirit that fired up the Apostles and sent them around the known world proclaiming Christ, converting, and making the way for us to be the Church here and now, more than 2,000 years later. Without that Pentecost, would we still know about Christmas, Good Friday, or Easter?

        Today is the day to stop merely knowing the story. Today is the day to START feeling the Spirit – to be as amazed and astonished and bewildered as the Apostles - and EXCITED.  We have the Spirit within us! And God’s grace, and the love and Salvation of Christ for the wanting of it. THIS IS the day that the LORD has made! Let us rejoice and be glad and joy-filled, and alive in it! After all, what else is faith for? 
        On this fiftieth day from Easter, we are to KNOW that we, too, are filled with the Holy Spirit, to accept and welcome the extraordinary gifts and abilities bestowed on us, chosen for and unique to each of us. To be eager and enthusiastic in embracing all that a true life of faith calls us to be and to do, to live fully in the belief in Christ that we claim. We also celebrate, with our Jewish heritage, the giving of the Law on Sinai as our rules of life. On this Birthday of the Church, let us claim our heritage as children of God, equal one and all, and to use the language of love with each other as we strive to be all that Jesus has shown us. Christmas is wonderful, and lovely, and blessed but with Pentecost comes the true gift that keeps on giving!

       As the Birthday of the Church, Pentecost marks the official beginning of the ministry of the Apostles beyond their local area and into the world at large. The descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues of fire imbued, instilled, and infused them, and each of us by extension, with extra-ordinary gifts to bring the message of Christ to everyone. This day is known as Whitsun/Whitsunday in Ireland and the United Kingdom, a name descending from a Gaelic celebration of medieval or perhaps even more ancient times. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Holiest Spirit, Breath of God, agitate us out of our ordinary and propel us into calling upon the extraordinary gifts and abilities bestowed by You, unique to us each, that lead us to eager, faith-filled living in the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord.  

                                                Glorious Fire from Heaven                                                   

RESPONSE:             Enflame our souls into action

~ Holiest Spirit, Breath of God, set alight our own tongues to speak in the language of Your Truth to the leaders of this Earth, this Country, and this Community, as the voice of those crying in the wilderness of poverty, war, intolerance, and injustice. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Glorious Fire from Heaven

                                                Enflame our souls into action

                                               

~ Holiest Spirit, Breath of God, infuse Your care, comfort, and hope to all who suffer serious illness, anxiety, or addiction, and refresh all who provide support and love. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                Glorious Fire from Heaven

                                                Enflame our souls into action

           

~ Holiest Spirit, Breath of God, we celebrate the wonder and joy of all who have called upon the name of the Lord and now dance in the glory of salvation forever. We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                                                Glorious Fire from Heaven

                                                Enflame our souls into action

~ Holiest Spirit, Breath of God, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

                                                Glorious Fire from Heaven

                                                Enflame our souls into action

           

~ Holiest Spirit, Breath of God, quicken the essence of our spiritual leaders in this life, that they may elevate the enthusiasm and energy in our own believers’ hearts to drink deeply of the Living Waters of Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Glorious Fire from Heaven

                                                Enflame our souls into action

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds:  God of Creation, Redemption, and Wisdom, though we are many, we are one body in the one Spirit, all equal in Your eyes. May our hearts again be set ablaze to discern Your will, keep Your Commandments, and use our earthly lives for the common good of all. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer Christ, and the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom Advocate, who together with You reign as One God, now and for eternity.  Amen.

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

Prayers of the People: Lift Off, Ascension! 7th Sunday of Easter Yr A '17

For Sunday, May 28, 2017, 7th Sunday of Easter, Year A, Readings: Acts 1:6-14, Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36; 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11; John 17:1-11

       [Jesus] replied..."It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you...When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. [Acts 1:7-8a]

       But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; let them be merry and joyful...Blessed be God! [Psalm 68:3, 36b]

       Cast all your anxiety on [God] because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith...God of all grace who has called you to eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen. [1 Peter 4:7-9a, 10b, 11]

     Jesus looked up to heaven and said..."I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world...and they have received me and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf...And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world...Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one." [John 17:6a, 8b-9a, 11a]

      The Divinely Human Christ takes his leave of this plane as the apostles watch him be lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. As it says in the Apostles and Nicene Creeds: he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 

       The Feast of the Ascension is one of the five major markers in the Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus. The others are his Baptism, Transfiguration, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. The Ascension is also one of the essential elements of Christian creeds and one of the significant mysteries in the life of Christ. The bodily Ascension into heaven is also understood by some as the expression of Christ's two natures: divine and human. The mythology, the mystical, and the mysterious all combine to fuel the fires of discussion, disagreement, and theological divides across generations and denominations. Typically observed on the 6th Thursday, or 40 days, after Easter, it precedes Pentecost Sunday (50 days after Easter) and then next is Trinity Sunday.

        The Gospel of John's account of the Ascension, that the Revised Common Lectionary is using for this Sunday, contains a bit of Jesus' human side - he prays to God to protect us now that he is leaving this world - we who were given to him by God and who remain in this world; and he prays for unity in the Church. Samuel Cruz, Assistant Professor of Church and Society at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, has this to say: "A prayer from Jesus asking for protection via unity of the church, provides a great source of comfort to his followers...[it] is powerful because it emerges from his personal experiences as a man...[as when] a parent prays for his or her child, we know that the motivations behind that prayer are deep and primal. Likewise, the deeply loving petition in our favor requested by Jesus is greatly treasured." The Living Jesus does care greatly for his followers then and now. For our part, let us return this great comfort by devoting ourselves to prayer as the apostles did while waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit to come upon them. Let us follow Peter's instructions to cast all our anxiety on God because our adversary, the devil, even in the form of seemingly benign earthly temptation, could easily devour our good intentions, carrying us away from what we are called to do in this life. With some prayer, discipline, and faith, we, too, will be restored, supported, and strengthened by God for that day when we are raised and Lift Off to the highest heights of heaven to live eternally with the Ascended Jesus. Blessed be God! To God be the power forever and ever. AMEN!

        

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O God of All Grace, Jesus, glorified You in his earthly life and prayed for our protection out of his humanity. Fortify our faith that we may be steadfast and resist the worldly temptations prowling around us, looking to devour our fragile promises to You.

                                                Christ, Ascended                                              

RESPONSE:               Restore, Support, and Strengthen us

~ O God of All Grace, bolster the character and principles of those in political leadership on this Earth, in this Nation, and in our community, and steady them on the course of justice, mercy, and peace for all the people of Your Creation.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Christ, Ascended

                                                Restore, Support, and Strengthen us

                                               

~ O God of All Grace, rest Your healing spirit upon all who are coping with chronic or life-threatening illness, and give rest to all who give them love and care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                Christ, Ascended

                                                Restore, Support, and Strengthen us

           

~ O God of All Grace, gladden our hearts knowing that those we love who have left our lives, are now risen with all the Saints and the Ascended, Living Jesus. We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                                                Christ, Ascended

                                                Restore, Support, and Strengthen us

~ O God of All Grace, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

                                                Christ, Ascended

                                                Restore, Support, and Strengthen us

           

~ O God of All Grace, empower the leaders of Your Church with spiritual wisdom and with souls yearning for You. Grant them hearts open to the challenges of being Christ’s emissary to guide us to do Your work in this world. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Christ, Ascended

                                                Restore, Support, and Strengthen us

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds:  Holy God of Power and Glory, as we cast our anxiety upon You, re-kindle our desire to reflect upon and rejoice in Your presence, and renew our willingness to be disciplined, in the pursuit of the eternal glory in Christ, in the life You have given us to live.  We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Ascended Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, our Sacred Sanctifier; who live and reign with You, One God, forever and ever.  Amen.

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