Prayers of the People: Palm Sunday/The Sunday of the Passion ~ 6th Sunday in Lent RCL Yr C

For Sunday, April 13, 2025, Readings: Liturgy of the Palms: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Luke 19:28-40; Liturgy of the Word: Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 31:9-16, Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 22:39--23:49-56

Jesus said] "Go into the village...and as you enter you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden... [Luke 19:29a]

   This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it…This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it…Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. [Psalm 118:20,24,26]

    Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself...humbled himself... [Philippians 2:5-7a,8a]

   Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed [the people] again, but they kept shouting, Crucify, crucify him. A third time he said to them, "Why,  what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death...But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed."  [Luke 23:20-23]

    Then about an hour later still another kept insisting, "Surely this man was also with him...But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about!"…At that moment…the cocked crowed…Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord…”Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” [Luke 22:59-62]

      Of course, regular Church-goers in the Episcopal, Catholic, and other so-called main-line liturgical denominations know that Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday, for many decades now, are at once separate and yet one commemoration. The recounting of the procession with palm branches celebrates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The Passion narrative develops the details of his Last Supper, the betrayal by Judas, and the machinations of the Chief Priests whose local standing and power among the Jews and Rome were clearly threatened by this acclaimed and unorthodox prophet and miracle-worker.

     We remember that his arrival created quite a stir. To this day in the Palm Sunday processions our hymns and shouts with "Hosanna" ["Hoshana" in Hebrew], praise to God with great elation, are as exuberant as when Jesus was greeted by the throngs that lined the road from Bethany to Jerusalem. They sang and shouted Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord [Ps 118: 26].  Cloaks and branches on the pathway for Jesus were a sign of the highest honor. The palm was the symbol of triumph and victory in the Greco-Roman culture of the times. The donkey or colt was itself a deliberate choice of Jesus sending the disciples to specifically retrieve it. The prophet Zechariah says in the Old/Hebrew Testament: Rejoice greatly, O daughter, Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter, Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey [Zechariah 9:9]. Jesus was accused later in the week of proclaiming himself "King of the Jews," yet riding into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey would have been a known and understood symbol that he was coming in peace, as one would do to show a peaceful arrival rather than a warrior King riding in on a grand horse, bent on taking power and war.

     All these elements were carefully noticed and recorded by the Roman occupiers and the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Council, who had its own police force and trial court and who set the deadly wheels of what is to come in motion. How easy, it seems, to go from enthusiastic cheers of the crowd to the politically manipulated yet equally enthusiastic and malevolent jeers by the same people mere days later. How altogether and suddenly eerie now.

     The tone is set for this new journey through Holy Week in our own times of political machinations, violence, crowd wrangling, and manipulation. It is also time for me to acknowledge to my innermost self the moments of my own betrayal of Jesus through denial in thought, word, action, or plain inaction. Turning away from the unpleasant, the insincere, and especially the dangerous is safer and less stressful in the short run, but, going with the flow by participation or neglect reaps far more tyranny and destruction than standing up to oppression. 

        Dr. Martin Luther King said it best, "A time comes when silence is betrayal." That time came for Peter, that time is now for us. We, together, are the voice and power of Christ’s love in times of Palms and in the ensuing Storms. Let us always sing HOSANNA in the name of Jesus, our Redeemer Lord.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
 
Leader:  ~ O Jesus, our Lord, jolt us out of merely listening to the re-reading of familiar texts to know now the sudden joy of Your arrival in our midst. Open us to the shudder of feelings, today, and in this coming week, as beguiled minds turn to riotous, politically-manipulated, and deadly betrayal. Inspire us in this day, and every day to come, to experience the breadth, the depth, and the power of Your love, and to never deny You within ourselves or to another.

 
                                                        O Christ, our Strength and our Salvation             
         RESPONSE:                   We commit ourselves to You
 
~ O Jesus, our Lord, we turn to You for the courage to stand up, expect, and require that all who hold or seek office in the governments of this Earth, this Country, and this Community be exemplars of principled justice, mercy, and peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                     O Christ, our Strength and our Salvation
                                                       We commit ourselves to You
 
~ O Jesus, our Lord, in Your loving-kindness make Your face to shine upon those who suffer through chronic pain, distress in spirit or in life, and refresh all who give them care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need…add your own petitions
 
                                                     O Christ, our Strength and our Salvation
                                                       We commit ourselves to You
 
~ O Jesus, our Lord, fill the hearts of all who mourn with the comfort of the joyful and jubilant welcome that those we love received in their new and eternal life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                     O Christ, our Strength and our Salvation
                                                       We commit ourselves to You
 
~  O Jesus, our Lord, 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 Strength and our Salvation
                                                       We commit ourselves to You
             
~ O Jesus, our Lord, may each of those who lead us in Your Church be granted the tongue of a teacher and the humility of Your human likeness, as they guide us all to stand up together with faith and trust in You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                     O Christ, our Strength and our Salvation
                                                       We commit ourselves to You
             
The Celebrant adds: Lord God in Christ, agitate our spirits and provoke our desire to seek Your mind in all that we do. Urge us to empty ourselves of all that draws us away that we may find our true and everlasting life in You. We ask this of You, our Hope and our Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier of our Souls; who together with the Almighty Creator is One God, now and forever. Amen.

 

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com

Prayers of the People: The Constancy ~ 5th Sunday in Lent WLWC* ‘25 Yr C

For Sunday, April 6, 2025; Readings: 1 Kings 10:1-10, 13; Psalm 131:1-3, 

1 Thessalonians 1:2-10, Luke 11:27-32

   

   Now the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon…and she came to test him with hard questions…she told him all that was on her heart…Then the Queen of Sheba saw the whole of the wisdom of Solomon…She said to the king…“Happy are your women! Happy are your slaves, they who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom…God has made you king to deliver justice and righteousness.” [1 Kings 10:1,4,8,9b]

   …I have soothed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with her mother…Israel, hope in the Wellspring of Life from now until forever.  [Psalm 131:-3]

   We give thanks to God at all times…mentioning you all in our prayers…God has chosen you all…you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God. And turned to wait for God’s Son from heaven…Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming. [1 Thessalonians 1:2,4b,9b-10]  

    … Jesus said, “…blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it…This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the women, children, and men of Nineveh, so the Son of Woman will be to this generation. [Luke 11:28-30]

    The story of the Queen of Sheba’s visit would certainly have made a great film back in the days of the Biblical Spectaculars. Dr. Gafney suggests that, as wealthy as Solomon was, the Queen’s wealth may have surpassed his. At gold prices in 2022 trading at $1830.30 per ounce, her gift to him would have been equivalent to $271,160,262.81 US and please don’t leave out that 81 cents! That noted, her wealth is less interesting than her interest in seeking out the truth about the Solomon’s famed God-given wisdom. While she has no other name than her title in either the Hebrew or Christian Testaments, she was written about by Josephus, the ancient Roman-Jewish historian, and she is known as Bilqis in the Qur’an and Makeda in the “Kebra Nagast,” the Ethiopian national hagiography [a biography of saints or those greatly admired]. Dr. Gafney indicates that the nation of “Sheba” has been identified with the Sabeans on the Yemeni portion of the Arabian peninsula to eastern Africa, generically called “Ethiopia” in antiquity.

   The entirety of the very brief Psalm 131 is part of these readings. Dr. Gafney’s translation is slightly different though resonant with the version in the US Book of Common Prayer. I do like the imagery in Dr. Gafney’s translation, however, as it reminds me that no matter my age, I am always a child of God and often forget God as the ideal mother/father who can indeed soothe and quiet my soul with hope.

    Paul, in the First Letter to the Thessalonians carries that theme of hope through God who sent Jesus to rescue us from the wrath that is coming, a phrase that chills and yet is recently becoming far too familiar in the seeming wrath of some powers currently being unleashed on our planet.

    Luke has Jesus speaking to his times about the long past times of Jonah and his prophecies. I can’t resist the adage of what goes around comes around, from those times to our own, yet God through Jesus with the Holy Spirit are our constants. There, in the Presence is the sign we often beg for God to please show us! While the winds may blow and the storms and fires, literal and figurative, may rage, there are many and varied sources of word and wisdom that God provides when we are open to hear and to learn. Every single generation from the beginning of time has had its evil-doers and our own, obviously, is no exception. Our faith and our discipleship, especially in community, can keep us moving forward through worry, fear, and doubt. It can also feed our joy in the small moments and the great, when we can soothe and quiet our souls through knowing the constancy of our God in all places in all times.   

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O God Who is Love, who has chosen us all, soothe and quiet our souls as your weaned children in these difficult times. Turn our hearts in prayer to give you thanks at all times, that we may persevere through life’s trials and feel the strength of your constant embrace.

                                                Wellspring of Life

          RESPONSE:            We place our hearts and hope in You

~ O God Who is Love, imbue all political leaders in this World, this Nation, and this Community, with fresh and enduring wisdom, compassion and empathy, integrity and morality, to legislate well for the true needs of those they were chosen to serve. Guide their souls to govern kindly rather than to rule cruelly, and to respect and care for all others as they would have others respect and care for them. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Wellspring of Life

                                                We place our hearts and hope in You

~ O God Who is Love,  kindle hope in all who are poor 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

                                                Wellspring of Life

                                                We place our hearts and hope in You

~ O God Who is Love, may those who are grieving find consolation and comfort knowing that those they love have returned to eternal life in You, welcomed with heavenly shouts of joy. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Wellspring of Life

                                                We place our hearts and hope in You

~ O God Who is Love, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions

                                                Wellspring of Life

                                                We place our hearts and hope in You

~ O God Who is Love, refresh and enliven the spirits of those chosen to lead and accompany us on this mortal journey, sharing with us the joy of Christ, even in the darkest of times. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Wellspring of Life

                                                We place our hearts and hope in You

The Celebrant adds: O God, Living and True, grant us a sign of your blessing as we seek to hear your word and strive to keep it. Guide our hearts and souls toward Christ Jesus, our Rescuer from whatever Wrath may come; and the certainty and power of the Holy Spirit, who together with You are our One God, now and forever and ever. Amen.

 

 

*Readings for our Parish in this Year C are from The Rev. Dr. Wilda [Wil] Gafney, Womanist biblical scholar, and 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 others in her series, and translator of its biblical selections. I definitely commend her book for the complete readings, to Clergy and Laity, for her Text Notes, and “Preaching Prompts” whether or not you will use them in your Liturgies/Services/Preaching. There is much to learn from her work to inform every facet of our lives in Christ.  To learn more about her and her work, see her website: https://www.wilgafney.com/

 

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com

Prayers of the People: Forget then Remember ~ 5th Sunday in Lent RCL Yr C

For Sunday, April 6, 2025; Readings: Isaiah 43:16-21, Psalm 126, Philippians 3:4b-15, John 12:1-8

 Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters...Do not remember the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth... [Isaiah 43:16, 18-19a]

 The LORD has done great things for us, and we are glad indeed. [Psalm 126:4]

 For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things...in order that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own...but one that comes through faith in Christ...this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on... [Philippians 3:8b-9, 13b-14a]

 Six days before the Passover...Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume...Judas Iscariot...was a thief. [John 12: 1a,3, 4a, 6b]

     In the readings for this Sunday, Isaiah and Paul don’t so much remind us that we are to forget the old ways as things are being made new, but rather they tell us directly that we must look and move – straining forward as Paul says – to what lies ahead. We are given a way and a path with our faith that guides us to the eternal life we are promised if we keep our eyes on the prize.

     We are nearing the end of our journey through Lent but much awaits us in the approach to Easter. While we know what is coming, obviously those reclining and serving at the home of Lazarus that night did not. A seemingly small moment at a gathering of friends was quite enough to kick off the deadly series of events that changed the world forever. The tension is building as if in a novel. Every thought and phrase expressed reveals a clue to what is coming – as if we didn't already know. Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany ~ a scant two miles' walk to Jerusalem. Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus, anoints his feet with an expensive perfume made of nard, the cost of which sets Judas off in a tizz and the Gospel writer is very clear about the thieving Iscariot's character and coming betrayal.

     The fragrant nard itself is symbolic. It was customary for the household to prepare for the feet of the guests to be washed as a practical and hospitable welcome. This particular perfume, however, was worth a fortune, as much as or more than a year's wages for an average worker and this gesture might have seemed quite excessive to anyone by normal standards. This anointing is to us, if not to them, also a symbol of the Kingship of the not yet Resurrected Christ. Jesus was clear that Mary's act of love meant more than mere hospitality; it was a foreshadowing of his soon to come death and burial. The ritual of burial involved precious spices and oils and the anointing of the body always began with the feet.  

     Pay close attention to the readings ahead. God is about to do a new thing again and there is much to hear differently and to learn anew.

     Yes, in our day and time we know what is coming, yet let us forget for the moment and then remember to forget what we think we know about these readings. Listen and then go forward into all that lies ahead, through Easter and beyond, as if it were new, unknown, and happening now, in order to rediscover the path of our faith yet again.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord, our Way and our Path, restore the fortunes of our souls as we renew our faith, and press on in this life toward the goal of answering Your heavenly call. 

                                         O God in Christ Jesus                                                       
           RESPONSE:              You have made us Your own
 

~ O Lord, our Way and our Path, guide the hearts and minds of all who govern across this world, this nation, and this community, toward principled, ethical, and humane action and legislation to revitalize every aspect of Your Creation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God in Christ Jesus

                                                       You have made us Your own  

~ O Lord, our Way and our Path, kindle hope in all who are poor in body, mind, or spirit, and to all who give them care. We now join our hearts to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       O God in Christ Jesus

                                                       You have made us Your own  

~ O Lord, our Way and our Path, may those who are grieving be consoled in knowing that all now returned to the prize of life in You, are celebrated with heavenly shouts of joy. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God in Christ Jesus

                                                       You have made us Your own  

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

                                                       O God in Christ Jesus

                                                       You have made us Your own           

~ O Lord, our Way and our Path, refresh and enliven the spirits of those chosen to lead and accompany us on this mortal journey, sharing with us the joy of Christ, even in the darkest of times. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God in Christ Jesus

                                                       You have made us Your own

The Celebrant adds:  Almighty and Eternal God, release us from the false piety of righteousness, and pride in mere earthly achievement. Awaken us to the freedom of knowing and living each day in Christ, through the power of His Resurrection. We ask through Jesus, our Anointed Christ; and the Holy Spirit, Your Fragrant Breath; who together with You are One God, forever and ever. Amen.

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com

Prayers of the People: The One Thing ~ 4th Sunday in Lent WLWC* ‘25 Yr C

For Sunday, March 30, 2025; Readings: Numbers 26:33, Psalm 56:1-13, Acts 18:1-3, 18-20; Luke 10:38-42

Now Zelophehad ben Hepher had no sons, for he had daughters…The Judge of all the Earth spoke to Moses saying: … Since the daughters of Zelophehad are correct in their word, you shall indeed give them a hereditary possession… “When a man dies and has no son you shall pass the possession of the father on to his daughter…” [Numbers 26:33, 2-11]

 On days I fear, I place my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid. What can flesh do to me? [Psalm 56:3-4]

 Paul departed Athens and went to Corinth…after staying for quite some time…sailed for Syria and with him were Priscilla and Aquila…When they arrived in Ephesus, Paul left them there…Apollos…taught accurately…concerning Jesus though he knew only the baptism of John. He  began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila, heard him, they took him in and explained the Way [of God] to him more accurately…   [Acts 5:1-3, 4c]

   …“Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered by much. Yet only one thing is necessary; Martha has chosen the better portion, which will not be taken away from her.”  [Luke 10:40-42]

   This week Dr. Gafney’s Lectionary centers on “women and their word in matters of religious and cultural authority in matters of religion in relation to God’s word and Jesus as the Word…” This Sunday is also known as Laetare Sunday** in some Christian traditions.

   The story of Zelophehad’s daughters’ inheritance story is quite fascinating on a number of levels. Firstly for it boldness in highlighting women as not being heirs to their fathers’ estates and also because even though God commanded Moses to change the status of women, Moses failed to obey God. Gafney tells us in her text notes that this is “one of the most significant legal cases in the Torah” as the daughters returned many times to petition for the compensation due them by God’s verdict. Finally, after the death of Moses, Joshua eventually gave them their due. She gives citations for the number of times it is mentioned in the Hebrew canon ~ more times than the Resurrection of Jesus is mentioned in the Christian Testament. See additionally Numbers 27:1-11, 36:1-12; Joshua 17:3-6, 1 Chronicles 7:15.

   Priscilla and Aquila had been evicted from Rome in the expulsion of Jews by Emperor Claudius. As their story unfolds, no matter the translations, Priscilla is more often mentioned first before her husband suggesting she was a more learned disciple of Jesus and may well have been a leader in her former Roman synagogue.

   The Martha and Mary story is obviously one of the best known of the Christian Testament. As a forerunner to the diakonia, serving, it is also ministry by its definition of service to others, hospitality being one way to serve. The Deaconate became a formal office of the Church, most often in the form of ordination, but we can all “serve” as the non-ordained ministers of Christ’s message.

   But what is the better portion? Clearly we can understand Martha’s dilemma with people to feed and a house to clean and Mary sitting and listening with work to be done! Perhaps it is the listening as heeding as well as hearing. If all hands help, there is more time to listen, to learn, to hear and to heed which proceed to doing what we, as the ministers of Christ are called in our many and various ways. So often from ancient to current times, the ministry of hospitality and service has fallen to women, many in the background of the stories of the Church. This is one of the reasons that Dr. Gafney has chosen the stories we don’t generally know. This Laetare Sunday offers a great opportunity to highlight all who particularly serve through the ministry of hospitality, especially in a parish where the majority of those are women.

   It is the word of Jesus as the Word of God, that calls us all to only one thing that is necessary. The One Thing is Christ our Lord.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Judge of All the Earth, guide the choices of our minds, hearts, and souls to choose the better portion of life’s pathways, by trust, in faith, through the teachings of Jesus.

                                                O God in Christ Whose Word We Praise

              RESPONSE:        Turn our faith and trust to you

~ O Judge of All the Earth, infuse the leaders of our Planet, our Nation, and our Community, with the wisdom and understanding to govern all Your people with integrity, justice, and compassion. We pray especially for: add your own petitions          

                                                O God in Christ Whose Word We Praise

                                                Turn our faith and trust to you

~ O Judge of All the Earth, restore hope and wholeness to all who are seriously ill, addicted, or victims of violence, and renewed energy for all who give them care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                O God in Christ Whose Word We Praise

                                                Turn our faith and trust to you

~ O Judge of All the Earth, soothe the hearts of those who mourn, as all of Heaven rejoices that those lost to mortal existence, are now found with new and eternal life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God in Christ Whose Word We Praise

                                                Turn our faith and trust to you

~ O Judge of All the Earth, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions

                                                O God in Christ Whose Word We Praise

                                                Turn our faith and trust to you

~ O Judge of All the Earth, may all who are called and anointed in Your service, seek continual refreshment in Your unwavering Presence, as they persevere in guiding us always to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God in Christ Whose Word We Praise

                                                Turn our faith and trust to you

The Celebrant adds: Through you, O She Who Speaks Life, we are fully instructed in the Way of the Messiah. Guide us in our life choices to seek the necessary lessons of the Word in and for our daily lives, reminding us, especially in the comfortable times, of Your constant presence and continuing grace. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer Christ; the Holy Spirit, Your Sacred Breath within us; who together with You are our One God, now and forever. Amen.

 

*Readings for our Parish in this Year C are from The Rev. Dr. Wilda [Wil] Gafney, 

Womanist biblical scholar, and 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 others in her series, and translator of its biblical selections. I definitely commend her book for the complete readings, to Clergy and Laity, for her Text Notes, and “Preaching Prompts” whether or not you will use them in your Liturgies/Services/Preaching. There is much to learn from her work to inform every facet of our lives in Christ.  To learn more about her and her work, see her website: https://www.wilgafney.com/

** In the Church’s tradition, the Fourth Sunday of Lent has been known as Laetare Sunday [lay-tare-ray]. The term "Laetare Sunday" is used by most Roman Catholic, and some Lutheran, and Anglican churches. Laetare is Latin for "rejoice!" It is also known as Mothering Sunday [Mother’s Day] in the UK, and in other places Refreshment Sunday, mid-Lent Sunday, and Rose Sunday as rose-colored/pink, rather than violet vestments, is permitted on this day. Laetare Sunday is exactly 21 days before Easter Sunday, a moveable feast based on the cycles of the moon. 

 

 

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com

Prayers of the People: Ever Feel L ST? ~ 4th Sunday in Lent '25 RCL Yr C

For Sunday, March 30, 2025; Readings: Joshua 5:9-12, Psalm 32, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-32

 The Manna ceased on the day [the Israelites] ate the produce of the land… [Joshua 5:12a]

  Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sin is put away...Great are the tribulations of the wicked; but mercy embraces those who trust in the LORD. [Psalm 32:1, 11]

  If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away...All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ...So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ be, reconciled to God. [2 Cor 5:17a, 18a, 20]

   But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found. [Luke 15:32]

    In this reading from Joshua, the Israelites have finally found home. After wandering through the trials and uncertainties of the desert for decades, where they were provided with the daily arrival of manna for sustenance, God brought them through. Even after the significant transgressions of their ancestors, they found themselves in the land of Canaan where the old manna was no more as they now ate of the new produce of the land.
    The “new” in Paul is that when we find our way to Christ, who is gifting us with the ministry of reconciliation  from God, we become a new creation: everything old has passed away. Further, we are now ambassadors for Christ. In returning to the joy of forgiveness, we are now the vessels God uses to appeal to the lost in spirit, the displaced in faith, and those who have become complacent in their faith, to return and be reconciled with God.

    The “new” in Paul is that when we find our way to Christ, who is gifting us with the ministry of reconciliation  from God, we become a new creation: everything old has passed away. Further, we are now ambassadors for Christ. In returning to the joy of forgiveness, we are now the vessels God uses to appeal to the lost in spirit, the displaced in faith, and those who have become complacent in their faith, to return and be reconciled with God.

    Luke's Gospel gives us the grumbling Pharisees and Scribes complaining of Jesus' dinners with sinners, and so he told them about the Father, Lost Son, and Angry Brother, also known as the parable of The Prodigal Son. Of course, everyone everywhere, in and out of Christianity, knows this one very well. 

    For a fresh new perspective, try a role-play experience, alone or with others, by choosing one of the three characters to inhabit. Read it aloud as if you are the lowly son and discover what you learn about his feelings of hunger, fear, regret, and other emotions that may surface before and after he humbles himself in returning home. Then read aloud again as the welcoming father; know his tears of joy and relief at seeing his lost son appear in the distance, and then ponder the father’s feelings about his elder son’s frustrations. Once more, read as the elder brother. Who of us cannot appreciate his feelings of betrayal, anger, jealousy? He's been steadfast and true and who gets the glory ~ little spoiled brother! How might the father’s love and compassion for both of his sons create a new and reconciled home? Turn your refreshed understanding into a new prayer for your understanding of yourself and the understanding of others, especially those annoying others!

   As with the Israelites and the Prodigal we, too, are new, again and again, when we return again and again to Christ and repent of our sins and whatever earthly idols take our attention from the call of Jesus ~ not in despair, but in the joy of feeling cleansed and whole, feeling true of heart. God always welcomes us home and always celebrates our return, no matter how many times we wander off thinking we can manage everything on our own.

    In the happiest times, let us take care to remember that God in Christ is still, and always, walking with us. In the darkest times of life, when we turn toward God amid loss, regret, or hopelessness, God knows us, comforts us, and forgives us. God is never the one who turns away. Even when we can't forgive ourselves, we are forgiven and redeemed by God in Christ ~ so, if God forgives me, who am I not to forgive myself?

   Ever feel L ST? We cannot find what we do not seek. Turn toward the Lord and you will soon feel FOUND, and everything old [will have] passed away. God in Christ with the Holy Spirit will celebrate and rejoice when we who are lost re-turn ourselves [around] to be reconciled, forgiven, and still and always loved. Our forever Home is always ready for our finding.

  In the Church’s tradition, the Fourth Sunday of Lent has been known as Laetare Sunday [lay-tare-ray]. The term "Laetare Sunday" is used by most Roman Catholic, and some Lutheran, and Anglican churches. Laetare is Latin for "rejoice!" It is also known as Mothering Sunday [Mother’s Day] in the UK, and in other places Refreshment Sunday, mid-Lent Sunday, and Rose Sunday as rose-colored/pink, rather than violet vestments, is permitted on this day. Laetare Sunday is exactly 21 days before Easter Sunday, a moveable feast based on the cycles of the moon. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord, Most Faithful, when we seek Your mercy in faith and trust, we are found, forgiven, and reconciled by You and through Christ. Help us to truly embrace our calling as Ambassadors for Christ, encouraging all who feel lost to find themselves in You.  

                                                     Loving, Patient God                                                          

RESPONSE:              We make our prayers to You

~ O Lord, Most Faithful, infuse the leaders of our Planet, our Nation, and our Community, with the wisdom and understanding to govern all Your people with integrity, justice, and compassion. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Loving, Patient God

                                                       We make our prayers to You

~ O Lord, Most Faithful, restore hope and wholeness to all who are seriously ill, addicted, or victims of violence, and renewed energy for all who give them care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Loving, Patient God

                                                       We make our prayers to You

~ O Lord, Most Faithful, soothe the hearts of those who mourn, as all of Heaven rejoices that those lost to mortal existence, are now found with new and eternal life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Loving, Patient God

                                                       We make our prayers to You

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

                                                       Loving, Patient God

                                                       We make our prayers to You          

~ O Lord, Most Faithful, may all who are called and anointed in Your service, seek continual refreshment in Your unwavering Presence, as they persevere in guiding us always to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                        Loving, Patient God

                                                       We make our prayers to You

The Celebrant adds: God of the Lost and of the Found, release us from earth-bound snares, bits and bridles, to be reconciled in Christ as a New Creation. Spare us from all that we think we deserve, to discover our inner selves, our hearts, and our souls freely at home again with You. We ask through Jesus, our Compassionate Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier of our Souls; who together with You, are One God, now and forever. Amen. 

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