Prayers of the People: Discipleship 101 ~ 5th Sunday of Easter '22 Yr 3

For Sunday, May 15, 2022, Readings:  Acts 11:1-18, Psalm 148, Revelation 21:1-6, John 13:31-35

The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us...And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit; If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that could hinder God? 

[Acts 11:12,16-17]

         Kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all rulers of the world…Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for his Name only is exalted. [Psalm 148: 11, 13]

        I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more...the home of God is among mortals...Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more. [Revelation 21:1-2, 3b, 4b]

      Jesus said..."I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another, By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." [John 13:34-35]

         A new Commandment from Jesus: love one another as I have loved you. Sure, sure, we’ve heard it all before, many times. Peter had to explain himself to the uncircumcised believers who criticized him for going to Gentiles and eating with them. He told them straight out that the Spirit directed him not to make a distinction between them and us. Yet don’t we in our own time and place make distinctions about who is worthy of our time and attention, let alone love? But Jesus tells us clearly that we are to love everyone, not just those we already love. He also doesn’t say only love the ones who will love you in return.

        Peter astonished his listeners with the words of Jesus and his own realization that he himself received the gift of the Holy Spirit when he believed, as will everyone. The writer of Revelation sees a new heaven and a new earth and tells us that God's home is among us mortals.

       But this mortal home is seething with rage, disparity, tragedy, poverty, disease, fear, war, and so much more. It is pandemic: manipulated, exploited, used for political expedience, and profiteering. It writhes with increasing numbers of natural disasters and human-made horrors displacing and killing so many of our earth-bound neighbors. And still we are called to love one another as we are loved by Christ. In the face of so much it seems like so little yet if we give ourselves to it much more will come of it. But we have to hear the words, inwardly digest, trust them, and have faith that God will indeed wipe every tear and death will be no more. It is very hard and not often immediately rewarding work even on a good day.

       How, then, can we hear these words differently? What can arouse us from our distractions, our inattentiveness, our numbness, and call us to action?

       Our Creator continues to create but do we see? By actively loving others, especially the unlovable, through our words and actions, we are co-creating with God to bring the new earth into our present existence, now. There is joy and goodness to be experienced, divisions among people to be repaired, brokenness healed. Will every moment be as running through fields of roses and daisies? Not even close. But by shaking ourselves out of complacency, by dusting off our faith, and becoming a partner with God, the Church, and each other, we can change the tiny parcel of this mortal home we inhabit. Anguish and anger within us could be no more or at the very least, we can learn to let it go. We can create love that heals or at least patches things up, love that warms an angry heart, love that soothes the cries of grief, love that finds help, food, shelter, or just a hand to hold. Even when rejected, as we will be, there will be another to love and someone to love us. Who am I to hinder God working in me? C.S. Lewis puts things more bluntly: There have been some who were so occupied in spreading Christianity that they never gave a thought to Christ…It is the subtlest of all snares. To truly follow Jesus, to be known as a sincere disciple, all we truly need is to know the love of Christ within us and share it. Discipleship 101: love one another as I have loved you. 

 
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
 
Leader:  ~ Forever and Almighty Lord, infuse us with the willingness to live Your commandment to love family, friend, and stranger alike, using a basin and towel more often than lofty praise with weak intent.
 
                                                     O God at Home Among Us
                    Response:          We begin and end in You
 
~ Forever and Almighty Lord, guide us to be as Your voice in speaking and acting on behalf of all who suffer because of actions by those who govern, dictate, or control Your people on this earth, in this country, and in our community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       O God at Home Among Us
                                                       We begin and end in You
 
~ Forever and Almighty Lord, release from anguish all who are chronically ill in body, mind, or spirit, and refresh the stamina of all who give support. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions
 
                                                       O God at Home Among Us
                                                       We begin and end in You
 
~ Forever and Almighty Lord, lift the hearts of the mournful as through You, death is no more and our dearest departed have now risen to new and unending Life in joy, free from tears and pain. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       O God at Home Among Us
                                                       We begin and end in You
 
~  Forever and Almighty Lord, 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 at Home Among Us
                                                       We begin and end in You
             
~ Forever and Almighty Lord, grant additional grace to all You have chosen to bring us Your Word and Sacraments, that together we may receive our Salvation through Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       O God at Home Among Us
                                                       We begin and end in You
             
The Celebrant adds:  Glorified Christ, Son of God and Man, embolden us to be purposeful instruments of the continuous flow of Your limitless love. Guide our hearts to joyfully participate in the perpetual renewal of Your Creation, through our own repentance and love, that will lead us to unending life in You. 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: Get Up and Follow ~ 4th Sunday of Easter '22 Yr C

For Sunday, May 8, 2022, 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: what we do, what we say, the actions we take are noticed and likely considered as a measure, a reflection of that faith we claim. 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.  This line  often requires me to stop, think, and question just what do I believe? Am I a step removed, as were those who were beyond Joppa and only heard about Peter’s miracles and believed? Or, am I with Thomas and still need to “see” something 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 of life, 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, Follow our Shepherd, 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. Click here to see more: 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, through words and actions of 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, in the woes of addiction, or lost in despair, and restore hope and energy to all who give them care. We now join our hearts together to pray 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 new life in You, 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 faithfulness to awaken each day with You first in our thoughts, then inspired by Tabitha and others, to 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 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: Cast to the Other Side ~ 3rd Sunday of Easter '22 Yr C

For Sunday, May 1, 2022, Readings: Acts 9:1-6, Psalm 30, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19

     Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?...Who are you, Lord?...I am Jesus…get up and enter the city, and you will be told what to do. [Acts 9:4b-6]

    Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning…Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; O Lord, be 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 norm of the fraught times of today, and so it was with persecuted Christians about Saul as the most ferocious pursuer of those who belonged to the Way. Suddenly Jesus blinds Saul and orders him into the city to wait for instructions. Who is more confounded ~ Saul or those he meets in the city? Who would most confound you today if you encountered a danger to yourself and others who was suddenly desperate for your help?  

      In the passage from John’s Gospel, Jesus is cooking breakfast by the sea; another unexpected post-Resurrection appearance. Aiding them in their fishing, he tells the disciples to throw their nets to the other side and when they do 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.

     Although not in our readings for this Sunday, I find it useful to remember that it is in Matthew 4:18-19, when 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 youngest to the oldest ~ the cantankerous and the pliant, the fearful and the docile, those who think as I do and especially those who do not ~ as they all belong to our Most Worthy Lamb, our Lord Christ. Everyone we meet are his instruments, however we find them, loving them whatever they profess to believe in religion and otherwise. Let us polish up our Lenten promises and good intentions, and overcome our reluctance to give of ourselves in new and different ways. Let’s cast our nets on the other side of Christ’s boat, the one we usually avoid, to go fishing in God’s pastures wherever they are, simply caring for all the Flock, as we continue following the call of Christ our Lord.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
 
Leader:  ~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, turn the tide and pull us in from drifting on the shallow sea of earthly wants, setting our sails to be fed, loved, and energized to follow You.
 
                                                       Jesus, Son of God
           RESPONSE:                Our help and our direction
 
~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, may those who navigate earthly governments blinded by the pursuit of unhampered power and personal glory, suddenly discover an inner vision of peace, justice, and mercy 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 up 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 reveal the joy of our beloved, who now live again in the glory of 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 them 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, Master of the Earth and Sea, in casting Your net to the other side, You brought Saul aboard to open his eyes to a new Way. Grant us new sight, leaving all judgment to You, to be Your love-in-action for all sides of Your boat. 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 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