Prayers of the People: This Son is Risen! ~ Easter Day '24 Yr B

For Sunday, March 31, 2024, Readings: Acts 10:34-43, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; 

1 Corinthians 15:1-11, John 20:1-18

  Peter began to speak..."I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable..."[Jesus] commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead...everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. [Acts 10:34-35] 

   Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his mercy endures forever....On this day the Lord has acted and we will rejoice and be glad in it. [Psalm 118:1, 24]

For I handed on to you as of first importance...that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures... [1 Corinthians 15:3-4]

  Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni” (which means Teacher)…Jesus said to her…”go to my brothers and say to them I am ascending to my Father…” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples...”I have seen the Lord…” [John 20:16-18]

EASTER is here! Hallelujah!! Christ IS Risen!!!

    There are four Gospel accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This year we hear from the Gospel of John who tells us of Mary the Magdalene’s weeping at the tomb and, looking in, seeing two angels sitting where the body of Jesus had been placed. The angels asked why she was weeping. She turned around and saw Jesus but didn’t recognize him at first and then, she did…

    How long has it been since you took some time to reflect on what Easter actually means to you? How would you describe it? Listen to the readings as they are given aloud. If you weren’t listening or weren’t in Church, or if you did both, it’s easy now to find them on YouTube as so many Churches have been recording since the Pandemic. Take a listen and later, read the different accounts of the same event in different translations.*

   Take notes as you reflect on what surprises you and what questions arise. Notice the similarities and differences. Wonder, and try to decide, if one account speaks to you more than another and why? Visualize yourself in the time and place. Ask yourself: So what? ~ What does it all mean for my life today, tomorrow, and beyond? What will I start doing ~ or stop doing ~ as a result of reflecting on Christ's Death and Resurrection? Put your notes in a Bible or somewhere you can find them. Mark next year’s Easter on your phone’s calendar with a reminder to do this exercise again. Then, retrieve your notes from this year. Compare and contrast with the notes of the two years. Each time we listen and read, we hear/see new things and can often gain a fresh perspective and a new experience of the moments described. 

   The late Thomas Merton, who became a Trappist Monk after being a world traveler in his early life, says in his book, He is Risen:

Christ is the Lord of a history that moves. He not only holds the beginning and the end in his hands, but he is in history with us, walking ahead of us to where we are going…True encounter with Christ liberates something in us, a power that we did not know we had, a hope, a capacity for life, resilience, an ability to bounce back when we thought we were completely defeated, a capacity to grow and change, a power of creative transformation.

How important are the Gospel words in these times, for you?

    Let us seek fresh joy, that fuels a creative transformation. I want to dust off and resurrect my faith, to meet and be liberated by Christ beyond the tomb. I believe that the Resurrection of Easter requires the Cross of Good Friday, and as Christ is moving with us and before us, our path though not easy, will surely lead us into the eternal Easter of Life Everlasting.  

    And while you’re at it, don’t forget to be in touch with those for whom the Church is always distant and unattainable, who are isolated by age, illness, physical distance, and other reasons. A phone call, a note, a mail-ordered or just a small-but-hand-delivered Easter basket will go a long way to keeping Christ present by your presence in their absence from us…a little taste of heaven on earth goes a long way.

    Wherever you are on this planet whether bursting into Spring, slipping into Autumn, or somewhere in between, today the grace of his forgiveness our is assured always, again, and still, through this Risen Lord of All. This Son IS Risen! Hallelujah!

*The Resurrection accounts: Matthew 28:1-20, Mark 16:1-20, Luke 24:1-12 [13-44], John 20:1-18.

**For different translations, see https://www.biblegateway.com/. Just search on the passages listed and choose from a large number of translations. Some listed such as The Good News Bible, The Living Bible, The Message, etc., are not translations but paraphrases by authors choosing to make the more formal Scriptural language somewhat easier to relate the translations to everyday thoughts and speaking. It often helps in reverse by turning back to the Scripture to understand it more clearly.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Christ, Risen! On this Day the Lord has acted! We will rejoice and be glad in it. In the midst of the darkness and fear in this world, let us revel in the Divine Light of Your Glorious Resurrection.
 
                                               Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
                   Response:     Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
 
~ O Christ, Risen! ~  Your Death and Resurrection fulfilled the Scriptures as the Sacred Victim of political murder, feared most by those whose political power was/is merely temporal and time-limited. Help us strive to remind those who now hold earthly power in our World, in our Country and in our Community, that God shows no partiality and all are acceptable and forgiven through You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                               Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
                                             Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
 
~ O Christ, Risen! Lavish Your healing grace and hope upon all who are ailing in body, mind, or spirit, and all who give them daily care. We now join our hearts to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions
 
                                               Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
                                             Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
           
~ O Christ, Risen! Our grateful hearts commend to You those we love, who have risen with You into the heavenly peace and splendor of life everlasting. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
 
                                               Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
                                            Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
 
~ O Christ, Risen! We pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions
 
                                               Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
                                            Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
                      
~ O Christ, Risen! Infuse the leaders of Your Church with limitless energy and interior peace, as they strive in ever more creative ways, to guide our prayer and encourage us to follow Your Truth. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                               Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
                                            Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
                                                                                                       
The Celebrant adds: Holy Redeemer Christ, Resurrected in Glory, in dying You destroyed our mortal death; in rising You claimed salvation for our souls. Release us from temporal distractions that entomb us in this earthly life, and set us again on the path to our True and Eternal Life in You. We ask through the Holy Spirit, the Divine Breath of New Life; and our Merciful Impartial Creator, who together with You are One God in Glory, Boundless, and Everlasting. Amen.

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Meditation in Lent ~ Holy Week Monday: After the Hosannas... '24

March 25, 2024, Monday in Holy Week

    MONDAY, after all of the joy and excitement of Palm Sunday, sees Jesus back in the town of Bethany.  On the previous Saturday, Jesus came to raise his friend Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus had been dead in the tomb for four days, and his sisters Mary and Martha were in anguish.  Now on this day, Jesus returns to a dinner by Martha to see Lazarus and enjoy a meal among his closest friends. Mary decides to welcome him ~ in the traditional way of hospitality of the time ~ by cleaning and anointing His feet but instead of a simple washing, she uses an exquisite ointment known as Nard. Then she dries His feet with her hair.  

    One of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, makes a snide comment about the expensive perfumed ointment that Mary used saying that it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. He didn’t care about the poor. He was in charge of the money and also a thief skimming money for himself off the top of whatever had been donated to the group of Jesus and his disciples.  Jesus, supportive of Mary's actions, told Judas that Mary had purchased the jar of Nard in preparation for Jesus' own death and burial and that, "You always have the poor with you but you do not always have me."

    Meanwhile, a great crowd was assembling to see Jesus and Lazarus together.  The chief priests were not at all pleased at this development, especially after throngs of excited people along the entry route into Jerusalem the day before. They decided that they would put both Jesus and Lazarus to death. All that was being said of the miracle of raising of Lazarus were turning Jews away from the religious authorities of the Synagogue toward this Jesus. The chief priests felt their own power threatened by this new and very powerful prophet. 

    Have you ever really experienced the tension of this week because of knowing the outcome? Try to imagine it. Listen, hear. Be there. Immerse yourself in the Gospel of Mark 14:1-15:47 over this week. Live into them. Attend the Stations of the Cross in person or online. Also be present for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Be here in our own time, with mounting tension in this country and around the world, with political executions and increasing violence. Think about racing through a favorite mystery to find out whodunit, or almost biting your nails in a thriller movie not knowing the end. The clock is ticking...

Sweet Jesus,

       On this Monday in Holy Week, the Gospel speaks of You relaxing at dinner with friends and being pampered as we go about the busy-ness of everyday life. How unaware are we today, as were the disciples on that day, of the significance of this week in our own lives as Christians? 

       The Sanhedrin were plotting against You, and we are making lists of necessities for Easter Day, including bunny-shaped chocolates and marshmallow peeps in brightly colored baskets with plastic grass and hard-boiled eggs dyed in multiple colors. Where, in this country and in the world at large on this day in our time are executions, official and individual, being planned and carried out against innocent people? How many unknown women, men, and children will be brutalized for their religious beliefs, their race, gender, ethnicity, who they love, or simply because they seem to be a threat to some person or group in power? 

     Grace us with Your spirit Lord, let us Your followers, hear and pay attention to that still small voice inside that tells us to take a moment today to Give Up a few minutes of our ordinary Monday to Take On truly reflecting on what the events of Holy Week, and especially Easter Day, mean to us in our faith journey. Pray for insights and opportunities to make even a small yet positive difference in someone’s life today and often. 

      Remind us to give thanksgiving for the ordinary parts of a day that make up an extraordinary life for the many of us that don't have to fear murderous persecution. Help us to remember and realize, today, why it is that we're privileged to be gathering fun fillings for an "Easter Basket?" 

    It's only Monday and much more than shopping and preparing an Easter Feast is yet to come during this very sacred, Holy Week.  amen.

 

 

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Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 34: Give Up, Take On, Pray '24

Saturday, March 23, 2024 ~ Day 34

     It is most comfortable to be invisible, to observe life from a distance, 

at one with our own intoxicating superior thoughts.

~ Anne Lamott*  

    I'm not sure it's invisibility that I would find comfortable, perhaps just being aloof and observing from an overhead vantage point or from my own personal pedestal. There are times when I like being close enough but far enough away, keeping everyone at arm's length. Then I can dish in my own head with clever if less than kind judgments, point my (invisible) finger at those who are merely common in their small lives, while I in my brilliance could solve all personal and global issues if I allowed them close enough for me to impart my wisdom. 
    And then, something in my head breaks out into:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

[Isaiah 55:8-9 NRSV]

 

Dear Most Superior Invisible One,

    I realize that my own self-described superior thoughts aren’t worth much at all if I'm using them to be condescending to others. Clearly I am not giving away the love and grace You are providing to me to share generously with others (and myself), even if only silently at times.

   For today, I’ll give up being merely an observer of people from an impersonal distance. I’ll take on becoming more up close and personal, when appropriate and comfortable for another. I’ll pray to remember that I'm not the judge of others, which, anyway, is more likely a reflection of how I judge myself. Help me to remember, daily, that the life You have given us is to be lived knowing You are within us and seeing the radiance of Your love in every single person we meet. No matter my presumption of the life circumstance, attitude, faith practice or lack of, politics, size, age, gender, etc., of another, You have taught me to love that neighbor as myself. Having You to lean on, turn to, and continually learn from is a far better way to experience superior intoxication. amen.

 

*Anne Lamott [1954 - ], is an American political activist and author of non-fiction and novels all largely autobiographical and with her signature wit, humor, and self-deprecation. Tackling alcoholism, single-motherhood, and depression, Lamott brings us in to everyday American situations with down-to-earth, sometimes irreverent vocabulary and structure that cuts directly to the center of life.

 Oh Lord it's Hard to be Humble: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYKWch_MNY0

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Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 33: Give Up, Take On, Pray '24

Friday, March 22, 2024 ~ Day 33

magnified fish scale

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree,

                          it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.                         

~ Albert Einstein* 

Don't Judge a Fish by its Scales!
    I cannot count the times I have felt diminished by being told I wasn't capable of x or that I couldn't possibly achieve y for a variety of reasons such as being too young, too old, too stupid, and once because I have red hair. I've also been elated by the encouragement of or compliment by some I respect and admire, and even by strangers. How easy it can be to shake or make self-confidence, to thwart or inspire development. How fragile we, who-pretend-even-to-ourselves-we-are-not, often are. Let’s not judge ourselves by our own scales.
       

Lord of all Created Life,  

   For today and all days ahead, I will strive ever harder to give up  judging others, even if it is only in my head and not coming out of my mouth, as I remember the insensitive and hurtful things done or said unto me (even if some of those say-ers were unaware). I will take on and improve upon the role of encourager and listener, and, even if I’m pretty sure that fish cannot climb that tree, let me remember we can all be surprised at the outcomes when one is just that determined! I pray for the serenity to let go of all the un-useful stuff I've carried within me, to forgive the intended and unintended slights by others, that I may be forgiven for my too many slights and insensitive acts toward others, and to look within to get on with scaling my own trees to their highest heights. amen. 

*Albert Einstein [1879-1955], German-born, is an icon of theoretical physics, a Nobel Prize winner, with such an enormous catalog of many intellectual and scientific achievements to his credit that his name has become the synonym for genius. He was visiting in the US in 1933 when Hitler came to power and he never returned to Germany. He became a US citizen in 1940 and warned President Roosevelt of the possible weapon development in Germany that would become the Manhattan Project in the US leading to the atomic bomb. Einstein later denounced the use of nuclear fission for weapons but had been worried that Germany would develop it first. His career in the US was with the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University in New Jersey which lasted until his death in 1955.

 

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Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 32: Give Up, Take On, Pray '24

March 21, 2024 ~ 6th Thursday in Lent

   “Imagine a trust in yourself, or another person, or in life itself, that doesn’t need to be proved or demonstrated, that is able to contain uncertainty.  People sometimes put their trust in a spiritual leader and are terribly betrayed if that person then fails to live up to ideals. But a real trust of faith would be to decide whether to trust someone, knowing that betrayal is inevitable because life and personality are never without shadow. The vulnerability that faith demands could be matched by an equal trust in oneself, the feeling that one can survive the pain of betrayal.”    ~Thomas Moore* [emphasis added]

   Betrayal comes in many forms and guises and when discovered it is deeper than a knife in the heart. It can feel as if the depth of that knife is fatal and at times, for myself, I wanted it to be so. But it is survivable ~ out of everyone I've ever known, I know of only a few who have willingly mislead or intentionally deceived me, and one or two that I’m aware of who didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth. As with any trauma, however deep or embedded in our hearts and souls and psyches, with help as needed, we can move forward. Today is all we have in this Earthly existence. Living in past anguish prolongs it. Counting the ones we can and do trust, relieves it and steadies the ground of our being that theologian Paul Tillich described, even if we are, understandably, a bit wary for  a time.

Dear Jesus,
          Betrayal in my life pales in comparison to Yours. While You saw it coming and predicted it to the very people who would betray You, perhaps in Your humanness You still hoped that it would not come to be. 
         As for me, learning to trust after discovering a betrayal was very difficult and very painful. I have moved on but the faint echo of the hurt is still there yet fading with the time that passes. So, for today, I will give up needing to replay the anguish in my mind and take on making certain that I am not one who will ever deceive another or cause any emotional harm. I will pray to trust my own instinct about people and accept that I will sometimes be disappointed, and I, no doubt, may disappoint others. AND I will concentrate on all the many, many others who have been and are grace-filled gifts in my life. This is proof enough that I can have faith and trust in others as I have in You. More importantly, whatever happens in human relationships, I know that my faith and trust in You will always be well-placed. amen.  

*Thomas Moore [1940- ], is a writer, psychotherapist influenced by Carl Jung and James Hillman. He is also former monk, and has been a professor at Glassboro State College and Southern Methodist University.  Dr. Moore has authored Care of the Soul, which was on the NY Times bestseller list for almost a year, and Soul Mates among 30 other books on soul, spirituality, and depth psychology, and lectures internationally on ecology, psychotherapy, and religion.

 

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Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 31: Give Up, Take On, Pray

March 20, 2024 ~ 6th Wednesday in Lent

“[There are those activities that] we use...for a kind of pleasure which can be called "fun." But it is not the creative kind of fun often connected with play; it is, rather, a shallow, distracting, greedy way of "having fun." And it is not by chance that it is that type of fun which can easily be commercialized, for it is dependent on calculable reactions, without passion, without risk, without love. Of all the dangers that threaten our civilization, this is one of the most dangerous ones: the escape from one’s emptiness through a ‘fun’ which makes joy impossible.”

~ Paul Tillich* 1886-1965

-What kinds of things do you do "for fun" or relaxation or simple pleasure: Photography, playing a musical instrument,  cooking, reading, bird watching, dancing, video games, playing the slots, gardening, playing or watching  outdoor sports, watching television or movies or Facebook or other social media, or games, on your phone in a restaurant at a table with others...  

-When does fun turn into idle play or idle play into an obsession or addiction, or trying to always please others?

-When is "entertainment" at the expense of or in exploitation of others (however well they are being paid)?

-Do your fun times improve your life financially, enhance 

a relationship, or your physical, and mental health?

Dear God of Free Time ~ 

   What should I do when my time is my own ~ is there a right way or a wrong way to do "fun"? Does everything I do in life have to be filled with usefulness and meaning?  Sometimes I just want to sit and vege-out in front of the tv, sometimes I want to run on the beach, learn to paint, or sing in the car. Sometimes I want to write the perfect sonnet or cook the most sumptuous meal for friends. I don't want to be responsible for saving civilization.

    Well, then let me think this through. For today, I'll give up some of the empty time of mindless "entertainment." I'll take on some mindful relaxation that will give me a positive outlook on life and then transfer some of that into energy to contribute something use-full to at least local civilization if only in a small way. I'll pray to keep idle play from becoming idol play. I'll keep trying to remember that You are present in every moment of my day and only through You can I experience the joy that this life has to offer and then offer it in a variety of ways to others.  amen.

   

*Paul Tillich is considered as one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century, and Christian Existentialist Philosopher.  His seminal work is a three-volume series on Systematic Theology, which is his most widely known writing though there are many others.  A German-born Lutheran pastor, Tillich came into conflict at the rise of Nazi power and was encouraged by Reinhold Niebuhr [see Prayers for Lent Day 23] to join the faculty of Union Theological Seminary in New York. He later became one of the Five highest ranking Professors at Harvard University and later a professor of theology at the University of Chicago.  His strong influence continues in the world of academic philosophy and theology with its critics and apologists - a legacy that will survive for a very long time to come. 

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Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 30: Give Up, Take On, Pray '24

March 19, 2024 ~ 5^th Tuesday in Lent 

Doubt is not the opposite of faith; FEAR is.

- Verna J. Dozier*

   "Back when I first started talking about ministry, it was seen as something the ordained did. Lay people had no ministry at all except as they participated in the work of the institution. If you taught in the Christian education program, you had a ministry. If you taught in the public schools, you 'did time' five days a week until you could get to your ministry. When I began my second career, people would say, 'You taught school for thirty-two years; then you began your ministry.' … In my unredeemed way, I would steel myself and reply through clenched teeth, 'No, I continued my ministry.'"

    Perhaps our American Constitutional concept of "Separation of Church and State" permeates our consciousness more than we realize. According to most definitions work is work and ministry is what certain officially ordained clergy do for work. But are we ordinary people not Christians every part of every day, and representatives of Christ, or does that only happen when we're in Church? How does our idea of ministry change if we are being Christ's ministers whenever and wherever we are? Maybe that seems easier if you're a teacher, a doctor, or a social worker. Is it possible to be a minister if you're a motorcycle mechanic, house painter, file clerk, in a grocery store line, or corporate CEO? If we truly are one body in Christ, with many members each with our own gifts, what, in even shaky Faith, is there to Fear from accepting our roles as ministers of the Gospel whatever, whenever, wherever it is that we are doing? 

Dear Chief Minister:
       I really don't want to stand on the street corner and handout leaflets, or knock on doors to proclaim You to the world. Even so, I would like to believe that I can be one of Your ministers without having to be so formal about it. Maybe I'm just being presumptuous to think so if I have no special training or credentials. So, how do I get to have a ministry?  Maybe if for today I give up the notion that only specially educated, formally trained, ordained people can be ministers, I can take on looking at the most mundane, or more important task as a ministry. If it is something that needs to be done, wherever it is, I can complete it or at least contribute time and energy to it without grumbling and resentment. I can smile at someone I pass on the street. I can listen to someone without interrupting. I can just be a comfortable presence and accept people for who and where in life they are. I can serve soup, or read at the Sunday service, serve on a church vestry or council; I can learn how to do other kinds of ministry in and out of “Church.”  I can seek some training in an area of Church life that interests me. I will pray to know You are with me always and allow that to guide my thoughts, my actions, and my sense of being an integral part Your One Body.  If everything I do is in the spirit of and as a minister of Christ's Gospel, then perhaps I will more easily be conscious of what I will NOT do, and, act accordingly. amen.

What is your definition of ministry? Here are a few that still only recognize the ordained:

-From Webster: the body of ministers of religion: clergy

-From Dictionary.com:

1. the service, functions, or profession of a minister of religion;  

2.the body or class of ministers of religion; clergy. 

-From TheFreeDictionary.com: a. The profession, duties, and services of a minister; b. The Christian clergy; c. The period of service of a minister

 

From the 1979 Episcopal Book of Common Prayer Catechism, pg 855:

Q. Who are the ministers of the Church?

A. The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons.

Q. What is the ministry of the laity?

A. The ministry of lay persons is to represent Christ and his Church, to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and, according to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ's work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church.

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