Prayer 3045: In continued remembrance of the Tulsa Race Massacre

In silent adoration,
we pray to You,
O Creator, O Reddemer, O Spirit of Truth,
and seek your guidance in our daily journey.

Author of Life,
inscribe your law of love within our hearts,
that we may be vessels of hope
and instruments of peace and reconciliation
in all we do today.

Merciful One,
you call us to justice
that flows like a river from our hearts:
may we confront the injustice we have inherited
with honesty and remorse,
and seek ways to restore
our relationships with our kindred.

Give us the will
to sacrifice and persevere in faith,
to build bridges among communities
and seek the common good for all.

Blessed Jesus, heal us of our fractured hearts,
that we may turn back to You rejoicing
and bring praise to your healing power in the world.

We lay our prayers before You,
O God of the Oppressed and Forsaken:
grant the blessing of your comfort
to all whom we lift before You.

Amen.

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Speaking to the Soul for November 5, 2020

This last Sunday the gospel we heard, leading us into Election Day, was Matthew 5:1-12, when Jesus sits down on a mountain to teach the crowds, and we receive one of the two versions of the Beatitudes in the gospels.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

I am grateful for this gospel being stretched over us like a canopy this week. Many of us are anxious for an extra reason in the next few days: the election on Tuesday. We have all heard people, even before voting began, anticipating their idea of the worst and vowing to resist violently and to turn on their political opponents.

This is NOT the American way, nor is it the way of people of faith. But it does have precedent in American history.

In the election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president in a fractious election that featured the vote split among four candidates. After the electoral college met in December of 1860, states began attempting to secede from the Union, even before Lincoln took office on March 4, 1861. Seven states had announced their decision to part by the time Lincoln addressed the nation in his first words as president. In his First Inaugural address, he appealed to calm, reason, and affection, to shared history and values. Lincoln closed with this plea:

We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

In the end, Union prevailed, albeit at great and terrible cost, but unity remains harder to come by, even now. Yet it is never too late to turn aside from the forces of division, and embrace hope.

Look back over that list of eight blessings from Matthew. Each of them refers to better angels of our nature. Each of these blessings begins in the present (Blessed ARE…) and points to the future (for they WILL BE…), except for the first and the eighth statements, which say that the poor in spirit—the downcast, the anxious, in other words-- and those who are persecuted are blessed “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Is. Present tense. And so too, our political lives are rooted in the present, but should look forward in hope to a better future for all.

And yet, as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, preached in a perfectly named sermon entitled “When Peace Becomes Obnoxious,” we are confronted with this powerful stone of truth: "True peace is not the absence of tension, but the presence of justice.” We cannot have peace if it is founded upon silence in the face of injustice and the suffering of others in the sake of profit. That is the way of the world—that world that Jesus calls us to work together to overturn in the Beatitudes.

The Beatitudes remind us that those who are especially blessed of God are not the high and mighty ones, but those who are on the side of those the world esteems little: the poor, the weak, the suffering, the innocent, the peacemakers, and those who persevere in discipleship even when they stand at risk of unjustly losing all the things the world values. The Beatitudes are addressed to the Church, those who proclaim that they are disciples of Jesus. Those who are blessed are those who look beyond themselves.

No matter what the results on Tuesday are, however long it takes to resolve, I pray for us all to be bold witnesses and peacemakers who stand for justice, unity, and respecting the dignity and worth of every person.




This was first published at Episcopal Cafe's Speaking to the Soul on November 5, 2020. It is adapted from my weekly rector's reflection at St. Martin's Episcopal Church on October 30, 2020.

Prayer, day 2837: For an Election

Most Holy God,
whose house is founded on justice,
peace,
and abiding faithfulness,
we raise our hearts to You this day.

We humbly confess our sins:
our lack of kindness and humility,
and the injuries we have inflicted on others
and against You.

Open our hearts to receive your Spirit, Almighty One,
to remake us as joyful disciples of your Law of Love.
Help us dedicate ourselves
to building rather than destroying,
loving rather than fearing.
Let us remember that
we ARE Christ's body in the world,
and work for reconciliation,
mercy,
healing,
and justice for all.

All creation rests within your loving hand,
O Creator and Redeemer:
increase our faith
a mustard seed at a time.
Bless us with loving, hopeful hearts
and compassionate spirits, we pray.

Gather within your mercy
all those whom we now name in our prayers

Prayer, day 2719: To Flourish in Justice

God of Mercy,
we bow before You,
grateful for your abundant grace,
laying our cares at your feet in faith.

Holy One,
make us like green olive trees in the house of the Lord,
comforting those in need of shade and embrace,
nourishing those whose hearts hunger for compassion.

God of Justice,
make us steadfast in our willingness
to stand alongside our kindred in solidarity
against hate,
violence,
and prejudice in any form.
May we never be silent, O God,
in the face of injustice or exploitation,
but embody the Way of Love
and shield the vulnerable among us.

Blessed Redeemer,
we rest within your abiding compassion,
and ask your sheltering, healing hand
to be placed over those for whom we pray.

Amen.

Prayer 2698: A Prayer of Resistance

Most Merciful One,
we sing out our gratitude to You,
alive to the beauty of creation
that supports us like a mother's embrace:
You are our mainstay and help,
urging us to love and service in your Name.

Our faith is our strength;
it flows from your loving-kindness and steadfast love
that urges us to unity,
to work for the good of the Beloved Community
and invite all God's children
to the table of kinship, freedom, and abundance.

With a weary song in our throat,
worn thin by the casual scorn
and calculated cruelty of the mighty,
we nonetheless persevere
and rise,
for You are with us, O Savior,
and urge us forward, nourished by your gospel of hope.

Spirit of the Living God,
set our hearts afire with love and devotion,
and renew us by your wisdom and truth.
Holy One, press the kiss of your blessing
upon all whose cares we lift before You.

Amen.

Prayer 2686: Justice In Time of Protest

God of Mercy,
we bow before You,
grateful for your guidance and lovingkindness.

May we pray for your kingdom to come, O God,
not by rote, as empty words,
but from our hearts and souls,
and may we put our shoulders to the wheel of justice.

Teach us, Blessed Jesus, to let go of our fear
that we may walk in amity rather than enmity,
to work for inclusion rather division.

May we reject those who seek
to divide us that they may lead us astray
from paths of charity and engagement
that is your holy will for us 
that we may flourish, together in love and hope. 

May we grow straight and true in faith, 
according to your generous will for us.

Spirit of the Living God,
pour out your power upon us and strengthen us
in integrity and open-heartedness,
that we may serve You and each other.

Bend near to hear the whispered prayers of your children,
O God of Grace,
and grant your comfort to those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer, day 2684

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,
we sing a song of thanksgiving before You,
recalling the comforting weight of your hand
shielding and guarding us through the night:
O God, we lift our hearts to You.

God of Compassion, grant us wisdom,
that we may study your Word,
and never stray from the heart of your law:
to love You in word and deed,
and to love our neighbors as our own selves.
Almighty One, you command us to relieve suffering,
to stand alongside the oppressed,
to welcome the homeless,
remembering that your law is grounded in love,
for we are ourselves upheld
only through your grace and mercy.

Blessed Savior,
strengthen us in integrity and compassion,
that we may we do justice,
love mercy,
and walk humbly and honorably with You in every moment.
May we tear down the edifices of cruelty and injustice,
remembering we are each other's keeper
as Christ's hands and heart in the world.

Accept now, we pray,
our intercessions and our cares which we place before You,
O Merciful God,
Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer,
that your blessing may cover these beloveds
in a cloud of comfort and peace.

Amen.

Prayer 2663: Inspired by Matthew 6:19-24

O God Our Shepherd,
we praise you with open hearts,
our arms spread wide to receive your light.

May we treasure the lives of others
as much as our own,
cherishing our mutual heritage as your children,
forswearing exploitation and greed
that would cause the suffering of another.

Against the forces of death
and abuse of the powerless
may we ever stand united as your disciples,
seeking justice and integrity
in the name of the love You so freely give, O Most High.

Blessed Jesus,
may we walk in the paths of righteousness and mercy
you laid out before us:
the way of everlasting life, honor, and charity
that alone offers healing in a hurting world.

Merciful God, in your tender compassion
gather us within your generous heart
and strengthen us by your Spirit of Wisdom and Hope
as we pray.

Amen.

Prayer, day 2649: Casting Off Our Indifference

Almighty One,
you have crafted and tended the galaxies in their glory
and the wren in her spry industry:
we praise your wondrous works--
the tapestry of life, visible and unseen,
that supports us throughout the day.

Inspire us, O God,
to defend the weary and the oppressed,
the poor and the refugee,
in obedience to your law of love and righteousness.

As we confess the things we have left undone,
let us consider our own indifference to suffering,
our justification for inflicting pain on others
for our own comfort
or to assuage our own fears,
and let us turn from the darkness of cruelty and greed
to the light of love and empathy.

For by your grace we live and move and have our being,
O Creator and Lover of Our Souls:
may we seek to do your will
in the name of healing and restoration,
for the sake of this world You have made
and charged us to tend and preserve in peace.

Pour out your reconciling power, O Holy One,
on all who cry out to You,
and place your hand of protection
over all those for whom we pray.

Amen.

Prayer 2551: dedication of this new day

O Loving Creator,
we give you thanks and praise
for your loving call to truth and wisdom
as we place our feet upon the path of this day.

May we make your words, Lord Jesus, a lamp unto our feet
and a warming fire in the hearth of our hearts,
that we may burn brightly before the world
as witnesses to your faithfulness and compassion.

May we stand upright and holy before You,
O Source of Justice,
and put our shoulders to the wheel of your mercy,
working to bring your kingdom near for all to see.

May we make your light blaze forth,
O God Our Stronghold,
to drive away the scuttling forces of hatred and malice,
to work in allegiance to your call to shalom.

Strengthen us in integrity and truth,
O Foundation of Our Hearts,
and grant your blessing and assurance
to those for whom we pray.

Amen.

Prayer 2515

Great Spirit, 
we rise to sing your praise
and ask your blessing upon this day.

Give us tomorrow's bread today,
O God of Abundance;
plant within our hearts
a hunger for wisdom
and a thirst for justice.
Strengthen us to stand
with the oppressed,
the discounted,
and the pushed-aside,
O Holy One,
that we may overturn
the thrones of corruption.

May we stand alongside each other 
in peace and contentment,
Blessed Jesus, 
triving only for your kingdom
come among us as a little child
to call us into new life and hope.

At day's end, 
may the blanket of night soothe us,
and may we rest securely in your embrace,
O Most High.
Grant your benediction
upon all those who seek You,
and rest your healing hand
upon all whose hearts are heavy or troubled, as we pray.

Amen.

Prayer 2492: Inspired by Matthew 19:13-14

Lord, night is over, 
and we give thanks to You for the gift of this new day: 
may we use it for the bold proclamation of your love. 

Blessed Jesus,
with loving hands and compassionate heart
you welcomed the little children to come to you: 
you rebuked your disciples for their hardness of heart. 
Help us to unstop our ears
that we hear the cries of the little children in our midst, 
crying out from detention for mothers and fathers, 
seeking food for their hunger in a land of plenty. 
Awaken us to their cries, Lord Christ, 
and let our silence not condemn us. 

May we thus live into the wisdom and compassion 
that are the foundation of your path, 
that our souls may flourish within You, 
O God of Salvation. 

Spirit of the Living God, 
who sustains us by mercy and upholds us by grace, 
hallow us to the service of God today, 
and pour out your blessing upon those for whom we pray.

Amen.

Prayer 2479: For Integrity

O Lord Our Helper, 
we lift our eyes to You, 
that You may guide and direct us this day. 

Grant us a thirst for wisdom, O Great Counselor, 
that we may walk in your paths with integrity 
and demonstrate your truth without fail.
May we pull down the corruption within our hearts, O God, 
and turn to follow your ethic of loving one another 
and seeking healing and abundance for all. 

Turn us, O Shepherd, from pursuing our selfish desires;
let us love You and your law with undivided hearts. 
Teach us how to live together 
in pursuit of the common good, Lord Jesus,
bearing with each other in lovingkindness, 
caring for the stranger, the lost, and the oppressed 
as You taught us. 

Anoint us by your Spirit 
to be renewed by your right hand
that we may walk in holiness and purity of heart, 
O Most High;
and look with favor upon those for whom we pray.

Amen.

Nevertheless, Persist-- Sermon for Proper 24C, the 19th Sunday after Pentecost

She was used to waiting around for the left-overs, this unnamed, persistent, probably even irritating widow. 

Under the law of Moses, widows always got the left-overs. But if you know anything about left-overs, they are almost always an afterthought. In the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 24:19-21, Israelites were admonished to not harvest so thoroughly that there was nothing left. 

If they forgot a sheaf of wheat in the field, they were to leave it for the orphan and the widow; if they harvested olives, there were not to strip the trees bare. They were to do a good job but not a thorough job, so that the orphan and widow could pick what was left—you know, after you’d picked all the good olives, all the ripe ones, all the ones that weren’t already squishy. Same thing with grapes in the vineyards. You also weren’t to harvest from edge to edge of the field, but were told to leave the trees or vines on the perimeter less thoroughly harvested, but lots of landowners didn’t take that seriously. 

So basically, widows and their children—who were called “orphans” in those days even if they had a living mother, that’s how male- centered that society was—they got the crumbs, which they had to pick themselves, and often they might wait around all day to get nothing at all. And all this was because a widow was forbidden to make her living any other way. It was inconceivable for a woman on her own to work for herself without a man as the head of the operation to make the decisions and “own” the work of her hands. 

There was a word for this kind of higgledy-piggledy gathering of the leftovers from the various fields: gleaning. You can hear the word “lean” right in there. Lean pickings, based on the probable ruthlessness with which they landowners and the day-laborers they hired adhered to the principles of profit-margins. 

Even worse, if a widow’s husband died without children, especially a son, for her comfort and protection in such a male-centric society, the law stated that her husband’s brother should marry her. Later, that got stretched to include more distant kin. If that kinsman refused to “redeem” her, she was commanded to try to shame the brother at the city gates. Which of curse also broadcast HER shame at being alone and defenseless. 

Now, sometimes, it worked out. Ruth, even though a foreigner, insistently went back with her beloved mother-in-law, Naomi, to Israel after Naomi’s husband and sons died, and while Ruth was gleaning, she attracted the attention of the wealthy landowner named Boaz, who was her husband’s kinsman. 

Ruth ended up marrying him and having a son to comfort Naomi in her old age. That son became the grandfather of King David, and therefore Ruth became an ancestor of Jesus. 

The widow Judith, likewise, not only castigated the generals of Israel to their face when they failed to trust God enough to deliver them from the Assyrians, she worked it. 

She didn’t leave it there—no, she worked her considerable beauty, charmed her way into the trust of the enemy general, was taken to his tent, got him drunk, and decapitated him. Bam! Off with his head! And after she saved her people, she refused to marry any of her many suitors, and lived out the rest of her life as a widow. 

Probably to save herself from rolling her eyes a dozen times a day, given the shallow dating pool she had to pull from. 

Insistence, persistence, and bravery seem to be defining characteristics of Biblical widows. There are other widows who appear in scripture: the unnamed woman who fed Elijah the last bit of food between her son and herself and starvation based solely on his assurance that all would work out. She ended up not only NOT going hungry, but having Elijah pray her son back to life when he died suddenly, just as Jesus would revive a widow’s dead son in the Book of Luke. 

Jesus criticized his religious opponents for sucking widows dry of all their savings, and immediately watched a widow put two small coins in the temple treasury—all she had to live on—and he raised her up as an example of righteousness and faith. The widow Anna was a prophet who rejoiced when Jesus was presented in the Temple as an infant. 

So, we get a picture of insistence, persistence, bravery, boldness, and faithfulness. It’s remarkable how strong they are, given the way the deck is stacked against them. So when Jesus introduces this widow in his parable, I think we can see her in a long line of women who have been pushed around by virtue of their outcast status. Living without a male protector and provider, literally drawing her living from the margins of the fields and the margins of society, forgotten by all her married friends because she doesn’t fit in to a society based on large family units that were necessary for survival, she’s not beaten down. 

She’s enraged. 

She’s had all she can take, and she won’t take any more. 

She reminds me of a meme that made me laugh a couple of weeks ago: it showed a beautiful night scene, but in bold white letters it said. “Never pick a fight with a woman over 40. They are full of rage sick of everyone’s … um, nonsense.” 

Even though she knows the judge over her case is corrupt, contemptuous, and evil, not caring about any of the responsibilities of his office, she doesn’t quit. Even when shushed and dodged and told to shut up, nevertheless, she persists. She persists in speaking truth to power. She has a claim, her claim is just, her situation is dire as a widow, and she will not—cannot—give up. 

And finally, just like a raindrop and its kindred will wear down even the most solid rock, or the way a delicate flower will shoot up through the minutest crack in the pavement until it causes the entire sidewalk to buckle, she wears down this judge who just doesn’t give a damn about anyone but himself. The story states that the judge tells himself he didn’t want her to “wear me out”—but the actual translation is “give me a black eye.” I like that—her persistence scared him a little, or maybe a lot. Kablam! Good! She uses his own sense of self-importance against him, and for love of his nerves, he gives in and grants her justice. 

Now let’s get something very clear right now. The dishonest and unjust judge is NOT a metaphor for God. Instead Jesus is using this story in a method of argument known as via negativa—the “negative way.” But the unjust judge is not EQUATED with God. Jesus uses the unjust judge to describe what God is NOT. Via negativa. God is GREATER than the unjust judge. 

The promise embedded here is this: if even the unjust judge can be moved to acceding to the widow’s demands, how much more trust can we have in God when we ask for justice? It is the job of a judge—and of God-- to fulfill the demands of justice. If a judge who is arrogant before God and the people will eventually give in to the demands of a persistent widow, surely God can be depended upon to do even more. 

In fact, here’s an interesting twist. Consider the scope of scripture, with God constantly urging us to do justice, love mercy, and walk in humility with each other and God—and most of the time we flat-out refuse. What if we saw the persistent widow as God, and the unjust judge as the community? That may be the sermon I preach the next time this comes around in three years. Think about it. Because prayer is a conversation between us and God, that reversal also works, and also teaches us a lesson about prayer as a two-way conversation with God

It is unusual that this parable—which only occurs in Luke—begins with a statement about what it is about. That is not normally the pattern. But prayer is something that most of us do at various points throughout our week and our lives. Of course, most of us have experienced the feeling that our prayers are seemingly not heard, much less answered. That’s what happens when we think of prayer as a laundry list of demands that we hurl at God like the widow’s unceasing cascade of demands for justice. 

Prayer will not succeed when it is simply a way for us to do all the talking. Prayer is certainly not going to work if it is merely seen as a way for us to demand what we think we want and cannot get unless we beg, plead, or wheedle endlessly in some sort of superstitious loop. The point of prayer is that it is a conversation with God. It is only in the silences between our words that we leave any space for the movement of the Spirit in that conversation. 

Prayer is opening ourselves to the possibilities of God’s will, which of course is a scary proposition. We like to be in control, and do what we want. The first verse of this reading actually tells us the real point: we need to pray always in order to keep our hearts grounded in God. Prayer is not just a demand for satisfaction but a conversation, in which we need to listen, not only speak. Prayer is a means of building a relationship with God, of seeking out our own heart and to open it up to the voice of God in our lives. Prayer is a means of strengthening our trust in God and God’s promise of never-ending love. 

As our gospel reminds us, prayer is a way to enter into the presence of God, to be surrounded by the presence of God. This is the kind of immediate experience needed to maintain faith, more than anything else, so that when Jesus returns, faith will be found on the earth. Jesus urges us to be persistent in prayer, to be persistent in being grounded in God, just as Jesus is depicted repeatedly engaging in prayer himself. Being persistent in prayer will also lead us to be persistent as faithful people if not always in faith, and indeed will carry us through those times when our faith flickers, which happens to everyone—even saints. 

When I was in seminary, I once got pulled into a discussion about pastoral care. Whatever you do, I was told, DON’T pray. Several people nodded sagely around me, but I tried not to let my chin hit the floor. Why not? I asked, incredulously. In response, I was told that if you prayed for someone to be cured and they weren’t, it could cause them or their family members to lose their faith. To my mind, that made just about as much sense as arguing that a surgeon shouldn’t operate on someone in case their condition might worsen. 

What we have here, I thought, is a failure to communicate. I remarked that we Episcopalians don’t have a Book of Common Prayer for nothing. We are a praying people! Now, of course, being present with people and listening to them is a vital part of caring for them rather than quickly offering up a rote prayer and going about our business, but to not pray at all? As Episcopalians, prayer is what we do and how we are formed. The law of prayer is the law of belief, after all. 

Of course, prayer is NOT a cure-all, and many of us would very careful about couching our prayers in the language of seeking a “cure.” To be relieved, to be brought to comfort or peace, to be granted resilience and endurance, to feel supported, heard, and known as beloved, yes. But the fact is, as Mahalia Jackson sang, I believe that prayer changes things. 

Prayer changes things-- starting with the person who does the praying. Prayer changes things by giving the one who prays a chance to both speak and listen to the presence and support of God in that person’s life. Prayer is not a wish-fulfillment system, but a mostly-intentional conversation between ourselves and the Almighty. 

I say “mostly intentional” because we’ve all had those times of calling on Jesus when a child or a deer or another car darts out in front of us when we are going full-speed down the road. You know the ones: something like 

"OhsweetbabyJesusdon'tletmehitthat18wheeler!"

But even then, I think that prayer is part of our longer conversation with God. Sometimes—more often than we like to admit, probably-- that conversation calls us to silence and to opening ourselves to the movement of the Spirit in our hearts and minds. 

Sometimes prayer comes in a torrent of words. Sometimes prayer centers on the same word repeated dozens of times. Sometimes it comes in praying with someone who is ill and reminding them that they are not alone, physically or spiritually. Sometimes prayer comes with the click of one prayer bead sliding against another on a rosary, or a deliberate footstep on the path of a labyrinth. Sometimes, prayer is just the name of Jesus, or, as Anne Lamott noted, “help,” or “thanks,” or “wow” prayed on each breath. 

And as we have learned a lot recently, sometimes it comes with praying through selections of scripture that do not seem to be all that congenial at the moment. Sometimes, one of the greatest aids to our prayer life is to realize that we have to get over ourselves, and get out of the way of God. 

Certainly, there are times when it is difficult to pray, or to know what to pray. I’ll tell you one thing, though: when in doubt, there’s never been a time I have regretted praying when choosing between that and not praying. 

So let us ever persist in prayer, that our hearts and minds may be tuned to the presence of the holy alongside us and within us. 

 Amen.


Preached at the 505 on October 19, and at 8:00 and 10:30 am on October 20, 2019, at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Ellisville, MO.


Readings:
Jeremiah 31:27-34
Psalm 119:97-104
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
Luke 18:1-8

Prayer 2438: On Forgiveness and Repentance

God of Grace and God of Hope, 
we lift our hearts to You with gratitude. 
Help us to remember that regret 
is not the same as repentance,
that we may accept the consequences of our actions fully 
and be led to true renewal and faithfulness. 
Blessed Jesus, help us to honor forgiveness 
and those who are brave enough to forgive
as an act of resistance to evil 
and an act of empowerment of the soul, 
as well as a gift we give to ourselves 
to reclaim our lives as your children. 
Spirit of the Living God,
gather within your embrace 
all those who mourn and weep and worry this day, 
especially those we now name.

Amen.

Photo from NPR- Brandt Jean, Both Jean's brother, hugs his brother's killer after announcing that he forgave her. His act set off a debate about forgiveness as well as repentance and justice.