Prayers of the People: Gathering ~ 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany Yr C '19

For Sunday, January 27, 2019, 3^rd Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C, Readings: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a, Luke 4:14-21

            Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding.    [Nehemiah 8:2a]

              By [the statutes of the LORD] also is your servant enlightened...cleanse me from my secret faults...O LORD my strength and my redeemer. [Ps 19: 8a, 11 a, 12 b, 14b]

           Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body ~ Jews or Greeks, slaves or free ~ and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. [1 Cor 12:12-13]

    [Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit,] stood up to read, and the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah was given to him. He  and unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me...he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor...proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind..."  [Luke 4:14a, 16b, 17-18a]

           The prophet Nehemiah tells us that the people of Israel gathered together to hear again the law of Moses which God had given them. Ezra read the law of God, with interpretation, with the sense of it given so the people understood and the day was declared holy to our Lord. The people were sent on their way and told to send portions of their feast to those for whom nothing is prepared. The Psalmist tells us the heavens declare the glory of God and reminds us that God's law is perfect and God's statutes are just and rejoice the heart. And there is the verse from the Psalm and the Book of Common Prayer: Let the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. 

          Comforted and bolstered by the knowledge of the Lord's presence within us, we can imagine the members of the Church in Corinth gathering to listen to Paul's letters. He begins with the reminder that we were all baptized into one body...and made to drink of one spirit. 

         Continuing on from last week's reading of the gifts of the Spirit, Paul takes us further into the anatomy of the Body of Christ as created by God. He dissects our non-hierarchical arrangement of parts, well, except for God giving the greater honor to the inferior member. So very many members ~ digits, organs, and limbs ~ all created in the image of God, and all one body ~ all ordinarily the same and each extraordinarily different. ALL parts of the body ~ individually and corporately, locally and planetarily ~ are created and arranged by God, the ultimate and pre-eminent Architect, Electrical, Chemical, Plumbing, and Systems Engineer. We are endowed from before birth with different gifts that are not our own, but in our human lives are to be given out to and received from each other, so as to have the same care for another...if one member suffers, all suffer...if one member is honored, all rejoice together in it. 

           And then, in the Gospel, we move to the gathering in the Synagogue as Jesus returns to his home town, to his home congregation, and was asked to read the words of Isaiah. Quite an honor? Perhaps a test? He unrolled the scroll, read from it, and then rolled up the scroll...and sat down. He just sat down! Everyone was watching and so he told them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Today is the key word, the principle concept. He was reading Isaiah's words The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me... He just announced his ministry, designating himself through the words of Isaiah to the congregation where he grew up. Is that an audible gasp travelling through the millennia? 

         As we gather together to listen to God's Law and Word, let we who hear with understanding be conscious of the Spirit within us. Let us seek the gifts that are unique to us as individuals and honor the gifts of others. The waters of Baptism flow in a variety of ways and directions and the entire Body has been given the waters of the Spirit to hydrate our souls, to cleanse our hearts even of its secret faults, and to purify our intentions whether known or unknown to the other members. Let us gather often, drink deeply of one Spirit again, experience the Good News while we strive for the greater gifts as living members of the Body of Christ. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord of Strength and Glory, fill us with the power of Your Spirit to bring Your Good News to all we meet. Cleanse us from our secret faults and enlighten the workings of our bodies, minds, and souls to be mindful instruments of Your justice and honor.

                                                   O Christ, our Teacher    

RESPONSE:                 We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your Voice

~ O Lord of Strength and Glory, grant us Your acceptable and heartfelt words to reach the hearts and minds of all who govern the countries of this world, our nation, and our local community. Endow them with the courage and compassion to act now on behalf of the poor, the blind and the sick, and to free those who are oppressed and held captive. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Christ, our Teacher

                                                       We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your Voice

~ O Lord of Strength and Glory, relieve the pain of those who suffer from illness, anxiety, or addiction, and refresh all who provide care and comfort. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       O Christ, our Teacher

                                                       We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your Voice

~ O Lord of Strength and Glory, lift the heavy weight of mourning, as those who have now left us in this life, rejoice and dance in Your everlasting light. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Christ, our Teacher

                                                       We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your Voice

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

                                                       O Christ, our Teacher

                                                       We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your Voice

             

~ O Lord of Strength and Glory, we give You thanks and praise for all who are anointed in the Spirit to lead us in Your Church, opening the scrolls of Your Word, and guiding us toward the fulfillment of our purpose in You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Christ, our Teacher

                                                       We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your Voice

             

The Celebrant adds:  O God of Freedom and Favor, overflow us with the desire to drink deeply of the Spirit and to seek and use the unique gifts bestowed upon us for Your purpose. Teach our hearts, again, to care for and honor each other as the Body of Christ, as we strive to be ever greater in Your service. We ask through Jesus, our Master and Ideal; and the Holy Spirit, the Fount of our Wisdom, who together with You are One God, forever, and ever. Amen.

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Meditation Moment: How Long? ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday ~ January 15, 2020

An edited reprise: Let us remember and reflect upon his words then 

and the parallels in our lives today: 

 The release of the movie Selma in the 50th anniversary year of the civil rights marches on Montgomery from Selma, Alabama brought several generations up to speed on the way things were. African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc., and Caucasians who were too young to remember or not yet born had a glimpse of the harsh and often brutal realities of the race struggles in the 1950s and 1960s. 

          Those of us old enough to remember will know that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was landmark legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and/or national origin.  It was followed by the Voting Rights Act passed on August 6, 1965 which was amended several times over the years to strengthen the ability of all citizens to have unencumbered access for voting.              
          In 2013 and 2014, many states, and the US Supreme Court, took measures to reduce the effectiveness of these laws by enacting legislation creating barriers to the ballot box based on a false pretext of protecting against voter fraud. Such legislation has reduced the ability of minority, elderly, poor, and physically challenged individuals to meet the new criteria for casting a ballot. In a country forged in democracy, yet where voter apathy is frighteningly rampant, the partisan gerrymandering of credentialing, voting hours, and availability of adequate numbers of voting machines has had and will continue to have an adverse effect on voter turnout. Reading this speech of Dr. King's, of which the following is only an excerpt, I can feel the hands of time creeping backwards.

            Dr. King's oratory was legendary and I can still hear his voice when I read the words below. I hope you will read it - the emphasis is mine - and, I also hope you will click the link at the bottom to read the speech in its entirety. One other thing that Dr. King said often, in various ways, is that "There comes a time when silence is betrayal." We must NOT be silent. We can, should, and must, make a concerted effort to implore and demand of our legislators that voting credentials be fair and easily obtained for all who meet the basic criteria of citizenship and age. Voting is but one issue in the realm of discrimination, but if one of our brothers and sisters are denied, then we are all denied full and equal access to democracy. We are the people for which government is by, for, and of....
           The parallels to our current state of affairs are frightening, but let us cross the bridge again, together, hand in hand.

Marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge
in Selma, Alabama in March, 1965

"How Long, Not Long" is the popular name given to the public speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the steps of the State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, after the successful completion of the Selma to Montgomery March on March 25, 1965. The speech is also sometimes referred to as "Our God Is Marching On!"

"...Our whole campaign in Alabama has been centered around the right to vote. In focusing the attention of the nation and the world today on the flagrant denial of the right to vote, we are exposing the very origin, the root cause, of racial segregation in the Southland. Racial segregation as a way of life did not come about as a natural result of hatred between the races immediately after the Civil War. There were no laws segregating the races then. And as the noted historian, C. Vann Woodward, in his book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow* clearly points out, the segregation of the races was really a political stratagem employed by the emerging Bourbon interests in the South to keep the southern masses divided and southern labor the cheapest in the land. You see, it was a simple thing to keep the poor white masses working for near-starvation wages in the years that followed the Civil War. Why, if the poor white plantation or mill worker became dissatisfied with his low wages, the plantation or mill owner would merely threaten to fire him and hire former Negro slaves and pay him even less. Thus, the southern wage level was kept almost unbearably low.

“Toward the end of the Reconstruction era, something very significant happened. That is what was known as the Populist Movement. The leaders of this movement began awakening the poor white masses and the former Negro slaves to the fact that they were being fleeced by the emerging Bourbon interests. Not only that, but they began uniting the Negro and white masses into a voting bloc that threatened to drive the Bourbon interests from the command posts of political power in the South.

“To meet this threat, the southern aristocracy began immediately to engineer this development of a segregated society. I want you to follow me through here because this is very important to see the roots of racism and the denial of the right to vote. Through their control of mass media, they revised the doctrine of white supremacy. They saturated the thinking of the poor white masses with it, thus clouding their minds to the real issue involved in the Populist Movement. They then directed the placement on the books of the South of laws that made it a crime for Negroes and whites to come together as equals at any level. And that did it. That crippled and eventually destroyed the Populist Movement of the nineteenth century.

"If it may be said of the slavery era that the white man took the world and gave the Negro Jesus, then it may be said of the Reconstruction era that the southern aristocracy took the world and gave the poor white man Jim Crow*. He gave him Jim Crow. And when his wrinkled stomach cried out for the food that his empty pockets could not provide, he ate Jim Crow, a psychological bird that told him that no matter how bad off he was, at least he was a white man, better than the black man.  And he ate Jim Crow. And when his undernourished children cried out for the necessities that his low wages could not provide, he showed them the Jim Crow signs on the buses and in the stores, on the streets and in the public buildings.  And his children, too, learned to feed upon Jim Crow, their last outpost of psychological oblivion.

"Thus, the threat of the free exercise of the ballot by the Negro and the white masses alike resulted in the establishment of a segregated society. They segregated southern money from the poor whites; they segregated southern mores from the rich whites; they segregated southern churches from Christianity; they segregated southern minds from honest thinking; and they segregated the Negro from everything. That’s what happened when the Negro and white masses of the South threatened to unite and build a great society: a society of justice where none would pray upon the weakness of others; a society of plenty where greed and poverty would be done away; a society of brotherhood where every man would respect the dignity and worth of human personality..."

*"Jim Crow" became a pejorative term for African-Americans in about the late 1830s because of a popular song called Jump Jim Crow that was written and performed in blackface all over the country by a white man, Thomas Rice, beginning in about 1832. This stereotyped mocking image was applied to the laws of racial segregation that became known as Jim Crow Laws.
The full text of this speech is available here: 
http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/kingpapers/article/our_god_is_marching_on/

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Prayers of the People: What HE Said ~ MLK/Primo Sunday, 2nd Sunday of Epiphany '19 Yr C

For Sunday, January 20, 2019, Sunday after the Epiphany, MLK/Primo Sunday, Year C, Readings: Isaiah 62:1-5, Psalm 36: 5-10, 

The Making of a Black Bishop*/1 Corinthians 12:1-11, John 2:1-11

   For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn... 

[Isaiah 62:1]

     For with you is the well of life. and in your light we see light, Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you, and favor for those who are true of heart. [Psalm 36:9-10]

      Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed... there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 

[1 Corinthians 12:1,4-7]

     The congregation is free and the Diocese is free. And being free, we are both free to be One. What binds us together now is our common loyalty to Jesus Christ and to this branch of His Church.  [Bishop Quintin Primo from The Making of a Black Bishop*]

          When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you or me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you"… Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.”  And they filled them up to the brim. 
[John 2: 3-5, 7] 

        As with so many Biblical anecdotes and parables, the story of the wedding feast of Cana is so well known that people of many beliefs and cultures have heard it. They even sell really terrible wine on the streets of a town that might be Cana but no one really knows for certain. As we’re told in John's Gospel, Jesus turned water into wine ~ his first miracle ~ and he didn't think he was ready. While quite an accomplishment, the setting for this first sign may not appear to be auspicious enough for such a pivotal event or serve humanity in any important way. Yet his mother asked and he complied, if slightly less than willing. He took the first step in his ministry. 
       The volume of the wine changed from the water is significant; it is an abundant amount given how late in the celebration. It is a metaphor for the way the love and Presence of God fills us all, God's own created vessels, up to the brim, just as the new wine fills the stone jars. And, it matters not how late in our lives we change and recognize the fullness of God's love within. The moment made believers of his disciples: Jesus, Son of God, Worker of Miracles! Let's follow him everywhere!

       Jesus was the embodiment of God's gifts as we each are, in our own individual ways. For us mere mortals, discerning our gifts is not easy and many of us ignore or disclaim them, hide under a mask of artificial humility, mistaking confidence for conceit. We may not all have the greatness to save the entire world but each one of us has abilities, knowledge, and talent that make us unique, useful, even admirable ~ if we accept them. Perhaps it is easier to hide from them as if the acceptance and claiming requires some responsibility for using them. Jesus accepted his gifts and used them for teaching, preaching, and healing. Dr. King and Bishop Primo used their gifts and did change the world and, often, especially as with Dr. King, at their own peril.

       But of course Jesus, Dr. King, and Bishop Primo were special people, called by God to do great and memorable things that are written down and remembered. "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent..." says Isaiah, and Dr. King, and Bishop Primo. What is Zion for me? What will call me from just dreaming about what I might do someday to pushing myself to action now? Dr. King said, "Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase." Our first step begins with the Gospels. Bishop Primo was very clear when he said, "What binds us together now is our common loyalty to Jesus Christ..." But not everyone agrees on how and what to believe. If the Gospel message is so clear why are so many Christians arguing with and disparaging each other? How can there be so many divisions, denominations, theological and ideological differences determining who's in and who's out and who's right and who's wrong, who should be condemned (or worse) and who should be accepted? If being fully loved by God, as we learn from the Gospels, doesn't brings us all together, it does beg the question, "So, really, What Would Jesus Do?" Well, in faith be true of heart and as Mary directed, do everything He tells us. (And, listen to your mother.)

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O God Most Loving, give us ears to hear, hearts to feel, and souls to know the Spirit-charged words and voices of Your servants Martin and Quintin. Activate our own spiritual gifts, that we may change the substance of our lives from self-serving to full-service, to be true of heart and strong in faith, now more than ever.

                                                O Righteous, Faithful Lord                                      

RESPONSE:             In You our souls are free at last

~ O God Most Loving, let us not keep silent but give our voices loudly and often for those who are lost and forsaken, in danger and despair in this life. Let us not rest until all governments and authorities, locally and globally, make The Dream into truth with peace, justice, and mercy for ALL of Your people everywhere.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O Righteous, Faithful Lord

                                                In You our souls are free at last

~ O God Most Loving, calm the hearts and minds of those with physical, emotional, or spiritual challenges, and lighten the load for all who attend to their needs. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                O Righteous, Faithful Lord

                                                In You our souls are free at last

~ O God Most Loving, console all who mourn as Your steadfast and priceless love gathers our faithful departed into the joy and abundance of Your House forever. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O Righteous, Faithful Lord

                                                In You our souls are free at last

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

                                                O Righteous, Faithful Lord

                                                In You our souls are free at last

           

~ O God, Most Loving, nurture and enhance the gifts of our leaders in Your Church who strive to impart Your wisdom, keep us aware of Your eternal Presence, and guide us to discover our own. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O Righteous, Faithful Lord

                                                In You our souls are free at last

           

The Celebrant adds:  Holy God, our Well of Life, as the vessels were filled at Cana, fill us, Your own vessels, with Your Light that we may see light, with Your loving-kindness and favor, and bind us together in our common loyalty to Christ, with refuge under the shadow of Your wings. We ask through Jesus, Your Son and our Salvation; and the Holy Spirit, Your Infinite Wisdom; who together with You, reign as One God forever and forever.  Amen.

*A reading from The Making of a Black Bishop by the Rt. Rev. Quintin E. Primo, Jr. [1913-1998]:

          "The day of the yearly (Diocesan) Convention arrived. Presenting to the assemblage our (St. Matthew's) formal application to become a self-supporting unit of the diocese, the Rev. Canon James Birney, program developer/director for the diocese, spoke most eloquently, ''What we are doing at this moment is a symbol of what black and white people must continue to do as we offer our lives to be instruments for bringing the Kingdom of God reality on earth. For the past 122 years, the white congregations have patronizingly supported the black mission of St. Matthew's. Today, when black men everywhere are breaking the bonds of patronage which we hope are the last remnants of slavery and inequality, the people of St. Matthew's now both black and white, are freeing themselves and this Diocese from bondage to each other. Subservience and patronage are both gone. The congregation is free and the Diocese is free. And being free, we are both free to be One. What binds us together now is our common loyalty to Jesus Christ and to this branch of His Church. In this Christian context, you are demonstrating the meaning of Black Power.'"

     These Prayers of the People are commissioned by the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew (SsAM) in Wilmington, Delaware, who in 2019 celebrates the 23rd Anniversary of the blending of a traditionally white parish - St. Andrew's, founded in 1829 - and a traditionally African-American parish - St. Matthew's that began in 1845. St. Matthew’s was founded in the lower level of St. Andrew's as the Robert Smith Sunday School until it became St Matthew's Parish in its own location in 1891. Much later, in the racially fraught 1968, Bishop Quintin Primo, then an African-American vicar, guided St. Matthew's from mission status to full parish status and lived to see the joyous union of these two parishes into one. As many of us were privileged to know him personally, we are pleased to celebrate his life and prophetic voice this day along with the vibrant legacy of Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr. The selection from Bishop Primo's biography (above) is SsAM's second reading on this Sunday in lieu of the lectionary's appointed reading from 1st Corinthians. To learn more about the historical significance and current mission of SsAM see: http://www.ssam.org/wpcontent/uploads/2015/09/WelcomeToSsAM_2015.pdf 

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

Prayers of the People: With Fire and Burning! ~ 1st Sunday after Epiphany '19 Yr C

For Sunday, January 13, 2019, 1^st  Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C, Readings: Isaiah 43:1-7, Psalm 29, Acts 8:14-17, Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

         Thus says the Lord, he who created you...Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. [Isaiah 43:1]

         Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness…The voice of the LORD is a powerful voice; the voice of the LORD is a voice of splendor. [Ps 29: 2, 4]

      [Peter and John] went down and prayed for them…laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. [Acts 8:15a, 17]

       "...one who is more powerful than I is coming...He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand...to gather the wheat into his granary...and when Jesus had been baptized...a voice came from heaven, 'You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.'" [Luke 3:16b-17a, 21b, 22b]

       The word Baptism is derived from the Greek and Latin words for washing, dipping, or plunging. There are a variety of meanings, protocols, requirements, and reasons for such rituals, for example, initiation into a community of faith or spiritual regeneration. Whether by aspersion (sprinkling with water), immersion (plunging into water), or affusion (pouring water on), Baptism is a sacrament, ceremony, a rite, that hearkens back to the Jewish heritage of Jesus. Ancient and modern Jewish rituals of ablution (washing) for cleansing and/or purification were established millennia before John poured water over his cousin's head in the Jordan River. Some denominations believe that Baptism is necessary for Salvation, others do not. Not all schools of Judaism practice these rituals and neither do all Christians. But for many Christians, this Gospel moment marks the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus, though after this he immediately went to the desert to prepare further.
       Even if you haven't been baptized, christened, or dedicated, just wanting to be is enough, some believe, and so you become baptized through desire. And while anyone of us can be a baptizer with water, only Jesus brings the fire of the Holy Spirit to set our faith ablaze. Willingly and gladly accepting the role and responsibility of faith ~ now there's the perfect way to make your Dad well pleased!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, You call us each by name and we are Your own. Gather us as wheat into Your granary and burn off the chaff within us that turns us from You. Baptize us in the fire of faith that we may discover the beauty of holiness in each day of our earthly lives.

                                                    O Lord of Glory

RESPONSE:                 Bless us with Your strength and peace

~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, fill us with the splendor of Your powerful voice to proclaim Your boundless love, eternal presence, redemption and honor for all faithful people, to all who govern or hold authority in every corner of the Earth, nearby and far away. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Glory

                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace

~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, cradle the hearts of the sick, the poor, and the lonely, and fortify the spirits of all who give of themselves to help. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Glory

                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace

~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, carry the sorrowful through the waters of grief, as those You have called Home now live again, forever joyful, in Your infinite love and grace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Glory

                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace

~  Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, 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 of Glory

                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace

             

~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, enlighten and excite Your anointed disciples of our own day, who pray with and for us, baptize and confirm us, and instruct, encourage, and travel with us through our earthly sojourn. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Glory

                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace

             

The Celebrant adds:  Eternal and Almighty King, enflame us with the joy of freedom from fear and with confidence in Your enduring presence. Grant us the courage to give the glory due Your name by our every thought, word, and deed, striving to be among those with whom You are well pleased. We ask through Jesus, Your Beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit, the fire of our faith, who together live and reign with You 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

Prayers of the People: Arise and Shine! ~ Sunday of the Epiphany '19 Yr C

For Sunday, January 6, 2019, Sunday of the Epiphany, Year C, Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12

     Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you…Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. [Isaiah 60:1, 3]

     For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, and the oppressed who has no helper. [Psalm 72:12]

     Of this gospel I have become a servant accord to the gift of God’s grace…This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him. [Ephesians 3:7a,11-12]

     “Go and search diligently for the child…” When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. [Matthew 2:8b, 10]

       EPIPHANY IS BIG! It brings us a bright shiny and HOLY revelation. Yet, unless on Sunday as this year, the Epiphany seems to be somewhat ignored in these times. It IS the continuing and the expanding of the celebration of the birth of our Messiah, and his importance to us all, but perhaps we are worn down. We have come through the four weeks of anticipation in Advent, the hustle and bustle of preparation for gifts and food and gatherings, the familiar rush of the time of year, followed by the pageantry and the glorious music, and then the usual “let down.” Perhaps Epiphany, the 12^th Day of Christmas, has become an anti-climax, the end of the story, the time to take down the decorations. Yet it is in truth a beginning. We open new chapters of the Story that will take us from Jesus the Baby, to Christ our Redeemer. While we celebrate the birthday with great fanfare, the Epiphany moves us into the reason for which this Child was born of a woman, the revelation of God’s eternal purpose is upon us. A theophany then ~ the manifestation of God visible to humans ~ a re-discovery now.

      At the Nativity of Jesus, Luke tells us that the angels appeared to the shepherds who received the good news of great joy, but Luke never mentions the Magi. Matthew never mentions the shepherds or even the birth itself except for a brief phrase: "...until she had borne a son; and he [Joseph] named him Jesus." But Matthew did tell us of the "...wise men from the East..." They saw a great star revealing to them the need for a journey to pay homage to a new born king of the Jews. Herod gets involved and we begin to see the ominous cloud moving in to shadow the glorious star. But having heard this story so very many times are we listening as it is read again? Have we tuned out rather than engaging with the experience? Or, have we re-awakened to the wonder and pondered what it could possibly mean for each of us in our own time?   
       These three “Kings” have trekked long distances to tell Herod, and us all, of the power and majesty this Child brings. It is a new dawn, another chance to listen and to hear deep within. In the compression of time given in the Gospels and the Church calendar, it is a short season indeed before we begin the unfolding of the ministry, miracles, teaching, sacrificial death, and resurrection of Jesus. It is time again to rediscover the astonishment, the amazement, the true adoration in this event.

       Hear the story as if for the very first time – know that we have been given an extraordinary gift, Christ, Our Lord, has been born to us! Let us be overwhelmed with joy! Let us search diligently for the child within us and around us. Epiphany is the time to seek the Magi-cal gifts in my own life that call me to pay homage, follow and live into the light and life of Christ in boldness and confidence through faith in him. Arise, shine; for your light has come!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Holy Messiah, Heartbeat of God, as we arise in the shining Light of Your glory, help us to come together as Your people, to seek the joy that You bring to us again and again, and to share in Your eternal promise.

                                                       Jesus, Light of Heaven                              

RESPONSE:                 Our Strength and our Redeemer

~ Holy Messiah, Heartbeat of God, guide all nations to come to Your light, and all leaders of governments to the brightness of Your dawn. Let us model the very compassion and peace needed in the world to reverse the damage of violence, oppression, and injustice in our own time. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Light of Heaven

                                                       Our Strength and our Redeemer

~ Holy Messiah, Heartbeat of God, deliver from distress all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and comfort all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Light of Heaven

                                                       Our Strength and our Redeemer

~ Holy Messiah, Heartbeat of God, lift the hearts of those lost in grief as those we love are now receiving the boundless treasures of eternal life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Light of Heaven

                                                       Our Strength and our Redeemer

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

                                                       Jesus, Light of Heaven

                                                       Our Strength and our Redeemer

             

~ Holy Messiah, Heartbeat of God, lavish special blessings upon the wise women and men who lead us in Your Church, as they prayerfully bring us Your words, works, and wonders on our life’s path toward Redemption. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Light of Heaven

                                                       Our Strength and our Redeemer

             

The Celebrant adds:  Most Holy Christ, God’s Eternal Purpose, grant us the willingness to become a servant to You, our guiding star in the dark moments of life, and our rising and sustaining sun in each and every day. We ask with deep humility and hope through our Almighty Creator of all that is, and in the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom of our souls, who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.

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