People's Prayers

Monday, March 28, 2022

Prayers of the People: Remember to Forget ~ 5th Sunday in Lent '22 Yr C

For Sunday, April 3, 2022; Readings: Isaiah 43:16-21, Psalm 126, Philippians 3:4b-15, John 12:1-8

Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters...Do not remember the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth... [Isaiah 43:16, 18-19a]

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are glad indeed. [Psalm 126:4]

For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things...in order that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own...but one that comes through faith in Christ...this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on... [Philippians 3:8b-9, 13b-14a]

Six days before the Passover...Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume...Judas Iscariot...was a thief. [John 12: 1a,3, 4a, 6b]

In the readings for this Sunday, Isaiah and Paul don’t so much remind us that we are to forget the old ways as things are being made new, but rather they tell us directly that we must look and move – straining forward as Paul says – to what lies ahead. We are given a way and a path with our faith that guides us to the eternal life we are promised if we keep our eyes on the prize.

We are nearing the end of our journey through Lent but much awaits us in the approach to Easter. While we know what is coming, obviously those reclining and serving at the home of Lazarus that night did not. A seemingly small moment at a gathering of friends was quite enough to kick off the deadly series of events that changed the world forever. The tension is building as if in a novel. Every thought and phrase expressed reveals a clue to what is coming – as if we didn't already know. Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany ~ a scant two miles' walk to Jerusalem. Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus, anoints his feet with an expensive perfume made of nard, the cost of which sets Judas off and the Gospel writer is very clear about the thieving Iscariot's character and coming betrayal.

The fragrant nard itself is symbolic. It was customary for the household to prepare for the feet of the guests to be washed as a practical and hospitable welcome. This particular perfume, however, was worth a fortune, as much as or more than a year's wages for an average worker and this gesture might have seemed quite excessive to anyone by normal standards. This anointing is to us, if not to them, also a symbol of the Kingship of the not yet Resurrected Christ. Jesus was clear that Mary's act of love meant more than mere hospitality; it was a foreshadowing of his soon to come death and burial. The ritual of burial involved precious spices and oils and the anointing of the body always began with the feet.

Pay close attention to the readings ahead. God is about to do a new thing again and there is much to hear differently and to learn anew.

Yes, in our day and time we know what is coming, yet let us remember to forget what we think we know about these readings and go forward into all that lies ahead, through Easter and beyond, as if it were new and now, to rediscover the path of our faith yet again.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord, our Way and our Path, restore the fortunes of our souls as we renew our faith, and press on in this life toward the goal of answering Your heavenly call.

                                                      O God in Christ Jesus
RESPONSE:                  You have made us Your own

~ O Lord, our Way and our Path, guide the hearts and minds of all who govern across this world, this nation, and this community, toward principled, ethical, and humane action and legislation to revitalize every aspect of Your Creation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God in Christ Jesus
                                                       You have made us Your own

~ O Lord, our Way and our Path, kindle hope in all who are poor in body, mind, or spirit, and to all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       O God in Christ Jesus
                                                       You have made us Your own

~ O Lord, our Way and our Path, may those who are grieving be consoled in knowing that all now returned to the prize of life in You, are celebrated with heavenly shouts of joy. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God in Christ Jesus
                                                       You have made us Your own

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

                                                       O God in Christ Jesus
                                                       You have made us Your own

~ O Lord, our Way and our Path, enliven the spirits of those chosen to lead and accompany us on this mortal journey, sharing the joy of Christ, even in the darkest of times. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God in Christ Jesus
                                                       You have made us Your own


The Celebrant adds: Almighty and Eternal God, release us from the false piety of righteousness, and pride in mere earthly achievement. Awaken us to the freedom of knowing and living each day in Christ, and the power of His Resurrection. We ask through Jesus, our Anointed Christ; and the Holy Spirit, Your Fragrant Breath; who together with You are One God, forever and ever. Amen.

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Monday, March 21, 2022

Prayers of the People: Ever Feel L ST? ~ 4th Sunday in Lent '22 Yr C

For Sunday, March 27, 2022; Readings: Joshua 5:9-12, Psalm 32, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-32

The Manna ceased on the day [the Israelites] ate the produce of the land… [Joshua 5:12a]

Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sin is put away...Great are the tribulations of the wicked; but mercy embraces those who trust in the LORD. [Psalm 32:1, 11]

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away...All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ...So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ be, reconciled to God. [2 Cor 5:17a, 18a, 20]

But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found. [Luke 15:32]

In this reading from Joshua, the Israelites have finally found home. After wandering through the trials and uncertainties of the desert, where they were provided with the daily arrival of manna for sustenance, God brought them through. Even after the significant transgressions of their ancestors, they found themselves in the land of Canaan where the old manna was no more as they now ate of the new produce of the land.
Paul tells us that when we find our way to Christ, who is gifting us with the ministry of reconciliation from God, we become a new creation: everything old has passed away. Further, we are now ambassadors for Christ. In returning to the joy of forgiveness, we are now the vessels God uses to appeal to the lost in spirit, the displaced in faith, and those who have become complacent in their faith, to return and be reconciled with God.
Luke's Gospel gives us the grumbling Pharisees and Scribes complaining of Jesus' dinners with sinners, and so he told them about the Father, Lost Son, and Angry Brother, also known as the parable of The Prodigal Son. Of course, everyone everywhere knows this one very well.

For a fresh perspective try a role-play experience with it by choosing one of the three characters to inhabit. Read it aloud as if you are the lowly son and discover his feelings of hunger, fear, regret, and other emotions that may surface before and after he humbles himself and returns home. Then read aloud again as the welcoming father; know his tears of joy and relief at seeing his lost son appear in the distance and then discover the father’s feelings about his elder son’s frustrations. Once more, as the elder brother. Who of us cannot appreciate his feelings of betrayal, anger, jealousy? He's been steadfast and true and who gets the glory ~ little spoiled brother! How might the father’s love and compassion for both of his sons create a new and reconciled home? Turn your refreshed understanding into a new prayer.
As with the Israelites and the Prodigal we, too, are new, again and again, when we return again and again to Christ and repent of our sins and whatever earthly idols take our attention from the call of Jesus ~ not in despair but in the joy of finding cleansing and wholeness, feeling true of heart. God always welcomes us home and always celebrates our return, no matter how many times we wander off thinking we can manage everything on our own.
In the happiest times let us take care to remember that God in Christ is still and always walking with us. In the darkest times of life amid loss, regret, or hopelessness, God knows us, comforts us, and forgives us. God is never the one who turns away. Even when we can't forgive ourselves, we are forgiven and redeemed by God ~ so, if God forgives me, who am I not to forgive myself?

Ever feel L ST? We cannot find what we do not seek. Turn toward the Lord and you will soon feel FOUND, and everything old [will have] passed away. God in Christ will celebrate and rejoice when we who are lost re-turn ourselves to be reconciled, forgiven, and still and always loved. Our forever Home is always ready for our finding.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord, Most Faithful, when we seek Your mercy in faith and trust, we are found, forgiven, and reconciled by You and through Christ. Help us to truly embrace our calling as Ambassadors for Christ, encouraging all who feel lost to find themselves in You.

Loving, Patient God
RESPONSE: We make our prayers to You

~ O Lord, Most Faithful, infuse the leaders of our Planet, our Nation, and our Community, with the wisdom and understanding to govern all Your people with integrity, justice, and compassion. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Loving, Patient God

We make our prayers to You

~ O Lord, Most Faithful, restore hope and wholeness to all who are seriously ill, addicted, or victims of violence, and renewed energy for all who give them care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

Loving, Patient God
We make our prayers to You

~ O Lord, Most Faithful, soothe the hearts of those who mourn, as all of Heaven rejoices that those lost to mortal existence, are now found with new and eternal life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Loving, Patient God
We make our prayers to You

~ O Lord, Most Faithful, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

Loving, Patient God
We make our prayers to You

~ O Lord, Most Faithful, may all who are called and anointed in Your service, seek continual refreshment in Your unwavering Presence, as they persevere in guiding us always to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Loving, Patient God

We make our prayers to You

The Celebrant adds: God of the Lost and of the Found, release us from earth-bound snares, bits and bridles, to be reconciled in Christ as a New Creation. Spare us from all that we think we deserve, to discover our selves, our hearts, and our souls freely at home again with You. We ask through Jesus, our Compassionate Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier of our Souls; who together with You, are One God, now and forever. Amen.

Monday, March 14, 2022

Prayers of the People: Persistent Gardener ~ 3rd Sunday in Lent, '22 Year C

For Sunday, March 20, 2022; Readings: Exodus 3:1-15, Psalm 63:1-8, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Luke 13:1-9

There the angel appeared to [Moses] in a flame of fire out of a bush...the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed...When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush..."...Remove your sandals...for the place you are standing on is holy ground." [Exodus 3:2, 4b, 5b]

My soul clings to you, your right hand holds me fast.

[Psalm 63:8]

[O]ur ancestors...all ate the same spiritual food and all drank...from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ...Do not become idolaters as some of them did... [1 Corinthians 10:1b, 3b, 4b, 7a]

"Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did"..."A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener...Cut it down!" [The gardener] replied, "Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down." [Luke 13:2-3, 6-7b, 8]

What possibilities does life hold today? Limited or Endless? Have I simply decided that I can’t or is it merely that I won’t? That is, has my finite mind has decided what I can and cannot do and so no extra thought is required? I can comfortably go through the day, the week, the month with the same old mindset of poor tragic me or even YAY, Fabulous ME, and everything in between. I can sigh away in the desert of my sameness or boast of my successes and post either and all on Facebook. And isn’t it always just a bit of a shock when someone challenges my personal and most-knowledgeable perspectives? Who knows better than me, especially about me? The lessons for this week remind us that even the most sincerely humble of us need to have our consciousness raised.

When he realizes that God is speaking directly to him, Moses is overwhelmed before the burning bush. Raised as a prince of Egypt yet knowing and clinging to his Hebrew roots, keeping sheep was the job he knew how to do quite comfortably, no extra thought required. Now God was giving him a task beyond his self-imagined abilities ~ Who am I to go to Pharoah? We can imagine the reluctance of Moses, with a speech impediment among other seeming limitations, to go back to face Pharaoh with outrageous demands. But God knew Moses better than Moses. And God assured him over and over and over that God was always present.

Paul tells us that God gave those brought out of Egypt by Moses all the spiritual food and drink they needed and yet, though filled with God's grace and goodness, many failed God through intentional sin and were struck down. By those being struck down in putting God to the test, we are given one example of discounting God’s instruction. Christ is the rock, says Paul, the Messiah that guides us all IF, we are open to the possibilities that not everything will be comfortable in this life. What are the oppressive pharaohs we have created for ourselves, the idolatry of gain or limit that we use to stunt our own spiritual growth? The key is: God through Christ is always present to help if we choose to seek him.

Jesus says that just because some Galileans suffered doesn't mean they were worse people than others and reminds the listeners ~ and us ~ to repent, to turn to God. Will we be spared hardship and suffering in this life? No, but intentional contrition and penitence, consciously walking towards God in what we say and do is what we are called to in this human existence. Even when we slip off the track, there is limitless forgiveness and patience in Christ once we awaken to and acknowledge our turn off the right path and then return to it.

The owner of the vineyard reprieves the fig tree and the gardener will work hard to save it from destruction. The tree will have to respond to the nutrients, the food and drink in order to be saved. Christ is our persistent gardener, always tilling and toiling to give us endless possibilities for eternal life. How will I respond? What am I willing to nurture and prune in my life to give my mind and heart to Christ? I have all the spiritual food and drink that I need.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O God, our God, our souls were seeded with Your gift of Free Will before our birth, and Christ provided us with the spiritual food and drink to bring us to full flower. Fill us with the saving joy of ongoing repentance, making choices to prune our unhealthy branches, so as to bear the ripe fruit of Your love.

O Lord of Loving-Kindness

RESPONSE: Our Constant, Eternal Helper

~ O God, our God, root us so deeply in Your Holy Ground that we may not add to or be consumed by the violence and hatred of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, and anything more that damages any of Your children. We pray for all who govern in this World, in this Nation, and in this Community to lead us out of inhumanity and injustice, especially: add your own petitions

O Lord of Loving-Kindness