People's Prayers

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Prayers of the People: Keys and Connections 12th Sunday after Pentecost, '17 Yr A

For Sunday, August 27, 2017, 12^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Readings: Exodus 1:8-2:10, Psalm 124, Romans 12:1-8, Matthew 16:13-20

Now a new king arose over Egypt...[who] commanded all his people "Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile...[When the Levite] woman...bore a son...she got a papyrus basket...she put the child in it among the reeds on the bank of the river...The daughter of Pharoah...took pity on him...she took him as her son. She named him Moses, "because," she said, "I drew him out of the water." [Exodus 1:8a, 22a, 2:2a, 3a,b; 5a, 6b, 10b]

Our help is in the Name of the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth. [Psalm 124:8]

...by the mercies of God...present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship...Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed...that you may discern what is the will of God...We have gifts that differ according to the grace given us... [Romans 12:1b, 2, 6a]

[Jesus] said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him..."I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." [Matthew 16:15-16, 17a, 19]

Just as the well-worn literary device of "It was a dark and stormy night" alerts us to trouble ahead, so do the opening words of this passage of Exodus, "Now a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph." Of course we mostly know the story of Moses and what is to come so it is easy in a Sunday service to tune out and let the reading roll on while we look for our checkbooks, sneak a peek at a text message on our mobile phone, or think about what is needed for the evening meal. But the re-telling, of this and each of the other specifically appointed readings, gives us a chance to find a new focus, or hear something we hadn't noticed before. This is an opportunity to seek and discover the keys to unlocking the connections between the Hebrew and Christian Testaments and how - or if - it all informs and shapes our everyday life now, IF being the small yet formidable and operative word. Paul reminds us, in a most timely way, that we are one body in Christ with God-given, grace-filled gifts that we are to discover and offer in service to God and each other. In saying, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect, and then enumerating examples of the gifts God has given, Paul both admonishes and encourages us to look beyond ourselves and work together for God's purpose as a welcoming all-inclusive community of many members in Christ.

The disciples express to Jesus at his asking who others think he is, perhaps wondering themselves if Jesus is some sort of re-incarnation of the prophets. But Simon Peter gets the prize for getting the answer correct. Peter - a name meaning rock in Greek - is then awarded the keys of the kingdom of heaven to bind and loose on earth and in heaven. Did Peter, in that moment, feel the enormous weight of the responsibility? Binding and loosing is a rabbinical concept that, as Jews, the disciples - and Matthew - understood. In very simplistic terms it means a communal judgment to bind as in obligation or to loosen that requirement. How does that apply to us in our lives today?

Many of us feel a strong obligation, or at least a commitment, to present ourselves in Church each Sunday, but of course we are free to not attend. So what does a true obligation to the work of Christ actually mean? Ah, that's where discernment applies. Discovering what are and how to use our particular gifts, as well as offering them in the sincere attempt to follow God's will, is the work of a lifetime, our spiritual worship, our living sacrifice. Our human gifts are the keys to unlocking our spiritual gifts when used in preparation for the true life that is to come. All that was, is now, and all that is now, will come again. It is up to us, individually and collectively, to recognize the connections we share with the past and the future that help us to decipher the signs that we are on the right path or diverging from it. To paraphrase mystic/monk Thomas Merton's helpful and hopeful prayer* that begins, "My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going...," the fact that I think I'm following God's will does not mean that I truly am doing so, BUT, I do believe that God knows when I am sincere in my desire to please and fulfill my calling. Sincerity of purpose is one key to the loosening of apprehension and the binding of trust. Connecting the lessons of the past and present is the key to the future of life everlasting.

*for the full text click here: Thomas Merton's Prayer

(As for a couple of biblical connections, the word for basket - as in the basket that Moses was placed in - is the same word as ark in Hebrew; ark is not just a vessel for water travel, it is a sanctuary, a safe place as a box or a chest such as the ark of the covenant. In Exodus, all Hebrew boy babies were ordered to be killed by Pharoah to prevent them growing up and revolting against him. Earlier in Matthew, Herod ordered all boys under 2 years old to be killed to prevent a Messiah from undermining his reign. Go forth and discover more each week!)

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Living God, our Maker and our Help, as through the waters that birth us, that Moses was drawn from, that nourish the Earth and sometimes drown it, we often struggle to navigate our lives between the raging and the calm. Let us not drift aimlessly through tide and torrent, but by Your mercy, steer toward the Light of Christ, our Messiah, the Incarnation of Your Holy Will for us.

O Lord, our God

RESPONSE: Renew and Transform us, we pray

~ Living God, our Maker and our Help, empower us to be dauntless in the vigorous pursuit of re-forming the attitudes, agenda, and actions from callous to compassionate on the part of the political leaders of this world, our country, and our community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord, our God,

Renew and Transform us, we pray

~ Living God, our Maker and our Help, infuse all who are lost in the grip of addiction, depression, or serious illness with hope and healing, and comfort all who give of their strength in support. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

O Lord, our God,

Renew and Transform us, we pray

~ Living God, our Maker and our Help, open wide the gates of heaven, as You receive in joy, those we now commend to the bliss of eternal life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord, our God,

Renew and Transform us, we pray

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

O Lord, our God,

Renew and Transform us, we pray

~ Living God, our Maker and our Help, we offer our special thanksgivings for those who guide us by their teaching, preaching, and prayers to discern our own gifts and discover our path to all that is holy and acceptable to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord, our God,

Renew and Transform us, we pray

The Celebrant adds: Holy and Immortal God, awaken us each morning with eagerness to offer ourselves in service to Your Supreme Will, to escape the snares of conforming to what is of this world, and bind ourselves to Your Kingdom. We ask through Jesus, Son of Man, our Blessed Messiah; and the Holy Spirit, our Counselor and Advocate, who together with You are one God, omnipotent, eternal, and everlasting. Amen.

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Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Prayers of the People: The Heart of the Matter, 11th Sunday after Pentecost, '17 Yr A

For Sunday, August 20, 2017, 11^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Readings: Genesis 45:1-15, Psalm 133, Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32;

Matthew 15:(10-20), 21-28

Joseph said to his brothers... "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt...I will provide for you [in the land of Goshen]... and now your eyes...see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you...And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them... [Genesis 45:4, 11a, 12a, 15a]

Oh how good and pleasant it is when brethren live together in unity. [Psalm 133:1]

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means!...For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. [Romans, 11:1a, 29]

Then [Jesus] said, "...But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart..." [Matthew 15:18a]
But [the Canaanite woman] came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." [Jesus] answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." [Matthew 15:25-28]

She is my hero. That Canaanite woman, that impure, foreign, woman, that non-Jew, that Gentile. I can imagine the scene - the disciples' rolling eyes and knowing looks of the she's one of them sort; their collective groans and oh please expulsions of breath in frustration, and finally asking Jesus to send her away as her shouts were annoying them. Can you see her, too? She's worrying about her child, seeking the help of the man she knows can work the miracle she and her child seek. Yet in her greatest moment of need, or perhaps because of it, she of the lowliest stature, risks all to get a response from Jesus who then dismisses her, in effect, telling her she's no better than a dog. She gives a highly unexpected response that is food for thought for any of us who have diminished anyone - especially those we think of as not one of us - by a thought, a look, a comment, or especially an action that seeks to elevate ourselves above another. Jesus answers the ubiquitous question, What Would Jesus Do? THIS, THIS is what Jesus did: he heard her speak her truth to his power, and he acclaimed her for her faith and healed her daughter.
And Joseph is also a hero to me. Sold into slavery to a foreign land by his own jealous brothers and then rising to an exalted position in the court of the pharaoh. Let me count the ways of revenge he might have used on them. But he didn't. He found himself in a position to help his family despite their actions against him. He forgave them. He gave them his love and protection.
God has created us one and all and gives us the free will to make what we can out of our human condition. Some days, some times of life, are clearly better than others for each of us yet we all are God's chosen children. Luckily for the human race, God didn't give me or any of us the job of deciding who is the right sort, who is acceptable, or who belongs with the dogs.
Paul tells us, the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. God, in Jesus, did give me the responsibility of giving voice to faith, to use the gifts well, and to answer the call from the good in my heart, even if some days all I have are the crumbs of hope. Yet it is faith, however fragile at times, that is the key that opens the door and reveals the heart of the matter.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Eternal God, Most High, by and in Your Creation, everyone is Your beloved. Free us from the rancor and hostilities of an us and them world, and fill us with the inner peace and the confidence of faith, to see others as ourselves and know they, too, are completely Yours, never, ever discarded by Your choice.

Jesus, Son of God

RESPONSE: Grant us Your Peace

~ Eternal God, Most High, grant us the tenacity to sway the minds and hearts of the leaders of our Planet, our Nation, and our Community, to the ways of justice, integrity, and peace, that we may all live as You intend, kindred souls called to Your purpose. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Son of God

Grant us Your Peace

~ Eternal God, Most High, lighten the burden of all who are in the pit of despair, chronic pain, or serious illness, and preserve the health and patience of those who give care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

Jesus, Son of God

Grant us Your Peace

~ Eternal God, Most High, our thanksgivings allay the earthly pain of loss knowing that our loved ones live again, received with the ecstatic grace of everlasting life in You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Son of God

Grant us Your Peace

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

Jesus, Son of God

Grant us Your Peace

~ Eternal God, Most High, bestow an extra measure of blessing on our spiritual leaders for the innumerable ways they care for us and work to strengthen our faith in You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Son of God

Grant us Your Peace

The Celebrant adds: LORD of All Blessing, LORD of All Life, open our ears to hear our hearts, open our hearts to hear Your Voice, and open our mouths to speak only Your love. We ask, in great faith, through Jesus, the Master of our Table, and the Holy Spirit, the Guide of our Souls, who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.

Jesus, Son of God
Grant us Your Peace

Monday, August 7, 2017

Prayers of the People: That Sinking Feeling, 10th Sunday after Pentecost '17 Yr A

For Sunday, August 13, 2017, 10^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Readings: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28; Psalm 105:1-6, 16-42, 45b;
Romans 10:5-15, Matthew 14:22-33

Now Israel [Jacob] loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was a child of his old age; and he had made him an ornamented tunic...his brothers...hated him. [Genesis 37: 3, 4b - Jewish Study Bible]

Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name, make known his deeds among the peoples...let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. [Psalm 105: 1, 3b]

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. [Romans 10:12]

But when the disciples saw [Jesus] walking on the sea, they were terrified...But...Jesus...said, "...it is I, do not be afraid." Peter [said]..."command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." [Peter] became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught [Peter], saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. [Matthew 14:26a, 28-, 30b, 31-32]

Jacob made his son, Joseph, a "an ornamented tunic," or, "a richly embroidered robe," or, a "long robe with sleeves" depending on the translation you read. The differences in description are because the Hebrew itself is not clear. But the story is known far and wide, by believers and non-believers alike, as Joseph and his coat of many colors, the coat being a symbol of a father's great love for his son and the jealousy wrought by extreme sibling rivalry. God is with Joseph throughout his entire ordeal and despite his brothers' treachery, Joseph survived many hardships and was able to repay his brothers in surprising ways as we'll soon see.

The constancy of God is a continuing theme in the Jacob saga and throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, no matter the whims and wastes of those God loves. The Psalmist reminds us to call upon his name and to search for the Lord and his strength.

Paul tells us that God in Jesus is Lord of all, of everyone, whether Jew or Greek or whatever the color of your coat - this was a shocking idea in those times, a notion that God doesn't dismiss or exclude those people who aren't one of us was quite radical - no wonder Paul ended up in prison! Imagine if we felt that way today - oh, wait, that happens as much today as ever. It leads to the kind of betrayal Joseph's brothers visited upon him, it encourages violence, irrational hatred, and divides neighborhoods and nations. Yet Paul is adamant that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved [Romans 10:13]. Furthermore, we are the ones who are to proclaim Christ to all.

Just as God is Lord of ALL, regardless of human categorization of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, status in life, etc., Jesus calls - requires - us all to be out of the boat to get our feet wet in the realities of life's unpredictable times, tides, and weather. Nothing easy about it - just ask Peter. But praying for the trust to believe in our hearts, to speak our faith out loud in words and actions and bring Christ to others, will help us find the strength we need to pull ourselves and each other up from that sinking feeling of fear and doubt. Jesus bids us Come, and together we will know and share the calmer seas of the Good News.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Infinite Merciful God, You are the Constant who will guide us through the calm and chaos in the seas of our earthly life if we but believe in our hearts, and call upon Your Holy Name. Amplify our faith, remove our doubts and fear. Grant us the willingness and determination to answer’s Christ simple call, “Come.”

Jesus, our Lord

RESPONSE: Our Strength and our Refuge

~ Infinite Merciful God, empower us to employ the Gospel message with the leaders of our World, our Country, and our Community, in seeking the great expansion of peace, health, and well-being for all of Your people everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, our Lord