People's Prayers

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Prayers of the People: Get Up and Live! ~ 4th Sunday of Easter Yr C '19

For Sunday, May 12, 2019, 4^th Sunday of Easter, Yr C, Readings: Acts 9:36-43, Psalm 23, Revelation 7:9-17, John 10:22-30

Peter...knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, "Tabitha, get up." The she opened her eyes and seeing Peter, she sat up...This became known...and many believed in the Lord. [Acts 9:40b-41, 42b]

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want... [Psalm 23:1]

“…for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to the springs of the water of live, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” [Revelation 7:9-17]

So the Jews gathered around him and said to him...If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly. Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe...because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. [John 10:24-25a, 26-27]

A few days before Peter’s arrival in Joppa, he, in Christ’s name, healed a paralyzed man named Aeneas, nearby. It may be that disciples heard the news and sent for Peter to come and heal their beloved Tabitha, though she had died before his arrival. The power in these miracles is less about a paralytic who then walks, or Tabitha – Dorcas in Greek – rising from the dead, but about the effect of those who witnessed the results and told others who told others and who then believed in Jesus as Lord.

It is significant that he sent people from the room and then prayed – he was not attempting to act on his own power – and also that he then commanded Tabitha to get up. He didn’t ask her, he told her with the authority of and full faith in Jesus within him. As a result, many believed in the Lord. What Peter did had an impact – not just for Aeneas and Tabitha – but for all who heard or saw. Just as today they will know we are Christians by our love, says the hymn; what we do in the name of Christ can draw near or repel the faith of others. In claiming our faith we must also claim the wider impact of our faith. A burden, perhaps, yet offset by what we are given in return.

In the lyrical and mystical readings from Revelation, the 23^rd Psalm, and John’s Gospel we see Jesus as Lamb and Christ as Shepherd, and, Jesus as human. The Lamb at the center of the throne, says Revelation, will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life… As the human Jesus, he tells the gathered in John, I have told you, and you do not believe. It does call me, as often happens, to think about just what do I believe? Am I a step removed from Thomas – as were those who were beyond Joppa and only heard about Peter’s miracles and believed? Or do I still need to “see” for myself?

It also might be that in this human sojourn we forget that our faith isn’t just about what is to come in the eternal pasture of Heaven as long as we are reasonably well-behaved. We are to live now as followers of Christ Resurrected, in the peaks and valleys, the light and the dark, the days of more faith and the nights of less. Lutheran Pastor Bobby Morris puts it quite beautifully saying: We look eagerly to experience resurrection life beyond the grave. But let us not overlook the resurrection life – the very refreshing of our souls – that the risen Christ offers daily to those who follow him. [emphasis added]

Jesus was gently adamant when he said My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. Let us allow our souls to be revived, to fear no evil, to know that goodness and mercy are following us all the days of this life. We are in the grasp of Jesus from whom we cannot be taken away. Let us live the resurrection life we have been given and rest in the knowing that God will wipe away every tear. Now, get up and live!

-The symbolism of what is one of the most well-known pieces of Scripture across all faiths and none, is fascinating and complex. I commend to you a charming and interesting little book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller, who himself was a modern-day shepherd, for a closer look at the connections between the Psalm's imagery and real life sheep farming. I can certainly find myself among Keller's sheep, especially in those unruly moments when I wander away.

-While Tabitha/Dorcas is less familiar to us than others spoken of in Scripture, she certainly continues to have an impact. While little is known but her good works and acts of charity, tunics and other clothing she had made, there is today an organization that uses her Greek name to help those in need of immigration services, legal, education, path to citizenship, and a clothing collaborative. While not a faith-based organization, the impact of Dorcas continues. [see Dorcas International]

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Jesus, Holy Lamb, awaken our desire to follow Your voice through the peaks and valleys of our human sojourn. Teach us to live the resurrection life now, in goodness, with mercy, and Your refreshment of our souls each day, until we dwell again in Your Heavenly House.

Risen Lord

RESPONSE: Our Shepherd, our Shelter

~ Jesus, Holy Lamb, revive the souls of all who govern across this Earth, this Country, and this Community. Strengthen their spirits as You guide us all along right pathways for the health, safety, and equality of every sheep of Your pasture. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Risen Lord

Our Shepherd, our Shelter

~ Jesus, Holy Lamb, anoint the hearts of all in chronic pain, the woes of addiction, or lost in despair, and restore hope and energy to all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

Risen Lord

Our Shepherd, our Shelter

~ Jesus, Holy Lamb, wipe the tears from those who mourn as those who have died now drink from the springs of Your new life, forever. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Risen Lord

Our Shepherd, our Shelter

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

Risen Lord

Our Shepherd, our Shelter

~ Jesus, Holy Lamb, we give You thanks and ask Your blessings for the chosen Disciples of our own time who spread Your table before us, feeding our faith and confirming Your presence in our lives. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Risen Lord

Our Shepherd, our Shelter

The Celebrant adds: O Christ, our Messiah, grant us the courage to get up each day in Your name, inspired by Tabitha and others, and live in deep devotion to You. May our own prayers, good works, and acts of charity among Your flock fill us with such depth of faith that our moments of unbelief are few. We ask through the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, and the Almighty, our Creator, who together with You reign as One God, now and forever. 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

Monday, April 29, 2019

Prayers of the People: Fishing in the Pasture ~ 3rd Sunday of Easter Yr C '19

For Sunday, May 5, 2019, 3rd Sunday of Easter Yr C, Readings: Acts 9:1-6 (7-20), Psalm 30, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19

But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done..." But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and...the people of Israel..." [Acts 9:13a-15]

Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning…Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; O Lord, by my helper. [Psalm 30:6, 11]

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessings and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” [Revelation 5:13]

...Jesus stood on the beach [and] said to them, "Children you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat"...and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish...When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread...Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast..." When they had finished breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John...do you love me...Feed my sheep."

[John 21:4a-5a, 6b, 9, 12a, 15a, 17c]

Distrust and suspicion seem to be the new “normal” in the fraught times of today, and so it was with persecuted Christians in Paul’s time. It’s no wonder that Ananias was more than reluctant to lay hands on and restore the sight of a man he believed to be brutally evil. He was fearfully explaining to God how this man Saul, set loose from his sudden affliction, had the local authority to persecute the Christian community in Damascus with abandon.

It’s a rare occasion for me to use the word or the concept of evil because it is so much more complex and substantial than merely despicable. More often I use the adjectives of terrible, horrible, or even vicious but there are exceptions. I firmly believe that the persecution – harassment, torture, and murder, in particular – of any group for reasons of their religion, race, ethnicity, etc., is truly evil, even more so when done in the name of God. And yet, God instructs Ananias to go to Saul as an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel. [Acts 9:15] Ananias follows God’s instructions, and the conversion of Saul is complete with his baptism. He, with the same force as a persecutor, becomes the new voice for Christ, who was Crucified and is Risen. This begs the question: who or what in my life is an instrument of God, however I perceive them, be it dangerous, offensive, simply dismissable, or, actually evil? How will I know? Do I need to know?

Jesus is cooking breakfast by the sea when we encounter this passage from John. Another unexpected post-Resurrection appearance. Aiding them in their fishing, he tells the disciples to throw their nets to the other side and they struggle in to shore with nets so full they can hardly manage – and the nets never break! After dressing to impress, Peter swims ashore to greet the Lord, and the real agenda for this moment commences directly after the fresh fish were grilled and devoured. Peter was hurt by the continuing questions of Jesus as to whether Peter loved him. It seems that Peter has forgotten his recent triad of denials! Yes, of course, says Peter and Jesus tells him to “feed my lambs.” After the second round Jesus tells Peter to “tend my sheep.” And the third time, Jesus says, “Feed my sheep.” He then says Follow me.

In Matthew 4:19, Jesus first calls Simon Peter and his brother Andrew to follow him and he will teach them to be fishers of people. Now they and we are called again to follow and to tend and feed the smallest to the oldest, all who belong to our Most Worthy Lamb, the Lord Christ, as his own instruments to bring his Name to all we meet. Let the scales fall from our eyes and hearts and souls, let us dust off our Lenten promises and good intentions, overcome our reluctance to give of ourselves in new and different ways, and go fishing in God’s pastures, caring for the Flock and following.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, You constantly wait for us to return to Your shore to be fed, loved, and energized to follow You. Turn the tide to pull us in from drifting on the shallow sea of earthly wants to set our sails toward You.

Jesus, Son of God

RESPONSE: Our help and our direction

~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, remove the scales of unhampered power and personal glory from all who navigate the halls of governments, globally and locally, that obscure the eternal rewards of positive stewardship for Your people and Your Earth. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Son of God

Our help and our direction

~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, grant hope and healing for all in physical or emotional pain and lift the hearts of all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

Jesus, Son of God

Our help and our direction

~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, release the grief of those who weep in the night to let the morning bring the joy that our beloved now live again in Your eternal kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Son of God

Our help and our direction

~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions

Jesus, Son of God

Our help and our direction

~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, nourish the spirits of all who are chosen to guide us on our journey to You, that as they feed our souls through Your Word and Sacraments, we, in turn, will be shepherds to Your flock, feeding each sheep with Your love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Son of God

Our help and our direction

The Celebrant adds: Christ Jesus, Most Worthy Lamb of God, You transformed the resistance of Paul and the reluctance of Ananias into instruments of faith and trust to bring Your presence into this world. Restore our inner vision of You in this life for the next, converting us from complacence to Your love in action. We ask through the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and the power of the Almighty, who together with You reign as One God, now and forever. 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

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Prayers of the People: Prove it! ~ 2nd Sunday of Easter Yr C '19

For Sunday, April 28, 2019, 2nd Sunday of Easter, Yr C, Readings: Acts 5:27-32, Revelation 1:4-8, Psalm 150, John 20:19-31

"I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA," says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

[Revelation 1:8]

THEN [JESUS] SAID TO THOMAS, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said "...Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." [John 20:28-29]

Thomas, the Apostle, is widely known as Doubting Thomas, the one who didn’t accept what he was told: that Jesus had risen from the dead. He wanted proof.

I can put myself in his place quite easily. It was head-spinning week that began with the glorious Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem with crowds even more jubilant at Jesus’ arrival than ever before. As the week progressed it was time for the Passover dinner in an evening that turned strangely mysterious as Jesus shockingly washed everyone’s feet, and again said things not easily understood, and later he was suddenly arrested. The next day Thomas watched as this man he loved and admired more than any other and had given up his normal life to follow, was brutalized, degraded, and then confusingly vilified by many of the same people singing Hosanna to him just a few days before! Then he was nailed to a cross, suffered an agonizing death and was buried in a tomb with a heavy stone rolled across the entrance. Thomas must have spent the following 24 hours trying to comprehend it all – the glory, the joy, the shock, the horror, and the shiveringly cold reality of the death of one so close. NOW Thomas is told that Jesus has come back from the dead?! Prove it.

Perhaps it wasn’t so much that he didn’t believe but more that he had chosen not to until he had seen for himself. The crucifixion and death of Jesus was so traumatic and final. How could he dare to believe in the hope of such a thing as resurrection without the concurrent fear of soul-crushing disappointment.

Today we’re in an age of instant communication, “viral” social media posts, never-ending “breaking news”, all overwhelming us with data that is real, slightly real, not at all real, and frequently bizarre.

Like Thomas, we just want to be given answers and a little explanation so we don't have to think through all the conflicting information. It's also easier when the people or organizations we like and trust tell us what we want to hear. Yet, how do we distinguish between oft-repeated gossip and rumor that begins to sound true after the eleventeenth forward on Facebook or Twitter and actual truth? In Thomas' case, he had the benefit of seeing and touching the Resurrected Christ wounds and all for himself. For us, we must rely on faith. It’s fine to trust your source of information, at least in the ways of the world, and keep an open mind accepting that sometimes checking other sources might yield better data. In the ways of Christ, our information comes from the legacy of the Apostles in the writings of the New Testament that stand 2,000+ years later: "[These] are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name."

For the skeptics and atheists and those who just aren’t sure, it is true that we cannot prove the fact of the Resurrection by solid evidentiary standards. Neither can we prove that it didn’t happen. And if you do believe that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit do not exist, I’m okay with that. If it is critically important to you that I believe it the way you do, prove it.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Holy Jesus, our Christ of Earth and Heaven, in Your grace and peace we see Your living presence through the willing eyes of our souls. Grant us such fullness of faith, that even as seeds of doubt may sprout within us, we seek and strive to follow Your Word and Witness to everlasting life in Your Name.

Risen Christ, Divine Messiah

RESPONSE: You are our Strength and our Hope

~ Holy Jesus, our Christ of Earth and Heaven, fill the rulers of our Earth, our Country, and our Community with the personal courage and humility to triumph over the temptations of impermanent authority to govern with equity and reverence for all of Creation and its inhabitants. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Risen Christ, Divine Messiah