People's Prayers

Monday, July 2, 2018

Prayers of the People: Shake, Rattle, and Roll On ~ 7th Sunday after Pentecost '18 Yr B

For Sunday, July 5, 2018, 7^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, Readings: 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10; Psalm 48, 2 Corinthians 12:2-10, Mark 6:1-13

All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, "Look, we are your bone and flesh..." [2 Samuel 5:1]

As we have heard, so we have seen, in the city of the Lord of Hosts…We have waited in silence on your loving-kindness…This God is our God for ever and ever; he shall be our guide for evermore. [Psalm 48:7a, 8a, 13]

I know a person in Christ who…was caught up to the third heaven – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows…and heard things…that no mortal is permitted to repeat…to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh…I appealed to the Lord…but he said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power in made perfect in weakness”… Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults…for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. [2 Corinthians 12:2, 4b, 7b, 8a, 9a, 10]

Then Jesus said to [the disciples], "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house"... He said to [the disciples] …if any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” [Mark 6:4,10a, 11]

In our times, as throughout history, powerful/charismatic leaders attract some ardent followers who want to stay very close, idolize, and would even act as the bone and flesh of the hero. Such absolute devotion by others can easily skew one's initial humility and original intent. Some who claim political or other power and authority become more interested in the adulation and adoration than in the responsibilities of genuine leadership. They cultivate and bask in the unfettered loyalty of a few, while deliberately oppressing and persecuting others who aren't so easily beguiled. Staying modest and humble in the face of eager and constant admirers is difficult for the most sainted of humans. David had such struggles later in his life. Paul may have recognized it in himself and accepted the thorn as a sacred reminder to be aware of the dangers of holding deep power of persuasion over others. His monologue in this passage almost sounds as if he is reminding himself, as well as the Church at Corinth, in his repetition that he, himself, doesn't know all but God knows.

As in every life in the public eye, there are always detractors. Jesus was his most human self in his frustration with the hometown reaction he received, as he kept moving along, doing what he could, where he could. Jesus called the Disciples and sent them off two by two to do God's work. In giving them the command to shake off the dust if not welcomed and roll on, we are reminded by Jesus that our earthly time is short to get done what we are to do. We are also called to keep moving ~ together ~ shaking off the dust of the detractors and disappointment, rattling the chambers of despotic power, and rolling on to the next opportunity to offer the justice, truth, and welcome of the Gospel. Together, we can also work to keep the thorns of despair, hardship, and calamity from piercing us all the way through.

David, Paul, and Jesus were all doing the work God had given them to do and, as in every human life, some days were better than others. There are two post-Communion prayers in the US Episcopal Book of Common Prayer and both say that we are "living members" of the Body of Christ. In one, we, the pray-ers, ask God to, "Send us now into the world in peace..." and in the other to "...send us out to do the work you have given us to do..." Let us ponder, this week, what work, whose bone and flesh, and what thorns are we willing to take on? And, why? Shake, rattle, and roll on...

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord, God of Hosts, You know that we are each presented with trials, troubles, and weakness in this earthly life. Quicken our ability to recognize and accept these thorns as grace-filled opportunities for the sake of Christ, whose power dwells within us and gives us strength.

O God of Loving Kindness

RESPONSE: Dissolve our doubt, empower our faith

~ O Lord, God of Hosts, You know the hearts and souls of us all, including those who govern in this World, this Country, and this Community. Grant us ever-increasing fortitude and determination to persist in speaking Your truths of love, justice, and mercy on behalf of the most beleaguered and oppressed in our midst and around the globe. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Loving Kindness

Dissolve our doubt, empower our faith

~ O Lord, God of Hosts, restore hope and wholeness to all who struggle with chronic illness, homelessness, or recovery, and infuse their supporters with energy and endurance. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

O God of Loving Kindness

Dissolve our doubt, empower our faith

~ O Lord, God of Hosts, ease the sorrow of all who mourn as those who now live again in You, are filled with joy in the bliss of eternal peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Loving Kindness

Dissolve our doubt, empower our faith

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

O God of Loving Kindness

Dissolve our doubt, empower our faith

~ O Lord, God of Hosts, we continue our prayers for the work of the General Convention of our Church, especially the deputies of _______, as we give You thanks for all those ordained to guide us on our journey to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Loving Kindness

Dissolve our doubt, empower our faith

The Celebrant adds: Almighty Creator, our God and Guide forever, embolden our willingness to shake off the dust of rejection and mockery when we step out in faith and turn our lives to Christ. Let us share in his prophetic ministry and be his bone and flesh on earth. We ask through Jesus, our Prophet and Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit, our Fount of Wisdom, who together with You reign as One God, now and forever. Amen.

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com

Monday, June 25, 2018

Prayers of the People: Sea Change ~ 6th Sunday after Pentecost '18 Yr B

For Sunday, July 1, 2018, 6^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, Readings: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Psalm 130, 2 Corinthians 8:7-15, Mark 5:21-43

How the mighty have fallen…I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; greatly beloved were you to me…

[2 Samuel 1:25a, 26a]

Out of the depths have I called to you, O LORD…hear my voice; let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication … I wait for the LORD, my soul waits for him; in his word is my hope … for with the LORD there is mercy...With him there is plenteous redemption [Ps 130: 1, 4, 6b, 7a]

For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has – not according to what one does not have...it is a question of fair balance between your present abundance and their need…"

[2 Cor 8:12, 13b-14a]

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea...Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." [Mark 5: 21, 36b]

We are living in chaotic times as we try to pay attention to and cope with the whiplashing effects of policy by fiat that spawns humanitarian crises in our own land, upsets the equilibrium of responsible government, and creates havoc with allies and foes alike. It feels much like the storm in the Sea of Galilee that so frightened experienced sailors that they woke the sleeping Jesus who calmed the seas and stilled the winds. When the sea was quieted, Jesus and the disciples crossed over to the other side.

We continue to cross a churning sea of unknown limit and seek to re-establish our footing on solid ground – and in the disarray, the anger, and the fear, some of us move into new consciousness, some of us retreat into the old. This week even as David returns home a victor in war, he crosses over the exultation of winning into the woeful lament and mournful loss of Saul and Jonathan. Saul became an enemy that David still loved nonetheless, and Jonathan, was a friend in life closer to his heart than anyone else. David exclaims, "How the mighty have fallen!" and we suddenly realize, the "mighty" are just ordinary mortals in their decline. Even the “mighty” will end their earthly sojourn in a grave, the great equalizer of us all.

Paul enters testy waters as he asks the Corinthians to cross over from the previous idea of financial support for the poor in Jerusalem, to actually finishing the plan and giving the funds. He tells us all that if we are eager to help, any gift is acceptable given according to what we have and not given from what we do not have. I especially like when he says in verses 13 and 14, I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of fair balance between your present abundance and their need…What is too much; what is too little? Our own eagerness – or lack of – will determine how we give.

Mark gives us Jesus and the Disciples after the storm, landing on the other shore where Jesus is met by a frightened father in fear of his daughter's serious illness. Jesus agrees to go to see the child. On the way, a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for 12 years reached for and touched his cloak and was suddenly healed. Then Jesus goes on to the home of Jairus and is told that the child has died – but of course, we know how this story ends.

So two more crossings have occurred into today’s readings – a woman suffering for 12 years crosses back into full health, and a girl of 12 years seemingly dead crosses back into life. Perhaps those witnessing also crossed over into an even greater level of faith in Jesus as Jesus tells the woman, "Your faith has made you well." And it was the faith of Jairus that Jesus responded to in the raising of his daughter.

Again I wonder, what has all this to do with my faith? This is not a message that my faith isn't strong enough if I'm not immediately healed. I believe that it is in the reaching for Jesus that we are led to faith in action, and prayer brings God's support every step of the way. With our constancy in prayer, we will be more able to live out our faith with far less fear of what is and of what is to come. It is in the working through faith that we are healed of the ailments of our souls. It is in a determined community of faith, crossing various angry seas at times and floating along in the moments of tranquil waters, that we find our strength and purpose. With all hands on deck pulling together in all the sea changes we face, giving money, time, and talent according to what we each have, in principle and love, we will bring ourselves and each other safely to that heavenly shore, where there is no death, or chaos, or strife, but only life everlasting. In God, through Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, there is plenteous redemption.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord of Mercy and Hope, as we more easily turn to You in the tragedies of life, remind us that Your presence is constant even in the everyday routines. Guide us to be as constant with You, mindful that frequent prayer grows our faith and strengthens our souls.

God of Plenteous Redemption

RESPONSE: Hear our Prayer

~ O Lord of Mercy and Hope, awaken compassion, virtue, and morality within ourselves and all who govern in our world, our country, and our community, to ensure that a fair balance be struck between the abundance of the few and the needs of the many. [For USA: On this 242nd anniversary of our country's founding, let us celebrate the beauty, the bounty, and the principles that grant us Freedom, Liberty, and Justice for all.]

We pray especially for: add your own petitions

God of Plenteous Redemption

Hear our Prayer

~ O Lord of Mercy and Hope, relieve the suffering of those with serious illness, addiction, or desperate life circumstance, and give wisdom and respite to those who tend their needs. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

God of Plenteous Redemption

Hear our Prayer

~ O Lord of Mercy and Hope, fill us with the peace of knowing that those who have crossed to the other side, now live again forever, in the glorious bliss of Your eternal kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

God of Plenteous Redemption

Hear our Prayer

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

God of Plenteous Redemption

Hear our Prayer

~ O Lord of Mercy and Hope, grant wisdom, clarity of purpose, and stamina for all Deputies, clergy and lay, who now gather, worship, and do Your work in the General Convention of our Church, to benefit the fields of Christ’s Mission and Ministry everywhere. Strengthen those whom you have called to be our guides through uncharted waters. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

God of Plenteous Redemption

Hear our Prayer

The Celebrant adds: O LORD of Peace and Wholeness, as the woman reached to Jesus, and the child awakened at his call, grant us the determination to reach towards You with fearless faith, eagerness of heart, and purity of intent. May justice and mercy prevail among all Your people. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit, our Sanctifier, who together with You reign as One God, now and forever. Amen.

Monday, June 18, 2018

Prayers of the People: Stilling ~ 5th Sunday after Pentecost '18 Yr B

For Sunday, June 24, 2018, 5^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, Readings: 1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49; Psalm 9:9-20,

2 Corinthians 6:6-13, Mark 4:35-41

David said, "The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine. [1 Samuel 17:37]

The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed…he will not forget the cry of the afflicted…The ungodly have fallen into the pit they dug, and in the snare they set is their own foot caught…the wicked are trapped in the works of their own hands…Rise up, O Lord, let not the ungodly have the upper hand…Put fear upon them, O Lord; let the ungodly know they are but mortal. [Psalm 9:9a, 12b, 15, 16b, 20]

As we work together with Christ, we urge you not to accept the grace of God in vain…as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance…hardships, calamities…kindness, holiness of spirit…in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. [2 Corinthians 6:1, 4, 6, 8]

A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was…asleep…and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be Still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” [Mark 4:37-40]

David and Goliath - who doesn't know this story, at least from the standpoint of "little guy prevails over very much bigger guy." While we - in the Judeo-Christian culture - know it from the Hebrew [Old] Testament, the story is also found in Islam's Qu'ran. This is the undoubtedly quintessential historical/scriptural/universally significant/underdog-victory tale to which we can all relate. And from which I draw much hope despite my severe lack of skills in hurling stones. Yet David was completely confident that he would prevail, with God's help.

I will also confess, to experiencing some cathartic venting within the verses of this week's appointed Psalm. I was struck recently when I, having recently seen him in person, picked up Old Testament Scholar Walter Bruggemann's Book "The Prophetic Imagination" again for the first time in many years. In the first sentence of the Preface for this book in 1978, he says, "The time may be right in the church for serious consideration of prophecy as a crucial element in ministry." He includes David in the prophetic class and here we are, 40 years later, and now is yet another right time! I take comfort and relief in this particular Psalm in this particular week.

Contrasting David's confidence, in Mark's Gospel, the Disciples are terrified of the storm on the water. But wait, aren't most of them experienced fishermen? That must have been one whale of a storm to frighten them so much and you can almost hear the translation of Jesus's words to them in today's terms as "Seriously, you woke me for this? Where is your faith?" And, of course, Jesus tells the waves and winds, Be Still!
And what does this all mean for my life? Do I step up like David and face the Philistine giant, or cower like the Disciples? Am I faith-strong or faith-weak? It depends on the day and the fear; especially in these current days of not only fear but raging anger and strong division in this country and across the world. But Paul urges the Corinthians not to accept the grace of God in vain. That sentence also jumped out at me. No complacency, no cowering, whatever the hardships, calamities...sleepless nights...kindness, holiness of spirit... there is work to be done in the fields of faith-filled living. But it is difficult and often thankless work in this earth-bound, high-tech, materialistic, us vs. them, temporary life. Keeping my faith in God through Christ and the Holy Spirit conscious and active takes great effort most times. But, it also means that I may surprise myself with my own strength, resilience, and capacity, to face the fearsome foes and woes in life, especially the ones I create for myself. I can also shine as the brightest of suns when the greatest joy arrives. And yet even in the most ordinary of times with daily frustrations, or the stormiest with anger and fear all around, mostly what I need is some time to be still and quiet the winds and waves within myself. And then a step forward and another, in faith, in hope, in genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God. [2 Cor 6:6b-7a] Then some more breathing, quiet, stilling. Repeat.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O God, our Refuge and our Strength, in the face of fearsome foes, grant us the courage to brace against, and still, the winds of evil and the waves of emotional, physical, and spiritual damage engulfing so many of Your people, especially the children. Remind us often that You never forsake those who seek Your trust.

Lord of Justice and Peace

RESPONSE: Still our fear; Arouse our faith

~ O God, our Refuge and our Strength, infuse our minds and hearts with the skills of Your servant David, that we may challenge the leaders of Earthly, National, and Local governments to aim for and successfully defeat the giant adversaries of discrimination, injustice, and physical danger for all Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord of Justice and peace

Still our fear; Arouse our faith

~ O God, our Refuge and our Strength, restore health and give comfort to those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and give patience to those who tend their needs. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

Lord of Justice and peace

Still our fear; Arouse our faith

~ O God, our Refuge and our Strength, lighten the burden for all who grieve, as You embrace those newly arrived, to dwell with You in the glory of everlasting life and peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord of Justice and peace

Still our fear; Arouse our faith

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

Lord of Justice and peace

Still our fear; Arouse our faith

~ O God, our Refuge and our Strength, provide our ordained Shepherds with extra measures of endurance, conviction, and serenity of soul, to guide and join with us in ministry through whatever joys, hardships, calamities, kindnesses, and holiness of spirit we discover in service to Your Will. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord of Justice and peace

Still our fear; Arouse our faith

The Celebrant adds: Most Loving God, help us to fully accept Your grace as true and humble servants in the wildest of storms and the most ordinary moments of this life. Fill us with faith enough to quell the angry tempests within ourselves and with each other, that we may see through another’s eyes and learn to walk together, if differently, to Your Eternal Shore. We ask through Jesus, our Peace and our Salvation, and the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom Guide, who with together with You, are One God for all of time eternal. Amen.

Monday, June 11, 2018

Prayers of the People: Confidentially ~ 4th Sunday after Pentecost '18 Yr B

For Sunday, June 17, 2018, 4^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, Readings: 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13, Psalm 20, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, [11-13], 14-17; Mark 4:26:34

...for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
[1 Samuel 15:7b]

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble, the Name of the God of Jacob defend you…Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will call upon the Name of the Lord our God. They will collapse and fall down, but we will arise and stand upright. [Psalm 20 1, 7-8]

We are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord -- for we walk by faith, not by sight. [2 Cor 5:6-7]

With what can we compare the kingdom of God...It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." [Mark 4:30-32]

Early in the Hebrew Testament reading for this week, Samuel is grieving over Saul’s abysmal kingship. God was sorry that he had made Saul king as he disobeyed God’s decrees and decided to do only as he wanted to do and in his own way. It’s an interesting and rare moment that God regrets a decision. The only other time we’re told about is in Genesis 6 when God regretted the creation of humanity and so, enter Noah. For me, it’s comforting to know that there are times when God’s mind is changed about a prior decision. While we only know about two of them from the Bible, perhaps there are more?

God is then preparing Samuel to find a new king for Israel and explains the criteria to him. Mortals look at outward appearance and make judgments while God looks on the heart and from that vantage point, God guides the uncertain Samuel to choose Saul’s successor. David, who while the smallest seed of Jesse, had a confident heart when the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him at his anointing. And then immediately we are confronted with Paul’s assertion in the beginning of this 1st Corinthians passage, that “We are always confident…” I am often far from confident in my faith at times. In retreating to the passage just before this one, I was able to find a bit of my internal footing, that is, Paul tells us just before that we [are to] look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. [2 Cor 4:18] It’s all seems very cryptic but it then weaves into Paul's reminder this week that being at home in this earthly body, that is seen and also temporary is life away from the Lord. We are called to seek our eternal, and not yet seen, home with our Lord God, and in so doing we become a new creation in Christ.

Jesus carries it further in his likening the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed, a very tiny seed that grows into a shrub or tree so large that birds can nest in its branches. The parable of the mustard seed appears in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke, and has always resonated with me, especially later on in Luke and Matthew when Jesus says that all we need is faith the size of one of these very tiny seeds and mountains can be moved [Luke 17:6]. Just how small is that exactly? Well some varieties yield seeds the size of the period that ends this sentence. Only that much, or rather that little faith? Ok then, I can do that with a good heart and a little more confidence.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer God, You brought forth and seeded the Universe giving life in all of its forms. Foster our willingness to tend our own spiritual gardens by weeding out temptation, feeding with prayer in action, and prospering the work of our souls for Your service.

O Lord our God

RESPONSE: Grant us clean, faithful, confident hearts

~ Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer God, answer us in our day of trouble and cultivate the growth of virtue, decency, empathy, and righteousness within the souls of all who govern in this World, in this Country, and in this Community. Implant any change of heart needed to bring about the full and equal flowering of all people, everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our God

Grant us clean, faithful, confident hearts

~ Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer God, may all who are weakened by severe illness, depression, or desperation, nest in the comforting shade of Your healing embrace, as You fortify those who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

O Lord our God

Grant us clean, faithful, confident hearts

~ Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer God, in the beauty and abundance Your Earth provides, we can merely glimpse and give continuous thanksgiving for the brilliance of eternal life, where those we love now live anew and thrive forever. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our God

Grant us clean, faithful, confident hearts

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

O Lord our God

Grant us clean, faithful, confident hearts

~ Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer God, enhance the special combination of humility and confidence in those chosen to serve as leaders in Your Church. Guide them as they guide us to vibrantly bloom as a new creation in Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our God

Grant us clean, faithful, confident hearts

The Celebrant adds: O God, Most High, instill the wisdom within each of us to know that however small and humble our beginnings, as we walk by faith and not by sight, we will surely reap the fullness of life eternal from the seeds of Your infinite love and grace. We ask through Jesus, our Christ, in whom all Creation is new, and the Holy Spirit whose Wisdom enriches the roots of our souls, who together with You, are One God, now and for ever. Amen.

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Prayers of the People: Out on a Limb ~ 3rd Sunday after Pentecost '18 Yr B

For Sunday, June 10, 2018, 3^rd Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, Readings: Genesis 3:8-15, (11:14-15); Psalm 138, 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1,
Mark 3:20-35

[God] said, “…Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?...Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” [Genesis 3:11b, 13]

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart…and praise your Name, because of your love and faithfulness…Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe…The Lord will make good his purpose for me. O Lord, your love endures forever. [Psalm 138:1a, 2b, 8a, 9a]

Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace…may increase thanksgiving to the glory of God…So do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. [2 Corinthians 4:15-16]

The crowd came together again, so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind."…And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “…And if a house is divided against itself, the house will not be able to stand.”…A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
[Mark 3:20-21, 23a, 25, 32-35]

Many years ago, I was a young military spouse living in Fort Benning, Georgia. A military base is self-contained and as complex, or more so, as any well run city with all the usual infrastructures within its unique mission and industry. One of the more surprising elements when I first arrived was the special team of soldiers deployed daily to remove snakes hanging from the limbs of trees in the housing areas. With a hundred thousand residents that includes soldiers, families, children, and household pets, having them drop from trees is not ideal, to say the least, especially as there are a few poisonous varieties. This memory surfaces whenever I hear the Genesis story of the tempting, trickster, dangerous serpent, often depicted in trees.

Snakes are mentioned over 80 times in the Bible as deceptive creatures that lure us with the promise that something God has forbidden us is actually good. While I cannot imagine being lured by a snake in this life, insert shivers here, we cannot judge a snake by its scales. Eve and Adam in turn wanted to eat that fruit and gave into the temptation having received encouragement and permission from the serpent.

Snakes in many guises are everywhere. We even call someone who sells potentially dangerous, medically untested remedies, a "snake oil salesman." Still today advertised "snake oil" is a hugely profitable business and we all fall prey at one time or another, when the message, the promise is just what we want to hear. And so it is in all facets of human life. We are drawn to those who promise that all difficulties and troubles will be resolved if only we buy the whole truckload of what they're selling. We line up against those who try to tell us that we are only looking at a mirage because we like our sales person better than theirs. We become that divided house that Jesus speaks of. And he would know about household division.

Even Jesus with his storied ancestry arrives in his home territory with less than a happy welcome from his family. Mary, his mother, and the brothers of Jesus think he's crazy and needs to be physically restrained. Perhaps Mary and her other sons were embarrassed by Jesus, in the sight of others, for not following an expected career path. Most families I know or know of have tales about embarrassing or alienating relatives who have befouled the family tree and perhaps even been disowned. It is no easy feat to understand, support, and accept a member of the family who has gone in unexpected and inexplicable ways. And so a household divides. Jesus defines family for himself, and by extension for us, as those who do the will of God. And how are we to determine what is the will of God, and what is the True Source and not the snake oil? How do we stand together when we understand things so differently. We won't know for sure that we've made the right choices until ... And, until, whenever I feel I'm out on an uncertain limb of Christ's family tree, I go back constantly to my favorite prayer by Thomas Merton:

My Lord God,

I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that, if I do this, You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.

~ From: Thoughts in Solitude¸ Thomas Merton

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Lord God Almighty, as by Your Will we were created, keep us safe in the midst of trouble. May we may not fall prey to human serpents that would lead us by charm and guile down the tangled garden path of earthly wants. Renew our inner nature each day that we may seek and make good Your purpose in this life that prepares us for the next.