People's Prayers

Monday, July 17, 2023

Prayers of the People: Tare-ing Things Out ~ Proper 11, 8th Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, July 23, 2023, Isaiah 44:6-8, Psalm 86:11-17; Romans 8:12-25, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. [Isaiah 44:6]

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth…For great is your steadfast love for me…you, O LOrd, are…merciful and gracious…slow to anger…you, Lord, have helped and comforted me. [Psalm 86:11a, 13a, 15a, 17b]

When we cry, "Abba! Father!" is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then...heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ...But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." [Romans 8:15b-17a, 25]

[Jesus] answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels...The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect...all causes of sin and all evildoers, and...throw them into the furnace...Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. [Matthew 13:37-42a, 43a]

To begin this week’s readings, we have a 3 verse snippet of a slightly longer chapter of Isaiah. Essentially we hear about the singularity of God: I am the first, and I am the last. We’ve heard the connection between God and God’s people elsewhere in the Bible and it is what we have all been taught for generations beyond generations, yet, there’s a whole sermon waiting to be written about how this concept of “one God” aka monotheism has been co-opted from the understanding of early Judaism. In ancient times it was assumed that there were other deities who had their own limited things to do and spheres of influence. Israel’s God, however, was intended to be an exclusive relationship and commitment by Israel as God’s chosen, as no other god equals Israel’s God. There’s much to consider but in the interest of time and space, it was the onset of the 17^th century with world conquering and domination to be done by the West, whose leaders determined cultures with multiple gods to be inferior, that the concept of monotheism as the ONLY way it was developed and used as method of continuing colonial baggage and then spreading back to the conquerors' own lands. As Reed Carson writing for WorkingPreacher.com says: Ironically, this naïve self-assurance places Christian theologians in a similar position to what texts like Isaiah 44 sought to correct…Today a host of rival gods contend for our affection and adoration…Among these rival deities are the Christian Nationalist God, the spirits of Profit and Growth, and demons like Patriarchy and White Supremacy. Each of these…has found ways to demand of us sacrifices, oaths of loyalty, and (perhaps most ruinous) awestruck fear.

In a slight departure, this Psalm gives us many quotations from the Torah, the first five books of the Old/Hebrew Testament and some also appear in other psalms. The Psalmist doesn’t seem to worry at all about people with their other gods. The primary affirmation is that God is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in love and kindness. These words are to give us the freedom and conviction that we can appeal directly to God, as the Psalmist speaks to his own trust and expectation that even those “others” will come to worship the One.

Paul speaks to our inward groaning and mortal struggles to avoid the deeds of the body as he exhorts us to hope for what we do not see and wait for it with patience.

But it is this parable of Jesus, often known as the wheat and the tares [noxious weeds that resemble the wheat sprouts], that offers us a lesson in prudent personal agronomy. It takes an experienced farmer/gardener to know the difference between seedlings that grow into the desired plants and those that produce invasive, destructive weeds. The Master of this field wisely leaves well enough alone, as at maturity, the reapers will have no difficulty in distinguishing the wheat from the weeds, knowing which to save and which to burn.

While the Master of this story blames an enemy for the deliberate seeding of tares in his field, we can look to ourselves for the crop of noxious weeds we ourselves produce. One grows each time we point a finger in disgust or hate, however self-righteous and correct we believe we are. Another shoots up each time we judge and belittle those we believe to be the enemy of our personal agenda (even if they are). The next grows tall every time we decide who is an undesirable and useless plant growing where it isn't wanted. And half an acre at least rises up especially when we believe we know who God will ~ or should ~ burn. It is so easy to sow another seed of soul-destroying rubbish in our own spiritual ground, reducing it to an unholy dump.

The message is pretty clear, and always difficult: it's not our job to reap the harvest and separate the weeds from the wheat. We are called to be the good seeds, the children of the kingdom, to be fruitful and nourish the fields of the Lord. In growing strong in Christ together, we will crowd out temptation, resist and lessen the impact of the noxious weeds sown in God's Creation. The true and fertile seeds of the Spirit are ready to sprout. God is the true and only judge of the hearts of others. As the most famous line in the old Walt Kelly cartoon Pogo says: We have met the enemy and he is us. Jesus came to save the fallen, not just the faithful. Let us not be the enemy. Only God is the One to tare things out of the wheat.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord our God, lead us, Your children by Your Spirit, to labor with patience and hope in Your fields to gather for ourselves and all Creation, the everlasting freedom of Your Glory.

                                       Merciful and Gracious God
RESPONSE:            Our Help and our Comfort

~ O Lord our God, impel the hearts and souls of all who govern our World, our Country, and our Community, to tear out the choking tendrils of the deadly contagion of inequity, injustice, and personal greed, so to save and prosper the lives of all Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                       Merciful and Gracious God
                                       Our Help and our Comfort

~ O Lord our God, relieve the pain and despair from those who suffer with illness, injury, or addiction, and sustain the strength of those who give support. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                       Merciful and Gracious God
                                       Our Help and our Comfort

~ O Lord our God, We lift up and release those we love into Your joyous welcome, to shine like the sun in Your Eternal Kingdom. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                       Merciful and Gracious God
                                       Our Help and our Comfort

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

                                       Merciful and Gracious God
                                       Our Help and our Comfort

~ O Lord our God, We commend to You, with gratitude, those who have committed their lives to us in Your service. Bless, inspire, and uphold them, as they work with us in Your Creation, to guide us always toward You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                       Merciful and Gracious God
                                       Our Help and our Comfort

The Celebrant adds: Abba! Father! Sow in us a longing to clear away the weeds of sin and doubt within, and to prosper our spiritual ground with good seed and great hope, that we may shine like the sun in Your Eternal Kingdom. We ask through Jesus, our Strength and our Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, our Soul Guide and our Wisdom; who together with You reign as One God, now and forever. Amen.

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Monday, July 10, 2023

Prayers of the People: Grounded ~ Proper 10, 7th Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, July 16, 2023; Readings: Isaiah 55:10-13, Psalm 65:9-13, Romans 8:1-11, Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

For you shall go out in joy and be led back in peace; the mountains and hills before you shall burst into song and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. [Isaiah 55:12]

…the hills gird themselves with joy; the meadows clothe themselves with flocks; the valleys deck themselves with grain; they shout and sign together for joy. [Psalm 65:12b-13]

To set the mind ion the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace...But you are not in the flesh; You are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. [Romans 8:6, 9]

Let anyone with ears listen! ...for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word...yet such a person has no root...and immediately falls away...As for what was sown among thorns, this is one who hears the word but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word, understands it, who indeed bears fruit... [Matthew 13:9, 20a, 21a,b; 22, 23a]

The poetic beauty of this week’s brief text from Isaiah is overshadowed by current and past news of catastrophic flooding in the US northeast and other areas here and around the world. Yet are there not always times when good news for some contains bad news for others? Of course drought-stricken areas are happy for plenteous rain or snow but too much or too little are each their own problem. The prophet here is no stranger to grieving and this text isn’t intended as mere pretty poetry or platitude. One writer suggests this piece is a catalyst for hope. Prior parts of this section of Isaiah have been about the pain of exile in Babylon and now they have returned to the land of their ancestors. This Creation imagery, coming even in the midst of lingering suffering from exile, as any people displaced by flooding, or earthquakes, or millions of acres on fire can attest, offers the hope and comfort of a deeply loving God. The psalm continues the imagery of a planet thoroughly enriched by God that grows and feeds and sings with joy.

And then we move to Paul’s Letter to the Romans as he describes how to avoid condemnation. The flawed and sometimes despicable humans that move alongside the people of God are created by God and gifted with the free will to obey or not. Many of those who play larger roles in life find themselves in thorny patches on rocky roads diverted from their appointed mission by the lure of earthly distractions, intemperance, or a volatile nature. Yet they are brought to us in Scripture, remembered for their deeds and misdeeds, as human as we are, and, like us, with depths and shallows, tragedies and triumphs, ordinary and extraordinary depending on the day, the dilemma, and the choices made.

We, too, are created and chosen by God with the seeds of the Spirit planted within us. It would seem that all we need to do is till, tend, water, feed, and weed for a bountiful harvest of God's love, that is, to freely set our minds on Christ's salvation and life eternal. But, of course, it's not always quite so simple. Farming is tough work, a 24/7 job on and in the ground. Great soil, good weather, and hard work should yield a good crop. But even excellent farmers have epic failures despite their best efforts. We, as all those who came before and all who come after, will encounter feasts and famines, droughts and floods, rocks, thorns, pestilence, and grief within the span of our lives; some of it through no fault of our own and some by our willing neglect and impetuous choices. But, the Spirit of God always dwells within us and when we are shaken back to that consciousness, it is never too late to replenish the soil, enrich it with the nutrients of prayer and penitence, and nurture the deep roots that remain. Whatever is on the surface of our temporal acreage at any given time, the Word of God will ground us if we will hear and try to understand.

Matthew helps us see the impetuous of the “sure, I get that” response from those on rocky ground with no rootedness to live into the Word when things aren’t going well. We know the one living among the thorns who never hears the words of Jesus being lured by earthly distractions and attractions and the gathering of stuff and money that never fully satisfies. But the good soil, cultivated and maintained by regular feeding and replenishment hears and understands, building a strong foundation so that even the dire troubles life can bring, though distracting at times, can withstand and yield ever greater yields of spiritual fruit.

A dandelion can flower in all manner of ground, and a desert will erupt in blooms with the slightest moisture. Whenever the Word penetrates my awareness, I must try, try again to clear the rocks, cut back the thorns, and cultivate the soil to enable those deep roots to keep me spiritually grounded; to be fruitful and multiply the good yields of my soul, to belong to Christ Jesus again and forever.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Holy God, Ground of our Being, grant us eyes to see and ears to hear the Word that calls us each and together, to seek the fertile path of the Spirit. Guide us to listen deeply to understand, and to continually enrich the soil of our souls to go out in joy and be led back in peace.

Lord Jesus, our Christ

RESPONSE: Deepen our roots in You

~ Holy God, Ground of our Being, sow the healthy seeds of grace and goodness in the souls of those who govern this World, our Nation, and our Community. Divert them from the way of thorns into the arable terrain of fairness, honor, and integrity. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord Jesus, our Christ

Deepen our roots in You

~ Holy God, Ground of our Being, comfort and heal all who struggle with illness in body, mind, or heart, and ease the burden of those who care for them. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

Lord Jesus, our Christ

Deepen our roots in You

~ Holy God, Ground of our Being, we commend to Your hand, all who have left this world for Your Kingdom where there is no death, only life everlasting in the fullness of joy. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

Lord Jesus, our Christ

Deepen our roots in You

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

Lord Jesus, our Christ

Deepen our roots in You

~ Holy God, Ground of our Being, plant a grower’s faith and vitality within those chosen and anointed as the tillers of Your verdant fields. Guide them to model and inspire spiritual growth in each other, in ourselves, and in our community of Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord Jesus, our Christ

Deepen our roots in You

The Celebrant adds: Lord of Creation, our Divine Gardener, cultivate our hearts to free us from the weeds of temporal pleasures that choke away our spiritual birthright of salvation. Enrich our willingness to tend and nurture Your Word and Presence within us for a fruitful yield; a soul-fulfilling harvest to last eternally. We ask this through Jesus, Sower of the Word; and the Holy Spirit, Wellspring of Wisdom; who live and thrive together with You as One God, now and forever. Amen.

Monday, July 3, 2023

Prayers of the People: The Yoke's On Us ~ Proper 9, 6th Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, July 9, 2023, Readings: Zechariah 9:9-12, Psalm 145:8-15, Romans 7:15-25a,

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

See, your king comes to you triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey…he shall command peace to the nations. [Zechariah 9: 9b, 10a]

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. [Psalm 145:8-9]

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but the very thing I hate...For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do...Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God though Jesus Christ our Lord! [Romans 7:15, 19,24b-25]

Jesus said to the crowd, "To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another...For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say 'he has a demon'; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds...Come to me, all of you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will bind rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." [Matthew 11: 16, 18-19, 28-30]

Our Hebrew Testament reading highlights the God-inspired prophetic gifts of Zechariah in his foretelling of the king who is humble and riding on a donkey in a hymn of praise. This Zechariah, aka Zacharias, is the eleventh of the twelve Minor Prophets so named for their shorter books. He lived in the 6^th century BCE [Before the Common Era, or BC in the Christian parlance of Before Christ] and not the Zechariah mentioned as the father of John the Baptist in the Christian [New] Testament.

The Psalmist presents us with a comforting and hope-filled description of God as slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Quite a contrast from what many of us think about the angry vengeful God some of us were exposed to as children in catechism class or Sunday School that made us shudder and sometimes worry. Biblical scholar Walter Bruggemann, in his book Praying the Psalms, explains categories of the psalms that meet us where we are and give us the words to pray out loud in anger, in fear, or even where we long to be. This is one, for me, is the perfect peace-filled comforter to pull over our heads in difficult times or just when we need a cuddle.

And then we move to Paul in an essay of self-revealing angst that always speaks to me with the stark reminder of all that is happening now has been happening all along. We may tune it out, believe or at least hope we are more self-aware and better at life, yet we all succumb to the us vs them mind game more often than we are willing to admit to ourselves. It may be in a hidden desire for a sense of personal superiority or of belonging to the correct group. There can be an almost addicting need for a sense of acceptance within a given community ~ if you are not one of or with us in all we think, say, or do, then you are one of or with them, painting with the broad brush of no exceptions. Further, if you are one of them you can't be one of us ~ THEM have demons, are gluttons and drunkards. THEM are and associate with all who are unacceptable to US. What part of the TV or online news brings any of this too close for comfort and self-awareness?

It is so easy, familiar, and self-comforting to get caught up in the want of knowing unequivocally who is right and who is wrong. That has never been more crystal clear than right here and right now. Paul brings our humanity front and center ~ deep down I know I don't want to say or do some of the things I say or do but I do the very thing I hate. When I catch myself, I resolve to be better and improve my reactions and responses in everyday living. Then, unaware, I fall back into the “I'm better than fill in name of person or group” mode and act accordingly, whereupon ~ eventually ~ I realize, I have failed, again, to be who and what I want to be.

Jesus, in turn, offers us His easy yoke, to guide us and teach us. The burden is light, he says, but the pull back to the familiar behaviors ~ even those we don't want ~ is quick and often unconscious. They are easier than making conscious changes, and, taking on the very real risk of being ostracized from our “us” as one of "them."

In the language of addiction treatment, we are sinners in recovery. The tendency to fall back is always strongest at the start of healing. But the farther we move ahead of it, the easier to resist, especially in a learning, supportive community of those who acknowledge unhealthy thoughts and behaviors and strive to overcome them; and when a fall occurs, the easy yoke of Christ will carry us together.

There is a yoke on each of us and each come with a clear choice. One binds us to the faults great and small that we know are within us, that bruise and chafe our hearts and damage our souls. The other is the Yoke of Christ, not free of pain or trials or even fear, but the loads and burdens of this short life ~ much of it self-inflicted ~ are lightened, less wearisome, healing, and hopeful. We are always one in, of, and with Him. With His yoke on us, we are a team doing His work in His field, pulling together for our own sakes and for the sake of all humanity, yet with time for rest and replenishment in Him.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord, Gracious and Merciful, awaken us to our self-imposed bindings of our familiar sins that distract us from hearing and acting upon Your truth. Rescue our hearts to recover our eagerness to accept Your easy yoke of learning and redemption.

O Christ, our Savior

RESPONSE: We rest our souls in You

~ O Lord, Gracious and Merciful, burden and enflame the souls the leaders of our World, our Nation, and our Community with a heavy yoke of desire to turn to the good they are capable of doing, to gather the strength to avoid the evils of power, and use their vision to see into the eyes and hearts of those for whom they legislate and those they themselves love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Christ, our Savior

We rest our souls in You

~ O Lord, Gracious and Merciful, soothe the pain and suffering of those depleted by disease, injury, or depression, and comfort those who give them care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

O Christ, our Savior

We rest our souls in You

~ O Lord, Gracious and Merciful, we commend with our love all who have been released from this life into the glorious reception of everlasting life with You. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

O Christ, our Savior

We rest our souls in You

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

O Christ, our Savior

We rest our souls in You

~ O Lord, Gracious and Merciful, for all who lead us in Your Church as a visible sign of Your Yoke, we ask continual renewing of the Spirit and the replenishment of joy in life and ministry. Let us be mutual companions on this journey of our souls, caring and carrying in turn. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Christ, our Savior

We rest our souls in You

The Celebrant adds: O God of our Souls and our Humanity, help us to come as children to listen and learn, to hear and grow. Fill us with the desire to recognize and repent of our sins great and small, and to be held captive only by Your love and grace. We ask this through our Most Holy Jesus, and Your Glorious Spirit, who live and reign with You, as One God forever and ever. Amen.

Monday, June 26, 2023

Prayers of the People: Free for a Price ~ Proper 8, 5th Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, July 2, 2023, Readings: Jeremiah 28:5-91, Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18; Romans 6:12-14, 22-23;

Matthew 10:40-42

The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet. [Jeremiah 28:5-9]

I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens. [Psalm 89:2]

...present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life...as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but grace...now that you have been freed from sin...the advantage you get is sanctification...For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 6:13b, 14, 22-23]

Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me...and whoever gives even a cold cup of water...truly I tell you, none…will lose their reward." [Matthew 10:40, 42]

We pick up this piece from Jeremiah in the middle without the benefit of the whole conversation. It would be useful to read the full chapter to get a sense of the context of this snippet or at the very least the four prior verses that open the chapter. Essentially, we are to understand that prophecy itself is contextual for its time, not eternal for all situations and eras. What works for one moment in time doesn’t in another and may be inappropriate or even destructive in another. Just because a prophet claims the message is from God isn’t proof that it is. It sometimes appears that prophetic messages are all doom and gloom, but prophecy can also speak of hope and promise. As we “listen” to this message in our own time, we want to consider: How do we know the difference between a true prophet and a false one? Just because one is more familiar to us is no guarantee that the message is truly from God. Perhaps we do have to wait and see if and when the prophecy comes true to know with more certainty and that can take a very long time. Yet isn’t it more calming to hear and absorb those promises of hope amidst despair in troubled times?

The Psalmist is singing a hopeful message about the steadfastness of God’s love. Given the dire messages of other psalms, this one is more comforting to remember God loves us especially for our faithfulness. And to remember God made a covenant with David, a less than perfect human!

Paul asks what advantage did you get…from the things of which you are now ashamed? In accepting Christ, we are freed from enslavement to sin. Yes, the language of “slave” and “enslavement” is archaic and especially distressing and yet truthful as we recognize the deep sin of systemic racial injustice and the continuation of too many who are willing to practice intentional racial, gender, and other discrimination in our own time. To put it into more contemporary language, Eugene Peterson’s The Message refers to the tyranny of sin and when released we are in living in God’s freedom.

Matthew’s Gospel for this week gives us The Five Welcomes, the smallest actions of life, simple as a cup of cold water, done in the name of a disciple and/or Christ himself, grants us our never-ending reward. Our "life" here, when we accept being freed from sin, welcoming and caring for others in Christ’s name, is to be a preparation for the free gift of God in eternal life in Christ.

Free gift? Well, it is free choice and, at the very least, the promise of eternity seems well worth the price of obedience to The Great Commandment [Matthew 22:35-40] and this lesson in hospitality.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord of Steadfast Love, awaken us to know of Your faithfulness to all generations and helping us to recognize and accept that You are the glory of our strength. Guide us to walk in Your Light, working through rather than fearing, each test of faith in this life, always trusting in You.

                                                     Most Welcoming Christ
RESPONSE:             Through You is eternal life

~ O Lord of Steadfast Love, ignite the hearts and souls of the leaders of this Country, this Community, and this World with extra grace and strength of character. Teach their hearts to legislate with compassion assuring economic, environmental, racial, and the humanity of every form of justice for all Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Most Welcoming Christ
                                                       Through You is eternal life

~ O Lord of Steadfast Love, restore hope and health to those who struggle with continuing illness, isolation, or homelessness, and stamina for all who give support. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Most Welcoming Christ
                                                       Through You is eternal life

~ O Lord of Steadfast Love, to Your Everlasting Arms, we lift up all who have exchanged this earthly life to flourish in the peace of eternity with You. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

Most Welcoming Christ
Through You is eternal life

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

                                                       Most Welcoming Christ
                                                       Through You is eternal life

~ O Lord of Steadfast Love, fortify and sustain those chosen to help us navigate the time and tides of this human experience. Impart refreshment in body, mind, and spiritual wisdom, to preach Your Word, encourage our understanding, and connect us to You in everyday living. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Most Welcoming Christ
                                                       Through You is eternal life

The Celebrant adds: God of all that is, Seen and Unseen, guide us to be a welcoming reflection of Your love in all that we are and all that we do. Give light to the eyes of our souls to follow Your path of grace to salvation. We ask through Jesus, our Messiah, and Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, Your Sacred Breath within us; who together with You are One God, now and forever.  Amen.

Monday, June 19, 2023

Prayers of the People: Find, Lose, FIND! ~ Proper 7, 4th Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, June 25, 2023, Readings: Genesis 21:8-21, Psalm 69:8-11, 18-20; Romans 6:1b -11,

Matthew 10:24-49

But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed because of the boy and...your slave woman...do as [Sarah] tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring will be named for you. I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring...God called to Hagar..."Do not be afraid; lift up the boy...I will make a great nation of him"...God was with the boy... [Genesis 21:12-13, 17b-18, 20a]

Draw near to me; redeem me; set me free because of my enemies. [Psalm 69:18]

...all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death...so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life...So you also much consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. [Romans 6:3b, 4b, 11]

So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows..."Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven...I have not come to bring peace, but a sword...whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." [Matthew 10:31-32, 34b, 38-39]

In a prior week's reading from Genesis, Sarah was laughing ~ she got caught, denied it, and was brought up short. She was then granted happiness in her old age, or so we thought.

This week we find a different Sarah, jealous and vengeful, separating the child from his father, Abraham, and willing to allow that child and his mother to die. God calmed Abraham and later Hagar, by telling her Do not be afraid. And we are told about this other son of Abraham, known to us as Ishmael, upon whom God also founded a nation, that God was with the boy. The nation that was founded upon Ishmael, is known today as Islam. As Isaac, son of Abraham was the brother of Ishmael, son of Abraham, so are we: Jews, Muslims, and Christians all children of Abraham.

Paul reminds us that in Baptism we die, to sin that is, and if all goes well with us, we are alive to God in Jesus. And then Jesus tells the disciples (us, too) to have no fear of those who disparage him. Yet although the words those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul are indeed fearsome, Jesus reminds us that even sparrows sold cheaply are valued by God. He echoes God in saying do not be afraid because we are more valuable than many sparrows.

THEN, BOOM ~ where did THIS Jesus come from: Not bringing peace but a sword, setting family against family, households against one another? Separating us from him if we love others more? We have arrived at Part 2 of Jesus' teaching on what discipleship actually means. Last week we were sheep in the midst of wolves and now we learn what can happen when confronting those wolves, when we pick up His cross and follow Him. He has my attention ~ he had me at I have not come to bring peace, but a sword...

But then, how different is this from what we experience in life, especially in these tumultuous times, when we hold differing opinions with those we love as well as with those we don’t love, but we should love, so maybe we’re just not fond of? Political and even religious rhetoric can be fiery and fierce, families and friends stop speaking to one another. Strangers are yelling at each other in the streets and, of course, on social media.

The world seems angrier than ever and us vs them boils over all too often into violence. The difference is that Jesus stops us in our tracks in this Gospel with his sword, because it begs the questions to ourselves and each other: What really is our life all about? How easily ~ like sheep ~ do we bolt headlong into everything except what our Shepherd wants? He doesn't want us to stop loving each other, but we are to love Him more than others. The glint of the sword blade is a clear warning that being steadfast in faith, acknowledging Him above all else ~ family, friends, job, lifestyle, etc. ~ is fraught with far more than separation anxiety, it can be dangerous for a mere human. We are not the sword-carriers, we are bearers of the Word, the Good News. And some days will be easier than others. But this is not a part-time occupation, a Sunday thing, or a Christmas and Easter duty. This is what we sign up for when we call ourselves Followers of Christ. It is newness of life. The pay-off is full-time, eternal life. No easy road but if we travel together, we can keep the wolves at bay while losing only that which keeps us from finding our true life. Remember that pray without ceasing thing? Start NOW and, oh yes: Twice in these readings, to Hagar and to us: Do not be afraid. God in Christ is with us. At first we live the life we Find, then by following Christ we Lose that life, yet through Christ we will FIND the Life Eternal.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord, Good and Forgiving, You bid us to choose between living now in false comfort or with division by walking with Christ. Keep us grounded, strong in our faith, willing to bear the cost in this life for the promise of Jesus in the next.

O God of Glory

RESPONSE: Draw us to newness of life

~ O Lord, Good and Forgiving, give us the courage to be what we expect and demand of political leaders in this World, across our Country, and in our Local cities and towns. Strengthen us to work in large and small ways to end quarreling, power plays, and the violence that separate and kill us here and across this Earth. We pray especially for: add your own petitions