People's Prayers

Monday, November 11, 2019

Prayers of the People: Our Role as Stewards ~ 6th Sunday in the Season of Creation '19

For Sunday, November 17th, 2019, 6th Sunday in the Season of Creation*, Readings: Deuteronomy 26:1a, 2, 4, 8-11;
Psalm 116:10-17, John Hines**, Luke 21:5-19

So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, that you, O Lord, have given me…set it down before the Lord your God and bow before the Lord… [Deuteronomy 26:10]

How shall I repay the Lord for all the good things he has done for me? [Psalm 116:10]

For the essential question is not, “How shall the Episcopal Church grow?” - but rather, “How can the Episcopal Church be faithful?” For that is the heritage worth sacrificing for - worth passing on to our children and grandchildren. God forbid that they should come to a time and place unashamed of the Gospel, but ashamed of us. [Former Presiding Bishop John Hines]

When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified…many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and “The time is near!” Do not go after them…By your endurance you will gain your souls. [Luke 21:8b, 9a, 19]

Any of us who attend church regularly and considers her- or himself as a “member” or a “parishioner” or a “congregant” has heard and understands what is meant by Stewardship. The dictionary defines it as: the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving. Inside the church much is needed to support the staff, the worship, the physical plant, with all the elements of church (small “c”) that we Episcopals call time, talent, and treasure. Outside the walls, the needs are exponentially greater. All of us, each of us are called by Our Lord to give of our selves significantly from what God has given us. Money, or treasure, of course, is what we hear as foremost on the list of needs and wants for inside and outside. Yet there is much more to our role as steward within the Body of Christ.

We also hear of Stewardship as an element to church growth. Our past Presiding Bishop Hines wrote that while he would rejoice at a multitude of conversions, his hope was for a witnessing community of unquestioned integrity. Further, he says (to imagined groans from the Finance Chair), that the essential question is not, ‘How can the Episcopal Church [insert other denomination or faith community here] grow?’ but rather, ‘How can the Episcopal Church [other denomination] be faithful?’ He tells us that if we want our heritage passed on to younger generations they should come to a time and place unashamed of the Gospel [emphasis added]. We do not want them ashamed of us for creating an exclusive place only for wielding power and influence and losing our way to Christ.

The Rev. Eric Law, in his book Holy Currencies: 6 Blessings for Sustainable Missional Ministries, shows us a different way to think about the flow of currencies in our lives. Within the usual offerings of time, talent, and treasure is contained a breadth and depth of re-imagining and discovering our personal gifts for ministry that take us well beyond the scope of a seasonal directive. Stewardship - Missional Ministry - is not merely a specific program for a specific time of year, but rather it is a way of life through which we continue to fulfill our Baptismal, Confirmation, and/or less formal vows to be faithful to God.

As John Wesley said, "Not, how much money will I give to God, but how much of God's money will I keep for myself?" And that equation works equally well with the other two elements of the stewardship trio: time and talent. I don't know what tomorrow will bring for my community, my country, or this world, but I will pray without ceasing for the faith, the energy, mindset, to be a continuously generous person, to be the Church [capital "C"] as a Christian in the world with many stewarding roles. A faith community builds us up and sends us out and needs our support in every way. The CHURCH is not inside a building, it is in whatever we do together and on our own, to be true, faithful witnesses as part of the Body of Christ by every thought, word, and action. That said, the physical church is a place to gather and be spiritually refueled to take on all that is outside and it does require ongoing sources of funding as well as other resources for all of the seen and unseen support it provides.

Jesus reminds us, that through faithful endurance, in giving and receiving, we will gain the strength of our souls to ensure our eternal bounty.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord our God, re-awaken us to the bounty of Your Creation, the miracle of this earth and its treasures. Let us, and all who reside among us, celebrate and offer ourselves as grateful stewards of this sacred trust in times of plenty and also in time of hardship.

O God of Power and Wonder

RESPONSE: We bow in faith and witness

~ O Lord our God, we lift up our prayers for all who lead this World, this Country, and this Community by election, fiat, or inheritance. Implant in their souls a deepening hunger for unquestionable integrity, global and local peace, and justice tempered with mercy for all the people everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Power and Wonder

We bow in faith and witness

~ O Lord our God, nestle the aching, the fearful, and the desperate in Your loving embrace, and revitalize all who support their needs. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

O God of Power and Wonder

We bow in faith and witness

~ O Lord our God, grant us a foretaste of the joy, as the Heavenly gates open for our beloved, who now live in glory in Your Eternal land of milk and honey. We pray especially for…add your own petitions

O God of Power and Wonder

We bow in faith and witness

~ O Lord our 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 God of Power and Wonder

We bow in faith and witness

~ O Lord our God, quicken the spirits of those called and ordained to speak Your Words and celebrate Your Sacraments, inspiring us all to live lives of selfless intent in this earthly life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Power and Wonder

We bow in faith and witness

The Celebrant adds: Loving, Patient God, with unashamed confidence in the Holy Gospel of Christ, we seek to repay all You have given us in this time and place. Grant us endurance in faith to gain eternity for our souls and fulfill our vows through the mantle of servanthood in Your Name. We beseech Jesus, our Redeemer Christ, the Holy Spirit, Counselor to our souls, and our Creator Lord, who together are One God, now and forever. Amen.

*The Season of Creation originated in the Anglican Church of South Africa and was formalized in 2008. It is designed for us to explore our faith from a Creation perspective. Click here for more information about: Season of Creation ~ In The Beginning

**Reading #2: A READING FROM PRESIDING BISHOP JOHN E. HINES

What I hope for has little to do with growth in communicant strength, though I would rejoice at a multitude of conversions possessing integrity. This has little to do with bigger budgets, nothing to do with maintaining a respected place with the carriage-trade clientele of our society. I hope for a witnessing community of unquestioned integrity. It may - in the future, this Church of ours - be an even smaller Church because of its witness; less powerful, and less influential - as a secular society gauges power and influence. For the essential question is not, “How shall the Episcopal Church grow?” - but rather, “How can the Episcopal Church be faithful?” For that is the heritage worth sacrificing for - worth passing on to our children and grandchildren. God forbid that they should come to a time and place unashamed of the Gospel, but ashamed of us. ~ Kenneth Kesselus, John E. Hines, from Farewell Sermon in Granite on Fire, Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, 1995. Bishop Hines served as the 22^nd Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1965-1973

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Prayers of the People: Apocalypse Then ~ 23rd Sunday after Pentecost Yr C '19

For Sunday, November 17, 2019, Readings: Malachi 4:1-2a, Psalm 98, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Luke 21:5-19

But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. [Malachi 4:2a]

O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things...Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth...He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. [Psalm 98:1a, 4a, 9b]

For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work...Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right. [2 Thessalonians 3:11,13]

When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately...By your endurance you will gain your souls. [Luke 21:9, 19]

It is election season in this country and elsewhere, as I write, and all the potential, and threatening narratives of outcomes and events around the world seem to be written into this Gospel, indeed in all of these readings. The vitriol, derisiveness, and divisiveness of the electioneering has families and friends turning against each other. There are earthquakes, hurricanes, famines, terrorist acts, random violence, personal tragedies, and somewhere there are lions, and tigers, and bears, Oh My, and things that go bump in the night.

Let us take a breath and stop living in the fear that more terrible things will happen. Yes, of course they will, they ALWAYS HAVE, from the beginning of time not a day goes by on this earth without something dreadful happening to someone, or to many, and the instant access to muddied headlines confirms the fear we want to have to keep us from moving forward in faith. But life is filled with many wonderful and life-giving moments also, if we but turn to the light to see and appreciate them.

Jesus tells us not to fear wars and insurrections, betrayals, natural disasters, and not to be led astray by those who falsely claim to know when the end time is near. Whether or not you are living in a difficult time at this moment, Jesus told us: I will give you words and a wisdom...By your endurance you will gain your souls.

Whatever your fears, know that the fears of others are the same. Let our enduring work begin with prayer for confidence in God's sun of righteousness to rise. Let us shake ourselves out of idleness borne of the paralysis of fear that masks as hate and anger. Let us move out of living in grief to finding purpose in our earthly time. Let us feed our faith together, and never, ever, weary of doing what is right. Whatever is to come, take heart in the assurance that if we stay together and in faith on this path, our souls will not perish through any evil doing now nor in the apocalypse then. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord of Hosts, strengthen us to begin within ourselves to sing a new song of Your marvelous works in our midst. Free us from idle faith and empower our hearts to serve You with joy, never wearying of doing all that is right in Your name.

O God of Righteousness

RESPONSE: In joy we revere Your Name

~ O Lord of Hosts, we lift up our prayers for all who lead this World, this Country, and this Community by election, fiat, or inheritance. Implant in their souls a deepening hunger for unquestionable integrity, global and local peace, and justice tempered with mercy for all people everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Righteousness

In joy we revere Your Name

~ O Lord of Hosts, nestle the aching, the fearful, and the desperate in Your loving embrace, and revitalize all who support their needs. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

O God of Righteousness

In joy we revere Your Name

~ O Lord of Hosts, we give You thanks for lives well led as the Heavenly gates open for our beloved, who now live again in glory of life everlasting in Christ. We pray especially for…add your own petitions

O God of Righteousness

In joy we revere Your Name

~ O Lord 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 Righteousness

In joy we revere Your Name

~ O Lord of Hosts, quicken the spirits of those called and ordained to speak Your Words and celebrate Your Sacraments, inspiring us all to live lives of selfless intent in this earthly life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Righteousness

In joy we revere Your Name

The Celebrant adds: O LORD our God, dissolve reluctance and embolden our generosity of spirit as stewards of the sacred trust for Your Earth and each other. Grant us Your Words and Wisdom to strive in faith-filled endurance to gain eternity for our souls. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer Christ, and the Holy Spirit our Advocate, who together with You are our One, Holy and Mighty God, now and forever. Amen.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Prayers of the People: Our World at Peace ~ 5th Sunday in the Season of Creation '19

For Sunday, November 10, 2019 ~ 5^th Sunday in the Season of Creation*, Readings: Jan Sutch Pickard**, Psalm 127, Rosemary Power***,
Luke 20:27-38

God-with-us, you sit down in our midst. Nothing can separate us from your love – not towering concrete walls or the deep darkness between searchlights; not distance from friends or despair in our hearts that the world’s wrongs cannot be changed. [Jan Sutch Pickard]

Unless the Lord watches over the city, in vain the watchman keeps his vigil…Happy is the man…[who] shall not be put to shame when he contends with his enemies in the gate.

[Psalm 127:2, 6]

We build barriers to hide what we fear to see…As we honour the graves of our neighbours may we face those we fear, cry justice for the oppressed, tell of love without end: may peace flourish until the moon fails. [Rosemary Power]

Those…who are considered worthy of a place…in the resurrection from the dead…cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. [Luke 20:35b, 36]

God-with-us, you sit down in our midst is the powerful and comforting opening to this week’s readings as we explore the theme of Our World at Peace. This reading from Scottish poet and theologian, Jan Sutch Pickard, is hopeful in its recounting of ways in which humans experience separation and despair, and yet are never separated from God’s love. The second reading by Rosemary Power also shines a strong light on the realities of our world, upended as it is by the damage we humans do to others. By action and by complacency when we build barriers to hide what we fear to see…wear wounds unhealed by anger…when we defend ourselves from other people’s rights there is no peace for anyone. How is any peace attained if our words and actions, consciously and [worse] unconsciously, are harmful and divisive?

The concept of World Peace is daunting in and of itself. What possible difference could this one small human make in the face of so much destruction by on-going wars large and small, global and one-on-one antagonism on social media and elsewhere? Peace must begin within ourselves first. St. Francis of Assisi prayed famously, let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. If we are not at peace inside, we cannot transmit peace to others.

Tomorrow, November 11, 2019, is the 101^st anniversary of the Armistice that formally ended WWI, a momentary peace in the world that has never lasted long because we deny God in ourselves and each other. Abundance of wealth and privilege is not an antidote to the poverty of self-importance. When we fail to embrace the fullness of the Gospel message in how we live our daily lives, building walls of separation, we may discover too late that we only belong with the dead. Rather, let us work together in communities of faith to seek to be worthy of…the resurrection from the dead, where we cannot die anymore…as children of God, being children of the resurrection. Of course, it isn’t easy, yet it brings new life to ourselves and to others, and can spread across this Planet. Let us witness for and radiate peace and God’s love to others everywhere God lives, whether at checkpoints or shopping malls, with friends and strangers alike, in moments of happiness and in the depths of despair.

Rosemary Power also prays in hope-filled words that can give rise to acts of peace: As we honour the graves of our neighbours may we face those we fear, cry justice for the oppressed, tell of love without end: may peace flourish till the moon fails. Amen! One small step for humankind…

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O God-with-us at checkpoints and shopping malls, in complacency and peril, energize us to discover and embody Your peace within ourselves so fully that it radiates through us to reveal Your love without end to all.

O Lord, in Safety and in Danger

RESPONSE: We put our trust in You

~ O God-with-us, as you sit down in our midst, impel us to vigorously witness for peace to every governing authority on this Planet, in this Nation, and in every Community. May our own words and actions break down all walls of separation that hide only what we fear to see, to flood your love through us to the whole of Your Creation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord, in Safety and in Danger

We put our trust in You

~ O God-with-us, lay Your healing hand upon those weary of unhealed wounds, fear, and isolation, and hold fast to those who offer caring help. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

O Lord, in Safety and in Danger

We put our trust in You

~ O God-with-us, turn our grief to joy as we send our loved ones Home to never die again, but be raised in eternal splendor and glory to new life in Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord, in Safety and in Danger

We put our trust in You

~ O God-with-us, 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, in Safety and in Danger

We put our trust in You

~ O God-with-us, ease the path of all who are anointed to call us to Your Word and Sacraments, inspiring us to serve in this world together in Christ’s holy name. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord, in Safety and in Danger

We put our trust in You

The Celebrant adds: Creator Lord, Spirit of Hope, 101 years ago tomorrow, Your people breathed in the promise for the future at the official end to World War I. Yet we restive humans continue wars on battlefields and social media, wars of racial religious, gender oppression, and more. Watch over us as we strive to honor the graves of our neighbors, cry justice for the oppressed, and flourish the peace, truth, and justice of Christ’s Gospel for all, everywhere. We ask through Jesus, our Divine Example; and the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom Guide; who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.

*The Season of Creation originated in the Anglican Church of South Africa and was formalized in 2008. It is designed for us to explore our faith from a Creation perspective. Click here for more information about: Season of Creation ~ In The Beginning

**1^st Reading: Bridges Not Walls

God-with-us, you sit down in our midst.

Nothing can separate us from your love –

not towering concrete walls

or the deep darkness between searchlights;

not distance from friends

or despair in our hearts

that the world’s wrongs cannot be changed.

You are with our brothers crowded at the checkpoint,

with our sisters witnessing for peace:

you sit down in our midst.

Born into poverty, to displaced people living under occupation,

you shared our human lives,

and we know that your love can never be contained

by the walls of separation.

You sit down in our midst, God-with-us. Amen.

~ Jan Sutch Pickard, former Warden of the Abbey on Iona, and a Methodist local preacher in the Church of Scotland, poet and storyteller

***2^nd Reading: Seven Days

Creator Lord of the unclaimed place and of clashing claims, of no one’s land where some have homes, in danger zones, in human souls, in nations’ claims: we are all guilty. We build barriers to hide what we fear to see, we draw lines in other people’s hearts, we trample underfoot what others hold dear, we wear wounds unhealed with anger, we defend ourselves from other people’s rights. Drive out the demons that divide neighbours.

Jesus, in the land where your feet were tired, where you carried the oppressor’s burden, broke the chains of the prisoners, demolished walls, made wounded lives blossom, and set our hearts free to turn and to serve: may you be the potter in our lives’ neutral zones; in divided land, may justice return.

Spirit of hope, may those who build houses live in them, those who plant olive trees harvest them, may they shelter under fig trees, give water to strangers, tell stories to children, keep Covenant with God.

As we honour the graves of our neighbours may we face those we fear, cry justice for the oppressed, tell of love without end: may peace flourish till the moon fails.

~ Rosemary Power, University of Galway, Ireland, From Seven Days - Stories and reflections for the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel

Prayers of the People: Trick Question ~ 22nd Sunday after Pentecost '19 Yr C

For Sunday, November 10, 2019 ~ 22^nd Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Readings: Job 19:23-27a, Psalm 17:1-9, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17;
Luke 20:37-38

Job said…For I know that my redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth…I shall see God… [Job 19:25, 26b]

Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit...My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped. I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God...Guard me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.

[Psalm 17:1, 5-6a, 8]

...God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit...For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ...[2 Thessalonians 2:13b-14]

…but those who are considered worthy…in the resurrection from the dead...cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection...Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive. [Luke 20:34a, 36, 28]

Seven Brothers for One Bride is not quite how the Broadway musical and movie title went. [Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in case you're not up on your 1950's musical theater/film history] The Sadducees didn't believe in life after death. That's why they were "sad u cee." I know it's terrible, but it's a mnemonic that helps me remember one difference between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Sadducees, who were always interested in baiting Jesus with a trick question, asked about the practice of a woman/widow with no children marrying the brother of her deceased spouse in hopes of producing children (specifically sons) to carry the family line. In this absurd and hypothetical case, the woman would be widowed and childless seven times by seven brothers. The Sadducees wanted to know - if there's this resurrection thing - whose wife would she be in the after-life? For those requiring concrete answers to mystical ponderings it may seem to be a reasonable question, but in truth it is irrelevant.

Jesus gives a simple answer to a nonsensical question. He points out that the life in resurrection is not a continuation of our earthly human existence. It is, instead, a radical transformation, unimaginable in our human context; a completely different state of being, a transfiguration. We will be who we are but different in ways beyond our limited ability to comprehend in our current state. He tells them that those who belong to this age marry...but...those...in the resurrection of the dead do not marry. Indeed they cannot die anymore...God is not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive... To put it simply, in our human sojourn many of us marry, some more than once or twice. Yet remember, in western wedding ceremonies – religious or not – the marriage is only until death us do part. After a spouse’s death we are no longer married; neither is the spouse who has died. After human death we are alive differently in a transition from the temporary state of humanness to the eternal life in the salvation of Christ. Can we fully understand - sort of, maybe, not really. But have no worries about it. LIVE in this life, work to be worthy of a place in the next. Keep your footsteps on God’s path and hide, when needed, under the shadow of God’s wings. Even Job knew that his Redeemer, and ours, lives. The relevant questions, and so many more, will be answered in the sweet by and by.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O God of Love and Grace, in You earthly death is a transition to Life Eternal for we who are children of the resurrection. Keep us as the apple of Your eye and shelter us under the shadow of Your wings throughout our human moment on this Earth.