People's Prayers

Monday, December 4, 2017

Prayers of the People: Now is the Time to Give, 2nd Sunday of Advent '17 Yr B

For Sunday, December 10, 2017, 2^nd Sunday of Advent, Year B, Readings: Isaiah 40:1-11, Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a, Mark 1:1-8

"Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken..." He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep. [Isaiah 40:5, 11]

You have been gracious to your land, O LORD...Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring up from the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

[Psalm 85:1a, 10-11]

The Lord is not slow about his promise...but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance...in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. [2 Peter 3:9, 13]

As it is written..."See I am sending my messenger ahead...the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'" And people from the whole Judean countryside, and all of the people of Jerusalem were going out to [John the baptizer] and were baptized...confessing their sins. [Mark 1:2a, 3, 5]

The Advent season brings a variety of symbols that aid us in prayerful reflections. The use of the Advent wreath was begun in the time of Martin Luther of the Protestant Reformation and how it is used differs among the many traditions that employ it. In many, there are at least four candles on a wreath of evergreen that is shaped in a perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of God. The lighting of the candles is to symbolize the coming of Christ.

During each Sunday of Advent, in some traditions, the candles represent the four virtues Jesus brings us: Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace. Others consider the lighting of the first candle to symbolize expectation, while the second is hope, the third joy, and the fourth purity. The Christ candle, in the center of the wreath, is lighted on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day reminding Christians that Jesus is the light of the world. Last week I chose Hope as a focus and this week, Love. Keeping alive Hope in and Love of Christ is a way to prepare ourselves and keep our own paths straight in these unsettled uncertain times.

Things weren't so very different in John the Baptizer's times, except no one knew the story of Jesus as we do now. Their lives were filled with wars, pestilence, racial hatred, poverty, and oppression and then here comes this rather wild-looking and sounding person direct from the desert telling them to straighten up and straighten out - the way of the Lord must be prepared! Also, the Messiah's arrival really was imminent as Jesus was literally on his way to them. We've gotten a bit complacent, 2000+ years later. We conveniently forget the admonishment that the time of Christ's return will come like a thief. We have set aside imminence for: whatever, whenever. But I have to take a step back and consider: if I didn't know then what I know now, how would I have responded to John and his message?

Here, today, in our world filled with wars, disease, racial hatred, and oppression, etc., from the first chapter of the first Gospel ever written, John is still the voice crying...in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. [Mark 1:4] Are we listening and heeding or is it just that same old familiar refrain we hear on the way to Christmas?

This is a time of beginning, a moment to discover if we are increasingly more caught up in the soul-less wilderness of a mostly secular society than we are in presenting our best selves to our God. It is again, still, always, time for some soul-searching and sincere repentance.

To repent means literally to "turn from" or even to "turn toward." Through the waters of baptism we are forgiven, cleansed, and the fire of sin is doused. Let us turn from sin, turn toward Jesus, and reclaim the forgiveness and cleansing of our baptism. If it truly is more blessed to give than to receive, now is the time to give ourselves by preparing for the Coming of Christ who will baptize us with the Holy Spirit. And through Christ we receive the greatest Gift of all.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Gracious, Loving LORD, gather us in Your arms and draw us out from the spiritual wilderness we make for ourselves through our daily neglect of You. Speak peace to us who seek patience of heart and faithfulness of soul, as we make ready for new heavens and a new earth, in the coming of our Savior, Christ.

Jesus, Emmanuel

RESPONSE: Come, Ransom Us Again

~ Gracious, Loving LORD, our tumultuous world is rife with racial, religious, and political hatred; devastation from natural and human-made disasters, searing poverty and war, and the dismantling of compassion and empathy through unchecked power and unrelenting greed. In this sacred waiting time, let us prepare the Way of our Christ, speaking to those who govern on this Planet, in our Nation, and in our local Community, by taking intentional and positive steps toward the renewal of mercy, truth, righteousness, and peace among us all. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Emmanuel

Come, Ransom Us Again

~ Gracious, Loving LORD, give comfort to everyone who is suffering through illness, addiction, or despair; and bestow special grace upon all who provide support. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

Jesus, Emmanuel

Come, Ransom Us Again

~ Gracious, Loving LORD, grant hope to all who grieve, as the heaven now celebrates each soul that has departed from earthly woes and entered the joy and peace that passes all mortal understanding. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Emmanuel

Come, Ransom Us Again

~ Gracious, Loving LORD, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

Jesus, Emmanuel

Come, Ransom Us Again

~ Gracious, Loving LORD, energize and excite all who lead us in Your Church, that together in this holy season, we may re-ignite our faith-filled wonder and eager anticipation, turning our hearts, minds, and lives back to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Emmanuel

Come, Ransom Us Again

The Celebrant adds: Jesus, Lord at thy Birth, let us repent of our sins in the silent nights of our souls, that we may feel the approach of Your redeeming grace, and seek the dawn of indescribable joy through life and love everlasting in You. We ask through the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, and the Creator, Most High, who together with You, are our One God, on earth, in heaven, forever. Amen.

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Monday, November 27, 2017

Prayers of the People: Cloud Cover, 1st Sunday of Advent '17 Yr B

For Sunday, December 3, 2017, First Sunday of Advent, Year B, Readings: Isaiah 64:1-9, Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9,
Mark 13:24-37

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence - as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil...Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of you hand...O LORD do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people. [Isaiah 64:1-2a, 8, 9b]

Restore us, O God of Hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved...And so will we never turn away from you; give us life, that we may call upon your name. [Psalm 80:7, 17]

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus; for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind - just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you...as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ...He will also strengthen you to to the end. [1 Corinthians 1:4-6, 7b, 8a]

Then they will see the 'Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds...Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come...Therefore, keep awake - for you do not know when the Master of the House will come...or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. [Mark 26-27, 33, 35a, 36]

For those with cloudy memories, or unfamiliar with this new season, in many Christian denominations Advent is a season of hopeful waiting, and the beginning of a new liturgical year. We spend the four weeks before Christmas preparing ourselves and our souls in hope and with repentance for our sins, as we await the birth of Jesus, our Savior.

We mark the beginning of each week by the lighting of a candle in the Advent Wreath with a prayerful reflection before the Liturgy (the Mass or the Service) begins. Each candle represents a theme from the readings of that week. Some people will also use an Advent Calendar to mark each day with special prayer or meditation and there are varying kinds for children, too. Just as a New Year's resolution starts well and means well, Advent is the opportunity to be intentional about preparing for and renewing our commitment to Jesus as our Savior. Each season of the Liturgical Year is designed to help us to remember, continuously renew, and re-commit ourselves to our faith and to Christ.

This week’s theme is Hope. In a year where the world has already seen the heavens torn open, mountains quake, fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil all across this Earth, decimating the lives of millions, not to mention the violence wrought by humans, it does give pause and perhaps a deep inhalation of breath and wonder. But the Prophet Isaiah is reminding God that we are the clay and God is our potter and we are the the work of his hands. So please, God, says Isaiah, do not remember iniquity forever...we are all your people. The Psalmist also speaks to and asks God to restore us so that in the hope of God's light we will be saved as we can call upon God's name.

Paul, in 1 Corinthians, reminds us that we have been given spiritual gifts by God and Jesus will also strengthen us - if we but let him. And Jesus, the true Master of the House, gives us hope with a few warning signs that will signal the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory...But...Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when this time will come. Not the angels nor the Son himself know the time, only God knows the day and the hour. Our Hope truly is in the name of the Lord, and, in our willingness to turn the thoughts and actions of our lives toward the light of God's presence.

It's definitely not easy to get back on the right course, especially at this time of year with all the false glitter that obscures our inner vision and diverts us from our good intentions. But the cloud cover on our path forward begins to lift when we are sincere in our desire to dedicate our lives to Christ, and earnest in our preparation for his return, coming in clouds with great power and glory, to claim us for all eternity.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Creator God, our Maker and our Redeemer, we are the work of Your Hand and we are all Your People. Forgive us our sins and make Your Presence known among all who would harm us. Gather us from the four winds that we may be relieved of our unbelief, awakened by Your Light, and never again turn away from You.

Lord of Hope and Strength

RESPONSE: Let us prepare for Your Coming

~ Creator God, our Maker and our Redeemer, in these tumultuous times, steady the hearts and minds of all who govern on this Earth, in this Country, and in towns, cities, and rural places everywhere. Straighten the path to peace among international, national, and local adversaries, and guide us all to promote justice, mercy, and humanitarian care. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord of Hope and Strength

Let us prepare for Your Coming

~ Creator God, our Maker and our Redeemer, nourish the spirits of all who are chronically ill, without homes and family, or fighting addiction, that they, and those who give support, may feel Your warmth, light, and encouragement within. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

Lord of Hope and Strength

Let us prepare for Your Coming

~ Creator God, our Maker and our Redeemer, console and inspire us with knowing that the power and glory of Your Kingdom are now embracing those who have entered Your gates, and awaiting all who are in transition from this life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord of Hope and Strength

Let us prepare for Your Coming

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

Lord of Hope and Strength

Let us prepare for Your Coming

~ Creator God, our Maker and our Redeemer, rekindle the excitement of this waiting time, in all who are anointed in Your Name to reveal the testimony of Christ. Guide us all, together, and restore us to the course of truth that leads toward eternal blessings in You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord of Hope and Strength

Let us prepare for Your Coming

The Celebrant adds: O Son of Man, Master of the House, keep us awake with joyful anticipation, to faithfully ready our souls through prayer and repentance, for the sudden unknown time and place of Your return, that claims us for eternity. We ask through the Holy Spirit, and the LORD of Hosts, who together with You reign as One God, forever and for always. Amen.

Monday, November 20, 2017

Prayers of the People: The Reign of Christ 7th Sunday in the Season of Creation '17

For Sunday, November 26, 2017, 7^th Sunday in the Season of Creation, Readings: Colossians 1:15-20, Psalm 24,

Song of Creation*, Matthew 25:31-46

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created...all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. [Colossians 1:15-16a, 19-20]

Who can ascend the hill of the LORD...those who have clean hands and a pure heart, who have not pledged themselves to falsehood, nor sworn by what is a fraud...Lift up your heads oh gates...and the King of glory shall come in. [Psalm 24:3a, 4, 9a,c]

Then the guardian of mankind adorned this middle-earth below, the world for men and women, everlasting Lord, Almighty King. [adapted from Caedmon's song*]

When the Son of Man comes into his glory...All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats...Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me...but the righteous [will go] into eternal life." [Matthew 25:31a, 32, 40, 46b]

The Season of Creation originated in the Anglican Church of South Africa and was formalized in 2008. It is designed for us to explore our faith from a Creation perspective. The overarching theme for 2017 is Environmental Justice inspired in part by the Youth Principles from the Second National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in Washington, DC in 2002, the text of which and a fuller explanation of the Season can be found here: http://prayersofthepeople.blogspot.com/2017/10/prayers-of-people-in-beginning-1st.html We use Biblical and other readings that pertain to the specific theme of each of the 7 weeks of the Season. Alternate readings used will follow the prayers.

Week 7's Theme is: The Reign of Christ

The kingly Christ is now, has always been, will forever be, but the Divine-Human Incarnation, the manifestation of the love of God that is Jesus is just over 2,000 years old. Jesus - the human face of God - came and will come again as God's own divine self on earth. It is more than difficult to comprehend, in those times we stop and remember to try, as inexplicable and unsolvable mysteries often are.

As we strive to be good sheep, our everyday lives, with their ups and downs on a variety of fronts, keep us fairly distracted and it is often very difficult, when confronted with particular issues, to remember to look for Christ in strangers, the sick, the imprisoned, and the poor - and especially in those who seem better off in life than we feel we are, or those who, in our less than best moments, we disparage as goats. Yet our divine calling is to specifically: seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves, and, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being [Baptismal Covenant, U.S. Book of Common Prayer]. Some days, some seasons, some years, it's much easier to be a goat and rest in the more comfy Jesus - the sweet Baby of the Christmas glitter, and, ignoring the other “reason for the season”, the resurrected Jesus in the bright colors of Easter flowers, dyed eggs, and candy.

But as we are at the end of one liturgical season and beginning another, it is time to reconsider our actions as members of the Body of Christ, and truly follow Jesus with intention and consciousness ~ Jesus who is our Messiah, the Rock of our Salvation, Christ the King of Glory. Let us not discard divine mystery for a false reality, but rouse ourselves from the haze of distraction, indifference, and complacency. Let us, as the blessed inheritors of the Kingdom, turn toward the inconvenient call of Christ. After all, if we believe that our very existence on this fragile island planet is truly a gift from God, what is there to lose if we live it through Christ? Wait and you'll see.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, awaken us again to the wonder of God’s fullness in You and to find You first place in our lives. Guide our faith that we may be gathered as Your sheep, and live into our divine blessings by caring for all among us, even to beckoning the goats of this life, to join with us in Your eternal flock.

Jesus, Face of God

RESPONSE: Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, clean our hands and purify our hearts that we, and the leaders of governments on this Earth, may not pledge ourselves to falsehoods, be sworn to fraud, or embrace injustice and abuse of power anywhere, across the entire realm of God’s Creation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, grant comfort and healing for all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and for those who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, soothe and brighten all grieving hearts, as You joyously receive and bless those now entering into Your gracious and forever kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, inscribe special blessings upon the souls of those anointed lead Your Church, as we journey together through the gifts and trials of this mortal life. We pray especially for: We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

The Celebrant adds: Son of Man, the Incarnation of Love, let us, sheep and goats as we each are at once, accept and extend the blessing of Your hands, welcomed and welcoming, as inheritors and stewards of Your holy and sacred Kingdom. We offer our praise to You as Jesus, our Redeemer Christ, to the Holy Spirit as the Divine Breath of the Trinity, and to our Creator, Guardian of Humankind, who together and before time, live and reign as one God, then, now, and into forever. Amen.

*Reading #2: Song of Creation

Now we must praise the guardian of heaven, the might of the Lord and his purpose of mind, the work of the glorious Father. For the God Eternal established each wonder. The Holy Creator, first fashioned heaven as a roof for the people. Then the guardian of mankind adorned this middle-earth below, the world for men and women, everlasting Lord, Almighty King. Adapted from Caedmon’s song – late 7^th century

Prayers of the People: Christ the King, Last Sunday after Pentecost '17 Yr A

For Sunday, November 26, 2017, Christ the King, Last Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Readings: Ezekiel 34:11-16,

Psalm 95:1-7a, Ephesians 1:15-23, Matthew 25:31-46

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep...I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak...I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at the weak animals with your horns...I will save my flock and they will no longer be ravaged...I will judge between sheep and sheep. [Ezekiel 34:15a, 16,20b-22]

Come, let us sing to the LORD; let us shout for joy to the Rock of our Salvation...For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. [Psalm 95: 1, 7a]

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ...may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe... [Ephesians 1:17-19a]

When the Son of Man comes into his glory...All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats...Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me...but the righteous [will go] into eternal life." [Matthew 25:31a, 32, 40, 46b]

In this Sunday of Christ the King, the Final Sunday in the Season after Pentecost, or The Season of the Kingdom in some places, we look at the Christ of Wisdom, of Eternity, of Majesty, and Jesus, of human form. The kingly Christ is now, has always been, will forever be, but the Divine-Human Incarnation, the manifestation of the love of God that is Jesus is just over 2,000 years old. Jesus - the human face of God - came and will come again as God's own divine self on earth. It is more than difficult to comprehend, in those times we stop and remember to try, as inexplicable and unsolvable mysteries often are.

Ezekiel reminds us of God as the Shepherd, rescuing, feeding, healing, finding, and strengthening the weak, while separating the weak sheep from the fat sheep who butted and scattered the weaker. In Matthew’s Gospel account, Jesus speaks of separating sheep and goats, and between the two accounts, goats and fat sheep are not faring well with divine judgment.

As we strive to be good sheep, our everyday lives, with their ups and downs on a variety of fronts, keep us fairly distracted and it is often very difficult, when confronted with particular issues, to remember to look for Christ in strangers, the sick, the imprisoned, and the poor - and especially in those who seem better off in life than we are, or those who, in our less than best moments, we disparage as goats (or those very fat sheep!). Yet our divine calling is to specifically: seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves, and, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being [Baptismal Covenant, U.S. Book of Common Prayer]. Some days, some seasons, some years, it's much easier to be a goat and rest in the more comfy Jesus - the sweet Baby of the Christmas glitter, and, ignoring the other “reason for the season”, the resurrected Jesus in the bright colors of Easter flowers, dyed eggs, and candy.

But as we are at the end of one liturgical season and beginning another, it is time to reconsider our actions as members of the Body of Christ, and follow Jesus with intention and consciousness ~ Jesus who is our Messiah, the Rock of our Salvation, Christ the King of Glory. The writer of Ephesians prays for our wisdom, our enlightenment, and for us to know the glory of God’s immeasurable greatness. Let us not discard divine mystery for a false reality, but rouse ourselves from the haze of distraction, indifference, and complacency. Let us, as the blessed inheritors of the Kingdom, turn toward the inconvenient call of Christ. After all, if we believe that our very existence on this fragile island planet, is truly a gift from God, what is there to lose if we live it through Christ? Everything that matters! Wait, and you’ll see.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Jesus, Face of God

RESPONSE: Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, guide our hearts and intentions, that we and the leaders of governments on this Earth, may seek the lost, bind up the injured, feed them on justice, and not ravage, use, or abuse your flocks, anywhere, across the entire realm of God’s Creation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, soothe and brighten all grieving hearts as You joyously receive and bless those now entering into Your gracious and forever kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

Jesus, Face of God

Let us seek and serve You in all faces

The Celebrant adds: Son of Man, the Incarnation of Love, let us, sheep and goats as we each are at once, accept and extend the blessing of Your hands, welcomed and welcoming, as inheritors and stewards of Your holy and sacred Kingdom. We offer our praise to You as Jesus, our Redeemer Christ, to the Holy Spirit as the Divine Breath of the Trinity, and to our Glorious Creator, who together and before time, live and reign as one God, then, now, and into forever. Amen.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Prayers of the People: Our Role as Stewards, 6th Sunday in the Season of Creation '17

For Sunday, November 19, 2017, Sixth Sunday in the Season of Creation, Readings: Deuteronomy 26:1a, 2, 4, 8-11;
Psalm 116:10-17, Bishop John E. Hines*, Matthew 7:7-11

An explanation of the Season of Creation can be found here:

http://prayersofthepeople.blogspot.com/2017/10/prayers-of-people-in-beginning-1st.html

We use Biblical and other readings that pertain to the specific theme of each of the 7 weeks of the Season. Alternate readings used will follow the prayers.

Week 6's Theme is: Our Role as Stewards

When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground...and you shall put it in a basket...You shall...bow down before the Lord your God... Then you...shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.
[Deuteronomy 26:1a, 2a, 10b, 11b]

How shall I repay the Lord for all the good things he has done for me? ...I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people...I Lord I am your servant... [Psalm 116:10, 12, 14a]

I hope for a witnessing community of unquestioned integrity...For the essential question is not, 'How shall the...Church grow?' but rather, 'How can the...Church be faithful?' For that is the heritage...worth passing on to our children and grandchildren. [Presiding Bishop John E. Hines*]

Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. [Matthew 7:7-8]

It's TRUE, my grandmother always said so but I didn't believe it until I learned from experience: The days may be long, but the years are short. Time passes so swiftly now that we hardly have time to catch our breath before it's suddenly summer, then autumn, then Christmas, then another year going and coming. So much that we planned to accomplish in a given time period lies unfinished or even un-started. And some of us, younger and older, have confronted our own mortality this year, or that of those we love, in many and unexpected ways. It is time to take a moment and reflect upon what we have, and what we do, and how we connect them to our claim to faith in God.
As mentioned in recent weeks, the overarching theme of this year's Season of Creation is Environmental Justice. I think we sometimes only think of environment as grass, oceans, water and air quality and the like. In reality all of Creation is our environment. A dictionary definition of environment is: 1 - the aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences; surroundings; milieu; 2 - Ecology: the air, water, minerals, organisms, and all other external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time; and 3 - the social and cultural forces that shape the life of a person or a population. [dictionary.com] Therefore everything we do, or do not do, impacts the entire complex of Creation/Environment, justly or unjustly. It seems to follow then, that all we do out of true faith in God is environmental justice in action.
When strengthened and multiplied in a welcoming and spiritually-centered church community, faith with many hands will accomplish more together than separately. We are each called to unite in fostering the mission and ministry of Christ as we are able. Let us give to God by giving to our church in ways that extend the work of God today, tomorrow, and as the foundation and inspiration for those who come later. Let us look at each other and see ourselves as a community of faith and remember, even when we are apart from one another, we are still a part of the whole Body of Christ. Let us be a witnessing community of unquestioned integrity* that keeps from worrying over temporal issues and gives generously in thanksgiving for the continuing presence of God now and for the future. Let us celebrate all the bounty of the Lord and ask for guidance to bring justice to every part of God's Creation, search for the wisdom to keep us on track, and knock on God's holy door, humble of heart, as Faithful Stewards of all facets of Creation.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Loving, Generous Creator, today we celebrate together, in wonder and with praise, the full bounty of life You have given to each of us. Let us offer in thanksgiving, the useful skills we have or are willing to learn, our time in prayer and meaningful service each and every day, and a conscious, regular, and intentional gift of funds or other resources as we are able, to expand the mission and ministry of Christ’s Community of Faith.

O Lord our God

RESPONSE: We pledge to be Your faithful stewards

~ Loving, Generous Creator, we strive to be faithful to Your call and live unstained by the externals of this world. We must also stand up to require the unequivocal integrity of the political leaders of this Planet, this Country, and this Community, and expect them to fulfill their duty to prosper Your Creation for everyone. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our God

We pledge to be Your faithful stewards

~ Loving, Generous Creator, renew the strength and hope of those who are suffering in body, mind, or spirit, and give rest to all who minister to their needs. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

O Lord our God

We pledge to be Your faithful stewards

~ Loving, Generous Creator, it soothes our hearts to know that those who have left us here, are joyously welcomed into the glory of Your heaven, exulting in new life for all eternity. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our God

We pledge to be Your faithful stewards

~ Loving, Generous Creator, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

O Lord our God

We pledge to be Your faithful stewards

~ Loving, Generous Creator, for the faithful Shepherds of Your Church, who keep us on a spiritual track in daily life, and guide us in living the mission of Christ on earth, we give You great and unending thanks. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our God

We pledge to be Your faithful stewards

The Celebrant adds: O God Most High, awaken our souls to know that to search for Your presence in our every waking moment, is to knock on the holy door of eternity, opened to us by Your love. Let us demonstrate our faithfulness by paying forward, to continue the mission of Christ within this community of faith, that will spread beyond and into the whole of Creation. We ask through the love of Jesus, our Redeemer Christ, and for the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit, who together with You are One God, now and forever. AMEN.

*Reading #2: A READING FROM PRESIDING BISHOP JOHN E. HINES: What I hope for has little to do with growth in communicant strength, though I would rejoice at a multitude of conversions possessing integrity. This has little to do with bigger budgets, nothing to do with maintaining a respected place with the carriage-trade clientele of our society. I hope for a witnessing community of unquestioned integrity. It may - in the future, this Church of ours - be an even smaller Church because of its witness; less powerful, and less influential - as a secular society gauges power and influence. For the essential question is not, “How shall the Episcopal Church grow?” - but rather, “How can the Episcopal Church be faithful?” For that is the heritage worth sacrificing for - worth passing on to our children and grandchildren. God forbid that they should come to a time and place unashamed of the Gospel, but ashamed of us.

~ Kenneth Kesselus, John E. Hines, from Farewell Sermon in Granite on Fire, Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, 1995.

Bishop Hines served as the 22^nd Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1965-1973