Prayers of the People: Our Common Humanity, 3rd Sunday in the Season of Creation '16

For Sunday, October 23, 2016, Season of Creation III****, Readings: Mother Teresa*, Psalm 146 by Thomas Norris**, Paradise Now, The Living Theater***; 
Luke 18:9-14

 [W]e need much prayer, the kind that unites us with God and overflows continually upon others. ~ Mother Teresa

Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help!*

whose hope is in the Lord their God... ~ Psalm 146:5

What do you want? To make the world glow with creation...To feed all the people...To remove the causes of violence....To re-invent love...To stop distorting the mind of the people...To break down the walls that alienate...To get to know God...To make the destination clear. ~ Paradise Now

I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves shall be exalted. ~ Luke 18:14

        In a word: GLOBAL. There is no escaping it. We are truly bound up in each other's humanity next door, next state, next country, around the globe. While there are many voices claiming to dislike the term "global", anyone who eats food from a grocery store, buys anything from Walmart or Macy's, and especially from a store where everything is a dollar, is contributing to, participating in, and benefiting from the Global economy. We also often hear that we must keep fighting for peace. Mystic/Monk Thomas Merton tells us in his "Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander" that ...fighting for peace...starts all the wars. Peace is something you have or you do not have. If you yourself are at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world. Of course it is always easier to say that sharing peace is a way to achieve peace, but it is true that calm often begets calm while anger escalates a problem. Both are contagious - which would you rather spread across our common humanity? No path is completely safe but neither is hiding behind walls. Let us stop wasting the planet and work together to break down the walls that alienate and get to know God and each other. It's the only way to reinvent love and to make the world glow with creation. Let us also work on exalting the other in our midst, rather than ourselves.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ God Most Merciful, re-invent and expand our capacity to love You and one another. Free our minds from earthly distraction and distortion as we strive to make each breath a prayer.

                            Lord of our Souls

RESPONSE:     Our hope and strength are in You

~ God Most Merciful, bolster our willingness to challenge the leaders of this world, this nation, and this community, and all who would be, to seek to remove causes of violence, to stop wasting the resources of this planet, and to break down the walls that alienate us from one another and from You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Lord of our Souls

                                                Our hope and strength are in You

~ God Most Merciful, we implore You to feed all who are hungry, calm all who are in fear, and heal all who are suffering in any part of life. Comfort and care for those who serve. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Lord of our Souls

                                                Our hope and strength are in You

~ God Most Merciful, liberate those hearts bowed down in grief as our loved ones now glow in the ultimate loveliness of life in Your eternal dwelling place. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Lord of our Souls

                                                Our hope and strength are in You

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

                                                Lord of our Souls

                                                Our hope and strength are in You

~ God Most Merciful, deepen the faith of those whose earthly intentions and endeavors guide us to know You better, and encourage our own faithfulness on the pathway to You.  We pray especially for:add your own petitions

                                                Lord of our Souls

                                                Our hope and strength are in You

The Celebrant adds: Loving Lord, sustain us in our struggle to live humbly in Your sight, to free ourselves from the sin of self-promotion, and to unite ourselves with You by the overflowing of Your love within us. We ask through Christ Jesus, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, who together with You are One God in Glory, forever and ever.  Amen.

*A READING FROM THE WORD OF MOTHER THERESA

Whether you are a Hindu, a Muslim or a Christian, how you live your life is the proof that you are fully God's or not. Loving must be as normal to us as living and breathing, day after day until death. To understand this and practice it we need much prayer, the kind that unites us with God and overflows continually upon others. Our works of charity are nothing but the overflow of our love of God from within. Therefore, the one who is most united with God loves her neighbor most.    

From Everything Starts With Prayer, White Cloud Press, Ashland, OR, 1998

**PSALM 146   Anglican Chant by Thomas Norris

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord, O my soul!*

I will praise the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth,*

for there is no help in them.

When they breathe their last, they return to earth,*

and in that day their thoughts perish.

Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help!*

whose hope is in the Lord their God;

Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them;*

who keeps his promise for ever;

Who gives justice to those who are oppressed,*

And food to those who hunger.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;

the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;*

the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;

The Lord loves the righteous;

the Lord cares for the stranger;*

The Lord sustains the orphan and widow,

but frustrates the way of the wicked.

The Lord shall reign for ever, *

Your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Hallelujah!

*** from Paradise Now, The Living Theatre   by Judith Malina and Julian Beck

"What do you want?"

To make the world glow with creation.

To make life irresistible.

To feed all the people.

To change the demonic forces into the celestial.

To remove the causes of violence.

To do useful work.

To work for the love of it and not for the money.

To live without the police.

To change myself.

To get rid of the class system.

To re-invent love.

To make each moment creative.

To be free of the force of the State.

To be free to create.

To get rid of a life of material greed.

To free all the energy wasted in financial transaction.

To cut all the bureaucratic wasted time out of life.

To free humanity from armies.

To stop distorting the mind of the people.

To stop crippling the human body with frustration.

To learn how to breath.

To live longer than we do.

To be free of the system.

To get rid of central control.

To supply what we need

To seek what we desire.

To stop wasting the planet.

To stop dying of competition.

To break down the walls that alienate.

To get to know God.

To make the destination clear.

****for more information on the Season of Creation and the Earth Charter see: http://prayersofthepeople.blogspot.com/2016/10/prayers-of-people-very-beginning-1st.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: Our Living Planet, 2nd Sunday in the Season of Creation '16

For Sunday, October 16, 2016, 2nd Sunday in the Season of Creation***, Readings: Daniel 3:74-81 [New American Bible], Psalm 8*, Chief Seattle**, Luke 18:1-8   

“… Each one of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country. Each time one of us touches the soil of this land, we feel a sense of personal renewal. We are moved by a sense of joy and exhilaration when the grass turns green and the flowers bloom. That spiritual and physical oneness we all share with this common homeland.” ~Nelson Mandela

Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt God above all forever! [Daniel 3:74 New American Bible]

Lord, our God, the whole world tells the greatness of your name.

Your glory reaches beyond the stars.

Even the babble of infants declares your strength,

your power to halt the enemy and avenger.

I see your handiwork in the heavens:

The moon and the stars you set in place. [Psalm 8, Liturgy Training Publications, see below]

       The air is very precious to us, the air shares its spirit with all the life it support. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also receives his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the children of earth. This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. [Chief Seattle, see below]

       And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?...And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" [Luke 18:6-7, 8]

       On this Second Sunday in the Season of Creation***, we take time to celebrate Mother Earth, our temporal home. There is plenty to be concerned about in the life of our fragile island home, but today is about joy, and blessing, and exultation. Tomorrow let us return and be as persistent as the widow in the parable of the unjust judge seeking restoration, refreshment, and renewal for our planet. In the parable, a widow, poor and the lowest of the low, keeps bothering the judge seeking a resolution to her claim, continually coming and wearing him out until he finally concedes and gives her the settlement that she wants. Let us now breathe deeply and extol the virtue of this beautiful country of earth, revel in God's handiwork and marvel in the magnificence of this habitation. Then we shall return to the work of faith, seeking justice for the Earth, the Universe, and all that lives therein.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Lord God, Constant Creator, renew our wonder and restore our ability to marvel at the scope of Your handiwork in the heavens and on the Earth. Refresh our willingness to conserve, rather than expend, our planet’s resources, and the wisdom to protect all of her inhabitants – animal, vegetable, and mineral.

                                                O God, our God

RESPONSE:             We praise and exalt You forever     

~ Lord God, Constant Creator, awaken awareness of our individual and communal responsibility to be the persistent conscience for the leaders of this world, our nation, and our community, in the preservation and enhancement of Your sacred realm for all generations to come. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God, our God

                                                We praise and exalt You forever

                                               

~ Lord God, Constant Creator, grant healing and hope to all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and revive the energy and dedication of all who serve their needs. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                O God, our God

                                                We praise and exalt You forever

           

~ Lord God, Constant Creator, Your holy wind gives first breath to our loved ones and receives their last earthly sigh. We take divine comfort in Your heavenly and eternal welcome for all whose footsteps on this earth and in our hearts will never disappear. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God, our God

                                                We praise and exalt You forever

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

                                                O God, our God

                                                We praise and exalt You forever

           

~ Lord God, Constant Creator, enrich the souls of all who bring us to Your Word and Sacraments, and enfold their hearts in Your peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God, our God

                                                We praise and exalt You forever

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds: Holy God, Master of all Creation, today we celebrate the glory of our temporal Home. Tomorrow, help us to participate in its regeneration and its progress for the benefit of this web of life that is precious to all. We ask through Jesus, Son of Man, and the Holy Spirit, the Breath of Life, who together with You are One God, above all, forever and ever. Amen.    

* Psalm 8
Lord, our God, the whole world tells the greatness of your name.

Your glory reaches beyond the stars.

Even the babble of infants declares your strength,

your power to halt the enemy and avenger.

I see your handiwork in the heavens:

The moon and the stars you set in place.

What is humankind that you remember them,

the human race that you care for them?

You treat them like gods, dressing them in glory and splendor.

You give them charge of the earth, laying all at their feet: cattle and sheep, wild beasts,

birds of the sky, fish of the sea,

every swimming creature.

Lord our God, the whole world tells the greatness of your name.

From The Psalter: A faithful and inclusive rendering, Liturgy Training Publications (International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc.), 1994.

**A READING FROM CHIEF SEATTLE

Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shiny pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people. We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, and humanity, all belong to the same family. The rivers are our brother. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give to the rivers the kindness you would give to any brother. The air is very precious to us, the air shares its spirit with all the life it support. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also receives his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the children of earth. This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. One thing we know: our God is also your god. The earth is precious to god and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its Creator. Continue to contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your waste. Excerpts from a speech to the President of the United States, attributed to Chief Seattle, Duwamish Tribe, 1855

***for more information on the Season of Creation and the Earth Charter see: http://prayersofthepeople.blogspot.com/2016/10/prayers-of-people-very-beginning-1st.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: Again, and Again, and yet, Again, 22nd Sunday after Pentecost Yr C

For Sunday, October 16, 2016, 22nd Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Readings: Jeremiah 31:27-34, Ps 119:97-104, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5, Luke 18:1-8

       I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be my people... I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. [Jeremiah 31:33b, 34b]       

      I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable...For the time is coming when people...will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. [2 Timothy 4:1b-2a, 3a, 4]

    " ...yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming." And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?...I tell you he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" [Luke 18:5-7, 8]

       Persistence is the order of the day. God makes a new covenant even though the house of Israel broke the previous one after God brought their ancestors out of Egypt. But God persists in coming for us. God's law is written in our hearts so that we will all know this LORD who forgives and forgets our sin. We are God's people. 

       The writer of 2 Timothy also reminds us to continue to follow the Scripture, inspired by God, that instructs us on how to gain Salvation through Jesus. We are to be persistent, whether the time is convenient or not, to proclaim the message, to be steadfast in the ministry to which Christ calls us, because people will wander away from the truth and believe whatever they choose for themselves. 

        And Jesus tells a parable about an unjust judge as a way to keep the disciples, and us, from losing heart and abandoning prayer. The judge isn't afraid of God and has no respect for anyone, but this widow - a woman with no husband was the least of the least in those days - kept coming before him to demand justice in her case, an annoying squeaky wheel whose noise could not be ignored until finally he grants her the justice she seeks to be rid of her. So, too will God grant justice to us who cry - or rather, pray - day and night. But, Jesus leaves us with that final question: And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? How do we answer? By returning again, and again, and again to Scripture, to prayer, to God's Covenant with us, written on our hearts. Let us, if we wander away, remember and turn to Truth, yet again.

       

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Lord God, Constant Creator, You write Your Law on our hearts and remember our sins no more. Guide us, Your people, to know You better and to continue in what we have learned that instructs us on gaining salvation through Christ Jesus.

                                                  O God, our God

RESPONSE:           Keep us turned to Your Truth

~ Lord God, Constant Creator, refresh awareness of our responsibility to be the persistent conscience for the leaders of this world, our nation, and our community, for all generations to come. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God, our God

                                                Keep us turned to Your Truth

~ Lord God, Constant Creator, grant healing and hope to all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and revive the energy and dedication of all who serve their needs. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                O God, our God

                                                Keep us turned to Your Truth

           

~ Lord God, Constant Creator, Your holy wind gives first breath to our loved ones and receives their last earthly sigh. We take divine comfort in Your heavenly and eternal welcome for all whose footsteps on this earth and in our hearts will never disappear. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God, our God

                                                Keep us turned to Your Truth

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

                                                O God, our God

                                                Keep us turned to Your Truth

           

~ Lord God, Constant Creator, enrich the souls of all who bring us to Your Word and Sacraments, and enfold their hearts in Your peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God, our God

                                                Keep us turned to Your Truth

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds:  Holy God, Master of all Creation, equip us for every good work that we may persist in Your ministry at all times. Let us come continually to You for renewal and to persevere in prayer and faith. We ask through Jesus, Son of Man, and the Holy Spirit, the Breath of Life, who together with You are One God, above all, forever and ever. *** 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: The Exile We Choose, 21st Sunday after Pentecost, Yr C

For Sunday, October 9, 2016, 21st Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Readings: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7, Psalm 66:1-11, 2 Timothy 28-15, Luke 17:11-19

        Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
He turned the sea into dry land...There we rejoiced in him...let the rebellious not exalt themselves. [Psalm 66: 5-6, 7b]

        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]

      As we in this country fail, in epic proportions, to avoid wrangling over words in the midst of a presidential election, we also fail to understand the reality that such arguing changes no minds and only ruins those who are listening. But then, who of us listens to the arguments of anyone we have already decided is wrong? Then it must be that we are all ruined and in exile from one another and from God. Yet the often gloomy Jeremiah gives us a positive path to God through acceptance of the place where God has placed us and working to make it better. In that way we will better ourselves for the glory that is to come. In the Gospel reading, 10 lepers who begged Jesus for healing were told to present themselves to the priest. After they did they realized they were all healed but only 1, the Samaritan foreigner, turned back to thank Jesus. 
       For me, the readings this week seem to particularly mirror where I see my own behaviors and responses to the upsets and healings that occur in my life. I exile myself from God and others in ignoring the Creation around me in all forms, complaining about all the injuries I receive 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 life where I am planted, remembering why and for Whom I was created.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ God of Eternity, draw back the veil of darkness that covers us in our self-imposed exile from You. Help us to seek and pray for the welfare of all on this Earthly plane, remember to give thanks for healing in ways known and unknown, and in so doing find our way to salvation in Christ.

                                     Lord God, our Creator                                      

RESPONSE:   Let us turn back to You in praise

~ God of Eternity, open the eyes of all who hold political authority on land and sea and in the air across Your diverse Creation, that they may see You reflected in themselves, every human face, every grain of sand, and govern in all good faith. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                    Lord God, our Creator              

                                    Let us turn back to You in praise

~ God of Eternity, as You raise up strength for all Your people, grant healing to the spirits of those laid low by earthly illness or infirmity. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                    Lord God, our Creator              

                                    Let us turn back to You in praise

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

                                    Lord God, our Creator              

                                    Let us turn back to You in praise

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

                                    Lord God, our Creator              

                                    Let us turn back to You in praise

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

                                    Lord God, our Creator              

                                    Let us turn back to You in praise

The Celebrant adds: LORD of Life from Beginning to Infinity, release us from wrangling over words that do no good but only ruins those who listen. 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 Almighty God of all Creation.  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: The Very Beginning, 1st Sunday in the Season of Creation '16

For Sunday, October 9, 2016, Readings: In the Beginning* (©Mark Earey), Psalm 148, Sura 7:54 The Qu’ran**, Luke 17:11-19

In the Beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 

  In the empty void and crushing darkness, God spoke light into being. 

[Mark Earey]

 Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights...sun and moon...all you shining stars...Praise him heaven of heavens and you waters above the heavens...for he commanded, and they were created.

[Psalm 148:1, 3, 4]

 "Your Guardian - Lord, is God, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days...He created the sun, the moon, and the stars, (all) governed by laws under His command."  [Sura 7: 54, The Qu'ran]

 Then [Jesus] said, "Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" [Luke 17:18]

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 SsAM [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.

         This year, as a special feature of our season, the Earth Charter [http://earthcharter.org/discover/the-earth-charter/] will form a special context or backdrop of our observance. It provides an opportunity for our parish and its individual members--including our youngest members -- to make specific personal and institutional commitments for the healing of our planet, and to join the movement of millions around the world who endorse and commit to its principles.

         The Earth Charter is a product of a decade-long, worldwide, cross-cultural dialogue on common goals and shared values. This project began as a United Nations initiative, but it was carried forward and completed by a global civil society initiative. It was finalized and launched as a people’s charter on 29 June, 2000 by the Earth Charter Commission, an independent international entity, in a ceremony at the Peace Palace, in The Hague. A global consensus statement of values and principles for a sustainable future, the Charter has at its core an ethic “of respect and care for the community of life as a whole in all its biological and cultural diversity…The Earth Charter adopted the concept of universal responsibility in part because it complements the idea of universal human rights. 

         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 the Season at the Beginning. Professor Wangari Maathai,*** 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner, describes 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!" 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ God of Eternity, draw back the veil of darkness we pull over ourselves, and help us to hear You speak light into being within us. Quiet the incessant distractions of everyday life that we may experience and savor the glory of Your sun, moon, stars, each blade of grass, and every miraculous facet of Your Creation.

                                    Lord God, our Guardian                                   

RESPONSE:   Let us turn back to You in praise

~ God of Eternity, open the eyes of all who hold political authority on land and sea and in the air across Your diverse Creation, that they may see You reflected in themselves, every human face, every grain of sand, and govern in all good faith. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                    Lord God, our Guardian

                                    Let us turn back to You in praise

~ God of Eternity, as You raise up strength for all Your people, grant healing to the spirits of those laid low by earthly illness or infirmity. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                    Lord God, our Guardian

                                    Let us turn back to You in praise

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

                                    Lord God, our Guardian

                                    Let us turn back to You in praise

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

                                    Lord God, our Guardian

                                    Let us turn back to You in praise

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

                                    Lord God, our Guardian

                                    Let us turn back to You in praise

The Celebrant adds: LORD of Life from Beginning to Infinity, release us from all selfish diversion that lays waste to our human experience. 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 Almighty God of all Creation.  Amen.

*A reading from: Mark Earey [http://engageworship.org/ideas/In_the_beginning_Liturgy]:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

In the empty void and crushing darkness, God spoke light into being.

Creator God, bring light into our darkness.

In the beginning, God took eternity and formed time and space, seasons, days and years.

Creator God, fill and shape the time you have given us.

In the beginning, God took land and sea and filled them with life of every kind.

Creator God, help us find our place within your diverse creation.

In the beginning, God spoke his very image, and the returning echo formed humanity.

Creator God, open our eyes to see you reflected in every human face.

In the beginning, God created, and it was good.

© Mark Earey

** A reading from: Sura 7:54, The Qu’ran

“Your Guardian – Lord, is God, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and is firmly established on the Throne (of authority): He draweth the night as a veil. O’er the day, each seeking the other in rapid succession: He created the sun, the moon, and the stars, (all) governed by laws under His command.” 

*** 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".



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: Bloom Where You're Planted, 20th Sunday after Pentecost, Yr C

For Sunday, October 2, 2016, 20th Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Readings: Lamentations 1:1-6, Psalm 137, 2 Timothy 1:1-14, Luke 17:5-10 

By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept when we remembered you, O Zion. [Ps 137:1]

...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]

Exiled. Uprooted. Replanted. So many of God's people experience this cycle more than once in a life, and for some on our Earth it is continuous. For those fortunate enough to have only a moment of true life upheaval, it may be difficult to be entirely empathetic despite all good intentions. While the grief expressed in the poem of Lamentations and even in the Psalm can be moving, if we read with the eyes of those looking at current news reports from around the globe, it may seem far removed from everyday life in our own corner. That said, I certainly and always have a visceral reaction to the last line in Psalm 137, which is meant as a curse to the predators from Babylon who decimated Jerusalem, uprooted, exiled, and replanted - stole - the people of Israel from their homeland. I commend you to read it for yourself and see that however understandable the emotion, it mirrors the abject cruelty that seems to run rampant in our world today by thought, by word, and by deed in large and in small ways. Yet within the Psalmist's frustration and curses lives a kernel of hope that all the desolation will end as they remember Jerusalem and keep the future alive through that memory. 
        But it is, certainly and always, the Gospel, with a little help from the 2nd letter to Timothy, that gives us our focus - the apostles ask Jesus to "Increase our faith!" Jesus reminds them, and all of 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. It is a metaphor worth pondering. Even in our own day some varieties of mustard seeds are nearly as small as the period at the end of this sentence yet they hold within themselves the ability to produce enormous trees. Imagine then, how great our own eternal future if we remember, in days of exile and uprootedness, and in times of feeling securely and well planted, that we already have all we need within us. The good treasure, our holy calling, the grace...has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. If you want to have faith, the seeds within you 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. It just means to dig a little deeper, pray a bit more often, spend time with the Word and Sacraments, rekindle the gift of God that is within and in so doing the fertile seeds within will take root, grow, and bloom, wherever you are planted.  

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, open our hearts and minds that we may rekindle the gift of You that lives within us, even with only a fragment of faith and hope.

                                                  Lord of Power in Love

RESPONSE:           We are called and saved by You

~ God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, transfuse compassion and humane action into the conscience of each and every leader of this planet, this country, and this community, for the plight of political refugees, all victims of systemic violence and bigotry, and all who feel they live in exile even in their own land. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Lord of Power in Love

                                                We are called and saved by You

                                               

~ God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, unburden all who live with chronic pain and 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 Power in Love

                                                We are called and saved by You

           

~ God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, lift the veil of grief for all who sit and weep, by the joy of memory for those now freed from earthly bondage, living anew in the glory of Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                                                Lord of Power in Love

                                                We are called and saved by You

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

                                                Lord of Power in Love

                                                We are called and saved by You

           

~ God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, nurture all who toil in this temporal garden encouraging spiritual growth by planting seeds of faith, large and small, in the souls of all Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Lord of Power in Love

                                                We are called and saved by You

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds:  Holy and Mighty God, uproot any doubts in the teachings of Christ, as we strive to live according to Your purpose, and guard the good treasure of life eternal entrusted to us. We ask through our Jesus, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit, living within us, 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.