People's Prayers

Monday, November 15, 2021

Prayers of the People: The Cosmic Christ ~ 7th Sunday in the Season of Creation '21 [Yr B]

For Sunday, November 21, 2021, Readings: Poem by Chelan Harkin*, Psalm 93, Revelation 1:4b-8,

John 18:33-37

God had a secret she just couldn’t keep…She set truth to dancing…with her only real ordinance: Make your love visible. [poem by Chelan Harkin*]

Your testimonies are very sure, and holiness adorns your house, O Lord, for ever and for evermore. [Psalm 93:6]

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come…and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness…”I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God… [Revelation 1:4b, 5a, 8a]

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world…I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” [John 18:36a, 37b]

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 VI's Theme is:

The Cosmic Christ

*A Reading from the Poetry of Chelan Harkin: God had a great secret that She just couldn’t keep and one day Her Heart exploded with the Big Bang. Her inability to contain Herself became galaxies She poured Her Heart out and it slowly began sorting itself out into the universe She spilled the beans (the stars) so completely Her repressed blushing became sunsets She whispered Her secret music into the heart of every atom and the electrons could not help but giddily dance All creation became a chatter box gossiping to each other nonstop about the wild, loving mysteries She’d shared with them Evolution was what happened as the story of ecstatic wonderment was passed through life from ear to ear changing slightly with each iteration She set truth to dancing with the whirl of Her planets and kissed the nucleus of everything with her only real ordinance: “Make your love visible.” ❤Copyright 2018, Chelan Harkin

We have arrived at the final Sunday in the Season of Creation (SoC) and also the Last Sunday after Pentecost in the Lectionary season, both of which celebrate Christ the King. Coming next week we begin the Season of Advent, a time of heart and soul preparation for the birth of the Child in whom the fullness of God is pleased to dwell.

This week our first reading is a fanciful and joy-filled poem from the self-described “Mystic Poet” Chelan Harkin who reminds us that God’s only real ordinance is to make your love visible.

For its original audience, today’s Psalm proclaimed the power and eternity of the Creator yet in our Christian sense of it today the language, The Lord is King, applies equally to Christ as King.

The Book of Revelation is always filled with mysterious and almost abstract descriptions that are difficult to comprehend for most modern, western minds. The sacred number 7 is introduced, the symbol of wholeness and perfection that is important to the structure of the Book itself. The phrase the seven spirits may be a reference to the 7 archangels in later Judaism. The word witness is often used to denote martyrs and verse 7 draws on the imagery of Daniel 7:13 and here is applied to Christ’s Second Coming. While some of these words and phrases may be somewhat familiar to anyone who regularly reads the Christian [New] Testament and/or hears them read in a church setting, they may also seem irrelevant in the scheme of daily living in today’s world. How does one concretely grasp God, the Almighty who is and was and is to come, the Alpha and the Omega, from everlasting? Or, Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God, the faithful witness, firstborn of all creation and also of the dead, ruler of the kings of the earth? Yet we, who would be counted as faithful Christians, should take heed and examine more closely. It is in this daily life in this time that we may easily lose track of our allegiances and settle in more with the temporary earthly powers than in the everlasting divine Kingship of Christ. Although Jesus says his kingdom is not from here, it is here, and in this time and place, where we encounter him, if we seek him, and if we choose to follow.

For we who endeavor to follow, Christ is our only King and shows us the way to the true and everlasting Kingdom. The question for each of us is: to what truth do we listen and choose to belong? The “easy” answer is: Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to [Christ’s] voice. How, then, do we live it?

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O King Everlasting, fill us daily with the wonders of this Universe and turn us always toward Christ in whose Kingdom we are forgiven and saved. Teach our hearts again, to make Your love visible in all we are and all we do.

   O Christ of the Cosmos
RESPONSE:                 Keep us in Your Truth

~ O King Everlasting, for all who are governed by power or throne, by force or dominion, on our planet, in our country, and in our community, we implore You to infuse the wisdom, sanity, and humanity of Jesus into all who lead Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Christ of the Cosmos
                                                       Keep us in Your Truth

~ O King Everlasting, send healing grace to all who suffer in spirit, mind, or body, and compassion to all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       O Christ of the Cosmos
                                                       Keep us in Your Truth

~ O King Everlasting, ease the grief of those who mourn, as the souls of our cherished departed arise from earthly death into the ceaseless joy of Your Eternal Kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Christ of the Cosmos
                                                       Keep us in Your Truth

~ O King Everlasting, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

                                                       O Christ of the Cosmos
                                                       Keep us in Your Truth

~ O King Everlasting, empower the spirits of those who lead us in Your Church, through Your Word and Sacraments, with the peace, unity, and truth of Christ’s all-encompassing love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Christ of the Cosmos
                                                       Keep us in Your Truth

The Celebrant adds: Christ of All Peoples, our Alpha and Omega, rescue us from the power of darkness and transform our anxieties into fruitful action. Keep us striving toward Your purpose as we offer our labors to soothe the sufferings of humanity near and far. We ask through Jesus our Christ, the Faithful Witness; and the Holy Spirit, the very Breath of Love, who together with You are our One God, for ever and for evermore. Amen.

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Prayers of the People: "Easy" Answer ~ Last Sunday of Pentecost '21 Yr B

For Sunday, November 21, 2021; Readings: 2 Samuel 23:1-7, Psalm 132:1-13, 14-19; Revelation 1:4b-8,

John 18:33-37

The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me: One who rules over people justly…is like the Light of the morning…But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away. [2 Samuel 23:3a, 6a]

Let your priests be clothed with righteousness; let your faithful people sing with joy. [Psalm 132:9]

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come..."I am the Alpha and the Omega"... [Revelation 1:4b, 8]

Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. [John 18:37b]

We have arrived at the Last Sunday after Pentecost, celebrating the feast of Christ the King. Coming next week we begin the Season of Advent, a time of heart and soul preparation for the birth of the Child in whom the fullness of God is pleased to dwell and the One who becomes our Redeemer.

The first reading, from 2^nd Samuel, contains the last words of another King, David. The contrast of the just ruler with the godless is stark, explicit, and worthy of comparisons with our own times. The just ruler, God has told David, is like the Light of the morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning…Is not my house like this with God? God will help us all be secure and prosper. But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away…entirely consumed in fire…

The Psalm appointed for today is considered a “royal” psalm in dramatic liturgical form. It was likely sung during the annual festival of enthroning the Lord when the Ark was carried into the temple. It gives an historical and theological justification for the close relationship of the temple in Jerusalem and David’s monarchy, as David was the first King of a united Israel. The psalmist’s recounting of the history of David’s seeking and planning to find a site for a Temple in which God would have a resting place, has strong resonance with the reading in 2^nd Samuel.

The Book of Revelation is always filled with mysterious and almost abstract descriptions that are difficult to comprehend for most modern, western minds. The sacred number 7 is introduced, the symbol of wholeness and perfection that is important to the structure of the Book itself. The phrase the seven spirits may be a reference to the 7 archangels in later Judaism. The word witness is often used to denote martyrs and verse 7 draws on the imagery of Daniel 7:13 and here is applied to Christ’s Second Coming. While some of these words and phrases may be somewhat familiar to anyone who regularly reads the Christian [New] Testament and/or hears them read in a church setting, they may also seem irrelevant in the scheme of daily living in today’s world. How does one concretely grasp God, the Almighty who is and was and is to come, the Alpha and the Omega, from everlasting? Or, Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God, the faithful witness, firstborn of all creation and also of the dead, ruler of the kings of the earth? Yet we, who would be counted as faithful Christians, should take heed and examine more closely. It is in this daily life in this time that we may easily lose track of our allegiances and settle in more with the temporary earthly powers than in the everlasting divine Kingship of Christ. Although Jesus says his kingdom is not from here, it is here, and in this time and place, where we encounter him, if we seek him, and if we choose to follow.

For me, the crux of this Sunday’s lessons is the moment in John’s Gospel when Jesus tells Pilate that everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice [John 18:37b]. Are we listening? Do we hear it? Even more interestingly to me, what comes next is not in our appointed reading and I wish it was. Perhaps because, especially in these fraught times, it is even more difficult for us to understand. In verse 38: Pilate asked him, "What is truth?" How do you answer? For we who endeavor to follow, Christ is our only King who shows us the way to the true and everlasting Kingdom. The question for each of us is: to what truth do we listen and choose to belong? The “easy” answer is: Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to [Christ’s] voice. How then do we live it?

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Mighty God, our Rock and our Light, keep us from collapsing in fear whenever we, Your restless multitude, tremble at earthly tumult from both human behavior and natural disasters. In our fleeting mortality turn us always to Christ in whose Kingdom we are forgiven and saved.

O Christ, our Forever King

RESPONSE: Keep us in Your Truth

~ Mighty God, our Rock and our Light, for all who are governed by power or throne, by force or dominion, on our planet, in our country, and in our community, we implore You to infuse the wisdom, sanity, and humanity of Jesus into all who lead Your people everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Christ, our Forever King

Keep us in Your Truth

~ Mighty God, our Rock and our Light, send healing grace to all who suffer in spirit, mind, or body, and compassion to all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

O Christ, our Forever King
Keep us in Your Truth

~ Mighty God, our Rock and our Light, ease the grief of those who mourn, as the souls of our cherished departed arise from earthly death into the ceaseless joy of Your Eternal Kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Christ, our Forever King
Keep us in Your Truth

~ Mighty God, our Rock and our Light, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

O Christ, our Forever King

Keep us in Your Truth

~ Mighty God, our Rock and our Light, empower the spirits of those who lead us in Your Church, through Your Word and Sacraments, with the peace, unity, and truth of Christ’s all-encompassing love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Christ, our Forever King

Keep us in Your Truth

The Celebrant adds: Christ of All Peoples, rescue us from the power of darkness and transform our anxieties into fruitful action. Keep us striving toward Your purpose by offering our labors to soothe the sufferings of humanity near and far. We ask through Jesus our Christ, the Faithful Witness, and the Holy Spirit, the very Breath of Love, who together with You are our One God, the Alpha and Omega, now and forever. Amen.

Monday, November 8, 2021

Prayers of the People: Labor and Delivery ~ 25th Sunday after Pentecost '21 Yr B

For Sunday, November 14, 2021, Readings: 1 Samuel 1:4-20, 1 Samuel 2:1-10, Hebrews 10:11-14, 15-18, 19-25; Mark 13:1-8

[Hannah] said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” [1 Samuel 1:18a]

…there is no Rock like our God…for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed. [1 Samuel 2:2b, 3b]

Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together...but encouraging one another... [Hebrews:10:24-25]

Not one stone will be left…all will be thrown down…Many will come in my name…and they will lead many astray… When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place…This is but the beginning of the birthpangs. [Mark 13:2b, 6, 7a, 8c]

Hannah’s pain was deep over many years at the inability to bear a child. Yet she continued to faithfully pray through her tears and distress and was finally given a son by God. Perhaps our prayers seem to be unanswered when we don’t get what we most desire ~ the health of a loved one, or peace in the family. Yet Hannah’s words Let your servant find favor in your sight are the words of faith for us to embrace. We cannot know the mind of God, but we can be assured that our minds and our hearts are not hidden for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed. And though we are judged, God grants us forgiveness and salvation though Christ.

The Christian life is not intended to be a solitary journey. Even Jesus had his companions along the way and has told us he’s in our midst whenever two or three ~ or more ~ are gathered. We, too, are to be companions in, with, and through Christ, sometimes following, sometimes leading, but often together in a supportive, encouraging, spiritually renewing community. It is through such a community of prayer, worship, and relationship, that we stay connected and are reminded of the faithfulness of God to those who are faithful to God.

The path of Christ is no easy walk. He tells us to beware of those who claim to be him as they will lead us astray. There will be hardships, rumors of wars and wars, earthquakes and famines. It’s all too easy to be fearful with the speed of news of disasters around the world and nearby. But such times are the beginning of birthpangs, birthing the coming again of the glory of Christ. It is all in God’s time, and well beyond our comprehension. Do not be alarmed, Jesus says, stones will be thrown down and buildings will fall. The writer of Hebrews tells us to have the confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us…by our faith we are cleansed in body and in heart so Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. Let us keep faith in practice and in hope. Birthpangs is the beginning of the labor that will become the delivery of the fresh, new life that awaits.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord Most High, You call us in every time and place of our lives to provoke one another to love and good deeds, with true hearts in the full assurance of our faith, awakened to the brightness of the everlasting life to come.

O God our Rock and our Strength
RESPONSE:                May we find favor in Your sight

~ O Lord Most High, we offer our prayers for all who lead this World, this Country, and this Community by election, fiat, or inheritance to know that You are a God of knowledge who weighs their minds and actions as much as ours. Inscribe their souls with a yearning for integrity, global and local peace, and justice tempered with mercy for all the people in their charge. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God our Rock and our Strength
                                                       May we find favor in Your sight

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

   O God our Rock and our Strength
                                                       May we find favor in Your sight

~ O Lord Most High, grant us a foretaste of the joy and glory of Your Heavenly Kingdom as the gates open wide to receive our beloved who now live in the newness of Christ forevermore. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       O God our Rock and our Strength
                                                       May we find favor in Your sight

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

                                                       O God our Rock and our Strength
                                                       May we find favor in Your sight

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

                                                       O God our Rock and our Strength
                                                       May we find favor in Your sight

The Celebrant adds:  Loving, Patient God, grant us faith-filled confidence in the Gospel to take on the mantle of servanthood in Your Name with continuous hope. Show us the righteous path of life, as we strive to set the needs of others above our own, un-swayed and undeterred by false prophets who would lead us astray. We ask though Christ, our Great High Priest; the Holy Spirit, our Counselor; who with You, are One God, now and through all Eternity. Amen.

Prayers of the People: Our Role as Stewards ~ 6th Sunday in the Season of Creation '21 [Yr B]

For Sunday, November 14, 2021, Readings: Deuteronomy 26:1a, 2, 4, 8-11; Psalm 145:1-4, 10, 17-18-22; Haudenosaunee of the Six Nations*, Matthew 6:25-34

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 VI's Theme is:

Our Role as Stewards

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

We were instructed to carry a love for one another and to show a great respect for all beings of this earth...In our ways, spiritual consciousness is the highest form of politics... [from: Haudenosaunee of the Six Nations*]

One generation shall praise your works to another and shall declare your power….My mouth shall speak your praise, O Lord; let all flesh bless your holy name for ever and ever. [Psalm 145:4, 22]

Jesus said, "I tell you, do not worry about your life...Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing...But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you...So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. [Matthew 6:25, 27, 33-34]

*A reading from Haudenosaunee of the Six Nations [from Wisdomkeepers by Steve Wall and Harvey Arden]:

Brothers, listen to the words of the Creator given to the first United Nations, the Haudenosaunee, over one thousand years ago. The Chiefs of the Haudenosaunee shall be mentors of the people for all time. The thickness of their skin shall be seven spans; which is to say that they shall be proof against anger, offensive action, and criticism. Their hearts shall be full of peace and good will and their minds filled with a yearning for the welfare of the people. With endless patience, they shall carry out their duty. Their firmness shall be tempered with a tenderness for their people. Neither anger nor fury shall find lodging in their minds, and all their words and actions shall be marked by calm deliberation. In every Nation there are wise and good men. These should be appointed Chiefs. They should be the advisers of their people and work for the good of all people, and all their power comes from the “Great Peace”. A chief must never forget the Creator of mankind, never forget to ask Him for help. The Creator will guide our thoughts and strengthen us as we work to be faithful to our sacred trust and restore harmony among all peoples, all living creatures, and Mother Earth…We were instructed to carry a love for one another and to show a great respect for all beings of this earth…In our ways, spiritual consciousness is the highest form of politics…When people cease to respect and express gratitude for these many things, then all life will be destroyed, and human life on this planet will come to an end These are our times and our responsibilities. Every human being has a sacred duty to protect the welfare of our Mother Earth from whom all life comes. In order to do this we must recognize the enemy – the one within us. We must begin with ourselves.

Any of us who attend a church regularly and considers themself as a “member” or a “parishioner” or a “congregant” has heard and understands what is meant by Stewardship. The dictionary defines it as: the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving. Inside the building where the Church is housed, much is needed to support the staff, the worship, the physical plant, with all the elements of church (small “c”) that we Episcopals call time, talent, and treasure. Of course money is an integral part of the running and maintenance of any organization, not least of all the Church. Your seat in a pew has a weekly price tag, whether or not you are sitting in it or supporting it financially or otherwise, yet there is much more to being Church than its residence. Outside the walls, the needs are exponentially greater. All and each of us are called by Our Lord to give of our selves significantly from what God has given us. Money, or treasure, of course, is what we hear as foremost on the list of needs and wants for inside and outside. Yet there is much more to our role as stewards within the Body of Christ.

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

As John Wesley said, "Not, how much money will I give to God, but how much of God's money will I keep for myself?" And that equation works equally well with the other two elements of the stewardship trio: time and talent. A faith community needs our help as it builds us up and sends us out to do the work of Christ we called to do. The CHURCH is not a building, it is whatever we do together and on our own to be true, faithful witnesses as part of the Body of Christ by every thought, word, and action. That said, the physical space of a Church is where we gather to be spiritually refueled to take on all that is outside. It does require ongoing sources of funding as well as other resources for all of the seen and unseen support it provides.

The more we strive to be generous of spirit, to be good Stewards of Creation in all of its forms and faces, the more God will strengthen us. No truer words were ever more applicable than: So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. I don't know what tomorrow will bring for my Church, my community, my country, or this world, but I will pray without ceasing for the faith, the energy, the mindset, to be a continuously generous person, to be the Church [capital "C"] as a Christian in the world with many stewarding roles. Jesus reminds us, that through faithful endurance, without worry, in giving and receiving, we will gain the strength of our souls to ensure our eternal bounty.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord our God, re-awaken us to the bounty of Your Creation, the miracle of this earth and the lives we have been given to live. Let us, and all who reside among us celebrate and offer ourselves as Your grateful stewards in times of plenty, and without worry in times of hardship.

O God of Power and Wonder

RESPONSE: We bow in faith, respect, and trust

~ O Lord our God, we lift up our prayers for all who lead this World, this Country, and this Community by election, fiat, or inheritance. Implant in their souls a spiritual consciousness and faithful commitment to their sacred trust, for undeniable integrity, and for the restoration of harmony for all peoples everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions