Prayers of the People: Listen for the Grain Drops ~ 2nd Sunday after Pentecost '18 Yr B

For Sunday, June 3, 2018, 2^nd Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, Readings: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20), Psalm 139: 1-5, 12-17; 2 Corinthians 4:5-12, 

Mark 2:23-3:6

      Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'" [1 Samuel 3:8b-9]

       Lord, you have searched me out and known me...you discern my thoughts from afar...You trace my journeys and my resting places and are acquainted with all my ways. Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, but you O Lord, know it altogether...For you yourself created my inmost parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

[Psalm 139:1a,b; 2-3, 12]

       For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ...For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus made be made visible in our mortal flesh. [2 Corinthians 4:6, 11]

       One Sabbath Jesus and his disciples were going through the grain fields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"...Then [Jesus] said to them, "The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath..." [Mark 2:23-24, 27] 

       Psalm 139 is my favorite Psalm of all, well, most of it. In the verses appointed for this Sunday, we celebrate "the mystery of human personhood" as Biblical Scholar Walter Bruggemann has called it. We have left aside, for the moment, the parts that take our personhood to another part of our mortal being, the very human desire for vengeance. But we will leave our Smite-ing God for another day and think about the God who calls us. 

       Samuel hears and is confused. Was it a BOOMING GOD VOICE or a still small voice as he was lying in readiness for sleep? We don't know but it causes me to wonder, if, when, how has God's Voice come to me unrecognized and therefore unattended. But Eli had the perfect solution, if Samuel hears - or thinks he hears - God calling, simply say, Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. After all, the Psalm is very clear about what the Lord knows about us as we were knitted together in our mother's womb. And when life is feeling especially dark, and the uncertainty of God's voice and presence is large, Paul reminds us that it is God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness"...the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus... 

       Our fragile human existence, our life ~ this treasure in clay jars ~ is intended to receive and give that light, that we can know within and others can see from the outside, that Jesus is visible in all that we do in our lives, which takes me back to the Psalm. God has searched us out, knows our ways, our thoughts, and the words on our lips ~ almost frightening on one level, yet comfortable on another. Who else but with God are we totally ourselves, with nothing to hide, and, if we relax into it, say in Sabbath time, nothing to fear? But are we listening?

       Jesus seems prepared and defiant when questioned by the Pharisees about the disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath. The incidents recounted in Mark don't reach the level of vengeance, but it is notable that it says Jesus looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart..." when questioning the Pharisaic enforcers, perhaps sarcastically, about whether it is lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath. Jesus told them earlier that the law was made for humans not humans for the law and was absolutely intentional in his flagrant healing of the man with the withered hand. There is a very deep message to hear if we are listening. Religious and secular laws can reflect the values and commitment of individuals and communities for a just and fair society. But taken to an extreme they can also be used against individuals and communities through technicalities that defy the spirit or intent of the law as it was instituted. God instituted Sabbath for human rest. If someone was unable to gather enough food the day before, should they be expected to go hungry for the sake of the letter of the law, or be denied healing? Jesus didn't think so. But listen for all the grain drops that fall and realize that as they pile up, and we fear disturbing the heap, we may become desensitized to the true needs of others. Let us release ourselves, through Sabbath rest, from hardness of heart and fear of the heartless. Let light shine out of darkness...Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.

       

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ God of Glory and Greatness, You created and know us in all our ways, our thoughts, and our words. Grant us the desire and intention to seek and then listen to Your Voice when it comes. Guide our path to use the lives You have given us, in humble and grateful service through the message of Christ Jesus.  

                                               Creator Lord, Light in the Darkness

RESPONSE:             Shine in and through us

~ Most High and Holy God, while some may seek power to establish their own earthly kingdoms, keep us mindful of the eternal life in Christ that is beyond mere mortal flesh. Free all victims of iniquity and blasphemy and let us work to extend the knowledge of grace, justice, mercy, and tolerance to all who govern the peoples of this World, this Nation, and this Community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Creator Lord, Light in the Darkness

                                                Shine in and through us       

                                               

~ Most High and Holy God, strengthen those who are weakened by the pain of illness or despair, and give new energy to all who give them comfort. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions 

                                                Creator Lord, Light in the Darkness

                                                Shine in and through us

           

~ Most High and Holy God, in gratitude for the earthly time, we commend to You those who have now entered new life through the Heavenly Gate of divine joy and everlasting peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions  

                                                Creator Lord, Light in the Darkness

                                                Shine in and through us

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

                                                Creator Lord, Light in the Darkness

                                                Shine in and through us

           

~ Most High and Holy God, enhance the gifts of those chosen to lead us in Your Church, so that through their example, inspiration, and discipleship, we each and our community of faith, will grow in spirit and in grace with the life of Christ made visible within us. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Creator Lord, Light in the Darkness

                                                Shine in and through us

           

The Celebrant adds: Lord of All, Seen and Unseen, while in the fragility of human life ~ our treasure in clay jars ~ let us seek the physical and spiritual shelter of Sabbath as necessary and holy time. May we rest often in Your goodness and mercy to strengthen body and soul, yet not to the exclusion of the true needs of others. We ask through Jesus, Son of Man, and the blessings of the Holy Spirit, who together with You, reign as One God, now and throughout eternity. 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: Two Men and a Bird? Trinity Sunday, 1st Sunday after Pentecost '18 Yr B

For Sunday, May 27, 2018, 1^st Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, Readings: Isaiah 6:1-8, Psalm 29 or Canticle 13, Romans 8:12-17, John 3:1-17

       In the year that King Uzziah died…The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke…Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal…touched my mouth with it and said, “…your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send…” and I said, “Here am I; send me!”  [Isaiah 6:1a, 4, 6a, 7-8]

        Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness…The Lord shall give strength to his people; the Lord shall give his people the blessing of Peace. [Psalm 29:2, 11]

       For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God…When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit…heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. [Romans 8:14, 15b-16a, 17b]

      “What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit…’You must be born from above.’” …”If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?”  [John 3:6, 7b, 12] 

         It’s so very difficult – ok,  impossible – for us as mere mortals to wrap our brains around the mystical mysterious concept of the Trinity, or mathematically speaking: 1 + 2 = One. Two out of the three persons of this, our Trinitarian God, are genderless although many refer to God as Father and some think of the Spirit as the feminine of Wisdom, or Sophia as it is written in Biblical Greek. While our human minds cannot possibly grasp the Trinity in its complexities, we still wrestle with how to reduce it to fit in a small box in our minds that we can pretend to understand. The mind naturally seeks to sort and file its collected data into usable bits amidst the consternation of those pieces that simply don’t fit the space allotted.

       The Christian Trinity is, plainly and purely, if not simply, a mystery. Yet if it is explained then there is no mystery and is easily dismissed. What is God-like in that? Some minds clamor for any mystery to be reducible and solvable to fit neatly into that file as in wanting to know the steps an entertaining magician uses to perform an illusion. Others are comfortably engaged in the wonder of the ways it is unfolding.

       The mystery of the Trinity is nothing if not confounding. One God/Three Persons – separate yet one, equal with different roles that are ultimately the same, belief in one is meant to be belief in all and the One that is the same but different. “Stranger than we think and stranger than we can think,” to borrow from physicist Neils Bohr’s description of the Universe. Franciscan Richard Rohr tells us that some ancient mystics have suggested that we are called as an almost fourth person in the flow of God, as Jesus says later in John’s Gospel, "so that where I am you also may be" [John 14:3].
       One of my favorite ways to attempt a workable sense of the Trinity – gender language aside – is through a piece of a 6th century creed from Dublin known as Tírechán’s Creed ~ when speaking of God it says:

He has a Son who is co-eternal with himself;

   and similar in all respects to himself;

   and neither is the Son younger than the Father,

   nor is the Father older than the Son;

   and the Holy Spirit breathes in them.
And the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are inseparable.

       Perfectly clear now, yes? Well, here’s another wrinkle, someone else once wrote – I don’t remember who – that if your understanding of the Trinity is 2 men and a bird, it is time to rethink! If we can truly understand the mysteries of God, then that God, for me, is way too small.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, release us from our quest to reduce You and the vast mystery of faith to our human level of certainty and understanding. Grant us openness of mind, sincerity of heart, and willingness to come to You unknowing, allowing the wind of the Spirit, the redemption of Christ, and our birth from Above, to move through us in Your many and miraculous ways.

                                                Most Holy Trinity

RESPONSE:             In faith we answer Your call

~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, in a world where principle and integrity are obscured in the smoke of fear and confusion, let us answer “Here we are; send us” to seek Your Voice, speak with clean lips, and to bear witness for truth and justice in the halls of governments in our World, our Nation, and in our Community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Most Holy Trinity

                                                In faith we answer Your call

                                               

~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, embrace and sustain the hope and faith of those bowed low by illness, addiction, or loneliness, and give comfort to all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                Most Holy Trinity

                                                In faith we answer Your call

           

~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, we joyfully ascribe the glory due Your name as you receive those we love into everlasting life, in the beauty of holiness they have now achieved. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Most Holy Trinity

                                                In faith we answer Your call

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

                                                Most Holy Trinity

                                                In faith we answer Your call

           

~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, we lift to Your care the souls and hearts of our Earthly Guides, ordained by You to walk with us, beyond the bindings of earthly things toward the glory of all things of heaven. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Most Holy Trinity

                                                In faith we answer Your call

           

The Celebrant adds:  Creator, Savior, Sanctifier, grant us the blessing of Your peace as we accept the strength You have given us as joint heirs of Your eternal Kingdom. Expand and amplify our faith that its depth and constancy are revealed in the ways we answer Your call. We ask through each and all of the Three Eternal Persons in the sacred mystery of the Holy Trinity, who are 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: Who's on Fire? ~ Pentecost Sunday '18 Yr B

For Sunday, May 20, 2018, Pentecost Sunday, Year B, Readings: Acts 2:1-21, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 104:25-35, 37; John 15:26-27, 16:4

       When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place.  And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house...Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.  [Acts 2:1-4]

      O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and…then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act… [Ezekiel 37:13b-14a,b]

      You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; and so you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the LORD endure for ever…Bless the LORD, O my soul. Hallelujah! [Psalm 104:31, 32a, 37]

      Jesus said to his disciples, “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth…he will testify on my behalf. You are also to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.” [John 15:26-27]

     It is hard to believe that it is now the 50th day after Easter, and the 10^th day after the celebration of the Ascension of Jesus. It is Pentecost – the word itself comes from the Greek for fiftieth – and it did not begin with the time of Jesus. In the Jewish calendar this ancient feast is Shavuot and follows 50 days after Passover. It celebrates the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai.

      It would have been another of the reasons that the disciples had gathered together. Of course, they were also waiting with some trepidation, no doubt, for the sign promised by the resurrected Jesus just 10 days before, in his last in-person teachings, as he said he would send them the Advocate, the Spirit of truth. It may well have been comforting to be together in the familiar structure of this ancient feast. What must each day have been like for them, individually and collectively? Just in a few recent months they experienced praying – or trying to stay awake - with Jesus in the Garden, then the sudden arrest, Peter’s denial, the trial, the carrying of the cross through the City, and the violent execution of Jesus, his resurrection, then his ascension, to mention only a few details. I would think they would still be reeling in their own shock, grief, and fear trying to cope with these inexplicable turns of events. Now here they are gathered together again without quite knowing what was coming next, let alone when “it” would arrive. Perhaps in their remembrance of God giving Moses the Law, they also remembered the encounter Moses had with God in the burning bush. And then suddenly a sound like a violent wind and tongues of fire resting on them gave them more than good reason to be bewildered and amazed! 

      Today it may be easy for us to be blasé, to know the story too well, to be immune to the thrill, the astonishment. Whatever the planning, hopes, and desires of the Liturgists, sadly and often, it seems, that the wonder of it all has been lost.

      So it is then, that today is the day to STOP knowing the story. Today is the day to START experiencing the Spirit – be amazed and astonished and bewildered!  We have the Spirit within us, and God’s grace, and the love and Salvation of Christ merely for the wanting of it! Peter reminds us in the words of the prophet Joel, that when Christ returns, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And Jesus tells the disciples, from whom we follow on, that they/we are to testify on behalf of Jesus. The Gospels tell us how to do it, God filled our lungs with breath, and the Spirit gives us our voice.

      Let us rejoice and be glad and joy-filled, and alive in it, after all, it's Pentecost and we're on fire!

       Also known as the Birthday of the Church, Pentecost marks the official beginning of the ministry of the Apostles beyond their local area and into the known world to bring the message of Christ to all.

        This day is known as Whitsun/Whitsunday in Ireland and the UK, a descendant of a Gaelic celebration from medieval or perhaps more ancient times. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Lord GOD, Almighty, rattle our bones, amaze and astonish us, bewilder us out of our distractions and detachment, fling us out of the ordinary into the stunning wonder and exquisite joy of the Holy Spirit within.

                                                       Holy Advocate, Spirit of Truth

RESPONSE:                  Enflame our Hearts, Embolden our Witness

~ Lord GOD, Almighty, awaken our souls in a blaze of faith-filled consciousness. Push us to engage and insist, in ways small and large, that political leaders of our World, our Nation, and our Community are held accountable for basic human rights and needs, justice, mercy, and peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Holy Advocate, Spirit of Truth

                                                       Enflame our Hearts, Embolden our Witness

                                                      

~ Lord GOD, Almighty, lighten the burden of pain for all weakened in body, spirit, or soul. Fill them, and those who give love and support, with the peace of Your Presence. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       Holy Advocate, Spirit of Truth

                                                       Enflame our Hearts, Embolden our Witness

             

~ Lord GOD, Almighty, our souls and our hearts bless You with great Hallelujahs as You rejoice in receiving all whom we love into the promise of everlasting life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Holy Advocate, Spirit of Truth

                                                       Enflame our Hearts, Embolden our Witness

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

                                                       Holy Advocate, Spirit of Truth

                                                       Enflame our Hearts, Embolden our Witness

             

~ Lord GOD, Almighty, as Your Holy Spirit falls afresh upon us all, may those who lead us in Your Church feel quickened to energize and excite us, to live every moment of every day through You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Holy Advocate, Spirit of Truth

                                                       Enflame our Hearts, Embolden our Witness

             

The Celebrant adds:  Living, Loving, Holy Lord, You put the Spirit within us, filled us with the fire of faith, and gave breath to our lungs to power our voices. Let us rejoice in all Your works, and testify to Your enduring glory and the gift of salvation for everyone who calls upon Your Name. Our joyful and unending prayers ascend to Jesus, our Savior Christ, and the Holy Spirit, our Eternal Advocate, who together with You, live 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: After and Before ~ 7th Sunday of Easter '18 Yr B

For Sunday, May 13, 2018, 7^th Sunday of Easter, Year B, Readings: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1, 1 John 5:9-13, John 17:6-19

       In those days Peter stood up…and said…one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection…Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen…And they cast lots…and the lot feel on Matthias… [Acts 1:15a, 22b, 24, 26a]

       Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked…Their delight is in the law of the Lord…they are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither... [Psalm 1: 1a, 2a, 3a]

       God gave us eternal live, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life…I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. [1 John 5: 11b-12a, 13]

     Looking up to heaven, Jesus prayed, "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world...When I was with them, I protected them in your name...I ask you to protect them from the evil one...Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world."  [John 17:6,12a,15b,17-18]

     We have arrived at the last Sunday of the Easter Season in a gathering of rather multi-phrenic readings that speak to us from after the Resurrection as well as before it, and just from the Church Calendar we note that on the Thursday, just before we arrive here, is the Ascension of Jesus. But there's no reference to that on this day.

      So, after the Resurrection, in the lesson from Acts, Peter tells the crowd of believers that the time has come to find the replacement for Judas and it is determined to be between two worthy candidates who have traveled with them all along. It's time to fill the empty slot with one who can be an official witness to the resurrection. They pray and ask God to choose, lots are cast, and the lot fell on Matthias.

       The reading from the Epistle of 1st John was written perhaps 10-15 years after the Book of Acts and is attributed to the same John who wrote the Gospel, all in the latter part of the 1st century CE/AD. The Epistle is also set after the resurrection of Jesus, and reminds us that belief in Jesus is belief in God and through that faith, we are certain of eternal life. 

      With the Gospel, we move backwards in time to before the crucifixion. This reading is in the middle of what is known as the "Farewell Discourse" of Jesus that takes place just after the Last Supper. In this moment, Jesus is praying on our behalf, updating God on the progress of the mission so far. He says, While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. [John 17:12 ] The one lost, of course, refers to Judas. And in this prayer, for us, Jesus asks God to protect us not just for our own sake but for the sake of the whole world. In that way, God's love will live in us and be given out to the world through us, as we carry on with Christ's mission, the work we have been given to do. The disciples were, and we are, sent into the world sheltered in love, by love, and for the love of God through Jesus. As he looks up to heaven, Jesus asks God to make his own joy complete in us and to sanctify - or hallow - us in the truth of God's Word. 

      We have come to know Jesus through these and other words of the Christian Testament. John begins his Gospel telling us that, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [John 1:1] We know that the Word is Jesus, our Christ, our Messiah, our Savior. We've learned about Jesus after his birth, and before his death, resurrection, and ascension. Through these writings, we are given the instructions of how we are to follow Christ in this world. 

      What will be your prayer to God after these readings? What part of Christ's mission now calls to you before you venture into the world again? First, as God knows our hearts, let us each seek to love and serve Christ during all our living days. After that, we are promised eternal life.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Jesus, our Savior Christ, Matthias, was chosen by lot through prayer, and took his place in faithful apostleship. Let us know that joy complete within ourselves, as You guide our walk in this world, living as examples of Your ministry and mission.

                                                O God Eternal

RESPONSE:             Sanctify us in Your Truth

~ Jesus, our Savior Christ, fill us with the substance and stamina to stand together in continual witness, to all who govern on this Earth, in this Nation, and in this Community, seeking justice, mercy, and freedom for all of God’s people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God Eternal

                                                Sanctify us in Your Truth

                                               

~ Jesus, our Savior Christ, raise the hope and the spirits of all who suffer with illness, depression, or serious life circumstance, and give strength to all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                O God Eternal

                                                Sanctify us in Your Truth

           

~ Jesus, our Savior Christ, happy are we who, with drying tears, celebrate our loved ones now arrived, to live again in the glory of eternity with You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God Eternal

                                                Sanctify us in Your Truth

~ Jesus, our Savior Christ, 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 Eternal

                                                Sanctify us in Your Truth

           

~ Jesus, our Savior Christ, refresh and renew the spiritual tools of all who lead us in Your church, as they guide and inspire us to find delight in Your Word, walking with us in faith-building and faith-in-action. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God Eternal

                                                Sanctify us in Your Truth

           

The Celebrant adds:  Glorious and Almighty Lord, who knows our hearts and minds, protect our souls from evil in and of the world, that we in turn, may offer Your love, shelter, and eternal life, to all we meet in the righteous work You have given us to do. We ask through Your Son our Savior, Jesus Christ and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, who together with You, 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: Even Them, Always ~ 6th Sunday of Easter '18 Yr B

For Sunday, May 6, 2018, 6^th Sunday of Easter, Year B, Readings: Acts 10:44-48, Psalm 98, 1 John 5:1-6, John 15:9-17

       The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out, even on the Gentiles...Then Peter said, "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" [Acts 10:45, 46b-47]

      Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things...He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God... In righteousness shall he judge the world, and the peoples with equity. [Ps 98:1, 4, 10]

      Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child…For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments…for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory…our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? [1 John 5:1, 3a, 4-5]

     Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love...This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you...And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last... [John 15:9, 12, 16b]

 THREE YEARS AGO, that is, in 2015, I wrote the following: 

        How intrusive is this [Gospel] message against the backdrop of mistrust, hatred of "the other," and the seemingly endless and rampant violence across the world and even into our very local communities? Them vs Us, You vs Me, This is Mine, is the "old song" that never tires of repeating. And the "circumcised believers...were astounded" that the Holy Spirit was given "even to the Gentiles." Peter was clear that the water of baptism cannot be withheld from even those who are different because they "have received the Holy Spirit just as we have..." And Jesus was even more clear: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." Is there any room for negotiation here? Those people are doing terrible things so how can Jesus possibly expect us to love them? Well, whether or not he expects it is irrelevant, he commands it. IF we believe in Jesus, then we must bear the fruit of God's love to all people, in all places, and every one is included. 

      It's more than disheartening to realize that things, three years later, are now exponentially worse on so many levels especially in issues of race, religion, and politics - talk about lions and tigers and bears, oh my! – not to mention dragons and snakes and skunks. Yet there are some seeds of hope grounded in love, amidst the anger, frustration, and despair, that are rising up, beginning to flower, and showing great potential to bear sweet and sustaining fruit for sharing. I have to stop often to remember that Jesus didn't require us to "like" anyone, only love them. We are to seek not only Jesus but ourselves in another. "Oh, really," you say, "nothing of Jesus or me is found in THAT person." Look harder and listen more closely. What you and I think and feel - and say? - about them may very well be what they think and feel and say about us. We are likely to uncomfortably discover that we're not so very different after all. Maybe those others can be slightly easier to love now?

      Still, there's no magic here. Our loving of them does not require - nor will it often result in - reciprocation. The dangers, fears, and tensions of the world will not suddenly evaporate because we are loving people. Yes, there is evil intent that no amount of love or understanding will resolve. Therein, my friends, lies the way of faith in community as we listen, hear, and remember the Gospel message together. We can work as a team to learn and practice how to love even those others through the experience of intentional relationship. After all, even in a loving family, not everyone is happy with everyone all the time, but we work through it because of the love. And sometimes we have to let go of the things we don’t like about someone in order to sustain the relationship. It’s hard and often unrewarding work – that is, here, in this life. But we are promised much more than a rose garden for following Christ’s commandment. This life is short though it can feel endless when we encounter very demanding, difficult, and desperate days – and people. Feeling supported in the trials of faith, we can come to believe that working to act in, through, and by love always - as best we can - will get us to always and eternal love. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Christ Jesus, Born of God, as You chose us to be bearers of the fruit of Your eternal love, lift us from the shadows of doubt and awaken our souls to follow Your Commandments to love one another, and to fully abide in You.

                                                God of Mercy and Faithfulness

RESPONSE:             Grow us in faith to act always with love

~ Christ Jesus, Born of God, grant us such consciousness of our gifts from the Spirit, that we hold ourselves and those who govern throughout this planet, this country, and this community, accountable; acting always to uphold Your standards of righteousness and equity, on behalf of all people everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                God of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                                Grow us in faith to act always with love

                                               

~ Christ Jesus, Born of God, lovingly embrace with healing all those who are ill in body, mind, or soul, and all who give them love and care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                God of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                                Grow us in faith to act always with love

           

~ Christ Jesus, Born of God, with trumpets and the sound of the horn You shout with joy, as those who have risen above this earthly plain are welcomed to the everlasting peace of new life in You. We pray especially for:  add your own petitions

                                                God of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                                Grow us in faith to act always with love

~ Christ Jesus, Born 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

                                                God of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                                Grow us in faith to act always with love

           

~ Christ Jesus, Born of God, we offer special thanksgivings for those among us who are anointed to teach and lead us in Your Word and Ways. Grant them continual renewal of purpose and endless replenishment of vigor. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                God of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                                Grow us in faith to act always with love

           

The Celebrant adds:  Almighty and Ever-Loving God, infuse us with the inner peace and fortitude to let the actions of our lives be the instruments of rejoicing that play a new song of faith and love, each and every day. We ask through Jesus, Your Son, and the Truth of the Holy Spirit, who together with You, are One God, now and forever. Amen.

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