Prayers of the People: Straight Pathing ~ 2nd Sunday of Advent RCL '23 Yr B

For Sunday, December 10, 2023, Readings:  Isaiah 40:1-11, Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; 

2 Peter 3:8-15a, Mark 1:1-8

"Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken..." He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep. [Isaiah 40:5, 11]

   You have been gracious to your land, O LORD...Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring up from the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven. [Psalm 85:1a, 10-11]  

   The Lord is not slow about his promise...but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance...in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. [2 Peter 3:9, 13] 

      As it is written..."See I am sending my messenger ahead...the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'" And people from the whole Judean countryside, and all of the people of Jerusalem were going out to [John] and were baptized...confessing their sins. [Mark 1:2a, 3, 5]

       The Advent season, as does every Liturgical season of the Christian Church, brings a variety of symbols and rituals that aid our intentional prayer and reflection. The use of the Advent wreath was begun in the time of Martin Luther, the prime initiator of the Protestant Reformation in the 16^th century. How it is used differs among the many traditions that employ it. For most, now, there are at least four candles on a wreath of evergreen that is shaped in a perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of God. The lighting of the candles represents the coming of Christ with a different theme each week highlighting the four virtues Jesus brings to us: Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace. The Christ candle, in the center of the wreath, is lighted on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to remind Christians that Jesus is the light of the world.

       Last week Hope was the focus and this week it is Love and both candles will be lighted. Keeping Hope in and Love of Christ is a way to prepare ourselves and keep our own paths uncluttered in these unsettled, uncertain times.

      Things weren't so very different in John the Baptizer's times, except no one knew the story of Jesus as we do now. Their lives were also filled with wars, pestilence, racial hatred, poverty, and oppression, and then here comes this rather wild-looking and sounding person direct from the desert telling them to straighten up and straighten out ~ the way of the Lord must be prepared! Also, the arrival of Jesus really was imminent as Jesus, the man, was literally on his way to them as he was beginning his earthly ministry. These days we’re more complacent. We conveniently forget the admonishment that the time of Christ's return will come like a thief, and that all is according to God’s time, not human calendars. We have set aside imminence for: whatever, whenever. I do wonder: if I didn't know then what I know now about Jesus, how would I have responded to John and his message? What do you think about your own response then and now?

       Today our planet is filled much the same as John's, with life-threatening diseases, racial hatred, oppression, and more, yet from the first chapter of the first Gospel ever written, John is still the voice crying...in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John is the embodiment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Are we listening and heeding or is it just that same old familiar refrain we hear on the way to a sparkly Christmas? We may not be in our mortal body for the full-on End Time of the Great Judgment. We have no idea when this human life we’ve been given is done to dust. How are we preparing ourselves to be the path of and for Christ?

       Advent is a time of beginning, of refreshment, and a re-awakening of our souls that long to be faithful. It is a moment to be mindful, intentional, and conscious about discovering for ourselves: am I increasingly more caught up in the soul-less wilderness of a secular society than in presenting my best self to God? It is again, still, always, time for some soul-searching and sincere repentance.

      To repent means to "turn from," those thoughts and actions ~ sin ~ that we have chosen to take us away from God. It can also me to "turn toward" God. It is never God who leaves, we do the leaving. Through our self-examination, reflection, and a willingness to change, we can choose to leave the spiritual wilderness we make for ourselves and turn toward and improve upon straightening our side of the path that Christ travels to our consciousness.  

     Through the waters of baptism we are initiated into the light and love of Christ. Let us turn from sin, turn toward Jesus, and reclaim the  of our baptism. As it is said, it is more blessed to give than to receive, now is the time to give ourselves by preparing for the Coming of Christ, who paradoxically is already within us. We have to declutter the path, ourselves, to let Him through. 

     The Road of Life is brief and full of detours, road-blocks, grief, joy, and always the unexpected. Even with the best map we make a wrong turn now and then. Advent is a time to review the map, the directions, and rid ourselves of as many obstacles as we can that block ourselves from knowing that Christ is here, now. We each are to prepare the way of the Lord, to make his path to our souls as straight as possible for the imperfect beings we are. 

     Take a breath, open your mind, your heart, and your soul, and turn toward the Light within. As the 2nd Letter to Peter says, Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of the Lord as salvation. Seek with love to be loved as found as we work at straight pathing our way to the Lord.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Loving Lord, Forgiving and Gracious, draw us out from the spiritual wilderness we make for ourselves by our daily neglect of You, and help us listen as You speak peace to the faithful. Grant us courage to prepare the way and make straight the path for a new heaven and a new earth, as we await the unknown time until our Savior Christ returns.

                                                       Jesus, Emmanuel                                                

         RESPONSE:                  Come, ransom us again

~ Loving Lord, Forgiving and Gracious, our tumultuous world is rife with conflict through the dismantling of compassion and empathy by unchecked power and unrelenting greed. In this sacred waiting time, make Your Truth spring up from this Earth and fill all who govern across this Planet, with the hunger to comfort Your people by a renewal of mercy, righteousness, and peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Emmanuel                                               

                                                    Come, ransom us again

~ Loving Lord, Forgiving and Gracious, gather in Your arms all who suffer through illness, addiction, or despair; and bestow special grace upon those who provide support. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Emmanuel                                               

                                                    Come, ransom us again

~ Loving Lord, Forgiving and Gracious, calm the tears of all who grieve, as Heaven now celebrates each soul that has entered eternal bliss, away from earthly woes, into a peace beyond our understanding. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Emmanuel                                               

                                                    Come, ransom us again

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

 
                                                       Jesus, Emmanuel
                                                       Come, ransom us again

~ Loving Lord, Forgiving and Gracious, energize and excite all who lead us in Your Church, that together in this Holy Season, we may re-ignite our faith-filled wonder and eager anticipation, turning our hearts, minds, and lives back to Your Love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Emmanuel

                                                       Come, ransom us again

The Celebrant adds: Jesus, Lord at thy Birth, let us repent of our sins in the silent nights of our souls, that we may feel the approach of Your redeeming grace, and seek the dawn of indescribable joy through life and love everlasting in You. We ask through the Holy Spirit, our Advocate; and the Creator, Most High; who together with You, are our One God, on earth, as in heaven, forever.  Amen.

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

Prayers of the People: A NEW Advent-ure Begins ~ 1st Sunday of Advent, WCLWC*, '23 Yr B

For Sunday, December 3, 2023, Readings from WLWC*: Isaiah 12:1-5, Psalm 65:1-13; Romans 1:7-8, 14-17, 

Mark 1:1-13

   You will say in that day, “I will give thanks to you, Redeeming One, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, then you confronted me. Behold! God is my salvation; I will trust and I will not fear, for Yah** [She Who Is] God is my strength and my might and has become my salvation.” [Isaiah 12:1-2]

   Through wondrous deeds you answer us with deliverance O God of our salvation, hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. [Psalm 65:5]

  To Greeks and to barbarians, to the wise and to the foolish am I a debtor, thus my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you all who are in Rome. [Romans 1:14-15]

   The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, [the Son of God] 2. As it is written in the prophets, “Look! I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3. the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Holy One, make straight the paths.” [Mark 1:1-3]

   Welcome to Advent, a season of hopeful waiting, anticipation, and the beginning of a new Liturgical Year, Year B, in the three year cycle of Sunday readings. Think of it as a time to see and hear the same readings differently; or, in this space this Season, to different readings in new translations, newly. As with the immediately prior 7 weeks of The Season of Creation in my parish, in this new Season of Advent, I’ll use the usual Revised Common Lectionary on one blog space offering my sense of the readings and form of the prayers of the people, and, in this blog space each week, I will be using the The Women’s Common Lectionary for the Whole Church aka WCLWC or, going forward here, WCL, by The Rev. Dr. Wilda [Wil] Gafney’s translations. I will post her translations below with a brief bio and her website link.* There is far far more to be gleaned from the Introduction, Text Selection, Proclamation/Text Notes in the book itself that accompany these translations and I cannot possibly offer her explanations for every reading but I will give very brief notes from the WCL when I deem them useful. For one tidbit of usefulness, the opening questions of the WCL Yr B ask, in part, What does it look like to tell the Good News through the stories of women who are often on the margins of Scripture and often set up to represent bad news…when women’s brutalization and marginalization are moved from the margins of canon…held in tension with the stories of biblical heroines and heroes…I do believe that my questions and perceptions invite women, men, and nonbinary readers to engage the scriptures in new ways [to] find themselves and their questions represented. Dr. Gafney uses gender-expansive translations and explicit feminine God language.

   To begin: What is ADVENT to you in a spiritual sense? All too often we seem to focus on the end of it and all the less, or rather more of the non-spiritual preparations that go before. Part of the beginning of contemplation is knowing some of the “why and what” factors. For example, the name advent comes from the

Latin adventus, meaning "arrival" or "coming," especially the coming of something of great importance. Our culture uses the notion of adventure in a variety of ways but mostly as a way for us to experience something unusual and exciting. Using this series of readings from Dr Gafney will be an unusual and exciting way to challenge our Advent sense of the Spiritual. We are to spend the four weeks before Christmas, preparing ourselves and our souls in hope and with repentance for our less than stellar actions, words, and even thoughts [aka sins], as we await the birth of Jesus, our Redeemer Christ. Yet Advent spiritual preparation is about far more than waiting for a sweet baby to be announced by a chorus of angels and welcomed by shepherds. The sacred Birth would have been long forgotten were it not for the Gospel writers as they describe the intervention of God in Creation in the form of Jesus who became the Christ, the Messiah: the Anointed One. The name/word Christ, anglicized from the Greek, has more or less become the last or surname of Jesus instead of a “title” or Human-Divine position and role within the Trinity.

    Jesus in his earthly time came to teach us, warn us, and show us how to prepare for the Second Coming, the Parousia [pahr-oo-see-uh, from the Greek for coming], the Last Judgment. It’s not as warm and fuzzy a concept and is much less exciting for many of us to anticipate than the pretty tree with lights, sparkling decorations, beautifully wrapped gifts, and the wide-eyed wonder of little ones.   

   Liturgical rituals for this time, in some denominations, include marking the beginning of each week by the lighting of a candle in an Advent Wreath with a prayerful reflection before the Liturgy [the Mass or the Service] begins. Even at home, families and individuals may use a wreath or an Advent Calendar for daily or weekly reflections and prayers. Each of the four candles represents a theme from the readings of that week.

   This week’s theme is Hope. In a year where our world has seen terrible earthquakes, massive fires, and hurricanes all decimating the lives of millions, and then the horrific gun or knife or worse weapons of violence wrought by humans in malls, schools, neighborhood streets, and now, again and still, in new and ongoing terrible wars in too many places, killing tens of thousands, and holding too many others hostage. It does give pause and perhaps a deep inhalation of breath and wonder. But the Prophet Isaiah tells us God is my salvation; I will trust and I will not fear, for Yah** [She Who Is] God is my strength and my might and has become my salvation.

    Our Hope truly is in the name of the Lord, and, in our willingness to turn the thoughts and actions of our lives toward the light of God's enduring, continuous presence. It's definitely not easy to get back on the right course, especially at this time of year with all the glitter that can be a welcome distraction from woes and worries. But those distractions can obscure our inner vision and divert us from our good intentions. The cloud cover on our path forward begins to lift when we are sincere in our desire to dedicate our lives to Christ, always as ready as we can be to be gathered in an unknown time and claimed for eternity.

    Just as a New Year's resolution starts well and means well, Advent is the opportunity to be intentional about preparing for and renewing our commitment to Jesus as our Savior. Each season of the Liturgical Year is designed to help us to remember, continuously renew, and re-commit ourselves to our faith and to Christ. Here's a new beginning to get back into good habits of faith building and faith in action. It’s time for an old but NEW Advent-ure in faith, in hope, in Jesus, the Christ.

*Readings for Advent this year are from The Rev. Dr. Wilda [Wil] Gafney, Womanist biblical scholar, and is the Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. She is the author of A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church and translator of its biblical selections. Learn more about her and her work at her website: https://www.wilgafney.com/

** Yah [She Who Is] God: “’Yah’ (as in hallelujah/hallelu-yah) is, according to grammatical form, feminine…In some contemporary Jewish feminist practice and prayer…a feminine name for God…also the first syllable of the unpronounceable of YHWH…there are no strictures on pronouncing the first syllable. In Isaiah 1:2, I offer a feminine reading option in brackets for those who so choose.”

For Advent I:
 
Isaiah 12:1-5: You will say in that day, “I will give thanks to you, Redeeming One, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, then you comforted me. 2. Behold! God is my salvation; I will trust and I will not fear, for Yah [She Who Is] God is my strength and my might and has become my salvation.” 3. Then you all shall with joy draw water from the wells of salvation. 4. And you all shall say in that day, “Give thanks to the God of Our Salvation, call on God’s name; acclaim God’s deeds among the nations, make known that God’s name is exalted.” 5. Sing praises to the Mighty God, who has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.
 
Psalm 65:1-13: To you silence is praise, God in Zion: and to you vows shall be performed, 2. You who answer prayer! To you shall all flesh come. 3. When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions. 4. Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to dwell in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple. 5. Through wondrous deeds you answer us with deliverance O God of our salvation, hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. 6. You established the mountains through your might; you are girded with strength. 7. The one who silences the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the rumble of the peoples. 8. They who live at the farthest reaches are awed by your signs; you make the dawnings of morning and evening sing for joy. 9. You attend the earth and water her, you enrich her greatly; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, thus you have established it. 10. Irrigating earth’s furrows, smoothing her ridges, softening her with showers, and blessing her growth. 11. You crown the year with your goodness; your paths overflow with fatness. 12. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, and with joy the hills gird themselves. 13. The meadows are clothed with flocks, the valleys arrayed in grain, indeed they, shout for joy.
 
Romans 1:7-8, 14-17: To all who are in Rome, God’s beloved, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and the Messiah Jesus Christ. 8. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world. 14. To Greeks and to barbarians, to the wise and to the foolish am I a debtor, 15. thus my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you all who are in Rome. 16. Indeed I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and even to the Greek. 17. For the righteousness of God is revealed in it through faith for faith; as it is written, “the one who is righteous will live by faithfulness.”

Mark 1:1-13: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, [the Son of God] 2. As it is written in the prophets, “Look! I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3. the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Holy One, make straight the paths.” 4. John the baptizer was in the wilderness proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5. And people from all the Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him and were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins. 6. Now John was wearing camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7. He proclaimed, “there is one coming after me who is more powerful than am I;, whose sandal thongs I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8. I have baptized you in water; but that one will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.” 9. And it was in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10. And just as he was rising up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and he Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” 12. Then the Spirit suddenly drove Jesus out into the wilderness. 13. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and he was with the wild beasts, and the angels waited on him.

For Further Reading: Compare these readings with a Bible version of your choice ~ using several versions is even better to discover differences and similarities. Think about which speaks to you most clearly. Why? There are no right or wrong answers! For a larger variety of interesting translation and paraphrase versions of the Bible, without overloading your shelves and wallet, check out this link to:  www.BibleGateway.com

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Redeeming One, awaken the eyes of our souls and remind our hearts to call on Your name, to trust and not fear, to give You thanks, and to sing praises to our Mighty and Glorious God.

                                          Behold! Yah [She Who Is] God          
                    RESPONSE:      Our Strength and our Salvation          

~ O Redeeming One, enlighten the minds and steady the hearts of all who govern across this Earth. Straighten the path to peace and unity with local, national, and international friends and adversaries alike, guiding the path to justice, mercy, humanitarian, and planetary care. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Behold! Yah [She Who Is] God
                                                       Our Strength and our Salvation 

~ O Redeeming One, embrace and sustain all who are seriously ill or facing desperate times, that they, and those who give support, may know Your warmth, light, and encouragement within. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       Behold! Yah [She Who Is] God
                                                       Our Strength and our Salvation

~  O Redeeming One, console and inspire us with the knowing that all those we love are welcomed into glory as they enter Your gates, as You embrace and await all who will soon transition from this life. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       Behold! Yah [She Who Is] God
                                                       Our Strength and our Salvation

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

                                                       Behold! Yah [She Who Is] God
                                                       Our Strength and our Salvation

~ O Redeeming One, rekindle our hope in this waiting time, especially in all who are anointed in Your Name to lead us to Your Truth, guiding us to prepare the way of and to the Holy One that is our Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Behold! Yah [She Who Is] God
                                                       Our Strength and our Salvation 

The Celebrant adds:  O Son of God, keep us eager to proclaim and to be Your Gospel in this world by all we think, all we say, and all we do. Keep our spirits alive with joyful anticipation, as we prepare our souls through prayer and repentance, for the sudden unknown time of Your return. We ask through the Holy Spirit, our Heavenly Advocate; and the Divine Architect of all that is, who together with You reign as One God, forever and for always.  Amen.

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

Prayers of the People: The Advent-ure Begins ~ 1st Sunday of Advent, RCL, '23 Yr B

For Sunday, December 3, 2023, Readings: Isaiah 64:1-9, Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, 

Mark 13:24-37

  O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence - as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil...Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of you hand... O Lord do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people. [Isaiah 64:1-2a, 8, 9b]

   Restore us, O God of Hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved...And so will we never turn away from you; give us life, that we may call upon your name. [Psalm 80:7, 17]

          I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus; for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind - just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you...as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ...He will also strengthen you to the end. [1 Corinthians 1:4-6, 7b, 8a]

   Then they will see the 'Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds...Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come...Therefore, keep awake - for you do not know when the Master of the House will come...or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. [Mark 26-27, 33, 35a, 36]

   Welcome to Advent, a season of hopeful waiting, and the beginning of a new Liturgical year, Year B in the three year cycle of Sunday readings. Think of it as a time to see and hear the same readings differently, with fresh eyes and ears; to not just focus on the end of this time, but on each reading of each Sunday so as to know them for the first time. The name advent comes from the Latin adventus, meaning "arrival" or "coming," especially the coming of something of great importance.  We are to spend the four weeks before Christmas, preparing ourselves and our souls in hope and with repentance for our sins, as we await the birth of Jesus, our Redeemer Christ. Yet this Advent preparation is about far more than waiting for a sweet baby to be announced by a chorus of angels and welcomed by shepherds. The sacred Birth would have been long forgotten were it not for the intervention of God in the form of Jesus who became the Christ, the Messiah, the one anointed by God. Christ, anglicized from the Greek, has more or less become the last or surname of Jesus instead of his “title” or his Human-Divine position and role within the Trinity.

    Jesus in his earthly time came to teach us, warn us, and show us how to prepare for the Second Coming, the Parousia [pahr-oo-see-uh, from the Greek for coming], the Last Judgment. It’s not as warm and fuzzy a concept and is far less exciting for many of us to anticipate than the pretty tree with lights, sparkling decorations, beautifully wrapped gifts, and the wide-eyed wonder of little ones.

    Liturgical rituals for this time in some denominations include marking the beginning of each week by the lighting of a candle in an Advent Wreath with a prayerful reflection before the Liturgy [the Mass or the Service] begins. Even at home, families and individuals may use a wreath or an Advent Calendar for daily or weekly reflection. Each of the four candles represents a theme from the readings of that week.

    This week’s theme is Hope. In a year where our world has seen the heavens torn open, mountains quake, fire kindling brushwood all across this Earth, and adding in hurricanes, all decimating the lives of millions, and then the violence wrought by humans in weapons small and large, on our streets, in schools, and shopping malls, and especially in wars new and ongoing that are killing people in the tens of thousands. It does give pause and perhaps a deep inhalation of breath and wonder. But the Prophet Isaiah is reminding God that we are the clay, God is our potter, and we are the work of God’s hands. So please, God, says Isaiah, do not remember iniquity forever...we are all your people. The Psalmist also speaks to and asks God to restore us so that in the hope of God's light we will be saved. We can call upon God’s name any time and we will be heard.

    Paul, in 1 Corinthians, tells us that we are not lacking in any spiritual gifts and Jesus will strengthen us, if we let him.

    Jesus, the true Master of the House, also gives us hope with a few warning signs that will signal the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory...But...Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when this time will come. Not the angels nor the Son himself know the time, only God knows the day and the hour. Jesus even seemed to be saying that those he was speaking to would not pass away until all these things have taken place, yet here we are 2000+ years later. Perhaps he meant that their souls would not pass away. Every generation since the time of Christ has seen and interpreted signs that seem to be saying the end is near. Yet, so far, we are still here. But the message is clear, we must not assume that because it hasn’t happened yet, it won’t happen in our time. We must be eternally vigilant about who we and our priorities are. Our Hope truly is in the name of the Lord, and, in our willingness to turn the thoughts and actions of our lives toward the light of God's enduring, continuous presence. 

     It's definitely not easy to get back on the right course, especially at this time of year with all the glitter that is a welcome distraction from woes and worries. But that can also obscure our inner vision and divert us from our good intentions. The cloud cover on our path forward begins to lift when we are sincere in our desire to dedicate our lives to Christ, always ready to be gathered from the four winds and claimed for eternity.

     Just as a New Year's resolution starts well and means well, Advent is the opportunity to be intentional about preparing for and renewing our commitment to Jesus as our Savior. Each season of the Liturgical Year is designed to help us to remember, continuously renew, and re-commit ourselves to our faith and to Christ. Here's a new beginning to get back into good habits of faith building and faith in action. Our cultural use gives us one definition of adventure as something unusual and exciting.

   Instead of walking in spiritual mindlessness through the next few weeks, let us stride with intention as an exciting and unusual Advent-ure begins!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Creator God, we are Your clay, we are all Your people, each of us molded by the work of Your Hand. Gather us from the four winds and restore us, that we may be relieved of our unbelief, awakened by Your Light, and never again turn away from You.

                                        O Lord of Hosts                                        
                   RESPONSE:      Keep us alert and prepared          

~ O Creator God, enlighten the souls and steady the hearts and minds of all who govern across this Earth. Straighten the path to peace and unity with local, national, and international friends and adversaries alike, guiding the path to justice, mercy, humanitarian, and planetary care. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Hosts
                                                       Keep us alert and prepared

~ O Creator God, embrace and sustain all who are seriously ill or facing desperate times, that they, and those who give support, may know Your warmth, light, and encouragement within. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Hosts
                                                       Keep us alert and prepared

~  O Creator God, console and inspire us with the knowing that Your Kingdom is welcoming with glory all who are now entering Your gates, and Your embrace of all who will soon transition from this life. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Hosts
                                                       Keep us alert and prepared

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

                                                       O Lord of Hosts
                                                       Keep us alert and prepared

~ O Creator God, rekindle our hope in this waiting time, especially in all who are anointed in Your Name, to lead us to Your Truth that is our Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Hosts
                                                      Keep us alert and prepared

 

The Celebrant adds:  O Son of Man, Master of the House, keep us awake with joyful anticipation, preparing our souls  through prayer and repentance, for the sudden unknown time of Your return to claim us for eternity. We ask through the Holy Spirit, our Heavenly Advocate; and the Divine Architect of all that is, who together with You reign as One God, forever and for always.  Amen.

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

Prayers of the People: The Always and Forever Shine: Christ the King, 26th/Last Sunday of Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, November 26, 2023, Readings: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Psalm 95:1-7a, Ephesians 1:15-23, 

Matthew 25:31-46

   I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep...I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak...I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at the weak animals with your horns...I will save my flock and they will no longer be ravaged...I will judge between sheep and sheep. [Ezekiel 34:15a, 16,20b-22]

    Come let us sing to the Lord; let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation…For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. [Psalm 95:1-7a] 

   I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ...may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe... [Ephesians 1:17-19a]

   When the Son of Man comes into his glory...All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats...Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me...but the righteous [will go] into eternal life." [Matthew 25:31a, 32, 40, 46b]

     In this Sunday of Christ the King, the Final Sunday in the Season after Pentecost, or The Season of the Kingdom in some Anglican Church places, we look at the Christ of Wisdom, of Eternity, of Majesty, and Jesus, of human form. The kingly Christ is now, has always been, will forever be the Divine-Human Incarnation, the manifestation of the love of God that is Jesus is more than 2,000 years old. Jesus ~ the human face of God ~ came and will come again as God's own divine self on Earth. It is more than difficult to comprehend, even as we continue to try, and forever as inexplicable and unsolvable as eternal mysteries always are.

     Ezekiel’s message is speaking to the faithless shepherds, those governors of Israel who oppressed their flocks. With inexcusable mishandling of power, governing for the benefit of rulers, they failed in their handling of God’s Divine Plan which is government ~ shepherding ~ for the sake of the governed. A true shepherd is one who strengthens and protects the flock, tends the injured and the sick, calls back all who have strayed. The Shepherds are accountable for the safety and well-being of their flocks. In this passage, God the Almighty, assumes the role of Israel’s shepherd. Ezekiel’s message is of both hope and warning.

     This first part of Psalm 95 is quite familiar to anyone who prays the Morning Prayer portion of the Daily Office [see page 44 or 82 in “The Book of Common Prayer” or same page numbers in https://bcponline.org ]. Filled with the joy expressed when we experience God’s Presence with thanksgiving, it’s a great way to begin a day and set our hearts and souls to remember our call more often than forget or simply get caught up in earthly things.

     In the Epistle, Paul is extolling the faith of the Ephesians and encouraging them so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, and praying that they [and now we] come to know Christ more deeply, we will all know the hope to which we are called, and the spiritual riches of his glorious inheritance, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

     And, as with last week’s passage, this, the following one in Matthew’s Gospel account, is also, on its face, an uncomfortable view of the Great Judgment. As in last week’s post, Matthew has been telling us all through his Gospel that the Law is only a starting point, we are to exceed those expectations by cultivating and manifesting an inner attitude of love for God in everything that we do. Especially difficult work in times of serious social media, political, religious, and other frequent arguments. There are many nice people doing good things but if one’s deeply held inner purpose is for personal gain or acclaim, however small, they may be heading into the goat pen. And of course, it’s not so easy to be so sure of one’s own true sense of purpose.

     As we strive to be good sheep, our everyday lives with their ups and downs on a variety of fronts, keep us fairly distracted and not always conscious of the what and the why we do as we do. It is often challenging, and even distasteful at times, when confronted with particularly sticky issues and people that may repel us. Yet we are called to remember to look for Christ in strangers, the sick, the imprisoned, and the poor, and care for them in any way we can, without any expectation of a return in kind. Also, as well, those who seem better off in life than we are, and those who, in our less than best moments, we simply disparage as goats.

     Some days, some seasons, some years, it's much easier to be a goat and rest in the more-comfy Jesus ~ the sweet Baby of the Christmas glitter, pretty packages, and sparkling decorations, and, ignoring the other “reason for the season,” the resurrected Jesus in the bright colors of Easter flowers, dyed eggs, and candy.

     But, as we are at the end of one liturgical season and beginning another, it is time to consider again our thoughts and actions as members of the Body of Christ, working to follow Jesus with intention and consciousness for as we do to others, we do to Christ ~ the Jesus who is our Messiah, the Rock of our Salvation, Christ the King of Glory.

     The writer of Ephesians prays for our wisdom, our enlightenment, and for us to know the glory of God’s immeasurable greatness. Let us not discard divine mystery for a false reality, but rouse ourselves from the haze of distraction, indifference, and complacency, and the once-a-week sense of “I’ve done it” by church attendance. Let us, as the blessed inheritors of the Kingdom, turn toward the inconvenient call of Christ. After all, if we believe that our very existence on this fragile island planet is truly a gift from God, what is there to lose if we live it through Christ? All that truly matters is not glitter, but, in Christ where it shines always and forever.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY 

Leader:  ~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, awaken us again to the wonder of God’s fullness in You, the beacon of our faith. Gather us as Your sheep into our divine blessings, for being Your love in the world, and for tending to and beckoning the goats of this life to turn and join us in Your eternal flock.
 
                                                         Jesus, Face of God
              RESPONSE:                Enlighten the eyes of our hearts
 
~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, guide our conscious intent in our own actions to assure that we and the leaders of governments on this Planet, locally and globally, seek the lost, bind up the injured, feed the hungry, and all for their own sake, in justice with mercy. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       Jesus, Face of God
                                                       Enlighten the eyes of our hearts
 
~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, grant comfort and healing for all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and for those who give them care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
 
                                                       Jesus, Face of God
                                                       Enlighten the eyes of our hearts
          
~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, embrace all grieving hearts as You joyously bless those now entering Your gracious and forever kingdom. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
 
                                                       Jesus, Face of God
                                                       Enlighten the eyes of our hearts
 
~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Face of God
                                                       Enlighten the eyes of our hearts
                       
~ Christ Jesus, King of Glory, inscribe special blessings upon the souls of those anointed to lead us in Your Church, as we journey together through the gifts and trials of this mortal life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Face of God
                                                       Enlighten the eyes of our hearts

The Celebrant adds: Son of Man, the Incarnation of Love, even as we each are at once sheep and goat, You extend the blessing of Your welcoming and forgiving hands. Strengthen us in our weakness that we may one day rise into Your holy and sacred Kingdom. We offer our praise to You as Jesus, our Redeemer Christ; to the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom Guide; and to our Glorious Creator, who together and before time, live and reign as one God, then, now, and into forever. Amen.

 

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