Prayers of the People: In the Beginning ~ 1st Sunday in the Season of Creation '19

For Sunday, October 13, 2019 ~ Readings: From Meditations with Julian of Norwich*, Psalm 100, James Weldon Johnson**, Luke 17:11-19

Welcome to the Season of Creation!

        The Season of Creation originated in the Anglican Church of South Africa in 2008 and is designed for us to explore our faith from a Creation perspective. We are to realize our place in the order of God’s creating and to see and act upon the need to care for our entire life-support system - the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil in which we grow our crops - not merely humanity, but our total environment, as it pertains to ALL life. 

         From the early days of the Season of Creation at The Episcopal Church of Sts. Andrew and Matthew in Wilmington, Delaware [www.SsAM.org], we established that “the primary aim of the events of the season is to enable adults and youth to celebrate and experience the inextricable link which binds together the destinies of all of God’s creatures.” It is a moment of pause to remind ourselves that God calls us to see “what great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions” and for us to renew our commitment to making real the biblical vision of the earth at unity with itself. It is a vision of human beings of all races, backgrounds and walks of life in local communities and among the nations of the earth, living together in love and peace with justice for all. "As disciples of Christ, we are called through our Baptismal Covenant, to be instruments for the healing of our broken world," and with a renewed commitment to personal and communal prayer and action.

         We will use Biblical and other readings that pertain to the specific theme of each of the 7 weeks. The alternate readings used will follow the prayers on this page.  

     We begin this Season at the Beginning. Professor Wangari Maathai, [1940-2011], a Kenyan environmental and political activist, Member of Parliament as Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, was educated in the United States and in Kenya. In 2004, she was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She was honored for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace".  Professor Maathai described the Book of Genesis as "the book for environmentalists." "If we had been created on Tuesday," she said, "There would have been nowhere for us to stand! God, with infinite wisdom, waited until the last day!"

Week I's Theme is: In the Beginning

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Creator and Eternal God, shine again in the darkness that covers us when we distance ourselves from You. As we inhale Your eternal Breath, we know the comfort and strength You wrap us in, enclosing You in us, never to leave.

                                                      

                                                        Good Lord, Steadfast and Faithful                                        

RESPONSE:                   We return to You with thanks and praise                

~ Creator and Eternal God, encourage goodness in all who hold political authority across the vast expanse of Your Creation. Guide them to see You in themselves, in every human face, in every tiny hazelnut, and to govern justly, mercifully, and with humility. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Good Lord, Steadfast and Faithful

                                                       We return to You in thanks and praise

~ Creator and Eternal God, grant healing to the spirits of those laid low by illness or life circumstance, and resilience for all who give care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Good Lord, Steadfast and Faithful

                                                       We return to You in thanks and praise

           

~ Creator and Eternal God, may echoes of sweet memory quell the pain of earth-bound grief, as the souls of those who’ve left this life now soar in the peace and glory of new life in Christ. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       Good Lord, Steadfast and Faithful

                                                       We return to You in thanks and praise

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

                                                       Good Lord, Steadfast and Faithful

                                                       We return to You in thanks and praise

                       

~ Creator and Eternal God, we give thanksgiving for Your loyal and anointed servants who re-awaken our wonder and teach us the way to our true place with You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Good Lord, Steadfast and Faithful

                                                       We return to You in thanks and praise

                                                                                                       

The Celebrant adds:   Holy God, Divine Architect, release us from all selfish diversion and turn us to never-ending thanksgiving and praise as grateful sheep of Your eternal pasture. Remind us of our role in faithful action to care for the land, the sea, the air, all of humanity, and every living creature granted us by Your enduring love. We ask through Jesus, our Merciful Healer; and the Holy Spirit, the sacred Breath within us, who together with You are our One Almighty God now and forever. Amen.

*Reading #1: From Meditations with Julian of Norwich

I saw that God was everything that is good and encouraging.

God is our clothing that wraps, clasps, and encloses us so as never to leave us.

God showed me in my palm a little thing round as a ball about the size of a hazelnut.

I looked at it with the eye of my understanding and asked myself: “What is this thing?”

And I was answered: “It is everything that is created.”

I wondered how it could survive since it seemed so little it could suddenly disintegrate into nothing.

The answer came: “It endures and ever will endure, because God loves it.”

And so everything has being because of God’s love.

** Reading #2  The Creation by James Weldon Johnson

And God stepped out on space,

And he looked around and said:

I’m lonely—

I’ll make me a world.

And far as the eye of God could see

Darkness covered everything,

Blacker than a hundred midnights

Down in a cypress swamp.

Then God smiled,

And the light broke,

And the darkness rolled up on one side,

And the light stood shining on the other,

And God said: That’s good!

Then God reached out and took the light in his hands,

And God rolled the light around in his hands

Until he made the sun;

And he set that sun a-blazing in the heavens.

And the light that was left from making the sun

God gathered it up in a shining ball

And flung it against the darkness,

Spangling the night with the moon and stars.

Then down between

The darkness and the light

He hurled the world;

And God said: That’s good!

Then God himself stepped down—

And the sun was on his right hand,

And the moon was on his left;

The stars were clustered about his head,

And the earth was under his feet.

And God walked, and where he trod

His footsteps hollowed the valleys out

And bulged the mountains up.

Then he stopped and looked and saw

That the earth was hot and barren.

So God stepped over to the edge of the world

And he spat out the seven seas—

He batted his eyes, and the lightnings flashed—

He clapped his hands, and the thunders rolled—

And the waters above the earth came down,

The cooling waters came down.

Then the green grass sprouted,

And the little red flowers blossomed,

The pine tree pointed his finger to the sky,

And the oak spread out his arms,

The lakes cuddled down in the hollows of the ground,

And the rivers ran down to the sea;

And God smiled again,

And the rainbow appeared,

And curled itself around his shoulder.

Then God raised his arm and he waved his hand

Over the sea and over the land,

And he said: Bring forth! Bring forth!

And quicker than God could drop his hand,

Fishes and fowls

And beasts and birds

Swam the rivers and the seas,

Roamed the forests and the woods,

And split the air with their wings.

And God said: That’s good!

Then God walked around,

And God looked around

On all that he had made.

He looked at his sun,

And he looked at his moon,

And he looked at his little stars;

He looked on his world

With all its living things,

And God said: I’m lonely still.

Then God sat down—

On the side of a hill where he could think;

By a deep, wide river he sat down;

With his head in his hands,

God thought and thought,

Till he thought: I’ll make me a man!

Up from the bed of the river

God scooped the clay;

And by the bank of the river

He kneeled him down;

And there the great God Almighty

Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky,

Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night,

Who rounded the earth in the middle of his hand;

This great God,

Like a mammy bending over her baby,

Kneeled down in the dust

Toiling over a lump of clay

Till he shaped it in is his own image;

Then into it he blew the breath of life,

And man became a living soul.  Amen.    Amen.

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Prayers of the People: Be the One in Ten ~ 18th Sunday after Pentecost '19 Yr C

For Sunday, October 13, 2019 ~ 18^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Readings: 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c; Psalm 111, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Luke 17:11-19

       But his servants approached and said to him, "Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, 'Wash and be clean'?  So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean. [2 Kings 5:1-14]

           …the Lord is gracious and full of compassion…The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice; all his commandments are sure. [Psalm 111:4b; 7]

          Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. [2 Timothy 2:14]

        Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" [Luke 17:17-18]

       Servants asked Naaman if he might have agreed immediately to the healing ritual that Elisha prescribed if the activity had been more difficult. After all, a mighty warrior only does difficult tasks of great importance, not simple and ordinary things. Perhaps we, as ordinary mortals, feel the task of truly living into our faith is just easy enough to get to later on. We escape into checklists of giving money and attending church services as doing our basic duty, with perhaps a volunteer activity here and there. But in moments when we are inspired to look beyond the ordinary we wander off to another river, rather than one before us, to seek our cleansing and healing. Once there we may not realize until too late that we are in over our heads by the lure of this temporary world, and yet swimming to God’s shore is too easy for now.     

     We in this country fail, in epic proportions, to avoid wrangling over words, especially in the midst of a presidential campaign, attempting to out shout and insult one another on social media, however mutedly behind the computer or phone screen. We also fail to understand the reality that such arguing changes no minds and only ruins those who are listening as well as the one wrangling. But, of course, who of us listens to the arguments of anyone we have already decided is wrong? Are we are all ruined and in exile from one another and from God? The Letter to Timothy brings our focus back to do our best to present ourselves to God in all that we are, say, and do.

      In the Gospel reading, 10 lepers who begged Jesus for healing were told to present themselves to the priest. After they did and realized they were all healed, they all went on their merry ways ~ except this foreigner. Only 1 out of 10, the Samaritan foreigner, turned back, in faith, to thank Jesus. How often do I?
      For me, the readings this week seem to particularly mirror where I see my own conscious and unconscious behaviors and responses to upsets in my body, mind, and/or spirit. I am all-too-often in self-imposed exile from God. I do my own wrangling over words and thoughts, ignoring the wonders of Creation around me, complaining about all the injuries from others (real and imagined), and celebrating only myself when wellness or some other good occurs. Time to get out the NO WHINING banner, return from the exile I chose, and live a faith-filled life where I am planted, remembering why and for Whom I was created. Remembering that in the exercise of the faith I claim, I don’t need to be a mighty warrior. Now is the time to realize I don’t need to make my simple faith too difficult to live in, acknowledge to all, and be grateful. It is past time for my faith to be conscious again and to present myself to God in Christ each day directly and through all that I do and say. Now and always it is time for my faith to remind me to be at least the one-in-ten who immediately turns to Christ in thanksgiving in all things great and small.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Eternal God, shine again in the darkness that covers us in times of hardship and when we distance ourselves from You. Restore our conscious faith, that we may always give You thanks for healing us, in ways known and unknown, as we walk each day toward our salvation in Christ.

          Gracious, Compassionate Lord                                      

RESPONSE:             We return to You with thanks and praise         

~ Eternal God, open the souls of all who hold political authority on land and sea and in the air across Your diverse Creation. Guide them that they may see You reflected in themselves, in every human face, in every grain of sand, so to govern justly, mercifully, and with humility. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Gracious, Compassionate Lord                                      

We return to You with thanks and praise

~ Eternal God, heal and comfort the spirits of those laid low by illness or life circumstance, and grant resilience for all who give them care.  We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

Gracious, Compassionate Lord                                      

We return to You with thanks and praise

           

~ Eternal God, may echoes of sweet memory quell the pain of earth-bound grief, as the souls of those who’ve left this life, now soar in the peace and glory of everlasting life in Christ. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

Gracious, Compassionate Lord                                      

We return to You with thanks and praise

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

Gracious, Compassionate Lord                                      

We return to You with thanks and praise

                                                                                                                             

~ God of Eternity, we give thanksgiving for Your loyal servants anointed to re-awaken us to the wonders of all Your great deeds and marvelous works, and who guide us to our true place within You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Gracious, Compassionate Lord                                      

We return to You with thanks and praise

The Celebrant adds: Lord of Life from Beginning to Infinity, release us from wrangling over words that do no good but only ruin those who listen and ourselves. Fill us with continuous awareness, praise, and delight for the Divine Good in all You have wrought, that propels us to faithful action, and prepares us for the perfection of life in Your eternity. We ask through Jesus, our Merciful Healer, and the Holy Spirit, Your Still Small Voice, who together with You are our One and Almighty God of all Creation. 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: Enough-ness ~ 17th Sunday after Pentecost '19 Yr C

For Sunday, October 6, 2019, Readings: Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Psalm 37:1-10, 1 Timothy 1:1-14, Luke 17:5-10

The wicked surround the righteous – therefore judgment comes forth perverted….For there is sill a vision for the appointed time...it will surely come…Look at the proud…their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith. [Habakkuk 1:4b, 3a,c; 4]

Take delight in the Lord…Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him… 

[Psalm 37:4a, 5a]

...I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you...for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. [2 Timothy 1:6-7]

The Apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." [Luke 17:5-6]

       Habakkuk is irritated. He will not give up his complaint until he gets God’s answer and he does! The very descriptive language of his frustration speaks directly to our own times and the answer he gets is clear if not exactly a swift resolution. The Psalm appointed for today is a perfect follow up: Have patience, keep on track, do good, commit to and trust in God, for evildoers shall be cut off in the appointed time, wait for it.
      And so while we are waiting, it is, certainly and always, the Gospel, with a little help from the 2nd letter to Timothy, that gives us our focus – the apostles, with relatable human impatience, ask Jesus to "Increase our faith!" Jesus reminds them, and us, that all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed and we would be able to command whole trees to uproot themselves and be replanted in the sea. These are metaphors whose underlying meanings are worth pondering, however strangely mixed – did you stop and wonder why would we plant a mulberry tree in the sea?
     Moving on, there are many varieties of mustard seeds across the many regions of the Earth, and those Jesus speaks of are nearly as small as the period at the end of this sentence, yet they hold within themselves the ability to produce enormous trees. No magic intended here, just nature. But thinking of something so tiny taking such deep root and growing so large can guide our understanding of the potential in our own imperfect faith. Whether in those days of seeming uprooted-ness and feeling all at sea, or in times of feeling securely well planted, we are reminded by these readings that we have all that we need within us. We aren’t called to understand how it all works, just to believe that it does and it will.

      How great our own eternal future if we but remember the good treasure, our holy calling, the grace... that has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus.. If we seek to rekindle the gift of God that is within the fertile seeds of faith and trust within have already sprouted with the help of the Holy Spirit. 

      It is also important to remember that having true faith doesn't mean freedom from doubt. And when the doubts creep in, don’t panic. One Christian mystic suggested that wanting to have faith is enough, and even wanting to want to have faith is enough. Accept as natural that in this life there are moments of distance, occasions of dark nights and gray days. Trees need pruning now and then and so do our souls. Some of those times are longer than others and it is in such times, as the Psalmist tells us, we are to be still before the LORD and wait patiently. Give yourself a cheat sheet for those moments that encourage you to spend time with the Word and Sacraments, and ideas on how to pray a little more often, if only just breathing in and out with the name of Jesus. All the while our work of faith present or awaited goes on in small and ordinary ways, as in any garden. No worries about how large or small the seed, our level of faith isn't meant to be quantified, only recognized for its power, for its sufficiency, for its enough-ness to bring us to our fulfillment in God's grace and purpose, in God's appointed time.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, may we allow our tiny seeds of faith to renew our right spirits, rekindle the gift of You living within us, and place our trust and hope in You.

Lord of Salvation                                               

RESPONSE:                    We commit ourselves to You

~ God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, remove evildoers and perverted judgment from the chambers of all who govern on this Planet, in this Nation, and in this Community, that all victims of violence, poverty, and bigotry be met by righteousness and justice. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Lord of Salvation

                                                       We commit ourselves to You

~ God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, grant ease to all who live with distress in body, mind, or spirit, and give rest to the hearts of those who give them care.  We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Lord of Salvation

                                                       We commit ourselves to You

          

~ God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, may the joy of our loved ones, now freed from earthly bondage, shine brightly in the immortal life and light of the glory of Christ. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       Lord of Salvation

                                                       We commit ourselves to You

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

  

                                                       Lord of Salvation

                                                       We commit ourselves to You

                     

~~ God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, we lift up all who are appointed as Your heralds, that with the help of the Holy Spirit, they may hold to the standard of sound Gospel teaching, guarding the good treasure of Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Lord of Salvation

                                                       We commit ourselves to You                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds: O Lord our God, remind our impatient hearts to take our delight in You and to rely on Your power in our holy calling. Inspire us to nurture the fragments of faith our souls are holding, that we may bloom into the fullness of Your purpose and grace in Your appointed time. We ask through our Savior Jesus, the Christ; and the Holy Spirit, living in us, 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: Choosing Sides ~ 16th Sunday after Pentecost '19 Yr C

For Sunday, September 29, 2019 ~ 16^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Readings: Amos 6:1a. 4-7; Psalm 146, 1 Timothy 6:6-19, Luke 16:19-31

   Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches…but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph…they shall now be the first to go into exile and the revelry of the lounger shall pass away. [Amos 6:4a, 6b, 7]

    The Lord loves the righteous…cares for the stranger…sustains the orphan and widow but frustrates the way of the wicked. [Psalm 146: 8]

        But those who want to be rich, fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires…the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil...some have wandered away from the faith...But as for you...fight the good fight of the faith...command them...to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up...the treasure of a good foundation for the future...take hold of the life that really is life. [1 Timothy 6:9a, 10a, 17a, 18-19]

      But Abraham said, "Child remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony...between you and us a great chasm has been fixed…" [Luke 16:25, 26a]

       We hear so much familiar phrasing in these readings, we may be surprised to remember or to discover their origins. For example, just in 1^st Timothy we are given:

-we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it. 

-the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. 

-Fight the good fight... 

-King of kings and Lord of lords

       Then in Luke comes the more precise wording that gives us: ...storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future...

       All of the readings for this week give us the direction we need to reach the final destination of our own choosing. Amos warns that those who care only for their own ease and comfort in this life will find themselves on a different side of eternity at their mortal end. The first letter to Timothy gives us clear definitive steps to take us to the ultimate life to which we are called by God. We are to pursue godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. And Jesus, in the parable in Luke's Gospel tells us that we have been given all the instruction we need for eternal life through Moses and the prophets - and for us as Christians, Jesus is the foremost Prophet as our Redeemer. All we need are eyes to see, ears to listen, and a willing soul. 

       And there are many subtleties amidst the clarity. Money itself is not evil - it is the love of money that is the issue. When do we realize that though our needs are fulfilled our wants have turned to desire for more and more and more? Ironically, when the "more" falsely seems so easily available to the many, more and more of humanity falls into desperate poverty ~ fueling rage, violence, and war. The western "lottery economy"* gives otherwise rational people a heightened and sometimes addictive and ruinous clamoring for the artificial opulence in lifestyles of celebrities or mega-gazillionaires. One spin of the wheel, one more right number, one roll of the dice, one more square to scratch and you, too, will be rich beyond measure, all the while depleting ever lessening resources in the pursuit of total ease and comfort. We have wandered away from faith.

       Nothing new here - see Timothy again: But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires... We, the people of God, never seem to have those eyes and ears aimed properly. We are often oblivious to the movement of our own desires, longings, and eagerness to have much more than we need. We know that we can’t take it with us yet we keep on seeking more. Timothy continues to awaken us as we, and especially the already rich, are gently admonished not to set our hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God...and the teaching tells us to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share. And therein lies the path to storing up our treasure in heaven. Life is busy, life is full, life is hard, life has its good days and its not so good, but, all in all, whether you are feeling like Lazarus or the Rich Man today, LIFE.IS.SHORT. We are given the Way and the knowledge to choose sides. Will we take hold of the eternal life that really is life or will we be among the first into exile where all thoughts perish? Which side of the chasm will we choose?

*A nod and thank you to A.K.A. Adam, Tutor in New Testament, Oxford University, England for his term "lottery economy."

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord our God, You give life to all things ~ seen and unseen. Deliver us from the traps of harmful and senseless desires of this temporal life and guide us to fight the good fight of the faith in Christ Jesus.

                                                       Almighty and Eternal God

RESPONSE:                    We put our trust in You             

~ O Lord our God, command the hearts of all with political power across this Earth to govern with justice, mercy, and peace, sustaining the needful and frustrating the ways of the wicked. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Almighty and Eternal God

                                                       We put our trust in You

~ O Lord our God, grant hope to the hopeless, love to the loveless, and lighten the burden of pain and anguish for all who suffer in any way. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Almighty and Eternal God

                                                       We put our trust in You

           

~ O Lord our God, shelter and ease the hearts that grieve, as our loved ones, carried to Abraham by the angels, now take hold of the life that really is life, in Your eternal comfort. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       Almighty and Eternal God

                                                       We put our trust in You

~ 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

                                                       Almighty and Eternal God

                                                       We put our trust in You

                       

~ O Lord our God, may all ordained as the prophets in our time exemplify to us Your purpose in this world, and find continuing strength in the grace of Your ever-constant Presence. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Almighty and Eternal God

                                                       We put our trust in You

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds: Living God of Promise, heighten our awareness of the chasm before us at this life’s end that we persevere in good works, generosity, and sharing. Help us to store up our treasure of a good foundation in the true and eternal life after life to which we are each called. We ask through Jesus, our Sovereign King of Kings, and the Holy Spirit, the Sacred Breath in our souls, who together with You are One God, now and 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: Wittingly ~ 15th Sunday after Pentecost '19 Yr C

For Sunday, 22, 2019 ~ 15th Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Readings: Amos 8:4-7, Psalm 113, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Luke 16:1-13

     Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land…The Lord had sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. [Amos 8:4, 7]

    Hallelujah! Give praise, you servants of the Lord; praise the Name of the Lord…The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory is above the heavens. [Psalm 113: 1, 4]

    For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all... [1 Timothy 2:5-6a]

     Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?...You cannot serve God and wealth. [Luke 16:10-11, 13b]

        Wealth and Power are the hallmarks of success and prosperity; the American Dream, the primary aspiration that our western culture teaches. Of course, Americans are far from alone in this dream. If we are among those who declare themselves as believers in God, we may also want to believe that once those material goals are achieved, then we will work on the details of faith, hope, and charity. If we slip into dishonest means, even just a little, we can’t or perhaps just won’t really care about anyone else.

        Martin Luther referred to Mammon, the ancient name for material gains though greed, as "the most common god on earth." Of course, there is a serious distinction between those who would be greedy or dishonestly wealthy, and those who would use their wealth to honestly and faithfully prosper others. Most of us are a little bit guilty of wanting and pursuing “more.” Few of us haven't played a few games of chance and fantasized about all we would be able to have and to do if we won. Yet formal studies say that nearly 70% of those who win extraordinary payoffs are bankrupt within 7 years. Too much of a good thing, or a bad thing? Perhaps merely a case of discovering that having all that we want still isn't enough. For some, the desperate seeking of greater material wealth and power becomes an unwitting addiction, driving them into a downward spiral of self-destruction and relational ruin.

       Self-examination is key when Jesus calls us to account on how faithful and honest we are in little and big matters. What is our true intent? Is a little lottery dreaming sinful? Hardly, unless it takes up too many waking minutes and/or harms oneself or another. The writer of the letter of Timothy tells us that leading a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity is right and acceptable in the sight of God. Whether or not that seems realistic in these combative, angry, and violent times isn't the point. Life is difficult, far worse for some than others given wars, natural disasters, or life-threatening illness. Yet serving wealth on behalf of ourselves isn't the path to inner peace, godliness, or dignity of the soul. Even if it may give a temporary glow on the surface, we know the little discomforting niggle of conscience.

        Jesus is never clearer, than in this Gospel. We cannot serve two masters; we cannot serve God and wealth. If we seek only the accumulation of more material possessions to the exclusion of and harming the welfare of others, if only in very small ways, we may prosper in this life, but we will lose in the next. Even a little dishonesty becomes much more so in God’s sight.The prophet Amos gives us God's words: I will never forget any of their deeds. But the Good News is always present when Jesus teaches. However imperfect we are, if we are intentional about serving God even with a meager amount of faith, God will never forget that either. It is never too late to return to serving God who desires everyone to be saved. As Jesus says, Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. Let us examine our own intentions and be clear to ourselves what it is we truly want; for, if we cannot be honest with ourselves who will trust us with the true riches of eternal life? Let us turn our soul’s path to an upward spiral, intentionally choosing to seek and to serve only God, ready for the final accounting of this mortal life. Let us do so eagerly, and, wittingly.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord Most High, open our hearts to make supplications and prayers for everyone, open our minds to come to the knowledge of Your truth, and open the eyes of our souls to be and to do only what is right and acceptable in Your sight.

                                                         O God, our Savior

RESPONSE:                    True wealth is serving You

~ O Lord Most High, on behalf of us all who wish for a peaceable life in all godliness and dignity, we offer intercessions for those in high positions as leaders on this Planet, in this Nation, and in our Community. May they intentionally govern with integrity, with honor, and without deceit. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God, our Savior

                                                       True wealth is serving You                                               

~ O Lord Most High, calm the anxiety of all who suffer in pain of body, mind, or soul, and strengthen all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       O God, our Savior

                                                       True wealth is serving You

           

~ O Lord Most High, dry the tears of the grieving, as the glory of the heavens welcomes all who are now transformed into eternal life and joy. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       O God, our Savior

                                                       True wealth is serving You

~ O Lord Most High, 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, our Savior

                                                       True wealth is serving You

                      

~ O Lord Most High, we praise Your Name in thanksgiving for the special gifts of all who have been chosen, anointed, and faithfully devoted in their lives and ministries among us. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God, our Savior

                                                       True wealth is serving You

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds:  O Lord our God, the Glory above the heavens, by Your divine love we were created with the truest form of riches available in our mortal time. Infuse us with desire to serve only You, that even our little faith will become greater and offer a blameless accounting at this life’s end. We ask through Jesus, our Divine Mediator; and the Holy Spirit, the Divine Breath in our Souls; who together with You are One God, forever and always. Amen.     

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