Prayers of the People: The Mary-er the Better ~ 6th Sunday after Pentecost '19 Yr C

For Sunday, July 21, 2019 ~ 6^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Readings: Genesis 18:1-10a, Psalm, 15, Colossians 1:15-28, Luke 10:38-42

      The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. [Genesis 18:1-10a]

      Lord, who may abide upon your holy hill? Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, who speaks the truth from his heart…there is no guile upon his tongue…he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor. [Psalm 15:1b-3]

        And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death...provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith... [Colossians 1:21-22, 23a]

        But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her. [Luke 10:41-42]

Rublev's Trinity

       Of course, the focus for today's readings is the iconic Martha and Mary story in Luke's Gospel. But there is another icon to mention from today's reading in Genesis, arising from the visit to Abraham as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. It opens with "The Lord appeared to Abraham" and then tells us that Abraham looked up and saw three men yet strangely spoke to them in the singular of "My Lord..." The men who sit at Abraham’s table were beautifully captured by the 15th century Russian Orthodox iconographer, Andrei Rublev, in his famous, and my personal favorite of all icons, "Rublev's Trinity." This icon, as icons always are, is filled with much symbolism which I encourage you to explore.* But for this moment, it is his stunning interpretation that speaks to me of the "three in one" mystery of the Trinity. As for the rest of the reading, a cliff-hanger of sorts for Sarah and Abraham, as we imagine them pondering the parting words of the men who say she will have a son. 

     The Psalm is filled with God's instructions on how to find our way to heaven, the Holy Hill, and Paul congratulates the Colossians for their turn from evil deeds to the fullness of God through Christ. But it is the age-old Martha/Mary conflict that draws the most attention. Then as now, the everyday tasks take over life and some days, or many, there’s simply not enough time left over for God.

       We're all so very busy despite all sorts and conditions of modern technology in our western culture that is supposed to encourage and allow more leisure time. Martha was trying to have Jesus understand all that she had to do and needed Mary’s help. Lucky Mary wins the round with Jesus patiently explaining to the harried Martha to take a breath and relax, sit down and choose the better part. I’m wondering if Martha is looking at him with the “and just who do you think is going to get all this cooking and cleaning done for all these people” look?

       Who of us doesn’t struggle with making the better part of life as time with our Trinity? Someday, I’ve often mused, I’ll have the time to continue securely established and steadfast in the faith without shifting from the hope promised in the Gospel. It isn’t even a question of “balance” in our lives. We are to be faithful to God in Christ first and then get on with the other stuff. Sure, easy to do when you don’t have to make a living, or meet every deadline, do the shopping, prepare the food, cope with the interminable interruptions such as weddings, births, sickness, and whatever else life throws at you. And if you have children or teens at home, there are a thousand other things to do. Naturally we know that someday, once everything settles down, we can get on with the business of the God and faith stuff. But God is always with us, Christ always within us, the Word always surrounds us and all we need to do is breathe consciously in and out with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit on our lips and in our hearts.

        I saw a sign once that said, "Someday is not on the calendar." Busy may accomplish earth-bound tasks in the life where someday never arrives. But being merely busy doesn't draw us closer to Christ, it keeps us away. Let us mindfully, intentionally, deliberately choose the better part of the very brief God-given life we have and all that needs doing will truly get done. The Mary-er the better.

 *click here to learn more about: Symbolism in Rublev's Trinity

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Invisible, Immortal God, grant us the courage to lead a blameless life free of guile, with no contempt for our neighbor. Guide us to always do what is right, reject evil, and strive to present ourselves to You, mature in Christ, proclaiming his wisdom to all we meet.

                                                 Lord, in Your Fullness

RESPONSE:             Keep us steadfast in our faith

~ Invisible, Immortal God, strengthen us to speak the truth from our hearts that will reconcile to Your Will the earthly rulers of all thrones, dominions, and powers in every corner of this world, great and small. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Lord, in Your Fullness

                                                       Keep us steadfast in our faith

~ Invisible, Immortal God, restore health and hope for those with chronic pain in body, mind, or spirit, and refresh all who bring them comfort and care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Lord, in Your Fullness

                                                       Keep us steadfast in our faith

          

~ Invisible, Immortal God, lift grieving hearts with the joy of eternal life in glory, now bestowed on those we have loved in this life. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       Lord, in Your Fullness

                                                       Keep us steadfast in our faith

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

                                                       Lord, in Your Fullness

                                                       Keep us steadfast in our faith

                       

~ Invisible, Immortal God, look with extra favor upon those who lead us in Your Church and teach us to recognize when You arrive in the heat of the day, or the cold of the night. As servants of the Gospel they shepherd our souls to follow, together, in the footsteps of Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Lord, in Your Fullness

                                                       Keep us steadfast in our faith

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds: Lord God of Promise and Presence, release us from the traps of worry, busyness, and distraction that we set for ourselves, estranging us from You. Infuse us with the wisdom to choose the better part of the life you have given us to live, the hope of Christ within us. We ask through Jesus, Firstborn of All Creation, and the Holy Spirit, Counselor to our souls, who together with You are One God, forever and ever.   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

Prayers of the People: Simply. Difficult. Necessary. ~ 5th Sunday after Pentecost '19 Yr C

For Sunday, July 14, 2019 ~ 5^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Readings: Deuteronomy 30:9-14, Psalm 25:1-9, Colossians 1:1-14, Luke 10:25-37

      “Surely, this commandment…is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away…No, the word is very near to you; is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.” [Deuteronomy 30:11, 14]

             To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; my God, I put my trust in you…Gracious and upright is the Lord…He guides the humble in doing right and teaches his way to the lowly. [Psalm 25:1a, 7a, 8]

          May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from [God's] glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience... [Colossians 1:11]

        [Jesus] said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" [The lawyer] answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all our soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself…" But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my  neighbor?” [Luke 10:26-27, 29]

       We bounce around non-sequentially in the Old Testament in this season after Pentecost, and this week we slip in near the end of the book of Deuteronomy, only a few chapters shy of the end of Moses’ life. Moses, in this reading, is outlining the many positive ways following the Commandments will bear fruit for the still traveling Israelites – in body, in livestock, and in the soil. He wants them to understand the do’s and don’ts of life in God’s care. God delights in and prospers those turning their hearts and souls in obedience. Moses assures the gathered that the incentive to obey is strong because The Law is protective –  it helps resolve earthly squabbles, the dietary rules of the time are for physical health, and best of all, it is not too hard for you, nor is it far away. The Psalmist confirms that God, to whom we lift our souls, is gracious and upright and guides the humble in doing right.

      Paul’s letter to the Colossians also speaks of bearing fruit through faith in the Gospel of Jesus. He, like Moses regarding The Law, tells them the Word of Jesus is close as the Gospel has come to them, and in turn, to us all. We will bear its fruit in every good work as we grow in the knowledge of God.

     The lawyer in the passage from Luke speaks words that are so familiar we could recite them yet we still find them difficult to live. This was a shocking parable in its time and might be in our own day if we use a substitute for Samaritan such as Satanist and contagious for the man beset by robbers on the road. Perhaps, in that way, we can understand the apprehension of those who passed by without helping. One’s adherence to The Law that forbade touching one who is “unclean” is extra-convenient when faced with a distasteful situation. And just imagine the utter amazement of on-lookers that this victim would be helped by so unlikely a person – a foreigner, a stranger, one not like the others.

      The “Summary of the Law” as the sentence uttered by the lawyer is known, gives us everything we need to hear, understand, and accept as the way of the Gospel. It is a succinct and complete restatement of all of God’s Commandments. If we truly love God so completely in heart, soul, strength, and mind we’d never consider coveting, killing, thieving, adultering, etc. Living as the personification of that deep love is our sole purpose for being and embracing it is also to absolutely love our neighbors as we love ourselves – that is, we will love our neighbors as if they are ourselves, all of us being created by and through God’s unlimitable, unconditional love.

      Then our lawyer, very learned in The Law, wanting to justify himself, continues and gets more legalistic in his question “who is my neighbor?” The answer is clear, simple, yet complex. From the parable Jesus shares, even the lawyer understands we are to show mercy to everyone, whether liked, unliked, feared, mistrusted, dangerous, contagious, annoying, wrong politics, wrong age or gender- identity, wrong religion or skin color or legal status, etc. Anyone who needs help IS our neighbor, and we become as the Samaritan when we have or can find the means or other neighbors to give help. Our neighbor is us. If we cannot love ourselves we cannot love God or our neighbor. If we are mistreating our neighbor, we are reflecting how we love – or don’t love – ourselves.

      Paul prayed, as we must, for our strength, endurance, and patience from God. The Samaritan showed mercy ~ above and beyond ~ Jesus us tells us to go and do likewise. We must hear, taste, ingest, digest, live into, and breathe through the words again: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. Simply. Difficult. Necessary.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Gracious Lord, free us from the darkness of the fear and suspicion of those, even if unlike ourselves, who are our neighbors in Your sight. Open us to the knowledge of Your will through Your word already within us, that our acts of love and kindness will be a true measure of our full faith in Christ.

                                                 O God of Goodness and Love

RESPONSE:             To You we lift our souls

~  O Gracious Lord, grant enduring patience and soul support to those upright and honorable people who uphold the principles of integrity, compassion, and mercy, serving now in national and local governments, across Your Earth. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God of Goodness and Love

                                                       To You we lift our souls

~  O Gracious Lord, rescue and give hope to the poor, the weak, and the sick, and give comfort and strength to all who assist them. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

  

                                                       O God of Goodness and Love

                                                       To You we lift our souls

         

~ O Gracious Lord, rest the hearts of those who grieve, as all who have died, now shine in the eternal light of Christ’s heavenly peace. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       O God of Goodness and Love

                                                       To You we lift our souls

~ O Gracious Lord, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

  

                                                       O God of Goodness and Love

                                                       To You we lift our souls

                     

~ O Gracious Lord, we look to our faithful ministers of Your Word and Sacraments as our guides of truth in action. Endow them with steadfast faith to urge us in humility along right pathways to share in the inheritance of the saints. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God of Goodness and Love

                                                       To You we lift our souls

                                                                                                      

The Celebrant adds: O God of our Salvation, fill us with the spiritual understanding and wisdom to lead lives worthy of You, bearing the fruit of the Gospel to our neighbors, and ourselves, being made strong in Your glorious power. We ask through the forgiveness and redemption of Jesus, our Christ; and by the love of the Holy Spirit, who together with You are 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

Prayers of the People: When the Wolf Falls ~ 4th Sunday after Pentecost '19 Yr C

For Sunday, July 7, 2019 ~ 4^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Readings: Isaiah 66:10-14, Psalm 66:1-8, Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16, 

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 

           As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you… and it will be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants… 

[Isaiah 66:13a, 14b]

         Bless our God, you peoples…who holds our souls in life… [Psalm:66:7a, 8a]

         You who have received the Spirit should restore [a transgressor] in a spirit of gentleness…Bear one another’s burdens… 

for you reap whatever you sow...

if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life...let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. [Galatians 6:1b,2a, 7b, 8b, 10]

          [The Lord] said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few...Go on  your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves...Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' And if anyone...shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not it will return to you...But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you...say, 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you.' [Luke 10:2a, 3, 5-7, 10-11a]

        There is nothing new happening in the world. The world is and has always been a fearsome place. Wars, threats of war, battles for power, hate mongering, violence, poverty and desperation, extreme weather, and multiple other catastrophes destroy lives daily everywhere around the globe. We truly are but sheep among wolves in the fields of ancient and new history and humanity. But there are more of us now than ever before and we think that we "know" more given the increasing rapidity of the broken "breaking news," misinformation, disinformation, “viral” and manipulated Us vs Them social media posts, wearying ourselves into the anxiety of alternating chaos and paralyzing ambivalence. Yet Isaiah provides a glimmer of our consoling God who comforts us, nurtures us, and, as the Psalmist says, who holds our souls in life. All we need to do is know that, accept it, live it.

       Paul slows us down by reminding us that we who have received the Spirit are to do our best to bring back into the community, in a spirit of gentleness, those who have transgressed in some way. As Jesus tells the disciples, enter a house in peace. If we are not welcomed, we are free, through Jesus, to shake off the dust and move along, without accepting the taunts, threats, or disbelief. Each of us must take responsibility for ourselves yet bear one another’s burdens. We can’t make an unbeliever believe by argument, but perhaps through observing our sincerity and faithfulness, a fearful soul will begin to open.

     We reap what we sow, says this part of letter to the Galatians, and we are not to grow weary in showing others helpful care according to the teachings of Christ. We are to find joy in the humility of serving God in the Jesus that lives in everyone. In faith, with prayer, and in community we can let go of fearing the wolves who will mock us - or worse - and embrace the commitment to live the life we are called to live. Let us walk together, in the Family of Faith, to follow the Gospel path, offer Peace to all, and accept what returns. Let us shake the dust of complacency from ourselves as Christ's lambs, and labor among the wolves in the fields of God. Even the strongest most vicious wolf among us will fall eventually; let us always live with and offer the welcome of Jesus’ saving power and love. Whether accepted or refused, the offer transforms the bite.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Loving Lord, who holds our souls in life, arouse us in heart and mind to bear one another’s burdens as we labor in Your fields. Help us sow to the Spirit to reap a plentiful harvest for the good of all, especially for the family of faith.

                                              O God of All and Everywhere

RESPONSE:       We find our strength in You

~  Loving Lord, spare the lambs of Your pasture from the wolves of unbridled self-interest that lurk in many global and local governments now and in the ones to come. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                   

                                              O God of All and Everywhere

                                We find our strength in You

~  Loving Lord, comfort all who are trapped in chronic sickness, poverty, or depression, and lighten the hearts of all who give support. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                              O God of All and Everywhere

                                We find our strength in You

           

~  Loving Lord, as You console hearts in the depths of grief, infuse a spark of joy that grows into rejoicing, to know that those we have sent to You are a new creation of life, love, and peace for all eternity.  We pray especially for…add your own petitions

                                              O God of All and Everywhere

                                We find our strength in You

~ Loving Lord, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently…add your own petitions 

                                              O God of All and Everywhere

                                We find our strength in You

                       

~ Loving Lord, grant infectious energy and contagious inspiration to those You have appointed to lead us on the Path to everlasting life in You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                              O God of All and Everywhere

                                We find our strength in You

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds:  Nurturing, Knowing God, excite our desire to shake off the dust of our own complacency and to immerse ourselves in Your service. May our lives bless You by all that we do in the spirit of gentleness and in the name of Christ. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit, our Sustainer, who together with You are One God, infinite and eternal. 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

Prayers of the People: Life, Interrupted ~ 3rd Sunday after Pentecost '19 Yr C

For Sunday, June 20, 2019, 3^rd Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Readings: 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21; Psalm 16, Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62 

  

     The Lord said to Elijah…you shall anoint Elisha…as prophet in your place…So he set out from there, and found Elisha, who was plowing…Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him…Then [Elisha] set out and followed Elijah… [1 Kings 19:15-16, 19]

     Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you…my good above all other…my portion and my cup…You will show me the path of life… [Psalm 16:1, 5a, 11a]

     For freedom of Christ has set us free. Stand firm…do not use your freedom for self-indulgence… the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another…Live by the Spirit… [Galatians 5:1a, 13, 14-16]

     To another [Jesus] said: "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." [Luke 9:59-60]

         Elisha was going about the daily chores, plowing the fields with a yoke of 12 oxen, not a common task for most of us non-farmers. Elijah passed by and threw his mantle over him, the sign of adoption as Elijah’s God-ordered successor. We don’t know how old Elisha was, but he was likely living with his parents as he wished to kiss them goodbye, which Elijah permitted. A contrast from Jesus who tells a disciple asking to bury his father to follow him and not look back. Both lives were interrupted and abruptly changed by the acceptance of a Divine command. As the saying goes, life happens when you’re making other plans.

        The Psalmist is more positive this week praising and feeling more secure and hopeful in God’s presence and guidance. And in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he reminds us of part of the Great Commandment of Jesus: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. He then says that if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another, an interesting aside that speaks volumes to us in our own day and time!

         Paul opens this week’s selection by saying that we are called to freedom by Christ, freedom from a yoke of mortal temptation, and to stand firm in that conviction. He lists examples of desires of the flesh and he also lists a contrasting list of the fruits given us by the Holy Spirit, a mantle of guidance and strength. The Fruits of the Spirit are available as easily as the works of the flesh, yet recognizing the Fruits already within us, and accepting and incorporating them into our daily lives, requires conscious and continuous effort to move beyond earthly self-indulgence. Consciousness and effort, then, are the costs of the freedom "you were called to" by Christ, or as Dietrich Bonhoeffer^* calls it in his book of the same name, the cost of discipleship.

         Bonhoeffer tells us that, We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions.

       What is the going rate for discipleship? In terms of avoiding earthly self-indulgence or a scheduling inconvenience, the cost may feel high indeed at first awareness. But how do we measure short-term, mortal pleasures against eternal life and salvation? Developing a regular, consistent, conscious, active spiritual/prayer life and a like-minded community helps to pay the price in ways that will feel more free than being caught in the traps of the flesh. While we may be quick to beg and pray when all is going wrong, we may be considerably slower giving thanks for all things - small and big - that go well; and even, upon reflection, to give thanksgiving for things that went wrong yet led us in a direction we mightn't have found otherwise. But sometimes we are nearly aware of that little nagging, goading, prodding something that calls us to take a second look at a person in need, give extra change to someone in the grocery line, allow that annoying driver to pull into the lane in front of us, or (albeit with a heavy sigh) go out of our way to help someone at the last minute when other plans had been made. Divine interruption? Perhaps, and/or a sudden conscious moment of discipleship in loving your neighbor as yourself.

        The price of eternal freedom is tax free soul transformation, merely a commitment to be the hands, the feet, the voice, the smile, the love of Christ on earth. In asking for the help to find our path of life all we need to do is Follow and live life planning for divine interruptions.

^*Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a German Lutheran theologian and dissident, author of "The Cost of Discipleship" and other books. He was imprisoned and subsequently executed by the Nazis as the regime was collapsing, just one month before their surrender.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord, our Path of Life, interrupt our daily thoughts and plans to remind us that You are our Good above all other, our Portion and our Cup. Let us seek to follow You in the ordinary and mundane, in the joy and satisfaction as well as in sorrow, fear, or frustration. May we love You enough to see You in all others and to truly love them as we love ourselves.

                                                     Holy God                                                                                            

RESPONSE:                  Our Refuge and our Hope                              

~ O Lord, our Path of Life, renew our strength and courage that we may continue to stand firm and speak on behalf of those who have no voice, no justice, and no freedom before dictatorships and governments in this world, this nation, and this community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Holy God

                                                       Our Refuge and our Hope

~ O Lord, our Path of Life, relieve the anguish of those in physical or emotional pain and bolster the energies of those who provide care and support. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Holy God

                                                       Our Refuge and our Hope

~ O Lord, our Path of Life, attend all hearts who are in the depths of mourning as You lift the souls of those, beloved on earth, to the light of new life in Your everlasting Presence. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Holy God

                                                       Our Refuge and our Hope

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

                                                       Holy God

                                                       Our Refuge and our Hope

~ O Lord, our Path of Life, enhance, enrich, and enlighten the faith of all who are called as today’s prophets in Your church, that they may continue to inspire and guide our pilgrimage toward You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Holy God

                                                       Our Refuge and our Hope

                                                                                            

The Celebrant adds: Living, Loving God, by Your Eternal Presence rouse us from complacency and self-indulgence to recognize the mantle of Christ already laid upon our shoulders. Open us to wholly accept and live by the Fruit of the Spirit, looking only forward to the fullness of Your Kingdom through all we do on this Earth. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer Christ, and the Holy Spirit, our Guide in Truth, who together with You are 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

Prayers of the People: These Little Piggies Went Swimming ~ 2nd Sunday after Pentecost '19 Yr C

For Sunday, June 23, 2019, 2^nd Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Readings: Isaiah 65:1-9, Psalm 22:18-27, Galatians 3:23-29, Luke 8:26-39

    I was ready to be…found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am…to a nation that did not call on my name. I held out my hands to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices. 

[Isaiah 65:1-2]

  Be not far away, O Lord; you are my strength; hasten to help me. [Psalm 22:18]

  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise. [Galatians 3:28-29]

  Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.  [Luke 8:32-33]

      Why is there never a herd of scape-pigs around when you need one? Well, of course they really are all over as it's so very easy to jump on the closest group of "THEM" to blame for whatever demon(s) or demonic activities have surfaced. Of course, if Jesus were to cast the demons into the swine today, he would be overwhelmed with a huge backlash from bacon addicts.

        When this Gospel appeared in the previous Year C readings for which I wrote in 2016, it was just after the horrible tragedy at Orlando which, itself, was just a year after the jolting tragedy at Charleston. Would that we could point to all being much improved in the world, in this country – how do we count the times and ways of horror-filled and hate-filled events just since then? How do we move always forward, standing faithful and strong in the face of such ongoing misery here and around the world?

        The Psalm used in 2016 was Psalm 42 which I commend to your reading. The psalmist is in lament, depressed, mocked, and yet for all his despairing he is still speaking to God, in memory of a time when God felt closer. He also speaks in hope as if feeling and knowing somehow ~ by faith? ~ that the time will come again when he will give God thanks. This time, in Psalm 22, although the beginning is also a lament, we are beginning with the later part in which the Psalmist, still beset by fear of anguish to come, is filled with the hope of God’s nearness and, as a guide to worship, gives us reasons to praise the God who answers prayer and cares for all who turn in God’s direction. We, too, must turn toward God when all is frightening yet also when things are well and joyful to give thanks – how easy it is to forget then.

        Paul reminds us that we are all one in Christ and still children of Abraham. Jesus tells the man freed of demons, at the end of this week's Gospel, Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you. Quite a contrast to the usual lament of Why have you [God] forgotten me? How, indeed, do we declare how much God has done for us in the midst of what has been done to so many in our midst? Let us take the time to breathe, clinging to hope and to each other. We are marked as Christ's own in Baptism, either through water or desire. Let us be still and listen for God in the silence of our souls, let us open our hearts to smile with the giggles of children, and be alight with the joy of sunrise breaking through a long dark night. Let us claim our faith, through prayer and by action ~ however tenuous in the difficult times ~ believing in the power of God to guide us through until we can at last praise the Lord, stand in awe, and give glory. Let us be released from those little piggies of doubt, greed, anger, hatred, and fear and send them over the cliff for an eternal swim – calm down, bacon lovers, just speaking metaphorically.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord, our God, teach us, again, to always know Your Presence within us without seeking, as we are Your children through faith, all one in Christ Jesus, and heirs of Abraham according to Your Promise.

                                                     Faithful, Loving God                                                      

RESPONSE:                  We give You glory and praise                                    

~ O Lord, our God, You are our strength as we stand before the rulers and regimes on this Earth, in our Nation, and in our Community. Hasten to help us in pressing for leaders to turn from governance by their own devices to walk a better way towards justice, mercy, and peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Faithful, Loving God

                                                       We give You glory and praise

~ O Lord, our God, shelter the hearts and minds and bodies of those tormented by the demons of chronic pain, addictions, or mental illness, and sustain the love and patience of all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Faithful, Loving God

                                                       We give You glory and praise

~ O Lord, our God, ease the burden of bereavement as our loved ones now awaken to the bliss of life ever after in the peace of Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Faithful, Loving God

                                                       We give You glory and praise

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

                                                       Faithful, Loving God

                                                       We give You glory and praise

~ O Lord, our God, we raise up before You all who have been chosen to lead us in Your Church, who baptize us as Christ’s own forever, who bring us Your Word and Sacraments, and who teach us to declare all that You, our Triune God, have done for us, in us, and through us. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Faithful, Loving God

                                                       We give You glory and praise                                                            

The Celebrant adds:  Most High God, Creator of All Humankind, release us from any and all unholy possession by that which keeps us from turning to You. Guide us to the path of Your peace within us, filled with faith and compassion, proclaiming Your Name by all that we are and all that we do. We ask through Jesus, our Teacher of Love in Action; and the Holy Spirit, the Spark that ignites our Souls; who together with You are One God forever and ever.  Amen.

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