Category Archives: Grace

September 11, 2013 · 12:44 pm

Never Forget: a Christian’s reflection on 9/11

I am breaking with form here to post a reflection which is also a prayer:  Jesus had a vision of what it means to “Never forget” (the mantra of 9/11): that is, the open stance of “Do this in remembrance…”.

The open table might be the BEST metaphor for peaceable living and reversing the enemy-making process we are so good at.

In order to “Never Forget”: let us live openly, welcoming all who will come to the divine banquet of fellowship.

 

So out of remembrance:

Break bread with your neighbors today

Give to the poor

Encourage the weary

Welcome the excluded

Break the chains that bind

Out of remembrance…

 

Out of remembrance…

Refuse to be exclusive…

Refuse to ignore the needs around you…

Refuse to gain when others suffer…

Beloved, let us love one another.

Advertisement

Leave a comment

Filed under Change, Grace, Justice, Peace, Public Theology

Tagged as

July 29, 2013 · 12:23 pm

Pentecost- May 19, 2013

Gracious God,

It is the presence of your Spirit which draws us together
Blow like a mighty wind
Shake the cobwebs from
our tired patterns of thinking
Sweep the dust
from our hardened hearts
Breathe new life into our souls
Fan the flame of passion for the poor and disenfranchised
Teach us the language of love
So that we can truly hear and respond to the needs around us.

It is the presence of your Spirit among us
which allows us to be vulnerable
with each other
to share our joy and express our pain.

As such, we lift up the hopes and concerns of your people:

[read aloud the prayer cards]

And we acknowledge there are joys so sweet
they leave us inarticulate
And pain so deep
we find ourselves at a loss for words.
We entrust those unspoken prayers to the Spirit as well.

[pause for silent prayer]

Finally, we acknowledge
that it is your Spirit
which prompts us to renew our commitment to love each day.
It stirs up in us a desire to serve
And to live peaceablely
And enables us together to devote ourselves
to walking in the living traditions of Jesus
to care for the vunerable.

Teach us how to best love one another
through the grace of the Spirit.

Blessed Be!

Leave a comment

Filed under Grace, Holy Spirit, Pentecost

Tagged as , , , ,

July 29, 2013 · 2:38 am

Fathers’ Day- June 2013

Gracious God,

Today is a day to honor the men in our lives
and remember with fondness our fathers
in their best moments
and the lessons learned in their most human moments.

Through these men–
those biological fathers
and those men of grace who’ve stood in the gaps–
we’ve learned what it means to live in community,
and what it means to be human.

Teach us your grace.
Teach us how to best love one another.
Teach us to see the gaps in each other’s lives with love.

It is out of both the fullness and the gaps in our lives
that we give expression to our joys and concerns:

[prayer cards read aloud]

And we acknowledge that there are pleasures so sweet
we can only ponder them in our hears
And pains so deep
they leave us wordless.
Hear those silent prayers as well:

[pause for silent prayer]

Remind us, Lord,
that love is a commitment that must be renewed daily.
It seeks good for the world,
stirs up in us a desire to serve one another
and to live in peace.
It prompts us to devote our time to following the living traditions of Jesus
to welcome the excluded
to tend to those in need
and to fill the gaps.

Blessed be!

Leave a comment

Filed under Fathers' Day, Grace

Tagged as

July 29, 2013 · 2:22 am

Pride Sunday- June 30, 2013

Gracious Spirit,

Today’s gathering is a celebration
of authenticity,
of vulnerability,
of openness,
of love.

Our expressions of hope and joy
as well as our concerns
our desires
our longings
are all part of that celebration.

For we know that true freedoms only exist
when all are free
(and not at the expense of someone else’s freedom).

As such, we lift up the prayers of this congregation:

[prayer cards read aloud]

And for those hopes and concerns
which leave us breathless and speechless,
we lift those up as well:

[pause for silent prayer]

We recognize that love is a commitment that is renewed daily.
It works for good in the world.
It stirs up in us a desire to serve
and to live peaceably.

Open our eyes to the needs which cause a lack of freedom in others
So that we can know how to best love one another.

And devote our days to walking in the living traditions of Jesus
to welcome the excluded
and care for the vulnerable
to work for justice
and rejoice in mercy.

Blessed Be!

Leave a comment

Filed under Freedom, Grace, Homosexuality, Pride

Tagged as , , ,

July 29, 2013 · 2:02 am

A graced community- July 28, 2013

Gracious God,

It is your fellowship
your presence
and the promise of your peace
which draws us together as a community.

And it is in this sense that we are a graced community:
not without our problems or faults
but voluntarily bound by a covenant-
a promise to extend your grace and mercy and presence to each other.

Open our hearts, Lord
Teach us how to best love one another.
Teach us to hear each other’s prayers and hopes.

[prayers of the people read aloud]

And we acknowledge there are prayers
(hopes and joys)
too tender for words.

Hear those prayers as well.

[pause for silent prayer]

Again we ask: teach us how to best love one another.
And remind us
that love is a commitment renewed daily.
All the day long it works for good in the world.
It stirs up in us a desire to serve
and to live peaceably.
And to devote our days to walking in the living traditions of Jesus
to welcome the excluded
and tend to those in need.

This love is committed to justice
and favors mercy
and allows us to continue walking together.

Blessed be!

Leave a comment

Filed under Grace

Tagged as