Original Prayers, Sept 2021

SEPT 5

With confidence and trust, let us pray to God with the words “hear our prayer.”

God of grace and glory, you move through your church with ease and enthusiasm. Help us to know your presence, and to be willing to follow your guidance to represent you here on earth. Be with the Bishops, clergy, and laity who are guiding us into the fall, that we may faithfully proclaim your truth to the world.

Hear our prayer.

Lord, you are the provider of peace and freedom. Inspire the hearts and mind of all in authority to work for peace for all people, and in all places. Bless those who serve the public with goodwill, and for those offering themselves to such positions, that they may serve your people with humble kindness.

Hear our prayer.

Merciful One, this long weekend we ask for your ongoing protection and rest. May these end-of-season days refresh the weary and renew our enthusiasm despite the changes ahead. Keep us in the light of your presence and encourage us in our vocations.

Hear our prayer.

Teacher, you encourage us to learn at every stage of life. As schooldays begin anew this week, we ask your blessing on our children; that they may be encouraged and empowered in their quest for wisdom. We ask your blessing on all teachers: that they may be inspiring, helpful, and kind. We ask your blessing on all school staff: whose gifts support all learning. We ask your blessing for all who will study from home.

Hear our prayer.

Healer, we humbly ask you to be with the sick: those whose diagnoses are known and unknown; those who are receiving treatments; those who are providing care. Be a balm to body, mind, and spirit for all who seek wholeness. Welcome into your arms those whose earthly days are done, and comfort those who mourn.

Hear our prayer.

As you lighten our path, Lord, we ask you to hear our gratitude for all the blessings of this life, for our food, our homes, our families and friends, for the opportunities to use the gifts you have given us. For all your gifts: recognised, undiscovered, and evolving: we raise our prayers of thanks.

Hear our prayer.Amen.

SEPT 19

In peace, we pray to you Lord God, saying Hear us Lord.

Hear our prayers for the church: for our Bishop Sandra and Archdeacon Simon, and for all clergy in their calling. We hold before you the leaders of the church, asking your blessings for committee chairs and for Parish Council who meet this week. Help us to be your church for all the faithful:

Hear us Lord.

Hear our prayers for those in authority: the Queen and her family, the Prime Minister and Premier, and all those who will be elected tomorrow. We thank you for the gift of voting in a democratic society. Guide with your wisdom those who lead our nation and all nations.

Hear us Lord.

Hear our prayers for those who are sick and suffering, those who are oppressed and victimised, those who are in any need or distress. Comfort the afflicted, strengthen the weary, accompany the lonely, and give us the skills and desires to serve them.

Hear us Lord.

Hear our prayers for this community, and the needs that we know. Remind us to be kind and compassionate with our neighbours, to improve our commitment to loving one another, and to seek just ways to connect with the created world. May our actions show your truth to the world, that this place may be known as a town of love and peace.

Hear us Lord.

Hear our prayers for the world, for places of fire and flood, of famine and drought, of conflict and injustice. Help us to be grateful for the peace we enjoy here, and stir in our hearts the desire to work for a better world for this generation and the next.

Hear us Lord.

Hear our prayers of thanksgiving, for the abundance of our lives. For the happy memories we recall and the opportunities to make new ones, for the potential of each new day to offer your grace to the world, for the promise of salvation and redemption offered by you for this life and the next. We pray our thanks;

Hear us Lord. Amen.

SEPT 26

Quieting our minds and opening our hearts, we pray to God saying Lord, hear our prayer.

Holy Father, we pray for the church, asking your blessing on this universal assembly of your people, in all times and places. We ask you to bless those who lead and serve that your Word and truth may be proclaimed for all to hear. In your mercy;

Hear our prayer.

Leader of all, we pray for our governments: for those whose parliamentary leadership has ended, for those for whom it continues, for those new to service. We ask you to grant them a passion for justice, working for all the people, to the benefit of all in society. In your mercy;

Hear our prayer.

Companion, as you journeyed with your disciples, we ask you to journey with us now. Inspire us to be peace-makers and truth-speakers; encourage us to engage with each other with authenticity and compassion. Fill us with a desire to see you in everyone we meet, to serve you in everyone we encounter, to celebrate you in all people. In your mercy;

Hear our prayer.

Creator of all, help us to see you reflected in every aspect of your creation. Help us to integrate with the environment in life-giving and sustaining ways; help us to interact with one another in ways to uphold dignity and peace. Help us as we commit to ensuring that the world of today reflects the intentionality of your creating being. In your mercy;

Hear our prayer.

Healer, we beg you to comfort the souls of all who are distressed: in mind, body, or spirit. We humbly ask you to empower our response to your children in need: For those who are in pain, let us offer your healing touch. For those who grieve, let us offer your consolation. For those who are lonely, let us reach out in friendship. For those who are in fear, let us extend your assurance of safety. For those who are depleted, let us offer assistance. For those who are in need, let us be your hands and feet in an effort to respond. In your mercy;

Hear our prayer.

Giver of all good things, we offer your prayers of gratitude. In the smiles from yesterday, the joys of today, and the hopes of tomorrow, we see your greatness permeating every aspect of our lives. Help us to be intentional to always recognise your blessings, and freely express our thanks. In your mercy;

Hear our prayer. Amen.

Sermon, Pente +18 (B)

Does anyone remember those sketches that show a different picture depending on which way you look at it? A type of optical illusion? For example – there’s a number on the floor, and the person standing on one side says it’s a 6, and the other sees a 9.

Or this creation… one way, it’s a rabbit, another way, it’s a duck.

You get the idea, I hope.

Because what these teach are that not everyone sees things the same way. And that’s fine – but for effective dialogue, we are invited to try and see things from different perspectives – it helps gain a fuller understanding, and that can help a relationship grow and develop.

And part of the journey to get there, of course, is not JUST the willingness to engage with another person’s perspective, but to try and understand not just what the other person’s point of view is on one aspect of life, but the entirety of what they see – what brought them to that view point.

And this is where many factors can come into play… what our history is, what we’ve been taught, what our experiences are right now…

With the duck-rabbit, it’s apparently more likely to first see a duck in the fall, but a rabbit in the springtime with Easter on our minds.

It also shows our willingness to flexibility. Seeing just the rabbit and denying the duck is a very closed perspective; and thus can lead to missing out on the benefits of duckdom (new word!) and those who enjoy it.

So – if we are to really aspire to connect with folks, wherever they are coming from, sometimes we are given the opportunity not just to imagine where someone is coming from, but to take our own perspectives and flip them around. It’s a topsy-turvy world sometimes!

And sometimes, that may take us outside what our personal comfort zone is:

It doesn’t mean we need to stay there forever, but it does help us to have that dialogue – that sharing – and it allows us to extend more compassion and kindness.

It’s not about being right or wrong (unless you see – I don’t know, an elephant? There’s no elephant). But even in that there’s the invitation to try and see a different way.

And that topsy-turvy-ness is actually in our scriptures today. There’s an invitation to engage with the world – strong and unwavering in our faith, but open to new ways of discussing faith, religion, belief, what it means to be a Christian – all of that!

In our reading this morning from Esther (a book I *highly* encourage you to read, by the way. She’s great.) Esther turns a lot of things over. In this short passage today, she shocks the king (her husband) and the rest of the court by revealing her Jewish heritage: suddenly the Jewish people are not unknown others kept somewhere else, but beloved and regal and literally right in front of them – and having that perspective shift changes the mind of the king to prevent the genocide his advisor had planned. Topsy-turvy for good!

And that’s not it; Esther also reveals that a hidden plot to kill the king by a horrible enemy is in fact NOT by someone outside the palace, but by the king’s closest advisor (who wanted the king out of the way for his own personal gain). Again, topsy-turvy for good; with the exception of Haman the traitor, and his family.

…and we see that the power of Good could have been missed or overlooked or ignored had the king not been willing to try and see the situation from a different perspective.

The Psalm today shows the challenges of seeing things only from one perspective:

If God had not been on our side, the psalmist writes, we would not have had military victory.

This suggests first off, that people are *not* in the umbrella of God’s pervasive love.

It also suggests that God is playing favourites with peoples’ lives.

… and we know that’s just not true. We know that God does not Hate people… God does not deny anyone love or grace… God does not, in the words of Albert Einstein, play dice with the universe.

Instead, God loves. God encourages us toward non-violence. God walks with us in compassion, not conflict. This is the type of one-sided thinking that has us, to this day, seeing people write “God bless US” on bombs to be dropped; as though killing is a blessing.

It can feel like God is blessing us when things are going our way: but we’re also to consider how things look to others in the mix as well – and to consider where God is.

Topsy-turvy indeed.

The letter to James is another shocking epistle to the community, as it invites prayer.

Now: the invitation to prayer should never be a surprise! But for the folks hearing this letter, they had become comfortable – and so he reminds them to pray: when they are suffering or sick, as well as when they are cheerful. The power of prayer is to infiltrate every aspect of their lives. (What’s not explicit here is the amazing way that our perspectives start to shift when we do couch everything in prayer: when we start our days in praise and head to bed fresh from a conversation with the divine! Our whole lives shift because we shift our hearts to see God in the every day, every day.)

And James also turns things over when he reminds folks that just because they’ve asked for something from God, doesn’t mean they’re going to get it. Even James had the “prosperity Gospel’ challenge, where people presumed to tell God what to do – rather than delight in the abundance of blessings already being received.

And, of course, the Gospel! How beautiful are these words!

Jesus turns the community over… it’s a challenging time, with basic survival depending on knowing who your friends and allies were. It’s the time “if you’re not explicitly WITH us, you must be against us” – a life of skepticism and fear and exclusionary mentality.

And Jesus says: Nope. Don’t see people as ‘others’ who may become friends; flip it over and start right off by seeing them AS friends. As Christians. As God’s people. It’s an important distinction when he says “If they’re not AGAINST us, they must be for us.”

It’s a shocking perspective: to grant the benefit of the doubt. To listen to people’s words. To trust that other people have our best wishes at heart (even if they do things differently from us).

It’s not saying everyone will be wanting the kingdom of God, but that there is more than one way to live out our faith, and that our practices may be as topsy-turvy to other folks as their ways are to us: and that’s okay. God loves great variety.

God has given all of us ways to live out our faith; we all have different opportunities and ideas and creativity and energy – and they’re all holy and good, as we bring them to use for the glory of God.

So even if the disciples are feeling topsy-turvy, they can find ways to engage in the ministry of Jesus.

…and that applies to us, as well.

When we are feeling topsy-turvy, there are still ways for us to engage in the ministry of Jesus.

When our perspectives change as we experience new things and as the world around us changes, there are still ways for us to engage in the ministry of Jesus.

So today we’re reminded of the many ways and paths that have brought us here. And we give thanks to God! Because we ARE here.

And we’re reminded that things WILL change in our spiritual journey, because God’s world is always changing. And we give thanks to God! Because these new changes are wonderful opportunities to share the unchanging truth of God.

And we’re reminded that the topsy-turvy reality of life can feel unsettling, but that God is with us on all sides; and we give thanks to God because differences are invitations to broaden our experience of God’s love revealed in the world.

After all: duck or rabbit: they’re both good; but duck AND rabbit: that’s double the goodness.

Sermon, Pente +16 (B)

 This morning I'd like to focus some thoughts on the reading from Proverbs. Because the bride in this passage is inconceivably amazing. In 21 verses, we hear how she is taking on the world, and excelling in everything she does.

To name but a few of the characteristics: she’s reliable, consistent, organised.

She works hard for her money, and knows its value.

She’s the first one up in the morning, and the last to bed at night; she oversees her whole household to make sure things are done well.

She uses her resources to be generous to those in her employ, ensuring that they are looked after well, and know that they are appreciated.

She strives for justice.

She is world-wise and educated, and inspires learning for her household.

She’s a careful dresser, appreciating finer clothing but also being engaged with all the processes of what she enjoys.

She’s a hard worker, hands on in every area of commerce, and enjoys both skill, knowledge, and wisdom in economic ventures.

She’s a person of faith, who focuses on what is important and eternal, and will not be swayed by fads or trends.

She knows her land – because she walks her land in its caring.

She knows her garden – because she works her garden in its maintenance and growth.

She knows her family – because she is intentional in her relationship building and engagements.

She is a woman known for her faith, for her integrity, for the works she produces: both in her immediate circle and in the broader community.

WHEW! What a woman!

Now I'm going to make some suppositions here. About half of you are likely thinking "WHEW! That's the woman for me!"

And about half of you are thinking "WHEW! *hair flip* That woman is me!"

All kidding aside:

The ideal woman in this passage is ideal.

Literally: ideal. Not real: the dictionary defines ideal as existing only in the imagination; desirable or perfect but not likely to become a reality.

Because if we’re honest, we know that there is no way that one person could do all those things.

And that’s where part of the challenge comes in.

If people are expecting one person to be able to do all of that – they’ll be disappointed. So the passage today could serve to remind us that what we expect of someone else could sometimes benefit from a reality check.

The imagery of someone else doing all the hard work: not really helpful.

The imagery of success automatically and invariably following effort: again, not quite realistic.

The imagery of male verses female roles – yikes, friends; there’s a whole lot of gender-related issues that arise when this passage is read from a binary perspective or a place of inequality. But that’s a sermon for another day.

Where I invite us to journey today is to consider – right back to the beginning – the first description of the woman in question.

A Capable Wife? Who can Find??

Hmm. Capable.

That’s an interesting howdy-do that can be too easily overlooked when we hear the next 20 verses expounding the virtuosity of our Wonder Woman here.

A capable wife.

The Hebrew for this is Eshet chayil

Eshet meaning woman, or wife. Okay, seems easy….

Chayil is translated as worthy, strong, powerful, virtuous. It describes valour, efficiency, ability, excellency.

So our woman of valour then – this capable, excellent ideal woman: she remains an ideal.

We don’t know what she looks like, or what her voice sounds like. We haven’t heard about her height or body shape or eye colour or bloodline:

Because those things don’t matter. They are not what make her who she is – this mythologised woman who is so highly praised, at home and in the community and beyond the city gates – if she were a real person, in the time and society where a woman’s worth was her bride price or her physical appearance, or her child-bearing – in that society we would have heard all about what she looked like; how long her hair was, how delicate her steps were, how elegant her demeanor was… you get the idea.

The perfect woman of this proverb is a celebration of character, not of role.

The valour of a person is in the essence of who they are. As Rachel held Evans puts it: “women of valor can be found in all kinds of cultures, in all kinds of roles, and in all kinds of circumstances. The truth is, a woman of noble character will fulfill any role with valor.”

A woman of valour: by shifting this to a woman WITH valour – well, that makes this impossible list a little bit more… possible. Because this allows us to focus on the areas of doing good all her days and receiving the trust of her companions and of praising God with all she does.

The woman WITH valour is defined by her character.

Lovely.

So here’s the next step deeper with our lovely woman of valour: our Eshet Chayil.

The word Chayil is a masculine noun. Meaning it was originally intended to describe the manliest of men, as is seen over 260 other places in the scriptures. It speaks of armies and integrity in battle and strength in fighting.

So for the entirety of this Proverb, speakers of the Hebrew text aren’t limited in their understanding of male verses female characteristics. They understand that this is not about the perfect idealised wife:

It’s a message about a balance.

That’s why this “capable” wife is referred to as a question. Who can find her?

She doesn’t exist on her own.

She can’t – it’s not humanly possible.

And… the great reality of the Proverbial teaching: it’s not meant to be one person.

The teaching here is inviting a community to come together, in balance, and fulfill those roles.

What if every member of a community would bring their noble characteristics, their God-given skills and gifts, their talents and treasures, and do a little bit, to the best of their ability?

Then – my goodness, imagine the goodness that would come.

It would be hard-working and just and faithful and celebratory;

it would be good stewardship and wonderful creativity and joy-filled and loving.

It would be inclusive and affirming and encouraging and inspiring;

it would look after people and animals and all of creation, for generations to come.

It would be … well, it would be ideal. In every way. And for every one.

A community of valour; a community of love. Who can find? That community would be priceless, and everyone would want to be a part of it!

And now: let’s interject a community of faith into that role. Let’s find ways to imagine a God-loving community – a church community, even! – fulfilling the many roles and characteristics of what it can mean to BE a God-loving community.

Because: the good news is, we can all aspire to be that community. We can come together with intentionality, sharing what God has given us, delighting in what’s possible when we all come together. In love, in service, in the journey of faith that lets us try.

Because the level of efficiency and competency is not guaranteed: it takes effort and attempts and failures and practice and adjustments.

But the desire to continue in the journey, in the work, in the celebration: it’s worth it. To be the community of valour; the church of faith, the people of integrity that in all things are striving to love and serve God, and love and serve each other.

So as we journey in the calendar, I invite us to spend time in careful and intentional prayer, discerning what we are wanting to contribute to this community of the faithful:

to this church, active in the name of God in this place and this time.

Let’s come together and discuss how God is calling us to be the church that is known for its authentic and joy-filled worship;

a church known for its care and concern for all peoples,

a church that is known for its generosity beyond its walls;

a church known for being: well, a capable – and valourous - church.

A capable church – who can find?

God willing, we can find that church, as we continue doing our best to BE that church.