Prayer 2575: Sixth Sunday after Epiphany, year A

Creator God,
Ruler of Our Hearts,
we gather around your altar
knit together as one body, one heart,
proclaiming your steadfast love and faithfulness.

Lord Jesus Christ,
through your incarnation,
you hallowed and sanctified our frail flesh,
and exemplified the fully enlightened, purpose-driven life:
lead us into deeper relationship and devotion to you
and to fulfilling your faith in us
to share in the reconciliation of the whole world.

Expand our understanding of your commandments
that our worship and witness 
lifts up and sustains every aspect of our lives, 
that we may reflect your light with joy, O Most High. 

Teach us to love You and each other fully,
remembering that each person we meet bears your image.

By the power of the Holy Spirit,
make us steadfastly joyful in our witness and service to You,
O Most Merciful One,
and press the kiss of your blessing upon all those for whom we pray.

Amen.

Prayer, day 2574

In the name of the Merciful One,
Love drapes over us like a silken garment
trusting in us to wear her proudly
even when raindrops threaten;
so too boldly may we enflesh our faith
to bear healing into the hurting places of the world.

Arise, O Wisdom, and lead us,
that we may embrace new hope
and claim our place as your disciples,
devoted to the light you kindle within us 
that we may shine with joy
and banish the shadows that linger.

Let us take the hand of the fearful
and comfort the aching hearts among us,
as our Savior Christ teaches us,
that we may wear his name with justice.

Almighty Creator, bend near;
hear the whispered prayers of your people,
and enfold those for whom we pray
within your steadfast embrace.

Amen.

Prayer 2573: For Valetine's Day

Almighty God,
Lover of Our Souls,
we lift our hearts to you in trust and faithfulness,
singing out our praise for your tender care of us.
May we extol the power of love in every action we take, 
-- love that gives itself for others
with no agenda but kindness
and the well-being and flourishing of all living things.
May we walk in love,
unified by your gospel, O Christ,
witnessing to the reconciling power of your wisdom
that binds us in empathy
as companions and soul-friends.
Holy Spirit, descend upon us
and lift us higher
that we may dedicate ourselves to God
and be guided by the lamp of mercy and justice.
Press the kiss of your blessing, 
Beloved Jesus,
upon all whose hope is in you, as we pray.

Amen.

Prayer 2572: On the Feast of the Rev. Absalom Jones

O Lord, Our God,
who blesses us with breath and determination,
we lift our prayers to You,
and still ourselves to hear your voice:
Speak, O God, for your servants are listening.

Our hope and our trust is in You,
O Holy One, Creator of All That Is,
who adorns creation with beauty
and blesses the human heart
with the capacity for love and justice.

May we walk in the pathways of equity and right,
casting away prejudice to discern what is holy-- 
for we are called to kinship with all
just as You, O God, created us all in your image.

Let us work for the building of your kingdom,Beloved Savior,
and enshrine your gospel precepts within us
that we may be witnesses and exemplars of your truth.

Spread the tent of your mercy over us,
O Great Redeemer and Spirit of Wisdom, 
and gather us all into one flock,
for though we are prone to wander,
yet You are ever by our sides.

Grant your mercy and grace to all
whose needs we raise before You,
as we humbly pray.

Amen.

Prayer 2571: Inspired by Deuteronomy 30:15-20

God of Life and Light, 
Source and Fountain of All Our Joys, 
we open our hearts to you, 
emptied of all pride and recalcitrance,
that we may instead be filled with your wisdom.

Fill our hearts with compassion, empathy, and integrity,
that we may witness to your glorious path of life.
Walking in the path our God sets before us,
may we renounce and resist 
the thrones of death and suffering 
upon which rest the tyrants and the oppressors; 
may we never bow to the gods of greed, cruelty, and contempt.

Rather may we stand on the side of the righteous
and take our place alongside those
who fight for the common good and the dignity of all,
and work to free those held captive
by fear, want, or hopelessness.

Shine the light of your countenance upon us,
O God Our Shepherd,
and grant us strength and purity of heart,
and gather within your mercy and care
all those for whom we pray.

Amen.

Prayer, day 2570

Gather us within your embrace,
O Wisdom from on high,
who is creating the heavens and the earth:
may we hear your call and seek your light.

May we turn away from our foolish ways
and delight in your law of love, O God,
seeking your face in the stranger and the orphan,
the refugee and the destitute,
loving each other as you love us.

Mighty Counselor, Wondrous Savior,
preserve our hearts in faithfulness and charity
that we may go forth into the world rejoicing,
testifying to the beauty of your grace and peace.

Consecrate us for your service, Lord Christ,
and spread the awning of your mercy 
over those for whom we pray.

Amen.

Prayer, day 2569

Most Merciful God, 
with grateful hearts we bow before You 
and breathe in your grace. 

Have mercy upon us for our sins, 
and help us shed the counterfeit faith we cling to 
for one of restoration, justice, and shalom. 
Awaken our courage to confront evil and fear, 
and by your help, Lord,
unite us to each other in love and brotherhood. 
Stiffen our resolve 
to proclaim Jesus's message 
of mutual care and compassion 
as witnesses to God's peace and abundance. 

By the power of the Holy Spirit, 
enflame our desire to serve your kingdom, O God, 
and offer all that we are to your service. 

You know our hopes and our cares, Lord Jesus:
draw within your embrace 
all who seek You 
or a deeper knowledge of You. 
Place the mantle of comfort and healing 
over those whose needs we remember before You, 
O Holy One.

Amen.

Being Fearless, Being Light: Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, year A

This week by a fluke I discovered a wonderful little book, called The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse, by Charlie Mackesy. It’s a simple book, hand illustrated and written in brush strokes, so you might think it is for children—and it is. But it is also for adults, too—and it’s categorized as ethics. I want to share part of it with you.

The book starts off with a boy, who meets a mole. 
“Hello,” the boy says, and the boy and the mole look at each other. 
“I’m so small,” said the mole.
“Yes,” said the boy, picking up the mole. “But you make a huge difference.”
The boy then places the mole on a low-hanging branch on as tree, and climbs up to join the mole. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked the mole. 
“Kind,” replied the boy, and he is shown holding an umbrella over the mile as it rains in the tree. 
“What do you think success is?” asked the boy
 “To love,” said the mole. 

**** 

The mole is then shown looking at a beautiful three-tiered cake. “Well hello,” the mole murmurs to the cake. 

The boy and the mole are then shown walking and talking. 
“Do you have a favourite saying?” asked the boy. 
“Yes,” said the mole. “If at first you don’t succeed, have some cake.” 
“I see. Does it work?" asks the boy. 
“Every time,” the mole replied. 

****

The mole is then shown carrying a cake, setting it down and looking at it. “Just a tiny taste,” the mole says to himself, and in a series of images, we see the cake disappearing and the mole getting rounder. 

The boy and mole are walking and talking together again.
“I got you a delicious cake,” said the mole. 
“Did you?” 
 “Yes.” 
“Where is it?” 
“I ate it,” said the mole. 
“Oh.”
“But I got you another.”
“Did you? Where is that one?”
“The same thing seems to have happened,” the mole observes.

****

The boy and the mole are back sitting on the branch in the tree, facing each other. The boy speaks: “What do you think is the biggest waste of time?”
“Comparing yourself to others,” said the mole. 
“I wonder if there is a school of unlearning."
We see a picture of a mole with glasses and a cane. The mole continues, “Most of the old moles I know wish they had listened less to their fears and more to their dreams.” 

****

The boy and the mole are shown sitting on a rock, looking out at a field or moor. 
“What is that over there?” asks the boy. 
“It’s the wild,” said the mole. “Don’t fear it.” 
The two friends begin walking in the moor alongside a stream, and the mole remarks, “Imagine how we would be if we were less afraid.” (1)

****

“Imagine how we would be if we were less afraid.”

What an amazing observation. It’s actually what the gospel is all about, too. And I was thinking about this observation in light of the fact that today is also Scouting Sunday, and so, although I don’t want to put our Scouts on the spot, I was wondering if you would care to share the Scout Oath with us?

On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law, to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.  

I am struck by the similarity of the principles of Scouting and the principles of being a faithful person. Scouts are also called to be dedicated, brave, loyal, and engaged with the community around them. You don’t become a Scout just for yourself, or just to collect merit badges. You also don’t just become a Scout for a season of your life. Scouting and groups like it are a lifelong community of people dedicated to working for the good of the greater community. It’s a life dedicated to sacrifice, in the best sense. Just like in our religious lives, being committed to a cause greater than yourself and selfish concerns makes a Scout brave, as well as reverent.

“Imagine how we would be if we were less afraid."

Our reading from Mr. Mackesy’s book and the principles of Scouting support the point of our readings today. As an observer of human nature and child of the Bible Belt, I learned early on that a lot of times people engaged in religious behavior when they are afraid—I noticed this when I was a little kid. When the tornado flew over our house when I was ten, and landed the next block over, as we huddled under the mattresses—except for my dad, who was keeping company with some guy named Jack Daniels, some guy named Marlboro, and our collie dog out in the garage—we certainly engaged in some prayer. Probably even my dad with that Jack guy and Marlboro guy.

Then as I grew older, I realized that some people were going to church out of fear. My Catholic friend told me about Holy Days of Obligation, and Confession, and dying in a state of mortal sin—and it scared me, and I was just a little towheaded Protestant. The preachers in some of the churches my mother took us to did an awful lot of describing of the Devil, and the fires of Hell, and being tossed into a lake of fire.

And I knew people who didn’t worship God so much as fear Him—and yes they always called God “Him” with a catch of fear in their voice. And it made me sad—the majority of Jesus’s words to us are meant to allay our fears, because a heart filled with fear has no room in it for love. 

Jesus spends a huge amount of his time reminding us of God’s abundance, of God’s generous love and gift of grace, probably because we live most of our lives being told to see everyone around us as competition for scarce resources, and see strangers as potential “takers of our stuff.”

In religious practice, this fear and hardheartedness often leads people to constantly try to find some magic formula that will keep God from smiting us, some calculated exchange where we try to find the least we can give so that we can still maintain the illusion that we are in control of our lives. And so they check off boxes like going to church—without ever moving to BEING the church out in the world. And it all starts out of hard-heartedness—which is almost always rooted in anger and fear.

Our readings today address those kinds of issues too. Our reading from Isaiah deals with how we can offer a sacrifice to God—what Isaiah calls a “fast”-- that would truly be holy and pleasing. At the root of Isaiah’s call to renewal is this question: How important is it to put your heart into what you do? Or is it more important to simply follow the rules and checklists of our “to-do” lists?

Fasts, especially in our world of cheap fast food, certainly are not a common practice—unless you are a religious person. Many of us have at least encountered religious people who fast at some point in the religious year. But the reading here questions empty observance of ritual without allowing true repentance to take root in our hearts. We are coming up on the season of fasting, and so it’s a good time to ask ourselves what purpose fasting serves.

It’s important to note that fasting isn’t just a Christian religious practice. Jews observe a ta’anit, or fast, on Yom Kippur and on Tisha B’Av, a day in July or August that mourns the two terrible destructions of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians and then the Romans. Muslims fast as part of the Five Pillars of Islam during the daylight hours in Ramadan, unless they are sick, pregnant, or traveling. Many Buddhists fast from meat and animal products by observing a strict diet of vegetarianism. 

Isaiah admonishes those who are using their fast to try to manipulate God without allowing God to transform them and their actions and values. This passage addresses the problem of empty worship—worship that makes the worshiper appear to be righteous, but instead is just camouflage, ultimately an empty gesture because it does not lead to a conversion of the heart and the soul.

It’s a trap that hangs there in front of all of us in this time, too. It’s easy to claim to be a Christian, or a Scout, or as a member of any other voluntary association, especially if that label gives you access to power and influence. It’s easy to claim that label but also resist or actually refuse being changed by the ideals the group stands for, such as following those commandments Christ gives, like loving your neighbor and praying for your enemies. 

I mean, who here has had a neighbor who was really hard to love? We did—Mrs. Mayes, who would call the cops on us when we flew our kites in front of her house. I kid you not. Who does that?? So loving your neighbor and praying for your enemies--THOSE are real sacrifices, too. But in Isaiah, God points out that the people are not truly engaging in sacrifice but merely participating in that same kind of magical thinking that pretends that by doing X, we can make God do Y.

Dear ones, God is NOT a puppet dancing on our strings. But the good news is, we aren’t supposed to be puppets, either. God doesn’t want empty shows of deprivation. God wants all of us—heart and soul, because God adores us that much. 

There certainly are times when our actions seem outwardly correct, but lack a conviction of the heart. This is also a common theme in scripture. Thus Isaiah reorients the term “fast” here in an unusual way—turning the concept of sacrifice on its head. Basically God is saying this: Don’t fast to me out of fear—offer your best to me and those around you out of love. Be fearless in giving to others. Be fearless in fighting wrong, even if it costs you. Don’t make a show of doing without if, after you end your fast, you continue to engage in activities that ignore the plight of the suffering, or even adds to that suffering.

Do you want to make a sacrifice that pleases me? God asks. Fight injustice and oppression. Feed the hungry and bring the poor into your home just as eagerly as you would an honored guest—which was a very serious obligation in the Mediterranean culture of that time. Clothe those who are naked. Help your family members rather than try to hide from those who need help. And do it all not out of fear, but out of love. Be fearless in living out of love, and your light will shine out for all to see. 

Through Isaiah’s words, God continues offering practical advice for those who want to LIVE as children of God in word, name, and example: Stop gossiping about others or pointing the finger of blame or shame at others. Satisfy the needs of the afflicted—those who lack safety, who are fleeing from slavery, oppression, warfare, lawlessness, racial or religious oppression, or violence. 

God makes it clear that the observation of religious ritual is empty if it does not bring about changes in one’s daily life, such as in how one treats others, as this reading points out. Ultimately God further clarifies the point of sacrifices: they are meant to give us the blessing of being holy, of being part of something larger than ourselves. Sacrifices are meant to give us the blessing of living without fear. 

And what is the result of following these kinds of sacrifices—the kind that make the person doing these kinds of sacrifices holy, blameless, and even blessed in the sight of God? Isaiah tells us that by being generous and openhearted in our own lives, God will pour out abundance within our hearts, making us joyful and even fearless in all we do in the name of God. Isaiah also promises that by offering our true fast to God, “Our lights will shine out for all to see.” Just as Jesus assures his followers in our gospel today. 

In our gospel, Jesus has just giving the Sermon on the Mount, and we hear the words right after the Beatitudes. Notice that Jesus also pointedly compares his disciples to light, just as the Isaiah reading did. Light helps us to see, and in seeing, gain knowledge and wisdom. Light is directly associated with wisdom in the word “enlightenment”—which is why we talk about “our eyes being opened” whenever we come to a new understanding, or epiphany. 

The point of enlightenment is not selfish—it’s not a “get out of hell free” card, although some people would lead you to believe so. No, truly enlightened discipleship doesn’t mean staying cloistered amongst true believers, who already live in light. Rather, Christian enlightenment calls us to go out where people dwell in darkness, and to work for their enlightenment, which in turn will build our own.

Letting your light be seen can mean not hiding your talents or beliefs, but also being authentic in your actions as well as words, and living with integrity, as Isaiah described in that first reading. 

Jesus constantly asks us to imagine how we would be if we were less afraid. Jesus’s message throughout Matthew is that kingdom of heaven is already upon us—not just somewhere off in the future. Our time to truly live as disciples is NOW, and Jesus seeks our response if we are to truly follow him and obey God’s commandments to love fearlessly and give fearlessly in heart as well as action. 

 Just like in that little book of ethical teachings about the Boy and the Mole, Jesus himself offers us a school of unlearning, as we heard in our story. Jesus challenges us to attend his school of unlearning—to unlearn the belief that we are awash in darkness, and that there is no way out. The belief that it is better to grab all you can than share what you have. The fear that there is never enough. 

Jesus calls us to turn our lives around first by denying the sway that common contempt and cruelty has in the world—and instead calling us to grow up to be kind. And then keep going in being more deeply transformed by Jesus’s radical gospel of love the more we practice true worship of God outside these doors and out in our everyday lives.

Be fearless. Be the light. Living as lights to the world is a call to be fearless in allowing Jesus’s gospel of love to transform us inwardly, and then to let that light shine through our care of each other and even people we’ve never met. It means saying yes to Jesus’s invitation to let go of fear and anxiety, to actually believe his promises of transformation, and then act of that ongoing transformation with the least of those around us.

Be fearless. Be the light.

Amen.

Preached at the 505 on February 8, and at the 8:00 and 10:30 Eucharists at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Ellisville, MO.


Readings:
Isaiah 58:1-9a, [9b-12]
Psalm 112:1-9, (10) 
1 Corinthians 2:1-12, [13-16]
Matthew 5:13-20


Citations:
1) Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse, 2019. You can buy a copy of this amazing, beautiful book here.

Prayer day 2568: Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Holy One,
Light of Lights,
rise within our hearts
and fill us with your light,
that we may be people of hope.

Help us to lift up those
who are in anxiety, grief, or trouble,
by loving each other
through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Grant us strength for today's labors,
compassion for today's encounters,
and rest within You, O God, at day's end.

Ground us in your mercy, Lord Christ,
and root us in your love,
that we may grow deep in faith and justice.

Gathered in your name, O Savior,
we ask you grant your peace and comfort
to those we remember before You.

Amen.

Prayer 2567

Almighty One,
we glory in your truth
and are refreshed by your abundant care:
open our ears to hear your word
as we center ourselves in You.
May we be a blessing today,
speaking words of justice and love
that we may make visible the gospel of hope
and enact your healing will in the world.
Spirit of the Living God, 
set our hearts aflame 
to bring about the beauty of God's kingdom, 
and grant your benediction upon us 
as we place our cares and concerns before you.

Amen.

Prayer 2566: Praying for those who hate us

Caligula, Emperor of Rome for four bloody debauched years, 37-41 CE.

Precious Savior, we rise and praise You
for the gift of this new day,
for the wonders of your grace 
and the glory of your creation.

Holy One of Blessing,
pour out your spirit over us
that we may be molded and shaped by your love,
just as the western wind caresses the hills and plains,
shaping them like clay
upon the inexorable wheel of time.

In obedience to your gospel, Lord Christ,
may we resist the forces of division and hatred,
and pray for our enemies and those that hate us,
even as they reject your commandments
in derision and contempt.
May we never lose heart
as they cling to their throne of lies
and sow the twisted seeds of fear and prejudice.

Instead, may we be empowered by your love
to tear down the edifices of falsehood
that divide us and weaken us
when we lose sight of your promises
and are led astray by fear instead for love.

May we never make our peace with the sacrilege
that denies the goodness from which you formed us all,
that resists the love you breathed into our spirits,
but be united in our desire to stand alongside each other in Your Name.

As we long for your kingdom,
and for the sake of your truth,
may the hearts of all those who overflow with malice
instead be converted by your grace,
and brought into your fold, O Shepherd of the Lost.

And now, O God and Hope of the Fallen,
place us securely within the shelter of your mercy,
and stretch out your hand of comfort and peace
over all those needs we humbly lay before You.

Amen.

Prayer 2565: God of Compassion, God of Justice

God of Compassion, we are your children,
and we praise You for your care of us
as the night tells its tale to the day.

God of Justice,
You are a God of power and light:
keep us from the vanity and ignorance of the wicked,
who scorn your ways and walk a crooked path,
whose stones are the oppression of the vulnerable.

Instead, in humility, we ask You,
O God Our Maker and Sustainer,
to restore our souls
and strengthen our determination
to obey your call to purification and repentance,
to service and care of others in your Name.

God of the Sojourner and the Refugee,
guide our hearts from the desert spaces we inhabit
through our own fear and anxiety.

Strengthen us in trust and faithfulness,
that we may be refreshed in hope
and drink deeply from the deep pools of your mercy,
led by your Word into life
eternal and abundant for all.

May the balm of your love, O Blessed Savior,
ease the ache of those who are suffering any distress
and strengthen those who care for the sick or sorrowing,
as we ask the blessing of the Holy Trinity
upon all for whom we pray.

Amen.

Prayer, day 2564

O God, You cover the earth in snow like a blanket:
cover us with your wing as the storms pass,
both within and without.
The earth rests beneath the snow,
gathering itself to burst forth in new life:
enliven our spirits to take up our work
in your kingdom.

Let us make each moment of our lives
a worthy oblation to You,
O Source of All Beauty. 
Make us grateful for our friends,
and never take for granted their love or generosity to us. 
Let us be loving, yet bold,
in seeking justice and compassion for all;
for You, O God, are patient and merciful to us. 

Let us assess and correct our own flaws
before we dare to judge
our brothers and sisters who are struggling.
Let us be generous
with our time, talent, and treasure
in your service,
for we know that all we have comes from You. 

Preserve all those who protect us today,
especially first responders, nurses, and doctors.
Bring them all safely home to their loved ones
at the end of day, and protect them from cold or danger. 

Shield the joyous and comfort the afflicted, 
O Loving One,
and rest your hand upon those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 2563

God of Grace and Mercy,
we lift our hearts in joy,
overflowing with your abundant blessing upon us.

Drive far from us all fear and worry,
and help us remember your protecting hand upon us
seeking to guide us in the Way of Love.

Grant us a double portion of courage,
Blessed Jesus, our Light and our Truth,
that we may work for justice and peace 
grounded in your commandment
to walk humbly alongside of You in the service of our neighbors.

Strengthen our wills to humbly bow before You,
O God and Shepherd of All,
that we may ever act in concert with each other
aligned with the cause of the oppressed.

Give your angels charge
to bear up those who watch and wait,
and place the kiss of your blessing
upon those for whom we pray.

Amen.