Good Early Afternoon Beloved Ones!
Happy You Matter Monday from the ancestral land of the Chumash. Let us take time to remember that when God made us and everything else he made it with and in love. Our lessons talk about many things but today I'm struck by the lesson from James, that reminds us not to show partiality. What does the word partiality mean to you? Maybe this reading from the Acts of the Apostles will give us a clue.
Acts 10:34-43
Peter began to speak to Cornelius and the other Gentiles: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
Now let us take time to breath and journey on together.
So let us begin with "The be stills"
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Let us ponder these quotes!
"To love is to recognize yourself in another. The others "otherness" then stands revealed as an illusion pertaining to the purely human realm, the realm of form." ~ Eckhart Tolle
"When each thing is unique in itself, there can be no comparison made.... There is only this strange recognition of present otherness." ~ D. H. Lawrence
"All human beings have their otherness and it is that which cries out to the heart." ~ Elizabeth Goudge
"And sometimes it's the very otherness of a stranger, someone who doesn't belong to our ethnic or ideological or religious group, an otherness that can repel us initially, but which can jerk us out of our habitual selfishness, and give us intonations of that sacred otherness, which is God." ~ Karen Armstrong
"Fear is so fundamental to the human condition that all the great spiritual traditions originate in an effort to overcome its effects on our lives. With different words, they all proclaim the same core message: "Be not afraid." Though the traditions vary widely in the ways they propose to take us beyond fear, all hold out the same hope: we can escape fear's paralysis and enter a state of grace where encounters with otherness will not threaten us but will enrich our work and our lives." ~ Parker J. Palmer
"We are separated from one another by an unbridgeable gulf of otherness and strangeness which resists all our attempts to overcome it by means of natural association or emotional or spiritual union. There is no way from one person to another. However loving and sympathetic we try to be, however sound our psychology however frank and open our behaviour we cannot penetrate the incognito of the other man, for there are no direct relationships, not even between soul and soul. Christ stands between us, and we can only get into touch with our neighbors through Him." ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"Love is the very process of passing over, of transformation, of stepping outside the limitations of fallen humanity - in which we are all separated from one another and ultimately impenetrable to one another - into an infinite otherness." ~ Pope Benedict XVI
"The beloved is already in our being, as thirst and "otherness." Being is eroticism. Inspiration is that strange
voice that takes man out of himself to be every thing that he is, everything that he desires; another body,
another being. Beyond, outside of me, in the green and gold thicket, among the tremulous branches,
sings the unknown. It calls to me." ~ Octavio Paz
"I have discovered, passionate grief does not link us with the dead but cuts us off from them. This becomes clearer and clearer. It is just at those moments when I feel least sorrow - getting into my morning bath is usually one of them - that H. rushes upon my mind in her full reality, her otherness. Not, as in my worst moments, all foreshortened and patheticized and solemnized by my miseries, but as she is in her own right. This is good and tonic." ~ C. S. Lewis
"In the Spirit which draws us into honest engagement with one another, including those who may be very different from us in various ways, God calls us to wake up and learn how to love and respect one another, period." ~ Carter Heyward
"Do not waste time bothering whether you "love" your neighbor; act as if you did." ~ C. S. Lewis
"God's love, and hence the love with which we come to love God, is eros and agape at once: a desire for the other that delights in the distance of otherness." ~ David Bentley Hart
"Not everyone is your brother or sister in the faith, but everyone is your neighbor, and you must love your neighbor." ~ Timothy Keller
"The real love is to love them that hate you, to love your neighbor even though you distrust him." ~ Mahatma Gandhi
"You are obliged to love your neighbor as yourself, and loving him, you ought to help him spiritually, with prayer, counseling him with words, and assisting him both spiritually and temporally, according to the need in which he may be, at least with your goodwill if you have nothing else." ~ St. Catherine of Siena
"He who experiences the unity of life sees his own self in all beings." ~ Gautama Buddha
"Then I read this: “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:43-45). That's it! I was thunderstruck" ~ Mosab Hassan Yousef
"But what does it mean to be on God's side? I believe it starts with focusing on the common good - not just in politics, but in all the decisions we make in our personal, family, vocational, financial, communal, and, public lives. That old but always new ethic simply says we must care for more than just ourselves or our own group. We must care for our neighbor as well, and for the health of the life we share with one another. It echoes a very basic tenet of Christianity and other faiths - love your neighbor as yourself - still the most transformational ethic in history." ~ Jim Wallis
"Labor, like Israel, has many sorrows. Its women weep for their fallen and they lament for the future of the children of the race. It ill behooves one who has supped at labor's table and who has been sheltered in labor's house to curse with equal fervor and fine impartiality both labor and its adversaries when they become locked in deadly embrace." ~ John L. Lewis
This is the Metta prayer!Let us give it a try!
Lovingkindness (Metta) Prayer
May "all beings" be happy, healthy and whole.
May they have love, warmth and affection.
May they be protected from harm, and free from fear.
May they be alive, engaged and joyful.
May "all beings" enjoy inner peace and ease.
May that peace expand into their world and throughout the entire universe.
This prayer is traditionally done for successively wider circles of caring, with “all beings” replaced appropriately. The first round would be for yourself, then those closest to you, then those who you feel neutral toward, then those with whom you have difficulties, and continuing outward until it includes all beings.
Let us begin with our mindfulness passages:
Let us breathe in peace.
Let us breathe out worry.
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind, in the waves, and in our hearts
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind,in the waves.
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind.
Be still and hear the whisper of God.
Be still and hear the whisper.
Be still and hear.
Be still.
Be.
1. Become aware of God’s presence.
This is the time when we become aware of our breathing and grounding ourselves. Let us use the "Peace be stills".
Inhale
Hold
Exhale gently.
Pause and repeat!
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Repeat two more times.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.
__
More help from Ignatian Spirituality
As we are together praying for Peace, let us be truly with each other.
Silence
Let us pay attention to our breathing.
Silence
Let us be relaxed in our bodies and our minds.
Silence
Let us return to ourselves and become wholly ourselves.
Silence
Let us be aware of the Source of Being common to us all and to all that is.
Silence
Evoking the presence of the Great Companion, let us fill our hearts with our own compassion—towards ourselves and toward all living beings.
Silence
Let us pray that all living beings realize that they are all nourished from the same Source of Life.
Silence
Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be the cause of needless suffering.
Silence
Let us pray that we may live in a way which will not needlessly deprive other living beings of air, water, food, shelter, or the chance to live in health.
Silence
With reverence for Life and with awareness of the sufferings that are going on around us, let us pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.
Come let us worship.
Joseph Barth: A Grace
We give thanks for Being;
We give thanks for being here;
We give thanks for being here together.
Calls to Worship from A New Zealand Prayer Book
Always be joyful, pray continually;
give thanks, whatever happens.
There is nothing in death or life,
in the realm of spirits or superhuman powers,
in the world as it is or the world as it shall be,
in the forces of the universe, in heights or depths –
nothing in all creation
which can separate us from the love of God
which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Love never comes to an end.
Today's opening sentences are focused on Loving Kindness as found in the scriptures:
Psalm 17:7
Wondrously show Your lovingkindness,
O Savior of those who take refuge at Your right hand
From those who rise up against them.
Psalm 36:10
O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Psalm 63:3
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
Psalm 69:16
Answer me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good;
According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me,
Psalm 107:43
Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things,
And consider the lovingkindnesses of the Lord.
Hosea 2:19
“I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice,
In lovingkindness and in compassion,
Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying,
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.
Psalm 40:11
You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
Psalm 119:88
Revive me according to Your lovingkindness,
So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.
Psalm 119:76
O may Your lovingkindness comfort me,
According to Your word to Your servant.
Psalm 51:1
For the choir director. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
Psalm 119:149
Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
Revive me, O Lord, according to Your ordinances.
Psalm 26:3
For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have walked in Your truth.
Psalm 48:9
We have thought on Your lovingkindness, O God,
In the midst of Your temple.
Psalm 42:7-8
Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.
The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me in the night,
A prayer to the God of my life.
Psalm 103:4
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Psalm 89:33
“But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him,
Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.
Psalm 25:6
Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they have been from of old.
Psalm 89:49
Where are Your former lovingkindnesses, O Lord,
Which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?
Psalm 143:8
Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning;
For I trust in You;
Teach me the way in which I should walk;
For to You I lift up my soul.
Psalm 92:2
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness by night,
Psalm 138:2
I will bow down toward Your holy temple
And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.
Psalm 40:10
I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.
You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but citizens together
with the saints and members of the household of God.
Ephesians 2:19
Because in every age you have called brave souls to proclaim righteousness for the transformation of the world, that all may welcome the coming of your holy reign.
Almighty God, whose prophets taught us righteousness in the care of your poor: By the guidance of your Holy Spirit, grant that we may do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly in your sight; through Jesus Christ, our Judge and Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon
your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. Psalm 75:1
You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but citizens together
with the saints and members of the household of God.
Ephesians 2:19
God is Spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and
in truth. John 4:24
If you want to become a disciple of Jesus, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him. Matthew 16:24–25
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.Psalm 46:1
Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.Philippians 4:6
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
God is Spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and
in truth. John 4:24
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
We open our worship together by lighting this candle in unity for the human rights of all God's children of whom we are truly family.
Let us light our candles and remember all who have walked and spoke out for human rights and those of us who are still walking and speaking out.
A New Unsettling Force
We’re a new unsettling force
And we are powerful a new
unsettling force
And we’re here, we’re a new
unsettling force
For liberation and we’ve got nothing
to lose but our chains
And we’ve got nothing
to lose but our chains
- Luke Nephew
Lest we forget the great traditions of freedom and faith which are the heritage of humanity; lest we forget the pioneers, the statesmen, the bridge builders, the artists; and lest we forget You, the God of our fore bears who is our God also:
We light this candle of remembrance.
For the hope of a better world, in which righteousness and peace shall prevail among the people of the earth, and to create which is the task of the generations in which we stand, as well as for the courage and faith we shall need if we are to carry on this unfinished work:
We light this candle of consecration.
May the flame upon the altar of free faith shine in our hearts al ways, reminding us of the dark places to which we may carry light and strengthening us in every moment of doubt and discouragement with unwavering faith in You whom we serve and whose we are.
FOR GOOD USE OF LEISURE
O God,
you rested the seventh day and are still at work;
in the course of this busy life
give us times of refreshment and peace;
and grant that we may so use our leisure
to rebuild our bodies and renew our minds,
that our spirits may be opened
to the goodness of your creation. (ANZPB)
O Gracious Light Phos hilaron
O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
God of All Kindness, we light our candles for all of our family members around the world who do not have access to food, clothing,shelter, clean water, and medical care. We pray for all of our family members who do not have a home to return to either by natural disaster or war and terrorist acts. We pray for all the many aid agencies that are struggling to meet the needs of our family members where resources are scarce. We pray that we may rise up and help them to seek and find solutions to the scarcity of programs and unmet needs. We pray for peace in this fragile and broken world and an end to terror, hatred, bullying and abuse. We pray for each other tonight and as God to heal, help, and console us as we struggle with aspects of daily living. We pray for justice and universal human rights for all. We pray that we may follow Jesus by being CALM(Compassionate, accepting, Loving, and Merciful). May we love one another and shine the light of Christ one to another "The Light of Christ in me Recognizes the Light of Christ in you!" May we all have a restful and blessed rest this night and always.
.
John Baillie: The Heavy Laden
O God, we bring before You the burden of the world’s life:
All who are far from home and friends,
All who lie down hungry or cold,
All who suffer pain,
All who are kept awake by anxiety,
All who are facing danger,
All who toil, or keep watch while others sleep.
May they have a sense of Your presence that will turn their
loneliness into comfort and their trouble into peace.
American Book of Common Prayer: For the Poor and Neglected
Almighty God, we remember before You all poor and neglected persons,whom it would be easy to forget: the homeless and the destitute; the old and the sick who have none to care for them. May Your goodness rest upon them. Help us to heal those who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow to joy; to lift up the downhearted and cheer them with hope. When they are perplexed and troubled, may Your presence save them from despair.
I LAY BEFORE YOU - Howard Thurman
The concern which I lay bare before You today is:
Whatever disaffection there is between me and those who are or have been very close to me— I would seek the root or cause of such disaffection, and with the illumination of Your mind, O God, to understand it.
I give myself to Your scrutiny that, whatever there may be in me that is responsible for what has happened, I will acknowledge.
Where I have wronged or given offense deliberately or without intention, I seek a face-to-face forgiveness.
What I can undo I am willing to try; what I cannot undo, with that I seek to make my peace.
How to do these things, what techniques to use, with what spirit— for these I need and seek Your wisdom and strength, O God.
Whatever disaffection there is between me and those who are or have been very close to me, I lay bare before You.
A Smudging Prayer
Creator, our Father in heaven, we come to you as your children. We confess that we are weak and broken images of you. We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give in Jesus Christ. May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies. We pray that your Holy Spirit will help us to worship in spirit and truth. We pray in the name of Jesus, so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you. Amen.
Loving God, we thank you for the gift of life in all its diversity and beauty. Lord Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, we praise you that you came to find the lost, to free the oppressed, to heal the sick, and to convert the self-centred. Holy Spirit, we rejoice that you breathe in the life of the world and are poured out into our hearts. As we live in the Spirit, may we also walk in the Spirit. Grant us faith and courage to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus: becoming pilgrims of justice and peace in our time. For the blessing of your people, the sustaining of the earth, and the glory of your name. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
A Collect for Aid against Perils
Be our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy
defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love
of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer: Forgive Us, O God (From Prayers of Power -Harvard Square Library)
Forgive, O God, those national sins which so easily beset us: our wanton waste of soil and air and water; our desecration of natural beauty; our heedlessness of those who come after us, if only we be served; our lust for money; our contempt for what is small and worship of what is big. For wrongs done to our land, our people, our heritage, and our future, as well as for things left undone, forgive us, O God.
Monroe Beardsley: The Voice Within
From all the fret and fever of the day,
Let there be moments when we turn away,
And, deaf to all confusing outer din,
Intently listen for the voice within.
In quietness and solitude, we find
The soundless wisdom of the deeper mind;
With clear harmonious purpose let us then
Bring richer meaning to the world again
Tonight let us love one another and extend our arms of love to one another and our hands in friendship. We are truly family and sacred beings made in the image and likeness of God. Every day is sacred even when we don't feel like it is! So in the silence of tonight's meditation may we pledge to ourselves and one another that we are family, we love one another, accept each other where we are and who we are, and that we will never hate or harm each other in any way. Tonight and if you are reading this tomorrow, I'm issuing a call for all of us to be the holy and loving children of God.
Let us pray and stand in solidarity with Bend The Arc in #ManyVoicesOne Prayer As we begin our time of worship:
#ManyVoicesOnePrayer
Join faith leaders across the country in sharing our prayer of hope, healing, and unity.
We the people are many voices, faiths, races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, ages, abilities, and visions. When white nationalists attack one of us, they threaten all of us. We will replace their hate with love, their fear with solidarity. We rise as one.
Our prayer for America:
Listen, America.
Out of many voices,
We rise as one.
We mourn with one voice those lost.
We grieve the white nationalism that threatens us all.
We the people of many faiths shall join together;
With prayer anchored to action and linked to the hope of a country
Rising out of the many to become ONE.
We have been created so that we may know one another.
Let us be healers of the wound that history has formed
Truth tellers of our nation’s sins.
Let us be healers of the wound our present is forming
Truth tellers of the unholy alliance of
Hate and power
Married to pain and alienation.
Let us be healers of the wound our future cannot afford
Truth tellers of tragedy, but never prophets of despair.
We pray.
We kneel.
We bow.
We dance.
And, By God we rise
As One.
From the Resistance Prays.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits." - Matthew 7:15-20
Holy One, Guide every action, every policy position, every vote, and every word we offer in the public square. May each and every one, all that we do, be acceptable to you. Amen.
96 Cantate Domino
1 Sing to the Lord a new song; *
sing to the Lord, all the whole earth.
2 Sing to the Lord and bless his Name; *
proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations *
and his wonders among all peoples.
4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; *
he is more to be feared than all gods.
5 As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *
but it is the Lord who made the heavens.
6 Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! *
Oh, the power and the splendor of his sanctuary!
7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; *
ascribe to the Lord honor and power.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; *
bring offerings and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; *
let the whole earth tremble before him.
10 Tell it out among the nations: "The Lord is King! *
he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity."
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it; *
let the field be joyful and all that is therein.
12 Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy
before the Lord when he comes, *
when he comes to judge the earth.
13 He will judge the world with righteousness *
and the peoples with his truth.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
The Coming of the Lord
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,* about those who have died,* so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.* 15For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died.* 16For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord for ever. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The Song of Mary Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in you, O God my Savior, *
for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,
and holy is your name.
You have mercy on those who fear you *
from generation to generation.
You have shown strength with your arm *
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
Casting down the mighty from their thrones *
and lifting up the lowly.
You have filled the hungry with good things *
and sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the help of your servant Israel, *
for you have remembered your promise of mercy,
The promise made to our forebears, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
James 2:1-13
Warning against Partiality
2My brothers and sisters,* do you with your acts of favouritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?* 2For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, 3and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’,* 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.* Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6But you have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? 7Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?
8 You do well if you really fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ 9But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 11For the one who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, also said, ‘You shall not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13For judgement will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgement.
A Song of Wisdom Sapientia liberavit
Wisdom 10:15-19,20b-21
Wisdom freed from a nation of oppressors *
a holy people and a blameless race.
She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord, *
withstood dread rulers with wonders and signs.
To the saints she gave the reward of their labors, *
and led them by a marvelous way;
She was their shelter by day *
and a blaze of stars by night.
She brought them across the Red Sea, *
she led them through mighty waters;
But their enemies she swallowed in the waves *
and spewed them out from the depths of the abyss.
And then, Lord, the righteous sang hymns to your Name, *
and praised with one voice your protecting hand;
For Wisdom opened the mouths of the mute, *
and gave speech to the tongues of a new-born people.
Let us pause and reflect upon today's Gospel Reading with the format from A Disciple's Prayer Book. This is part of our journaling exercise.
Reflect and Respond to the Gospel of the Day
1. What word(s), idea(s), or sentence(s) stand out for
you in the Gospel of the Day?
(Reread the Gospel.)
2. What is Jesus (the Gospel) saying to you?
(Reread the Gospel.)
3. What is Jesus (the Gospel) calling you to do?
Luke 4:16-30
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
20And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ 22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ 23He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.” ’ 24And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. 25But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27There were also many lepers* in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’ 28When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
We Praise You, O God Te Deum laudamus
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
all creation worships you,
the Father everlasting.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
the cherubim and seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you took our flesh to set us free
you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come to be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.
The Lord’s Prayer or the alternative is said. From A New Zealand Prayer Book.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
Or
Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples
of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and for ever. Amen.
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
God of unchangeable power,
our strength at all times;
guard us from all dangers
and support us in all difficulties
that we may live victoriously now and forever;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen. (ANZPB)
For the Human Family
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
For Social Justice
Almighty God, who created us in your own image: Grant us
grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace
with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our
communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
For Social Service
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served
but to serve: Bless all who, following in his steps, give
themselves to the service of others; that with wisdom,
patience, and courage, they may minister in his Name to the
suffering, the friendless, and the needy- for the love of him
who laid down his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus
Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Collects for saints of the day.
Most Merciful God, who despises not a broken and a contrite heart and has promised to fill those who hunger and thirst after righteousness; We humbly beseech you, remember not the sins and offenses of our ancestors; grant that, like your servants Margaret Ward, Margaret Clitherow, and Anne Line, we may sanctify you in our hearts and be always ready to answer for our faith with meekness and fear; through our only Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Loving God, you called Charles Chapman Grafton to be a bishop in your Church and endowed him with a burning zeal for souls: Grant that, following his example, we may ever live for the extension of your kingdom, that your glory may be the chief end of our lives, your will the law of our conduct, your love the motive of our actions, and Christ’s life the model and mold of our own; through the same Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, throughout all ages. Amen.
Søren Kierkegaard: For Inward Peace
Calm the waves of this heart, O God; calm its tempests.
Calm yourself, O my soul, so that God is able to rest in you, so that God’s peace may cover you.
Yes, You can give us peace, O God, peace that the whole world can never take away.
++
A Prayer attributed to St. Francis
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.
Christ Has No Body by Teresa of Avila
Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Prayers of Hope
Let us pray!
God of Hope, as we enter fully into the Fall and Winter Months may we be given lenses that show us many things and where you would have us go, and what we are to become. Help us to lay down our worries and fears so that we may wait, watch, pray, and listen to you with open ears, hearts, and spirits.
God of Hope we pray for all of our family members who are in need of hope when they feel hopeless. Help us to bring hope to Your fragile and broken world.
God of Hope we pray for all our family members who are forced to live on the streets and out of doors during the cold weather. We pray that they may find sheltered areas from the winds, cold, rain, and snow. We pray that there may be homeless shelters and warming centers that will meet their needs as we know that one shelter type doesn't fit all.
God of Hope, we pray for our littlest family members who are in children's hospitals and PICU that they may be healed and be able to enjoy the holidays with their families.
God of Hope, we pray for all those who are dying and have died today that they may feel your loving presence and give them hope as they enter the Thin Places.
God of Hope, show us how to help creatively without having to write a check.
God of Hope, we pray for peace in your fragile and broken world. May we truly be blessed as peacemakers and find ourselves as your children.
God of Hope, we pray for all caregivers that they my find rest and respite.
God of Hope, we thank you for the gift of rain. May we continue to have more rain to refresh, replenish, and renew your drought parched earth.
God of Hope, help us to see You in all of our Family of Love's faces and that we may act accordingly and love, honor, and respect each other.
God of Hope, help us to love more fully, care more deeply, comfort with more compassion, and be more accepting and inclusive of all our family members.
God of Hope help us to console and comfort all who mourn at any stage of grief. Give us courage not to let any of our family members fall through the cracks.
God of Hope, we pray this night for all refugees, captives, political prisoners, victims of violence and abuse of any kind, victims of human trafficking and slavery.
God of Hope, we pray for ourselves and on behalf of others remembering especially______________
God of Hope, we offer our thanksgivings remembering especially______________________
God of Hope, we offer these our prayers and thanksgivings in the name of your only begotten son Jesus. Amen.
Or these prayers!
Now let us take time to pray to the loving and merciful God who made us and speaks to us gently and lovingly to our hearts,minds, and spirits every minute that we live, move, and just be!
God speak to our troubled minds and spirits as we prepare for our night's rest. We pray that we may take time to rest and pray more fully and in the knowledge that you are holding us and our family members in your arms that are loving and merciful.
God we pray for peace in our hearts, minds, bodies, spirits, and this world that you have created. We pray especially for unity where there is deep division. We pray that we may become truly peacemakers and learn what it is to make peace at all levels of our being.
God we pray for all of our family members who are ill in body, mind, and spirit that they may be healed. We remember this day_____________________
God we pray for all of our family members who have died and are transitioning into new lives in the Thin Places and Eternal Life and Joy.
God we pray for all who are struggling to find meaning and new life paths by life's wrinkly twists and turns.
God we pray for all who are being affected by severe weather remembering especially the people who are being affected by hurricane Laura and wildfires.
God we pray for all refugees, captives, victims of violence and abuse, and terror.
God we pray that we may love, include, and never treat anyone as invisible and give everyone a sense of belonging.
God of all Goodness we lift up these our prayers in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
+
Lord,
it is night.
The night is for stillness.
Let us be still in the presence of God.
It is night after a long day.
What has been done has been done;
what has not been done has not been done;
let it be.
The night is dark.
Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives
rest in you.
The night is quiet.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have no peace.
The night heralds the dawn.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys,
new possibilities.
In your name we pray.
Amen.
(ANZPB) Song of Simeon Nunc Dimittis
Praise be to God, I have lived to see this day.
God’s promise is fulfilled, and my duty done.
At last you have given me peace,
for I have seen with my own eyes
the salvation you have prepared for all nations -
a light to the world in its darkness,
and the glory of your people Israel.
Glory be God, sustaining, redeeming, sanctifying,
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever.
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one
accord to make our common supplication to you; and you
have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two
or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the
midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions
as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of
your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely
more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from
generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus
for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20, 21
O God of love and mercy,
grant us, with all your people, rest and peace.
Good Night Dear Family! I love you ! You Matter!
With Love, prayers, and blessings!
Sara
Resources
A to Z quotes
Prayers of Power
Satucket Lectionary
Book of Common Prayer
New Zealand Prayer Book
Walk With Me On Our Journey
Bonus prayers!
Prayers of Commitment
God help us to commit to each other every day to be mindful that everyone matters.
God help us we pray to commit our lives to the care of all of our family members nearby and far away.
God help us we pray to commit our Love Energy and Heat Homes to making peace on our streets and through out the world.
God help us we pray to commit our care muscles in the care of all our family members and especially the least of these and our many family members who are ill in body, mind, and spirit.
God help us we pray to commit our compassion muscles in lovingly supporting our family members who are grieving and having life struggles.
God help us we pray to commit our energy to be good conservationists of your Cathedral of Life.
God help us we pray to commit ourselves to the fight of injustice, being a voice for the voiceless, and speaking truth to power and letting justice roll down.
God help us we pray to commit ourselves to the inclusion of all human beings into our lives and be fully accepting of them as our brothers and sisters.
God help us we pray to commit our energies in the service of all our family members who are in trouble, danger, escaping tyranny and unsafe nations.
God help us we pray to commit ourselves to protecting all who labor in factory, farm, and everywhere.
God we commit ourselves to you,
God we commit to being Loving towards you, our family members, and ourselves.
God we commit to walk the walk and talk the talk without fear and reservation,
God we commit to speak lovingly towards each other with dignity and respect.
God we commit to get to know our family members from other faith communities as our brothers and sisters.
God we commit to the affirmation that All Lives Matter and All means All and not Some.
God we commit to enter into daily silence and go deeper to the center to be in communion, conversation, and listening with you and hear with our heart homes and with the necessary Love Energy you Give us.
God we add our additional prayers and thanksgivings now remembering especially__________
Accept these our prayers in name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Almighty God, whose beloved Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption: Give us courage to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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