Prayers of the People: Our Planet Earth ~ 2nd Sunday in the Season of Creation '18

For Sunday, October 21, 2018, 2^nd Sunday in the Season of Creation, Readings: from Encyclical Laudato Si*, Psalm 104:1-5, 14-15, 27-27, 31-33, Job:12:7-10**, Mark 10:35-45

          Season of Creation Week II 

                  Our Planet Earth       

     We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth; our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her aid and receive life and refreshment from her waters. 

[from "Laudato Si"]

     Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God...you are clothed with honor and majesty... [Psalm 104: 1]

     But ask the animals...the birds of the air...ask the plants of the earth and they will teach you; and the fish of the air will declare to you...that the hand of the LORD has done this... [Job 12:7-12]

...but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant...For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. [Mark 10:43b-44]

   It seems almost daily that terrible news about the condition of our planet from disastrous environmental events such as poisoned water systems and food supplies, hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes that devastate huge areas and millions of people, to the effects of war and disease on human existence, and so much more. All of this requires our continuous attention and purposeful action as our obedience to God-ordered stewardship of the Creation we inhabit. But for this moment, today, we  celebrate. Today we are called to re-awaken our consciousness to our earthly surroundings close by and well beyond our mere location to learn and more deeply know this great gift of our Creator ~ planet Earth. We re-examine its lushness, its highest peaks and deepest depths, the fragrances and the freshness; re-discover our companion creatures and the extraordinary interconnections of life among the plants and organisms that support us. We marvel at the vastness of the oceans, the rhythm of the tides, the flow of rivers. We see what has gone before, where we are currently, and discover again our world's potential. Most importantly, we examine how to maintain and expand protections from industrial waste, general pollution, and especially the vast impact of simple, everyday thoughtless and thoughtful actions individually, collectively, and globally. This Earth and her resources feeds our bodies and provides oxygen for our breath, and breath-taking beauty. How magnificent is Our Living Planet?! Let us behold our God's gracious hand and safeguard all of it for posterity. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Living, Loving Creator of all that is, seen and unseen, grant us the humility to understand our true place in, and responsibilities for Your Creation, to learn from every living creature and life form, and to be voice and champion for the protection and preservation of this fragile Earth, our island home.

                                                    O Lord, Breath of our Being

RESPONSE:                 We bless You by our faith and action

~ Living, Loving Creator, instill within us, especially all who lead the governments of our Planet, our Nation, and our Community, the urgency to accept and fulfill every human’s calling as servant-stewards, to assure the well-being of eco-systems and environments that sustain our very existence. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord, Breath of our Being

                                                       We bless You by our faith and action

~ Living, Loving Creator, surround the hearts of all who live in the grip of chronic illness, or critical life circumstance, with Your peace and healing; and extend endurance for those who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord, Breath of our Being

                                                       We bless You by our faith and action

                                                      

~ Living, Loving Creator, keep us in the knowledge that love never dies and that those we have sent ahead, have new life in the resplendent and holy grandeur of Your Eternal Kingdom. We We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord, Breath of our Being

                                                       We bless You by our faith and action

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

                                                       O Lord, Breath of our Being

                                                       We bless You by our faith and action

             

~ Living, Loving Creator, set alight the spirits of those who lead us in Your church and beyond, to guide and join us as reverent custodians and managers of this temporal treasure You have given us. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

  

                                                       O Lord, Breath of our Being

                                                       We bless You by our faith and action

The Celebrant adds:  God of Glory and Majesty, excite and amaze us each new day with the abundance available in Your precious gift of this living, breathing planet, the literal ground that supports our earthly being. Kindle our fervor to actively engage and assure its health and wholeness for now and always. We ask through Jesus, our Teacher and Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, the Energy of our souls, who together with You are One God, forever and ever. Amen.

*1st Reading: Quotes from the Pope Francis' Encyclical on Ecology, 2015, Laudato Si, On Care for our Common Home…on humanity’s relationship with the Earth:

     “[The earth] now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her.  

     We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth; our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.

     Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it.

     Today, the analysis of environmental problems cannot be separated from the analysis of human, family, work-related and urban contexts, nor from how individuals related to themselves, which leads in turn to how they relate to others and to the environment.”

**2^nd Reading: Job 12:7-10

⁷ “But ask the animals, and they will teach you;
    the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
⁸ ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you;
    and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
⁹ Who among all these does not know
    that the hand of the Lord has done this?
¹⁰ In his hand is the life of every living thing
    and the breath of every human being.

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Prayers of the People: Eyeing the Kingdom ~ 21st Sunday after Pentecost '18 Yr B

For Sunday, October 14, 2018, 21^st Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, Readings: Job 23:1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22:1-15, Hebrews 4:12-16; 
Mark 10:17-31

          Oh that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his dwelling!...he would give heed to me. There an upright person could reason with him, and I should be acquitted forever by my judge.  [Job 23:3, 6b-7]

         …you were my God when I was still in my mother’s womb. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.  [Psalm 22:10b-11]

            The word of God is living and active... able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart...we have a great high priest...Jesus...Let us...approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [Hebrews 4:12 a,b; 14a, 16] 

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God...[but] for God all things are possible...many who are first will be last, and the last will be first. [Mark 10:25, 27b, 31]

         Job, poor Job! We're 23 chapters into his story and things are not only as grim as ever, they’re worse. And yet, he keeps trying, keeps wondering, keeps asking God, WHY?! But then he answers himself as he knows deep in his faithful heart, that God would listen to reason and acquit him of these terrible trials, if only he could find God, if only he didn't feel forsaken. Yet, he doesn't give up; he perseveres. How long, I ask myself, would I endure with half of Job’s troubles without giving up on God? 

         The writer of Hebrews confirms what Job believes, that God does indeed know and judge our thoughts and the intentions of our hearts. Further, we have help to hold fast to our confession of faith though Jesus, who is our great high priest, who was tested and remains without sin. With faith and Christ’s support, we are to be bold and ask God for the mercy and grace that we need to keep us strong and faith-filled on our soul’s journey to eternal life.

          In the Gospel from Mark, a man grieves as he walks away from Jesus because he follows the commandments but doesn't want to let go of his earthly possessions. Perhaps he expected Jesus to extol him for following the Law and confirm his own thoughts that there was nothing more he needed do. How many in recent years, months, and weeks, all over this world, have lost so much because of winds, floods, fires, war, and the everyday tragedies and tempests of life? How many of us say "Oh yes, I believe and follow the Commandments" and go about our every-day lives as if there was nothing we have to do differently, assured of our place in the front of the line at the gates of God’s Kingdom. Will we cry out "Where is God?" when the winds, floods, tragedies, and tempests hit our lives? Will our faith crumble; will we give in to despair?

          Job never stops asking for God to be present because hope keeps him going, as it does for us all even in the times when our faith is weakest. And whether we wonder how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, or whether Jesus meant literally that a camel would have to go through that needle’s eye, Jesus tells us plainly, with God all things are possible. With the eyes of our souls and the intentions of our hearts we can seek Christ’s path that is sometimes rocky, sometimes tempestuous, and even sometimes calm, but always with Him beside us. Eyeing God’s Kingdom? Store up your greatest treasure in heaven instead of only at the bank.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Holy God, Living and Active, keep us mindful of our thoughts and the intentions of our hearts that we may measure our spiritual wealth each day by the ways we live into our love for You.

O Lord our God

RESPONSE:                 With You all things are possible                          

~ Holy God, Living and Active, speak boldly through our voices from Your Throne of Grace to reach all those who govern on this Earth, in our Country, and in our Community. Implore them to show mercy, provide life’s basic necessities, and establish safety and peace for all who are in great need. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our God

                                                   With You all things are possible

~ Holy God, Living and Active, cast the light of Your presence into the shadows of those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and comfort and rest to all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

O Lord our God

                                                    With You all things are possible

~ Holy God, Living and Active, ease the hearts of all who mourn, as those who have gone ahead now enter the glorious Life and Peace of Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our God

                                                    With You all things are possible

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

O Lord our God

                                                    With You all things are possible

             

~ Holy God, Living and Active, refresh and excite all who are called as our Shepherds in Your Church. May they inspire us to live in love through our every thought and action. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Lord our God

                                                    With You all things are possible

             

The Celebrant adds:  Omnipotent, Eternal God, grant us the courage and strength of faith to turn our lives completely to You, to know deeply that we are never forsaken, and that the path of Christ will lead us to life everlasting with You. We ask through Jesus our Redeemer Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom of our souls, who together with You, reign as One God through all time, 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: In the Beginning ~ 1st Sunday in the Season of Creation '18

For Sunday, October 14, 2018, 1^st Sunday in the Season of Creation, Readings: The Creation by James Weldon Johnson*, Psalm 100, 

From Meditations with Julian of Norwich**, Mark 10:17-31

        Welcome to the Season of Creation! 

This liturgical Season of Creation originated in the Anglican Church of South Africa in 2008 and is designed for us to explore our faith from a Creation perspective. We are to realize our place in the order of God’s creating and to see and act upon the need to care for our entire life-support system ~ the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil in which we grow our crops ~ not merely humanity, but our total environment, as it pertains to ALL life. 

         From the early days of the Season of Creation at the US Episcopal Parish of Sts. Andrew and Matthew [SsAM] in Wilmington, Delaware, it was established that “the primary aim of the events of the season is to enable adults and youth to celebrate and experience the inextricable link which binds together the destinies of all of God’s creatures.” It is a moment of pause to remind ourselves that God calls us to see “what great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions” and for us to renew our commitment to making real the biblical vision of the earth at unity with itself. It is a vision of human beings of all races, backgrounds and walks of life in local communities and among the nations of the earth, living together in love and peace with justice for all. "As disciples of Christ, we are called through our Baptismal Covenant, to be instruments for the healing of our broken world," and with a renewed commitment to personal and communal prayer and action.

         We will use Biblical and other readings that pertain to the specific theme of each of the 7 weeks. Alternate readings used will follow the prayers on this page. [click here for more information on SsAM Season of Creation]

This Week's Theme is: In the Beginning

     We begin this Season at the Beginning. Professor Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner, describes the Book of Genesis as "the book for environmentalists." "If we had been created on Tuesday," she said, "there would have been nowhere for us to stand! God, with infinite wisdom, waited until the last day!" 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Living, Loving God, Divine Architect of all Creation, You smiled and breathed and hand sculptured into existence, every life form, stars and seas, lightness and dark, all that ever was and ever will be, in universes near and far. Grant us the wisdom to stand in humble awe of You, worship You with gladness and praise, and ultimately enter Your gates with thanksgiving.

                                                       O Lord our God

RESPONSE:                               In You all things are possible

~ Living, Loving God, steep us in the courage to stand firm and insist that all those who govern in this World, in our Country, and in all of our Communities, enact, support, and enforce legislation to promote universal peace, justice, and the preservation Your Creation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord our God

                                                       In You all things are possible

~ Living, Loving God, cast the light of Your presence into the shadows of those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and comfort and rest to all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord our God

                                                       In You all things are possible

~ Living, Loving God, ease the hearts of all who mourn, as those who have gone ahead now enter the glorious Life and Peace of Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord our God

                                                       In You all things are possible

~ Living, Loving 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 Lord our God

                                                       In You all things are possible

             

~ Living, Loving God, refresh and excite all who are called as our Shepherds in Your Church. May they who bring us the Sacred Word and Sacraments, inspire us to live in love through our every thought and action. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord our God

                                                       In You all things are possible

             

The Celebrant adds:  Eternal God, In the Beginning, You proclaimed every facet of Your Work to be Good. May all that we do in love and humility prosper our part of this Universe, give glory to Jesus our Christ and our Redeemer, and to the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom of our souls, who together with You, reign as One God through all time, in the known and unknown expanse of Your Creation. Amen.

* Reading #1  The Creation James Weldon Johnson, 1871 – 1938   

And God stepped out on space,

And he looked around and said:

I’m lonely—

I’ll make me a world.

And far as the eye of God could see

Darkness covered everything,

Blacker than a hundred midnights

Down in a cypress swamp.

Then God smiled,

And the light broke,

And the darkness rolled up on one side,

And the light stood shining on the other,

And God said: That’s good!

Then God reached out and took the light in his hands,

And God rolled the light around in his hands

Until he made the sun;

And he set that sun a-blazing in the heavens.

And the light that was left from making the sun

God gathered it up in a shining ball

And flung it against the darkness,

Spangling the night with the moon and stars.

Then down between

The darkness and the light

He hurled the world;

And God said: That’s good!

Then God himself stepped down—

And the sun was on his right hand,

And the moon was on his left;

The stars were clustered about his head,

And the earth was under his feet.

And God walked, and where he trod

His footsteps hollowed the valleys out

And bulged the mountains up.

Then he stopped and looked and saw

That the earth was hot and barren.

So God stepped over to the edge of the world

And he spat out the seven seas—

He batted his eyes, and the lightnings flashed—

He clapped his hands, and the thunders rolled—

And the waters above the earth came down,

The cooling waters came down.

Then the green grass sprouted,

And the little red flowers blossomed,

The pine tree pointed his finger to the sky,

And the oak spread out his arms,

The lakes cuddled down in the hollows of the ground,

And the rivers ran down to the sea;

And God smiled again,

And the rainbow appeared,

And curled itself around his shoulder.

Then God raised his arm and he waved his hand

Over the sea and over the land,

And he said: Bring forth! Bring forth!

And quicker than God could drop his hand,

Fishes and fowls

And beasts and birds

Swam the rivers and the seas,

Roamed the forests and the woods,

And split the air with their wings.

And God said: That’s good!

Then God walked around,

And God looked around

On all that he had made.

He looked at his sun,

And he looked at his moon,

And he looked at his little stars;

He looked on his world

With all its living things,

And God said: I’m lonely still.

Then God sat down—

On the side of a hill where he could think;

By a deep, wide river he sat down;

With his head in his hands,

God thought and thought,

Till he thought: I’ll make me a man!

Up from the bed of the river

God scooped the clay;

And by the bank of the river

He kneeled him down;

And there the great God Almighty

Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky,

Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night,

Who rounded the earth in the middle of his hand;

This great God,

Like a mammy bending over her baby,

Kneeled down in the dust

Toiling over a lump of clay

Till he shaped it in is his own image;

Then into it he blew the breath of life,

And man became a living soul.  Amen.      Amen.

**Reading #2: From Meditations with Julian of Norwich

I saw that God was everything that is good and encouraging.

God is our clothing that wraps, clasps, and encloses us so as never to leave us.

God showed me in my palm a little thing round as a ball about the size of a hazelnut.

I looked at it with the eye of my understanding and asked myself: “What is this thing?”

And I was answered: “It is everything that is created.”

I wondered how it could survive since it seemed so little it could suddenly disintegrate into nothing.

The answer came: “It endures and ever will endure, because God loves it.”

And so everything has being because of God’s love.

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: Between the Dark and the Daylight ~ 20th Sunday after Pentecost '18 Yr B

For Sunday, October 7, 2018, 20^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, Readings: Job 1:1, 2:1-10; Psalm 26, Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12; Mark 10:2-16

        Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.  [Job 2:10b]

        As for me I will live with integrity; redeem me O Lord, and have pity on me. [Ps 26:11b]

        [Jesus] is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.  [Hebrews 1:3a]        

       Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it. [Mark 10:15]


                                               Between the dark and the daylight,

      When the night is beginning to lower, 

Comes a pause in the day's occupations, 

      That is known as the Children's Hour.* 

          As we begin the story of Job, his trials and sufferings at the hands of Satan** have barely begun but are nonetheless difficult. We find him at the time between the daylight and the dark and it will become much darker for him before the dawning of his release from this dread-filled game. The Book of Job is far from easy to read, let alone to understand and receive direction. It is at once a dramatic debate or dialogue between God and Satan, Job and his wife, Job and his friends - it contains poetry, it is part folk-tale, and it is extremely difficult to interpret. Judaic scholars suggest that the Book has three main and interrelated points. First, which is Job’s position throughout, that human suffering is not always deserved. We can bring on our own by neglect of our health and/or, from a religious perspective, by sinful behavior. But there are many things in life that cause pain and sorrow for someone and is unrelated to anything she or he has done, such as the death of a loved one. The second point, held by Job’s friends is that human suffering is always deserved and they argue that Job is a sinner and has done something to offend God. The third point, at once simple and complex, is that the understanding of suffering is just beyond human comprehension. The conclusions are inconclusive.

         From the opening of this Book, we can hear the music of doom playing in the background; things will only get worse yet even now we are told In all this Job did not sin... How would each of us fare against such tribulation? 

          The Psalmist has us asking to be tested, examined in heart and mind. Do I really want to ask to be tried and tested? I'm absolutely certain that I am not ready, nor willing, to be the next Job. Yet the mere thought brings me up short as I reflect on my too frequent sin of judgement of others. I am as a “friend” of Job at times.

          In the reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, we are given some help by the instruction to pay more attention to what God is telling us through all God has done and especially through Jesus - who is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being. 

             And, as Jesus is tested by the Pharisees, he tells the disciples, somewhat indignantly, to let the children come forward and be welcomed fully and completely and with blessing. He is telling us to be as these, feeling the peace and security of a child beloved of a parent, whether or not that is our lived experience, so that we may receive the kingdom of God as [if] a little child.

             A moment of self-reflection: Am I a cup half-full or cup half-empty sort of person? Do I see the image above as a sunset or a sunrise? Am I able to imagine and inhabit the mind and heart and innocence of a child who truly trusts, adores, and clings to a beloved parent? 

        Let us seek to find and hold the ability to love unconditionally as does a child. When we actively and consciously pursue the love and presence of God, through Jesus and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we will more easily accept and work through all that life provides. Whatever the tests may be, the difficult and the easy, whatever the twists and turns in the trials of faith, God is as faithful to us as the Parent in the Children’s Hour. Let us be as faithful, loving children to our God, between the dark and the daylight in each and every day, until we enter into the eternal Light of new life in Christ.

And there will I keep you forever, 

      Yes, forever and a day, 

Till the walls shall crumble to ruin, 

      And moulder in dust away! *

  *~ The Children’s Hour, 1st and last stanzas, from the poem by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807-1882, published in the September 1860 Edition of The Atlantic magazine. To read the rest of this poem click on:  The Children's Hour

**An interesting aside is the concept of Satan who appears in the texts of Abrahamic traditions (primarily, but not limited to, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) variously translated as "The Adversary", the "Devil", or "The Accuser".

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ God of Grace and Majesty, through all the darkness and pain, Job stayed faithful and did not sin. Grant us even a small portion of Job’s deep faith and patience, and greater awareness of Your presence and love, to live each day as Your trusting and beloved children.

                                                       Creator God Almighty   

RESPONSE:                 Pity and Redeem us, O Lord

~ God of Grace and Majesty, release all who govern on this Earth, in this Nation, and in this Community, from any hardness of heart or evil intent, that through actions of integrity, equity, and generosity, they may find their own moral substance in the well-being of all people. We pray especially for: Donald, our President; Tom, Chris, and Lisa, our Members of Congress; John, our Governor; Matt, our County Executive; and Mike, our Mayor.

                                                       Creator God Almighty

                                                       Pity and Redeem us, O Lord

~ God of Grace and Majesty, give rest and hope to those coping with persistent illness, homelessness, hunger, or addiction, and reinvigorate those who provide them with care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…

                                                       Creator God Almighty

                                                       Pity and Redeem us, O Lord

~ God of Grace and Majesty, through the sacrifice of Jesus in earthly death, we and all of our faithful departed may live again forever in the light of Your celestial glory. We pray especially for: 

                                                       Creator God Almighty

                                                       Pity and Redeem us, O Lord

~  God of Grace and Majesty, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…

                                                       Creator God Almighty

                                                       Pity and Redeem us, O Lord

             

~ God of Grace and Majesty, bestow extra grace upon our anointed leaders in this congregation and everywhere in Your Church, as they bring us Your precious Word, tell us of the signs and wonders of Christ, and help us discover our own gifts from the Holy Spirit. We pray especially for: Michael, our Presiding Bishop; Kevin our Bishop; David, our Rector; Lloyd, our Rector Emeritus; Emily and Peter, our Associate Priests.

                                                       Creator God Almighty

                                                       Pity and Redeem us, O Lord

             

The Celebrant adds:  O God for Whom and through Whom all things exist, kindle and strengthen us to accept all tests and trials of temporal life, remaining faith-filled, thankful, and purified of sin. We ask with a child-like heart through Christ Jesus, the Imprint of Your Being; and the Holy Spirit, Grantor of Divine Gifts; who together with You, are One God, eternal, infinite, limitless. 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