Prayers of the People: The Family We Choose ~ 2nd Sunday after Pentecost '21 Yr B

For Sunday, June 6, 2021; Readings: Genesis 3:8-15, Psalm 130, 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1, Mark 3:20-35

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

               Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord; Lord hear my voice…For there is forgiveness with you…wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy. [Psalm 130:1a, 3a, 6]

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

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

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

      Snakes are mentioned over 80 times in the Bible as deceptive creatures that lure us with the promise we want to hear that something God has forbidden us is actually good. While I cannot imagine being lured by a snake in this life, insert shivers here, we cannot judge a snake by its scales. Eve and Adam in turn wanted to eat that fruit and gave into the temptation having received encouragement and permission from the serpent. It is important to remember that God had told them NOT to eat the fruit of that particular tree, but temptation snakes, er, sneaks up on us all. And after all, God created us with free will to choose our way. Our freedom of choice was a calculated risk on God’s part but then if we aren’t free to choose obedience to God, of what moral value would our obedience have?

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

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

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

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Lord God Almighty, as by Your Will we were created with freedom to choose, guide our souls away from human serpents that would lead us by charm and guile down the tangled garden path of earthly wants. Renew our inner nature each day that we may seek and make good Your purpose in this life that prepares us for the next.  

                                           O God of Forgiveness and Mercy

RESPONSE:      Hear our call to You

~ Lord God Almighty, infuse the leaders of this Planet, this Nation, and this Community with faith, principles, and strength of character. Lead their hearts to discern and implement Your wisdom for all Your people, that we may abide together in Your House, undivided, with no exclusions. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                           O God of Forgiveness and Mercy

                                           Hear our call to You

~ Lord God Almighty, heal and comfort all who struggle with chronic pain, addiction, and recovery, and enhance the stamina of those who give support. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                           O God of Forgiveness and Mercy

                                           Hear our call to You         

~ Lord God Almighty, we lift up with our love, all who have exchanged this earthly life for the glory, joy, and peace in the Divine Building not made with hands, eternal in the heavens with You. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                           O God of Forgiveness and Mercy

                                           Hear our call to You

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

                                           O God of Forgiveness and Mercy

                                           Hear our call to You                       

~ Lord God Almighty, refresh the vigor and vitality of those anointed to guide us, as together we navigate the time and tides of this temporal life, connecting our everyday lives and actions to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                           O God of Forgiveness and Mercy

                                           Hear our call to You

 The Celebrant adds: O God of Grace and Glory, develop in us a spiritual thirst that seeks to be quenched only in service to Your Holy Will. Through Your enduring love and grace, let us strive to become mother, father, sister, and brother to every one who chooses to live in the sacred family of Christ. We ask through the steadfastness of Jesus, and the blessings of the Holy Spirit, 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: Heavenly Things ~ 1st Sunday after Pentecost, Trinity Sunday '21 Yr B

For Sunday, May 30, 2021; Readings: Isaiah 6:1-8, Psalm 29, Romans 8:12-17, John 3:1-17

       In the year that King Uzziah died…The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke…Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal…touched my mouth with it and said, “…your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send…” and I said, “Here am I; send me!”  [Isaiah 6:1a, 4, 6a, 7-8]

     Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness…The Lord shall give strength to his people; the Lord shall give his people the blessing of Peace. [Psalm 29:2, 11]

           For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God…When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit…heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. [Romans 8:14, 15b-16a, 17b]

         “What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit…’You must be born from above.’” …”If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?”  [John 3:6, 7b, 12]

     It’s so very difficult – ok, impossible – for us as mere mortals to wrap our brains around the mystical, mysterious concept of the Trinity, or in heavenly math-speak: 1 + 2 = One. Two out of the three persons of this, our Trinitarian God, are genderless although many refer to God as Father and some think of the Spirit as the feminine of Wisdom, or Sophia as it is written in Biblical Greek. While our human minds cannot possibly grasp the Trinity in its complexities, we still wrestle with how to reduce it to fit in a small box in our minds that we can pretend to understand. The mind naturally seeks to sort and file its collected data into usable bits amidst the consternation of those pieces that simply don’t fit the space allotted.

       The Christian Trinity is, plainly and purely and simply, a mystery. Yet if it is able to be rationally explained there is no mystery and it can be easily dismissed. What is God-like in that? Some minds clamor for any mystery to be reducible and solvable to fit neatly into that file as in wanting to know the steps an entertaining magician uses to perform an illusion. Others are comfortably engaged in the wonder of the ways it is unfolding.

       The mystery of the Trinity is nothing if not confounding. One God/Three Persons – separate yet one, equal with different roles that are ultimately the same, belief in one is meant to be belief in all and the One that is the same but different. “Stranger than we think and stranger than we can think,” to borrow from physicist Neils Bohr’s description of the Universe. Franciscan Richard Rohr tells us that some ancient mystics have suggested that we are called as an almost fourth person in the flow of God, as Jesus says later in John’s Gospel, …so that where I am you also may be. [John 14:3]

       One of my favorite ways to attempt a workable sense of the Trinity – gender language aside – is through a piece of a 6th century creed from Dublin known as Tírechán’s Creed ~ when speaking of God it says:

He has a Son who is co-eternal with himself;

   and similar in all respects to himself;

   and neither is the Son younger than the Father,

   nor is the Father older than the Son;

   and the Holy Spirit breathes in them.

And the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are inseparable.

       Perfectly clear now, yes? Well, here’s another wrinkle someone else once wrote ~ I don’t remember who ~ that if your understanding of the Trinity is 2 men and a bird, it is time to rethink! If we can truly understand the mysteries of God, then that god, for me, is way too small. Only through faith can we believe in and answer the call of heavenly things.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, release us from our quest to reduce You and the vast mystery of faith to our human level of certainty and understanding. Grant us openness of mind, sincerity of heart, and willingness to come to You unknowing, allowing the wind of the Spirit, the redemption of Christ, and our birth from Above, to move through us in Your many and miraculous ways.

                                                             Most Holy Trinity

                            RESPONSE:       In faith we answer Your call         

~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, in a world where principle and integrity are obscured in the smoke of fear and confusion, let us answer “Here we are; send us” to seek Your Voice, speak with clean lips, and to bear witness for truth and justice in the halls of governments in our World, our Nation, and in our Community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                              Most Holy Trinity

                                                              In faith we answer Your call

~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, embrace and sustain the hope and faith of those bowed low by illness, addiction, or loneliness, and give comfort to all who give them care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                              Most Holy Trinity

                                                              In faith we answer Your call       

~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, we joyfully ascribe the glory due Your name as you receive those we love into everlasting life, in the beauty of holiness they have now achieved. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                              Most Holy Trinity

                                                              In faith we answer Your call

~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

                                                              Most Holy Trinity

                                                              In faith we answer Your call

~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, we lift to Your care the souls and hearts of our Earthly Guides, ordained by You to walk with us, beyond the bindings of earthly things toward the glory of all things of heaven. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                              Most Holy Trinity

                                                              In faith we answer Your call

The Celebrant adds: Creator, Savior, Sanctifier, grant us the blessing of Your peace as we accept the strength You have given us as joint heirs of Your eternal Kingdom. Expand and amplify our faith that its depth and constancy are revealed in the ways we answer Your call. We ask through each and all of the Three Eternal Persons in the sacred mystery of the Holy Trinity, who are One God, forever and ever. 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: We're On Fire! ~ Pentecost Sunday '21 Yr B

For Sunday, May 23, 2021, Readings: Acts 2:1-21, Psalm 104:25-35, 37; Romans 8:22-27, 

John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15

       When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house...Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.  [Acts 2:1-4]

                 Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience…the Spirit helps us in our weakness…the Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.  [Romans 8:24b-27, 26]

             You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; and so you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the LORD endure for ever…Bless the LORD, O my soul. Hallelujah! [Psalm 104:31, 32a, 37]

            Jesus said to his disciples, “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth…he will testify on my behalf. You are also to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.” [John 15:26-27]

    We are now at the 50th day after Easter, and the 10^th day after the celebration of the Ascension of Jesus. It is Pentecost – the word itself comes from the Greek for fiftieth – and it did not begin with the time of Jesus. In the Jewish calendar this ancient feast is Shavuot and follows 50 days after Passover. It celebrates the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai.

    This Jewish feast would have been another of the reasons that the disciples had gathered together. It may well have been comforting to be together in the familiar structure of this ancient feast. Of course, they were also waiting with some trepidation, no doubt, for the sign promised by the resurrected Jesus just 10 days before, in his last in-person teachings, when he said he would send them the Advocate, the Spirit of truth. It may well have been comforting to be together in the familiar structure of this ancient feast. What must each day have been like for them, individually and collectively? In only a few recent months they experienced praying – or failing to stay awake – with Jesus in the Garden, then his sudden arrest, Peter’s denial, the trial, the carrying of the cross through the City, and the violent execution of Jesus, his resurrection, then his ascension, to mention only a few details. I would think they would still be reeling in their own shock, grief, and fear trying to cope with these inexplicable turns of events. Now here they are gathered together again without quite knowing what is coming next, let alone when “it” would arrive. Perhaps in their remembrance of God giving Moses the Law, they also remembered the encounter Moses had with God in the burning bush. And then suddenly a sound like a violent wind and tongues of fire resting on them gave them more than good reason to be bewildered and amazed! 

     Today it's easy for us to be blasé, to know the story too well, to be immune to the thrill, the astonishment. Whatever the planning, hopes, and desires of the Liturgists, sadly and often it seems, that the wonder of it all has been lost, especially when not everyone is physically present in the Church.

     So it is then, that today is the day to STOP knowing the story. Today is the day to START experiencing the Spirit – BE THERE, be amazed and astonished and bewildered!  We have the Spirit within us, and God’s grace, and the love and Salvation of Christ merely for the wanting of it! Peter reminds us in the words of the prophet Joel, that when Christ returns, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And Jesus tells the disciples, from whom we follow on, that they/we are to testify on behalf of Jesus. The Gospels tell us how to do it, God filled our lungs with breath, and the Spirit gives us our voice.

     Let us rejoice and be glad and joy-filled, and alive in it, after all, it's Pentecost and we're on fire!

       Also known as the Birthday of the Church, Pentecost marks the official beginning of the ministry of the Apostles beyond their local area and into the known world to bring the message of Christ to all.

        This day is known as Whitsun/Whitsunday in Ireland and the UK, a descendant of a Gaelic celebration from medieval or perhaps more ancient times. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Lord GOD, Almighty, pour Your Spirit upon us again! Bewilder us out of our distractions and detachment, fling us out of the ordinary into the stunning wonder and exquisite joy of the Holy Spirit within.

                                             Holy Advocate, Spirit of Truth

RESPONSE:        Enflame our Hearts, Embolden our Witness

~ Lord GOD, Almighty, awaken our souls in a blaze of faith-filled consciousness. Push us to engage and insist, in ways small and large, that political leaders of our World, our Nation, and our Community are held accountable for basic human rights and needs, justice, mercy, and peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                               Holy Advocate, Spirit of Truth

                                               Enflame our Hearts, Embolden our Witness

~ Lord GOD, Almighty, lighten the burden of pain for all weakened in body, spirit, or soul. Fill them, and those who give love and support, with the peace of Your Presence.  We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                               Holy Advocate, Spirit of Truth

                                               Enflame our Hearts, Embolden our Witness

~ Lord GOD, Almighty, Lord GOD, Almighty, our souls and our hearts bless You with great Hallelujahs as You rejoice on the arrival of our beloved into the promise of everlasting life. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                               Holy Advocate, Spirit of Truth

                                               Enflame our Hearts, Embolden our Witness

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

                                               Holy Advocate, Spirit of Truth

                                               Enflame our Hearts, Embolden our Witness       

~ Lord GOD, Almighty, as Your Holy Spirit falls afresh upon us all, may those who lead us in Your Church feel quickened to energize and excite us, to live every moment of every day through You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                               Holy Advocate, Spirit of Truth

                                               Enflame our Hearts, Embolden our Witness

The Celebrant adds:  Living, Loving, Holy Lord, You put the Spirit within us, filled us with the fire of faith, and gave Your breath to our lungs to power our voices. Let us exhilarate in all Your works and testify to Your enduring glory and the gift of salvation for everyone who calls upon Your Name. Our joyful and unending prayers ascend to Jesus, our Risen Christ; and the Holy Spirit, our Eternal Advocate; who together with You live 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: Chosen ~ Sunday after the Ascension, 7th Sunday of Easter '21 Yr B

For Sunday, May 16, 2021; Readings: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1, 1 John 5:9-13, John 17:6-19

 In those days Peter stood up…and said…one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection…Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen…And they cast lots…and the lot fell on Matthias… [Acts 1:15a, 22b, 24, 26a]

          Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked…Their delight is in the law of the Lord…they are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither... [Psalm 1: 1a, 2a, 3a]

        God gave us eternal live, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life…I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. [1 John 5: 11b-12a, 13]

    Looking up to heaven, Jesus prayed, "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world...When I was with them, I protected them in your name...I ask you to protect them from the evil one...Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world."  [John 17:6,12a,15b,17-18]

    We have arrived at the last Sunday of the Easter Season with a gathering of non-sequential readings that speak to us from after the Resurrection, before the Crucifixion, and sometime after Pentecost. And, this past Thursday, the Church Calendar points us to the Ascension of Jesus. But there's no reference to that on this day.

    After the Resurrection, in the lesson from Acts, the beginnings of organizing the Church as a body for the expression of faith emerges. Peter tells the crowd of believers that it is time to call a replacement for Judas and there are two worthy candidates who have traveled with them all along. It is imperative that the empty slot be filled with another who can also be an official witness to the resurrection, with the Eleven chosen by Jesus. They pray and ask God to choose, lots are cast, and the lot fell on Matthias.

    The reading from the Epistle of 1st John was written perhaps 10-15 years after the Book of Acts but set in a time probably after Pentecost. It’s uncertain as to whether or not the author is the same John who wrote the Gospel, but this Letter, or perhaps a sermon, is to remind us that belief in Jesus is, at the same time, belief in God, and it is through our faith that we are given eternal life. 

     With the Gospel, we move backwards in time to before the crucifixion. This reading is in the middle of what is known as the "Farewell Discourse" of Jesus that takes place just after the Last Supper has been finished. In this moment, Jesus is praying for the Apostles, updating God on the progress of the mission so far. He says, While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. [John 17:12] The one lost, of course, refers to Judas. And in this prayer, also for us, Jesus asks God to protect us not just for our own sake but for the sake of the whole world. In that way, God's love will live in us and be given out to the world through us, as we carry on with Christ's mission, the work we have been given to do. The disciples were, and we are, sent into the world sheltered in love, by love, and for the love of God through Jesus. As he looks up to heaven, Jesus asks God to make his own joy complete in us and to sanctify ~ or hallow ~ us in the truth of God's Word. 

      We have come to know Jesus through these and other words of the Christian Testament. The beginning of the Gospel of John tells us that In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [John 1:1] We know that the Word is Jesus, our Christ, our Messiah, our Savior. We've learned about Jesus after his birth, and before his death, resurrection, and ascension. Through these writings, we are given the instructions of how we are to follow Christ in this world, in our time, knowing that through Christ’s prayer we are also sanctified in the truth.

      What will be your prayer to God after these readings? What part of Christ's mission now calls to you before you venture into the world again? As God knows our hearts, I pray to continually seek to love and serve Christ during all my living days, and to love and serve others in Christ’s name. As the original 12 were chosen by Jesus, and Matthias was chosen by God, we, too, are empowered to fulfill the Mission and Ministry of our Redeemer. We, too, are chosen.

 LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Jesus, our Savior Christ, by prayer, the casting of lots, and through Divine Will, Matthias was chosen to join in Your ministry and apostleship. Guide us on our walk in this world as we seek the joy and challenge of discipleship with You, striving to be living examples of Your ministry and mission.

                                                     Living, Loving God

RESPONSE:      Sanctify us in Your Truth             

~ Jesus, our Savior Christ, fill us with the substance and stamina to stand together in continual witness to all who govern on this Earth, in this Nation, and in this Community, seeking justice, mercy, and freedom for all of God’s people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                     Living Loving God

                                                     Sanctify us in Your Truth

~ Jesus, our Savior Christ, raise the hope and the spirits of all who suffer with severe illness, depression, or serious life circumstance, and give strength to all who give them care.   We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                     Living Loving God

                                                     Sanctify us in Your Truth       

~ Jesus, our Savior Christ, happy are we who, with drying tears, celebrate our loved ones now arrived, to live again in the glory of eternity with You.  We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                     Living Loving God

                                                     Sanctify us in Your Truth

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

                                                     Living Loving God

                                                     Sanctify us in Your Truth            

~ Jesus, our Savior Christ, refresh and renew the spiritual tools of all who lead us in Your church, as they guide and inspire us to find delight in Your Word, walking with us in faith-building and faith-in-action.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                     Living Loving God

                                                     Sanctify us in Your Truth

The Celebrant adds: Glorious and Almighty Lord, who knows our hearts and minds, protect our souls from evil in and of the world, that we in turn, may offer Your love, shelter, and eternal life, to all we meet in the righteous work You have given us to do. We ask through Your Son our Savior, Jesus Christ; and the Comfort of the Holy Spirit; 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: First, Last, Always ~ Sixth Sunday of Easter '21 Yr B

For Sunday, May 9, 2021; Readings: Acts 10:44-48, Psalm 98, 1 John 5:1-6, John 15:9-17

     The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out, even on the Gentiles...Then Peter said, "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" [Acts 10:45, 46b-47]

   Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things...He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God... In righteousness shall he judge the world, and the peoples with equity. [Ps 98:1, 4, 10]

  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child…For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments…for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory…our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? [1 John 5:1, 3a, 4-5]

   Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love...This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you...And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last... [John 15:9, 12, 16b]

 SIX YEARS AGO, that is, in 2015, I wrote the following: 

    How intrusive is this [Gospel] message against the backdrop of mistrust, hatred of "the other," and the seemingly endless and rampant violence across the world and in our local communities? Them vs Us, You vs Me, This is Mine, is as ancient as Caine and Abel and never tires of repeating. As the reading from Acts tells us, the circumcised believers...were astounded that the Holy Spirit was given even to the Gentiles. Peter was clear that the water of baptism cannot be withheld from those who are different because they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have... And Jesus was even more clear: This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. I see no room for negotiation here. Yet we continue with judgment that is meant only to be God’s when the prevailing thought is those people are doing terrible things so how can Jesus possibly expect us to love them? Well, what we think he expects is irrelevant, he commands it. IF we believe in Jesus, then we must bear the fruit of God's love to all people, in all places, and everyone is included. 

     Today I find it more than disheartening to realize that things, six years later, are now exponentially worse on so many levels especially in issues of race, religion, and politics ~ talk about lions and tigers and bears, oh my! ~ not to mention dragons and snakes and skunks. Yet there are some seeds of hope grounded in love, amidst the anger, frustration, and despair, that are rising up, beginning to flower, and showing great potential to bear sweet and sustaining fruit for sharing. I have to stop often to remember that Jesus didn't require us to "like" anyone, only love them. We are to seek not only Jesus but ourselves in another. "Oh, really," you say, "nothing of Jesus or me is found in THAT person." Look harder and listen more closely. What you and I think and feel ~ and say? ~ about those we label as them may very well be what they think and feel and say about us. We are likely to uncomfortably discover that we are not so very different from them after all. Maybe, if we go beyond the “Golden Rule” to employ the “Platinum Rule” those others might be slightly easier to love. What is the platinum rule? “Do unto others as they would have you do unto them.” If I only do what I want done for me how is that helpful to another? For example, if I invite you to dinner and fill the table with all my favorite foods without asking if you have preferences or allergies or serious dislikes, who is more comfortable? Is not Love for another to go beyond our own desires?

     That said, the stark truth must be acknowledged: Our loving of them does not require ~ nor will it regularly result in ~ reciprocation. The dangers, fears, and tensions of the world will not suddenly evaporate because we are more intentionally loving people. Yes, there is evil intent in this world that no amount of love or understanding will resolve. But judgment belongs to God. As the psalmist says: In righteousness shall he judge the world and the peoples with equity. [Ps 98:10]

      As we listen, hear, and remember the Gospel message together, we can work as a team to learn and practice how to love, through the experience of intentional relationship. After all, even in a loving family, not everyone is happy with everyone all the time, but we work through it because of the connections we want to maintain. And sometimes we have to let go of the things we don’t like about another in order to sustain the relationship.  

     Of course, we are not called to pursue “relationships” with everyone, especially with those who intend harm. We are, however, to reconcile our first thoughts and actions through the lens of Christ’s love. It’s hard and often unrewarding work in this life. Yet, we are promised much more than a rose garden for following Christ’s commandment. This life is short though it can feel endless when we encounter very demanding, difficult, and desperate days ~ and people. Feeling supported in the trials of faith by the presence of Christ and the Holy Spirit, and in community, we can come to believe that working to act in, through, and by love, first, last, and always ~ as best we can in this mortal time ~ will get us to the always, forever, eternal reward. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY 

Leader:  ~ Christ Jesus, Born of God, as You chose us to be bearers of the fruit of Your eternal love, lift us from the shadows of doubt and awaken our souls to follow Your Commandments to love one another and to fully abide in You.

                                                                   God of Mercy and Faithfulness                                         

RESPONSE:   Guide us to offer Love first, last, and always          

~ Christ Jesus, Born of God, grant us such consciousness of our gifts from the Spirit, that we hold ourselves and those who govern throughout this Planet, this Country, and this Community, accountable; acting always to uphold Your standards of righteousness and equity, on behalf of all people everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                                     God of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                                                     Guide us to offer Love first, last, and always

~ Christ Jesus, Born of God, lovingly embrace with healing all those who are ill in body, mind, or soul, and all who give them love and care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                                     God of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                                                     Guide us to offer Love first, last, and always         

~ Christ Jesus, Born of God, with trumpets and the sound of the horn You shout with joy, as those who have risen above this earthly plain are welcomed to the everlasting peace of new life in You. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                                     God of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                                                     Guide us to offer Love first, last, and always

~ Christ Jesus, Born of God, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

                                                                     God of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                                                     Guide us to offer Love first, last, and always

~ Christ Jesus, Born of God, we offer special thanksgivings for those among us who are anointed to teach and lead us in Your Word and Ways. Grant them continual renewal of purpose and endless replenishment of vigor. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                                     God of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                                                     Guide us to offer Love first, last, and always

The Celebrant adds: Almighty and Ever-Loving God, infuse us with the inner peace and fortitude to let the actions of our lives be the instruments of rejoicing that play a new song of faith and love, each and every day. We ask through Jesus, our Loving Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, Your Truth; who together with You, are One God, now and forever.  Amen.

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