People's Prayers

Monday, May 19, 2025

Prayers of the People: Homecoming ~ 6th Sunday of Easter WLWC '25 Yr C

For Sunday, May 25, 2025, Readings: Acts 16:9-15, Psalm 67, Revelation 21:10-22:22:5, John 14:23-29

A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God…a dealer in purple cloth… was listening to us...The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul...she and her household were baptized. [Acts 16: 14-15a]

In the spirit the angel carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God...its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb...for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb... [Revelation 21:10, 22, 23b]

May God be merciful to us and bless us, show us the light of his countenance and come to us. Let your ways be known upon earth, your saving health among all nations. [Ps 67:1-2]

Jesus said..."Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them... the Advocate…in my name…will teach you everything…Peace I leave with you…Do not let your hearts be troubled…" [John 14:23, 26, 27]

“Home” seems to be a prevailing theme this week. The newly baptized Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, invites Paul and companions to stay at her home. The purple cloth mention is more significant than may be imagined. In Paul’s time, purple was an incredibly difficult and expensive color to achieve in dye and it remained so well into the 16^th century and beyond. For that reason it became the exclusive color of power and royalty. It suggests, then, that Lydia was likely a very wealthy woman with much influence in her community.

This reading from the Book of Revelation expands last week’s promise of a new heaven and a new earth along with a New Jerusalem, as a Holy City for all people ~ in other words, a new home. In the New Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from God, there is no night, nothing unclean, and the gates are always open for those who choose to enter. This new holy city comes to us, the Trinity make their home with us, and all we need to do is love Jesus, listen eagerly, and keep his word.

Jesus continues his farewell discourse in this reading from John’s Gospel. He is telling the disciples, at the Last Supper after the departure of Judas, that he is going to the Father and that soon will come the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, sent by God, who will continue to teach and remind them of all Jesus has said to them. This must have been very confusing for them then as were the next few days.

The most often quoted part is when Jesus says, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you which is often used in liturgical celebrations. But for me in this reading, perhaps in view of the times in which we live, what stood out for me were the next two sentences: “Do not let your hearts be troubled; and do not be afraid.” And while my heart is and I am troubled at times, I realize that the essence of my journey in faith is indeed to keep the words of Jesus, accept the peace he gives, and not give to others as the world gives in its anger, greed, complacency, and general self-interest. I’m not called to live on a mountain seeking only my inner peace, ignoring all the incessant realities ~ good, bad, and indifferent ~ of this life. I am called to be faithful to the words of Christ. It takes serious effort, much prayer, with sometimes fragile hope and faith, to begin to believe that the time is now to live in the new earth and recognize that Christ is always with each of us. It won't make all trouble and fear go away, but it will lighten my soul, and help me, hopefully more often than not, to give out the peace of Jesus from within myself. The New Jerusalem is a community, a home that is loving, open, and here if we try beginning to believe. Our Homecoming in Christ is peace through every part of us, inside and out.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O God of Light and Mercy, disperse the fog of our complacency, and the illusion of always having more time, that interrupts our willingness to love you deeply, listen eagerly, and overflow with Your peace right now.

Jesus, the Lamb

RESPONSE: By love we receive Your Peace

~ O God of Light and Mercy, guide our hearts to be vigilant yet untroubled, allowing the Spirit to guide us through our fearful times. Transform the souls of the leaders of this Earth, this Nation, and this Community so they actively strive to govern with compassion, honor, and equity. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, the Lamb

By love we receive Your Peace

~ O God of Light and Mercy, grant Your saving health to all beset by physical, emotional, or spiritual illness, and infuse their caregivers with gentleness and love. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

Jesus, the Lamb

By love we receive Your Peace

~ O God of Light and Mercy, for those we love who have reached the end of earthly life, turn our mourning into joy, as they have entered into their inheritance of your limitless light and life, forever blessed. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, the Lamb

By love we receive Your Peace

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

Jesus, the Lamb

By love we receive Your Peace ~

O God of Light and Mercy, refresh those anointed to lead us in Your church with the fire and depth of Your call, guiding us to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, the Lamb

By love we receive Your Peace

The Celebrant adds: Holy Christ, Lord of Glory and Light, heal us as we travel the river of this life toward eternity with You. By our love we’ll keep Your words and not give to the world as it gives, but offer Your deep, abiding peace to all we meet. We ask through the Holy Spirit, our Advocate; and the Infinite Almighty, who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.

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Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Prayers of the People: Joy in the Finding ~ 5th Sunday after Easter WLWC* ‘25 Yr C

For Sunday, May 18, 2025; Readings: Acts 16:13-22, 40; Psalm 102:17-21, 25-28; Colossians 4:10-17,

Luke 15:1-10

…we met an enslaved girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her masters a great deal of money by fortune-telling… she followed after Paul and us, she cried out, “These persons are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” it bothered Paul, who turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that hour…her masters saw that their hope of financial gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and they dragged them before the authorities…they said, “These persons are disturbing our city; they are Judeans and are preaching traditions that are not right for us to follow as Romans… the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with batons. [Acts 16:16-18, 20-21]

God regards the prayer of the destitute, and she does not despise their prayer. Let this be engraved for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the Wisdom of the Ages: that she looked down from her holy height, from heaven the Creator of All beheld the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to set free those who were condemned to die… [ Psalm 102:17-20]

Epaphras, who is one of you, a slave of the Messiah Jesus…is always fighting for you all in his prayers, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in everything that is the will of God. [Colossians 4:12]

Jesus spoke to them telling this parable saying, “Which mother’s child among you having a hundred sheep and losing one does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until you find it? And finding it…call together your friends and neighbors, saying…‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep’…Or, what woman have ten silver drachmas [worth ten days’ wages], if she loses one of them does not light a lamp, sweep the house until she finds it?Then finding it…calls together her friends and neighbors, saying ‘Rejoice with me for I have found the coin that I lost.’ In the same way I tell you, there is more joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’” [Luke 15:3-10]

The reading from The Book of Acts this week opens with a brief mention of Lydia, a merchant of purple cloth, a valuable commodity in her time as well as for a thousand and more centuries beyond. We are told that The Messiah opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul and she was baptized along with her household. Then we hear a longer story about an enslaved girl who had a spirit of divination… She was following after Paul and Silas for many days, calling out along the way that they were proclaiming a way of salvation. Paul was irritated and ordered the spirit to come out of her in the name of Jesus Christ and so the spirit did. Her owners were not pleased that their source of very good income was gone and they had them arrested, stripped naked, and violently beaten. While they were released, and visited Lydia and her household before leaving town, we are left to wonder what became of the enslaved girl?

As with last week’s mention of Rhoda, a slave who was mocked and told she was insane when she said Peter was at the gate of the house, where a sufficiently large number of believers were gathered and praying. Peter had been imprisoned but escaped with the help of God’s angel, and went to the house whereupon Rhoda announced him and firmly insisted that it was Peter. Finally the gathered saw him and were amazed. But no further mention of Rhoda. Do we notice these people have gone missing from the storyline? “Minor characters” in a storyline we might say if we thought about them at all. At least Rhoda was named.

Who are the named and unnamed minor characters all around us in our everyday lives? Are they the ones sleeping on benches, wandering around talking to themselves, or asking for food money in the median of a road? Perhaps a mother chasing a toddler in a neighborhood, or drivers weaving in and out of traffic at great speed or driving so slowly as to drive others (me, I confess) less than charitable in thought (or word!).

I was truly drawn to the expression in Psalm 102:17 ~ God regards the prayer of the destitute and she will not despise their prayer. Dr. Gafney* uses her own translation and intentional feminine language/pronouns, but the fundamental wording and context of the readings doesn’t change. Most, if not all, of her chosen readings are NOT from the Revised Common Lectionary and so it gives us a chance to hear the names and know a fraction of a mention of those otherwise minor characters throughout both the Hebrew and Christian Testaments. It has given me a fresh perspective. I have read the entirety of the Psalms many times, and yet that phrase in the psalm, which is very similar throughout the variety of Bible versions I have looked through (using Biblegateway.com) ~ the destitute ~ remains hanging in my thoughts.

We are all destitute, or deficient, in one way or another and some obviously in more actual life threatening ways than others whether by disease or poverty, or addiction, or lack of financial and housing resources, etc. But I know that all of us fall into a destitution of one kind of another in our lifetime whether of faith, in hopelessness, or anytime we experience a sense of having lost our path forward. And then comes the passage from the Letter to the Colossians. Epaphras is always fighting for you all in his prayers. Well, maybe not that particular person, but there are millions of people praying for all of us in one way or another. If you’re reading this, then you and I are also praying specifically and generally for many others and for many reasons. And then, Paul says: See that the ministry you have received in the Messiah, that you fulfill it.” Well, that makes me take note of my deficiencies of living in and through my faith and what I am called to do.

And many of us will know the parable of the Lost Sheep and the woman with the lost coin. Here Dr. Gafney gives an account of the value of that silver drachma and why the woman took her house apart to find it! But of course the common thread between these parables is that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous somebodies who have no need of repentance. Well, I hate to sound judgmental but are there really 99 who don’t need to repent of something? Ok, I’ll repent of that but the “Good News” is that there is joy in the finding of faith in our hearts and souls, however shaky and uncertain it may be. And the word “repent” does mean to acknowledge one’s wrongdoings feel remorse and resolve to change and make amends if possible. Sure there are sinful actions with civil and human consequences, but for me the overarching meaning of repentance is the change of heart and mind, the turning back toward God.

Sometimes we just stop paying attention to the wonders of Creation, the love of family and friends, the everyday moments of smiles or laughter that slip quickly away. Let’s resolve to take a deep breath, think through the cranial rolodex of yesterday and notice what we didn’t notice about the 1000 or so minutes of consciousness in the 1440 minutes of a day. What positive conversations were there? What brought a smile or laughter? When was the mood a bit gray or darker and why? Where was God, Jesus, and/or the Holy Spirit found? How and in what ways can we improve and give attention in prayer to, conversation with, or simply thinking about God in a moment of happiness, frustration, anger, or a more ordinary activity such as eating a meal (Grace), filling the car with gas (bless that family at the next pump), retrieving the mail (thank you for that person’s work). We can find many ways to bring God into our moment by moment living. Even people who are ardent about the Daily Office prayers, saying a rosary every day, reading a passage of the Bible or another inspirational text each day can find positive ways to turn toward God in a moment outside of intentional prayer work.

What has been lost, or simply put up on the shelf of our minds can be rediscovered. Whether it’s a lost sheep or silver drachma, let’s sweep the pasture of our hearts regularly to leave no distance between God in Christ with the Holy Spirit. What is lost may still be found and the joy, in heaven and on earth, is in the finding, each and every time.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O God, Creator of All, regard the prayers of those destitute in food, clothing, shelter, and in heart and soul, and behold all of us who fall into the valley of despair across our human time. Lead us to listen eagerly as we seek to find and fulfill the ministry given us by our Messiah, and to stand mature and fully assured in everything that is your will.

                                                   Oh Christ, Messiah
  Response: Open our hearts to know your voice

~ O God, Creator of All, guide us to be as your voice in acting for justice and mercy for all of your Creation. Soften, open, and change the minds and hearts of those who choose not to govern wisely and well, but through coercion and control, on this earth, in this country, and in our community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Oh Christ, Messiah
                                                       Open our hearts to know your voice

~ O God, Creator of All, release from anguish all who are chronically ill in body, mind, or spirit, and refresh the stamina of all who give support. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Oh Christ, Messiah
                                                       Open our hearts to know your voice

~ O God, Creator of All, lift the hearts of the mournful as through You, death is no more and our dearest departed have now risen to new and unending Life in joy, free from tears and pain. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Oh Christ, Messiah
                                                       Open our hearts to know your voice

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

                                                       Oh Christ, Messiah
                                                       Open our hearts to know your voice

~ O God, Creator of All, grant additional grace to all You have chosen to bring us Your Word and Sacraments, that together we may receive our Salvation through Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Oh Christ, Messiah
                                                       Open our hearts to know your voice

The Celebrant adds: Most Holy God, as you hear the groaning of your children across this planet, imprisoned by poverty, fear, ethnicity, race, gender, and more, strengthen us to fight with our prayers and by our merciful actions, that we may open more ways to relieve and set free, all who are suffering and condemned to earthly misery by unjust earthly powers. We ask through Jesus, our Great and Good Shepherd; and the Holy Spirit, the Sacred Energy in and of our Souls; who together with You reign as One God, today, tomorrow, and for all eternity. 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/

Prayers of the People: It’s NEW, Again ~ 5th Sunday of Easter '25 RCL Yr C

For Sunday, May 18, 2025, Readings: Acts 11:1-18, Psalm 148, Revelation 21:1-6, John 13:31-35

The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us...And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit; If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that could hinder God? [Acts 11:12,16-17]

Kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all rulers of the world…Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for his Name only is exalted. [Psalm 148: 11, 13]

I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more...the home of God is among mortals...Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more. [Revelation 21:1-2, 3b, 4b]

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]

A new Commandment from Jesus: love one another as I have loved you. Sure, sure, we’ve heard it all before, many times. Peter had to explain himself to the uncircumcised believers who criticized him for going to Gentiles and eating with them. He told them straight out that the Spirit directed him not to make a distinction between them and us. Yet don’t we in our own time and place make distinctions about who is worthy of our time and attention, let alone love? But Jesus tells us clearly that we are to love everyone, not just those we already love. He also doesn’t say only love the ones who will love you in return.

Peter astonished his listeners with the words of Jesus and his own realization that he himself received the gift of the Holy Spirit when he believed, as will everyone. The writer of Revelation sees a new heaven and a new earth and tells us that God's home is among us mortals.

But this mortal home is seething with rage, disparity, tragedy, poverty, disease, fear, war, and so much more. It is in a pandemic of manipulation, exploitation used for political expedience, and high levels of profiteering. It writhes with increasing numbers of natural disasters and human-made horrors displacing and killing so many of our earth-bound neighbors. And still we are called to love one another as we are loved by Christ. Are we called to agree? No. Are we called to like everyone? No. Are the views of others noxious or even toxic to our own? In some instances, yes! In the face of so much, loving everyone feels impossible. However we are also called to continue in prayer to work toward this difficult goal.

We are attempting the kind of Christ-love, that in the face of hostility from others and our own, asks us to remain calm and respectful regardless of the other’s reaction. It is more arduous for some of us than others, to let go of a nearly instinctive, or at least an impulsive need to argue back, which, of course, only heightens the fervor of both sides. When we know that what we believe will not be accepted by others, just as what they believe will likely not be accepted by us, we can try taking a long deep breath and quietly listen; otherwise, we can simply say something like God love us both and knows our hearts, take care and move on. The reverse is also true. If the other person chooses to move on, we must not follow on with our own blustering!

It is quite difficult in times such as these when opinions, frustrations, fear, and anger divide us at a fevered pitch. Yet if we can try to give ourselves to this pursuit of loving as Christ loves, more often than not, much more will come of it; at the very least in reducing our own stress levels. But we have to hear the words of Jesus, inwardly digest, trust them, and have faith that God will indeed wipe every tear and death will be no more. The effect of this consciousness within us is far from immediate and may never feel completely satisfying but it can relieve the constant harangue of our own judgment of others (and perhaps a bit of self-righteousness?) within ourselves.

How, then, can we hear these words in a new and different way? What can arouse us from our distractions, our inattentiveness, our numbness, and call us to action?

Our Creator continues to create but do we see? By actively loving others, especially the unlovable, through our words and actions, we are co-creating with God to bring the new earth into our present existence, now. There is joy and goodness to be experienced, divisions among people to be repaired, brokenness healed. Will every moment be as running through fields of roses and daisies? Not even close. But by shaking ourselves out of complacency, by dusting off our faith, and becoming a partner with God in Christ through the Holy Spirit, the Church, and each other, we can change the tiny parcel of this mortal home we inhabit. Anguish and anger within us could be no more or at the very least, we can learn to set it aside.

We can create love that heals or at least patches things up, love that warms an angry heart, love that soothes the cries of grief, love that finds help, food, shelter, or just a hand to hold. A smile, a kind word, or just listening. Even when rejected, as we will be, there will be another to love and someone to love us. Who am I to hinder God working in me? C.S. Lewis puts things more bluntly: There have been some who were so occupied in spreading Christianity that they never gave a thought to Christ…It is the subtlest of all snares. To truly follow Jesus, to be known as a sincere disciple, all we truly need is to know the love of Christ within us and share it. Discipleship 101: love one another as I have loved you.

Everything is NEW, again!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Forever and Almighty Lord, infuse us with the willingness to live Your commandment to love family, friend, and stranger alike, using a basin and towel more often than lofty praise with weak intent.

O God at Home Among Us
  Response: We begin and end in You

~ Forever and Almighty Lord, guide us to be as Your voice in speaking and acting on behalf of all who suffer because of actions by those who govern, dictate, or control Your people on this earth, in this country, and in our community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God at Home Among Us
                                                       We begin and end in You

~ Forever and Almighty Lord, release from anguish all who are chronically ill in body, mind, or spirit, and refresh the stamina of all who give support. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       O God at Home Among Us
                                                       We begin and end in You

~ Forever and Almighty Lord, lift the hearts of the mournful as through You, death is no more and our dearest departed have now risen to new and unending Life in joy, free from tears and pain. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God at Home Among Us
                                                       We begin and end in You

~ Forever and Almighty 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 God at Home Among Us
                                                       We begin and end in You

~ Forever and Almighty Lord, grant additional grace to all You have chosen to bring us Your Word and Sacraments, that together we may receive our Salvation through Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God at Home Among Us
                                                       We begin and end in You

The Celebrant adds:  Glorified Christ, Son of God and Man, embolden us to be purposeful instruments of the continuous flow of Your limitless love. Guide our hearts to joyfully participate in the perpetual renewal of Your Creation, through our own repentance and love, that will lead us to unending life in You. Amen.

Monday, May 5, 2025

Prayers of the People: To Free or Not to Free ~ 4th Sunday of Easter ’25 WLWC* Yr C

For Sunday, May 11, 2025; Readings: Acts 12:6-17, Psalm 69:1-3, 30-34;

Philemon 1:1-2, 7-16; Luke 13:10-17

Now when Simon Peter was about to be handed over to Herod…he was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains…and suddenly an angel of the Most High stood over Peter…and said to him, “Get up quickly!”…Then the chains fell from his hands…Peter came to himself saying…”the Most High really sent their angel and delivered me”…he went on to the house of Mary…knocked at the door…an enslaved your woman named Rhoda…recognizing Peter’s voice…announced that Peter was standing in the courtyard…they said to her, “You are insane!” [Acts 12:6-7, 12-15]

Save me, God…I make my prayer to you Wisdom of the Ages…Rescue me…let me be delivered…For the Faithful God who hears the needy, and those who belong to her and are imprisoned, she does not despise… [Psalm 69:13-14…33]

I am appealing to you for my child whom I birthed during my imprisonment, Onesimus. Formerly to you he was useless, but now to you and to me he is useful…I wanted to hold him with me…so that he might serve me However, without your consent I would do nothing so that your good work would not be forced rather voluntary…Perhaps for this reason he removed himself…for some time that for all time you would then have him. No longer a slave but more than a slave—a brother beloved…in flesh and in the Redeemer. [Philemon 1:10-11, 13-16]

Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath…suddenly there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity… that had crippled her…she was bent over and was not able to stand up completely. Now when Jesus saw her, he called out and said, “Woman you are set free from your infirmity.” …But the leader of the synagogue…indignant because it was on the sabbath that Jesus cured her…said…”There are six days on which one ought work…and not on the Sabbath Day.” But the Messiah answered him and said, “Hypocrites…ought she not be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath Day?” [Luke 8:4-9]

In the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) across all three years of Readings (Years A, B, C) this is commonly known as Good Shepherd Sunday as Psalm 23 is read in all three years and most of the readings have to do with sheep, shepherds, and of course, Jesus. However, as is the usual case, Dr. Gafney* challenges us with readings we do not receive over the course of the RCL, that is, these are actual biblical texts but are not used in the “regular” course of readings. We are called to question our own perspectives of freedom: who are free, and the societal indifference to the bondage under which some people live in our own time.

By naming another woman we’ve not heard of in the RCL, we learn that Rhoda is an enslaved woman who recognizes Peter by his voice after God’s angel releases him from prison. Rhoda runs to tell the assembled [large] number of believers that Peter was at the door. But a credible slave girl? She was mocked although finally proved right. Nonetheless, she remained a slave, the property of Mary, mother of John called Mark.

Moving to Paul’s letter to Philemon, we learn of Onesimus (oh-ness-eh-mus), a slave that Paul refers to as my child whom I birthed during my imprisonment. Paul asks for Philemon to accept him with the surprising phrasing of “Formerly to you he was useless, but now to you and me he is useful.” Paul also says he thought about keeping Onesimus to serve him but decided to give him to Philemon and so Onesimus then becomes the slave of Philemon—however, his story is far from concluded.

We do know stories of Jesus healing on the Sabbath, agitating the Jewish authorities in every Gospel. In this one we learn of a woman so bent with a spirit of infirmity that she cannot stand up straight that Jesus laid his hands on her and said Woman, you are set free from your infirmity. When the leader of the synagogue tells the assembled women, men, and children that this should not happen on the Sabbath, Jesus calls him, and the others that agree, hypocrites. Why NOT heal on the Sabbath ~ ought she not be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath Day? The opposed were put to shame while the entire crowd rejoiced.

As we, now, rejoice for her and for the healing and freedom Jesus restored, we must take some time to recognize who are and who are not free within our own lives and times. Who are those that we easily dismiss whether by intent or indifference, or perhaps even, dare I say: intolerance? It is time, especially in these times, for us to take a reckoning of how we each discount others by reason of political, religious, economic, ethnic, racial, gendered, sexual, educational, intellectual, physical, employment, housing, agreement/disagreement… and so many other kinds of status including the catch-all of just plain “well, because…” Who is a Rhoda, an Onesimus, a person with an infirmity that isn’t noticed or at least easily ignored?

Are we more comfortable living in a free-for-all of discontent, discord, and disrespect for those who are unimportant to us? Or, are we striving for a FREE FOR ALL Welcoming Society, cheering, caring, and working for those oppressed by so many forces in everyday life? Are we seeing others not as less than we are but as we each are ~ created by God? The Psalmist’s cry and prayer is for and by ALL of us. The question isn’t who to free or not to free. The question is if Jesus is our Great and Good Shepherd, are we listening? If yes, there’s no question about what to do next.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Living, Healing Christ, fill us with the burning desire to follow Your voice, through the peaks and valleys of our human sojourn. Teach us to live the resurrection-life now, standing upright in heart and soul, glorifying God through our prayers and our actions, until we dwell again with you forever.

                                                      Lord Jesus, Heartbeat of our Faith
      RESPONSE:           Our Shepherd, our Shelter

~ Living, Healing Christ, open wide the souls, hearts, and minds of all who govern across this Earth, this Country, and this Community. Awaken their God-Given reason and endow them with the courage to act for the benefit of the safety, dignity, health, and equality of every human on this Earth. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Lord Jesus, Heartbeat of our Faith
                                                       Our Shepherd, our Shelter

~ Living, Healing Christ, anoint the hearts of all in chronic pain, the woes of addiction, or lost in despair, and restore hope and vitality to all who nurture and support them. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       Lord Jesus, Heartbeat of our Faith
                                                       Our Shepherd, our Shelter

~ Living, Healing Christ, gather the tears from those who mourn, as those who have left this life, now drink from the springs of new and eternal life in You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Lord Jesus, Heartbeat of our Faith
                                                       Our Shepherd, our Shelter

~ Living, Healing Christ, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…

Lord Jesus, Heartbeat of our Faith

Our Shepherd, our Shelter

~ Living, Healing Christ, we give You thanks and ask Your blessings for the chosen Disciples of our own time who spread Your table before us, feeding our faith and confirming Your presence in our lives. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord Jesus, Heartbeat of our Faith

Our Shepherd, our Shelter

The Celebrant adds: O Christ, our Messiah, grant us the faithfulness to awaken each day with You first in our thoughts, then inspired by Simon Peter and Mary the mother of John, Paul and Timothy, Philemon, Apphia and others, let us strive again to live in such depth of faith, that our moments of unbelief are few. We ask through the Holy Spirit, our Comforter; and the Almighty, our Creator; who together with You reign as One God, forever and beyond. Amen.

Prayers of the People: Listen To Believe ~ 4th Sunday of Easter '25 RCL Yr C

For Sunday, May 11, 2025, Readings: Acts 9:36-43, Psalm 23, Revelation 7:9-17, John 10:22-30

image by Alamy

Peter...knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, "Tabitha, get up." The she opened her eyes and seeing Peter, she sat up...This became known...and many believed in the Lord. [Acts 9:40b-41, 42b]

The LORD is my shepherd...even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil, [Psalm 23:1, 4]*

“…for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to the springs of the water of live, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” [Revelation 7:9-17]

So the Jews gathered around him and said to him...If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly. Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe...because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. [John 10:24-25a, 26-27]

A few days before Peter’s arrival in Joppa, he, in Christ’s name, healed a paralyzed man named Aeneas, nearby. It may be that disciples heard the news and sent for Peter to come and heal their beloved Tabitha although she had died before his arrival. The power in these miracles is less about a paralytic who then walks, or Tabitha (“Dorcas” in Greek) rising from the dead, but about the effect of those who witnessed the results and told others who told others and who then believed in Jesus as Lord.

It is significant that he sent people from the room and then prayed – he was not attempting to act on his own power – and also that he then commanded Tabitha to get up. He didn’t ask her, he told her with the authority of and full faith in Jesus within him. As a result, many believed in the Lord. What Peter did had an impact – not just for Aeneas and Tabitha – but for all who heard or saw. Just as today they will know we are Christians by our love, says the hymn; what we do in the name of Christ can draw near or repel the faith of others. In claiming our faith we must also claim the wider impact of our faith: what we do, what we say, the actions we take are noticed and likely considered as a measure, a reflection of that faith we claim. A burden, perhaps, yet offset by what we are given in return.

In the lyrical and mystical readings from Revelation, the 23^rd Psalm*, and John’s Gospel** we see Jesus as Lamb, Christ as Shepherd, and, Jesus as human. The Lamb at the center of the throne, says Revelation, will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life… As the human Jesus, he tells the gathered in John, I have told you, and you do not believe. This line often requires me to stop, think, and question just what do I believe? Am I a step removed, as were those who were beyond Joppa and only heard about Peter’s miracles and believed? Or, am I with Thomas and still need to “see” something for myself?

It also might be that in this human sojourn we forget that our faith isn’t just about what is to come in the eternal pasture of Heaven as long as we are reasonably well-behaved. We are to live now as followers of Christ Resurrected, in the peaks and valleys of life, the light and the dark, the days of more faith and the nights of less. Lutheran Pastor Bobby Morris puts it quite beautifully saying: We look eagerly to experience resurrection life beyond the grave. But let us not overlook the resurrection life – the very refreshing of our souls – that the risen Christ offers daily to those who follow him. [emphasis added]

Jesus was gently adamant when he said My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. Let us allow our souls to be revived, to fear no evil, to know that goodness and mercy are following us all the days of this life. We are in the grasp of Jesus from whom we cannot be taken away. Let us live the resurrection life we have been given and rest in the knowing that God will wipe away every tear. As we are known by Jesus, let us remember and re-learn knowing Him from within ourselves to the reading of His words and actions. NOW is always the time to stop and listen to believe, again and again to hear his voice and to follow our Shepherd each and every day!

* The symbolism of what is one of the most well-known pieces of Scripture across all faiths and none, is fascinating and complex. I commend to you a charming and interesting little book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller, who himself was a modern-day shepherd, for a closer look at the connections between the Psalm's imagery and real-life sheep farming. I can certainly find myself among Keller's sheep, especially in those unruly moments when I wander away.

** While Tabitha/Dorcas is less familiar to us than others spoken of in Scripture, she certainly continues to have an impact. While little is known but her good works and acts of charity, tunics and other clothing she had made, there is today an organization that uses her Greek name to help those in need of immigration services, legal, education, path to citizenship, and a clothing collaborative. While not a faith-based organization, the impact of Dorcas continues. Click here to see more: Dorcas International

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Jesus, Holy Lamb, awaken our desire to follow Your voice through the peaks and valleys of our human sojourn. Teach us to live the resurrection life now, through words and actions of goodness with mercy, and Your refreshment of our souls each day, until we dwell again in Your Heavenly House.

Risen Lord

RESPONSE: Our Shepherd, our Shelter

~ Jesus, Holy Lamb, revive the souls of all who govern across this Earth, this Country, and this Community. Strengthen their spirits as You guide us all along right pathways for the health, safety, and equality of every sheep of Your pasture. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Risen Lord

Our Shepherd, our Shelter

~ Jesus, Holy Lamb, anoint the hearts of all in chronic pain, in the woes of addiction, or lost in despair, and restore hope and energy to all who give them care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need…add your own petitions

Risen Lord

Our Shepherd, our Shelter

~ Jesus, Holy Lamb, wipe the tears from those who mourn as those who have died now drink from the springs of new life in You, forever. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Risen Lord

Our Shepherd, our Shelter

~ Jesus, Holy Lamb, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions

Risen Lord

Our Shepherd, our Shelter

~ Jesus, Holy Lamb, we give You thanks and ask Your blessings for the chosen Disciples of our own time who spread Your table before us, feeding our faith and confirming Your presence in our lives. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Risen Lord

Our Shepherd, our Shelter

The Celebrant adds: O Christ, our Messiah, grant us the faithfulness to awaken each day with You first in our thoughts, then inspired by Tabitha and others, to live in deep devotion to You. May our own prayers, good works and acts of charity among Your flock, fill us with such depth of faith, that our moments of unbelief are few. We ask through the Holy Spirit, our Comforter; and the Almighty, our Creator; who together with You reign as One God, now and forever. Amen.