People's Prayers

Monday, June 12, 2023

Prayers of the People: Confusing the Wolves ~ 3rd Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, June 18, 2023, Readings: Exodus 19:2-8, Psalm 100, Romans 5:1-8,

Matthew 9:35-10:8(9-23)

They…entered the wilderness of Sinai…Israel camped in front of the mountain. Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him…Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the Israelites: You have seen…how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself…if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed the whole earth is mine… [Exodus 19:2-5]

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness…Know that the Lord God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. [Psalm 100: 1-3]

Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...we have obtained access to this grace...and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God...we also boast in our sufferings...[that] produces endurance...and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit... [Romans 5:1-6]

Jesus went about...proclaiming the good news...curing every disease...he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said..."The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest"..."See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves...But the one who endures to the end will be saved." [Matthew 9:35-38; 10:16]

When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. It is startling, at times, when the words of Scripture are so easily seen in the news, in the cities and towns, in the streets of today, urban, suburban, and rural. When Jesus sent the disciples ~ and us by extension ~ out like sheep into the midst of wolves with the admonishment to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves, it wasn't with the understanding that all will be easy and comfortable. In fact, then as now, the assignment is quite frightening and dangerous. The key tools for our success at attaining a share in the glory of God are wisdom and innocence. Innocence, it must be said, is NOT about being naïve or dimwitted. It is about paying attention to surroundings, who or what is lurking in them, and keeping ourselves and each other safe from the clutches of danger as best we can with all the endurance we can muster to the end of our individual journeys.

Sheep are as good or better at flocking together as their feathery avian counterparts and just as skittish when disturbed. Unlike the birds of the air, sheep have limited directional options and will frequently scatter helter-skelter when frightened. The shepherd's job to calm them is all the more difficult and important as the shepherd must continually shift the flock to different pastures for feeding and safety. But sheep do come to trust their shepherd and to recognize and remember both animal and human faces and, along with a keen sense of smell, the comfort or danger they represent. The behavior of the flock is communal and spontaneous ~ impulsive and reactionary ~ to threats real and merely perceived. How like sheep we humans are, except that our sense of "smell" doesn't always tip us off to the many wolves in our midst.

The wolves of this world are many indeed, but there are billions upon billions of sheep. The importance of our flocking together as a community of Christ was never more crucial as now. Then and as much or more now, the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Jesus was clear when he says later in Matthew: For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them [Mt 18:20]. As the body of Christ, each endowed with specific gifts from the Holy Spirit, we are called to labor in the fields of the Lord, to build up the Kingdom, and ultimately to share in God's glory through Jesus. Our safe haven is always shepherded by the constant Presence of Christ among and within us.

Our community of believers is a place to learn from, comfort, and guide one another around the wolves that would devour us, harass us, or tempt us. As we flock together, we also reap the benefit of joyful times. While we may not always feel like whistling while we work, we can seek pause to enjoy our life together, gather others lost and alone in their fields, and continually shift ourselves and our fellow sheep out of the dens of wolves to the path of hope that leads to the Eternal Pasture. As Paul told the Romans, Hope does not disappoint. When we serve the Lord with gladness our noise will be joyful. Perhaps we can confuse a few wolves along the way into tagging along as friends.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ God of Hope and Love, arouse and provoke us in heart and in mind to take up the labor in Your fields, sow to the Spirit, and reap the plentiful harvest to grow Your family of faith.

Lord, Faithful and Good

RESPONSE: We serve You with gladness

~ God of Hope and Love, keep us wise, fervent, and unceasing in our quest to speak Your truth to the wolves of misguided power as we strive for Justice, Compassion, and Principled governing across this World, this Country, and our Community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord, Faithful and Good

We serve You with gladness

~ God of Hope and Love, grant comfort and endurance to all who suffer from chronic or life-threatening disease, depression, or desperate circumstance, and constantly renew the energy of their caregivers. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

Lord, Faithful and Good

We serve You with gladness

~ God of Hope and Love, as we grieve for all whom we have loved in this life, our hearts rest easier knowing You now hold them in Your everlasting embrace. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

Lord, Faithful and Good

We serve You with gladness

~ God of Hope and Love, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

Lord, Faithful and Good

We serve You with gladness

~ God of Hope and Love, uplift and uphold all who lead us on our journey to You, as faithful witnesses of the love and presence of Christ, through their prayer and service in His name. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord, Faithful and Good

We serve You with gladness

The Celebrant adds: Holy God, Holy and Mighty God, guide us to safeguard our souls from the devouring wolves of temptation in this life. Fill us with the wisdom of innocence and joyful diligence in Your service as we spend our human time in praise and thanksgiving for the gift of Salvation. We ask through the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus, our Christ; and Your boundless love from the Holy Spirit; 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

Meditation Moment in Pentecost: WWNMD? '23

I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.

~ Nelson Mandela

Well, God,
If I'm planning a self-indulgent pity party of the poor me variety and the world news isn't enough to divert me, then it's time to read Mandela. All the usual descriptors apply - inspiring, heroic, determined, etc., ~ and, he ascended to heights well above anything that seemed remotely possible. So, Creator of Excessively Amazing People, could I have just a touch of what You gave Madiba**? His own words certainly say more than mine can and I need to read them often. His life story is the very definition of hope. Will You please nudge me when I'm slowly sinking into my own stuff? (admittedly, a nudge might not be enough ~ You may have to shove me into the next street.)
I need to be more optimistic, even if I have to work hard to achieve it. Nelson is a tremendous role model ~ he was flawed, brilliant, and tenacious. It's comforting to know that even he had his dark and doubtful moments ~ he was not what old ideas would consider saintly but rather a real flesh and blood human person. We all have our trials in life but rare is the example of such perseverance in the face of overwhelming adversity. And because of his story, I can walk a bit more briskly into the face of whatever comes. I can change my address to Hope Street and, in addition to wondering What Jesus Would Do to decide my next course, I can add What Would Nelson Mandela Do to the equation. I don't pretend to have any real idea what either one would actually do, but at least with the inspiration of both, I have a head start into moving forward with my "head pointed toward the sun." amen.

*Nelson Mandela [1918-2013], revolutionary, politician, philanthropist, duly democratically elected first black President of South Africa after 27 years of imprisonment for sedition, treason, and sabotage. If you do not know his story - why not? Look it up!

**Madiba is a South African title of respect for South Africa's most famous icon and first black President Nelson Mandela. While alive, Nelson Mandela was affectionately called Madiba by South Africans and people outside his country.

Saturday, June 10, 2023

Meditation Moment in Pentecost: Borrowing Trouble? '23

Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles;

it empties today of its strength.

~ Corrie ten Boom*

I am slowly learning, as I wander through the experience of living, that when worry rears its anxious specter I must forcibly and deliberately push it away. It's so very easy for me to conjure mind maps of fear that fill my head, travel through the rest of me, and render me uselessly pacing or slumped in mindless paralysis.
There are many conditions in the world at large and in my own community that are cause for concern, even alarm, and call for immediate action or intervention. But worry enervates, creating problems rather than providing solutions. Worry is selfish and demanding of the attention of one's self and others to the exclusion of more important endeavors. When I get bogged down in my own head about my own stuff, I lose the momentum that should be put to better use. And while I'm getting better at it, I often need help to pull myself away from the edge of the sinkhole, and back into the present for the work at hand.

SO, help me, Lord of Inner Strength,

Grant me continuing improvement in my ability to set aside the borrowing of some potential trouble, and lend myself to the beauty in the moment and in the ordinary of life, and, more so the opportunities to be of service to others. And, if it's not too much to ask, a little pocket of joy now and then will help keep me going forward. amen.

*Corrie ten Boom [1892-1982] was the author of many books including her best known Hiding Places which told the harrowing story of her family helping to house Jews escaping from the Nazis during World War II. She and her family were subsequently imprisoned in Ravensbruck, a Nazi death camp where several of her family died. Her work for the mentally disabled before the war, and after she was released from prison, setting up refuge centers and shelters for death camp survivors and even for the jobless Dutch who collaborated with the Germans, earned her international recognition and accolades. She moved to California in 1977 where she died on her 91st birthday.

Friday, June 9, 2023

Meditation in Pentecost: Feast of St. Columba of Ireland and Scotland ~ June 9, 2023

I do not hold to the voice of birds,

or any luck on the earthly world,

or chance or a son or a woman.

Christ the Son of God is my Druid;

Christ the Son of Mary, the great Abbot;

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

My estates are with the King of Kings.

St. Columba*

[521-597]

In ainm an Athar agus an Mhic agus an Spioraid Naoimh:**

Your servant, Columba, has touched the ancient pagan fragments carried deep within my Celtic bones and has fanned the flames of Pentecost in my soul. Embolden my fervor that I might live deeply into the love of Christ and give deeply of that love to all around me. Whether in my moments of solitude or in the midst of all of life's delights and disasters, keep me unflagging in my devotion to and actions on behalf of Christ, Druid and Abbot for all whom God has created. amen.

*Born in County Donegal, Ireland, of royal blood, Columba (also called Columcille) became a monk and rose to the rank of priest. About 561 he became embroiled in a dispute over copyright with St. Finnian which resulted in numerous deaths in a battle. As penance, Columba was ordered out of Ireland for the remainder of his life and told to make as many converts as men killed in the battle. He went to Scotland where his conversion of the Picts is the stuff of legend as is his bringing back to life a man killed by the Loch Ness monster and driving the monster off with the sign of the cross. He established a monastery on the island of Iona on the west coast of Scotland which still today is a site of pilgrimage and retreat. As one of the three patron saints in Ireland, this Holy Three of Erin are buried together ~ St. Patrick, St. Columba, and St. Brigid ~ in County Down.

**Irish Gaelic for "In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit," pronounced:

In an-nim on ah-hur og-gus on vic og-gus on spir-id neev

Druid: priest in ancient Celtic religion; a priest of an ancient religion practiced in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul until the people of those areas were converted to Christianity

Thursday, June 8, 2023

Meditation Moment in Pentecost: Tick-Tock... '23

Life is short and we do not have too much time

to gladden the hearts of those

who travel this journey with us,

so be quick to love and

make haste to be kind.

~ Henri Frédéric Amiel*

O God of All Time -
My present moments are too rapidly becoming my past moments even as I am looking ahead for a glimpse of my future moments. And I am dribbling away the precious life you have given me, by more than a few drops at a time ~ how much is left?? Only You would know.
It's always much easier to say "LOVE ONE ANOTHER" than it is to do, especially in a world filled with horror, tragedy, and rage. So, Lord of Now, help me stay in the moment and worry not about the next. Please help me swim through each of the laps I have left knowing that all I truly have is You, all I can truly give is the knowledge of You that I offer through my thoughts which are revealed through my actions. Oh how pathetic when I think of some of my actions BUT that was then, this is NOW....so here I am thinking:
Dear God of This Moment, please give me the strength to show love to fill in the blank who has been unkind to me here or there, in real or perceived ways. Even if the opportunity for a one-on-one conversation is not presented, at the very (seriously very) least I can do is offer a prayer for her/him to You. Help me balance the weights of time and swing the pendulum to the far reaches of kindness, tolerance, and love. Maybe, that really will make things better somehow. I can't change the face of all the political strife in the world. But I can, in a moment of frustration, as well as in a moment of beauty, think secondly of how to frame a brief prayer in their honor, for their well-being, for my soul. It certainly can't hurt especially for as long as that clock is ticking. amen.

*Henri Frédéric Amiel [1821-1881] was a Swiss philosopher, critic, and poet. He was a professor of aesthetics at the University of Geneva in 1849 and later a professor of moral philosophy.

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Meditation Moment in Pentecost: Still-a-Maze-ing

I have not failed.

I have just found 10,000 ways

that won't work.

~ Thomas Edison*

Oh Lord of the Maze that is Life,

There are days when I get lost in trying to find my direction. I go one way and hit a wall, turn around and go in the opposite direction, turn left, turn right, and I have lost my way, again. I turn around and start over, and, repeat.

Okay so I've been through this track 'way too many times but here I am again asking You for a map to find my way. I know I've made promises I haven't kept very well, but I really mean it this time, that is, I wholeheartedly promise to keep trying. Maybe just feeling Your presence will give me the perseverance to keep moving and I do know to feel it, I have to seek it. One of these paths will be a Good one and with You walking by my side, I'll know it's right when the light bulb goes on. amen.

*Thomas Edison, American inventor best known for the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and, of course, a practical light bulb and there is so much more. Holding almost 1200 patents, his inventions and business acumen still informs many of the designs and methods of today's technology. He has an extensive biography that is well worth investigating.

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Prayers of the People: Then, Now, & Forever ~ 2nd Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, June 11, 2023; Readings: Hosea 5:15-6:6, Psalm 50:7-15, Romans 4:13-25,

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

[Hosea 6:6]

Offer to God a sacrifice of Thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. [Psalm 50:14-15]

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. [Romans 4:13-14]

[Jesus] said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.” [Matthew 9:12]

The opening reading this week is from Hosea, someone we don’t hear from all that much yet this week his thoughts appear twice. Hosea is one of the Twelve Minor Prophets whose writings are aggregated into one book in the Jewish Bible. In the Christian version of the Hebrew [Old] Testament, he has his own, if brief, book. The Talmud refers to him as the “greatest prophet of his generation” and his writings take us from doom to restoration. He is also quoted in the Qu’ran. As we all: Jews, Christians, and Muslims are children of Abraham, this should not come as a surprise though, sadly, it often does. We’ll see Jesus quote him in Mt 9:13, building on Hosea’s quote about what God truly wants ~ not things we think we are to sacrifice to God as God has/is everything. This piece from Hosea is worth reading in full, and beyond that he has an interesting personal history which includes his wife Gomer, and is of restoring and forgiving.

The partial piece of Psalm 50 appointed for today continues this theme that God isn’t interested in the sacrifice of livestock but rather a sacrifice of thanksgiving and honoring God by actions that pay our vows to God. Again, reading the full Psalm from verse 1 to 23, gives us a greater understanding of what God is calling us to be and to do.

After his conversion, Paul understood that strict obedience to The Law as only a system of rules was, in a sense, replacing personal goodness and obedience to God; a message found often in the teachings of Jesus. Paul further realized that for Gentiles to understand salvation, it needed to be expressed as God’s promise, as it had first been given to Abraham and later to Moses. As one source says: Therefore, Abraham could be the spiritual ancestor of everyone who shared his obedient faith, quite independently of racial heritage [emphasis added]. It is to fulfilling our faithful commitment and thanksgiving to God rather than arbitrary sacrifice that God calls us.

This week’s Gospel reading from Matthew begins with the Call of Matthew: As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. After this was a dinner to which many tax collectors and sinners came to sit with Jesus and the disciples. The rigidly Law-abiding, righteous Pharisees asked the disciples why Jesus would eat with such people. Jesus overheard and responded that well people don’t need a doctor and, with the piece from Hosea but with his own interpretation said: “Go and learn what this means. ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

So for this week, the sum and substance of these readings for me are fairly clear. God doesn’t want and certainly doesn’t need blood sacrifices, just simply our following through with the faith commitments we’ve made. And, they/we who have begun to feel sorry for what we have and haven’t done can and must learn to accept the ceaseless outpouring of forgiveness that God is offering. Put the angry God of vengeance behind you. Too much rule-based religion has been grounded in fear. Hear the words of Jesus: EVERYONE who yearns to, wants to, hopes to, or is even afraid to receive the love of God, has it. Believe it, and know that God through Christ, with the Holy Spirit loves and forgives continuously, constantly, then, now, and forever.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O God, our God, You give eternal life to the dead and call into existence the things that do and cannot exist without You. Remind our hearts and our souls, to return our selves to You. In offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving and in paying our vows to You by our ways in living, we have the gift of calling on You in our days of trouble. Let us glorify our God!

Lord God of Promise

RESPONSE: By Faith we rest in Your Grace

~ O God, our God, guide us in the ways and strength of faith, that we may deliver to the leaders of this Planet, this Country, and this Community, the message that we require mercy from and by you, not a sacrifice of principle or loss of human rights and basic needs. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord God of Promise