People's Prayers

Monday, November 1, 2021

Prayers of the People: All Saints’ Sunday, 24th Sunday after Pentecost Yr B

For Sunday, November 7, 2021; Readings: Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9, Psalm 24, Revelation 21:1-6a,

John 11:32-44

Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love... [Wisdom of Solomon 3:9]
   They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of Salvation. [Ps 24:5]
  [The] home of God is among mortals…God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more; for the first things have passed away. [Revelation 21:3b-4]
       The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." [John 11:44]
Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. What comes to mind when you think of a Saint? For many of us, I expect, the mind-image that arises is of someone many centuries and continents removed from our everyday place and time in this world; someone who is an example of complete perfection in every facet of life that is unattainable for us mere mortals, and, if we're honest, living a life undesirably difficult for us to accomplish. The word “saint” comes from the Greek word hagios, which means “consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious. Yet many saints and Saints, the ordinary and the officially designated, are/were flawed humans with real human frailties and struggles, even, shockingly, a few sins along the way. When and how then did their lives become so exemplary? The best discussion I have found is from Sister Joan Chittister*, which follows. This piece offers us some food for prayerful thought on ways we might discover our inner saint and seek to, at the very least, support the very basic tenets of the Greatest Commandment [Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-34, Luke 10:25-28].
   "For centuries the church has confronted the human community with role models of greatness. We call them saints when what we really often mean to say is "icon," "star," "hero," ones so possessed by an internal vision of divine goodness that they give us a glimpse of the face of God in the center of the human. They give us a taste of the possibilities of greatness in ourselves. What qualities will be necessary to live a life of integrity, of holiness, in the twenty-first century? What models of those values, if any, have been raised up to show us the way to God in a world that is more preoccupied with the material than with the spiritual, more self-centered than selfless, more concerned with the mundane than with the divine, more parochial than cosmic? (They) are male and female, Christian and non-Christian, married and unmarried, religious and lay, pragmatists and artists, named saint by a process or proclaimed saint by the people who lived in the shadow of their lives. They are people like you and me. With one exception, perhaps. In their eyes burn the eyes of a God who sees injustice and decries it, sees poverty and condemns it, sees inequality and refuses it, sees wrong and demands that it be set right. These are people for whom the Law above the law is first in their lives. These are people who did not temporize with the evil in one system just because another system could have been worse. These are people who saw themselves clearly as the others' keepers. These are people who gave themselves entirely to the impulses of God for the sake of the world."
  Sr. Joan has not painted an easy picture of a lifestyle for our time-limited journey in earthly existence. There are choices to be made and sooner rather than later though there’s always an opportunity for us to seek God first above all else, to receive a blessing from the Lord and a just reward from the God of our Salvation. It requires some dedication, some intention, and some transformation. Jesus calls us to come out from our self-imposed tombs and unbind ourselves from the temptations that lock us away from our divine endowment. In that release we can change not only ourselves but the culture we live in. Author Parker Palmer** says it best, [We] can transform our culture only as we are inwardly transformed. So, let us begin, again, together.
*Sister Joan Chittister, Roman Catholic nun and former Prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, PA, an activist, author and speaker on a variety of subjects such as spirituality, religious life, peace, and justice among others.  The excerpt is from: A Passion for Life: Fragments of the Face of God, Orbis, Maryknoll, NY, 1996
**Parker J. Palmer is an author, educator, and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality and social change. He is the founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord of Hosts, O King of Glory, in these times of trial and travail, strengthen us to arise each day with inner peace, purity of heart, and complete trust in You. Fill us with humility, humanity, and hope following the example of the Saints who have gone before, and the saints who live among us now.

O God of Blessing

RESPONSE: Help us unbind our faith

~ O Lord of Hosts, our King of Glory, fill us with trust as You make all things new again, here in Your home among us. Endow us, who abide with You in love, with the perseverance to guide Local, National, and Global Leaders away from falsehoods and fraud toward the just reward of all who seek Your face. We pray especially for: Joseph, our President; Kamala, our Vice-President; Tom, Chris, and Lisa, our Members of Congress; John, our Governor; Matt, our County Executive; and Mike, our Mayor.

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith

~ O Lord of Hosts, our King of Glory, deliver from distress all in anguish from illness of body, mind, or spirit, and infuse those who give them care with gentle and peaceful hearts. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need…

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith

~ O Lord of Hosts, our King of Glory, as You wipe the tears of all who mourn, keep us all in the knowledge that death will be no more in the joy and gladness of all who live again in Your Holy City, the New Jerusalem. We pray especially for…

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith

~ O Lord of Hosts, our King of Glory, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials…

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith

~ O Lord of Hosts, our King of Glory, inspire the hearts and minds of all who lead us in Your church, who encourage and remind us, through Word and Sacrament, how to lead faithful lives by Your grace and mercy. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith

The Celebrant adds: God of us all, Saints and Sinners together, set our hearts free from the prison of hate, the emptiness of self-importance, and the mindlessness of earthly privilege. May we each claim our divine endowment of hope, grace, and mercy as we strive to ascend the hill of the Lord and stand always in Your Holy Place. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer Christ; in the Unity of the Holy Spirit; who together with You are One God above all, through all, and in all, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Prayers of the People: The Saints Among Us ~ All Saints' Sunday, 5th Sunday in the Season of Creation '21 [Yr B]

For Sunday, November 7, 2021; Readings: Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9, Psalm 24, Revelation 21:1-6a,

John 11:32-44

Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love... [Wisdom of Solomon 3:9]

They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of Salvation. [Ps 24:5]

[The] home of God is among mortals…God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more; for the first things have passed away. [Revelation 21:3b-4]

The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." [John 11:44]

The Season of Creation originated in the Anglican Church of South Africa and was formalized in 2008. It is designed for us to explore our faith from a Creation perspective. For more information see: https://prayersofthepeople.blogspot.com/2018/10/prayers-of-people-in-beginning-1st.html. We use Biblical and other readings that pertain to the specific theme of each of the 7 weeks of the Season. Alternate readings used are posted with asterisk.

Week III's Theme is:
The Saints Among Us

Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. What comes to mind when you think of a Saint? For many of us, I expect, the mind-image that arises is of someone many centuries and continents removed from our everyday place and time in this world; someone who is an example of complete perfection in every facet of life that is unattainable for us mere mortals, and, if we're honest, living a life undesirably difficult for us to accomplish. The word “saint” comes from the Greek word hagios, which means “consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious. Yet many saints and Saints, the ordinary and the officially designated, are/were flawed humans with real human frailties and struggles, even, shockingly, a few sins along the way. When and how then did their lives become so exemplary? The best discussion I have found is from Sister Joan Chittister*, which follows. This piece offers us some food for prayerful thought on ways we might discover our inner saint and seek to, at the very least, support the very basic tenets of the Greatest Commandment [Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-34, Luke 10:25-28].

"For centuries the church has confronted the human community with role models of greatness. We call them saints when what we really often mean to say is "icon," "star," "hero," ones so possessed by an internal vision of divine goodness that they give us a glimpse of the face of God in the center of the human. They give us a taste of the possibilities of greatness in ourselves. What qualities will be necessary to live a life of integrity, of holiness, in the twenty-first century? What models of those values, if any, have been raised up to show us the way to God in a world that is more preoccupied with the material than with the spiritual, more self-centered than selfless, more concerned with the mundane than with the divine, more parochial than cosmic? (They) are male and female, Christian and non-Christian, married and unmarried, religious and lay, pragmatists and artists, named saint by a process or proclaimed saint by the people who lived in the shadow of their lives. They are people like you and me. With one exception, perhaps. In their eyes burn the eyes of a God who sees injustice and decries it, sees poverty and condemns it, sees inequality and refuses it, sees wrong and demands that it be set right. These are people for whom the Law above the law is first in their lives. These are people who did not temporize with the evil in one system just because another system could have been worse. These are people who saw themselves clearly as the others' keepers. These are people who gave themselves entirely to the impulses of God for the sake of the world."

Sr. Joan has not painted an easy picture of a lifestyle for our time-limited journey in earthly existence. There are choices to be made and sooner rather than later though there’s always an opportunity for us to seek God first above all else, to receive a blessing from the Lord and a just reward from the God of our Salvation. It requires some dedication, some intention, and some transformation. Jesus calls us to come out from our self-imposed tombs and unbind ourselves from the temptations that lock us away from our divine endowment. In that release we can change not only ourselves but the culture we live in. Author Parker Palmer** says it best, [We] can transform our culture only as we are inwardly transformed. So, let us begin, again, together.

*Sister Joan Chittister, Roman Catholic nun and former Prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, PA, an activist, author and speaker on a variety of subjects such as spirituality, religious life, peace, and justice among others. The excerpt is from: A Passion for Life: Fragments of the Face of God, Orbis, Maryknoll, NY, 1996

**Parker J. Palmer is an author, educator, and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality and social change. He is the founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

O God of Blessing

RESPONSE: Help us unbind our faith

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith

~ O Lord of Hosts, our King of Glory, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials…

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith

Monday, October 25, 2021

Prayers of the People: Whole Hearted And Beyond... ~ 23rd Sunday after Pentecost '21 Yr B

For Sunday, October 31, 2021; Readings: Deuteronomy 6:1-9, Psalm 119:1-8, Hebrews 9:11-14, Mark 12:28-34

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. [Deuteronomy 6:4-6]

Happy are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord…Oh, that my ways were made so direct that I might keep your statutes. [Psalm 119:1, 5]

When Christ came as a high priest…he entered once for all into the Holy Place…obtaining eternal redemption…how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God! [Hebrews 9:11a, 12a,c; 14]

One of the scribes…asked [Jesus], “Which commandment is first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” [Mark 12:28-31]

We have interesting parallels between the first reading from Deuteronomy and the Gospel of Mark. Jewish scholars have always debated which is the greatest of the 613 commandments that were given by God. Just as the Sadducees were questioning Jesus. In both instances the Shema [shuh-mah] wins although Jesus adds an extra piece.

The Shema is Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. Shema comes from the Hebrew verb for hear. It is one of only two prayers that are required to be said morning and evening, and it is used at times of crisis or the hour of death by observant Jews. It is not unlike our Christian use of the Lord's Prayer, though we are not, strictly speaking, required to pray it. But the Shema specifically states the Lord alone. One God. We children of Abraham are to acknowledge no other God. The next part of the Shema given in this text says, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.

Jesus, being questioned, offers the same Shema and adds in the way to love God is with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The addition of all your mind is to fully impress upon them and us that we are to love God with our entire being. For the Hebrew Bible, the heart is the center of thought rather than emotion. And then he says that there is a second that is also right up there with the first. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. That comes out of Leviticus 19:18. Taken together this is truly the whole heart of all Divine instruction.

Of course there is much debate about who is my neighbor? The answer is inconvenient. Jesus responds to that in Luke with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Another piece is loving another as you love yourself ~ it's not meant as emotional love and clearly if I'm having difficulty with self-respect or low self-esteem, that isn't going to work with another. We are to consider ourselves and all others as who we all are, that is, Children of God, and in that way we won't cheat or kill or steal or take unfair advantage. Yes, that means those we don't like, think are bad, or otherwise unworthy. We are to live by the law of God's love, whole hearted, and with everything else we have.

A little girl named Nikka sums ALL of this up quite neatly. At 6, she was part of a survey of children who were asked to define love. Nikka said: If you want to learn to love better, start with a friend you hate. Amen.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord, our Only God, direct our ways to walk in Yours, to love and serve You with all our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our strength. Lead us toward our purification through the selflessness of Christ, to share this great love with everyone, especially with those we deem difficult or unworthy. Guide us to live as You intended and learn to pray with more fervor for others than for ourselves.

Living Eternal God

RESPONSE: We give ourselves to You

~ O Lord, our Only God, search the faithfulness of us all, especially those who lead in Governments, globally and locally. Keep us from the shame of ego-, greed-, and power- needs that obstruct the tranquility of all the Earth, and guide us to follow Your Will through Your Commandments. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Living Eternal God
We give ourselves to You

~ O Lord, our Only God, lay Your healing hand upon those weary of the pain, anguish, or fears of this life, and hold fast to those who offer caring help. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

Living Eternal God

We give ourselves to You

~ O Lord, our Only God, lighten the darkness for those who grieve, as our loved ones enter into the Holy Place, to the splendor and glory of new life in Christ. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

Living Eternal God

We give ourselves to You

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

Living Eternal God

We give ourselves to You

~ O Lord, our Only God, bestow courage and confidence, in these trying times, upon those anointed to call us to Your Holy Table, for the renewal of our faith and the continuing commitment to Your service, for all the days of our life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Living Eternal God

We give ourselves to You

The Celebrant adds: Creator and Lord of All that Is, teach us to keep Your Words in our hearts and recite them each day to embody Your Presence within us. Grant us the grace to be as the instruments of Your great love for all we meet, walking together toward eternal redemption by our inheritance from Christ. We ask through Jesus, our great High Priest; and the Holy Spirit, the Breath of Your Wisdom; who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.

Prayers of the People: Our World at Peace ~ 4th Sunday in the Season of Creation '21

For Sunday, October 31, 2021; Readings: Micah 4:1-4, Psalm 85:7-14,* Thomas Merton,** Matthew 5:43-48

[T]hey shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not life up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore… [Micah 4:3b]

Turn, revive us, nourish our joy. Show us mercy, save us Lord…”I, the Lord speak peace, peace to my faithful people who turn their hearts to me…The Lord pours out riches, land springs to life. [Psalm 85:7, 13, From The Psalter: A faithful and inclusive rendering, Liturgy Training Publications (International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc.), 1994.]

Peace is not something you fight for. Perhaps peace is not, after all, something you work for, or ‘fight for.’ Peace is something you have or you do not have. If you yourself is at peace, then there is at least *some* peace in the world. [Thomas Merton, from Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander (Doubleday, 1966, p 181)]

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, of what more are you doing than others? [Matthew 5:44,46-47]

Week III's Theme is:
Our World at Peace

*Psalm 85:7-14: Turn, revive us, nourish our joy. Show us mercy, save us, Lord. I listen to God speaking: “I, the Lord, speak peace, peace to my faithful people who turn their hearts to me.” Salvation is coming near, glory is filling our land. Love and faithfulness embrace, peace and justice kiss. Fidelity sprouts from the earth, justice leans down from heaven. The Lord pours out riches, our land springs to life. Justice clears God’s path, justice points the way. From The Psalter: A faithful and inclusive rendering, Liturgy Training Publications (International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc.), 1994.

**A reading from Thomas Merton — Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander (Doubleday, 1966, p 181):

Peace is not something you fight for. Perhaps peace is not, after all, something you work for, or “fight for.” It is indeed “fighting for peace” that starts all the wars. What, after all, are the pretexts of all these Cold War crises, but “fighting for peace”? Peace is something you have or you do not have. If you yourself are at peace, then there is at least *some* peace in the world. Then you share your peace with everyone, and everyone will be at peace. Of course I realize that arguments like this can be used as a pretext for passivity, for indifferent acceptance of every iniquity. Quietism leads to war as surely as anything does. But I am not speaking of quietism, because quietism is not peace, nor is it the way to peace.

Our World at Peace. Of course! Who doesn't want it? Yet the concept is exponentially large and seems well beyond the scope of my abilities to achieve alone. It then remains a mere concept, too big to be a goal, and reduced to a conversational platitude. Or, is it? When you think of world peace how do you define it? Is it merely the end of all war on the planet or are there other considerations? A few formal definitions describe it as the absence of war, a cessation of hostilities, and/or tranquility. Whole armies are deployed ostensibly to end war ~ where am I in that? The words of Thomas Merton say it clearly: peace is not something you fight for…fighting for peace…starts all the wars. Well, when it’s put that way, it becomes even more clear that of course no army is deployed for peace but for power and control, domination and subjugation. Tranquility, though, sounds a bit more personal. But a day doesn't go by when my anxiety and frustration levels aren't challenged by the local news, comments on social media, and I am highly intolerant of the intolerance of others as my blood pressure rises! And Thomas speaks to that also: Peace is something you have or you do not have. If you yourself are at peace, then there is at least *some* peace in the world. Ah, a small first step. Find peace within me, somewhere, breathing deeply regularly, stepping away from the noise of all that disturbs a tranquil moment. Listen for the birds, even when they’re fighting it calms me. The laughter of children makes me laugh. Breathe deeply again. The world is still there but I can find that small moment of inner peace, that still small voice of God in Christ with the Holy Spirit quietly, steadily, holding me fast, calling me to return often and take it out so that I can offer at least *some* peace in the world. World Peace, it seems begins within me, at least in some ways.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Merciful, Saving Lord, revive our faith and nourish our joy, that the peace you speak overflows our souls and leads us to share with everyone, especially with those we deem difficult or unworthy. Guide us to remember Your ways and learn to pray with more fervor for others than for ourselves.

O God of Justice and Peace

RESPONSE: We turn our hearts to You

~ Merciful, Saving Lord, search the faithfulness of us all, especially those who lead in Governments globally and locally. Quell the ego-, greed-, and power- needs that obstruct the tranquility of all the Earth. Lead us to Your path where peace can grow and spread beyond all barriers and borders. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Justice and Peace

We turn our hearts to You

~ Merciful, Saving Lord, lay Your healing hand upon those weary of the pain, anguish, or fears of this life, and hold fast to those who offer caring help. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

O God of Justice and Peace

We turn our hearts to You

~ Merciful, Saving Lord, lighten the darkness for those who grieve, as our loved ones return Home to the eternal splendor and glory of new life in Christ. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

O God of Justice and Peace
We turn our hearts to You

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

O God of Justice and Peace

We turn our hearts to You

~ Merciful, Saving Lord, bestow courage and confidence, in these trying times, upon those anointed to call us to Your Holy Table for the spiritual renewal and fidelity of faith, to serve the cause of peace in this world together. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Justice and Peace

We turn our hearts to You

The Celebrant adds: O Lord our God, pour Your riches into our souls as we embody Your Presence within ourselves and as the instruments of Your peace for all we meet. Teach us to bend the swords, spears, slings, and arrows of rage and warring, into the tools that spring humanity toward the Salvation and Glory of our inheritance from Christ. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, our Counselor, who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.

Monday, October 18, 2021

Prayers of the People: What Will You Ask? ~ 23rd Sunday after Pentecost '21 Yr B

For Sunday, October 24, 2021, Readings: Jeremiah 31:7-9, Psalm 126, Hebrews 7:23-28, Mark 10:46-52

Thus says the Lord…See, I am going to…gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor…and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by a…straight path in which they shall not stumble…

Jeremiah 31:8b, 9b-c]

The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad indeed…Restore our fortunes, O Lord…those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy… [Psalm 126: 4, 5a, 6]

…Jesus holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them. [Hebrews 7:24-25]

And they called the blind man, saying to him, take heart, he is calling you...Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" [Mark 10:49b, 51a]

The prophet Jeremiah, not usually known for his bubbly personality and proclamations, seems almost buoyant as he reports the words that God gave him, that the people are to sing aloud with gladness. The Lord is gathering those in exile from all over the earth, the remnant of Israel, who come home weeping. God will lead them by a scenic route on a straight path in which they shall not stumble.
   The Psalmist proclaims that the Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad indeed. And the message is clear that those who sowed with tears in this life, will reap with songs of joy. While hopeful, the days of tears can be very long and wearying causing our faith to wane and wither.
   The writer of Philippians gives a very hopeful message to all of us downtrodden by life and otherwise, that no matter who we are or what we have done, Jesus is our absolute and eternal Intercessor! He is our permanent priest who continues forever and if we ask God through him, he will save us for all time.
   Bartimaeus is an unlikely but important role-model for those of us not ready to humble ourselves to Christ, or show our weaknesses in order to ask for his help. This blind beggar withstood lifelong blindness and poverty, and then the scorn of the crowds and yet he persevered in getting the attention of Jesus. Jesus asked of him, as he asks of us, What do you want me to do for you? Of course, Jesus already knew, as God knows us always. But Bartimaeus needed to ask specifically for the healing he sought. And his sight was restored because his faith made him well.
   Do I seek the Lord first when I'm in need? Sometimes. Do I ask for what I think I need or only what I think I want? A bit of both, and for me the lesson is to know I can ask even if I'm unsure. We all will receive an answer though perhaps not as eye-opening or swift as the healing of Bartimaeus. Through our questions, through our fears, God is with us and knows our hearts. Our faith will make us well in many ways if we learn first to look for the great things God has already done for us, and to be glad indeed. We can take our tears and our songs of joy to God through Christ, seek the forgiveness we know we need, and we can always just ask for help with our humility and our humanity. Even better, we can ask for help to know and overcome our own blindspots that keep us off that straight path where we will not stumble. My new ask: Please release me from my inner blindness, O Christ, to see Your light clearly and follow Your way.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Master of the Universe, Creator of Our Entire Human Family, fill us with delight in discovering the wonder of our many colors, the array of all our shapes, sizes, and ages, the personhood of us all that is the Christ within. Keep us ever mindful and respectful, that we are each the other to someone, when we step out of our own and into another’s comfort zone. May Your Light radiate from our eyes, and our everyday words and actions reflect always that we are more alike than unalike.

O Lord, our God
RESPONSE: Our Help, Hope, and Faith is in You

~ Blessed are You, O Lord our God, empower us to hold fast, to not lose heart, to stand strong for truth, mercy, and justice before the leaders of our World, our Country, and our Community. Strengthen us to prod open the hearts of those blinded by selfish ambition, political machinations, and all oppressive actions that do not reflect the mind of Christ in them or in ourselves. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                            O Lord, our God
                                                            Our Help, Hope, and Faith is in You

~ Blessed are You, O Lord our God, comfort all who are burdened with serious illness, addiction, and/or emotional distress, and grant energy and peace to those who give them care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                            O Lord, our God
                                                            Our Help, Hope, and Faith is in You

~ Blessed are You, O Lord our God, in the midst of sorrow for our temporary loss, we find love and consolation in Your glorious welcome for those we cherish, now at peace in Your eternal kingdom. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                            O Lord, our God
                                                            Our Help, Hope, and Faith is in You

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

                                                            O Lord, our God
                                                            Our Help, Hope, and Faith is in You

~ Blessed are You, O Lord our God, we ask Your special blessings for all who are chosen and anointed to show us by example of prayer, preaching, and humble compassion, how to share in the Spirit in this life, and discover the Word that will lead us to You in the next. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                            O Lord, our God
                                                            Our Help, Hope, and Faith is in You

The Celebrant adds: O Blessed God of the Hungry and the Privileged, Lord of those Raised High and those Laid Low, grant us the joyful yet solemn awareness that we bear within us the very substance of Your Incarnate Son. Open our souls to sing your praise as long as we live, for You who brought our common humanity and all else in the heavens and on Earth into being, and keeps Your promise forever. We ask through the Compassion of Jesus our Christ, and the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit, who live and reign with You as One God, every day, every way, always, and forever. Amen.