People's Prayers

Monday, April 20, 2020

Prayers of the People: The Road Worth Taking ~ 3rd Sunday of Easter '20 Yr A

For Sunday, April 26, 2020, Readings: Acts 2:14a, 36-41, Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17; 1 Peter 1:17-23, Luke 24:13-35

Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit..." [Acts 2:38]

I love the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him...Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his servants...O LORD I am your servant...I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call upon the Name of the LORD. [Psalm 116: 1, 13, 14a, 15]

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth...You have been born anew...of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. [1 Peter 1:22a, 23]

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem and talking with each other about all these things that had happened....When he was at table with them he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight...Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. [Luke 24:13-14, 30-31, 35]

"If only..." is a frequent refrain for all of us who wish we had done things differently, or this pandemic had not happened, or the weather was ___ [fill in the blank]. Mostly, though, I think most of us have yearned, with some desperation at times, for that if only I could see, talk to, or touch them one more time moment, especially now in these days of separation and anxiety. As for the death of one loved deeply, I can say from my own acute experiences that yes, much time does soften the punch and shock of loss, and it is then the memories become ever more important with the hope and desire to believe that they are still present with us. It is with that understanding that we enter this segment of Luke’s Gospel about two little-known disciples of Jesus.
We read about two regular guys walking down the road talking about the strange events of the prior few days. This other guy shows up and seems unaware of these events and their importance. They, surprised he didn’t know, explain it and then invite him home to dinner. Suddenly the stranger is hosting the meal and even more suddenly, as he blesses and breaks the bread, he vanishes. In an instant their eyes were opened as never before and when they realized who He was, they rushed to tell the others what they experienced.

The Disciples had that one-more moment - never enough, to be sure - and they certainly made the most of it as here we are over two thousand years later still hearing their experiences with Jesus, still hearing the words He spoke. And then, we move into our “today” mode. This account of Jesus, as so many others, fades quickly and becomes too distant, other-worldly, merely familiar, and then gone from memory, until it comes around again in the cycle of readings in Eastertide.
This day and time is perfect to hear the story of the Road to Emmaus again, in our hearts, through our own memory of loss. Feel their confusion, their shock, their sadness. And then, hear and remember the words Jesus tells them, and us.

It may be some time before we again receive the sacred Bread at the celebration of the Eucharist, yet especially during these days of quarantine, any time you tear a piece of bread that is blessed at a meal, whether you are alone or with another, remember and know Christ in the breaking of the bread. More than a memory, Christ IS LIVING within us. As we travel the road of this life, wherever it takes us, when we call upon His name we know we are in His love. When we are His love in our actions, purified by obedience to His Truth, this Road will lead us Home.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Living Christ, guide us out of the blindness of the “normal” and routine to discover the everyday newness of Creation around us. Open our hearts to Your Constant Presence, open our eyes to see Your Way to Eternal Life, and open our souls to accept and live into Your gift of Salvation.

Jesus, Lord and Messiah

RESPONSE: We call upon Your Name

~ Living Christ, grant us the determination, the voice, and the words to redirect the energy of those in Global, National, and Local political power, to actions that benefit all humanity and the planet above unreasonable profit. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Lord and Messiah

We call upon Your Name

~ Living Christ, incline Your ear to us all and especially those who are lost in serious illness, emotional upheaval, and hopelessness, and all who give them care and healing. We now pray for those in need… add your own petitions

Jesus, Lord and Messiah

We call upon Your Name

~ Living Christ, we give You thanksgiving for all the faithful who have departed this life, as precious in Your sight and raised into the splendor of Your eternal courts. We pray especially for…add your own petitions

Jesus, Lord and Messiah

We call upon Your Name

~ Living Christ, we pause in this moment to offer You our personal heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials…add your own petitions

Jesus, Lord and Messiah

We call upon Your Name

~ Living Christ, pour Your special grace and vitality upon those anointed to lead us in Your Church as they enrich our souls, so to hold fast in faith, during this time of trial. We pray especially for: Michael, our Presiding Bishop; Kevin our Bishop; David, our Rector; Lloyd, our Rector Emeritus; Emily and Peter, our Associate Priests.

Jesus, Lord and Messiah

We call upon Your Name

The Celebrant adds: Risen Lord Jesus, our constant Companion on the Road, You ransomed us from the futile ways of sin, and we are born anew through Your Resurrection. Reinvigorate our dedication to purify ourselves by obedience to Your Truth, to live in and act through genuine love for others and ourselves, and to set our faith and hope on God. We ask through You, the Living Enduring Word; and the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of our Souls; who together with our Impartial Creator, reign as One God, always, forever, eternally. 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, April 13, 2020

Prayers of the People: Dear Thomas ~ Second Sunday of Easter '20 Yr A

For Sunday, April 19, 2020, Readings: Acts 2:14a, 22-32; Psalm 16, 1 Peter 1:3-9, John 20:19-31

For David says concerning him, "I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken, therefore my heart was glad...my heart will live in hope."

[Acts 2:25-26]

O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; it is you who uphold my lot….You will show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore. [Psalm 16:5, 11]

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...

[1 Peter:3]

[Jesus] said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."...Jesus said to [Thomas], "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." [John 20:22b-23, 29]

Dear Thomas, what infamy you have achieved, quite unfairly. You are saddled with all the blame for your disbelief until your eyes beheld the Risen Lord and touched his wounds. You watched him die, being taken down from the Cross, placed in the tomb. Who of us would not be doubtful of the claim of the Resurrection in that moment? You have become a label - "a Doubting Thomas"- for those who don't believe something without concrete proof. And yet, you were far from alone in your skepticism. The other Gospel accounts all tell of your companion disciples doubting. Luke 23:11 tells of them dismissing the women's account as an idle tale, and in Mark 16:11, when Mary Magdalene tells them she had seen the risen Jesus, they would not believe. My personal favorite - in defense of you - is in Matthew 28:17 that says even when they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

Whenever any of us are unsure or questioning of this preeminent event in the life of Christ, despite the Gospel accounts and the significance to the whole of Christian theology and practice, we are in good company! For me the story of Thomas and the other disciples' initial disbelief, humanizes these men and brings them into this current time, as did Peter's denial of Jesus, and Judas' betrayal, remorse, and suicide. We know these people in our own lives, we are some of them when we struggle to accept and understand all that we are told in the Christian/New Testament and by those who have taught us from the pulpit or in our families. It may seem unfaithful to those who think they must accept it all on "faith." Yet key elements of true faith for me are to constantly learn more, think more, wonder more, examine more, and discuss more with others. If we aren't questioning the tenets of our faith at various times, it seems to me that we haven’t really discovered what it is that we believe and why. These Gospel moments allow us to be who we are in this present time as well as relate to the people who were with Jesus and still wondered what this movement was all about even as they moved forward with him and later. Each time I read this and the other accounts, or any part of any of the Gospels and Epistles, I discover something new and often profound.

Whatever I believe about the Resurrection and its significance to our Christian faith, in moments of human wavering or in absolute certainty, I try to remember the message of David in Peter's quote in Acts that is paired with the appointed Psalm for this day. It is the crux of the message of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah: I must keep the Lord before me, live in hope, and follow the path of life he has shown me, as well as I can, through all of this life's trials. There is no better time than this moment to ponder those thoughts. The Presence of Christ is within us, and our faith however shaky at times, is the vehicle that keeps us upright and guides our thoughts and actions through trial and triumph. The writer of 1 Peter reminds us quite specifically what we have been given by the resurrection: an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading...

Dear Thomas, I firmly believe that Jesus wasn’t scolding you, he was speaking to all present then and all of us now, in love, compassion, and the utmost understanding.

Whether seen or unseen, the results of living in faith, as Christ teaches through the Greatest Commandment [Matthew 22:36-40], will be a gift to others and ourselves, in our mortal time and in the time to come, by receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. [1 Peter 1:9]. I’m reminded of a title of a book by Dr. Wayne Dyer, You’ll See It When You Believe It. And even if we struggle in our beliefs, our place is saved. For now, for always, Christ IS Risen! Alleluia!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Christ Risen! How often have we simply walked through the penitence of Lent, the excitement of Palm Sunday, the passion of Holy Week, and the joyful celebration of Your miraculous Resurrection, taking it all for granted because it happens for us every year? In this time of trial, open our hearts to truly REJOICE as if for the first time. You have suffered, died, and Resurrected for each of us. Thomas saw and believed, let us simply believe in the gift of our salvation.

Jesus, Messiah

RESPONSE: Our Living and Eternal Hope

~ O Christ Risen! Grant us new courage to refresh our faith in the eternal life ahead, and the energy to strive in this life to challenge the leaders of this planet, this nation, and this community, to provide a just, safe, and merciful life for all Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Messiah

Our Living and Eternal Hope

~ O Christ Risen! Ease the hearts of those who are sick or fearful, and grant energy, strength, and resilience to all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

Jesus, Messiah

Our Living and Eternal Hope

~ O Christ Risen! Our joy at Your resurrection is tempered with our grief at the loss of those we love. Yet in faith we rejoice knowing they are with You in the miracle of their own resurrections into Your eternal promise. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

Jesus, Messiah

Our Living and Eternal Hope

~ O Christ Risen! We pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

Jesus, Messiah

Our Living and Eternal Hope

~ O Christ Risen! Refresh and renew those who guide us in Your Church as they seek and find ever more creative ways to reach us with the Good News of the miracle of our salvation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Messiah

Our Living and Eternal Hope

The Celebrant adds: Creator of All, Seen and Unseen, shelter us when we retreat into doubt, remind us to seek Your Path through this life, to set You always before ourselves, and to forgive as we are forgiven by faith in the imperishable inheritance of our salvation to come. We ask this through Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life; and the Holy Spirit, Wisdom of our Souls; who together with You, reign as One God, forever and beyond. Amen.

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Meditations in Lent: Second, Shock and Grief ~ Holy Saturday '20

Meditations in Lent: Second, Shock and Grief ~ Holy Saturday '20

Readings: Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24; Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16; Matthew 27:57-66

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. [Matthew 27:57-61]

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary are just there, sitting opposite the tomb ~ in the silence, in the shock, in the grief that hasn't yet fully formed, the wide-eyed wonder of disbelief colliding with a reality that is still ungraspable. They are doing what must be done according to religious law and custom but they are hollow forms, empty of thought, consciously unsconscious, and dazed. They are waiting without comprehending why and what it is they are to do next.
We are learning in our own time to wait for the unknown, the unpredictable, and the unimaginable. Some will busy themselves and be willingly oblivious to all that is around us as the changes and chances of life reveal themselves. Some are fearful of anything that is different from their usual routines. On this day, although we know what is coming from the tomb tomorrow, we also wait. What better moment is there than this day to sit quietly and consider the mysteries of our faith?
For a time today, I sit with the Marys in their vigil...waiting...in the silence...knowing it all again for myself, yet I am filled with the hope that is always available in every moment and every circumstance, the Hope that will rise again tomorrow.

Friday, April 10, 2020

Meditations in Lent: First, Torture and Death ~ Good Friday '20

Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Psalm 22, Hebrews 10:16-25, John 18:1-19:42

When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed his head and he gave up his spirit. [John 19:30]

There is no rising without death. And the death of some, designed by and for the powerbrokers, is often particularly gruesome. A political act spurred on by the religious authorities who, not unlike in our own times, were threatened by a man who spoke the truth, defied their rigid interpretation of God's Law, contradicted their teachings using their own tools, upended their control over those who had known nothing else until he arrived, who had committed no crimes except by capturing the attention of so many who began to look at God very differently. He had to be stopped, and so he was by the State- and Religiously- sanctioned murder of an innocent man whose supporters turned away in fear of obstructing the accusers. None of them knew what was coming next, but we do. And that often shortcuts our willingness to think more deeply about this day.

Because we know there's a "happy ending," Good Friday, in normal times, is a "maybe go to church" day and then, in places where it is a day off from work it becomes more of a preparation day for the egg hunts and family gatherings over this weekend. This year is obviously different as we are watchful and wary of COVID-19 and its aggressively mounting toll. It is time to take a fresh and different look at the Passion of Christ, his suffering on the way to his monstrous death on the cross.

Listening to the words of the haunting spiritual Were You There When They Crucified My Lord* awakens me to new questions: would I have been there, am I there today? Do I tremble at the recounting of his suffering - do I tremble at today's torture, suffering, and death all over the globe for those who cling to their faith? Do I tremble with the fear of having my own faith tested in such a way? Or am I secure in my surroundings wrapped in the privilege of a culturally acceptable religious expression? Am I a Christ-follower or merely the bearer of a comfortable label?

Today is all about being decidedly uncomfortable with the details of this long ago execution in the midst of all that is happening in our midst and far beyond. What we do with it and about it will be the true-telling of our faith, to ourselves first.

O Christ our Passover, Sacrificed for us ~

How quickly this week has turned from exultation to murderous rebuke. You are no more truly human than at this moment, dragging a massive piece of rough-hewn timber laid across Your body, through the mean streets, amidst the jeers and tears of bystanders. A once living tree now makes the beams of a horrible death. With Your own agony and the torment, You show us how to give our lives to God. And as Your life ebbs with excruciating slowness, Your compassion for the one who hangs next to You, and for us all, is overwhelming.

Let us hear the slanders and endure the anger as You have, of those who, so selfishly flush with power, are quick to condemn a human life to death for any and no good reason.

Give us strength to pray for those who truly do not understand, and those who choose not to, all the physical and emotional turmoil they inflict upon others in the name of faith.

Infuse us with such compassion that we might not return injury for insult but rather reflect Your love and peace in all the actions of our lives.

Grant us the courage and humility, to take this long walk in our current time with You and for You, no matter what comes.

Help us to look beyond ourselves and into the faces of others with love rather than self-assured pity, with hope rather than despair, with justice tempered with mercy, and with true contrition for our own sins of commission and omission.

Guide us to the realization and understanding that You ask no more of us than You have done for us.

Let us keep and strengthen our faith in You. Amen.

*click here for: Three Mo' Tenors: Were You There When They Crucified My Lord

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, April 6, 2020

Prayers of the People: He IS Risen! ~ Easter Day '20 Yr A

For Sunday, Easter Day, Readings: Acts 10:34-43; Ps 118:1-2, 14-24; Colossians 3:1-4; Mt 28-1-10

...God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power...he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. [Acts 10:38]

On this day the LORD has acted; we will rejoice and be glad in it. [Psalm 118:24]

Since you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is...Set your minds on the things that are above, not on things that are on earth... [Colossians 3:1a, 2a]

But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. [Matthew 28:5-6a]

EASTER is here! Hallelujah!! Christ is Risen!!! Wherever you are on this planet whether bursting into Spring, slipping into Autumn, or somewhere in between, today our Salvation is assured, again and still, through our faith in this Risen Lord of All. Yet it will likely be the quietest Easter in living memory for many of us.

Daily life in the time of pandemic upends the usual, the regular, and even the irregular. Now that we are to experience a holiday/Holy Day apart from each other and our usual expressions of extra-glorious festival worship services, it will be unusual to say the least. There will likely be fewer colorful baskets of treats, Easter egg hunts will be more singular than communal, and what about Easter dinner? Even for those for whom Easter isn’t “all that” spiritually, it will seem less celebratory than before.

This year draws me again to the words of Thomas Merton in his book The Sign of Jonas, "The grace of Easter is a great silence, an immense tranquility and a clean taste in your soul. It is the taste of heaven...a discovery of order above all order...a wine without intoxication, a joy that has no poison in it. Life without death..." What will you miss this Easter? What might you discover about Easter and the gifts it holds if we decide to accept.

There are four Gospel accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This year we hear from Matthew who tells us there was an angel whose appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. He spoke to the women who then left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy... and Jesus met them along their way.

If you were asked, what does Easter mean to you, how would you describe it? If you were asked to tell the Gospel story, which of the four is closest to your memory? Listening to or reading different accounts of the same event can give us a fresh perspective and a new experience of the moment.

Take some time this Easter season and read the Gospel accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Reflect on what surprises you and what questions arise. Notice the similarities and differences. Wonder, and try to decide, if one account speaks to you more than another and why? Or perhaps you'll mix and match the Gospel writers' accounts to arrive at your own version, visualizing yourself in the time and place. Whatever you do, ask yourself: So what? What does it all mean for my life today, tomorrow, and beyond? What will I do - or stop doing - as a result of reflecting on Christ's Death and Resurrection?

Merton also says, in He is Risen, “Christ is the Lord of a history that moves. He not only holds the beginning and the end in his hands, but he is in history with us, walking ahead of us to where we are going…True encounter with Christ liberates something in us, a power that we did not know we had, a hope, a capacity for life, resilience, an ability to bounce back when we thought we were completely defeated, a capacity to grow and change, a power of creative transformation.” How important are these words in these days?

Move on from mourning the loss of a glorious church service with all the literal bells and whistles and choirs reaching the heights of musical expression. Let’s seek that clean taste in our souls, that fresh joy, that creative transformation. I want to discover a bit of the great silence within, dust off and resurrect my faith, and meet and be liberated by Christ beyond the tomb. While I remember that the resurrection of Easter requires the Cross of Good Friday, with Christ moving with us and before us, our path, though not easy, will surely lead us into the eternal Easter of Salvation and life everlasting. Choirs of angels await… And while you’re at it, don’t forget to be in touch with those for whom Church is always distant and unattainable, who are more isolated than ever. A phone call, a note, a mail-ordered Easter basket will go a long way to keeping Christ present in our absence…a little taste of heaven goes a long way. He IS Risen! Hallelujah!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Christ, Risen! On this Day the Lord has acted! We will rejoice and be glad in it. In the midst of the darkness and fear in this world, let us revel in the Divine Light of Your Glorious Resurrection.

Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!

Response: Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

~ O Christ, Risen! Especially in these uncertain times, grant ever increasing amounts of prudence, integrity of purpose, compassion, and mercy, to the political leaders of this Earth, this Nation, and this Community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!