People's Prayers

Monday, November 25, 2024

Prayers of the People: The Advent-ure Begins; Fear Not ~ 1st Sunday of Advent, WLWC*, '24 Yr C

For Sunday, December 1, 2024, Readings: Jeremiah 8:1-13, Psalm 46, 1 John 4:13-21, Luke 1:5-19 from "A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church"*, Yr C

For there shall be a sowing of peace; the vine shall yield its fruit, the earth shall yield is produce, and the heavens shall yield their dew…so it shall be that when I save you all, you shall be a blessing. Fear not; strengthen your hands. [Zechariah 8:12a, 13b]

God is for us a refuge and strength, a help in trouble, easily found…therefore we shall not fear, though the earth should change…Be still and know that I am God…a stronghold for us is the God of Rebekah’s line. [Psalm 46:1-2a, 10a, 11b]

By this we know that we abide in God and God abides in us, because God has given us God’s own Spirit…God abides in those that confess that Jesus is the Son of God…God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them…There is no fear in love, rather perfect love casts out fear…We love because God first loved us…The commandment we have from God is this: those who love God must love their sisters and brothers also. [1 John 4:13, 15a, 16b, 18a, 19, 21]

There appeared to Zechariah a messenger of the Living God…Zechariah was shaken when he saw the messenger and fear overwhelmed him. But the messenger said to him, “Fear not, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son for you, and you will call his name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many at his birth will rejoice for he will be great in the sight of the Sovereign God…He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. [Luke 1:11-14]

Welcome to Advent, a season of hopeful waiting, anticipation, and the beginning of a new Liturgical Year, Year C, in the three year cycle of Sunday readings. Think of it as a time to see and hear the same readings differently; yet here, in THIS time, in this space in this new Liturgical year, is the introduction of different readings and in new translations. As with the immediately prior 7 weeks of The Season of Creation in my parish, in this Year C, I’ll use the usual Revised Common Lectionary marked RCL in its title on one blog space, offering my sense of the readings and personal form of the prayers of the people with the usual lectionary readings. In this blog space each week, I will be using A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church* aka WLWC or, going forward here, WLC, 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 WLC when I deem them useful. For one tidbit of usefulness, the opening questions of the WLC Yr C 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. In addition to expansive titles for God to give expression to a new vision of God, Dr. Gafney uses gender-expansive translations and explicit feminine God language. She also says that while the lectionaries are not as androcentric as the Scriptures women are even less well represented than they are in the biblical text. For example, there are at a minimum one hundred and eleven named women in the Hebrew Testament…not always preached upon or even read…[and] does not account for the numbers of unnamed women and girls. Yet not many of my students or parishioners can name even ten…or even…in entire biblical canon.

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 sense of the Spiritual throughout the entirety of this Year C. 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.

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 in these times, and at this of year with all the glitter and shopping that can be a welcome distraction from woes and worries. One clear theme from these readings is to Fear not expressed explicitly and in other ways in each reading. We are to keep those distractions from obscuring our inner vision and diverting 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 to begin anew with an Advent-ure in faith, in hope, in Jesus, the Christ.

*Readings for our Parish in this Year C 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 Yr C and translator of its biblical selections. Learn more about her and her work at her website: https://www.wilgafney.com/

**Readings for Advent I, December 1, 2024:

Zechariah 8:1–13: 1 The word of the SOVEREIGN of heaven’s legions came to me, saying: 2 Thus says the COMMANDER of heaven’s vanguard: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and with great wrath am I jealous for her. 3 Thus says the RULER of the multitudes of heaven: I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called “The Faithful City” and the mountain of the SOVEREIGN of the vanguard of heaven shall be called “The Holy Mountain.” 4 Thus says the HOLY ONE of heaven’s armies: Elder women and elder men shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of girls and boys playing in its streets. 6 Thus says the MAJESTY of the Heavens: Though it seems miraculous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem miraculous to me, says the COMMANDER of winged warriors? 7 Thus says the SOVEREIGN of heaven’s legions: It is I who will save my people from the east land and from the west land. 8 Then I will bring them to dwell within Jerusalem; they shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness. 9 Thus says the COMMANDER of heaven’s legions, “Strengthen your hands—you all who hear in these days these words from the mouths of the prophets, female and male, who were present when the foundation was laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of the RULER of the Multitudes of Heaven. 10 For before those days the wages of human [labor] was nothing and of animal [labor, less]; as for those coming and going, there was no security from the enemy and I set every single person against their neighbor. 11 Yet now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, says the SOVEREIGN of heaven’s legions. 12 For there shall be a sowing of peace: the vine shall yield its fruit, the earth shall yield its produce, and the heavens shall yield their dew; and I will inherit the remnant of this people with all these things. 13 And it will be that just as you have been a cursing among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so it will be that when I save you all, you shall be a blessing. Fear not; strengthen your hands.

Psalm 46: 1 God is for us a refuge and strength, a help in trouble, easily found. 2 Therefore we shall not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains quiver in the heart of the sea; 3 its waters roar and churn, the mountains tremble with its swell. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her when the morning unfurls. 6 The nations roar, dominions quiver; God puts forth her voice, the earth melts. 7 The WARRIOR PROTECTRIX is with us; a stronghold for us is the God of Rebekah’s line. 8 Come, behold the works of the FIRE OF SINAI; see what desolations she has set on the earth. 9 She makes wars cease to the end of the earth; she breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, she burns chariots with fire. 10 “Be still and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” 11 The WARRIOR PROTECTRIX is with us; a stronghold for us is the God of Rebekah’s line.

1 John 4:13-21: By this we know that we abide in God and God in us, because God has given us God’s own Spirit. 14 And we have seen and so testify that the Father has sent the Son of God as the Savior of the world. 15 God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. 16 So we have known and have believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17 Love has been perfected among us in order that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as God is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, rather perfect love casts out fear, for fear relates to punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love because God first loved us. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates their sister or brother, they are a liar; for those who do not love a sister or brother whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21 The commandment we have from God is this: those who love God must love their sisters and brothers also.

Luke 1:5-19: And it was in the days of Herod king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the lineage of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 Both of them were righteous before God, living according to all the commandments and righteous requirements of the Sovereign God blamelessly. 7 Now they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were advanced in age. 8 And it happened that when Zechariah was serving as priest and his order had the service before God, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to offer incense and he entered the sanctuary of the Holy God. 10 The whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the time of the incense offering. 11 There appeared to Zechariah a messenger of the Living God, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Now Zechariah was shaken when he saw the messenger and fear overwhelmed him. 13 But the messenger said to him, “Fear not, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son for you, and you will call his name John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many at his birth will rejoice, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Sovereign God. Wine and strong drink he must not drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. 16 He will turn many of the women and men of Israel to the Holy One their God. 17 He will go before the Holy God with the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to prepare for the Redeeming God a people made ready.” 18 Then Zechariah said to the messenger, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man and my woman is getting old herself.” 19 The messenger answered him saying, “I am Gabriel. I stand before God and I have been sent to speak to you and to proclaim to you this good news.”

For Further Reading: Compare these readings with a Bible version of your choice ~ using several translations/versions is even better to discover differences and similarities. Google the often used: The Lord of Hosts for its actual definition, and then look at the Rev. Dr. Gafney’s use of titles for God. Think about which translation 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 God, our Refuge and our Strength, awaken the eyes of our souls and keep us calm. Remind our hearts to call on Your Name, to trust and not to fear, to be still and know that You are God, our stronghold.

O Holy God Who is Love
RESPONSE: Cast out our fear

~ O God, our Refuge and our Strength, 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

O Holy God Who is Love
Cast out our fear

~ O God, our Refuge and our Strength, 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 Holy God Who is Love
Cast out our Fear

~ O God, our Refuge and our Strength, 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

O Holy God Who is Love
Cast out our Fear

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

O Holy God Who is Love
Cast out our Fear

~ O God, our Refuge and our Strength, 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

O Holy God Who is Love
Cast out our Fear

The Celebrant adds: O Sovereign of Heaven’s Legions, we know that as we abide in You, You abide in us. Help us, in these difficult times, to honor Your Commandment to love You and our earthly brothers and sisters, as You love us each and all. Keep our spirits alive with joyful anticipation of Your sowing of peace, as we prepare our souls through continuing prayer and repentance. Guide us to be still and know that you are God, as we await the sudden yet unknown time of the return of Your own Spirit, Jesus, Your Son. We ask through our Messiah Christ; the Holy Spirit, our Divine Advocate; who together with You reign as One God, forever and for always. Amen.

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Monday, November 18, 2024

Prayers of the People: Christ the King ~ Proper 29, 27th and Last Sunday of Pentecost '24 Yr B

For Sunday, November 24, 2024; Readings: 2 Samuel 23:1-7, Psalm 132:1-13, 14-19; Revelation 1:4b-8,

John 18:33-37

The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me: One who rules over people justly…is like the Light of the morning…But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away. [2 Samuel 23:3a, 6a]

Let your priests be clothed with righteousness; let your faithful people sing with joy. [Psalm 132:9]

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come..."I am the Alpha and the Omega"... [Revelation 1:4b, 8]

Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. [John 18:37b]

We have arrived at the Last Sunday after Pentecost, celebrating the feast of Christ the King. Coming next week we begin the Season of Advent, a time of anticipation as we prepare our hearts and souls for the birth of the Child in whom the fullness of God is pleased to dwell and the One who becomes our Redeemer.

The first reading, from 2^nd Samuel, contains the last words of another King, David. The contrast of the just ruler with the godless is stark, explicit, and worthy of pondering the comparison with our own times. The just ruler, God has told David, is like the Light of the morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning…Is not my house like this with God? God will help us all be secure and prosper. But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away…entirely consumed in fire…

The Psalm appointed for today is considered a “royal” psalm in dramatic liturgical form. It was likely sung during the annual festival of enthroning the Lord when the Ark was carried into the temple. It gives an historical and theological justification for the close relationship of the temple in Jerusalem and David’s monarchy, as David was the first King of a united Israel. The psalmist’s recounting of the history of David’s seeking and planning to find a site for a Temple, in which God would have a resting place, has strong resonance with the reading in 2^nd Samuel.

The Book of Revelation is always filled with mysterious and almost abstract descriptions that are difficult to comprehend for most modern, western minds. The sacred number 7 is introduced, the symbol of wholeness and perfection that is important to the structure of the Book itself. The phrase the seven spirits may be a reference to the 7 archangels in later Judaism. The word witness is often used to denote martyrs and verse 7 draws on the imagery of Daniel’s vision in 7:13 that says I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven, now applied to Christ’s Second Coming. Some of these words and phrases may seem irrelevant in the scheme of daily living in today’s world. How does one concretely grasp God, the Almighty who is and was and is to come, the Alpha and the Omega, from everlasting? Or, Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God, the faithful witness, firstborn of all creation and also of the dead, ruler of the kings of the earth? Yet we, who would be counted as faithful Christians, should be attentive and examine more closely. It is in this daily life in this time that we may easily lose track of our allegiances and settle in with acceptance or fear of the temporary earthly powers than in the everlasting divine Kingship of Christ. Although Jesus says his kingdom is not from here, it is here, and in this time and place, where we encounter him, if we seek him, and if we choose to follow.

For me, the crux of this Sunday’s lessons is the moment in John’s Gospel when Jesus tells Pilate that everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice [John 18:37b]. Are we listening? Do we hear it? Even more interestingly to me, is that what comes next is not in our appointed reading and I wish it was. Perhaps because, especially in these fraught times, it is even more difficult for us to understand. In verse 38: Pilate asked him, "What is truth?" How do we answer? For we who endeavor to follow, Christ is our only King who shows us the way to the true and everlasting Kingdom. The question for each of us is: to what truth do we listen and choose to belong? The “easy” answer is: Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to [Christ’s] voice. How then do we live it?

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Mighty God, our Rock and our Light, keep us from collapsing in fear whenever we, Your restless multitude, tremble at earthly tumult from both human behavior and natural disasters. In our fleeting mortality, turn us always to Christ in whose Kingdom we are forgiven and saved.

O Christ, our Forever King

RESPONSE: Keep us in Your Truth

~ Mighty God, our Rock and our Light, for all who are governed by power or throne, by force or dominion, on our planet, in our country, and in our community, we implore You to infuse the wisdom, sanity, and humanity of Jesus into all who lead Your people everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Christ, our Forever King

Keep us in Your Truth

~ Mighty God, our Rock and our Light, send healing grace to all who suffer in spirit, mind, or body, and compassion to all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

O Christ, our Forever King

Keep us in Your Truth

~ Mighty God, our Rock and our Light, ease the grief of those who mourn, as the souls of our cherished departed arise from earthly death into the ceaseless joy of Your Eternal Kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Christ, our Forever King

Keep us in Your Truth

~ Mighty God, our Rock and our Light, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

O Christ, our Forever King

Keep us in Your Truth

~ Mighty God, our Rock and our Light, empower the spirits of those who lead us in Your Church, through Your Word and Sacraments, with the peace, unity, and truth of Christ’s all-encompassing love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Christ, our Forever King

Keep us in Your Truth

The Celebrant adds: Christ of All Peoples, rescue us from the power of darkness and transform our anxieties into fruitful action. Keep us striving toward Your purpose by offering our labor to soothe the sufferings of humanity near and far. We ask through Jesus our Christ, the Faithful Witness, and the Holy Spirit, the very Breath of Love, who together with You are our One God, the Alpha and Omega, now and forever. Amen.

Prayers of the People: Christ the King ~ 7th Sunday in the Season of Creation '24

For Sunday, November 24, 2024, Readings: Daniel 7:7-9, 13-14; Psalm 93, Matthew Fox*, John 18:33-37

After this I saw in the visions by night a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth and was devouring, breaking in pieces, and stamping what was left with its feet…As I watched, thrones were set in place, and an Ancient One took his throne… I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One…To him was given dominion and glory and kingship… His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed. [Daniel 7:7a,9a,13-14b]

Your testimonies are very sure, and holiness adorns your house, O Lord, for ever and for evermore. [Psalm 93:6]

Listen to the Cosmic Christ, to Cosmic Wisdom calling all the children of God together…I am tired of your religious wars, your sectarian divisions, your crusading spirits that arise from disharmony. I long for harmony. If there must be competition, let it take place at the level of shared gifts and bountiful outpouring of wisdom. Pray together. Create harmony and healing together. [A Reading from Matthew Fox*]

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world…I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” [John 18:36a, 37b]

The Season of Creation originated in the Anglican Church of South Africa and was formalized in 2008. It is designed for us to explore our faith from a Creation perspective. For more information see:

https://prayersofthepeople.blogspot.com/2018/10/prayers-of-people-in-beginning-1st.html We use Biblical and other readings that pertain to the specific theme of each of the 7 weeks of the Season. Alternate readings used are posted with asterisks.

Week VI's Theme is:

Christ the King

We have arrived at the final Sunday in the Season of Creation which is also the Last Sunday after Pentecost in the Revised Common Lectionary, both of which celebrate Christ the King. Coming next week, we begin the Season of Advent, a time of anticipation mixed with the preparation of heart and soul for the birth of the Child in whom the fullness of God is pleased to dwell.

This week our first reading is from the Book of Daniel. It is an often strange and apocalyptic book. Many of us know the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den but we don’t often hear readings from Daniel in our regular Lectionary schedule. Michael I. Chan, writing for Working Preacher, says that Chapter 7 is a significant shift in the book…In contrast…the previous chapter where dangerous animals posed a threat to an individual, the beasts in Chapter 7 represent a cosmic and political menace. Would that I had time and space to say more but perhaps those words are enough for these current days! For this moment, I’m struck by the appearance of one like a human being coming to the Ancient One [also known in other translations as the Ancient of Days] and given dominion and glory and kingship…one that will not pass away…one that shall not be destroyed. Although interpreted primarily by and for a Jewish understanding, it speaks to me here of Jesus in John’s Gospel saying My kingdom is not of this world.

For its original audience, today’s Psalm, also from the Hebrew [Old] Testament, proclaimed the power and eternity of the Creator, yet in our Christian sense of it, the language, The Lord is King, applies equally to Christ as King. And, as in the piece from Daniel, in verse 6, the Psalm parallels John’s Gospel when again by declaring Your testimonies are very sure, and holiness adorns your house, O Lord, for ever and for evermore.

Our next reading is from Matthew Fox, a prolific writer who is now an Episcopal priest. He was expelled from his Roman Catholic Dominican Order in 1991, after multiple clashings with the then Cardinal Ratzinger who was the Prefect for the Doctrine of the Congregation of the Faith, before he became Pope Benedict XVI. Fox’s book, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, was written in 1988 and his expulsion for a variety of given reasons essentially deemed much of his work, especially in Creation Theology, as not conforming to the Doctrinal mandates of the official “Congregation.” Yet for Episcopal and other readers, including many who are Catholic, Fox’s writing has illuminated a sense of spirituality and connectedness to Creation and in this particular sense, The Cosmic Christ. His words calling all the children of God together speak deeply to me. Drink of my wisdom from your own unique well… Cease using religion to divide… I personally recoil from absolutism and certainty in faith matters when it shuts out only new understandings in personal spiritual growth, it too often allows sanctions and even violence for those not in lock step. Who am I to know how God in Christ is revealed in another culture, in another faith tradition that is one of love and accepting of differing paths that will lead us each to the God of All beyond this world?

For me, the crux of this Sunday’s lessons is the moment in John’s Gospel when Jesus tells Pilate that My kingdom is not of this world…Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice [John 18:37b]. Are we listening? Do we hear it? Even more interestingly to me, is that what comes next is not in our appointed reading and I wish it was. Perhaps because, especially in these fraught times, it is even more difficult for us to understand and answer. In verse 38 ~ Pilate asked him What is truth? We are not given the answer from Jesus here. How do we answer? How do we live it?

* A reading from the writings of Matthew Fox: “Listen to the Cosmic Christ, to Cosmic Wisdom calling all the children of God together: "Come children, drink of my waters which are all common waters. They are free and available to all my children. Drink of my wisdom from your own unique well. Let the Taoists drink and the Muslims drink; let the Jews drink and the Buddhists drink; let the Christians drink and let the native peoples drink. And then tell me: What have you drunk? How deeply have you imbibed my refreshment? What wet and running wisdom drips from inside you to the outside? What have you to share with others of my wisdom and harmonious living, of the dripping of the oils of compassion and the lubricants of your common anointings as my images, my other "Christs," my co-creators of wisdom on earth? I am tired of your religious wars, your sectarian divisions, your crusading spirits that arise from disharmony. I long for harmony. If there must be competition, let it take place at the level of shared gifts and bountiful outpouring of wisdom. Pray together. Create harmony and healing together. Celebrate, praise, and thank together. Cease using religion to divide. Use it for its purpose, to reconnect to Mother Earth, to blessings, to the underground river that I am and that you all share. And cease scandalizing the young by your indifference to these awesome blessings, by your competition, and your boredom. Praise one another. Praise the earth. In doing so, you praise me." [Matthew Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, Harper and Row, San Francisco, 1988]

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord Forever and Forevermore, fill us daily with the wonders of this Universe and turn us always toward Christ in whose Kingdom we are forgiven and saved. Teach our hearts again, to make Your love visible in all that we are, through all the blessings we share in You.

O Christ of the Cosmos

RESPONSE: Keep us in Your Truth

~ O Lord Forever and for Evermore, for all who are governed by political power or throne, by force or dominion, on our planet, in our country, and in our community, we implore You to infuse the wisdom, sanity, and humanity of Christ Jesus into all who lead Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Christ of the Cosmos

Keep us in Your Truth

~ O Lord Forever and for Evermore, send healing grace to all who suffer in spirit, mind, or body, and compassion to all who give them care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

O Christ of the Cosmos

Keep us in Your Truth

~ O Lord Forever and for Evermore, ease the grief of those who mourn, as the souls of our cherished departed arise from earthly death into the ceaseless joy of Your Kingdom beyond This World. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Christ of the Cosmos

Keep us in Your Truth

~ O Lord Forever and for Evermore, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

O Christ of the Cosmos

Keep us in Your Truth

~ O Lord Forever and for Evermore, empower the spirits of those who lead us in Your Church through Your Word and Sacraments, with the peace, unity, and truth of Christ’s all-encompassing love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Christ of the Cosmos

Keep us in Your Truth

The Celebrant adds: Christ of All Peoples, our Alpha and Omega, rescue us from the power of darkness and transform our anxieties into fruitful action. Keep us striving toward Your purpose as we offer our labors to soothe the sufferings of humanity near and far. We ask through Jesus our Christ, the Faithful Witness; and the Holy Spirit, the very Breath of Love; who together with You are our One God, “for ever and for evermore.” Amen.

Monday, November 11, 2024

Prayers of the People: Until... ~ Proper 28, 26th Sunday after Pentecost '24 Yr B

For Sunday, November 17, 2024, Readings: 1 Samuel 1:4-20, 1 Samuel 2:1-10, Hebrews 10:11-14, 15-18, 19-25; Mark 13:1-8

[Hannah] said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” [1 Samuel 1:18a]

…there is no Rock like our God…for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed. [1 Samuel 2:2b, 3b]

Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together...but encouraging one another... [Hebrews:10:24-25]

Many will come in my name…and they will lead many astray…When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place…This is but the beginning of the birth pangs. [Mark 13:6, 7a, 8c]

Hannah’s pain was deep over many years at the inability to bear a child. Yet she continued to faithfully pray through her tears and distress and was finally given a son by God. Perhaps our prayers will seem to be unanswered when we don’t get what we most desire ~ the health of a loved one, or peace in the family. Yet Hannah’s words Let your servant find favor in your sight are the words of faith for us to embrace. We cannot know the mind of God, but we can be assured that our minds and our hearts are not hidden for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed. And though we are judged, God grants us forgiveness and salvation though Christ.

The Christian life is not intended to be a solitary journey. Jesus had his companions along the way and has told us he’s in our midst whenever two or three – or more – are gathered [Mt 18:20]. We, too, are to be companions in, with, and through Christ, sometimes following, sometimes leading, but often together in a supportive, encouraging, spiritually renewing community. It is through such a community of prayer, worship, and relationship, that we stay connected and are reminded of the faithfulness of God to those who are faithful to God.

The path of Christ is no easy walk. He tells us to beware of those who claim to be him as they will lead us astray. There will be hardships, rumors of wars and wars, earthquakes and famines. It’s all too easy to be fearful with the speed of news of disasters nearby and around the world. But such times are the beginning of the birth pangs, birth of the coming again of the glory of Christ. It is all in God’s time, beyond our comprehension. Do not be alarmed, Jesus says and the writer of Hebrews tells us to have the confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us…by our faith we are cleansed in body and in heart so Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. Let us keep faith in practice and in hope. Birth pangs are just the beginning of the fresh, new life that awaits. But as we are told in many many Gospels and Epistles, we do not know the time or the hour of Christ’s return. People have thought for more than 2,000 years with disasters and wars and cataclysmic events that “This is IT, the end times are beginning!” Someday, but in the meantime, let us continue to walk in faith one.day.at.a.time with love and good deeds…encouraging one another as we are called to do by our Christ until…

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord Most High, You call us in every time and place to encourage one another with generous hearts, true and wise, in the full assurance of our faith, awakened to the brightness of the everlasting life to come.