People's Prayers

Monday, December 12, 2022

Prayers of the People: The Coming ~ 4th Sunday of Advent '22 Yr A

For Sunday, December 18, 2022, Readings: Isaiah 7:10-16, Psalm 80: 1-7, 16-18; Romans 1:1-7;

Matthew 1:18-25

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. [Isaiah 7:14]

…stir up your strength and come to help us. Restore us, O Lord God of Hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved…give us life, that we may call upon your Name. [Psalm 80:2b, 7, 17b]

…Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace…to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles…including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ… [Romans 1:4b-6]

...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to call him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." [Matthew 1:20b-22]

The Season of Advent is nearly over once more, the 4^th and final candle, signifying Love, is lighted. As the waiting time is going, the activity level in many households frenetically escalates in anticipation of the Coming. For young children, the anticipation of the coming is about Santa/Father Christmas, presents, colorful lights, sparkling decorations, and sugary delights. For many of us adults, the preparatory time is about the planning, the shopping, the baking, the cooking, and the celebration with friends and family, the post-Christmas cleanup, and exhaustion. Again, and again, we hear and we think we know, what Christmas is all about. And year after year we, who are so privileged, fall into the same traps of cultural, familial, and commercial expectations. We know of, and many of us contribute money, time, and gifts for, those far less privileged as we continue on with our “traditions” of celebration.

Perhaps surprisingly, the appointed readings from Isaiah and the Psalm are not happy or merry. God tells Ahaz of Judah, the signs are all there, all he has to do is ask God for them. But the ever-Kingly Ahaz says "Oh-No-I-don't-want-to-test-God" with the false humility of a leader who is really saying, "I can't be bothered." Isaiah's frustration is palpable when he says, in effect, "OH PUH-LEEZE! The Lord Himself is telling you that there's a young woman with child from the House of David, and you'll be out of here before he's old enough to know good from evil.” Isaiah foreshadows what later came to pass, the exile and scattering of the tribe of Judah.

The Psalmist’s lament gives a clear plea to God to give us life and Restore us…and we shall be saved. Paul’s opening in the Letter to the Romans is definitively setting up Christ’s important Davidic lineage, and that both his and our call is to belong to Christ and spread the Gospel message.

But I return to What is Christmas about – merely a birthday celebration?

Quite a few years ago, a local gentleman playwright, as an Artist in Residence, wrote a Christmas musical play for the parochial elementary school my daughters attended ~ sort of an Our Town [the classic prize-winning small-town-USA play by Thornton Wilder] meets the True Meaning of Christmas ~ and all of the several hundred students were in the play, with a few having key roles, of course. I regret to say that I cannot recall the exact name of the play, or the playwright's name, but the message remains clear to me. For the moment we'll call the play Emily's Birthday [Emily is the central character in the original Our Town. Here’s a very quick summary: "Our Town" summary]. The premise in this version is that Emily's Birthday is a huge annual event. Emily, who has died, arrives not realizing that she has died, to participate in the celebration of the anniversary of her birth. She finds a grand occasion in the entire town, with glittering decorations, large scale family meals, and many many gifts being exchanged, all because it's Emily's Birthday! As we see her in her own family home with each family member happily greeting each other and everyone with "Happy Emily's Birthday," Emily realizes that no one is thinking of her at all, there is no gift for her, nor is there even a place at the table for her.

While I'm convinced that this message was directed more to us adults, the kids - without any blatant or obvious statement in the script - GOT IT: What is this Birth Day Celebration really all about? It's time for all of us to "get it" again.

Joseph got quite a message in his dream in Matthew’s Gospel about who was coming into his life. With but a few days left, let our primary thoughts be more about the Coming. Emmanu-el [spelled with either an E or an I], whose name means "God (El) is with us," who is our Christ - anointed one/Messiah - Jesus, will shine His light upon us and we shall be saved. Let us revel in the Hope, the Peace, the Joy, and the Love that these four Sundays of Advent represent. And then let us truly celebrate by preparing ourselves for and remembering the significance, especially in these times, of the Birth of Jesus, the only true GIFT, God's Love Incarnate for our salvation. CHRISTmas is Coming! We are to be going about His business in this life we have been given to live.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

~ O Lord our God, restore our souls with fresh anticipation for the birth of the Holy Child, our Messiah, Christ. Release us from the frantic activity that distracts us from this waiting time to savor the last few moments in child-like anticipation, opening us to receive the only Gift we will ever need.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

RESPONSE: O Come, let us adore You

~ O Lord our God, shine forth upon those who govern in this World, in this Nation, and in this Community, that we all shall be saved. Stir up Your strength and help them to seek Divine truth and pursue justice with compassion, tolerance, and mercy. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O Come, let us adore You

~ O Lord our God, relieve all who suffer from pain, loneliness, and fear, and renew the energy of those who attend to their needs. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O Come, let us adore You

~ O Lord our God, walk with those weighed down with sorrow as You joyously welcome all who live again with You, where suffering and grief are no more. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O Come, let us adore You

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

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O Come, let us adore You

~ O Lord our God, grant special grace to those who are anointed in Your Name to lead us in Your Church. With their help and together may we re-dedicate ourselves to the obedience of faith and accept the call to belong to Jesus Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O Come, let us adore You

The Celebrant adds: O Lord, God of Hosts, as we quietly breathe into the present moment, prepare us again to be Christ-Bearers of the One with us and within us, as through His Life we are given life to share His love and light to all we meet. We ask through Jesus, the Incarnation of Love; the Holy Spirit, our Divine Wisdom; who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.

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Monday, December 5, 2022

Prayers of the People: Highway to Holy ~ 3rd Sunday of Advent '22 Yr A

For Sunday, December 11, 2022, Readings: Isaiah 35:1-10, Canticle 15, The Song of Mary, Magnificat/Luke 1:46-55; James 5:7-10, Matthew 11:2-11

The wilderness and dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice...like the crocus it will blossom abundantly...He will come and save you...A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way...the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return...and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. [Isaiah 35: 1-2a, 4b, 8a, 9b, 10a-b]

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant...he has remembered his promise of mercy... [Luke 1:46-48, 54b]

Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. Strengthen your hearts for the coming of the Lord is near. [James 5:7a, 8b]

Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out to the wilderness to see? A prophet?...Yes, I tell you...This is the one about whom it is written, 'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you'...among those born of women no one has risen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." [Matthew 11:7a, 9, 11]

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,

Who ordered all things mightily,

To us the path of knowledge show,

And teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

We light the 3^rd candle in the Advent Wreath as our anticipation and expectation of the birth of Jesus accelerates. However, there is a notable change. This week, instead of a penitential purple candle or a blue candle of hope, some Traditions use a rose colored (or pink) candle and perhaps even rose vestments and altar hangings. Why change color in the middle of the season? Advent has traditionally been a penitential season, as is Lent, with somber readings and admonishments to fast and pray to be ready and worthy for Christ's coming. Yet, historically, the Latin name for this Sunday is Gaudete (gow-day-tay), which translates as “REJOICE!” It comes from an Introit (opening) of the Liturgy. We hear the Joy, the Rejoicing, the Hope and the excitement in the readings. We’ll be ransomed from sorrow and sadness, lifted up, healed, beloved, and blessed. When our God in Christ comes, we who are redeemed will walk on the Holy Way, safe from lions and ravenous beasts.

Within the aspect of a strictly penitential season, all the candles, hangings, and vestments were Lenten purple, and but on this Sunday, the rose color was a symbol of a respite in the midst of serious repentance. (There is, apparently, no truth to the rumor that the rose candle indicates that Mary was secretly hoping for a girl.)

With the Revised Common Lectionary and newer scholarship, there has been more of an emphasis placed on remembering the Joy that is to come – which isn’t to say we should not also be prayerful or penitent as we wait.

So let us, in the midst of the solemn and sedate, stop, breathe, and experience JOY for the coming Nativity. Let our souls proclaim the greatness of the Lord and our spirits rejoice. We still have to be patient, there’s still some time before THE DAY, but we can smile as we wait to walk on that Heavenly Holy Highway with singing and everlasting joy upon our heads.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ LORD of the Holy Way, grant us strength of heart and prayerful patience as we discover that the voice in the wilderness is our own. Keep us without fear as we await the everlasting joy of Christ’s coming.

O God our Savior

RESPONSE: Look with favor upon us

~ LORD of the Holy Way, as You scatter the proud in their conceit, guide the hearts of all who govern on this Earth, in this Nation, and in our Community, that they may rule with equity, mercy, and justice. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God our Savior

Look with favor upon us

~ LORD of the Holy Way, lift up all who suffer with chronic illness, addiction, or severe life circumstance, and energize all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

O God our Savior

Look with favor upon us

~ LORD of the Holy Way, may the sorrow and sighs flee away from those who mourn, as Heaven is ablaze in joy and gladness for the arrival of all we hold so dear. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

O God our Savior

Look with favor upon us

~ LORD of the Holy Way, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

O God our Savior

Look with favor upon us

~ LORD of the Holy Way, refresh and invigorate those who endeavor in Your Church to prepare us for the coming of Christ through Your Word and Sacraments. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God our Savior

Look with favor upon us

The Celebrant adds: God of Glory and Majesty, as we await the Messiah who ransoms us from sin and death, fill us with rejoicing that our souls may also magnify and proclaim the greatness of Your love. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer Christ, and the Holy Spirit of Truth, who together with You are One God, forever and ever. Amen.

Monday, November 28, 2022

Prayers of the People: The Root of Love ~ 2nd Sunday of Advent '22 Yr A

For Sunday, December 4, 2022: Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10, Psalm 72: 1-7, 18-19; Romans 15:4-13,

Matthew 3:1-12

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. [Isaiah 11:1-2]

Give the King your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the King’s son…to defend the needy…[and] rescue the poor. [Psalm 72:1, 4]

May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another...May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. [Romans 15:5a, 13]

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight...He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.'" [Matthew 3:1-3, 11b]

Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'r to save,
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

The beautiful prose of this passage of Isaiah begins this week's readings with: “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” Having not grown up with a "Jesse Tree" tradition, the reading would usually zip through my ears with no particular impact until I decided to look deeper into this hint of family history.

There's been a serious uptick in the field of genealogy over the last decade or so with online access to family records and DNA kits that allow one to explore both lineage and geographical heritage. Discovering the branches of one's family tree is fascinating, even addicting, and can also be frustrating when one limb is missing or the records stop short of fully revealing the information sought. Yet even the smallest detail can add depth and connectedness to the relationship with those who have gone before us. And so it is with the family tree of Jesus.

Jesse was the grandson of Ruth (of “whither thou goest, I will go”) and her husband, Boaz. We first hear of Jesse in the Book of Ruth [Ruth 4:13-18] as the son of their son, Obed. Jesse grows to be a farmer with eight sons [1 Samuel 16], the youngest of which is David who becomes King of the Israelites. It is through Jesse’s family tree that this root, this Branch, ultimately flowers into Jesus. The coming of Jesus is the reason we contemplate in Advent, celebrate at Christmas, and rejuvenate in Lent.

The secular spectacle of christmas [intentional lower "c"] has, for so many, replaced the spiritual celebration and worship in Christ's Mass with the frenzy of over-shopping, garish outdoor decorating with clashing colors of lights, and inflated cartoon characters on lawns that go flat in the morning in a metaphorical anti-climax. Yet even in this environment Isaiah tells us that this ...root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples...Paul wants us to abound in hope, and the Gospel of Matthew brings us the very direct and un-shy voice of John the Baptist.

This is the first appearance of John, cousin to Jesus, with his prophesying voice in the wilderness. In his own time, he was unconventional in many ways and then, as now, his message is at once compelling and disturbing. Nonetheless, it is John who ushers in the public ministry of Jesus and takes the Pharisees and Sadducees to task for their faithless presumptions of self-importance. Calling them vipers was more than just name-calling, it was a serious slur! Likening people to animals in those times was akin to calling them heathens or pagans ~ that is, having no accepted/biblically based religion. While his warnings are dire, our hopeful understanding is that the possible unquenchable fire will only be for those who deem any form of remorse as unnecessary in their lives. Our merciful God of steadfastness and encouragement knows our hearts and gives us every opportunity to adjust our intentions to bear fruit worthy of repentance however well we accomplish or fail in our life’s mission.

And so we light the second candle of Advent, the candle of Love. New Testament scholar, theologian, and author Marcus Borg tells us that Advent…is a season of anticipation, yearning and longing for a different kind of life and a different kind of world. In this second week of Advent, one way to prepare the way of the Lord is by contemplating: What kind of life, what kind of world am I longing for? Where is God, where is Jesus, in my family tree? Am I too far out on a limb or can I decorate my branch with hope, peace, joyful anticipation, and, of course, unending Divine Love? Jesus is indeed the reason for the season; the reason for our Christ-mas - our act of worship of the One we call Messiah, the Anointed Son of God, the very embodiment and root of Love itself. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them… [Isaiah 11:6]

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Blessed Lord God, we restlessly await the branch that shall come again from the roots of Jesse. Open us to hear and heed the wilderness voice, as we prepare the way within ourselves, bearing fruit worthy of repentance.

Present and Coming Christ

RESPONSE: Bind us together in peace

~ Blessed Lord God, impose justice and righteousness on the hearts of all who govern in this World, this Nation, and this Community, that they may decide with equity for the meek, defend the needy, and rescue the poor, and us all, from oppression and evil. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Present and Coming Christ

Bind us together in peace

~ Blessed Lord God, relieve pain and distress from all who are ill or downhearted, and strengthen all who give needed care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

Present and Coming Christ

Bind us together in peace

~ Blessed Lord God, help us to be calmly present with those who mourn even as we rejoice with all who now live again in Your Eternal Glory. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

Present and Coming Christ

Bind us together in peace

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

Present and Coming Christ

Bind us together in peace

~ Blessed Lord God, enfold and guide those who lead Your Church as they walk in faith with us, into uncertain, ever-changing tides and times. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Present and Coming Christ

Bind us together in peace

The Celebrant adds: Steadfast, Encouraging God, grant us harmony and hope and turn us toward You again, to follow the Way of Truth and Mercy. Fill us with all the joy and peace of believing in the glory that is and is to come. We ask through Jesus, our Living Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, the Fire of our Faith; who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.

Monday, November 21, 2022

Prayers of the People: Fresh Awakening ~ 1st Sunday of Advent '22 Yr A

For Sunday, November 27, 2022, Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord...that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths...He shall judge between the nations...they shall beat their swords into ploughshares...neither shall they learn war any more. [Isaiah 2:3b,4]

Now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem…built as a city that is at unity with itself…Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. [Psalm 122:2-3, 6a]

You know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first became believers...let us live honorably...put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. [Romans 13:11, 13a, 14]

Jesus said to the disciples, "But about that day and hour no one knows...Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour." [Matthew 24:36a, 44]

It’s a brand new Liturgical year in the denominations using the Revised Common Lectionary [RCL]. In the RCL we have a schedule of 4 readings appointed for each Sunday in the Liturgical/Church year, and for the 2-year Daily Lectionary. We use an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, an Epistle, and a Gospel specific to a liturgical season of the year. Last Sunday we completed the appointed readings for Year C in the three-year Sunday cycle and begin again now with Year A.

The name of our new season, Advent, comes from the Latin “adventus” which means coming, and that derives from the Greek parousia [pa-roo-see-a] which is a term used for the Second Coming of Christ. Advent is a season of preparation for the Nativity of Jesus through repentance and joyful expectation.

In a series of booklets for group study called Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton, editors Jonathan Montaldo and Robert G. Toth, writing in the Advent and Christmas volume, say that Advent disposes us to conversion...

Conversion? That's a term, a thought, a sensation which often makes more than a few of us who were born into Christianity uncomfortable. After all, I don’t need to be converted if I already believe – or, do I? Montaldo and Toth say further that Advent is a time for judging the choices we make for living our lives. This season is a ritual moment for confronting discomforting truths. It catches us in the act of living unconnected from the Gospel... It would appear that a little refreshment of our conversion is in order.

The Trappist Monk, author, and mystic Thomas Merton, said, We are numbered in the billions and massed together...worked to the point of insensibility, dazed by information, drugged by entertainment, surfeited with everything...there is no room for thought. There is no room for attention, for the awareness of our state... What would Merton, who died in 1968, think of the excess and indulgences of this day and age, the addiction to smart phones and social media, 24 hours of non-stop, never-ending everything?! It all speaks to me of being exiled in a wilderness of plenty where too much is still not enough and we are unexpectedly unconscious of all that we have and all that we are, or, are not.

In this Advent, now is the moment to wake and discover the faith choices we have yet to make NOW, for as Jesus reminds us that day and hour no one knows...Therefore you must also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. As Paul also reminds us in this week's excerpt from the Letter to the Romans, “Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light…live honorably…” With Christ as our armor of light, hope is more than fantasy. Hope shines on the path ahead and propels us toward the House of God.

It’s time for a fresh awakening ~ get busy, prepare yourself. Jesus is coming!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord our God, jolt us awake from contented sleep and expose us in our self-imposed wilderness of plenty. Set us on a conscious and urgent quest for Christ’s Salvation, expecting that in an unknown hour, we will be called to answer for the paths we choose, or ignore, in this life.

Jesus, Son of Man

RESPONSE: Grant us Your Armor of Light

~ O Lord our God, awaken and restore goodness to the souls of those who do evil in this world, and prod all leaders of this Planet, globally and locally, into the dignity and decency necessary to govern for and prosper all. 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.