Prayers of the People: The Other Side of the Coin, 20th Sunday after Pentecost '17 Yr A

for Sunday, October 22, 20th Sunday after Pentecost, Readings: Exodus 33:12-23, Psalm 99, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, Matthew 22:15-22

       The LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.
[Exodus 33:17]

      O LORD our God, you answered them indeed; you were a God who forgave them, yet punished them for their evil deeds. [Psalm 99:8]

     For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you...in every place your faith in God has become known...how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God... [1 Thess 1:8a, 9b]

     The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said...But Jesus, aware of their malice said, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax." ...Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." [Matthew 22:15,18-21]

     Moses certainly has a lot to say to God this week. With an insistent tone, in a startling lesson in courage, he perseveres in his demands that require God to listen and respond - but, Moses also knows when to take a breath and wait for God's voice. We need to learn to speak to God in our own voices with our own words and say, ask, and even demand, and then, quietly, patiently, and, with an open heart, listen for how and when God chooses to answer.

       We are shown by Moses and then Paul reminds us to recognize and live into our deep relationship with God with trust and faith, to feel the power of the Holy Spirit within us. Each breath we take comes from God and that awareness gives us the willingness, however tentative at times, to begin to act upon it. The more we are conscious of living our faith, the more faith grows and our prayer and action become a truer reflection of the image of God that we already are. 

       The subtle twist in the lesson from Jesus and Caesar's money is often lost much like the obscurity of an inside joke that only works when everyone "gets it". On the surface it seems like a teaching on the separation of Church and State but wait for it...As so very often happens, Jesus is turning the tables on those almost-smart-enough Pharisees - instead of falling into their trap, he caught them in his. The coin with the Emperor Caesar's image also contained an inscription that proclaimed the divinity of Caesar. While the coin was the mandatory currency by the occupying Romans, for the Jews the image alone was clearly as blasphemous as the inscription regarding divinity. Any good Pharisee would know that from the prohibitions in both Genesis and Exodus against graven images and divinity other than God's. While the coins were required in everyday life, anyone on Temple grounds with such a coin in his pocket would be guilty of the very serious offense of blasphemy. That's why there were money changers at the Temple to exchange Roman money for an acceptable coin for Jewish offerings. So the Pharisees' disciples were expecting Jesus to uphold the coin, perhaps even on Temple grounds, and then they could proclaim him as a blasphemer. No such luck. When Jesus tosses off the "Give therefore to the Emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's," the Pharisees' disciples were amazed because they suddenly knew the joke was on them. It has been suggested that perhaps, in his quietly subversive way, Jesus was hinting about a payback to Caesar - "Give Caesar what he deserves?"  We are called to give the currency of ourselves to God's purpose. We are the other side of the coin in God's pocket. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord, our God, because Moses asked, You gave Your presence and favor through him to us. We ask that You awaken our faith through each breath You give us, that we may serve You with joy, in the hope of Christ, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

                                                Holy God, Living and True

RESPONSE:             Renew our strength and courage

~ O Lord, our God, No matter what coin we render to political power, our greatest currency is we, ourselves, who are made in Your image. Let our actions, voices, and words in the houses of government in this World, in this Nation, and on the local streets and roads of our lives, always reflect Your graciousness and mercy.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Holy God, Living and True

                                                Renew our strength and courage

                                               

~ O Lord, our God, soothe and heal all who live in chronic pain, worry, and hopelessness, and rejuvenate those who give love and care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                Holy God, Living and True

                                                Renew our strength and courage

           

~ O Lord, our God, our hearts are full of love and thanksgiving for all You have called home to glory and rejoicing in new life through Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                                                Holy God, Living and True

                                                Renew our strength and courage

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

                                                Holy God, Living and True

                                                Renew our strength and courage

~ O Lord, our God, magnify Your presence in and through all who teach us Your Word, hear our needs, preside at the Eucharist, and whose life work is to walk with us toward You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds:  O God Most High, keep us close in Your holy heart, let us always be reminded of Your constancy, to ask often for Your favor, and to be conscious of how to serve You in every moment of this brief and mortal life. We ask this through our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the power 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: RSVP, 19th Sunday after Pentecost '17 Yr A

For Sunday, October 15, 2017, 19^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Readings: Exodus 32:1-14, Psalm 106: 1-6, 19-23; Philippians 4:1-9, 

Matthew 22:1-14

      But Moses implored the LORD his God...And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he had planned to bring on his people. [Exodus 32:11a, 14]

      Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. [Psalm 106:1]

      ...stand firm in the Lord...The Lord is near. Do not worry...but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace that passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 
[Philippians 4:1b, 6-7]

      The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited...but they would not come...they made light of it and went away...Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready but those invited were not worthy'...those slaves...gathered all whom they found...But when the king came in...he noticed a man...not wearing a wedding robe...the king said...'bind him...and throw him into the outer darkness...' For many are called but few are chosen. 
[Matthew 22:1-14] 

           Back in the desert, the Israelites are restless. Moses hasn't come back from God's mountain soon enough to suit them. Just like any group of unruly children left with a not-so-responsible babysitter, or petulant adults who can be as bad or worse, there is a lot of the familiar grumbling and complaining but it quickly escalates into a huge party centered around a golden calf built by Aaron (the unhelpful babysitter) with their melted gold jewelry. They forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt [Psalm 106: 21]. God is, to put it mildly, not pleased. Moses is able to implore God to calm God's wrath and prevent a disaster. But humans are humans and there is no doubt in my mind that some of the grumbling continued even if there was no more overt defiance on their journey.

        Matthew tells a Jesus parable of a king's wedding banquet where the guests declined and even made light of the invitation. Even after a second invitation was issued, the invitees refused and killed the king's own messengers. The king destroyed them and their city as retaliation but was still determined to fill the banquet hall and people out on the streets were all invited. The perplexing part is that one guest wasn't dressed properly infuriating the king who had him bound and thrown where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus then tells us that many are called but few are chosen. I realize that trying to understand this allegory through the lens of my everyday life, I'm surely missing the point. Others who are more learned and wiser than me will likely have a clearer and more theological explanation but what comes to me hearkens back to the Exodus story. We can be chastened or even frightened into submission and obedience even if that "obedience" is half-hearted and insincere. But if I dress my heart and soul with the proper attire of prayer and supplication with thanksgiving as Paul tells us, the peace of God that passes all understanding, will guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus. The more I pray and attend to an honorable, just, and pure mindset, the more of God's peace I will receive, through both the most difficult and the most delightful days of my short temporal existence.

         Upon self-reflection I re-discover too many golden calves in my life that call me away from the ultimate invitation, making light of the purpose for which I was created, dismissing the gift of being called and chosen. Avoiding the temptations of the something shiny syndrome is no easy task for this imperfect mortal but a quote I read somewhere sums it up for me: "When I hear people say, 'Life is hard', I ask, 'Compared to what?'" Time for me to RSVP ~ Dear God, I accept! Please send directions, again.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Good and Merciful Lord, we are all invited to Your heavenly banquet, yet along the way we are easily tempted to worship something shiny instead of You. Grant us strength to stand firm in Your always present love through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let us remember that if we experience Your absence, it is we who have turned away from You.

                                                O God of Peace

RESPONSE:             Guard our hearts and minds in Christ

~ O Good and Merciful Lord, visit Your saving help upon us, to prevail upon our elected leaders to act with justice and mercy for the health and safety of all Your people and our planet, our country, and all the villages, towns, and cities in Your Creation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God of Peace

                                                Guard our hearts and minds in Christ

                                               

~ O Good and Merciful Lord, shine Your light and whisper Your comfort into the shadows of those suffering through illness, emotional trials, and natural and human-made disasters. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                O God of Peace

                                                Guard our hearts and minds in Christ

           

~ O Good and Merciful Lord, joyfully receive those we love into the sunshine of Your grace upon grace, into the fullness of Christ, the very expression of Your love for us all. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God of Peace

                                                Guard our hearts and minds in Christ

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

                                                O God of Peace

                                                Guard our hearts and minds in Christ

           

~ O Good and Merciful Lord, refresh and excite those who are called to lead us in Your Church and inspire us to learn, grow, and live in and through Christ by thought, word, and action. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God of Peace

                                                Guard our hearts and minds in Christ

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds:  O God, Most High, Divine Architect of All Life, guide us to follow all that is true, honorable, and just, in excellence and purity, as You would have us do to be among Your chosen. We ask for Your continuing patience as we pledge ourselves again to Jesus, our Christ, and the Holy Spirit, our Companion, who together with You, live and reign as One God, now and for 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: In the Beginning, 1st Sunday in the Season of Creation '17

for Sunday October 15, 2017, 1st Sunday in the Season of Creation, Readings: God’s Longing*, Ps 100, Julian of Norwich**, John 1: 1-14

Welcome to the Season of Creation!

         The Season of Creation originated in the Anglican Church of South Africa and was formalized in 2008. It 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 for humanity, but for our total environment, as it pertains to ALL life. 

         From the early days of the Season of Creation at SsAM [www.ssam.org], we 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. The overarching theme for 2017 is Environmental Justice inspired in part by the Youth Principles from the Second National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit*** in Washington, DC in 2002, the text of which follows the prayers along with the alternate readings from Ron Starbuck and Julian of Norwich.

         We will use Biblical and other readings that pertain to the specific theme of each of the 7 weeks of the Season. Alternate readings used will follow the prayers.



Week One's Theme is:  In the Beginning



LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ God of The Beginning, the Now, and the Always, we, Your not-always-humble creatures, often need reminding of the wisdom of Your order of creating, and the longing You have for us to know and return Your love by our thoughts and actions. Help us to be more consciously aware of our place as stewards, not only of all forms of life, but also of the environment that supports us all.

                              Holy and Almighty Lord

RESPONSE:       You are the Ground of our Being

                                             

~ God of The Beginning, the Now, and the Always, we must continuously proclaim the Sacredness of all Creation to those who make political decisions for this Earth, for our Country, and for all villages, towns, and cities. Guide us in our work to require protections, ethical standards, and justice for the safety and health of eco-systems and livestock, wild birds and tigers, water sources and humanity, hazelnuts and icebergs, for current and future generations. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Holy and Almighty Lord

You are the Ground of our Being

~ God of The Beginning, the Now, and the Always, shine Your light and whisper Your Word of comfort into the shadows of those suffering through illness, emotional trials, and natural and human-made disasters.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Holy and Almighty Lord

You are the Ground of our Being

~ God of The Beginning, the Now, and the Always, bring all who mourn into the daylight of Your grace upon grace, as You receive in glory those we love into the fullness of Christ, the very expression of Your love for us all. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Holy and Almighty Lord

You are the Ground of our Being

~ God of The Beginning, the Now, and the Always, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

Holy and Almighty Lord

You are the Ground of our Being

~ God of The Beginning, the Now, and the Always, refresh and excite those who are called as Stewards of Your Church so that they may bring the Word that is Christ, and the words that are of Christ, to inspire us to live in Christ through our every word and every action. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Holy and Almighty Lord

You are the Ground of our Being

The Celebrant adds: Holy God, Divine Architect of All Life, You proclaimed all of Your work to be Good, In the Beginning. Grant us consciousness and stamina that our work in and for all of Your Creation will be just, fruitful, sustaining, and given as our praise, with delight and thanksgiving. We ask through  Jesus, the incarnate Word, and the Holy Spirit, the vital Spark, who together with You, reign as One God in the limitless expanse of all known and unknown Creation, beyond all time. Amen.

*First Reading: God’s Longing, from There is Something about being Episcopalian, by Ron Starbuck, St. Julian Press, 2016

          It isn’t known when it began, God’s longing, certainly no one mortal knows. The angels might know, but for most, it is still a heavenly secret, a mystery of mysteries long hidden. Some would say that it was always there, has always been there, from the first instant, long before the big bang.  Banged! Leading up to the first thought that caused creation, to explode suddenly out of the emptiness and nothingness of all reality, which is still expanding, still growing still arising within us each. Many would say, and I would be one, that God’s longing is eternal. It is a deep longing, a true longing, a longing that lingers slowly and perfectly stretching out far pat our own imaginations. However, far back or forward we are able to imagine. It is almost as if God suddenly awoke and being alone. In knowing loneliness from the beginning sighed deeply, sighed so deeply in that loneliness, that in breathing out some portion of God’s breath left his body and being to seed all creation. Perhaps it was then, in that moment when the breath of God first moved across the waters of earth or moved through the depths of nothingness giving birth to creation. Or gave breath to both Adam and Eve, and then to all humanity. Sometimes a thought crosses my mind, a single thought, born out of my own breath, as I breathe in deeply during meditation and out once again quietly and stilly. Sometimes it comes to me then, in a split second that this was when God’s Holy Spirit first appeared and continues to appear throughout all history. I even imagine that in some secret way my own loneliness and longing are helping to give birth to God’s Holy Spirit and the compassionate loving-kindness that follows God’s gift to all humankind. I know this much, that God’s longing for us runs so deep and so true that He gave up His only begotten Son, even unto death. So that we might come to know Him and He us, and that by this miracle of love God’s Holy Spirit comes to dwell and rest in us.

**Second Reading: from Meditations with Julian of Norwich edited by Brendan Doyle, 1983

            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.

***Youth Principles from the Second National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, Washington, DC, 2002

              Environmental Justice demands for the U.S. Government to be held accountable for violations of human rights and land rights both domestically and internationally. Environmental Justice calls for us to build communities, conduct gatherings, and build our political structures in a way that reflects the histories, traditions and practices of the full spectrum of identities and abilities that make up the communities we come from and that do not reflect the structures that oppress us. Environmental Justice demands that youth seek to challenge and change the environmentally destructive aspects of our lifestyles in order to stop the destruction of our planet. Environmental Justice respects and promotes the full involvement of all people across the full spectrum of identities and abilities that make us who we are. Environmental Justice calls for us to utilize movement resources, sch as funds, staff, and people’s time and energy, in a way that is sustainable, renewable and puts these resources back into our oppressed communities so that they serve the movement as a whole. Environmental Justice requires the experiences of youth and elders to be shared and respected in all areas of the movement and the need for an intergenerational approach that challenges divisive tendencies. Environmental Justice demands that low-income youth, including immigrant youth, and indigenous youth, live in communities that are secure from crime, drugs, disease, pollution and labor exploitation. Environmental Justice demands that young people work to incorporate the principles of environmental justice into government funded institutions that perpetuate the issues affecting youth of color, indigenous youth, and immigrant and undocumented youth. Environmental Justice demands that as youth we stand against unjust war in all its forms, including disproportionate military recruitment in our communities, the media’s glamorization of military lifestyle and the tremendously destructive effects militarism has on the environment, air, water, land, and food.

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: At the Corner of Hope & Salvation 18th Sunday after Pentecost Yr A

For Sunday, October 8, 2017, 18^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Readings: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20; Psalm 19, Philippians 3:4b-14, 

Matthew 21:33-46

         Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon up so that you do not sin." [Exodus 20:20]

       Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer. [Psalm 19:14]

       ...forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 3:13b-14]

       Jesus said [to the Pharisees], "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'...Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.[Matthew 21:42-43]

            A now infamous Vineyard scenario is once again in the Gospel. This time Jesus tells us a parable about the tenants who are running the place and when the owner's representatives come to collect the owner's share of the produce, the tenants beat one, stone one, and kill another. The owner sends a second group who received the same treatment. Finally, the owner sent his son, naively perhaps, assuming his son would be treated with all due respect. But even the son was killed so the conspiring tenants could "get his inheritance." [Mt 21:38b] 

            At first glance, I can't help wondering if some of these tenants had been the disgruntled workers of the previous vineyard parable who worked longer hours and received the same pay as those who worked fewer. 

            At second glance, I feel as if I'm reading a headline about a local, national, or even international situation. Hateful rhetoric, tragedy, and rage seem to be so commonplace as to almost desensitize us from  shock. Violence, even in mere language, has become frighteningly normalized as otherwise “nice” people make vicious and disturbing comments on social media.  The headlines on air and in print show us that every-day life is getting meaner by the moment, as, not unlike in Jesus' own time, brutality in word and deed is the tool of vengeful cowards who know no other way to express their own fear and impotence.

           And then there's the third glance, Jesus is giving a lesson to the disciples about what is happening then, what is to come, and the ever-watching Pharisees unhappily get the picture about who's who and what's what in this parable. And as they should know, God is pretty clear in Exodus about The Law ~ how we are to behave ourselves and toward one another. Legal scholars often argue about interpretation of the differences between the spirit of the law – the intent of the framer – and the letter of the law – defining its literal understanding. Paul cuts through to the heart of it and tells us in Philippians:  ...this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 3:13b-14]

        As we travel this temporary road of life, let us gather together often at the Corner of Hope and Salvation, for sustenance, renewal, and the revival of our souls, that readies and steadies us for all that is to come. We may not be able to make the world less mean, but we can add a little more Christ-meaning to the world.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord, our God, grant us, Your humble tenants, the desire and consciousness to recognize our call to live in and through your perfect Law, to produce the fruits of Your kingdom, and to love and give to others as You love and have given to us.

                                               

                                                Living God

RESPONSE:             Deliver us from sin

~ O Lord, our God, strengthen our courage and our voices in the halls of the political leaders in our World, our Nation, and our Community to urge justice, mercy, and peace in every facet of policy and legislation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Living God

                                                Deliver us from sin

                                               

~ O Lord, our God, lessen the pain of all who are chronically ill in body, mind, or spirit, and lift the hearts of all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                Living God

                                                Deliver us from sin

           

~ O Lord, our God, revive our souls and fill our hearts with the joy of our loved ones who now live again in the peace and glory of Your eternal sunshine. We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                                                Living God

                                                Deliver us from sin

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

                                                Living God

                                                Deliver us from sin

~ O Lord, our God, renew the energy and excite the hearts of all who are chosen to lead and enlighten our path to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Living God

                                                Deliver us from sin

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds:  O God, our Strength and our Redeemer, cleanse us from our known and secret faults that our every thought, word, and deed may be acceptable in Your Sight. Let us seek the prize of salvation through You as the Cornerstone of our life and faith. We ask through Jesus, our Christ, and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, 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 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: Here's the Deal... 17th Sunday after Pentecost, '17 Yr A

For Sunday, October 1, 2017, 17^th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Readings: Exodus 17:1-7, Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16; Philippians 2:1-13, 

Matthew 21:23-32

      The Lord said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink. [Exodus 17:5-6a]

      We will recount to generations to come the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the LORD, and the wonderful works he has done. [Psalm 78:4]

      Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus... [Philppians 2:3-5]

      Jesus said to [the Pharisees]: "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going to the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed in him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him. [Matthew 21:31b-32]

       As we journey through this life, do you, like me, wonder from time to time - Is God here, among us? By our current standards the Israelites had it good; God's presence was clear in the pillars of cloud by day and fire by night. God made a deal with Moses to be always present and have Moses do all manner of fantastic feats to lead the Israelites, feed them, and quench their thirst. Still, it wasn't enough and they grumbled time and again looking back at the hardships of slavery as better than their wilderness journey. How much more difficult for us to know God's presence in our own times without Moses striking a rock for water or Jesus besting those "righteous, letter-of-the-law" chief priests and elders, at least until the time came for them to execute him. Yet even his death is Life for us. 

       Many of us would say, most of the time, with a doubt or two creeping in, that we believe God is with us, even without concrete visual sightings of God's presence. But the days are busy and fraught with stress in ordinary routine, not to mention the toll of personal trials, and all the craziness in the world at large. So it's likely that we don't always stop and question the location of God in the midst of a Tuesday afternoon or Thursday night before bed, in an angry or frustrating conversation, or even on the happiest of occasions. Some weeks it's all some of us can do to find God on Sunday morning in Church. But for me, this week's readings say, God is here, where am I? Faith is as faith does, actions always tell the tale - just think of the parable of two sons in this week's Gospel. I need to be conscious, awake, and present in the moment to think through how what I do, or what I have done, expresses how close to or far from God I am. Is my wilderness in keeping God absent in pursuit of my selfish ambitions, in looking down on others and judging them as not as worthy as myself, or not pondering how I could possibly take on the mind of Christ? Humility in the face of all that God has done is part of Paul's message. Jesus tells us in Matthew and in Luke to A.S.K. that is, ask, seek, and knock and we will find God always in our midst. So, here's the deal - remember if you're on the road paved with good intentions make a u-turn and keep asking.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord, our Rock and our Salvation, quench our spiritual thirst by the living waters of Your grace. Split the hard shell of our selfish-ambitions and flood us with Your loving presence that we may take on the mind of Christ.

                                                           

                                                O God of our Journeys

RESPONSE:             We put our trust in You

~ O Lord, our Rock and our Salvation, grant us energy and courage to press our political leaders, locally and globally, to seek humanitarian solutions for the issues of our world, our nation, and our community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God of our Journeys

                                                We put our trust in You

                                               

~ O Lord, our Rock and our Salvation, cradle and comfort all who suffer in body, soul, or life circumstance, and ease the burdens of those who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                O God of our Journeys

                                                We put our trust in You

           

~ O Lord, our Rock and our Salvation, released from earthly woes and trials, welcome those now arrived into new life with Christ Jesus, healed by joy and eternal peace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God of our Journeys

                                                We put our trust in You

~ O Lord, our Rock and our Salvation, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…

                                                O God of our Journeys

                                                We put our trust in You

           

~ O Lord, our Rock and our Salvation, grant unflagging spirit and energy to all whose priestly vocations nourish our spiritual development, care for our pastoral needs, and encourage us to be closer to You in every day. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God of our Journeys

                                                We put our trust in You

                                                                                                        

The Celebrant adds:  Lord within us, Lord among us, help us to be alive in our faith through reflection on Your Word, prayer-filled action, and humble regard for others and Your Creation. We ask through our Savior Christ who, with the Holy Spirit, live and reign with You as One God, forever and ever.  Amen.

        

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