Offertory Prayer July 3, 2016

Dear God, eternity's proprietor,  
Today's offering is yours 
Before it is given 
Because all creation is yours. 
Teach us how to first think of you

When we think for ourselves,
Let us understand that being able to give monetarily,  
No matter the amount, 
Is a gift of your grace. 
With our offerings we pay homage to you, 
Creator, Word and Love.

Amen.

New Year's Resolutions

"Finally, brethren, what ever things are true,

Whatever things are honest,

Whatever things are just,

Whatever things are pure,

Whatever things are lovely,

Whatever things are of good report:

If there be virtue, and if there be any praise,

Think on these things."

Paul speaks to us through the ages

With his guide to New Year's resolutions.

In 2015,

Let us search for truth,

Focus on being honest, not only with others,

But with ourselves.

Support justice

For the least of these brothers of mine.

Strive to not be harsh or cruel

To those around us

And affirm the hopes and dreams of others.

Let us

Focus on the beauty within,

Fill our minds with hope,

Shun that which diminishes others,

Praise those who do right.

May we turn to God in prayer 

When our world grows dark

And

Remember

That we are not alone.

Communion Prayer November 2,2014

Dear Lord,

Creator, Word, and Love,

You spoke creation into existence.

Chose to walk this earth in human form,

And to dwell with us now.

As we take this bread and wine,

We follow our Savior's command

To do this

"In remembrance of Me."

Bless this congregation

And make those in it the servants you need.

Let us work together in your love,

To make the world around us what you want

For we are your hands in this place.

In Jesus name we pray,

Amen.

The Lost Sheep

"The Lord is my Shepherd..."

Those words echo in the soul of every Christian.

But too often I feel

Like a sheep that has wandered astray:

Alone,

Lost,

Afraid.

Let me be a sheep in God's fold:

Warm,

Secure,

Surrounded by others.

If that cannot be,

Then let me remember

The parable of the lost sheep:

That the Shepherd will leave the ninety and nine

To look for the lost one.

Look for me, O Lord.

Offertory Prayer August 24, 2014

Romans 12:1-8 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ²Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. ³For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, ⁵so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. ⁶We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ⁷ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; ⁸the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness

 

Dear God, Speaker of Life,
Today's offering is yours
Before it is given
Because all is your creation.
Teach us how to not think too highly of ourselves
But to use so sober judgment to know our souls.
Let us understand that being able to give monetarily,
No matter the amount,
Is a gift of your grace.
With all our offerings we pay homage to you,
Creator, Word and Love.

For yours is the infinite
Time unending.

Amen.

Easter 2014

My church day started with communion preparation.

Nine trays to be filled.

My duty this Sunday.

 My church celebrates the risen Christ

With the bread and wine

Of remembrance.

Next came an Easter egg hunt

Open to all in our city.

We are a church with few children

Except on Easter morning

When young voices echo

Through our old building.

Finally, organ music swelled.

The most joyous service of the year had begun.

Christ is risen!

The minister proclaimed from the pulpit

As he opened with a prayer.

I waited for the joy

That comes on Easter,

But it was not there.

Had I been too caught up

In the mundane

To know this day's exultation?

Then the choir sang

"He Is Not Here!"

As that anthem echoed through sanctuary,

My scalp tingled.

I stood outside Jerusalem

Gazing at an empty tomb,

Knowing that the world had been transformed.

He is risen!

And we all rise with him.

 

Good Friday 2014

Why is it called Good Friday?

I have heard many answers.

None satisfy.

Jesus, the Word made flesh, God incarnate,

Died on a Friday, 
The day after he shared the Passover meal  
With those closest to him.

Fully human.

So human that he suffered just as we would

Nailed to a cross 
After a brutal flogging.

We recoil in horror

At his death

And think it took so long.

Six hours.

Most crucified took days to die.

Was Pilate's flogging a blessing

That gave a swifter death?

Fully God,

Who had never known death.

All creation gone before had drunk

Of that bitter cup,

But God had not.

God died on that first Good Friday,

As much of God

As could exist in human form.

A maimed, lifeless body was laid in

The cold stone tomb.

Love's breath stilled.

 Heaven wept.

Creation waited. 

Palm Sunday 2014

Children scurry down the aisles

Of churches small and large

Waving green palm fronds in the air

In memory of 

Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem
On what we now call Palm Sunday. 
On that day so long ago

The crowd spread cloaks and palm leaves

Before  Jesus' donkey's feet.

 People exulted.

Hosannas filled the air.

Soon the Romans would be gone,

They believed.

Jerusalem would be theirs alone.
But Jesus had warned them
That was not his message.
He came to usher in  God's kingdom
Not to fight the Romans.

As the days passed,
The cries of joy faded,
Turned to shouts of anger

By the High Priest's perfidy.

Christ was

Arrested,

Condemned

And

Crucified.

His body placed in a tomb.

Did Jesus know what was to come

As he rode into Jerusalem?

I think he did.

And still he came to Jerusalem

For God.
For us.

Change

Change comes like a sudden storm

To blow our routine away

And drench our careful plans.

Today we say good-by

To a shepherd of this flock,

A shepherd who has welcomed newborns
And strangers,

Prayed with us,
Wept with us,

Offered us the bread and the wine,
And ushered some through the final door.

  My thanks

For putting me once more
On the church bound path,

For showing me kindness and understanding,

For demonstrating grace with tenderness

And the strength to start anew.

I place this change in God's hands.
This church is like a butterfly
Trapped in its chrysalis

Waiting to be reborn.
No one can free the church from without,
Freedom comes from within.
A church must spread its wings
To feel the Son's blessing.
The future of this church
Does not lie in the hands of some miracle worker

But in the toil of those who choose
To forget the past
And build anew.

The Echo of God

Photo by AMagill

Lord, I need to know Your will.

I pray,
But hear nothing,
Not even a rustle as you pass by.

Perhaps I am so busy babbling

That I am not aware of your presence.

I will wait for your answer
To my prayers,
To my entreaties.
I will seek to be still and listen
For you.

Will you reply in a great wind,
Or through the trembling of the earth,
Or in words of fire,

Or in whispers of smoke?
No.
You have already answered 

Through the actions of those around me,

Through a chance encounter with a stranger.

O God,

O Creator, Comforter, and Word,
Make me an answer to another's prayer.

Make me an echo of your unrelenting love.

Trust

Mother God, Father God,

Your names are endless
And encompass all.

Your kingdom comes on the wings of angels

And in the footsteps of humanity

Who follow the Shepherd.

Give us nourishment for our bodies

And love for our souls.

Forgive us when we do not trust you

As we forgive those who betray our trust.

Do not take your presence from us.

Let us always know the Comforter is near.

Keep us safe from unbelief and pride.

You are beginning and end,
Creation and annihilation,

Love unending.
Amen.

Photo by Delphine
Original by Kitina Celt

Memorial Day 2013

"I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses."

 Memorial Day comes again.

Reminding me that

Another friend died this year.
Another funeral.
Grief for his family,
He will be missed.
Grief stirred memories rise
As "In the Garden" wakes

Forgotten sorrow.

A time of loss.
Old friends and family gone
As the World War II generation fades.

Those born in the rural past
Die in the urban present.

Too many precious friends

 Left long ago

In my generation's war,

In Viet Nam.

Their graves stand as sentinels

To this nation's hubris.

Now a new generation,

Young, full of hope,

Face their wars:

Afghanistan.

Iraq.

So many have died,

So many continue to die.

Bow your head

 To the sorrow

Of so much death

And listen to Christ's words,

"Blessed are they that mourn;
For they shall be comforted."

Photo by *clarity*

Violent Nation

   

We are a nation bereft.

Our children die in the home, 

In the classroom,

And in the streets,

Murdered because we embrace

Guns in the name of freedom.

Change us,

Change our nation.

Make it safe for all.

We were never meant to be

"One nation under God."

We were meant to be

"From many one."

We must all be safe

Or we are all in danger.

Fear leads to prejudice,

Prejudice leads to intolerance,

Intolerance leads to hate,
And hate leads to violence.  
Erase our fear with your grace,

So that hate never corrupts our soul

And violence has no home.

Keep us wrapped in your love

And safe in the knowledge

That this life is but a stop

On the way to eternity.   

Good Friday 2013

Why is it called Good Friday?

I have heard many answers.

None satisfy.

Jesus, the Word made flesh, God incarnate,

Died on Friday.  
The day after he shared the Passover meal  
With those that believed in him.

Fully human.

So human that he suffered agony

Nailed to a cross 
After a brutal flogging.

We recoil in horror

At his death

And think it took so long.

Six hours.

Most crucified took days to die 
Unless they were flogged.

Fully God

Who had never known death.

All God's creation past had drunk

Of that bitter cup,

But God had not.

God died on that first Good Friday,

As much of God

As could exist in human form.

A maimed, lifeless body was laid in

The cold stone tomb.

Creation waited.

Maundy Thursday 2013

Maundy Thursday.
Maundy for the British Monarch's
Alms for the poor. 

The Thursday before Easter.

The day before the crucifixion.

The day that Jesus washed his disciples feet

Even though he knew

His death was at hand.

The day Jesus and his disciples
Ate their Passover meal
In an upper room.
There Jesus instituted Communion,

The Lord's Supper,
Christians practice today.

There Judas shared bread with Jesus

Before he left to betray him.

Today many will gather for Communion.

Where believers partake of this sacrament
The Holy Spirit joins them.
Bread and wine,
Flesh and blood.

Remember the man. 

Remember the Word made flesh.
Remember God kneeling before each disciple.

Remember Jesus' patience.

Remember his sacrifice.

Palm Sunday 2013

 

Children scurried down the aisles

Of churches this morning

Waving green palm fronds in the air

In memory of 

Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 
On that day so long ago

The crowd spread their cloaks and palm leaves

Before his donkey's feet.

 People exulted.

Hosannas filled the air.

Soon the Romans would be gone,

They believed.

Jerusalem would be theirs alone.

But the cries of joy faded

In the wake of the High Priest's perfidy.

In one week, 
Christ would 

Be arrested,

Condemned

And

Crucified.

His body placed in a tomb.

Did Jesus know what was to come

As he rode into Jerusalem?

I think he did.

And still he came to Jerusalem

For us.

Choice and Faith

We are weeks from selecting
Our next President.
While I feel my choice is God's choice,
My neighbor feels likewise
But votes for someone else.
Jesus said to love your neighbor.
Did he mean whether
Republican or Democrat or Other?
Yes.
When we demonize our neighbor
Because their politics are not ours,
We break Christ's command.
God, please forgive my political passions;
Help me forgive the political passions of others.
Deliver our nation from evil of our own choosing
Let this nation's choice be worthy. 
Never forget that whoever wins

God abides.

Prayer of Grief

Photo by Tony Fischer Photography

Suffering Servant who walks among us

Wonderful is your name.

Spread your eternal balm of love

For the grief

That so many are absent.

Let us beat swords into plowshares

In obedience to the love

That flows from the devotion binding

Creator, Word, and Comforter 

Into One.

Care for those we cannot touch,

And share your bounty with them

And with us.

Blood drips from our hands, 

Blood of the guilty

Mingled with

Blood of the innocent.

Forgive us

As we forgive those who shed our blood

So that there may be peace.

Deafen our ears to the trumpet call of power.

Quench our thirst for revenge

So that we may be close to you.

For yours is the embrace,

 The solace, and the love.

That endures forever.

Why Good Friday?

  By lepianda

Why is it called Good Friday?

I have heard many answers.

None satisfy.

Jesus, the Word made flesh, God incarnate,

Died on Friday.
The day before he shared the Passover meal
With those that believed in him.

Fully human.

So human that he suffered agony

Nailed to a cross
After a brutal flogging.

We recoil in horror

At his death

And think it took so long.

Six hours.

Most crucified took days to die
Unless they were flogged.

Fully God

Who had never known death.

All God's creation past had drunk

Of that bitter cup,

But God had not.

God died on the first Good Friday,

As much of God

As could exist in human form.

His body was laid in a tomb

As his mother wept.

All creation waited.

Jew, Christian, Muslim

Photo by ~Panache

Three great faiths

All share the God of Abraham.

Two share the blood of Abraham.

All share God's promise to Abraham.

Why do the members of each faith not love

Those of the others?

Some do.

Some understand that they share a common God.

So many do not.

Each wishes to be exclusive.

Each wishes to be the only path

To redemption.

Does God only love us

If born in the proper place

In the proper faith?

Would God so easily condemn his creation?

I think not.

God is love.

Love that wants only what is best for us.

Love that wants us close.

As Augustine said:

"He loves each one of us

As if there was only one of us."

Three faiths.

One God.

One God for all humanity,

Not Just for those of the Three,

Not bound by humanity's limits.
Polytheist.

Monotheist.

Atheist.

All are Hers.