Original Prayers, Jan 2022

 JANUARY 15

God of grace and glory; you have gifted us with each other, you have called us to be your people, and you have blessed us with your mission of love. Support us, we pray, as we strive to do your will. Fill us with compassion and patience as we proclaim your truth in thought, word, and deed.

We pray with hope;

Bless your church.

God of guidance, you offer us a path to righteousness. We hold in prayer all those who are in positions of leadership and authority. As we recognise they carry the weight of public policies and decisions, we ask that they would hear your call for justice and dignity in their governance.

We pray with confidence,

Bless those who lead.

God of connection, you are with us as we come together – in celebration, in challenge, in daily normalcy. Help us to recognise the movement of your Spirit in our midst, as we respond to your call for unity. Encourage us to connect to those whose names cross our minds; empower us to reach out to those whose names we carry in our hearts. Help us to find ways to minister to society’s vulnerable, especially in these trying times.

We pray with commitment,

Bless us all.

God, while you are now preparing rooms for us in our eternal home, we pray for our homes here on earth. We ask that they be places of peace and comfort. We hold before you our neighbours and our neighbourhoods. Empower our efforts towards safe and affordable housing for all your children; help us to make our community a place of welcome for all who live here.

We pray from home,

Bless our homes.

God of hospitality, you invite us all to your feast, and you provide for us with abundance beyond our imagination. Help us to be good stewards of the gifts of the earth, collaborating for peace, and living into our niche on this planet. May we be confident in our actions to create a world for tomorrow that is healthier for all.

We pray with courage,

Bless our world.

God of healing; your offer of salvation soothes our souls, and your healing presence calms our deepest being. We pray for health in ourselves, our communities, our world.

We know many are sick and suffering; those whose ailments affect their bodies, those whose minds are experiencing distress, and those whose spirits yearn for peace. We hold their names before you now:

We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died; and we ask for your comfort to enfold the hearts of those who grieve and mourn. We hold their names before you now:

We give thanks for those who use their gifts of skill, time, and heart to care for all who experience sickness or need.

We pray with compassion,

Bless those who suffer.

God of mercy, you give us incomparable gifts and blessings. Remind us to be grateful for all the goodness in this life, help us to seek the silver linings of our imperfect circumstances, guide our hearts to acts of prayer and praise.

We pray with thanks,

For we are richly blessed. Amen.

JAN 23 – meditating on Psalm 19

Lord, your law is perfect; we return to your commandments to revive our souls. We ask you to lighten your church with the glory of your truth, pouring your blessing upon all who gather in your name. We ask you to sustain all who lead and minister as we continue in our service to you and to your world.

In these our prayers,

We declare your glory, O God.

We pray for the leaders of the nations; that their governance may reflect the glory that you have gifted to the earth and all its peoples. For those who serve with integrity, we ask you to strengthen their commitment to your people. For those who use their authority for personal gain, we ask you to turn their hearts. For those who struggle to do what is just, help us to support their actions for righteousness.

In these our prayers,

We declare your glory, O God.

As your days and nights unite in declaring your wonder, help us to share our knowledge of you with those we meet: confidence in your love and grace, trust in your forgiveness and welcome. As we tell the tales of your majesty to the world, may we help this place to be a holier and healthier community; for the sake of all who are here now, and all who will come.

In these our prayers,

We declare your glory, O God.

God of all creation, your works are beauteous beyond our words or language. Help us to recognise your presence in everything we see in the world: empower us to protect the natural environment against the ravages of our greed; embolden us to wage peace in areas of conflict and destruction. Rekindle in us the sense of awe and wonder for the works of nature, that you gifted to us from our birth.

In these our prayers,

We declare your glory, O God.

Cleanse us of our guilt and shame, so that we may be free to act for healing and wholeness. Enlighten all whose paths face encroaching darkness: we ask you to alleviate the pain for all who suffer in mind, body, or spirit. We thank you for the dedication of those who offer time and skill in caring for others. You embrace us all in the gift of love.

In these our prayers,

We declare your glory, O God.

We remember those who have died; asking that they may rest eternally in your light. Enfold those who grieve and mourn with your peace, that we may continue to live in the certain hope of the resurrection.

In these our prayers,

We declare your glory, O God.

May the words of our hearts and the meditations of our hearts be always acceptable to you, O Lord, as in these our prayers,

We declare your glory, O God.

30 JANUARY – reflecting Ps 71.1-6

In the midst of confusion, O Lord, you bring us together in prayer and service, knowing we are always in your holy place. Help us to joyfully live as your church. Inspire us to offer refuge to all who live in fear and doubt, that they may know us as your faithful people, and our expressions of love as a ministry of care.

O Lord, you are our hope and trust,

Our praise is continually of you.

Though the world feels uncertain, you are a rock and strong fortress. We ask you to inspire the leaders of the nations, and all in authority, to work towards systems of equality and peace. May their hearts be oriented to compassion, their minds leaning to justice, their work focused on bringing dignity to all.

O Lord, you are our hope and trust,

Our praise is continually of you.

In your righteousness, O God, you extend deliverance and rescue. As you remind us to consider our neighbours, we ask that this promise of salvation may be felt throughout the world, that all may feel freedom from the hands of the wicked. Release all who suffer from the grasp of the unjust and cruel. For your creation is a masterpiece, and we desire to live gently and peaceably here on earth.

O Lord, you are our hope and trust,

Our praise is continually of you.

God of all places, we thank you for the gift of living in this place. You have blessed us with the opportunity to minister to your people in Lunenburg, and wherever we live and visit. Help us to bring harmony to this place, and to shine your joy to the hearts of your people. May we journey alongside those who live in comfort and those for whom daily struggles are the norm, as they join us with companionship and kindness.

O Lord, you are our hope and trust,

Our praise is continually of you.

Lover of souls, we know of those who suffer in this world. We pause to lift up the names of those who are ailing in mind, body, or spirit:

We trust that you have welcomed home those who have died; we remember those we love, and we ask you to comfort those who grieve and mourn:

You bring refreshment to the weary, and strength to the exhausted. We name those whose bodies and souls want for rest:

As we have named those in our hearts and minds, O God, we also pray for those for whom no one else is praying today; for you know their names and their needs.

O Lord, you are our hope and trust,

Our praise is continually of you.

Generous giver of all good things, the world is resplendent with your glory. You continually reveal to us the majesty that you have shared with the world, and every day you give us the chance to know you better, to serve your people, and to live with your joy in our hearts. We thank you for the overwhelming trust you have in us, and the amazing gift of your Son, our Saviour and leader, Jesus Christ.

O Lord, you are our hope and trust,

Our praise is continually of you. Amen.

Sermon, Epiphany +4 (C)

Last week we have Jesus teaching in the synagogue that GOOD NEWS is possible! That the fulfillment of scripture is a reality!

This, as we know, is a game changer! It’s exciting! It’s a hand-raising halelluia! kind of thing!

And yet: the people who are there – are not impressed. They are, in fact, offended.

Not because of what Jesus said to them:

But because of who he was.

With very closed minds, they start coming up with excuses.

Isn’t that Joseph’s son? How can he say anything worthwhile?

Even though they know the truth: and they have had good Spirited and Spiritual news just shared with them! – they prefer to disbelieve.

It was easier and more comfortable for them to reject the Good News of God than to have to change their minds – and lives –

Even though it was a change for the better.

This is something called cognitive dissonance.

This happens when learning something new conflicts with a previously held belief.

So, if I say the mug has cats on it, and you say it has dogs, I have 2 choices: to re-examine the mug and say yup – those are dogs.

Or: to refuse the new learning, because it makes me uncomfortable.

To admit something new is to admit that I was wrong, and we know that humans don’t often like to do that. It takes us into vulnerability – which means opening ourselves to the possibility of being hurt.

Cognitive dissonance happens when we make ourselves rigid in our beliefs – and become unwilling to grow or adapt with new knowledge.

We do this out of ego, out of fear, out of discomfort, out of a flat refusal to be vulnerable to one another.

Despite recognising that knowledge increases, understandings evolve, science advances - at times people would rather stay in the rigid box of their belief than allow their understandings and perspectives to change.

In this pandemic, cognitive dissonance is increasing. Some folks are reluctant to admit mistakes, or are increasingly hesitant to change their minds. It’s as though feelings are more important than facts.

It’s dangerous; to our health and well-being, in every aspect.

It’s scary, to be honest, as we see some folks rejecting learning, even to the point of harm, if it goes against their pre-conceived notions. We see some folks putting a higher priority on being RIGHT rather than being community.

Cognitive dissonance is also dangerous to our faith, because faith is not a static reality.

We are encouraged to learn. To grow. To mature.

Again, in every aspect of our lives. The human mind has an AMAZING capacity to increase capacity, to adapt, to create: we are blessed with knowledge and reason and imagination!

And we are invited to use these skills as we engage with the world around us.

We have the faith that God is revealing more and more to us each day.

We have the invitation to explore these new revelations with eyes of wonder and delight.

We have the tradition to welcome one another – and be welcomed – at our various ages and stages, knowing that we are being welcomed wherever we are on our spiritual journey!

And to do this, we have the opportunity to practice openness.

To engage in conversation and learning, to see new perspectives, to:

*gasp* Change our minds.

Faith invites us to be vulnerable. To be connecting to one another so that we can better connect to God.

Faith – a living, true faith – will become stagnant in a heart and mind that is unwilling to grow.

From our baptism, we ask God’s Holy Spirit to continue giving us inquiring and discerning hearts and minds, so that all our lives we may find new ways to seek and know God, to share the Good News, to be grow in the stature of Christ.

So: as this is what we pray for children, and for folks new to the faith,

I invite us to consider how we interact with our children and young folks:

We encourage curiosity.

We welcome questions.

We engage in conversation.

We are amazed with the imagination they show; with the creativity they present; with their growth into the people that God has made them to be.

Their energy inspires us, their untapped and potential and promise invigorates us!

In other words, we welcome young folks.

With their questions, with their desire to understand, they demonstrate the human ability to grow; to adapt to new information; to mature into new ways of expression; to develop into the fulness of life.

And we expect (and assist) them to do it at a stage of development that is healthy and appropriate.

But here’s what we don’t do with children: we don’t stifle them. We don’t ignore them. We don’t insult their level of development or reject their offerings. We don’t mock their questions or deny them the chance to BE.

We welcome it.

Obviously, part of the maturing process in children is learning appropriate behaviours to time and place…

When there is room for correction, we do so gently.

When there is dissent, we engage in discourse.

And we do this because we want to help the child grow and mature. We delight in witnessing the development – physical, social, emotional, and spiritual! – of our young folks. We know that we cannot have higher expectations of them than what they have experienced and learned.

So we allow children to BE children, and we encourage their development – and if we’re honest, we all benefit from the experience.

And this is part of what we hear Paul speaking about in his letter to the Corinthians, where he acknowledges that speaking and thinking like a child is fine for children,

and that growing up, he put aside childISH ways.

Yet: Paul does not say that he put aside child-LIKE qualities. Those positive expressions of curiosity and enthusiasm and growth and development: curiosity and enthusiasm, loyalty and openness.

In fact, as he encourages spiritual maturity, he encourages ongoing spiritual growth. The ongoing quest for faith, hope, and love invites us to open our minds, to be willing to be amazed by God’s revelations, to be surprised by joy.

So let us always engage our faith with the enthusiasm of a child: loved into being by God, named and claimed by God as part of the family, equipped and empowered by God to ministry. Let’s be confident that we are God’s children: known, consecrated, and anointed!

Let’s be compassionate that everyone we encounter also shares that blessing – even when we disagree.

Let’s keep our beautiful hearts open to the movement of the spirit, as God guides us into deeper knowledge and experience.

For if we don’t open ourselves up to new experiences, we become like the Nazarenes, with closed hearts and mob-mentality.

And should we do that, we become the ones who chase Jesus out. And then, we lose the proclamation of Good News.

And we know that’s not who we want to be.

So let’s live into that baptismal prayer of inquiring and discerning hearts.

Let’s hold on to the truths of God;

let’s learn from the always revealing expressions of God;

let’s delight in the presence of the Spirit moving in our lives.

Let’s enjoy being the children of God (that we are!), never hesitant to ask for more truth. Amen.

Sermon, Epiphany +3 (C)

This morning’s Gospel invites us into another enthusiastic, fully-caffeinated space.

Jesus is FILLED WITH THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT!

Woohoo! That’s a great way to start anything, isn’t it?

And it’s good to know this is not a short-term spiritual enthusiasm…

Jesus has received the spirit at his baptism, he has gone into a long period of temptation and isolation in the wilderness. And we know that the Holy Spirit aided him through the trials.

Then he journeys back to Galilee – not a short distance, mind, some 70 or 80 miles. On foot.

Yet despite these physical, mental, and emotional challenges, he is still: FULL OF THE SPIRIT!

Jesus is a man with a place to go and a purpose for his going.

And when he arrives back in town, he starts teaching and preaching, sharing the faith! There is good news to be shared, and he will share it!

And so spirit-full and spirited, Jesus goes to the Synagogue to worship.

And he’s obviously there with some authority, as he is handed the scroll when he stands up.

The scroll of the Prophet Isaiah: a powerful scroll, a long scroll.

And full of the Spirit, Jesus opens the scroll until he finds the particular passage that he wants to share about.

“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, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

It’s from the 61st chapter of Isaiah: so clearly Jesus wanted to highlight in this passage so many aspects, from which we can still learn today.

I think it’s worth reflecting, for just a moment, that this is Jesus’ intentionally chosen passage.

This was a piece of scripture that had meaning for him: just as our favourite passages have meaning for us.

So obviously this spoke to him about himself individually, and within the community and the world.

It spoke to him about comfort, about receiving the gifts of God;

It spoke to him about ministry, about sharing those Spiritual Gifts.

It spoke to him about how to be the best faithful person, doing the best faith-filled ministry he could.

And the teachings he has on this passage are wonderful.

They speak about his anointing: declaring him as a beloved of God; but also recognising that all who are named and claimed in the name of God are anointed.

We, in our baptism, in our sharing of the prayers, in our connections: we are anointed by God for ministry. God has placed that seal upon our hearts and heads, so that we are designated as holy in our very beings, and as bringers of the holiness that God has put in our world.

Being anointed means we carry both privilege and responsibility.

Jesus proclaims that part of this anointing is to bring good news to the poor: wonderful!

To do this, Jesus knows that he will have to meet the poor – those who are experiencing need in mind, body, and spirit. He will spend time with them, get to know them, and then find ways to try and help them: because in order to deliver good news, he’ll need to know what that good news will be.

And we too are invited to be those bearers of good news: it’s another reality of being the anointed. And so we are called to learn what good news might sound like to the vulnerable in our society.

To a hungry person, good news is a meal.

To a depleted person, good news is a refreshing sleep.

To a victim of violence, good news is a place of safety.

To a person without shelter, good news is a warm dry environment.

And those are just physical needs:

To someone whose mind is telling them lies, good news is clarity of thinking.

To someone who believes they are unloved and unlovable, good news is being told they are cared for and wanted within the community.

To someone who is isolated, good news is a connection being made or strengthened.

To someone who feels unworthy, good news is being treated with dignity and respect.

We, as the anointed, carry the privilege and responsibility to carry that same good news: to all those in need, having first engaged with the people who are experiencing need to respond to their need with loving kindness, in appropriate and meaningful ways.

You get the idea: what Jesus is speaking of takes us beyond our comfort zone, and beyond ourselves, into engagement with the bigger picture.

How might Jesus proclaim release to the captives? Those captured by people, yes, but also those who are captive to greed, to poverty, to unjust social systems? How can we proclaim release today?

And how might Jesus offer recovery of sight? Those who are blind in the medical sense, and also blind to hope, blind to love, blind to opportunity? How can we help people recover their perspective and sight today?

And how might Jesus let the oppressed go free? Those caught in oppressive systems and situations, yes; and also those who are living in desperation, in fear; those who are victims of society, or oppressed by addiction? How can we proclaim freedom to all who are bound?

How might Jesus proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour? What did favour look like to the people hearing Jesus speak? What does favour look like for us today, in the context of justice and equality? And how can we proclaim that favour to people who are filled with fear, and doubt, and apathy?

These are heavy questions – but not too heavy for the church.

In fact, the assembling of the church – with our various parts and – is exactly FOR the proclamation of the good news. God has called us to BE the church: the eyes, the ears, the hands, the feet – even the toenails! And gifted us accordingly.

God has been intentional about joining us in this place and at this time – in order to bring the good news. We are called. We are empowered. We are equipped. And we can be keen to move into this proclamation of the good news.

The decision is up to us: the anointed, the baptised, the church!

It’s not always going to be easy, or comfortable, but it IS do-able.

We can proclaim the Lord.

We can shine the light of God’s glory into the world.

We can make this place a better place, in the name of the Christ who walks with us.

We too can – if we choose!

Because the opportunity is before us.

Jesus read this passage, invited folks into ministry, and let them know that it was possible – for today, he said “this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Today, beloved church, the scripture has been fulfilled in our hearing, too: for we have heard the assurance of Good News of God, made manifest in Jesus, and activated by. The Holy Spirit.

The Good News has been shared with us; it has been fulfilled in OUR hearing.

May we know that we are sufficiently full enough of the Holy Spirit to continue sharing it.

Amen.