Prayers of the People: Nope. Really. You Can't. ~ 8th Sunday after Pentecost '22 Yr C

For Sunday, July 31, 2022, Readings: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23; Psalm 49:1-11, Colossians 3:1-11, Luke 12:13-21

  …even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity. [Ecclesiastes 2:23b]

 My mouth shall speak of wisdom, and my heart shall meditate on understanding. [Psalm 49:2]

  Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God...no longer Greek and Jew...Christ is all and in all!  [Colossians 3:1-11]

  But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God. [Luke 12:20-21]

       As the saying goes, "You can't take it with you" though heaven knows how hard we try. What do take with us? A bit too often we drag the baggage of our neglect or even ambivalence toward God in our every- day living. Those of us privileged enough to have options to build our barns and store up earthly materials, often shield ourselves from our mortality by denying the ticking clock. It is as if in unknowing what hour the chime will toll for us, we have the time to acquire, accumulate more and more. I am reminded of the late comedian George Carlin’s brilliant riff on Stuff  [see YouTube, there’s even a censored version], at once a hilarious and sobering look at our western sense of “need.”

     Check out a local estate sale and see a lifetime of collections, clothing, furniture, and just plain stuff that's left behind, offered at a bargain to be collected by others and then left behind again. Meanwhile all around us others cry out for basic treasures such as clean water, enough food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. If you haven’t watched the news lately Google the after-effects of hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, catastrophic floods, and deadly wild fires just to see how one can measure the loss of possessions against the loss of life. And don’t avert your eyes and ears to the cries of those, already desperate, suddenly caught indefinitely in horrifyingly cruel conditions most of us cannot even imagine – babies and children separated from parents, spouses separated from each other – in dreadfully dangerous war-torn areas and along borders of "civilized countries."      

      The grandest home is not permanent storage, nor is it even the grave – think about Egyptian tombs. No matter how privileged or how honored in this mortal life, no one will live forever and no thing will go along. How are you prepared this very day for the next? And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?  THIS life is meant to be less about downsizing than upsizing – storing up treasures of the soul. We are to be filled with kindness, selflessness, benevolence, love. In taking on a new self, as Paul tells us, we are no longer Greek and Jew, white and black, brown and yellow, citizen and immigrant, one political party and another. Christ is all and in all. Life is short and no amount of “stuff” or money will make it last longer; what we do with what we have is what matters. Whoever is wise will ponder these things...Set your minds on things that are above... Even the honored cannot live forever nor take their stuff with them. How are you storing your treasure?

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Jesus, our Teacher, who is all and in all, free us from all earthbound self-indulgent vanities and incline our minds to things above. Help us to discard our old self for a new, renewed and rich toward God.

                                               O Christ, our Life

RESPONSE:        We will set our minds on You

~  Jesus, our Teacher, awaken the souls of all who govern by merit or by force in the nations of this world and locally, to remember that even the greatly honored cannot live forever. Guide them to store up their treasure by good and sincere service to benefit all Your children in this life, and themselves in the next. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O Christ, our Life

                                                We will set our minds on You

~ Jesus, our Teacher, lift the spirits of those who languish in the face of physical or emotional pain, in hunger for food or addictions, and refresh the energy of all who try to help. We now join our hearts together to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                O Christ, our Life

                                                We will set our minds on You 

~ Jesus, our Teacher, liberate the hearts that grieve with the joy that those we have sent ahead now rise to live again, revealed in the newness and glory of Christ our Lord. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                O Christ, our Life

                                                We will set our minds on You

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

                                                O Christ, our Life

                                                We will set our minds on You                    

~ Jesus, our Teacher, as we are constantly blessed by those You have called to lead us in Your church, grant them Your continuing wisdom to speak of ways that guide us all to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O Christ, our Life

                                                We will set our minds on You                                                                       

The Celebrant adds: God of Wisdom and Understanding, open our hearts to know and accept the brevity of this fragile life. Empower us to clothe ourselves anew by choosing the divine abundance of eternal love through selflessness, benevolence, and joy-filled obedience to Your transcendent truth. We ask through Jesus, our constant Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, our eternal Advocate; who together with You are One God, now, always, and forever. Amen. 

 

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

Prayers of the People: Standing By ~ 7th Sunday after Pentecost '22 Yr C

For Sunday, July 24, 2022, Readings: Genesis 18:20-32, Psalm 138, Colossians 2:16-15, (16-19), Luke 11:1-13

    …Abraham remained standing near the Lord…and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” [Genesis 18:22b, 23b]

    When I called, you answered me; you increased my strength within me. [Psalm 138:4]

      See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition...and not according to Christ. [Colossians 2:8]

    I tell you…at least because of his [friends’s] persistence, he will get up and give [his friend] whatever he needs. "So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks the door will be opened for you. [Luke 11:8-10]

      Persistence is certainly one theme for this week’s group of readings. The most astonishing example, I believe, is in Abraham’s diplomatic, if bold, questioning of God about God’s plans for the wicked in Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham knew his nephew Lot, a decent man, had settled in Sodom and with all the concern of a loving uncle, he begins asking if God’s intentions are to sweep away the righteous with the wicked? In a deliberate but respectful tone he asks first if there are fifty righteous, then 45, 30, until he gets God to agree not to destroy the city if 10 righteous are found. Makes me wonder what the rest of Abraham’s day was like.

     Paul chimes in with the reminder that we who have received Christ must continue being rooted in him and established in the faith. We are particularly instructed, in his persistent way, not to be taken captive through philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition…not according to Christ. As Paul says, we were made alive together when God forgave us our trespasses, erasing our tarnished records. 

     Luke begins with the disciples asking Jesus to teach them how to pray and he gives them a framework to follow that we use to this day, including the reminder to ask for forgiveness as we forgive others, a point we often mumble through with our rote recitation.

     Jesus, as he often does, follows with a story. This parable of persistence may make many of us in western culture a bit squirmy and even silently (or worse) judgmental. A friend who would knock at midnight and be told to go away only to continue until the door is opened and the request fulfilled is at the very least, we might say, annoying or even rude. But the code of hospitality and community is so strong in other cultures that despite the inconvenience, one asks and the other aids. Some of our own discomfort with this story is far less about ourselves being awakened late by a friend in need but rather because asking for help for ourselves seems quite antithetical to the “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps” mindset. For some, asking for help connotes weakness and fear of being perceived as inadequate by others. Yet knowing when and how to ask for help is actually a mark of personal strength, even spiritual maturity. I like to refer to it as an act of a “ministry of receiving.”
     Jesus explains and reinforces the expectation of God that we are to continually Ask of, Search for, and Knock on God's eternal door to be given, to find, and to have opened to us all that God offers. It isn't difficult once you get started. The Psalmist knows the answer will come and our strength is increased by calling on God. Ralph Waldo Emerson tells us, "That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed but that our power to do is increased." So, we have learned from Abraham how to ask, and from Paul that we already have the forgiveness we seek. Jesus has opened us to persistence in prayer with the faith that God is always just there, standing by and waiting to open the door.

 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O God, Faithful and Loving, restore our wandering hearts to the certainty of Your mercy and truth, that in the darkness and the light of this mortal life, we will persevere in faith, being filled with the substance that is Christ within us.

                                                      Most Patient Lord

          RESPONSE:                 Our strength is in You

~ O God, Faithful and Loving, infuse the rulers and authorities of this World, this Nation, and this Community, with the prudence and right judgment not to sweep away the righteous with the wicked. Release them from the captivity of a philosophy or empty deceit that is only according to human thinking, not according to Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Most Patient Lord

                                                       Our strength is in You

~ O God, Faithful and Loving, ease the pain and anguish of all who are suffering and refresh the energy of all who give care and support. We now join our hearts to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       Most Patient Lord

                                                       Our strength is in You       

~ O God, Faithful and Loving, calm the sorrow and tears of those who mourn, as You grant to all of our faithful departed, the glory of everlasting life in You. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       Most Patient Lord

                                                       Our strength is in You

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

                                                       Most Patient Lord

                                                       Our strength is in You    

    

~ O God, Faithful and Loving, instill further grace and tenacity in faith to all who are anointed to pastor us in wellness and in sickness, in joy and in sorrow, in preaching and in teaching, as they guide us to Your glory and the salvation of us all. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Most Patient Lord

                                                       Our strength is in You

The Celebrant adds:  Gracious God, endow us with the persistence to ask often for the awareness of Your Presence in our lives, to seek Your help to forgive others as we are forgiven, and to knock constantly on Your door to Eternal Life. Turn us from the human pathways of trespass and trial into the fullness of Christ our Savior. We ask through Jesus, the Bread of Life; and the Holy Spirit, our Sanctifier; who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen. 

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

Prayers of the People: The Better Part ~ 6th Sunday after Pentecost '22 Yr C

For Sunday, July 17, 2022, Readings: Genesis 18:1-10a, Psalm, 15, Colossians 1:15-28, Luke 10:38-42

  The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. [Genesis 18:1-10a]

  Lord, who may abide upon your holy hill? Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, who speaks the truth from his heart…there is no guile upon his tongue…he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor. [Psalm 15:1b-3]

  And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death...provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith... [Colossians 1:21-22, 23a] 

      But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her. [Luke 10:41-42]

      Of course, the focus for today's readings is the iconic Martha and Mary story in Luke's Gospel. But there is another icon to mention from today's reading in Genesis, arising from the visit to Abraham as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. It opens with "The Lord appeared to Abraham" and then tells us that Abraham looked up and saw three men yet strangely spoke to them in the singular of "My Lord..." The men who sit at Abraham’s table were beautifully captured by the 15th century Russian Orthodox iconographer, Andrei Rublev, in his famous, and my personal favorite of all icons, "Rublev's Holy Trinity."*  

This icon, as icons always are, is filled with great symbolism which I encourage you to explore.

      But for this moment, it is his stunning visual interpretation that speaks to me of the "three in one" mystery of the Trinity. As for the rest of the reading, a cliff-hanger of sorts for Sarah and Abraham, as we imagine them pondering the parting words of the men who say she will have a son. 

      The Psalm is filled with God's instructions on how to find our way to heaven, the Holy Hill, and Paul congratulates the Colossians for their turn from evil deeds to the fullness of God through Christ. But it is the age-old Martha/Mary conflict that draws the most attention. Then as now, the everyday tasks take over life and some days, or many, there’s simply not enough time left over for God.

       We're all so very busy despite all sorts and conditions of modern technology in our western culture that is supposed to encourage and allow more leisure time. Martha was trying to have Jesus understand all that she had to do and needed Mary’s help. Lucky Mary wins the round with Jesus patiently explaining to the harried Martha to take a breath and relax, sit down and choose the better part. I’m wondering if Martha is looking at him with the “and just who do you think is going to get all this cooking and cleaning done for all these people” look?

       I’m sure I’m not alone with the struggle to make the better part of life as time with our Trinity? Someday, I’ve often mused, I’ll have the time to continue securely established and steadfast in the faith without shifting from the hope promised in the Gospel. It isn’t even a question of “balance” in our lives. We are to be faithful to God in Christ first and then get on with the other stuff. Sure, easy to do when you don’t have to make a living, or meet every bill deadline, do the shopping, prepare the food, or cope with the interminable interruptions such as bad weather, family needs, and whatever else life throws at you. And if you have children or teens at home, there are a thousand other things to do in addition. Yet God is always with us, Christ always within us, the Word always surrounds us and all we need to do is breathe consciously in and out with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit on our lips and in our hearts.

      Of course we all know that “someday, once everything settles down,” we can get on with the business of the God and faith stuff. Although I saw a sign once that said, Someday is not on the calendar. Busy may accomplish earth-bound tasks in the life where someday never arrives. But being merely busy, even with Church things, doesn't draw us closer to Christ, it more likely keeps us at a distance. Let us mindfully, intentionally, deliberately choose the better part of the very brief God-given life we have and all else will get done. Jesus says clearly, there is need of only one thing, and being Mary-er is the better part.

 *click here to learn more about: Symbolism in Rublev's Trinity

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Immortal, Invisible God, grant us the courage to do what is right with no guile and no contempt for our neighbor. Guide us to always reject evil and strive to present ourselves to You as becoming mature in Christ, and proclaiming his wisdom to all we meet.
 
                                                      O Lord, in Your Fullness
         RESPONSE:                  Keep us steadfast in our faith
 
~ Immortal, Invisible God, strengthen us to speak the truth from our hearts that will reconcile to Your Will the earthly rulers of all thrones, dominions, and powers in every corner of this world, great and small. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord, in Your Fullness
                                                       Keep us steadfast in our faith
 
~ Immortal, Invisible God, restore health and hope for those with chronic pain in body, mind, or spirit, and refresh all who bring them comfort and care. We now join our hearts to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions
 
                                                       O Lord, in Your Fullness
                                                       Keep us steadfast in our faith
          
~ Immortal, Invisible God, lift grieving hearts with the joy of eternal life in glory, now bestowed on those we have loved in this life. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
                                                       O Lord, in Your Fullness
                                                       Keep us steadfast in our faith
 
~ Immortal, Invisible 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, in Your Fullness
                                                       Keep us steadfast in our faith
                       
~ Immortal, Invisible God, look with extra favor upon those who lead us in Your Church as they teach us to recognize when You arrive in the heat of the day, or the cold of the night. As servants of the Gospel they shepherd our souls to follow, together, in the footsteps of Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       O Lord, in Your Fullness
                                                       Keep us steadfast in our faith
                                                                                                        
The Celebrant adds: Lord God of Promise and Presence, release us from the traps of worry, busy-ness, and distraction that we set for ourselves, estranging us from You. Infuse us with the wisdom to choose the better part of the life you have given us to live, the hope of Christ within us. We ask through Jesus, Firstborn of All Creation; and the Holy Spirit, Counselor to our souls; who together with You are One God, forever and ever.   Amen. 

 

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

Prayers of the People: 1, 2, 3. ~ 5th Sunday after Pentecost '22 Yr C

For Sunday, July 10, 2022, Readings: Deuteronomy 30:9-14, Psalm 25:1-9, Colossians 1:1-14, Luke 10:25-37

    “Surely, this commandment…is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away…No, the word is very near to you; is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.” [Deuteronomy 30:11, 14]

     To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; my God, I put my trust in you…Gracious and upright is the Lord… He guides the humble in doing right and teaches his way to the lowly. [Psalm 25:1a, 7a, 8]

          May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from [God's] glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience... [Colossians 1:11]

        [Jesus] said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" [The lawyer] answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all our soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself…" But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my  neighbor?” [Luke 10:26-27, 29]

     We bounce around non-sequentially in the Old Testament in this season after Pentecost, and this week we slip in near the end of the book of Deuteronomy, only a few chapters shy of the end of Moses’ life. Moses, in this reading, is outlining the many positive ways following the Commandments will bear fruit for the still traveling Israelites – in body, in livestock, and in the soil. He wants them to understand the do’s and don’ts of life in God’s care. God delights in and prospers those turning their hearts and souls in obedience. Moses assures the gathered that the incentive to obey is strong because The Law is protective –  it helps resolve earthly squabbles, the dietary rules of the time are for physical health, and best of all, it is not too hard for you, nor is it far away...the word is very near…it is in your mouth and in your heart… The Psalmist confirms that God, to whom we lift our souls, is gracious and upright and guides the humble in doing right.

    Paul’s letter to the Colossians also speaks of bearing fruit through faith in the Gospel of Jesus. He, like Moses regarding The Law, tells them the Word of Jesus is close as the Gospel has come to them, and in turn, to us all. We will bear its fruit in every good work as we grow in the knowledge of God.

     The lawyer in the passage from Luke speaks words that are so familiar we could recite them yet we still find them difficult to live. This was a shocking parable in its time and might be in our own day if we use a substitute for Samaritan such as Satanist and highly contagious for the man beset by robbers on the road, or, still tragically, as our Friends of Color can attest, simply the wrong skin tone, or gay. Perhaps, in that way, we can understand the apprehension of those who passed by without helping. One’s adherence to The Law that forbade touching one who is “unclean” is extra-convenient when faced with a distasteful situation. And just imagine the utter amazement of on-lookers that this victim would be helped by so unlikely a person – a foreigner, a stranger, one not like themselves.

     The “Summary of the Law” as the sentence uttered by the lawyer is known, gives us everything we need to hear, understand, and accept as the way of the Gospel. It is a succinct and complete restatement of all of God’s Commandments. If we truly love God so completely in heart, soul, strength, and mind, we’d never consider coveting, killing, thieving, adultering, etc. Living as the personification of that deep love is our sole purpose for being as well as to absolutely love our neighbors as we love ourselves – that is, to love our neighbors as if they truly are our selves, all of us being created by and through God’s unlimitable, unconditional love.

     Then our lawyer, very learned in The Law, wanting to justify himself, continues and gets more legalistic in his question “who is my neighbor?” The answer is clear, simple, yet complex. From the parable Jesus shares, even the lawyer understands we are to show mercy to everyone, whether liked, unliked, feared, mistrusted, dangerous, contagious, annoying, wrong politics, wrong age or gender-identity-affinity, wrong religion or skin color or legal status, etc. Especially, anyone who needs help is our neighbor, and we become as the Samaritan when we have or can find the means or ability to gather other neighbors to give help. Our neighbor is us. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot love God or our neighbor. If we are mistreating our neighbor, we are reflecting how we love – or don’t love or are afraid to love – ourselves. We’ve too long been acculturated to worry about being conceited instead of loving ourselves for the miracle of Creation that we are, warts, flaws, and all; and as a temple of God, Our Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit who dwell within us.

     Paul prayed, as we must, for our strength, endurance, and patience from God. The Samaritan showed mercy ~ above and beyond ~ Jesus us tells us to go and do likewise. We must hear, taste, ingest, digest, live into, and breathe through the words again: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. Love God. Love you. Love your neighbor. 1, 2, 3. It is Simple. It is Difficult. It is extremely Necessary, now more than ever.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Gracious Lord, free us from the darkness of the fear and suspicion of those, even if unlike ourselves, who are our neighbors in Your sight. Open us to the knowledge of Your will through Your word already within us, that our acts of love and kindness will be a true measure of our full faith in Christ.

                                                 O God of Goodness and Love

 RESPONSE:         To You we lift our souls

~  O Gracious Lord, grant enduring patience and soul support to those upright and honorable people who uphold the principles of integrity, compassion, and mercy, serving now in national and local governments, across Your Earth. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                  O God of Goodness and Love

                                                  To You we lift our souls

~  O Gracious Lord, rescue and give hope to the poor, the weak, and the sick, and give comfort and strength to all who assist them. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                   O God of Goodness and Love

                                                   To You we lift our souls    

~ O Gracious Lord, give rest to the hearts of those who grieve, as all who have died now shine in the eternal light of Christ’s heavenly peace. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                    O God of Goodness and Love

                                                    To You we lift our souls

~ O Gracious Lord, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

                                                     O God of Goodness and Love

                                                     To You we lift our souls                

~ O Gracious Lord, we look to our faithful ministers of Your Word and Sacraments as our guides of truth in action. Endow them with steadfast faith to urge us in humility along right pathways to share in the inheritance of the saints. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                     O God of Goodness and Love

                                                     To You we lift our souls                                                                                                   

The Celebrant adds: O God of our Salvation, fill us with the spiritual understanding and wisdom to lead lives worthy of You, bearing the fruit of the Gospel to our neighbors, and ourselves, being made strong in Your glorious power. We ask through the forgiveness and redemption of Jesus, our Christ; and by the love of the Holy Spirit, who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen. 

 

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