Offertory Invitation July 3

Giving to the church is a very private exercise, especially nowadays when we can give electronically.  Yet, we perform a very public act of worship every Sunday when we collect offerings.  Some churches invite persons who make their gifts electronically – weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually – to participate in The Offertory by simply dropping a one-dollar bill into the plate each week.   It is a celebratory practice in those churches, in one called the Hallelujah Dollar.  In this way, the church benefits from electronic giving, yet encourages a meaningful way to make giving an act of worship.   I have resolved to be a participant in The Offertory every Sunday by putting a dollar in the plate.  I urge you to do the same.  With that dollar, I will be part of this worship experience, this offering.  The deacons will now collect the offering.

Memorial Day Communion Prayer

Dear God,

Creator, Word, Love,

We give thanks and praise

For your goodness and mercy,

So undeserved.

We thank you for all those

Who, in all times,

Have been brave and true,

For those 

Who gave their lives

In their country's service.

Help us to be worthy

Of their supreme sacrifice.

We thank you, Jesus,

For your sacrifice.

May our faith stay strong,

That your kingdom come

And your will be done.

Amen.

Communion Statement on Memorial Day

How fitting on Memorial Day we come to the Memorial Table. When it is my opportunity to give the Communion Statement,I prefer to share something positive, something uplifting. I cannot today because on Memorial Day I remember my generations war,a war that claimed over 58,000 lives.  I remember Vietnam.  I remember a young man, just out of high school,wwho chose to volunteer instead of going to college or waiting for the draft.  He died on patrol one week after being deployed in Vietnam.\

On Memorial Day, we remember service men and women, who like my high school friend, gave their lives to secure and protect the freedom we have in this country.  As we come to the Lord's Table, we remember Christ gave his life for us. In remembrance, let us live to be his hands in this world today.

Communion Prayer for January 10, 2016.

Join me now in prayer.

Creator, the center of all existence,

Holy Spirit, our Companion while we live,
I treasure your love.

But the man in the upper room
Sharing bread and wine with his friends,

Chose to live as we do.

To pour as much of himself as he could
Into a human vessel.

Fully God, Fully human.

He gave himself to us

In the simplest necessities of life:

Food and drink,
So that we would remember him.

Jesus, Savior.

We remember you now.

Amen.

No More Disease

Creator of Life,
Whose being fills the Universe,
You fill me with awe.
All creation bows to you.
Nourish me with knowledge.
Protect me from the fear of the unknown.
Help me protect others from society's created fears.
Deliver me into eternity
As my mother delivered me into this world.
Let the learning that you impart

Through the toil of countless scientists,
Deliver a world free of disease, of suffering.
For you are the Infinite Mind,
All knowing, all powerful,
All Love.

Communion Prayer for June 15, 2014

Dear God,

Forgiver of our sins,

As we take the bread

And the wine,

Let us remember
Christ's unrelenting love.

Help us to forgive others

Because we have been forgiven.

In Jesus name we pray.

Amen.

Offertory Prayer for May 11, 2014

Dear Lord,
We are like sheep,
Oblivious to what takes place around us,
Nibbling ourselves lost.
We must raise our heads
And follow the Shepherd.
He is our guide.
He calls us to nurture our church
With our love, our time,
And our money
Just as God nurtures us
With grace so undeserved.
Bless what we lay before you,

And use it for the benefit of your kingdom. 
Amen.

The Saturday before Easter Death Reigns

On this day,

Jesus is dead.
His body lies
In a dank, stone hole
Sealed against the light.
A part of God is dead.  
The Trinity is broken.
The Creator holds the breath of life,

But the stench of death

Fills the tomb. 
Without the Word, 
The Comforter is bereft.
Tomorrow,
Life will conquer death.
Jesus will rise
With the promise
Of resurrection for all,
But not this day.
This day death reigns.

Communion Prayer March 2, 2014

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. ² And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³ Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴ Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I^[a] will make three dwellings^[b] here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved;^[c] with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” ⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. ⁷ But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” ⁸ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead. (Matthew 17:1-9

Transfiguration by Alexandr Ivanov, 1824

Dear Lord, 

We come on this Transfiguration Sunday

To share the bread and wine

In celebration and remembrance of you.

The Creator called you :" Beloved."

We call you "Savior."

Let this bread and wine remind us

Of your glory,

Of your love,

Of your sacrifice,

Of your words to Peter, James and John:

"Do not be afraid,"

Amen.

Easter 2013

He is risen!
He is risen indeed!
These words echo
Through the centuries.
The words of resurrection.
The words of Easter.
The heartbeat of Christianity.

Photo by hoyameg

The disciples, lost and grieving,
Change in one day
Because he is risen.
Soon they will spread the news
Throughout the world
For they know the truth:

Death has been conquered,

Christ is alive.

We celebrate his resurrection

And his promise

That all who love God

And love others

Shall have eternal life.
He is risen.

He is risen today.

Spy Wednesday 2013

Judas and Peter

Spy Wednesday,

Holy Wednesday,

The Wednesday before the Crucifixion,

The day that Judas Iscariot

Conspires with the High Priest

And receives thirty pieces of silver
For the deed to come.
On the morrow,
With a kiss,

Judas hands Christ over 
To his enemies
In the time that follows

Peter denies Jesus thrice.
After Jesus' death
But before the resurrection,
Judas dies by his own hand. 
Peter sits in the upper room
Devastated that he betrayed his Teacher.
Judas dies unforgiven.
Peter knows forgiveness

From the risen Christ.
What is the difference between the fates

Of these two men?

Judas dies despised by all his breathren.
Peter dies the rock
On which Christ's church is erected.  
 Judas acts to take his life
While Peter waits.
Is that the answer?
When all is clothed in darkness,
Must we wait
 For God
Not act on impulse?

In this Easter season,
Give us the knowledge to know
When not to take action.
Give us the strength to wait for God.

Prayer for Holy Tuesday

Abba, Jesus called you,

Daddy, we would say.

Creator, sustainer of all, 

Where were you that Holy Week

So long ago?

Escorting the Son of Man

As he rode into Jerusalem on the donkey,

Weeping beside the Servant as he struggled toward The Skull,

Kissing death as the Lamb hung on the cross.

Watching as the Word

Was silent in the tomb.

Christ exalted you above himself.

Even as he opened the kingdom's gates

To let all enter. 

In the Lamb's sacrifice earth and heaven met.
The  Bread of Life was broken
Yet warms from within today. 
Only by caring for the least
Can we repay the suffering of The Christ of God,
Who was and is and will be
The great I Am.   

 Amen

 -

Holy Monday

Jesus has entered Jerusalem on Sunday

In triumph and to shouts of Hosanna.

Today he visits the temple.

The holiest place in Jerusalem.

The holiest place in Israel.
There he finds moneychangers.
There he finds dealers of animals and doves.
There Jesus becomes angry.
There with whip of cords in hand
He drives
The moneychangers
And 
The dealers from the temple.
In God's temple
There is no place for commerce.
Commerce must bow to God.

As we seek greater wealth,

Do we put commerce before God?   

Jesus Fulfills Isaiah's Prohecy

Let us contemplate the words of Luke
As he tell us of the quiet beginning of Jesus ministry.

Jesus returns home to Nazareth on the Sabbath

And reads from Isaiah's scroll
A prophecy of one chosen by God
To proclaim the good news to the poor.
Jesus closes the scroll
And announces his destiny.
He fulfills the prophecy.
He is the anointed of God,
As proclaimed on the banks of the Jordan
By a descending dove,

In Nazareth

A small village huddled

In the shadow of a great city.

Sepphoris, the ornament of Galilee,
Where Mary's parents lived
When she was born.
Where Joseph plied his trade
With the help of his eldest son,
Jesus.
A city more Roman than Jewish.
Sepphoris,
Never mentioned in the Bible
But where Jesus walked to maturity.
In Nazareth, 
Jesus reads Isaiah for his mother
While the streets of Sepphoris echo in his mind.
 
   

New Year's Resolutions for 2013

"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 2013,

Let us search for truth,

Focus on being honest not only to others

But to 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.  

Christmas Day 2012 - The Word

Photo by bahoootah qtr

"In the beginning was the Word,

And the is Word was with God,

And the Word was God."

"And the Word was made flesh

And dwelt among us..."

The Gospel of John

Speaks the message of Christmas.

Jesus is God in action,

The instrument of creation,

The instrument of salvation.

God shed his majesty to experience

The world

As one of those made in his image.
As human,
He could experience death.

Resurrected,
He could demonstrate everlasting life.

The Christmas Babe:
Fully God and Fully Human.
He comes with promise of
Life Eternal
Embraced in His Love.

The Gift of the Christmas Babe

Christmas Babe sleeping in a manger,

How great is your gift of

Everlasting life.

Glory to God incarnate!

Your kingdom endures forever.

Let us seek to become more like you

As we follow your example on earth

And in heaven.

As we light the Advent candles

Let us be filled with your love.

Strengthen our faith

So that we may be an example to others

And lead no one astray.

The world beckons with selfishness and avarice.

Help us respond with compassion and generosity.

Nothing is ours.

All is God's.

The Babe born 
Long ago
In another land

Became a man

Who led the way
To life beyond the grave.

Grief at Advent

We look forward to the celebration
Of our Savior's birth.
The babe that became  
The Suffering Servant who walked among us.
Remember him
Both babe and man
  As we search for meaning
In the wreckage of so many lives.
Son of Man

 Spread the balm of God's love

Over the grief of this nation.

Teach us to care for those that struggle
With the ills of the mind.

Nurture those we cannot hold,

Those filled with grief,

And share your presence with them

As you share your presence with us.

Deafen our ears to the seductive call
Of guns and power.

Quench our thirst for violence.

So that all may walk in safety and peace.

For yours is the embrace,

 The solace, and the love.

That endures forever.

Mark's Missing Advent

painting by Karen Soleau

"And it came to pass, in those days,
That Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee,
And was baptized by John in the Jordan."
So we meet Jesus in the Gospel of Mark.
There is no babe, no wise men, no shepherds,
Not even Mary and Joseph.
Mark cares not for the birth
We will celebrate on December 25.
Mark begins at the start
Of Jesus ministry.
A man grown,
Jesus announces himself
By submission to another
To be baptized.
And God speaks:
"Thou art my beloved Son,
In whom I am well pleased."
Jesus knew he was God's word,
Now he receives God's love.
At Advent and Christmas
May we all know
The embrace of the Holy Spirit,
God's love.

The Universe in Prayer

Creator of the Universe

Who dwells beyond space and time,

We thank you for our small world

And the magnificence of the heavens.

As we regard the universe beyond our Milky Way,

Let us realize your power stretches to infinity,

And that our obedience is echoed on other worlds.

Sustain us as we strive to understand what you spoke into existence.

Forgive us when we believe we are your only creation

As we forgive those who do not believe in you.

Let us see that we cannot be alone in an infinite existence.

Protect us from our own hubris.

Let us understand how infinitesimal we are

And how much we need your protection.

For you are the same to all

Wherever in this universe they dwell.

Always,

Creator, Word and Love.