Prayers of the People: Rising to New Heights 2nd Sunday of Easter, Yr B '18

For Sunday, April 8, 2018, 2nd Sunday of Easter, Year B, Readings: Acts 4:32-35, Psalm 133, 1 John 1:1-2:2, John 20:19-31

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

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

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

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

     Thomas, the ultimate skeptic, carries the load for those among us sometimes reluctant to admit to doubt about faith, questions about God, or a wonder about events recalled in the Bible. By the way, the other Apostles also doubted briefly [see Luke 24:1-12] - so we who have had our own doubts are all in good company. And the company we are in is also the point - those who knew Jesus in their own lifetimes came together as a faith community sharing joy, fellowship, and the necessities of life as followers before and after Christ's Resurrection. Then and in many succeeding generations, those we speak of as early Christians faced tremendous fear and the reality of vicious persecution as many Christians, and many members of other faith traditions, still do in our own day. The continuous re-telling and re-living of our story keeps us connected by remembering the why of our faith even in those moments of faint acceptance or unbelief.
      Easter, however, isn't merely a day or a season, it is meant to be our way of life, as Easter People. From the beginning of Advent we are preparing the way for and seeking the glory and joy of the Resurrection, achieved through the great sacrifice and pain that we have experienced through Holy Week and, Good Friday in particular. As we move from Easter Day, rising in faith, we are called to re-examine the manner in which we live our lives through our thoughts, words, and actions with and for everyone we meet. It is in fellowship that we remember, walk in, and reflect the light he himself is in, with peace and the Holy Spirit within us. 

        In these confusing and difficult times, let us work together to keep and dispense the message of Christ, Peace be with you, as we strive for unity and love wherever we are. Despite our often deep divisions, as well as our occasional doubts, through our companioning and fellowship with one another, God's truth within us, and living in Christ's name, we can rise to new heights of faith - undoubtedly! And oh how good and pleasant it is! 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

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

                                                       Jesus, Light and Peace of God

RESPONSE:                    Raise us to new heights in Faith

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

                                                       Jesus, Light and Peace of God

                                                       Raise us to new heights in Faith

                                                      

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

                                                       Jesus, Light and Peace of God

                                                       Raise us to new heights in Faith

             

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

                                                       Jesus, Light and Peace of God

                                                       Raise us to new heights in Faith

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

                                                       Jesus, Light and Peace of God

                                                       Raise us to new heights in Faith

             

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

                                                       Jesus, Light and Peace of God

                                                       Raise us to new heights in Faith

             

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

        

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution 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: Son Rise ~ Easter Day Sunday '18 'Yr B

For Sunday, April 1, 2018, Easter Sunday, Year B, Readings: Acts 10:34-43, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, 

Mark 16:1-8

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

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

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

     As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. [Mark 16:5-6a]

        EASTER is here! Hallelujah!! Christ is Risen!!! Wherever you are on this planet whether bursting into Spring or slipping into Autumn, today our Salvation is assured through our faith in this Risen Lord of All. But what is it really all about, apart from one day – one church service? – of celebrating the Resurrection? Most of us will have participated in Easter celebrations many times so we are sure we know. I find myself, particularly this year, drawn to the words of Thomas Merton in his book The Sign of Jonas, "The grace of Easter is a great silence, an immense tranquility and a clean taste in your soul. It is the taste of heaven...a discovery of order above all order...a wine without intoxication, a joy that has no poison in it. Life without death..." Of course, there is always more to the story, but how do we discover it?

        There are four Gospel accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This year we hear from the Gospel of Mark, which generally feels to me as a newspaper account, light in detail and flourish with just the basics. He says that the “women fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them..." after being told by a young man in a white robe that Jesus had been raised and they didn’t tell anyone because they were afraid.  

        The drama seems a bit greater in Matthew who tells us there was an angel whose "appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow." He spoke to the women who then "left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy..." and Jesus met them.

       In Luke there were "two men in dazzling clothes" who said to the women "why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen." The women told the apostles but those words "seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them."  

       John tells us that Mary Magdalene arrived first and then ran to "...Simon Peter and the other disciple...and said to them, 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have laid him.'" It was some time after Peter and the "other disciple" looked in and saw the tomb empty before Mary had an encounter with "two angels in white" and was shortly after greeted by Jesus. 

        If you were asked to tell the story, which is closest to your memory? Listening to or reading different accounts of the same event can give us a fresh perspective and a new experience of the moment.

       Take some time this Easter season and read the Gospel accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Reflect on what surprises you and what questions arise. Wonder, and try to decide, if one account speaks to you more than another and why? Or perhaps you'll mix and match the Gospel writers' accounts to arrive at your own version, visualizing yourself in the time and place. Whatever you do, ask yourself: So what? What does it all mean for my life today, tomorrow, and beyond? What will I do - or stop doing - as a result of reflecting on Christ's Death and Resurrection? 

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

       I want to find that clean taste in my soul and that fresh joy, that creative transformation. I want to resurrect my faith and meet and be liberated by Christ beyond the tomb. While I must remember that the resurrection of Easter requires the Cross of Good Friday, with Christ moving with us and before us, our path, though not easy, will surely lead us into the eternal Easter of Salvation and life everlasting. 

                                                    

                                                      He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!  Alleluia!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Christ Jesus, Risen Lord of All, the earth-bound tomb is empty! You are raised to the right hand of God from the temporary bindings of human death. You redeemed our souls that we may accept Your gift of new life and join You in the joy and glory of eternal salvation.

                                                       Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

RESPONSE:                  Christ is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

~ Christ Jesus, Risen Lord of All, Your Death and Resurrection fulfilled the Scriptures as the Sacred Victim of political murder, being feared most by those whose political power was merely temporal and time-limited. Help us strive to remind those who now hold earthly power in our World, in our Country and in our Community, that God shows no partiality and all who believe and do right are acceptable and forgiven through You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

                                                       Christ is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

                                                      

~ Christ Jesus, Risen Lord of All, lavish Your healing grace and glory on all those who are ill in body, mind, or spirit, and on those who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

                                                       Christ is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

             

~ Christ Jesus, Risen Lord of All, by Your Sacrifice, mortal death has been vanquished and the ransom for sin has been paid for those we love, and we ourselves in time, who joyously enter perpetual life with You. We pray especially for:  add your own petitions

                                                       Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

                                                       Christ is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

~ Christ Jesus, Risen Lord 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

                                                       Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

                                                       Christ is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

             

~ Christ Jesus, Risen Lord of All, we give You great thanks for the priests of Your Church who, in teaching, care, and humility, walk with us and lead us in this life, toward the fullness of Your Salvation in the next. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

                                                       Christ is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

             

The Celebrant adds:  Son of God, our Savior Christ, You are the Word with God from the Beginning, Who is Beloved of God, and through Whom God is brought to each of us. Release us from our self-imposed tombs of sin, that we may transcend mortal desires, be stronger in faith, and lift our souls to You. We ask through You, our Living Lord; the Power of the Holy Spirit, and the Enduring Grace of the Almighty, who together are our One God, forever and ever. Amen.

   

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution 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: Cheers, Jeers, and Chocolate Bunnies ~ Passion and Palm Sunday, 6th Sunday in Lent ~ 18 Yr B

For Sunday, March 25, 2018, Palm Sunday Year B, Readings: Mark 1:1-11, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 31:9-16, Philippians 2:5-11, The Passion according to Mark

      Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" [Mark 11:9]

     Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. [Isaiah 50:8]

     But as for me, I have trusted in you, O LORD, I have said, "You are my God, my times are in  your hand... 

[Psalm 31:14-15a]

     Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus...and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [Philippians 2:5, 11]

     Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard." So when [Jesus] came [the betrayer] went up to him and said, "Rabbi!" and kissed him. [Mark 14:44-45]

    [Peter] began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know this man you are talking about." At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, "Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times." And he broke down and wept. [Mark 14:71-72]

The Sunday of the Passion:

Palm Sunday

        The palms, the cloaks, and branches on the road, the cheering, exuberance, and the presumption by the press of people that Jesus was a prophet and a known miracle worker and, of course, the donkey ~ a symbol of peace, a warrior king would have ridden a horse ~ were all noticed by the Roman occupiers and, the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Council who had its own police force and trial court. 

        Just as suddenly as the air fills with joy and gusto and glee, the week turns deadly and the same crowd's Hosannas turn to shouts of Crucify him!

        In the fast paced-hurry-up world we live in, some years ago the celebration of Palm Sunday and the commemoration that was Passion Sunday were combined into a one-Sunday rather than a two-Sunday observance. At first thought it seems a shame to shortcut the two experiences and yet, I think, it heightens the experience - if we let it - and highlights the stunning speed at which any and many of us can be manipulated into changing what we think we believe, and because of who is doing the telling to us, we want to believe whatever he/she/they say. 

       Yet, if attending church this Sunday, how much of the combined readings do we really hear, feel, or think about? The readings are long, even if acted out ~ am I listening or watching the clock, or writing my check for the collection, or thinking about the grocery list for Easter baskets and Easter Dinner and peeps, jelly beans and chocolate bunnies? 

       Am I willing to look at the world as it is now, how many times such crowd manipulating and political murders take place every day in my country and around the world? Am I willing to wonder what it is that I could possibly do about it? Or, might I even just consider who and what is Jesus to me? 

        My young grand-daughter loves singing a little happy-clappy ditty she learned in Vacation Bible School, "I am following Jesus" and the volume increases exponentially - as she also learned - with the line he changed my life forever. So, wise and self-proclaimed Christian grandmother that I think I am, the hard question for myself is how am I following Jesus? Has he changed my life forever - or, more to the point, have I let him? When have I betrayed and deserted him - or if that's too hard for me to acknowledge - when have I ignored him? Yes, Palms AND Passion today, and it's here all week! And, it's here every day that I choose to profess my faith in all that I think and do - uncomfortable, unpopular, but oh so redeeming. 

        Anticipating the Gospel events as they arise this week, I'll start over, re-read the lessons, pray with them, and seek the courage and confidence to live into and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God [Phillipians 2:11]. It is again time for me to look at each day in this Holy Week as a sincere period of reflection, penance, and re-commitment. There's no Easter without Good Friday, and when I am following Jesus - the real Jesus - my life does change, and the rising joy is palpable.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Jesus, Light of God, today we begin with Hallelujah and Hosanna and end with Hostility and Heartbreak. How quickly the crowds turn, prodded by wanton distortion of truth, political manipulation, and betrayal. Grant us the courage to listen, as if for the first time, as we walk the path to Your coming death, standing with You through it all, in our own day, never to deny that You are our Messiah, our Savior.

                                                Hosanna! Messiah!                                          

RESPONSE:             Our Strength and our Redeemer

~ Jesus, Light of God, embolden us to purposefully and earnestly engage the hearts and minds of the leaders of this world, this country, and this community, that we may confront and eliminate fear-mongering, treachery, and group oppression that leads to a cruel death like Yours. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Hosanna! Messiah!

                                                Our Strength and our Redeemer

                                               

~ Jesus, Light of God, enfold with Your loving arms, all who are ill, desperate, or hopeless, and all who worry and care for them. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                Hosanna! Messiah!

                                                Our Strength and our Redeemer

           

~ Jesus, Light of God, as You came to lead us all into the glory of eternal life, turn our grief into joy and comfort knowing those we mourn are alive with You now in everlasting peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                                                Hosanna! Messiah!

                                                Our Strength and our Redeemer

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

                                                Hosanna! Messiah!

                                                Our Strength and our Redeemer

           

~ Jesus, Light of God, as we begin this sacred week, endow our spiritual leaders with extraordinary grace, that we may all be drawn together to let the same mind be in us that was in You, and dwell encircled by Your sacred, life-changing embrace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Hosanna! Messiah!

                                                Our Strength and our Redeemer

           

The Celebrant adds:  God of Mercy, guide our experience this day and the fullness of the week to come. Awaken our souls to know the times when we, too, have deserted and betrayed Jesus turning first to the ways of the world. Grant us the willingness to confess through our thoughts, words, and actions that Jesus Christ IS Lord, to the Glory of You, our God. We ask this through our Savior Christ, Your Holy and Sacrificial Son, and the Most Holy Spirit, Your Breath and Wisdom within us, who live and reign with You, One God, now and forever. Amen. 

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution 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: Whole Grain ~ 5th Sunday in Lent '18 Yr B

For Sunday, March 18, 2018, 5^th Sunday in Lent, Year B, Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalm 51:1-13, Hebrews 5:5-10, 

John 12:20-33

    ...I will make a new covenant...I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts...I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. 

[Jeremiah 31:31,33b,34b]

    Have mercy on me, O God...in your great compassion...Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me...Give me the joy of your saving help and sustain me with your bountiful spirit. [Psalm 51:1, 11, 13]

   Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered...he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him... [Hebrews 5:8a, 9b]

   Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. [John 12:24] 

         From the beginnings of Christian Liturgy until the late 1950s, the 5th Sunday in Lent was known across many liturgical denominations as Passion Sunday and it marked the beginning of a two-week Passiontide. The 6th Sunday was Palm Sunday with the Passion cycle culminating on Easter Day. There are a few traditionalists that still follow that liturgical line but these days in our corner of Episcopal/Anglican Land, the official two weeks of Passiontide is no longer observed in that way and now the 6th Sunday in Lent is the combined Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday. The readings have been preparing us for what lies ahead for Jesus, as he was preparing those who were following him at the time.
         Most of us who have been Christian for a fair amount of time know what is coming, especially as parish calendars are filled with the schedules of preparations and services for Holy Week and Easter.  But perhaps, like me, I hate to admit, some will enter the experience of the next two weeks as a rote exercise of obligation with the sense of sacred slightly dimmed. Some will skip a few or all of the extra events in favor of laying all their spiritual eggs only in the joy of Easter.  But for me, it is time again that I consciously think more about what it all means for my eternal life. How do I break out of my self-protecting shell and be rooted again in Christ, growing, blossoming in Holy Ground?

          I will try to engage with the Scripture and Liturgy with fresh awareness, letting it carry me as if going through it for the very first time. I will pay attention to each experience and think about what it is saying to me, what it is reminding me, and what it is teaching me. Mostly, I will seek to discover what I am resisting and why, and, how to move forward. Will knowing that God chooses not to remember my sins change the direction of my life? Will I let it? 

         This week, Jesus tells his disciples about the grain of wheat that must die in order to bear fruit, and the harsh reality that loving my life as it is in this world will cause me to lose it in the next. It is time for that grain of truth to bear fruit in my soul and perhaps plant a few seeds in others. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord our God, turn us from our earthly wants and purge us from our sins. Strengthen our faith in Your constant Presence that we may hear again, intentionally follow, and obey Jesus the Christ, our Source of eternal salvation.

                                                       O God of Compassion             

RESPONSE:                    Have mercy on us

~ O Lord our God, create clean hearts, renew right spirits, and write Your Law on the souls of all in political authority in this World, in this Nation, and in this Community, that their actions will restore all Your people to justice, mercy, and peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God of Compassion

                                                       Have mercy on us

                                                      

~ O Lord our God, calm the fears and pain of all who are afflicted by illness, turmoil, or doubt, and refresh the energy of all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       O God of Compassion

                                                       Have mercy on us

             

~ O Lord our God, we offer our praise and unending gratitude for the joy and gladness of those we love, who now live again forever, in Your glorious and bountiful Spirit. We pray especially for:  add your own petitions

                                                       O God of Compassion

                                                       Have mercy on us

~ O Lord our God, 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 of Compassion

                                                       Have mercy on us

             

~ O Lord our God, grant special grace and blessings to all who endeavor in faith to live in and bring us Your Word and Sacraments, that we all may know the reconciling love of Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God of Compassion

                                                       Have mercy on us

             

The Celebrant adds:  Almighty and Eternal God, break us out of our self-protecting shells to die to temporal distractions, that, rooted in the holy ground of Christ, our spiritual fruitfulness may nourish the souls of ourselves and others as You guide us all into eternal life. We ask through Jesus, our great High Priest, and the Holy Spirit, our Sanctifier, who together with You, live, love, and reign as One God, now and forever. Amen.         

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution 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: Amazing Antidote 4th Sunday in Lent '18 Yr B

For Sunday, March 11, 2018, 4^th Sunday in Lent, Year B, Readings: Numbers 21:4-9, Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; 
Ephesians 2:1-10, John 3:14-21

     The Israelites set out by the way to the Red Sea...but the people became impatient...[and] spoke against God and against Moses...Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents...many Israelites died...So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live."  [Numbers 21:4-5a, 6, 7b-8]

     Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, and his mercy endures forever...Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. [Psalm 107:1, 19]

     But God, who is rich in mercy...made us alive together with Christ...For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God - not the result of works, so that no one may boast. [Ephesians 2:4a,b; 8-9]

     Jesus said, "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life...the light has come into the world...those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God." [John 3:14, 19a, 21]

       Even God gets tired of grumbling apparently. After all the grand displays of glory - pillars of cloud and fire, parting of seas, manna, and more, the Israelites still had no confidence in the eventuality of God's deliverance. So, God sends poisonous snakes that kill, and, suddenly chastened, the people begged Moses to pray and intervene for them, he did. God delivers - not an end to the dangers, but relief. Moses, on God's orders, made a bronze snake to hang on a pole. All the Israelites had to do is look up at the snake on the pole when bitten and they lived. God is not predictable, but God is faithful. And, Paul tells us, we are saved by God's grace.

       We ALL have God's grace. We don't have to work for it - no one does - it comes to us by faith. Yet how have we harnessed it, especially after we have all been bitten by our own trespassing behavior or that of someone else's? How do we respond? Have you ever thought or said that old expression: there but for the grace of God go I? It is mostly well-intended, I believe, but thought-less and even care-less. "There's that poor guy who was run over in the same intersection I just crossed" - but what you are unconsciously saying (and maybe unconsciously believe) is: "I have more grace than that guy." Hopefully you don't really mean that at all! It's generally a reaction to reduce our own fear and comfort ourselves against the dangers of life as in: Whew! Dodged that! 

       As we are in the deep of Lent, let us work to be more conscious, aware of even our most random thoughts and reactions. God is "rich in mercy" and understands each of us as only our Creator could, certainly better than we understand ourselves. Our lives are filled with danger, there are all sorts and conditions of "snakes" that trap us; the poison of sin can be quite tempting as well as lethal to our souls. God doesn't promise our earthly life will be easy or safe and John 3:16 isn't magic or just for football games, but for us in every day, so that everyone who believes in Christ "may not perish but may have eternal life."        

      We are to be true within the Light of Christ and be steadfast and faith-filled, our conscious acts are clearly to be of and in God. As the Israelites were directed to look up to the pole, Jesus tells Nicodemus that the Son of Man is also to be lifted up. We are called to look to Christ in faith for our salvation, and realize the grace of God flows through us. With prayer and practice, over time even our unconscious thoughts and actions may be less poisonous to ourselves and others! And, maybe, we could even stop grumbling quite so much. Meanwhile let us strive to grow in faith, to accept, and then feel the infusion of the Grace that is an amazing antidote to the darkness of sin.

T'was Grace that taught...

my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear...

the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares...

we have already come.

T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...

and Grace will lead us home.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O God of Enduring Mercy, awaken us to see the snakes we have invited into the wilderness of our own making, by impatient striving for only the things of earth. Open the eyes of our souls to the light of Christ that stems the poison of sin and lifts our desire for eternal salvation.

                                                     Lord of Abiding Goodness

RESPONSE:                  By our faith we accept Your grace

~ O God of Enduring Mercy, amplify our voices to all who hold power on this Planet, in this Nation, and this Community, as we clamor against ordinary and catastrophic injustice toward all who are endangered by the darkness of deliberate human trespass. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Lord of Abiding Goodness

                                                       By our faith we accept Your grace

                                                      

~ O God of Enduring Mercy, shelter the hearts of those suffering through illness, addiction, or homelessness, and give rest to all who provide support. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       Lord of Abiding Goodness

                                                       By our faith we accept Your grace

             

~ O God of Enduring Mercy, we give You thanks and praise for all who are now delivered from their earthly distress through the glory of new and eternal life with You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Lord of Abiding Goodness

                                                       By our faith we accept Your grace

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

                                                       Lord of Abiding Goodness

                                                       By our faith we accept Your grace

             

~ O God of Enduring Mercy, guide the souls, the minds, and the hearts of all who bring us Your Word and Sacraments that make us alive together through Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Lord of Abiding Goodness

                                                       By our faith we accept Your grace

             

The Celebrant adds: God of Glory, Lord of All Life, invigorate our faith and inspire us in our repentance to acknowledge and accept Your free gift of Grace, not to perish in sin but for our souls to thrive within Your everlasting Light. We ask through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and with the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit who live and reign with You as One God, now and forever.  

  

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