Prayers of the People: Come Into the Joy ~ 2nd Sunday of Advent '20 Yr B

For Sunday, December 13, 2020, Readings: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Psalm 126, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, John 1:6-8, 19-28

      The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the Lord  has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners... [Isaiah 61:1]

      When the  Lord  restored the fortunes of Zion, then we were like those who dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy...Those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy.  [Psalm 126: 1-2, 6]

     Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances...May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18a, 23]

   There was a man sent from God whose name was John...[John] said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,'" as the prophet Isaiah said. [John 1:6, 23]

          Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us... [Book of Common Prayer, Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent, US version, page 212]

         On this Third Sunday of Advent, we light the rose-colored candle to symbolize the joy and anticipation of Christ's birth which is just in sight. In the Anglican/Episcopal Church it has an informal title of "Stir Up Sunday" because the opening Collect [a prayer that collects or gathers the themes of the day or service] begins with the phrase: Stir up your power, O Lord... And there are some local customs that accompany the day in various places. 

      The message of this day and week is "Gaudete," [gow-day-tay] from the Latin for rejoice and it gives us a slight respite from some of the more penitential aspects of this sacred Season.

      For children, of course, it is the dazzle and glitter and haze of lights and sparkle, gifts from Santa and his magic reindeer, or Father Christmas, who "make the season bright." The music and decorations often bring smiles for those of us fortunate to have memories of ourselves or our own children with wide eyes on Christmas morning. Though, I have to say, that an air-filled Grinch dressed as Santa on a neighbor's lawn doesn't quite call to my mind the "reason for the season" however well the original story ends.

      For us as adults, this week is also a sobering moment to consider all those who are suffering in the world, near to and far from us, with the dreadful fires, the still terrible conditions in the places ravaged by recent hurricanes and earthquakes, those engulfed by war and terrorism, or who live in abject poverty, among many more hardships.

      And then, there’s COVID-19 and its attending miseries including fear, isolation, and impending infection and/or death for so many. Yet now is the time to experience the true joy of Christ's coming. “Celebration,” in a culture of excess, is understandably muted in dire times and so it is an opportunity to look beyond the artificial trappings, fun and exciting as they are.

      The Baptizer's voice is back with us and John is a reminder that we must Make straight the way of the Lord, and, that it’s a two-way endeavor. As we level the path, removing the obstacles for Christ’s coming to us, we are also to sweep out the cobwebs of our hearts, minds, and souls to prepare ourselves to venture back on the Way. As Christ comes to us, so must we go to Christ. 

       There is One who is coming, the One who, as John told us last week, will baptize us with the Holy Spirit. Let us be hopeful, eager, and joyous for that coming. Even as our usual celebrations are not as before, let us not abandon God's call to be faithful, giving thanks in all circumstances, as God is faithful to us in the everlasting covenant. Let us, indeed, pray without ceasing, for others and for ourselves, in thanksgiving, in petition, in intercession, in penitence, in adoration, and especially in oblation, the offering of ourselves for God's purpose and service.

       The Psalmist tells us that when God restored the fortunes of those who returned from the long exile, they were like "those who dream." In the hope of Christ everlasting, the dream is always within if we choose to know and accept it. 

       Isaiah gives us a hopeful image when he writes, For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. Plant your spiritual garden with care and intention. Nurture, weed, and feed it with prayer, with hope, and with peace. Even when we sow with tears, in Christ we will reap an abundance of everlasting Joy.

      Now is the time to return from the exile of temporary shimmer and twinkle to glow and shine in the never-diminishing Divine Light. Come into the Joy!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

 Leader:  ~ O Lord of Greatness and Mercy, stir up our hearts with rejoicing in the sweet anticipation of the One who is coming. Release us from the captivity of sin; cause us to pray without ceasing, hold fast to what is good in Your sight, and magnify Your glory in our souls.

                                                        O God of Peace

                           RESPONSE:      Sanctify us in spirit, soul, and body

 

~ O Lord of Greatness and Mercy, keep us ever mindful of the struggles of Your people and Your Creation. Strengthen us to speak constantly to Earth-bound Leaders, globally and locally, that we all must persist in pursuing justice, mercy, peace, health, and abstaining from evil. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                        O God of Peace

                                                        Sanctify us in spirit, soul, and body

~ O Lord of Greatness and Mercy, grant relief to all who suffer with life-threatening disease, unemployment, and hopelessness; and lift the hearts of all who give support. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       O God of Peace

                                                       Sanctify us in spirit, soul, and body

           

~ O Lord of Greatness and Mercy, comfort those whose tears of sorrow reap fruits of joy for all who now live again, restored to everlasting life in Christ. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

 

                                                       O God of Peace

                                                       Sanctify us in spirit, soul, and body

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

                                                       O God of Peace

                                                       Sanctify us in spirit, soul, and body 

                    

~ O Lord of Greatness and Mercy, encourage and energize our messengers of Christ's Good News, those dedicated and anointed as faithful witnesses of Your Word and Sacraments. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God of Peace

                                                       Sanctify us in spirit, soul, and body

The Celebrant adds: Our Savior Christ, who was and is and ever shall be, open us to allow John’s wilderness-voice to permeate our consciousness, through the noise and haze of dazzle and glitter, to joyfully prepare our lives and make straight the way for Your glorious return. We ask through the Unquenchable Holy Spirit, and our Eternal Creator, 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 and edited for local use 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: Seek to be Found ~ 2nd Sunday of Advent '20 Yr B

For Sunday, December 6, 2020, Readings:  Isaiah 40:1-11, Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a, Mark 1:1-8

  "Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken..." He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep. [Isaiah 40:5, 11]

          You have been gracious to your land, O LORD...Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring up from the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven. [Psalm 85:1a, 10-11]  

       The Lord is not slow about his promise...but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance...in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. [2 Peter 3:9, 13]  

      As it is written..."See I am sending my messenger ahead...the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'" And people from the whole Judean countryside, and all of the people of Jerusalem were going out to [John] and were baptized...confessing their sins. [Mark 1:2a, 3, 5]

       The Advent season, as does every Liturgical season of the Christian Church, brings a variety of symbols that aid our intentional prayer and reflection. The use of the Advent wreath was begun in the time of Martin Luther, the prime initiator of the Protestant Reformation in the 16^th century. How it is used differs among the many traditions that employ it. For most, now, there are at least four candles on a wreath of evergreen that is shaped in a perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of God. The lighting of the candles represents the coming of Christ with a different theme each week highlighting the four virtues Jesus brings to us: Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace. The Christ candle, in the center of the wreath, is lighted on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to remind Christians that Jesus is the light of the world.

       Last week Hope was the focus and this week, it is Love and both candles will be lighted. Keeping Hope in and Love of Christ is a way to prepare ourselves and keep our own paths uncluttered in these unsettled, uncertain times.

      Things weren't so very different in John the Baptizer's times, except no one knew the story of Jesus as we do now. Their lives were also filled with wars, pestilence, racial hatred, poverty, and oppression, and then here comes this rather wild-looking and sounding person direct from the desert telling them to straighten up and straighten out ~ the way of the Lord must be prepared! Also, the arrival of Jesus really was imminent as Jesus, the man, was literally on his way to them as he was beginning his earthly ministry. These days we’re more complacent. We conveniently forget the admonishment that the time of Christ's return will come like a thief, and that all is according to God’s time, not human calendars. We have set aside imminence for: whatever, whenever. I do wonder: if I didn't know then what I know now about Jesus, how would I have responded to John and his message? What do you think about your own response then and now?

       Today our planet is filled much the same as John's, with life-threatening disease, racial hatred, oppression, and more, yet from the first chapter of the first Gospel ever written, John is still the voice crying...in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John is the embodiment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Are we listening and heeding or is it just that same old familiar refrain we hear on the way to a sparkly Christmas? We may not be in our mortal body for the full-on End Time of the Great Judgment. We have no idea when this human life we’ve been given is done to dust. How are we preparing ourselves to be the path of and for Christ?

       Advent is a time of beginning, of refreshment, and a re-awakening of our souls that long to be faithful. It is a moment to be mindful, intentional, and conscious about discovering for ourselves: am I increasingly more caught up in the soul-less wilderness of a secular society than in presenting my best self to God? It is again, still, always, time for some soul-searching and sincere repentance.

      To repent means to "turn from" or to "turn toward" those thoughts and actions ~ sin ~ that we have chosen to take us away from God. It is never God who leaves. Through our self-examination, reflection, and a willingness to change, we can choose to leave the spiritual wilderness we make for ourselves and turn toward and improve upon the path that Christ travels to our consciousness.  

     Through the waters of baptism we are forgiven, cleansed, and the fire of sin is doused. Let us turn from sin, turn toward Jesus, and reclaim the forgiveness and cleansing of our baptism. As it is said, it is more blessed to give than to receive, now is the time to give ourselves by preparing for the Coming of Christ, who paradoxically is already within us. We have to declutter the path, ourselves, to let Him through. 

     The Road of Life is brief and full of detours, road-blocks, grief, joy, and always the unexpected. Even with the best map we make a wrong turn now and then. Advent is a time to review the map, the directions, and rid ourselves of as many obstacles as we can that block ourselves from knowing that Christ is here, now. We each are to prepare the way of the Lord, to make his path to our souls as straight as possible for the imperfect beings we are. 

     Take a breath, open your mind, your heart, and your soul, and turn toward the Light within. As the 2nd Letter to Peter says, Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of the Lord as salvation. Seek with love to be loved as found.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Loving Lord, Forgiving and Gracious, draw us out from the spiritual wilderness we make for ourselves by our daily neglect of You, and help us listen as You speak peace to the faithful. Grant us courage to prepare the way and make straight the path for a new heaven and a new earth, as we await the unknown time until our Savior, Christ returns.

                                                       Jesus, Emmanuel                                                

              RESPONSE:                  Come, ransom us again

~ Loving Lord, Forgiving and Gracious, our tumultuous world is rife with conflict through the dismantling of compassion and empathy by unchecked power and unrelenting greed. In this sacred waiting time, make Your Truth spring up from this Earth and fill all who govern across this Planet, with the hunger to comfort Your people by a renewal of mercy, righteousness, and peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Emmanuel                                               

                                                       Come, ransom us again

~ Loving Lord, Forgiving and Gracious, gather in Your arms all who suffer through illness, addiction, or despair; and bestow special grace upon those who provide support. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Emmanuel                                               

                                                       Come, ransom us again

~ Loving Lord, Forgiving and Gracious, calm the tears of all who grieve, as Heaven now celebrates each soul that has entered eternal bliss, away from earthly woes, into a peace beyond our understanding. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Emmanuel                                               

                                                       Come, ransom us again

~ Loving Lord, Forgiving and Gracious, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

 
                                                       Jesus, Emmanuel
                                                       Come, ransom us again

~ Loving Lord, Forgiving and Gracious, energize and excite all who lead us in Your Church, that together in this holy season, we may re-ignite our faith-filled wonder and eager anticipation, turning our hearts, minds, and lives back to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Emmanuel

                                                       Come, ransom us again

The Celebrant adds: Jesus, Lord at thy Birth, let us repent of our sins in the silent nights of our souls, that we may feel the approach of Your redeeming grace, and seek the dawn of indescribable joy through life and love everlasting in You. We ask through the Holy Spirit, our Advocate; and the Creator, Most High; who together with You, are our One God, on earth, as in heaven, forever.  Amen.

 

 

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use 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: New Savings Account ~ 1st Sunday of Advent, '20 Yr B

For Sunday, November 29, 2020, Readings: Isaiah 64:1-9, Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Mark 13:24-37

      O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence - as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil...Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of you hand... O Lord do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people. [Isaiah 64:1-2a, 8, 9b]

    Restore us, O God of Hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved...And so will we never turn away from you; give us life, that we may call upon your name. [Psalm 80:7, 17]

         I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus; for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind - just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you...as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ...He will also strengthen you to to the end. [1 Corinthians 1:4-6, 7b, 8a]

      Then they will see the 'Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds...Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come...Therefore, keep awake - for you do not know when the Master of the House will come...or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. [Mark 26-27, 33, 35a, 36]

        Welcome to Advent, a season of hopeful waiting, and the beginning of a new liturgical year, Year B in the three year cycle of readings. The name advent comes from the Latin adventus, meaning "arrival" or "coming," especially the coming of something of great importance. We are to spend the four weeks before Christmas, preparing ourselves and our souls in hope and with repentance for our sins, as we await the birth of Jesus, our Redeemer Christ. Yet this Advent preparation is about far more than waiting for a sweet baby to be announced by a chorus of angels and welcomed by shepherds. The sacred Birth would have been long forgotten were it not for the intervention of God in the form of Jesus who became the Christ, the Messiah. 

        Jesus in his earthly time came to teach us, warn us, and show us how to prepare for the Second Coming, the Parousia [pahr-oo-see-uh, from the Greek for coming], the Last Judgment. It’s not as warm and fuzzy a concept and is far less exciting for many of us to anticipate than the pretty tree with lights, sparkling decorations, beautifully wrapped gifts, and the wide-eyed wonder of little ones.

        Rituals for this time in some denominations include marking the beginning of each week by the lighting of a candle in an Advent Wreath with a prayerful reflection before the Liturgy [the Mass or the Service] begins. Even at home, families and individuals may use a wreath or an Advent Calendar for daily or weekly reflection. Each of the four candles represents a theme from the readings of that week.

        This week’s theme is Hope. In a year where our world has seen the heavens torn open, mountains quake, fire kindles brushwood all across this Earth, and adding in hurricanes and a pandemic all decimating the lives of millions, and then the violence wrought by humans. It does give pause and perhaps a deep inhalation of breath and wonder. But the Prophet Isaiah is reminding God that we are the clay, God is our potter, and we are the work of God’s hands. So please, God, says Isaiah, do not remember iniquity forever...we are all your people. The Psalmist also speaks to and asks God to restore us so that in the hope of God's light we will be saved. We can call upon God’s name.

        Paul, in 1 Corinthians, reminds us that we are not lacking in any spiritual gifts and Jesus will strengthen us ~ if we but let him.

       Jesus, the true Master of the House, also gives us hope with a few warning signs that will signal the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory...But...Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when this time will come. Not the angels nor the Son himself know the time, only God knows the day and the hour. Jesus even seemed to be saying that those he was speaking to would not pass away until all these things have taken place, yet here we are 2000+ years later. Every generation since the time of Christ has seen and interpreted signs that seem to be saying the end is near. Yet, so far, we are still here. But the message is clear, we must not assume that because it hasn’t happened yet, it won’t happen in our time. We must be eternally vigilant about who we and our priorities are. Our Hope truly is in the name of the Lord, and, in our willingness to turn the thoughts and actions of our lives toward the light of God's enduring, continuous presence. 

         It's definitely not easy to get back on the right course, especially at this time of year with all the glitter that is a welcome distraction from woes and worries. But that can obscure our inner vision and divert us from our good intentions. The cloud cover on our path forward begins to lift when we are sincere in our desire to dedicate our lives to Christ, always ready to be gathered from the four winds and claimed for eternity.

        Just as a New Year's resolution starts well and means well, Advent is the opportunity to be intentional about preparing for and renewing our commitment to Jesus as our Savior. Each season of the Liturgical Year is designed to help us to remember, continuously renew, and re-commit ourselves to our faith and to Christ. Here's a new beginning to get back into good habits of faith building. Saving our souls is the reason for every season. Open a new savings account today. The interest will compound daily and with every deposit.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Creator God, we are Your clay, we are all Your people, each of us molded by the work of Your Hand. Gather us from the four winds and restore us, that we may be relieved of our unbelief, awakened by Your Light, and never again turn away from You.

                            O Lord of Hosts                                        
          RESPONSE:      Keep us alert and prepared          

~ O Creator God, enlighten the souls and steady the hearts and minds of all who govern across this Earth. Straighten the path to peace and unity with local, national, and international friends and adversaries alike, guiding the path to justice, mercy, humanitarian, and planetary care. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Hosts
                                                       Keep us alert and prepared

~ O Creator God, embrace and sustain all who are seriously ill or facing desperate times, that they, and those who give support, may know Your warmth, light, and encouragement within. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Hosts
                                                       Keep us alert and prepared

~  O Creator God, console and inspire us with the knowing that Your Kingdom is welcoming with glory all who are now entering Your gates, and awaiting all who are transitioning from this life. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Hosts
                                                       Keep us alert and prepared

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

                                                       O Lord of Hosts
                                                       Keep us alert and prepared

~ O Creator God, rekindle our hope in this waiting time, especially in all who are anointed in Your Name, to lead us to Your Truth that is our Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Hosts
                                                      Keep us alert and prepared

The Celebrant adds:  O Son of Man, Master of the House, keep us awake with joyful anticipation, preparing our souls  through prayer and repentance, for the sudden unknown time of Your return to claim us for eternity. We ask through the Holy Spirit, our Heavenly Advocate; and the Divine Architect of all that Is, who together with You reign as One God, forever and for always.  Amen.

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use 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: Glitter Today or Shine Forever ~ Christ the King, Last Sunday of Pentecost '20 Yr A

For Sunday, November 15, 2020, Readings: Judges 4:1-7, Psalm 123, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Matthew 25:14-30

        I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep...I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak...I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at the weak animals with your horns...I will save my flock and they will no longer be ravaged...I will judge between sheep and sheep. [Ezekiel 34:15a, 16,20b-22]

     Come, let us sing to the LORD; let us shout for joy to the Rock of our Salvation...For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. [Psalm 95: 1, 7a] 

     I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ...may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe... [Ephesians 1:17-19a]

   When the Son of Man comes into his glory...All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats...Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me...but the righteous [will go] into eternal life." [Matthew 25:31a, 32, 40, 46b]

   In this Sunday of Christ the King, the Final Sunday in the Season after Pentecost, or The Season of the Kingdom in some places, we look at the Christ of Wisdom, of Eternity, of Majesty, and Jesus, of human form. The kingly Christ is now, has always been, will forever be but the Divine-Human Incarnation, the manifestation of the love of God that is Jesus is more than 2,000 years old. Jesus~ the human face of God ~ came and will come again as God's own divine self on Earth. It is more than difficult to comprehend, even as we continue to try, and forever as inexplicable and unsolvable as eternal mysteries always are.

     Ezekiel’s message is speaking to the faithless shepherds, those governors of Israel who oppressed their flocks. With inexcusable mishandling of power, governing for the benefit of rulers, they failed in their handling of God’s Divine Plan which is government ~ shepherding ~ for the sake of the governed. A true shepherd is one who strengthens and protects the flock, tends the injured and the sick, calls back all who have strayed. The Shepherds are accountable for the safety and well-being of their flocks. In this passage, God the Almighty, assumes the role of Israel’s shepherd. Ezekiel’s message is of both hope and warning.

     Paul is extolling the faith of the Ephesians and encouraging them so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, and praying that they [and now we] come to know Christ more deeply, we will all know the hope to which we are called, and the spiritual riches of his glorious inheritance, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

     Matthew’s Gospel account, which has no parallel in the other three Gospels, is a view of the Great Judgment. As disciples, Matthew has been telling us all through his Gospel that the Law is only a starting point, we are to exceed those expectations by cultivating and manifesting an inner attitude of love for God in everything that we do. We are to be that love in all that we think and do, so that in all that we think and do our motives, our deepest intentions, are expressed as genuine service in Christ’s name, without any sense of merit or self-importance. There are many nice people doing good things but if their inner purpose is personal gain or acclaim, however small, they may be heading into the goat pen. And of course, it’s not so easy to be so pure of heart.

     As we strive to be good sheep, our everyday lives, with their ups and downs on a variety of fronts, keep us fairly distracted and not always conscious of what and why we do as we do. It is often challenging, and perhaps distasteful, when confronted with particular issues and people that may repel us. Yet we are called to remember to look for Christ in strangers, the sick, the imprisoned, and the poor, as well as in those who seem better off in life than we are, and those who, in our less than best moments, we simply disparage as goats.

      Some days, some seasons, some years, it's much easier to be a goat and rest in the more comfy Jesus ~ the sweet Baby of the Christmas glitter, pretty packages, and sparkling decorations, and, ignoring the other “reason for the season,” the resurrected Jesus in the bright colors of Easter flowers, dyed eggs, and candy.

     But, as we are at the end of one liturgical season and beginning another, it is time to consider again our actions as members of the Body of Christ, and follow Jesus with intention and consciousness ~ the Jesus who is our Messiah, the Rock of our Salvation, Christ the King of Glory.

     The writer of Ephesians prays for our wisdom, our enlightenment, and for us to know the glory of God’s immeasurable greatness. Let us not discard divine mystery for a false reality, but rouse ourselves from the haze of distraction, indifference, and complacency. Let us, as the blessed inheritors of the Kingdom, turn toward the inconvenient call of Christ. After all, if we believe that our very existence on this fragile island planet is truly a gift from God, what is there to lose if we live it through Christ? All that truly matters is not glitter, but, in Christ, it will shine forever.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, awaken us again to the wonder of God’s fullness in You, the beacon of our faith. Gather us as Your sheep into our divine blessings, for being Your love in the world, and for tending to and beckoning the goats of this life to turn and join us in Your eternal flock.
 
                                                         Jesus, Face of God
              RESPONSE:                    Enlighten the eyes of our hearts
 
~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, guide our conscious intent in our own actions to assure that we and the leaders of governments on this Planet, locally and globally, seek the lost, bind up the injured, feed the hungry, and all for their own sake, in justice with mercy. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       Jesus, Face of God
                                                       Enlighten the eyes of our hearts
 
~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, grant comfort and healing for all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and for those who give them care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
 
                                                       Jesus, Face of God
                                                       Enlighten the eyes of our hearts
          
~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, embrace all grieving hearts as You joyously bless those now entering Your gracious and forever kingdom. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
 
                                                       Jesus, Face of God
                                                       Enlighten the eyes of our hearts
 
~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Face of God
                                                       Enlighten the eyes of our hearts
                       
~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, inscribe special blessings upon the souls of those anointed to lead us in Your Church, as we journey together through the gifts and trials of this mortal life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Face of God
                                                       Enlighten the eyes of our hearts

The Celebrant adds: Son of Man, the Incarnation of Love, even as we each are at once sheep and goat, You extend the blessing of Your welcoming and forgiving hands. Strengthen us in our weakness that we may one day rise into Your holy and sacred Kingdom. We offer our praise to You as Jesus, our Redeemer Christ; to the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom Guide; and to our Glorious Creator, who together and before time, live and reign as one God, then, now, and into forever. Amen.

 

 

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