Prayers of the People: No Stewards of Whine, 25th Sunday after Pentecost

for Sunday, November 15, 2005, 25th Sunday after Pentecost, Yr B, Readings: Daniel 12:1-3, Ps 16, Hebrews 10:11-14, (15-18) 19-25, Mark 13:1-8

   

      Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. [Daniel 12:3]

     Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you... You are my portion and my cup... I have set the LORD always before me... [Ps 16:1a, 5a,8a]

     Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together...but encouraging one another... [Hebrews:10:24-25]

     The Christian life isn't meant to be a solitary journey. Even Jesus had his companions along the way. We, too, are to be companions in, with, and through Christ, sometimes following, sometimes leading, and often together in a supportive, spiritually renewing community. It is through such a community of prayer, worship, and relationship, that we stay connected and encourage one another for the work as stewards or caretakers of God's Creation. 
     While us church types tend to hear only the cha-ching sound of a cash register whenever the word stewardship is mentioned, being a good steward entails more than just giving up our money. The famous time, talent, and treasure trio gets flung around quite a bit in the Stewardship discussions. We each are called to give significantly of ourselves, inside the Church within the community and to support its actual physical foundation, and also in the greater World beyond the doors. We are to build up the Body of Christ through care and action, to provoke one another to love and good deeds. 
     In terms of treasure, John Wesley said it best: "Not, how much money will I give to God, but how much of God's money will I keep for myself." And that equation works equally well with the other two elements. Our talents may seem limited to ourselves but each of us has a way with a recipe, a broom, or organization. Our available time may seem to be scarce to us yet who of us has no time for what we really want to do? In short, we all have all three pieces of this trinity of offerings. All we need to do is give it willingly, happily, and, constantly for the Glory of God.  Stewardship is a way of life and we'll have that whinelessly.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Forgiving and Protecting God, You call us in every time and place to encourage one another with generous hearts, true and wise, in the full assurance of our faith, awakened to the brightness of the everlasting life to come.

                                    O Lord our Portion and our Cup

RESPONSE: Help us to provoke each other to loving and giving

~ Forgiving and Protecting God, give us voice to show the governments of our World, our Nation, and our Community, that they must work together to end violence, poverty, and injustice for the common good of all humanity.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our Portion and our Cup

Help us to provoke each other to loving and giving

~ Forgiving and Protecting God, grant refuge and healing to all who suffer from chronic illness, fear, or alienation. Give strength and energy to those who care for the daily needs of others. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

O Lord our Portion and our Cup

Help us to provoke each other to loving and giving

~ Forgiving and Protecting God, lift the veil of tears from the sorrowful, as the glorious gates of Your Kingdom swing wide to receive all who are beloved in our hearts. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our Portion and our Cup

Help us to provoke each other to loving and giving

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

O Lord our Portion and our Cup

Help us to provoke each other to loving and giving

~ Forgiving and Protecting God, hold all who guide and lead us in Your name in the fullness of the joy of Your presence, as together we seek to fulfill Your purpose for our lives. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our Portion and our Cup

Help us to provoke each other to loving and giving

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds:  O God of Earthly and Eternal Life, show us the righteous path of life as we strive to set You always before us, so that our human time is spent as grateful, loving stewards for all of Your Creation. We ask through Christ Jesus, our Salvation, and the Holy Spirit, our Sustainer, who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.

Requests for prayers or meditations for this space or private use may be sent to Leeosophy@gmail.com. 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.

Prayers of the People: Our Role as Stewards, Season of Creation VI

for Sunday, November 15, 2015, Season of Creation VI, Readings: Verna Dozier*, Ps 116:10-17, James 1:17-18, 21-27, Luke 27-38

      Ministry is serving the world God loves.  The people of God are sent to love the world -- the people of the world -- not the kingdoms of the world... One of the bitterest choices the people of God have made is to try to figure out a way to have both, the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God. [Verna Dozier*]

     But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror...and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. [James 1:22-24]

We know what is expected of us. Any of us who attends church understands what is meant by Stewardship, inside the church setting in support of the worship, physical plant, and congregation, as well as outside the walls, in all manner of ways. All of us, each of us in our many ways are to give of our selves, significantly, from what God has given us. As John Wesley said, "Not, how much money will I give to God, but how much of God's money will I keep for myself." And that equation works equally well with the other two elements of the stewardship trio: time and talent. 

The Rev. Eric Law, in his book Holy Currencies: 6 Blessings for Sustainable Missional Ministries, shows us a different way to think about the flow of currencies in our lives. Within the usual offerings of time, talent, and treasure, is contained a breadth and depth of re-imagining and discovering our personal gifts for ministry that takes us well beyond the scope of a seasonal directive (or harangue, in some cases). In looking at Time and Place, Gracious Leadership, Relationship, Truth, Wellness, and, of course, inevitably, Money, we can see the interweaving of all of these blessings within ourselves and each other. Stewardship - Missional Ministry - is not merely a specific program for a specific time of year, but rather it is a way of life. Of course, as children of God, we are free to choose how to be - or not to be - a true steward, or caretaker, of God's kingdom and all who are in it. And as we well know, we cannot serve the kingdom of God AND the kingdom of the world. So let us be doers of God's word - or, not. There is no try.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Loving, Patient God, You call us in every time and place, to enter into a generous and caring relationship with You, and all the people of this world. Revitalize our sense of ministry that we may each be an island of refuge, by word and deed even through our own distress, a supportive resting place for each other and all Your creatures.

  O Lord of Refuge and Salvation

RESPONSE:   Help us to hear and act upon Your Word

~ Loving, Patient God, as we were born by the word of truth, give us voice to witness to more positive ways the governments of our World, our Nation, and our Community, can relate to one another, and can earn and spend money to serve the common good of all humanity. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord of Refuge and Salvation

Help us to hear and act upon Your Word

~ Loving, Patient God, grant wellness and healing to all who suffer from chronic illness, fear, or alienation. Give strength and energy to those who care for the daily needs of others. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord of Refuge and Salvation

Help us to hear and act upon Your Word

~ Loving, Patient God, lift the veil of tears from the sorrowful as the glorious gates of Your Kingdom swing wide to receive all who are beloved in our hearts.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord of Refuge and Salvation

Help us to hear and act upon Your Word

~ Loving, Patient God, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, silently or aloud…

O Lord of Refuge and Salvation

Help us to hear and act upon Your Word

~ Loving, Patient God, we give You thanks for all who have shown us gracious leadership and guidance as we seek to fulfill Your purpose for our lives. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord of Refuge and Salvation

Help us to hear and act upon Your Word

The Celebrant adds: O God of Earthly and Eternal Life, as we look into our own mirrors, encourage us to see ourselves as an active reflection of Your dream that our human time is spent as grateful, loving stewards for all of Your Creation. We ask through Christ Jesus, our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit, our Sustainer, who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.

*A reading from Verna Dozier’s The Dream of God

Ministry is serving the world God loves.  The people of God are sent to love the world--the people of the world--not the kingdoms of the world, not the way of life that exalts one person over another, greed over giving, power over vulnerability, the kingdoms of this world over against the kingdom of God.  Jesus made the choice for the kingdom, the choice that led him to the cross.  One of the bitterest choices the people of God have made is to try to figure out a way to have both, the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God.  We...feast at the tables of the empire six days a week and then bow down to rituals the seventh day as a kind of death insurance, in case there really is a sweet by-and-by.  The people of God are called to a possibility other than the kingdoms of the world.  They must be ambassadors…in every part of life.  They witness to another way that governments can relate to one another; that money can be earned and spent; that doctors and care-givers and engineers and lawyers and teachers can serve their constituencies; that word smiths and musicians and artists and philosophers can give us new visions of the human condition.  All of them need the support system of the institutional church.  There must be those resting places where the story is treasured and passed on in liturgy and education. There must be those islands of refuge where the wounded find healing; the confused, light; the fearful, courage; the lonely, community; the alienated, acceptance; the strong, gratitude.  We have all failed the Dream of God. The terribly patient God still waits.

Dozier, Verna, The Dream of God-A Call to Return, Cowley Publications, Cambridge, 1991

** for more information on the origin and application of the Season of Creation see: http://prayersofthepeople.blogspot.com/2015/10/prayers-of-people-in-beginning1st.html

Requests for prayers or meditations for this space or private use may be sent to Leeosophy@gmail.com. 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.

Prayers of the People: Mite-y Generous, 24th Sunday after Pentecost

for Sunday, November 8, 2015, 24^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, Readings: 1 Kings 17:8-16, Ps 146, Hebrews 9:24-28, Mark 12:38-44

Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid..." [1 Kings 17:13a]

Praise the LORD, O my soul!...Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! Whose hope is in the LORD their God. [Ps 146:1, 4]

Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes who like to...be greeted with respect in the marketplaces ...They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation... Truly I tell you, this poor widow...has put in more than...all of them contributing out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had... [Mark 12:38-40, 43-44]


          The Poor Widow gives her last two coins - also known as her mite, a tiny amount - even people who have never read the Bible know this story. What shall we make of it? Give our last two coins or feel guilty because we haven't? It may well be that the story has more to do with Jesus shaming the puffed up scribes in public by comparing their actions for the sake of appearance with the poor woman's gift out of poverty. Perhaps the woman felt obligated or required to give everything she had or she may well have simply wanted to be a full-fledged contributor regardless of her personal cost. It also may be that Jesus knows that his followers will see to this woman's basic needs. We don't really know. How does this passage speak to you? In what ways do you give or hold back? How much of want vs. need, obligation vs. generosity, fear or anxiety determine what your donations will be? Points to ponder on our journey. Let our hope always be in the LORD our God as we struggle with how to be generous with our mite.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O God of Grace and Glory, energize our desire to seek our peace in You, have more faith in Your everlasting sustenance, and eliminate our appetites for unnecessary earthly trappings.

Holy Lord of Hope Eternal

RESPONSE:  We praise You with our souls, our hearts, our lives    

~ O God of Grace and Glory, guide us to be fearless in our audacity, to live into and carry the words and actions of peace and equity, to every hall of government throughout our World, our Nation, and our Community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Holy Lord of Hope Eternal

                                    We praise You with our souls, our hearts, our lives

~ O God of Grace and Glory, revive the spirits of and grant healing to all who suffer from physical, emotional, or other life-altering pain, and to all who give them care.  We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

Holy Lord of Hope Eternal

                                    We praise You with our souls, our hearts, our lives

~ O God of Grace and Glory, as You bless and comfort all who mourn, let us rejoice to know that our loved ones have now gloriously entered into their everlasting reward in the kingdom of heaven.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Holy Lord of Hope Eternal

                                    We praise You with our souls, our hearts, our lives

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

Holy Lord of Hope Eternal

                                    We praise You with our souls, our hearts, our lives

~ O God of Grace and Glory, guide the paths of those who lead us on our spiritual journeys, that together we may abandon all fear as we seek to restore justice, mercy, and peace among all Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Holy Lord of Hope Eternal

                                    We praise You with our souls, our hearts, our lives

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds: God of Promise and Trust, grant us peace in spirit to give openly of ourselves to You in love, honor, and virtue, more from the abundance of our faithfulness than from the poverty of mere appearance. We ask You through Jesus our Christ, and the Holy Spirit our Sanctifier, who together with You are One God, now and throughout all generations forever. Amen.

Requests for prayers or meditations for this space or private use may be sent to Leeosophy@gmail.com. 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.

Prayers of the People, Our World at Peace, Season of Creation V

for Sunday, November 8, 2015, Our World at Peace, Season of Creation V, Readings: Amos 5:21-24, Ps 85:7-14*, Bishop John Hines**, Matthew 5:1-16

...let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. [Amos 5:24]

Turn, revive us, nourish our joy.
[Ps 85:1a]

I hope for a witnessing community of unquestioned integrity...unashamed of the Gospel. [President Bishop John Hines]

Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything...you are the light of the world...No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to [God] in heaven." [Matthew 5:13-16] 

World Peace. Of course! Who doesn't want it? Yet the concept is exponentially larger than the comparative size of these letters and seems well beyond the scope of my abilities to achieve. It then remains a mere concept, too big to be a goal, reduced to a conversational platitude. Or, is it? When you think of world peace how do you define it? Is it merely the end of all war on the planet or are there other considerations? A few formal definitions describe it as the absence of war, a cessation of hostilities, and/or tranquility. Whole armies are deployed ostensibly to end war - where am I in that? Tranquility, though, sounds a bit more personal. But a day doesn't go by when my anxiety and frustration levels aren't challenged by the local news, comments on social media, and then, there's traffic! And I even play a game for fun whose name begins with "Angry"... probably not a path to tranquility. But all is not lost, I can make a significant contribution. Let us each return to the tranquil and instructional words attributed to St. Francis - platitudinal? Perhaps. Yet at the very least we each can achieve a measure of peace in our own corner of the world by following the examples in this beautiful prayer:

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is

hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where

there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where

there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where

there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to

be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; 

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; 

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Glorious God of Love and Justice, fire our hearts with the desire to blaze throughout Creation as beacons of Your righteousness, faithfulness, and mercy, seasoned with the love of Christ Jesus, our Salvation.

Benevolent Lord

RESPONSE:  Salt our souls with the thirst and hunger to work for peace

~ Glorious God of Love and Justice, guide us to be fearless in our audacity, to live into and carry the words and actions of peace and equity, to every hall of government throughout our World, our Nation, and our Community.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Benevolent Lord

Salt our souls with the thirst and hunger to work for peace

~ Glorious God of Love and Justice, revive the spirits of and grant healing to all who suffer from physical, emotional, or other life-altering pain, and to all who give them care. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Benevolent Lord

Salt our souls with the thirst and hunger to work for peace

~ Glorious God of Love and Justice, as You bless and comfort all who mourn, let us rejoice to know that our loved ones have now entered victoriously into their everlasting reward in the kingdom of heaven. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Benevolent Lord

Salt our souls with the thirst and hunger to work for peace

~ Glorious God of Love and Justice, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, silently or aloud… add your own petitions

Benevolent Lord

Salt our souls with the thirst and hunger to work for peace

~ Glorious God of Love and Justice, help us to navigate the ever-flowing waters of virtue, generosity, and honor together with those who lives are ordained to point our way to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Benevolent Lord

Salt our souls with the thirst and hunger to work for peace

The Celebrant adds:  Unwavering, Steadfast God, nourish our joy as we strive to be Your faithful witnesses with the integrity to unashamedly and openly embrace Christ’s Gospel of peace, truth, and justice. We ask through Jesus, our Divine Example, and through the Holy Spirit, our Heavenly Inspiration, who together with You are One, Infinite, Eternal God, now and forever. Amen.

*PSALM 85:7-14 

Turn, revive us, nourish our joy. 

Show us mercy, save us, Lord.

I listen to God speaking:

 “I, the Lord, speak peace,

peace to my faithful people who turn their hearts to me.”

Salvation is coming near, 

glory is filling our land.

Love and faithfulness embrace, peace and justice kiss.

Fidelity sprouts from the earth, justice leans down from heaven.

The Lord pours out riches, our land springs to life.

Justice clears God’s path,

justice points the way.

From The Psalter: A faithful and inclusive rendering, Liturgy Training Publications

(International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc.), 1994.

**A Reading from the Farewell Sermon of Presiding Bishop John E. Hines:

What I hope for has little to do with growth in communicant strength, though I would rejoice at a multitude of conversions possessing integrity. This has little to do with bigger budgets, nothing to do with maintaining a respected place with the carriage-trade clientele of our society. I hope for a witnessing community of unquestioned integrity. It may - in the future, this Church of ours - be an even smaller Church because of its witness; less powerful, and less influential - as a secular society gauges power and influence. For the essential question is not, “How shall the Episcopal Church grow?” - but rather, “How can the Episcopal Church be faithful?”For that is the heritage worth sacrificing for - worth passing on to our children and grandchildren. God forbid that they should come to a time and place unashamed of the Gospel, but ashamed of us.

Kenneth Kesselus, John E. Hines - Granite on Fire, Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, 1995.

Bishop Hines served as the 22nd Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1965-1973

Requests for prayers or meditations for this space or private use may be sent to Leeosophy@gmail.com. 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.

Prayers of the People: Saints Alive!, All Saints' Day

For All Saints' Sunday, November 1, 2015 (23^rd Sunday after Pentecost), Year B, Readings: Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9, Ps 24, Revelation 21:1-6a, John 11:32-44

Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love...
[Wisdom of Solomon 3:9]

They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of Salvation. [Ps 24:5]

Then I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God...
[Revelation 21:2a]

The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." 
[John 11:44]

          Today we celebrate All Saints' Day, but who were they besides names on calendars and churches? What do Saints have to do with my everyday life? 
          The word “saint” comes from the Greek word hagios, which means “consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious." The people we think of as "saints" or who have been given the official title of saint, all seem to be all of that definition and more. Special people who are set apart for a special purpose and given all they need to accomplish God's purpose, those are saints. Well, except that God has called ALL of us to be saints, to be sanctified (made holy) in Christ, to build up the Body of Christ, and to seek and serve Christ in all persons. Too bad we can't just leave the work to those who are beatified or canonized by an official Church process. The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12 give us a comprehensive list of those who will be blessed by God. It also gives us a clear direction on what attributes to adopt in our own lives to draw on all of our God-given gifts and self-developed flaws, to be a part of the total Creation, and to seek to be accepted into the great reward that is heaven. The award-winning poet, Mary Oliver says it thusly:

When it’s over, I want to say:  all my life I was a bride married to amazement.

I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real.

I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument

I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.

So, let us Sing a Song of the Saints of God and all mean to be one, too.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ God of Blessing and Salvation, on this day we celebrate all Saints who have opened their hearts to use their divine gifts and human flaws on behalf of all Creation. Guide us to recognize and act on any saintly moments that appear in each day, as we honor all who give of themselves entirely to Your calling.

Lord of Hosts, King of Glory  

RESPONSE: Help us unbind our faith and abide in You    

~ God of Blessing and Salvation, grant us the courage to continually raise our voices to the leaders of our World, our Country, and our Community, to be the change-agents to eradicate violence, injustice, and poverty everywhere. We pray especially for: Barack, our President; Jack, our Governor; Tom, our County Executive; and Dennis, our mayor.

Lord of Hosts, King of Glory  

Help us unbind our faith and abide in You

~ God of Blessing and Salvation, deliver from distress those whose spirits languish in illness of body, mind, or spirit, and endow those who give them care, with patience, gentleness, and love. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…

Lord of Hosts, King of Glory  

Help us unbind our faith and abide in You

~ God of Blessing and Salvation, soothe the pain of all who grieve as those who have left us now shine forth in the New Jerusalem, where hope is immortal and peace is eternal. We pray especially for:

Lord of Hosts, King of Glory  

Help us unbind our faith and abide in You

~ God of Blessing and Salvation, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently…

Lord of Hosts, King of Glory  

Help us unbind our faith and abide in You

~ God of Blessing and Salvation, continue to bless and inspire those who intentionally live into Your Call to guide us to inwardly transform our lives. May we then work together to transform our world in faithfulness and love. We pray especially for: Katharine, our Presiding Bishop; Michael, our Presiding Bishop-Elect; Wayne, our own Bishop; David, our rector; Lloyd, our Rector Emeritus; Emily, our Associate Priest.

Lord of Hosts, King of Glory  

Help us unbind our faith and abide in You

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds:  God of all Saints and all Sinners, even as we often fail, help us to continue to try to live our lives in humility and faith and act on those qualities of saintliness that will bring us to Your eternal life. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer, and in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, who with You are One God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

* click on words in light blue above for links to more information

Requests for prayers or meditations for this space or private use may be sent to Leeosophy@gmail.com. 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.

Prayers of the People: The Saints Among Us, Season of Creation IV

For All Saints’ Sunday, November 1, 2015, Season of Creation IV, Readings: Ephesians 4:1-6, Ps 107: 1-7, 33, 37; Parker J. Palmer*, Matthew 5:1-12

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit... [Ephesians 4:1-6]

[We] can transform our culture only as we are inwardly transformed. — Parker J. Palmer [1939- ]

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. — Anne Frank [1929-1945]

          The word “saint” comes from the Greek word hagios, which means “consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious." The people we think of as "saints" or who have been given the official title of saint, all seem to be all of that definition and more. Special people who are set apart for a special purpose and given all they need to accomplish God's purpose, those are saints. Well, except that God has called ALL of us to be saints, to be sanctified (made holy) in Christ, to build up the Body of Christ, and to seek and serve Christ in all persons. Too bad we can't just leave the work to those who are beatified or canonized by an official Church process. The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12 give us a comprehensive list of those who will be blessed by God. It also gives us a clear direction on what attributes to adopt in our own lives to draw on all of our God-given gifts and self-developed flaws, to be a part of the total Creation, and to seek to be accepted into the great reward that is heaven. The award-winning poet, Mary Oliver says it thusly:

When it’s over, I want to say:  all my life I was a bride married to amazement.

I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real.

I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument

I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.

So, let us Sing a Song of the Saints of God and all mean to be one, too.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Holy Lord of Compassion and Grace, on this day we celebrate all Saints who have opened their hearts to use their divine gifts and human flaws on behalf of all Creation. Guide us to recognize and act on any saintly moments that appear in each day, as we honor all who give of themselves entirely to Your calling.

O God of Enduring Mercy

RESPONSE:  Break open our hearts to answer Your call   

~ Holy Lord of Compassion and Grace, grant us the courage to continually raise our voices to the leaders of the World, our Country, and our Community, to be the change-agents to eradicate violence, injustice, and poverty everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Enduring Mercy

Break open our hearts to answer Your call

~ Holy Lord of Compassion and Grace, deliver from distress those whose spirits languish in illness of body, mind, or spirit, and endow those who give them care, with patience, gentleness, and love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Enduring Mercy

Break open our hearts to answer Your call

~ Holy Lord of Compassion and Grace, soothe the pain of those who grieve as those who have left us now rejoice to enter the glory of eternity with You, welcomed by the Communion of Saints. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Enduring Mercy

Break open our hearts to answer Your call

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

O God of Enduring Mercy

Break open our hearts to answer Your call

~ Holy Lord of Compassion and Grace, continue to bless and inspire those who intentionally live into Your Call to guide us to inwardly transform our lives. May we then work together to transform all Creation, bearing with all others and ourselves in unity and love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Enduring Mercy

Break open our hearts to answer Your call

The Celebrant adds: God of all Saints and Sinners, in all humility, even as we often fail, help us to continue to try to live our lives worthy of Your calling and act on those qualities of saintliness that will bring us to Your eternal life. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer, and in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, who with You are One God above all, through all, and in all, for ever and ever.  Amen.

*A reading from Parker J. Palmer: from The Politics of the Brokenhearted: On Holding the Tensions of Democracy/The Broken-Open Heart

        There are at least two ways to picture a broken heart, using heart in its original meaning not merely as the seat of the emotions but as the core of our sense of self. The conventional image, of course, is that of a heart broken by unbearable tension into a thousand shards—shards that sometimes become shrapnel aimed at the source of our pain. Every day, untold numbers of people try to “pick up the pieces,” some of them taking grim satisfaction in the way the heart’s explosion has injured their enemies.

        Here the broken heart is an unresolved wound that we too often inflict on others. But there is another way to visualize what a broken heart might mean. Imagine that small, clenched fist of a heart “broken open” into largeness of life, into greater capacity to hold one’s own and the world’s pain and joy. This, too, happens every day. Who among us has not seen evidence, in our own or other people’s lives, that compassion and grace can be the fruits of great suffering? Here heartbreak becomes a source of healing, enlarging our empathy and extending our ability to reach out.

        Broken-open hearts are in short supply these days, at least in politics. Formed—or deformed—by an impatient and control-obsessed culture, many of us do not hold social and political tensions in ways that open us to the world. Instead, we shut our hearts down, either withdrawing into fearful isolation or angrily lashing out at the alien “other”: the alien at home becomes unpatriotic, the alien abroad, an enemy. Heartbroken and heavily armed, we act in ways that diminish democracy and make the world an even more dangerous place. 

        The capacity to hold tensions creatively is the key to much that matters— from a life lived in love to a democracy worthy of the name to even the most modest movement toward peace between nations. So those of us who care about such things must work to root out the seeds of violence in our culture, including its impatience and its incessant drive toward control. And since culture is a human creation, whose deformations begin not “out there” but in our inner lives, we can transform our culture only as we are inwardly transformed. 

        As long as we are mortal creatures who love other mortals, heartbreak will be a staple of our lives. And all heartbreak, personal and political, will confront us with the same choice. Will we hold our hearts open and keep trying to love, even as love makes us more vulnerable to the losses that break our hearts? Or will we shut down or lash out, refusing to risk love again and seeking refuge in withdrawal or hostility? In personal life and politics, one thing is clear: when the heart breaks in ways that lead us to retreat or attack, we always give death dominion. 

Parker J. Palmer [1939- ], a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) is an author, educator, and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality and social change. The founder and Senior Partner of the Center for Courage & Renewal, Parker lives with his wife in Madison, Wisconsin.

**  click on words in light blue above for links to more information
*** for more information on the origin and application of the Season of Creation see: http://prayersofthepeople.blogspot.com/2015/10/prayers-of-people-in-beginning1st.html



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