April 3, 2022, Prayer of the People, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena

 Prayers of the People, 4.3.22

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Eternal Spirit, LORD of all realms, seen and unseen … 

You are the Alpha and the Omega, 

The beginning and the end.

You are the love that holds us close, 

The grace that sustains our strength.

You are the mercy that sees us through the worst of times, 

The impulse of hope that awakens us to new ideas and fresh possibilities … you help us rethink who we are and what we must do … you guide us all along the way.

Eternal God, we pray this day:

For the poor and the lonely.

For the angry and the frustrated.

For the proud and the powerful

For the tired of body and the broken of spirit.

We pray for ourselves, O God - 

Life doesn’t let us get away with much - we know our frailty, of body and soul; we know the edgier stuff of our life, dear God - we want to be more than we are, and often turn out to be less than we want. Have mercy, we pray, that we might continue to serve you, and be a blessing to our neighbors.

We pray for our families, our friends, our nation.

We pray for our church, and the church around the world.

We pray for Pasadena, Los Angeles, and the nation.

We pray for the women and men of other faith traditions, their priests and imams and rabbis … for those who lead and those who teach … those who serve and those who build.

We pray for the girls and boys who dream and hope and laugh and play … 

Help us all, we pray, to protect the children of the world, so they can grow up into lively and loving human beings, even as they receive from our hands the baton of life, the baton we give to them, to continue the race of life, to keep on running, when our lap is finished.

Help us, we pray, Dear God, to embody the love and purpose of Christ … that we might be the light of the world and the salt of the earth … that we might play a pivotal role in the transformation of our nation’s life - that our words would ring true, our compassion be evident, our wisdom reflect the prophet’s call to justice and peace, that we be bold in our visions, and brave in our actions, kind in our words and deeds, daring to take the next step, to boldly go where’er the Spirit leads.

All of this, dear God, in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

March 27, 2022 Prayer of the People - Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena

With grateful hearts,  Dear God, we gather together in a place we love … a place filled with

history and memories, friendship and faith, learning and much love … a place wherein the call of Christ is proclaimed with joy … the challenges of life are faced with courage. A place, O LORD, you have sanctified with your presence! A place where you have promised to meet us.

We dedicate this moment to the high and holy purpose of Christ - to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives; recovery of sight to the blind; and to let the oppressed go free.

We vow anew, Dear God, to follow Christ where’re he lead … to live his truth, and trust his grace. Deliver us, we pray, from ideas and behaviors that harm our loved ones, and damage our souls. 

With grateful hearts, O God, we pray:

For loved ones, family and friends … for your mercy in all they undertake, your love in every moment, the power of forgiveness to hold them, and the peace of Christ to guard them.

We pray for the leaders of our nation - for the women and men who wear the mantle of politics … we pray that your Holy Spirit will guide their thoughts and frame their words. And may they, one and all, reflect the great ideals of our nation, and the highest ambitions of humanity.

O LORD our God, We pray for the people of Ukraine - surrounded by death and destruction - we pray that the nations of the world will provide adequate support in all regards, and peace will win the day.

We pray for the people of Russia, that the light of truth will help them counter the instincts of war, to find a better pathway to national security and their future.

And here in this blessed moment, we consider ourselves, Dear God - we know so well how fragile we are … we carry burdens no one else can see … we’re often afraid and dispirited … that you should love us is our comfort; that you should hear our prayers, and guide our ways, is our peace.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

March 20, 2022 Prayers of the People - Westminster PC

Prayers of the People, 3.20.22

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Eternal God, to whom we belong.

In mind, body, heart and soul.

We give thanks for the gift of life, the love of Christ, this church, and the present moment in which we find ourselves called, called to live the ways of faith, hope, and love … called to let our light shine, clear and bright … called to grieve the violence and hate all around us, called to celebrate all those who point to the higher way, and live for the sake of others.

With all that we are, Dear God, and all that we hope to be, we set ourselves to the tasks at hand - we pray with all our might that we would further the welfare of our world.

And to that end, Dear God, we lift up our politicians and judges, those whom we have elected to serve the needs of our nation … and we pray for the leaders of the world who now face inordinate challenges, as the dogs of war have once again been unleashed, in a most horrible and hideous way. 

We pray for our own peace of mind, O God, not that we wish to be undisturbed, but rather in our disturbance, we would feel your compassion and your distress - for this is part of what it means to carry our cross - to feel deeply the pains of your world, it’s sorrows and it’s fears, and we will carry our cross, O LORD, as best we can.

We pray, now for our loved ones near and far - we pray for your legions of angels to surround them and keep them safe, in body and soul - we pray for our parents, our children, our grandchildren.

And we pray for our Westminster church - and for the church universal - that women and men of good conscience, girls and boys, will continue to lift up the name of Christ in ways that are constructive and healing.

All of this, in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

I Am a Positive Person

I am a positive person, but I'm no pollyanna.
I see the hand of God, sometimes.
Yet I trust that hand to be there:
All the time.

Yet such does not allay the facts:
Of human bondage born of greed.
CRT is right, awfully right.
So the powerful comfies hate it.

Yes, I'm a positive person.
And that means: informed.
And wary of the evil instincts,
Regnant in the heart conformed.

Your heart, of course. Ha. For sure.
But, alas and alack, mine, too.
Mine, too ... in ferocious quantity.
So I'm no pollyanna.

But stay the course, dear friends, dear friends.
Trust the hand of God even when uncertain.
Be positive, but don't be foolish about reality.
The merciful hand of God is behind the curtain.

Things I Believe, and Things I Love

Per Dr. Heather Cox Richarson, what are the things that I believe with all my heart?

There are theological things, for sure - the love of God, universal salvation, the final outworking of all things ... the reality of sin ... our common creation ... the cross as an image of sacrifice for others, and the empty tomb a vindication of such sacrifice.

There are political things, as well; all of them an outworking of my theological ideas (or is it the other way around? and likely a little of both) ... "one nation, under God," ... but not one religion, or one race ... we are one in our diversity, and diverse in our oneness. I believe in universal health care, the rights of women to choose for their own bodies, including abortion rights; the rights of LGBTQ persons, including marriage equality ... a government that works for the folks on the bottom of the heap (demand side) creates an economy strong for everyone ... because supply-side economics have never worked, except for the already rich.

And believing such things with all my heart gives birth to things that I love dearly:

Art, for example - museums ... a million different ways to capture the world - in paint, clay, marble, fabric, light, iron, plastic, plaster and wood.

Yes, for me, opera ... jazz ... heavy metal ... the blues ... and dance - from ballet to the jitterbug.

I love words - nothing pleases me more than a writer in command of the language - and so I love poetry (e.g. Carl Sandburg), novelists who can take me into another world, historians who probe the past to find the rest of the story, and give expression to the ceaseless yearnings of humanity for a share of life, and a place to call home.

I love things that make noise - thunder and lightening in a dark Oklahoma sky, high rpm engines at Road America, trains in Cajon Pass, and planes taking off from LAX.

And people ... who possess a sense of humor (and that comes in a lotta different forms) ... who can laugh at themselves easily ... and help others to laugh, too.

So, these are some of the things which I believe, and as a consequence, some of things I love.

For such things, I give my thanks, and to such ends, my devotion.

My Anchors of Faith

The LORD’s Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;

and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.


The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic* Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.

Amen.

From the Book of Common Prayer - “Collect for Purity,” slightly changed

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires are known, and from whom no secrets are hid. Cleanse Thou the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that we might more perfectly love Thee and more worthily serve Thee. Through Jesus Christ our LORD we pray. Amen

The Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the LORD is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

No Politics in Religion???

Lord Jesus Christ, son of the Living God, have mercy upon me ... and upon my friends ... and those who slug it out in the trenches of faith and politics ... who know that every statement of faith is chock full of politics, for how we think about God, or try to live with and for God, is nothing but a riff on how we think about this earth, and our neighbor, and the children at the Border.

And that every political claim, made by a fool or a foe, or a friend and a fellow traveler, is a confession of faith, some kind of a "higher" purpose ... wherein gold is god, and power is truth ... or love demands a hearing. Where victory is kindness, and kindness is justice, and justice is the voice of God, noting the blood of the dead crying out from the very earth from which we are all construed.

Someone said to me in a post: let there be no politics in religion.

I thought: What a curious thing to say - and what a deeply political sentiment to express ... I think the writer was saying:

Leave me a lone in my tiny little briar patch of roses and lilies.

I have my thoughts, and that's good enough.

I have my faith, and it's all I want.

Don't trouble me with the Jerusalem way.

The way of Christ who takes upon himself the sins of the world.

The sins of the world, you say?

Well, if you're gonna talk sin, just be sure it's not political.

Keep it general, and I'll confess my sin morning, noon, and night.

I love to confess my sin.

As long as I don't have to specify in detail.

So, preacher, forget the politics.

Just preach faith.

My faith.

My little briar patch, with its roses and lilies.

Where I'm comfortable.

Even as I quietly bleed.