People's Prayers

Saturday, June 17, 2023

Meditation Moment in Pentecost ~ A Beckoning '23

When one door closes, another opens:

but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door

that we do not see the one which has opened for us.

~ Alexander Graham Bell*

Well, admittedly over the years there have been quite a few closed doors that I have gazed at longingly, regretfully, sadly, even wantonly, and one or two I still peek back at over my shoulder. But I do work at keeping my feet moving forward and my heart and head working to catch up. At the moment, I see a door that has opened and beckons me. The sign on it reads clearly: F A M I L Y and I am heading straight for it! Favorite Oldest Granddaughter is graduating from High School a week from today! How did that happen? And the BIG party for her will be the following weekend as other family and friends gather from near and far. And just after that a whole "just us" week here with my Favorite Youngest Granddaughter. We will have some memorable adventures! And, later this summer a family reunion with cousins at the beach [at which, some never fail to remind me, I am the oldest yet grant me no matriarchal power! lol]. In between there are other family and non-family events and meetings and general stuff such as my weekly live Evening Prayer and Compline on Facebook, feeding the birds, and the mundane parts of life.

SO, Dear Reader, I'm taking time off from the everyday posting. The Prayers of the People will still arrive weekly and I will post other Meditations occasionally. In the meantime, scroll back through and check out some posts you may have missed. And please let me know if you have any suggestions for future Meditation Moments, and I will interrupt myself if I feel so inspired and post here. Thank you for walking with me, especially from this past Ash Wednesday, but always.

Dear Lord of Life, I send my prayers of thanksgiving for each of Your people who have commented, shared, or just read my daily or weekly offerings. May they continue to be inspired by sunrises and sunsets, the laughter of children, a bunny running through the grass, or any moment that brings a smile in Your Creation, and especially, the knowing of Your Presence within us all. amen.

*Alexander Graham Bell [1847-1922] - as if you didn't know - is credited with inventing the first practical telephone. But maybe you weren't aware that he was a Scotland born inventor, engineer, and innovator, and both of his parents were profoundly deaf spurring his scientific interest in hearing devices and elocution. He developed many other inventions in the fields of optical telecommunications, hydrofoils, and aeronautics, among others. He later regarded the telephone as an intrusion in his scientific work and refused to have one in his study. Bell was a founding member of the National Geographic Society in 1888.

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

Friday, June 16, 2023

Meditation Moment in Pentecost ~ Lighten Up '23

It was only a smile,

and little it cost in the giving,

but like morning light

it scattered the night

and made the day worth living.

~ F. Scott Fitzgerald*

Lord of the Dark and Deep,

As I walk alone and quickly through the streets of the city with eyes downcast or, stroll in a solitary evening ponder on the beach looking out at the sea, or wander with my cart through the aisles of the supermarket, lost in my own if only thoughts, suddenly a stranger says, Hello, smiles, and moves on. The bigger surprise is that this small action expects no response. The place I'm in becomes immediately brighter and I feel enveloped in a circle of warmth and light; my return smile is automatic and sincere, if unseen.

In receiving a smile unexpectedly and from an equally unexpected source, I am thankful for the one who smiled. In offering a smile to another that is unexpected, I return the gift to Creation. Let me remember to receive and give a moment of warmth that will lighten up all around, and always in Your name. amen.

*F. Scott Fitzgerald, considered one of the greatest authors of the 20th century, Fitzgerald is remembered for many short stories and novels, many of which have been made into films such as The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Meditation Moment in Pentecost ~ Differently Me '23

I can't go back to yesterday,

because

I was a different person then.

~ Lewis Carroll*

Was I a better or a worse person yesterday? What I know for sure is that today I have new experiences to reflect upon and a fresh perspective about now. Today might be a "normal" day filled with the routine and the ordinary but then one never knows what the world's news will be, what wonderful surprises will occur, or what difficulties great and small will arise.

So, Dear God of All Possibilities, grant me the energy, curiosity, and persistence to explore all that this day offers. Let me accept all the busy-ness, relationships, moments of boredom, the stresses, the quiet, the noise, the laughter, the tears that this day may bring. I want to be aware of all the colors, the art, the music, and the characters that usually fade into the background in an everyday day. If it becomes an extraordinary day, I hope to have the reflexes to go with whatever comes. As I lay my head down on the pillow at the end of it, help me sift through the moments where I found You most present. And, might there be a refreshing and peaceful sleep to follow? I'll need all that will empower and motivate the different person I will be tomorrow. amen.

*Lewis Carroll [1832-1998] was the pen name of British born author, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, best known for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and a host of other children's stories and poems. A mathematics lecturer, he was also an avid photographer, wrote political pamphlets, and essays.

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Meditation Moment in Pentecost: Prayer and Pray-er '23

The function of prayer is not to influence God,
but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.
~ Søren Kierkegaard*

Dear God, Almighty, Everlasting, and Eternal ~
Of course I want to influence You. Of course I want You to do what I want You to do. Of course I'm not happy when things don't go my way. Sometimes I get angry. I'm human. SO, if I walk away in anger and blame, am I just acting as a spoiled child who is never satisfied?
But eventually I stop and I remember ~ I have Free Will. I have choices. I can choose to use prayer to demand, require, and exert an ultimatum for a requested outcome and be frustrated and angry when it doesn't come to pass. Or I can exclaim "Thank God!" when something good happens for me as a cursory nod for the expected or when something bad happens to someone else and murmur that they didn't have Your grace that day. Are You really the God of the Eternal Chessboard, moving people and the world around on Your demand and overarching Will?
I prefer to pray through conversation with You to express my wants, needs, and desires, as well as my hopes and fears. When I pray without expecting You to fix or give something in return, I feel less agitated, perhaps no less in need or want, but more comforted from merely knowing You are present, listening, aware. The nature of my prayer becomes a visit with a trusted and cherished Friend who embraces my heart, soothes my soul, and is simply present and available whatever the outcome. And within the visit, through the prayer, I am transformed. I am calmer, I am more composed, and I am ready to work through all that life brings. I, the Pray-er, am changed. amen.

*Søren Kierkegaard [1813-1855] was a Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic, and wrote extensively on Christian Ethics, psychology, and the philosophy of Religion. He often focused on personal choice and commitment, and, the art of Christian love.

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

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Meditation Moment in Pentecost: Whether on the 8s

If the world were merely seductive,

that would be easy.

If it were merely challenging,

that would be no problem.

But I arise in the morning torn between

a desire to improve the world

and

a desire to enjoy the world.

This makes it hard to plan the day.

~ E.B. White*

SO for today shall I:
Volunteer at the Shelter - or - beach day?
Art exhibit - or - go meet with legislators?
Join the Peace Corps - or - buy theater subscription?

Well, things aren't quite that cut and dried, are they? Surely, Creator of Humans and Nature, there is room for all things under the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. And I do recognize how fortunate I am in even having such choices in my life. The difficulty is I really do want to make the world a better place but, to be honest, I'm not a willing candidate for martyrdom ~ I sort of feel guilty admitting that. I do participate with time, energy, and a bit of money in causes that are important to me and the world, and I do find time to enjoy the fruits of Your Creation ~ family, friends, and even solitude.
Guide me as I search for the insight to do as I am able where I am needed most, and, the ability to discover the balance between giving of myself and giving to myself. I'll work on beginning and ending each day in prayer ~ oh and a bit in the middle as well ~ and then, maybe, the timing of when to do what will be revealed, without looking to the Magic 8 Ball for answers about whether to do one thing or another. amen.

*E.B. White, was an American writer for the New Yorker magazine and co-author of The Elements of Style, also known as Strunk and White. He is most famous for a series of children's books and in particular, Charlotte's Web.

Monday, June 12, 2023

Prayers of the People: Confusing the Wolves ~ 3rd Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, June 18, 2023, Readings: Exodus 19:2-8, Psalm 100, Romans 5:1-8,

Matthew 9:35-10:8(9-23)

They…entered the wilderness of Sinai…Israel camped in front of the mountain. Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him…Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the Israelites: You have seen…how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself…if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed the whole earth is mine… [Exodus 19:2-5]

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness…Know that the Lord God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. [Psalm 100: 1-3]

Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...we have obtained access to this grace...and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God...we also boast in our sufferings...[that] produces endurance...and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit... [Romans 5:1-6]

Jesus went about...proclaiming the good news...curing every disease...he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said..."The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest"..."See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves...But the one who endures to the end will be saved." [Matthew 9:35-38; 10:16]

When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. It is startling, at times, when the words of Scripture are so easily seen in the news, in the cities and towns, in the streets of today, urban, suburban, and rural. When Jesus sent the disciples ~ and us by extension ~ out like sheep into the midst of wolves with the admonishment to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves, it wasn't with the understanding that all will be easy and comfortable. In fact, then as now, the assignment is quite frightening and dangerous. The key tools for our success at attaining a share in the glory of God are wisdom and innocence. Innocence, it must be said, is NOT about being naïve or dimwitted. It is about paying attention to surroundings, who or what is lurking in them, and keeping ourselves and each other safe from the clutches of danger as best we can with all the endurance we can muster to the end of our individual journeys.

Sheep are as good or better at flocking together as their feathery avian counterparts and just as skittish when disturbed. Unlike the birds of the air, sheep have limited directional options and will frequently scatter helter-skelter when frightened. The shepherd's job to calm them is all the more difficult and important as the shepherd must continually shift the flock to different pastures for feeding and safety. But sheep do come to trust their shepherd and to recognize and remember both animal and human faces and, along with a keen sense of smell, the comfort or danger they represent. The behavior of the flock is communal and spontaneous ~ impulsive and reactionary ~ to threats real and merely perceived. How like sheep we humans are, except that our sense of "smell" doesn't always tip us off to the many wolves in our midst.

The wolves of this world are many indeed, but there are billions upon billions of sheep. The importance of our flocking together as a community of Christ was never more crucial as now. Then and as much or more now, the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Jesus was clear when he says later in Matthew: For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them [Mt 18:20]. As the body of Christ, each endowed with specific gifts from the Holy Spirit, we are called to labor in the fields of the Lord, to build up the Kingdom, and ultimately to share in God's glory through Jesus. Our safe haven is always shepherded by the constant Presence of Christ among and within us.

Our community of believers is a place to learn from, comfort, and guide one another around the wolves that would devour us, harass us, or tempt us. As we flock together, we also reap the benefit of joyful times. While we may not always feel like whistling while we work, we can seek pause to enjoy our life together, gather others lost and alone in their fields, and continually shift ourselves and our fellow sheep out of the dens of wolves to the path of hope that leads to the Eternal Pasture. As Paul told the Romans, Hope does not disappoint. When we serve the Lord with gladness our noise will be joyful. Perhaps we can confuse a few wolves along the way into tagging along as friends.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ God of Hope and Love, arouse and provoke us in heart and in mind to take up the labor in Your fields, sow to the Spirit, and reap the plentiful harvest to grow Your family of faith.

Lord, Faithful and Good

RESPONSE: We serve You with gladness

~ God of Hope and Love, keep us wise, fervent, and unceasing in our quest to speak Your truth to the wolves of misguided power as we strive for Justice, Compassion, and Principled governing across this World, this Country, and our Community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord, Faithful and Good