1.22.23 Prayer of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

The turn of a page,

The twist of an age.

Time runs on.

And the day is won.

O LORD our God.

Good is your name.

And faithful you are.

In love the same.

We cannot be but who we are.

Along the road ever so far.

You are the faithful companion.

In canyons dark and shining mountain.

With gates of gold.

Laughter never old.

Hope and light.

Shining bright.

Stir our hearts this day dear God.

Bring to life our weary sod.

Lift us to our feet, we pray.

To dance and sing and ever sway.

For the sake of love and all the folk.

We claim the story of Christ our hope.

The light of the world.

A peace unfurled.

Bless us, we pray, to stay the way.

In faith, and hope, and never betray.

The truth, the life, that belongs to all.

And grows large and never grows small.

For our loved ones we offer up our hearts.

That life in all of its fits and starts.

Will be good and light.

And faithfully right.

And for our blighted and struggling world.

We lift our hearts and reach for a word.

To sing a song of praise and peace.

For all the children, that war may cease.

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. 

10.2.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

Eternal God, you have given us the light of Christ, that we might find our way through a difficult and troubling world … that we might: face the day with courage … bear patiently the trials of life … serve Christ as best we can, trusting that our efforts are important to you … that you are pleased when we try to follow Christ … pleased, when we pray and seek the truth … pleased, when we look upon our world with kindly eyes and generous hearts … pleased, when we reach for the highest of human dreams, and stand with our better angels …

We pray, O God, for those who have lost so much in the recent hurricane … we give thanks for the resources of our nation - the Coast Guard, FEMA, government agencies, and rescue workers wading through the waters … help us, O God, to join hands and hearts in the recovery effort, to be one nation in mercy and charity.

We pray for those near and dear to us, our families, our friends … we pray, as well, for the whole world … even as people of good conscience and faith are in prayer with us … because your Holy Spirit moves across the face of the earth, touching every heart with love and hope and peace … for such is your glory, O God .. such is your goodness … such is your covenantal presence in the whole of creation … at work in all things for good.

Day-by-day, O LORD, create within us hearts of gratitude … to give thanks for the good things of life, remind us to pause now and then and count our blessings … to walk on the sunny side of the street … and when we’re in the valley of shadows, O God, speak tenderly to our soul … when life lays heavy upon us, when fears take hold and courage wavers, hold our hands, and comfort us with your Holy Spirit.

Remind us, O God, there is nothing in life or in death that can separate us from your great love in Christ Jesus our LORD. Here and now, then and there, we belong to you.

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. 

9.25.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

Eternal God, always our father, forever our mother … source of light, wellspring of love … alpha and omega, the beginning and the end … 

All glory, laud, and honor to you, dear God … our praise, thanksgiving, and hope … in the company of Christ, led by your Holy Spirit, we are your people, in this place, and for these times.

We take up our cross of care and service, with gratitude and with reluctance … bless our gratitude and deepen it, we pray … manage our reluctance that it not win the day.

In such times, O God, times of uncertainty … competing narratives, truth and lies commingled, power worshipped, glitz and glamour overwhelming our capacities to think.

By your Holy Spirit, dear God, help us to maintain our balance … keep up our spiritual health and that of our bodies … give to us , we pray, the discernment of the Prophets, the passion of Moses, the wisdom of Solomon, and the focus of Christ.

We pray for our Food Pantry … giving thanks that we can make a difference for people who are food insecure … for whom life is difficult and sometimes dangerous.

We pray for our communities, O LORD, our government leaders, our schools and teachers, our police forces and firefighters … a host of people who protect and guide us … public servants for the common good.

We pray for loved ones, dear God … keep them safe in their comings and goings … where there is illness, provide relief and healing … where there is death, grant the comfort of Christ … where there is despair, O God, grant the light of hope … where there is conflict and anger, give refreshment of spirit, and a new determination to build a better world.

Help us, O God, to fulfill our purpose, in this life, and for the life to come … to be servants of love, to create hope and peace, to seek what’s best in the human story, and that which is eternally true, and forever good.

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 Against ...

I am against The Wall.
I am against Liars and Cheats.
I am against Maggot Hats.

I am against private white schools.
Even Catholic ones.

I am against private schools that
Bar LGBTQ teachers and make life
Miserable for LGBTQ students.

I am against bigotry and hate
Claiming "just being Christian."
Such is nothing less than a baldfaced lie.
A heresy of incommensurable evil.

As I oppose such things, dark and wicked.
Mindless and malevolent;

I stand up for:
LGBTQ rights, across the board.
A woman's right to choose, in all matters of health.

Transgender rights.
Voter Rights.
Free birth control.
Sex education.
Fully funded public education.
All across the board.

I am for freedom of thought and religion.
For Equal Opportunity.
Equal wages for women.
Universal Heath Care.
Higher taxes on the upper crust.

Taxes are nothing more than the ancient
Art of Alms-giving.
The redistribution of wealth.
To help the poor.
And save the souls of the rich.

I am for fresh air and clean water.
Clear skies and job training.
For safe food.
And unions.

For all the things that make life good.
For all of God's creatures.
Great and Small.

I do this from the heart of my being.
My faith in God.
And the work of Christ.
Who fed the hungry.
Confronted the pious.
Tweaked the noses of the proud.
Refused Pilate's mindless chatter.
Freely expressed his doubts and fears.

And in ways never to be understood.
Came through death to life.
And with the angels, rolled away the stone.

I believe these things because they speak of love.
Of hope and faith.

And that's why I oppose the shenanigans
Of the power-hungry.
And elements of the Christian Family who are
Flat-out wrong, or so I think, and so I believe.
It's not the first time that Christians are wrong.
Nor the last.

And perhaps I'm wrong, too.
And if I am, so be it.
I can only be here and how.
With what I have, and what I hope.
And the way I see it.

By the Spirit, by reading and prayer.
In the company of good friends.
I do my best.
To honor what is best in the human story.
God's story, too.
From Cradle to Cross.
From Genesis to Revelations.
From the Tree of Life to the healing of the nations.

Prayer for the Day

Prayer for the Day ...

O Thou who art the source of all ...
Whose word creates the substance and the storm,
The moment and the motion,
The span of life and all of love ...
Unto whom we all belong,
In life and in death,
Body and soul,
Here, there and everywhere ...

In times of distress, you speak tenderly to our wary hearts.
When all seems lost, you anchor us in your eternity.
When love blossoms, you laugh with us and feel the joy ... of hope and pleasure, desire and dreams ...

In life, you are a guiding light, and sometimes the luminous darkness of unknowing and wandering ...

In death, you are the final comfort, the beckoning hand, that welcomes and in some strange way, rewinds the clock ...

That which is lost is found.
That which is blind is given sight.

The bound and the broken are released.
The fearful and fatigued are taken in your hand.

When it's dark and cold, Christ is born.
When hateful powers seek his life, escape is made
He's baptized and tested.
Asks a woman for a drink.
Welcomes Mary as a disciple, much to the distress of her bothered sister and to the amazement of the men.

With him, O God, we walk.
We talk and we wonder ... and follow.
As best we can ... with halting steps and faltering faith.
But in faith, as it is, with steps as they are, we reach for the Kingdom of faith, hope and love.

And maybe, O God, we have some tables to overturn, and we'll do it ... fearful maybe, but we'll do it.

As best we can.

Amen!

Advent Prayer - Centering Ourselves in Christ

Advent Prayer – Centering Ourselves in Christ

Teach us, we pray, to walk with Christ more intently and more easily.

To walk with him in the ways of our lives.

In the best of times and in the worst.

When laughter comes quickly and when tears flow deeply.

Teach us, we pray, to hear the words of Christ.

To abide in them and ponder their meaning.

Making his words our words.

Learning from them how to live and how to love.

Teach us, we pray, to share Christ.

By the words of faith we share with others.

By the justice we pursue.

By the grace of open arms and the power of an open mind.

Teach us, we pray, to love Christ all the more.

To seek our salvation in his glory.

In the wonder of his cross and the mystery of the empty tomb.

For in him, dear God, you have given us life, here and now and forever.

Teach us, we pray, that Christ would be our all-in-all.

In his name, and for his sake. Amen!

A Peacemaker Implant

A friend of mine is having a pacemaker implanted. My friend will have a simple outpatient procedure – he’ll be home in no time, and up and running, good as new.

This morning, I turned to a blog and read a headline – about a peacemaker, but I read pacemaker instead, until I read it again, and then I thought – that’s a thought worth writing about!

Every time we read our Bible, every time we invite Christ into our hearts, every time we gather with God’s people in the solidarity of worship and work, God does a procedure – God implants a peacemaker so that our heart can beat regularly in rhythm with Christ, the Prince of Peace.

Our greatest need is for peace – in all dimension: for the world, for our communities and neighborhoods, for our homes, schools and places of work, and perhaps most importantly, deep within our spirit – the peace that only Christ can give (John 14:27), a peace that surpasses every version offered by the world (Philippians 4:7).

My friend would never think of trying to implant a pacemaker by himself. A do-it-yourself project would be foolish and dangerous. Nor is the Peace of Christ a do-it-yourself project – we can only do it in the company of others, in the fellowship of faith, with good instruction and mutual prayers. Do not try this at home!

If my friend can step into the doctor’s office and be on his way home again in an hour or two, the implantation of a peacemaker for our heart is life-long process wherein we constantly surrender our life to Christ, constantly pray for the Holy Spirit, constantly read our Bibles and continually learn more about God. The invitation to follow Jesus is not for a few days, a year or two, or even the duration of this life, but forever, in season and out of season, when we feel like and when we don’t.

And why do we do this? Because we’re descendents of Seth in a world of crass opportunism, empty promises and the silly and violent boasting of Lamech (see Genesis 4:23).

For the sake of the world, we go to our Good Physician for a peacemaker implant – to keep alive the greatest reality – the truth that sets us free from pretense and fruitless quests - the steadfast love of God - the rock of our life, the immovable foundation – our hope and our peace!

Christ within us – he’s our peacemaker. And with our implant, we step into the world, our homes and communities, and we bring a modicum of peace to others. I’ll add my share; you’ll add your share, and together we’ll change the world.

What did Jesus say? “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).