Prayers of the People: Rising to the Occasion and Beyond ~ 2nd Sunday of Easter '24 Yr B

For Sunday, April 07, 2024, Readings: Acts 4:32-35, Psalm 133, 1 John 1:1-2:2, John 20:19-31

 With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and a great grace was upon them all. [Acts 4:33]

     Oh how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together in unity! [Psalm 133:1]

  ...if we walk in the light, as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us all from sin. [1 John 1:7]

   But Thomas...was not with them when Jesus came....[and] he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in his side, I will not believe..." [Jesus] said to him, "Have you [now] believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." [John 20:24, 25b, 29]

  Thomas is the ultimate skeptic, a patron saint for all of us who are skeptical of many claims of various types. He carries the load for those among us who are reluctant to admit to doubts about faith, questions about God, or wondering about events recorded in the Bible. By the way, the other Apostles also doubted briefly [see Luke 24:1-12] ~ so we who have had our own doubts are all in good company. And the company we are in is also the point ~ those who knew Jesus in their own lifetimes came together as a faith community sharing joy, fellowship, and the necessities of life as followers before and after Christ's Resurrection. Then, and in many succeeding generations, those we speak of as early Christians faced tremendous fear and the reality of vicious persecution as many Christians, and many members of other faith traditions, still do today. The continuous re-telling and re-living of our story keeps us connected by remembering the why of our faith even in those moments of faint acceptance or full unbelief.

     Easter, however, isn't merely a day or a season, it is meant to be our way of life, as Easter People. From the beginning of Advent we are preparing the way for and seeking the glory and joy of the Resurrection, achieved through the great sacrifice and pain that we are to have experienced through the readings of Holy Week and, Good Friday in particular.  

     While the penitential season of Lent has given way to the joy of Easter, we are to continue to re-examine the manner in which we live our lives through our thoughts, words, and actions with and for everyone we meet. It is in fellowship, in a trusting faith community, that we remember, walk in, and reflect the light he himself is, with peace and the Holy Spirit within us. It is also a place where doubts are accepted without reproach as who among us, but the rare one or two, hasn’t doubted these events if briefly or frequently?

      In these still confusing and difficult times, let us work together to keep and dispense Christ’s message of Peace be with you, as we strive for unity and love wherever we are. Despite deep divisions among humans, and our own now and then doubts, through our companioning and fellowship with one another, God's truth within us, and living in Christ's name, we can rise along with Christ and each other to new heights of faith ~ undoubtedly! And oh how good and pleasant it is to rise to this glorious occasion in our own lifetime and live in it far beyond this one.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Holy Christ, our Lord and our Messiah, release us from the stifling darkness of the sin and doubt of our own making, to accept the cleansing of our souls by Your Resurrection that bolsters our faith and fellowship in Your Name, through every facet of life.

                                                        Jesus, Light and Peace of God

   RESPONSE:              Raise us to new heights in Faith 

          

~ Holy Christ, our Lord and our Messiah, awaken Your great grace within us and especially in all the Lawmakers of our World, our Country, and our Community. Activate a deep desire to pursue unity in peace, health, and well-being, so that no one, anywhere, is further ravaged by war, poverty, disease, or any desperate need. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Light and Peace of God

                                                       Raise us to new heights in Faith

~ Holy Christ, our Lord and our Messiah, grant Your healing touch of hope and love to soothe and comfort all who are unwell in body, mind, or spirit, and to all who give them care We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Light and Peace of God

                                                       Raise us to new heights in Faith

~ Holy Christ, our Lord and our Messiah, You are Risen Indeed as are all of our beloved departed, who now shine in the glory of life everlasting with You. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Light and Peace of God

                                                       Raise us to new heights in Faith

~ Holy Christ, our Lord and our Messiah, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Light and Peace of God

                                                       Raise us to new heights in Faith         

~ Holy Christ, our Lord and our Messiah, infuse Your anointed Disciples with an abundance of spiritual oxygen, to fill us all with the fresh air of Your Presence within and among us, lifting our purpose daily, and carrying us on the current of Your limitless love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Light and Peace of God

                                                       Raise us to new heights in Faith

The Celebrant adds: Holy Jesus, Risen Lord, guide us to see with new eyes, to love with new hearts, and to hope with new faith that we, as Easter People, open ourselves to new life, unburdened by doubt, radiating Your Light from within. We ask through You, our Glorious Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, our soul’s Wisdom; who together with God, our Almighty Creator, live and reign now and forever.  Amen.

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Meditation Moment in Eastertide: Monday in Holy Week ~ What's Left in Your Basket? '24

April 1, 2024 ~ Monday in Easter Week 

Now What?

    How often have we simply walked through the idea of the penitence of Lent, the excitement of Palm Sunday, the passion of Holy Week, and the joyful celebration of Your miraculous Resurrection, taking it all for granted because it happens for us every year? And now, all our work of Lent and Easter is over and we can get back to normal while we finish up the peeps, jelly beans, and what's left of the chocolate bunnies, right? Yet, a question remains ~ what are we to do with all the leftover faith eggs from our baskets?

O Christ Risen! 

    Where do we go from here? Of course life was so much simpler when I was a kid (in age, body, and mind). Easter was just a day for new clothes and a big family dinner like Thanksgiving and Christmas. And now, as an alleged grown-up (no doubt of that in age and body and mind!), I’m supposed to actually stop to think and reflect that You suffered, You died real actual death, and You Resurrected from that real actual death for each of us. Of course I have done that in the moment during Church services that were inspiring and then I'd go home, order pizza, flip through Facebook, watch tv, and make a grocery list. Yet, I've often felt as though I have more to do, more to be in terms of putting my faith into action ~ but ~ I am well aware that openly and intentionally following You carries some serious responsibilities and, honestly, I'm really not sure I'm completely up to the task. I mean, I fall off that wagon of attempted perfection quite regularly and those moments of doubting my faith and my commitment creep in. BUT ~  well, okay, insert taking a long deep breath here, it's a new week, it's a new season, maybe even a new me as in a new creation [1 Corinthians 5:17]. I'll keep going. I'm putting all of my faith eggs in one basket, Yours. I do believe that You are all I need but I could use some serious help here, please.

    In this and all times of trial, open our hearts to truly REJOICE in this Eastertide as if for the very first time and for all the best reasons. amen. 

 

 

 

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Meditation Moments in Lent ~ Holy Saturday: Into the Silence ‘24

March 30, 2024 ~ Holy Saturday

Matthew 27:57-61

    When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 

        Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, were there, sitting opposite the tomb ~ in the silence. In the silence of deep grief, the shock, the wide-eyed wonder of disbelief colliding with a reality that still hadn't quite set in. They are doing what must be done according to religious law and custom, but there is a nearly indefinable hollow space within them.
        In the midst of all of the "Easter" busy-ness, I must take time on this Holy Saturday and find the most silent place I am able to find even if only with sound-proof headphones on in the bathroom. I must breathe in the quiet, the stillness, the emptiness of the Marys. Yet I am also able to breathe with the relief of knowing how this day will turn into joy. But for however many minutes, and more if I steal the time away, I will sit with the Marys...waiting...hearing the stillness, the beating of our hearts, the deafening sound of silence...

Jesus, our Holy Redeemer,

     On this Saturday, let the silence of the Tomb engulf us as it did the followers of Jesus. In their stillness, they heard only the beating of their own sorrowful hearts. After Your cruel death, the night was long and dark and cold, and physically and emotionally painful in heart, mind, and soul.
     You know, as did all of Your Disciples, and for many of us in our own time, waking the day after a stunning and shocking loss, that day is just as confusing as the moment it happened, as first light offers a nano-second of forgetting. Then as sudden as the loss, the reality hits the psyche again as a lightning strike that penetrates deeply and burns hot. In their time, the followers of Jesus would still be in shock this day, knowingly yet futilely grasping at any hole in the truth that what they witnessed yesterday didn't happen, couldn’t possibly have happened. But it did happen. 
     Be with us, Lord, as yesterday and the day before, we had the opportunity to hear or read again the Gospel accounts of the last days of Your human life. Help us, on this day after, to pause from our busyness in preparing for the celebration of tomorrow. While we, in our time, know the next part of the story, those who knew You in their time did not. Open us, this day, to relate to the grief of those who knew and loved You in that time, their pain, their grief, their emptiness, their fear. Embrace us through the mercy of Your Redemption, to find courage and purpose and peace in answering Your call to return our souls to You, to know and live our love for You by being Your disciples in our time even when it is the most difficult thing to do. 
     Even as we know the story of what tomorrow will bring, let us go through this day and this night as if we do not. Take us into the silence of Your Tomb. amen. 

 

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Meditation in Lent ~ Holy Week: Good Friday ~ An Ending that isn't over... '24

March 29, 2024 ~ Holy Week: Good Friday

The Gospel of John 18:1-19:42

     In Wilmington, Delaware USA on Good Friday, for several years prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, my Episcopal Parish and choir of Sts. Andrew and Matthew (SsAM), with members of other congregations of various denominations, gathered to walk the city streets in procession, stopping at 8 different places that were designated as our Urban Stations of the Cross for that particular year. Some of the places chosen over time were community centers, shelters, food distribution organizations, the State Building housing criminal courts and State Offices, and neighborhood sites of prior and recent violence and death.

    Traditionally there are 14 Stations but in the interest of time and coordinating with the City for assistance in crossing busy streets, etc., 8 were chosen each year. The procession returned to SsAM for the 8^th Station and a concluding prayer service. It was a humbling privilege to be asked to write the prayers for these Urban Stations each year being joined with the others who wrote for and planned these powerful experiences. The following was my contribution to the walk of 2017.

    If you have never experienced the Stations of the Cross, or even if you have many times, follow along as if on the walk in this year, in a personal meditation, through the last hours of the earthly life of Jesus.

 

1.      Jesus is condemned to die – Truth

Jesus, Scapegoat of Cowards, Messiah of Humanity, You were condemned to earthly death by the will of the self-interested, who, fearing loss of their local power, fueled and manipulated the rage of the discontented. As we walk through our human time, let us look deeper into Your Gospel to find our guidance, seeking the True Life of eternity with You.

Christ, Lord of Life, Now and Forever

Grant us courage to follow and stand fast in Your TRUTH

2.      Jesus takes up his cross – Fortitude

Jesus, Messiah of Humanity, with courage and determination, You took on the cross, bearing its worldly weight upon your scourged and weary shoulders. Help us, in everyday moments and our deepest darkest times, to see Your cross as a symbol of survival, on our way to the never-ending joy of Life without shadow in Love’s Pure Light.

Christ, Lord of Life, Now and Forever

Strengthen our hearts to persist in this life with Your FORTITUDE

3.      Jesus falls for the first time – Perseverance

Jesus, Messiah of Humanity, even in a most weakened physical state, You are our model of endurance, an example of pushing on through excruciating pain ~ physical, emotional, and spiritual ~ even in the most brutal stages of Life. As our Perfecter of Faith, reinforce our willingness to get up again and again and again, whenever we fall down in our faith in You.

Christ, Lord of Life, Now and Forever

Empower us to run with PERSERVERANCE the race to everlasting peace.

4.      Jesus meets His Mother – Tenderness

Jesus, Messiah of Humanity, this exquisite yet tragic image of Mother-Son love reaches profoundly into the essence of us all. Infuse our souls with the instinct to protect and shelter each other in the midst of Life’s traumas – loved ones and strangers alike – as we are sheltered by Your Saving Grace.

Christ, Lord of Life, Now and Forever

Inspire our hearts to reflect and offer the TENDERNESS of Your perfect love.

5.      The Cross is laid on Simon of Cyrene – Hope

Jesus, Messiah of Humanity, as even the strongest need a helping hand in a difficult time of Life, relieve us of our reluctance to give aid to another in trouble, for whatever the burden and whatever the cost.

Christ, Lord of Life, Now and Forever

May the infinite HOPE of Your Sacrifice dwell deeply in our souls.

6.      Jesus and the women of Jerusalem – Compassion

Jesus, Messiah of Humanity, in Your most difficult moment in human Life, You show us an extraordinary example of empathy for others. Assist us as we strive to follow Your Commandments to love God, and to love others as if they were ourselves.

Christ, Lord of Life, Now and Forever

Grant us the COMPASSION to know ourselves and others as Your very own.

7.      The Crucifixion – Acceptance

Jesus, Scapegoat of Cowards, Messiah of Humanity, as Your mortal time waned upon the cross, Your steadfast spirit gave way to accepting this price for the redemption of every single human Life. Let us take a moment to be still, to breathe deeply, to ponder the depth and breadth of emotion, the wonder and awe, of the moment that Your being transformed from lifeless Human to Eternally Divine.

Christ, Lord of Life, Now and Forever

Empower our souls to know Repentance, Faith, Trust, and ACCEPTANCE of the trials of our Earthly time, caring for others as we care for ourselves, as our vehicle to Heavenly Glory. In the Shadow of Death there is Life, everlasting.

8.      Jesus is laid in the tomb – Life

Jesus, Messiah of Humanity, let us wait in quiet solitude, in the silence of the Tomb, for a radiant awakening in the dawn of New Life. Grant us a peaceful transition at our own time, being serenely willing and unflinchingly ready to rise again in Glory, free of sin and strife, through the magnitude of the Sacrifice by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Christ, Lord of Life, Now and Forever

Transform our mortal sojourn by the way of Your Truth, Fortitude, Perseverance, Tenderness, Hope, Compassion, and Acceptance, as we await Your Glorious Resurrection and the LIFE of the World to Come. AMEN.

 

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Meditation in Lent ~ Holy Week Maundy/Holy Thursday '24

March 28, 2024 ~ Maundy/Holy Thursday

The Book of Exodus 12:1-14

The Gospel of John 13:1-7, 31b-35

           For the Passover, God, through Moses and Aaron, promised protection to all whose homes displayed the blood of a sacrificed lamb and proclaimed it a day of remembrance forever. It is celebrated this year before sundown on April 22 and ends after nightfall on April 30. It is a Festival of Liberation remembering the Jews’ Exodus from slavery in Egypt.

    On this Thursday, Jesus knew his earthly life was coming to an end. In his final Passover supper with the Disciples, he gave them ~ and us ~ the mystery of the sacrament of His Body and Blood ~ the Eucharist [U-ka-rist]~ as a New Covenant with God, a perpetual remembrance of Him for the redemption of us all. On this night, Jesus surprised his Disciples by washing their feet, as a servant would do, to show them humility. And on this night, he told them that Judas would betray him, and, that Peter would deny him 3 times.

    The phrase “Last Supper” never appears in the Christian/New Testament as for Jesus and his followers, this was Passover, which occasionally occurs at the same time as Christian Holy Week/Easter, though not this year. The name for this day in our time varies with Christian worship traditions: Holy Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, or even Thursday of Mysteries. The Anglican/Episcopal tradition calls it Maundy Thursday which some say comes from the Latin mendicare for beg or, from mandatum for mandate or command. Maundy Money is a silver coin distributed by/for a reigning British monarch as a symbolic gesture to elderly pensioners on this day.

     We now enter the solemn Easter Triduum [trid-oo-um], a period of three days, that in its fullest extent, begins with a Liturgy tonight after sundown, reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil on Saturday night or a sunrise service on Easter Day, and concludes with Evening Prayer on Easter night. Counting from sundown to sundown: Thursday to Friday is 1 day, Friday to Saturday is 2, and Saturday to Sunday is the 3rd day.  

     However your Christian denominational Tradition names it, on this night, Jesus said, I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another [John 13:34-35].

Jesus, Lamb of God,

         Tonight, we remember You in the Garden of Gethsemane with the disciples who could not stay awake with You for even one hour. In ordinary human existence it isn’t that hard to imagine escaping into sleep as someone else is praying for something you don't quite understand. Would I have had the prayer words I'd need? Do I have them now? How much time am I willing to give on this night, and in any day or night, to remember You in moments of joy, or in everyday life trying to pay bills, grocery shopping, or just filling the car with gas?  

         Lord Jesus, my Savior, thank You for who You were in Your human time and for who You are in our time. Help me to be a better reflection of Your love and humility in this world so that I may be known as a disciple, as a true Christian.

        And, Lord Christ, today I’ll give up blasting through life unconsciously and pay attention to all the people and all the activities of everyday life that I usually overlook as unimportant or even annoying. I’ll take on learning to love others every day close in and at a distance ~ family, friends, and strangers alike ~ and especially all those with whom I disagree. I’ll pray to be mindful of my thoughts, certain of my (um) spoken and unspoken language (!), and especially how what I think, say, and do, expresses or diminishes how I want to love You in, with, and for my time in this life. amen.

 

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Meditation in Lent ~ Holy Week Wednesday: Forgiving THAT Guy? '24

March 27, 2024 ~ Wednesday in Holy Week

The Gospel of John 13:31-32 

         On this Wednesday, Judas Iscariot has conspired with the Sanhedrin to support their efforts to trap Jesus. He is paid the sum of 30 pieces of silver, enough to purchase a slave or a good potter's field. How much money is enough to sell someone's life to an enemy ~ what if the seller is a trusted friend of the one being sold? But of course, Jesus knew it would be Judas...
        Paul's letter to the Hebrews says: Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart [Hebrews 12:3]. When I have felt the world is against me, or life is just too hard, or I simply cannot cope with one more thing going wrong ~ did I ever once think of the suffering of Jesus at the hands of others? Have I ever thought of Judas if I did someone a wrong turn to benefit myself, even if "only" in a small way?  Perhaps Jesus is too big in my mind to compare myself to and perhaps I think Judas is too bad...  
        On this Wednesday in our time some churches mark this evening ~ or some others will on Maundy/Holy Thursday or Good Friday ~ with a service called Tenebrae [TEN-eh-bray].  The name comes from the Latin and means shadows or darkness.  The service consists of readings and chanted/sung Psalms while candles are extinguished in sets between readings and chants until the church is completely darkened. Often at the end, in the dark, a sudden loud noise ~ a gong, slamming a large book, or stamping of feet ~ is heard as a symbol of the earthquake that signaled the death of Jesus. Holy Wednesday in Holy Week, hearkens back to the penitence of Ash Wednesday just a few weeks ago, as the solemnity of the mood of this Week of Weeks deepens.

 

        O Jesus our Light, and the Redeemer of us ALL ~ this night reminds us of the story of Judas conspiring with the Sanhedrin and selling you out. This night makes us wonder how he could have done that to You. This night makes us shudder about ways we might have betrayed another for our own benefit even if in far lesser ways. We’ve used his name to mark another as a traitor, to feel better about ourselves. This night calls us to ponder true forgiveness ~ You have forgiven us for all of our sins and trespasses. But have we ever forgiven Judas, the only Apostle never called "saint," the only original Disciple to have died a remorseful death at his own hand, the only one Satan entered [John 13:2] to do the bidding that fulfilled the prophecy of our coming Messiah?  Who is a Judas in our own lives that we have not forgiven? In whose life have we been a Judas? 

      On this night, I will give up my judgement of Judas (and too many others). Who am I to demonize him or them? I will take on looking deeply into myself and to my own faults, betrayals, and selfishness. I will pray for myself, and us all, to begin to take a first step, and breathe the lightness of forgiveness into Judas Iscariot that lifts us. Certainly Jesus has. God has. The Holy Spirit has. If we can take that very small first step, then, with Your love and help, perhaps we can look at forgiving the Judas closer to home and forgiving, and then we feel forgiven and begin to forgive ourselves.  amen.

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Meditation in Lent ~ Holy Week Tuesday: One. Single. Grain. '24

March 26, 2024 ~ Tuesday in Holy Week

The Gospel of John 12:20-36

        On this Tuesday, disciples Philip and Andrew told Jesus some visiting Greeks wanted to see him and he replied cryptically, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified...unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit... [John 20:24-26] 

       When he met with the Greeks he told them, "Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say, 'Father, save me from this hour?' No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." When the voice came some of the people only heard thunder while others thought it was an angel speaking to Jesus. Jesus told them that the voice was for them to hear, not him.  

       Some questioned Jesus about who he was and what he was all about. He told them the light would be around a little bit longer and to walk in the light because if you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. If you believe in the light, he told them, "you may become children of the light." And with that, he went off and hid.

 

Dear Jesus, our Prophet and our Lord

         What must your words sound like to those who haven't read The Book or just don't know how things turn out? Sometimes I'm confused by those words and I have read them many times. On this Tuesday in Your lifetime, You told everyone what was happening in what seems like very plain words yet the message is not quite plain enough for us to grasp well. You were talking to God and the people around you were confused. Help us understand. 

        On this Tuesday in my lifetime it is a day like any other ~ laundry, meal planning, bill paying, list making ~ and Your list was clear enough in one sense: walk in the light ~ Your Light ~ and our believing will lead us to be Your children of Your light. It all sounds so easy and yet so hard at the same time. 

        Help me to give up being one of the grumblers with the thundering rumblings of the naysayers and the woe-begones around me. Open my heart, my head, and especially my soul to take on searching for and listening to hear the voice of God [particularly when I’m driving and everytime my head starts judging others]. Give me the courage to take on staying with Your light and not wandering off into the darkness of a life with no faith-filled purpose beyond chocolate bunnies, paper plates, and jellybeans. After the conversation on that Tuesday in Your time, You hid away...as I should do more often to spend time with You and think about how to live my life as a single grain of wheat, that grows in faith and purpose, and one day fills another field with its fruit. amen.

 

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