Prayers of the People: The Beginning ~ 1st Sunday after Christmas '21 Yr C

For Sunday, December 26, 2021; Readings: Isaiah 61:10-62:3, Ps 147, Galatians, 3:23-25, 4:4-7; John 1:1-18

     For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations…I will not keep silent…I will not rest…until the nations see Your vindication. [Isaiah 61:11, 62:1a, 2a]

          Hallelujah! How good it is to sing praises to our God!...He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds…The Lord lifts the lowly, but casts the wicked to the ground...Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion… [Psalm 147:1a, 3, 6, 13]

     God sent his Son, born of a woman…so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying, "Abba, Father!"  So you are no longer a slave but a child…then also an heir through God. [Galatians 4:4b-7]

          In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God...What has come into being was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it...And the Word became flesh and lived among us...From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. [John 1:1-2, 3b-5,14a, 16]

      Still in the thrall of Christmas, which was only yesterday, we are on the cusp of the end of one year and beginning of another. The music, lights, the food, and the now unwrapped presents are all still claiming our senses though perhaps our attention is slightly on the wane. We’re not quite out of the holiday mood even if all the necessities of action in daily life are creeping in. Yet there is time enough to breathe deeply and inhale the air still electric with excitement for the Sacred and Holy Infant's birth and the high expectations for the coming of a New Year. We fill our lungs and it disperses throughout our own life’s blood. Let us exhale the doubts and fears of uncertain faith, and inhale deeply again to set our course for a new start, a new birth in ourselves, an awakening, a fresh awareness of the presence Christ within us and all of those around us.
     For some of us, it is an important moment to breathe in the hope for those who are no longer in this life, and with whom our mutual love will live forever, that their journey is fulfilled as promised, as they live again in a joyous eternity.
     John tells us in today’s Gospel that Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. As the Spirit of Jesus lives in our hearts by God's gift, let us radiate that light from within by being the change we want to find in others and living into our faith through daily prayer-filled practice and action. Let us live into and out of what we say we believe through the grace upon grace received from the Incarnation of Jesus, our Christ, the Word made flesh who lived among us. And, may this be our first Resolution of the New Year: Begin at the Beginning and follow the Light. As John says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Jesus, our Redeemer Christ, let us begin again with You. 
 
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
 
Leader:  ~ Abba! Lord! You have revealed all life through Christ who was born of a woman to redeem us as Your children, Your heirs. Grant us the faith and courage to live every day in wisdom and in strength, through the Spirit of Christ that You have sent into each of our hearts.
 
                                                        Jesus, God’s Holy Word             
        RESPONSE:                    Center our hearts and minds on You
 
~ Abba! Lord! Keep us from rest and silence in seeking Your righteousness and peace among all nations and all leaders, everywhere. Activate the changes to spring up in ourselves that we seek in others, through our faith-filled daily prayers, thoughts, and actions. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       Jesus, God’s Holy Word
                                                       Center our hearts and minds on You
 
~ Abba! Lord! Lift the lowly from their distress and bind up the wounds of all hurting bodies and souls as you renew the energy of all who give care and support. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions
 
                                                       Jesus, God’s Holy Word
                                                       Center our hearts and minds on You
 
~ Abba! Lord! Heal the hearts broken by grief as those we love are alive again, swathed in the glory and rejoicing of the exquisite bliss of Eternity. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       Jesus, God’s Holy Word
                                                       Center our hearts and minds on You
 
~ Abba! 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, God’s Holy Word
                                                       Center our hearts and minds on You
             
~ Abba! Lord! May Your Holy Spark forever blaze through the souls of those anointed to lead us on our journey toward everlasting redemption through Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       Jesus, God’s Holy Word
                                                       Center our hearts and minds on You
             
The Celebrant adds: Jesus, God’s Ever-Present Glory and Truth, You came as God’s flesh and blood among us in Your humanity; in Your divinity, You are our grace upon grace. As You have clothed us in the garments of Salvation, guide us to be Your Light in our world that the darkness of evil cannot overcome. We ask through God, our Divine Creator; who together with You and the Holy Spirit, the ever-Flowing Fire of our souls; are One God, now and forever. Amen. 

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

Prayers of the People: ~ Christmas Eve & Christmas Day '21 Year C

For December 24/25, 2021, Readings: Christmas Eve ~ Luke 2:1-20 at Creche, Isaiah 9:2-7, Ps 96, Titus 2:11-14, John 1:1-14; Christmas Day ~ Isaiah 52:7-10, Ps 98, Hebrews 1:1-12, John 1:1-18

   The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light...For a child has been born for us, a son given to us...and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. [Isaiah 9:2a, 6] How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” [Isaiah 52:7]

     Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the whole earth. Sing to the Lord and bless his Name; proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day. [Psalm 96:1-2]

      Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things…In righteousness shall he judge the world and the peoples with equity. [Psalm 98:1, 10]

    The grace of God appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce…worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly… [Titus 2:11-12]

    [God] has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful words. [Hebrews 1:2]

      In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see I am bringing you good news of great joy...to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is the Messiah...and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God... [Luke 2:8-11, 13]

   In the beginning was the Word…What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it…The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world…And the Word became flesh and lived among us… 

[John 1:1a, 3b-5, 9, 14a]

    There is something almost magical or perhaps enchanting is a better word, that occurs within me when I hear the words from Luke 2, especially when we get to: In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night... I become expectant. I become my 7 year old self, hearing the resonant voice of a familiar TV narrator. I am hope-filled. All is right in the world...for this moment. 

     My older self is revels in the mystical phrases of John’s opening of In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… and the entirety of this passage that fills me from the inside out as I breathe in the familiar ending of And the Word became flesh and lived among us…

     Every year someone asks, "If only we could stay this way all year." The spell cast by the words and the music of a glorious Liturgy as a prelude or the follow up to the early morning glitter of ornaments and lights, and the chatter of little ones and bigger ones ripping paper to reap the rewards, breaks all too soon. Our precious Infant has a far and difficult road to travel in only the few months between now and Easter. What part of it will we travel with him as the moment spins into what we call reality? What part of the reality of others in our community and in the world at large ~ poverty, violence, war, greed, and disasters, natural or human made ~ do we shun, dismiss, ignore or, throw money to, all while decrying the lack of Christ in Christmas?

     Most of the readings for this sacred season are so familiar that even non-Christians will know them. Yet what stands out for me every year, is the short lesson from the Letter of Paul to Titus, that often gets lost in the sparkle of the others. In particular, I am engaged by a phrase in the first of this only two-sentence reading: The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly… [emphasis added]. Jesus, our personal trainer, in our own time! We are so often bedazzled by the glamor and excitement of this season, in stark contrast to the humble surroundings of the birth of our Redeemer, that I am completely drawn to the concept of Jesus training us. The Gospels give us more than just advice, more than just reminders, more than just checklists of nice things to do. Jesus is our trainer, the one that gives instruction and direction to keep us on track, pushing us to go beyond the comfortable, to reach a potential of faith in action that we didn’t ever consider or because we fear the risks in renouncing, or at the very minimum reducing our dependence on all that is earthbound. It is no easy path, but with Christ as my trainer-in-residence, my faith will begin to shape up, become toned and strengthened into becoming a fully-fledged, faith-filled member of The Body of Christ. For me, now, the question isn’t “what is Christmas all about” but rather “when do I allow Christmas to begin in my life?”

            Christ is always in CHRISTmas...let's remember to keep Christ in Mondays, Thursdays, in February, and August. Let us truly Sing to the Lord and bless his name and proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day to ourselves first! Let our lives truly reflect what we say we believe in mindset and in practice. Feel the JOY! The Light shines again and always. Suit up, the training begins NOW! 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

 Leader:  ~ Holy Infant, Lord at thy birth, a great light shines in the darkness and our joy, at long last, is unbounded by the arrival of You, our Messiah, come to redeem our sins and mark us as Your own forever. Hallelujah! Christ our Savior is born!

                                                         Glory to God in the Highest

    RESPONSE:                   And Peace to God’s People on Earth

~ Holy Infant, Lord at thy birth, infuse our souls with Your powerful word that we may stand in Your grace before the earthly powers of our world, our nation, and our community, to renounce impiety and worldly passions. Let us sing to all a new song of great joy as we radiate and model Your Good News of peace, love, and mercy for all. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                            Glory to God in the Highest

                                                            And Peace to God’s People on Earth

~ Holy Infant, Lord at thy birth, send healing and renewed hope to all who are suffering in body, mind, or spirit, and comfort those who give them support. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                            Glory to God in the Highest

                                                            And Peace to God’s People on Earth     

~ Holy Infant, Lord at thy birth, especially now, surround all grieving hearts with the solace that brightens the darkness, as the high vaults of heaven explode in jubilance and glory for our loved ones entering the gates of eternity. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                            Glory to God in the Highest

                                                            And Peace to God’s People on Earth

~ Holy Infant, Lord at thy birth, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

                                                            Glory to God in the Highest

                                                            And Peace to God’s People on Earth                      

~ Holy Infant, Lord at thy birth, for our own Shepherds in this sacred field we give great thanks as they keep watch and guide us toward the ultimate pasture of Your salvation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                                                            Glory to God in the Highest

                                                            And Peace to God’s People on Earth

The Celebrant adds: Wonderful Counselor, God’s Word Made Flesh, so activate our wills, so engage our very beings, that we will consciously and intentionally live into Your saving grace each and every day of our lives. On bended knees, and with worshipful hearts, we ask this of You as our Prince of Peace, the exact Imprint of God’s very being; and of the Holy Spirit, our Sanctifier and Breath of our souls; who together with You, reign in glory as One God, now until the end of forever. Hallelujah! Christ our Savior is Born!  Amen.

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

Prayers of the People: Peacing Us Together ~ 4th Sunday of Advent '21 Yr C

For Sunday, December 19, 2021, Readings: Micah 5:2-5a, Canticle 15/Luke 1:46-55, Psalm 80:1-7, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-45

      But you, O Bethlehem... from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days…when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel...and he shall be the one of peace. [Micah 5:2, 3b, 5a]

        And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. [Hebrews 10:10]

       My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord...for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant...He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. [Luke 1:46a, 48, 51-52]

      When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb...And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord." [Luke 1:41-42, 45]

     Here is yet another chance to pause in the midst of all the busy-ness. Listen deeply to the reading from Micah, as he names the very town from which the one who is to rule Israel is to come and, further he says, when she who is in labor brings forth her child the rest of Israel will return home.

     In the Letter to the Hebrews, we find the Old Testament writings of Psalm 40:6-8, Amos 5:21, and Jeremiah 6:20b remembered in verses 5-7 of Chapter 10. Christ says that the sacrifices of the Old Covenant are dismissed. Burnt and blood offerings do not please God and do not cleanse us from sin. Jesus, as the One expected from heaven, came to please God by obedience to Divine will and to teach us how to follow.   

    Another important moment to listen is in the beauty of the exchange between two kinswomen and consider who they were in their time and who they have become to us. The elder Elizabeth, was a barren woman for so many years until suddenly she is with child, a very important child, John, the Baptizer, who will prepare the way of the Lord. In her day she was likely ostracized in her community for most of her adult life, or at the very least considered a failure because of her seeming infertility. The much younger Mary, recently told by an Angel that she is bearing the Son of God, (can you imagine?!), would also bear shame in her community as well as the uncertainty of Joseph, her betrothed, because of her condition. Would he be able to come to terms with this mystery in such a time? (Of course, we already know he'll have an angelic visitation of his own in Matthew 1:18-25, and will be a loving, protective husband.)

    These women come together and speak to us, to awaken us from the haze of frantic preparations for a celebration that is increasingly more earth-bound than spiritual. In their greetings to each other we discover the unexpectedness of this moment of expectation, the message of embracing the twists and turns of life, and recognizing that God is present at all times ~ when we feel elated and when we feel shamed or anxious or uncertain. We are not alone in the darkest of times or in the happiest. Jesus comes as the face of God to sanctify and save us. Stop, sit, breathe in the peace of the quiet. Let us not race ahead, but remain in the stillness for a time, in the space between not yet and almost, savoring the expectation of Christ's birth, and finding an unexpected freshness in the joy of anticipation for the one of peace [Micah 5:5a]. In days of worry, anger, fear, grief, or any other part of life that is unsettling, let us find our inner peace by knowing that the One Who is coming is already here and ready to peace us all together as His own.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
 
Leader:  ~ Holy and Almighty God, open our souls to proclaim Your greatness, and call upon our spirits to rise in joy, as we await the coming of the One of peace, the Light from Light begotten to sanctify and save us.
 
                                                    O Lord of Strength and Mercy
            RESPONSE:                 Magnify our Faith
 
~ Holy and Almighty God, help us to lift up the lowly in this World, in our Nation, and in our Community. Guide us in our quest to implore all earthly leaders to persevere in the cause of peace, justice, and joy for all of Your Creation’s children. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                    O Lord of Strength and Mercy
                                                    Magnify our Faith
 
~ Holy and Almighty God, grant peace and hope to all laid low by chronic illness, poverty, or emotional anguish, and bring comfort to all who love them. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions
 
                                                    O Lord of Strength and Mercy
                                                    Magnify our Faith
 
~ Holy and Almighty God, unburden the hearts of all who grieve with the assurance of new life for those who now rest forever in Your radiant glory. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                    O Lord of Strength and Mercy
                                                    Magnify our Faith
 
~ Holy and Almighty God, 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 of Strength and Mercy
                                                    Magnify our Faith
 
~ Holy and Almighty God, bestow extra grace upon those who are anointed to bring us Your Word and Sacraments, as they guide us all to discover and act upon Your will in our lives. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                    O Lord of Strength and Mercy
                                                    Magnify our Faith
 
 
The Celebrant adds: O God of Hosts, shine Your favor upon us as we make ready to receive the One who comes. Restore us to Your purpose that the fruit of our lives may be a reflection of Your infinite blessings. We ask through Jesus, our Joyful Expectation; and the Holy Spirit, Your Sacred Breath; who together with You, live and 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 and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com