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. 

Advent with Pademic

 We wait four weeks as we advent to Christmas.

But haven't we been waiting since last March?

For something?  For relief?   For a time without masks?  For an embrace? 

We wait some more.

In the new year a vaccine will come to save us.

Some were not saved.  Some did not make it to this day.

From my friend Bob ...

Some . . too many are not here today.

There is deep sorrow in this coming, this advent.

And deep darkness along this path to light.

We have tilted, with the planet, into longer nights and shorter days.

Into deeper dark and thinner light. 

Why is this Advent different from earlier Advents?

Advent in pandemic.

Pandemic before, during and beyond Advent.

In the dark, death stalking.

In the dark, we long for light.

Maybe this Advent is different from other Advents

  because we are engulfed by more darkness than ever before.

Maybe this Advent is unique because our yearning for light

  and love is as close as and as distant as an embrace, a cure.

Even one small flickering candle will do. 

A wave across the distance. 

Since last March

A light at the end of four weeks 

A birth of someone

A coming to us

An embrace

A welcome like we've never known before

Not Surprised!

Why am I not surprised?

In our first crisis, the Revolution, a good chunk of the "nation" chose to stay with Great Britain.

In our second crisis, the Civil War, a good chunk of the nation wanted to undo it, in order to keep slavery.

In our third crisis, the Great Depression, a good chunk of the nation hated FDR, hated SS, hated everything and anything government did for the people.

Now, in our fourth crisis, a good chunk of the nation still wants a king, desperately wants to keep POC in "their place," and despises the government doing anything for anyone - except the rich and white evangelicals.

I'm not surprised ...

But it's very disappointing!

That in all the 400 years we've been in formation, we've not moved beyond this division, that a good chunk of the nation is still more than happy to undo the nation in order to create their version of a "free land" - harsh, violent, white, evangelical, non-cooperative, militaristic, and aggressive.

Not surprising, but so very disappointing.

A Little Help - from Wine?

A glass or two or more
of Ampelos Wine
feeling good
fine

It's a good world
Oh yes, I know
all the junk
plenty

There's lots of sadness
and suffering
and hurt and
pain

But I'm not giving up
I'm not turning away
I'll press on with
hope

Does the wine help?
Perhaps it does
But who doesn't need, now and then, some
help?