September '24
15th Sunday after Pentecost
September 1
Please join us for worship this morning at 9:00 a.m. The service will be posted online.
The Prayer of the Day today:
O God our strength,
without you we are weak and wayward creatures.
Protect us from all dangers that attack us from the outside,
and cleanse us from all evil that arises from within ourselves,
that we may be preserved through your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
September 2
Steep us in your story Lord,
that we may live its truth today.
Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
During the pandemic, I had a daily planner called Sacred Ordinary Days. The author of this calendar - and the resources that go with it on her web site - is a person who has found the seasons of the Church calendar to be a (later on life) gift to her faith.
For the 2020 daily calendar, for each day (other than Sundays) she placed at the top of the page a line or two of a prayer from the book: “Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals.” These prayers are inspired by scripture and - it seems to me - the Book of Common Prayer. I trust they can help to shape your thoughts and prayer each day this week.
“Steep us in your story Lord, that we may live its truth today.”
I think that we often fail to take note of the importance of stories in our lives. J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings, once said “Man is a storytelling animal. Therefore God has given him a story to live.”
Yes, we are, and the story of Jesus shapes our lives in God’s grace.
Blessed Labor Day to you and yours, Pastor Phil
Here is a prayer for Labor Day from our hymnal -
Almighty God,
your Son Jesus Christ dignified our labor by sharing our toil.
Guide us with your justice in the workplace,
so that we may never value things above people,
or surrender honor to love of gain or lust for power.
Prosper all efforts to put an end to work that brings no joy,
and teach us how to govern the ways of business to the harm of none
and for the sake of the common good; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
(Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 78)
September 3
If I stand, let me stand on your promise:
when I fall, let me fall on your grace.
Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
Much “religion” is a sort of “if-then” proposition. If you are good, then good things will come your way, you will receive blessings.
The good news of the Gospel, is that your God operates with a “because - therefore” approach. Because God loves you, therefore, God has sent Jesus to make you whole.
It’s not “if - then.” It is “if-when.” What a powerful thing to pray…
“When I fall, let me fall on your grace.”
May you know God’s grace always, when you stand, when you fall, when you are lost, when you are found, when you rise for the day, and when you rest from your labors.
If I stand, let me stand on your promise:
when I fall, let me fall on your grace.
Blessings to you, Pastor Phil
September 4
In the light of the morning Lord:
tune our hearts to sing your praise.
Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
This week I am sharing prayers from the book: “Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals.”
My dad had a joyful way about him. This was, in large part, his God-given upbeat personality. Yet his joy was also shaped by a seeking to praise God for God’s good gifts.
The gift of the Gospel shines forth any time, through any experience of life. Praise of God can give shape to any day, the great days and the difficult days, the sunny and beautiful days, and those days that one might say “the only good thing about it is; ‘it ended.’”
It is not “in spite of” life’s difficulties that God’s love shines forth. God steps into the very midst of every single aspect of your life, with unbounded grace, and unending love.
And so, may we join together in prayer:
In the light of the morning Lord:
tune our hearts to sing your praise.
Peace, Pastor Phil
September 5
Walk with us Lord:
the journey is long.
Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
This week I am sharing prayers from the book:
“Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals,” (2010, Zondervan)
which are included daily in a planner called Sacred Ordinary Days.
In so many chapters of our lives, it is the presence of “God with us”
On that day, and, really, every day - - to pray that our yearnings might draw us to God is powerful.
September 5
Walk with us Lord:
the journey is long.
Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
This week I am sharing prayers from the book:
“Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals,” (2010, Zondervan)
which are included daily in a planner called Sacred Ordinary Days.
In so many chapters of our lives, it is the presence of “God with us” that matters most of all. I remember years ago, reading in a devotional reflection, that the great question of God is not whether there is, or is not, a God, but whether God cares. Indeed, the whole story of Jesus, is the story of God who is Emmanuel, "God with us." (See Matthew chapter 1)
You are in my prayers, Pastor Phil
September 6
Hide us under the shadow of your wing:
and deliver us from fear.
Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
We do not speak very often of “the fear of the Lord.” I know we understand that this sort of fear is reverence and respect and love and humility, but we don’t often use the term. It has seemed off-putting to us. Yet “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” Proverbs tells us. (9:10)
While appropriate fear can help us to be safe and to build a healthy society, one might suggest that fear is most often destructive to community.
Often the prayers of our liturgies ask God to deliver us from fear, echoing the Psalms, which, over and over, speak of God’s protection. I wonder if embracing “fear of the Lord” can help us to be a little less afraid of so many other things that occupy our minds, and distract us from God’s goodness. Fear of the Lord can call us to justice and love, and send us forth to live the full life God intends for all.
Hide us under the shadow of your wing:
and deliver us from fear.
God be with you today, Pastor Phil
September 7
You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
James 2:8
Here is a prayer suggested on a Disciples liturgy web site, blessings to you this Saturday! Pastor Phil
We come to you, O God of wonder, because you first came to us.
You have known us long before we came into this world,
and you have searched for a relationship with us
and with all your children.
Draw us back into the wonder
of searching for a deeper connection with you.
And in that searching,
may we come to better know ourselves as we truly are,
and as you would want us to be.
This we pray through Christ our Lord.
Amen
16th Sunday after Pentecost
September 8
Worship this morning at 9:00 a.m. I hope you can join!
The service will be posted online, click here. https://www.trinitylutheransheridan.org/16-pent-september-8-24
Gracious God, throughout the ages you transform sickness into health and death into life. Open us to the power of your presence, and make us a people ready to proclaim your promises to the whole world, through Jesus Christ, our healer and Lord. Amen.
September 9
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right…
Galatians 6:9a
This week I will be posting some (edited) devotions from past years.
Here is a great line from one of my favorite theologians, Gustaf Wingren.
Freedom is rooted and grounded in service
and whenever we try to define what freedom means in daily life
we are brought back to this,
i.e. to service.
Wingren, Gospel and Church
Let us give thanks for our freedom every day, and serving God in all that we do, let us rejoice that we have been included in God’s love for God’s creation.
Blessings to you, Pastor Phil
September 10
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right…
Galatians 6:9a
Among my favorite things written by Martin Luther is his treatise; “Freedom of a Christian”. (Published in 1520.)
The great popularity of the Reformation was more than an overthrow of an oppressive Church, it was a clarion call to live out our faith every day, in love toward our family and neighbors, in harmony with our world…
“Christians live not in themselves, but in Christ and in their neighbor.
Otherwise they are not Christians.
They live in Christ through faith, in their neighbor through love.”
– Martin Luther, “Freedom of a Christian” (LW 31, 371)
Peace, Pastor Phil
September 11
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
Psalm 118:5 RSV
It is September 11. 9/11.
As we recall those emergency workers who rushed to the help in New York City on that sad day, now 23 years ago, let us pray for present day emergency workers seeking to help those affected by war and disasters, as well as emergency workers serving those affected by wildfires and other challenges. Let us give thanks for those who serve our communities, seeking to care for us all.
On this day of remembrance, may we be grateful for all God's gifts, and may we do the things the serve God's peace in the world.
Blessings to you,
Pastor Phil
Here is a Prayer for Emergency Workers
from our hymnal, Evangelical Lutheran Worship -
God of earth and air,
water and fire,
height and depth,
we pray for those who work in danger,
who rush in to bring hope and help and comfort
when others flee to safety,
whose mission is to seek and save,
serve and protect,
and whose presence
embodies the protection of the Good Shepherd.
Give them caution and concern for one another,
so that in safety they may do what must be done,
under your watchful eye.
Support them in their courage and dedication
that they may continue to save lives, ease pain,
and mend the torn fabric of lives and social order;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
ELW Page 85
September 12
But now thus says the LORD,
he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine…”
Isaiah 43:1
Wired magazine posted an article from the book; “How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion.”
Dr. David DeSteno, a psychology professor, says that research shows that religious rituals can be proven to help people psychologically. He says: “When it comes to finding ways to help people deal with life's challenges, it would be strange if thousands of years of religious thought didn’t have something to offer.”
He admits that it was a matter of hubris that he and his colleagues were surprised by these findings. He concludes from his research that people can benefit from some religious rituals, even without any belief in God.
I wonder what we might think of that.
Worship and prayer can be proven to be good for our psychological health. That is nice, but I suspect we’d all see this as a supplemental gift.
The reason we worship, the reason we pray, is that God has called us by name, and in response to this great Good News we live our lives in relationship with the one who has created us.…
Pax, Pastor Phil
September 13
[Jesus] was praying in a certain place,
and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, teach us to pray…”
Luke 11:1
Here is a quite interesting quote about prayer. This is from Eugene Peterson, whom Wikipedia says; “was an American Presbyterian minister, scholar, theologian, author, and poet.” His best known work was a paraphrase of the Bible called; “The Message.”
“Prayer is not a way in which we order things;
it is a way in which we become ordered.
The primary action in prayer comes from God,
and more often than not
God does not act in ways that we can duplicate,
often not even recognize at the time.”
Eugene Peterson
The surprising, non-duplicate-able ways of God speak of God’s desire to love you and be with you always.
I wish you a blessed weekend, Pastor Phil
September 14
Here is a prayer based on tomorrow’s Gospel reading:
Peace, Pastor Phil
THE GOSPEL
Mark 8:27-35
“But who do you say that I am?”
Jesus,
you ask us
over and over,
“Who do you say
that I am?”
Show us who you are.
In every joy, hold us close.
In every sorrow, take our hands.
Then we will know you well,
love you well.
Bearing up your cross will not be so hard
if you are there with us,
holding us
close.
Copyright © 2024, Anne M. Osdieck. All rights reserved.
Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.
17th Sunday after Pentecost
September 15
Worship this morning at 9:00 a.m. I hope you can join!
The service will be posted online, click here. https://www.trinitylutheransheridan.org/17-pent-september-15-24
The Prayer of the Day
O God,
through suffering and rejection you bring forth our salvation,
and by the glory of the cross you transform our lives.
Grant that for the sake of the gospel
we may turn from the lure of evil,
take up our cross,
and follow your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
September 16
[Jesus] asked them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah."
Mark 8:29
My friend and seminary classmate, Pastor Brian Malison wrote the Luther Seminary God Pause devotions last week. We were on vacation, and so I had not seen them until I was trying to catch up here a bit.
I would like to post his reflection on yesterday’s Gospel text for you today:
Devotion
Do you think Peter was really that smart? Or do you think he stumbled upon the right answer despite himself? If you have ever taught confirmation classes, you know that “tween-agers” might get the right answer, but often they have no idea of the depth or complexity of their response.
In Mark Jesus doesn’t praise Peter for his “confession,” but instead launches into the sordid details of his Messianic purpose. No wonder Peter was affronted; nothing Jesus said fit his expectation.
But that’s the point, right? Peter had to learn a deeper meaning to his initial response.
Aren’t we all a little like Peter?
It might be best to say that our confessions of faith are equally confessions of sin. We might say the right words but fail to really believe or understand the implications of them. Perhaps we might say along with the father in Mark 9, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”
Prayer
Holy God, the mysteries of your works and ways are beyond my comprehension, but grant that I might have a belief that is rooted in your grace and goodness. Amen.
Brian Malison '87 M.Div.
Retired, Visalia, California
May the grace of God guide your believing, and bring healing to the places of your unbelief.
Blessings, Pastor Phil
September 17
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Romans 12:15
I want to again thank you for your prayers and support as we have mourned the loss of my brother Marv. We had a very good service for him a week ago, and we shared blessed time with family and loved ones in Minnesota.
I took a look at some previous Connections - and almost 3 years ago I quoted from the book “Prayer in the Night” by Episcopal priest, Tish Harrison Warren. She reflects on the Christian life using as her framework, a prayer from the liturgy for the close of the day, Compline.
The prayer begins:
“Keep watch, dear Lord,
with those who work,
or watch, or weep this night…”
Pastor Harrison Warren says that taken together, working and watching and weeping are a way to endure the mystery of life’s difficulties and God’s place in it all.
She says:
“They are a faithful response to our shared human tragedy - but only when we hold all three together, giving space and energy to each, both as individuals and as a church.” pg. 74-75
There is a lot there.
A lot.
I especially like the suggestion that we are called to respond together. I think that many of us would say that we often do a very good job of of this, (but we rarely mention it.)
This has been a powerful thing for me - the ways so many of you Trinity friends have shared grief with me.
We might be wise to remind one another that a good part of being Church - is simply weeping together, watching for God’s presence together, bearing one another’s burdens, and so, fulfilling the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)
The peace of Christ be with you, Pastor Phil
September 18
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
Psalm 122:1
In an essay published years ago, (Faith Practices, Faith Lives: A Lutheran perspective on faith practices) theologian and teacher, Dr. Martha Stortz wrote about how practices like prayer and worship, caring for one another and generosity are habits that help to shape us as God’s people.
Here are the opening lines of this essay:
“Are you a practicing Christian?”
a friend asked in the course of a conversation.
“No,” I laughed, “I got it right the first time.”
The truth is that I need all the practice I can get.
“Getting it right” is exactly the wrong way to think about faith.
Faith is more a matter of “being got” than “getting it.”
American philosopher of religion H. Richard Niebuhr put it this way:
“We sought a good to love and were found by a good that loved us.”
The words of the hymn “Amazing Grace” put this truth to music:
“I once was lost, but now am found....”
May our practices help us to grow in grace and love. Pastor Phil
September 19
“I was naked and you clothed me.”
Matthew 25:36 (ESV)
I really liked this devotion by Mary Luti, a seminary professor and
pastor and excellent writer. I’ve shared devotions she has written with you before. She writes for the UCC daily devotional as part of what is sometimes called “The Still Speaking Writer’s Group.”
We used this at our Council meeting the other night, and now I would like you to engage with her marvelous reflection:
Clothing - Mary Luti
“I was naked and you clothed me.” - Matthew 25:36 (ESV)
The usual way most of us clothe Jesus is by donating our used things to thrift stores or by buying something new for the church’s winter coat drive or by giving money to agencies that help neighbors who’ve been left naked in the world by hardship and injustice.
But we can clothe Jesus in other ways, too. So many ways.
Like when someone uncovers their weakness or sin to us, and we wrap them in mercy, healing, and peace. Or when someone comes to us stripped down to their hard-won truth, and we adorn them with affirmation and dignity. Or when someone lays bare to us their deepest fear, their suffering, need, or shame, and we don’t leave them exposed, but clothe them with presence, cloak them in love.
Harvard Divinity School professor, Stephanie Paulsell, writes movingly about a time when she was naked. After losing a cherished pregnancy, she couldn’t work, read, or pray. But she could talk:
“I wore out my friends,” she says, “especially Kay. The year before, Kay had left behind job, salary and colleagues to spend a year in prayer and silence. Violating her solitude again and again, I cried on the phone, ‘I am so depressed I can’t even pray. I try to pray, but I can’t.’ A few days later, a package arrived from Kay. It contained a simple beige jumper and a note that read, ‘I have prayed in this dress every day for a year. You don’t have to pray. Just wear it. It is full of prayers.’”
“I did wear that dress,” Paulsell goes on. “I wore it and wept in it and cried out Why? to God in it. I let the prayers in that dress pray for me when my mouth was full of ashes. And when I became pregnant again, I continued to wear that dress.”
So many ways.
Prayer
Jesus, when did we see you naked and clothe you?
Isn’t that nice? You can subscribe to the UCC daily devotion click here.
Peace, Pastor Phil
Here is the bio for Pastor Luti provided with the devotional.
Mary Luti is a long time seminary educator and pastor, author of Teresa of Avila’s Way and numerous articles, and founding member of The Daughters of Abraham, a national network of interfaith women’s book groups.
September 20
Jesus sat down, called the twelve, and said to them,
“Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”
Mark 9:35
On Sunday we will hear as Jesus lays out what true greatness looks like. I ran across this line from theologian Dr. George Forell, (Luther scholar, teacher of the Church and wonderful theologian) and it seems to speak to our Gospel reading this Sunday
To be a Christian means to belong to a community. Just as in the New Testament the term "saint" does not occur in the singular but always in the plural, so it is impossible to be a Christian in splendid isolation.
. . . Indeed, we are called to community but the community which God's call establishes is a community for the world. The church exists not for itself but for the service of the world. We belong to the church only if we lose ourselves in service to humankind.
-George Forell “How to speak about God in a Pluralistic World”
May we continue to faithfully respond to our call to exist “for the service of the world.”
Blessings to you this weekend, Pastor Phil
September 21
...they were silent,
for on the way
they had argued with one another
who was the greatest.
Mark 9:34
A prayer grounded in tomorrow’s Gospel reading.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
THE GOSPEL
If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all
and the servant of all.
Who is greatest?
Who is first?
Jesus,
you were born in a stable
needing everything,
having only
love.
Then you were on the cross,
needing eveything,
having no
life.
Yet
you are
greatest of all.
You taught the disciples
as you journeyed through Galilee.
Teach us too.
To love you.
To care for your children, to serve your poor,
to welcome the immigrant,
to free the prisoner.
Lord, we ask you,
give us only
your
grace.
Copyright © 2024, Anne M. Osdieck. All rights reserved.
Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.
18th Sunday after Pentecost
September 22
Worship this morning at 9:00 a.m. I hope you can join!
The service will be posted online.
The Prayer of the Day
O God, our teacher and guide,
you draw us to yourself and welcome us as beloved children.
Help us to lay aside all envy and selfish ambition,
that we may walk in your ways of wisdom and understanding
as servants of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
September 23
May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
Pastor Mark Donald, the Director of Christikon, our Bible Camp, has taken a call to serve a congregation in San Diego. As a member of the Christikon Board of Directors, I served as the MC of a thank you gathering in Billings yesterday.
In addition to picking on him a bit, I shared a quote from Pastor Mark - something he said in his annual report a number of years ago. I found it striking, and I set his words aside.
As Mark talked about our camp’s work with kids, he said this:
“The world needs us,
we who look hopefully towards the future.”
I like that for all sorts of reasons.
Perhaps most of all as a reminder that this is who we are. People who look hopefully towards the future.
I could go on for several paragraphs at this point. I encourage you to reflect on the hope you bear.
May we all abound in hope in our believing!
Pastor Phil
September 24
[Jesus said]
Whoever is not against us is for us.
Mark 9:40
We will hear more from the 9th chapter of Mark on Sunday. The disciples turn to Jesus, upset that a man was casting out demons in Jesus’ name, but not following the disciples.
They must have been a bit surprised when Jesus did not share their concern.
I have a suspicion that during this political season, one could do a lot worse than adopt this saying of Jesus. “Whoever is not against us is for us.”
May we rejoice together, in all the many people around, who are “for us”!
Peace, Pastor Phil
September 25
Are any among you suffering? They should pray.
Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.
James 5:13
This coming Sunday will be the fifth week of hearing from the book of James. I appreciate the insight that James is a book from the Wisdom tradition. It is more wise advice, than proclamation of the Good News of the Gospel.
“Are any among you suffering? They should pray…” This truly is wise advice. Of course, even if you are not suffering, you should pray.
I mention often that I have set aside many, many quotes. Some are funny, some are profound, and some really make me think.
One quote I recall concludes: “We pray in order to pray.”
The more I think about this, I believe I will look it up and share the entire piece…
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said that prayer is:
“not for occasional use, a refuge to resort to now and then. It is rather like an established residence for the innermost self. All things have a home; the bird has a nest, the fox has a hole, the bee has a hive. A soul without prayer is a soul without a home."
Rabbi Heschel also said that while prayer "serves to partake of God's mysterious grace and guidance," we do not pray to achieve anything. Rather, "We pray in order to pray."
That is wise indeed.
Blessings, Pastor Phil
September 26
[Jesus said]
“For truly I tell you,
whoever gives you a cup of water to drink
because you bear the name of Christ
will by no means lose the reward.”
Mark 9:41
The 9th chapter of Mark has some striking passages.
Jesus addresses his disciples and he makes seemingly outrageous suggestion. The disciples see themselves as the righteous ones, and some other guy is a problem because he does not follow the disciples.
In his response, Jesus, speaking hyperbolically of course, says that in their quest for perfection, they may need to cut off their hand or foot or eye.
At the same time, in acts of generosity, simply sharing a cup of cold water has eternal rewards.
It seems that in the end, Jesus is nudging us to the “acts of mercy club” over the “Be ye righteous society.”
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
September 27
[Jesus said]
“Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it?
Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."”
Mark 9:50
Sometimes, a Bible verse will strike me as quite meaningful, but I am not entirely sure of what that meaning is.
Here is a nice, maybe even a little bit playful reflection on Mark 9:50:
So many kinds of salt (Mark 9:38-50) - by Pastor Rachael Keefe
Have you noticed how many different kinds of salt exist? Up until last year I never paid much attention to salt. I didn’t use it in cooking or baking and only noticed it when I wanted it for French fries or if I’d mistakenly purchased potato chips without salt.
That changed when I was told I needed to be on a high-sodium diet for medical reasons.
Suddenly that old blue canister of salt was the least appealing of my options. I discovered sea salt. Then black and pink and gray sea salt. Then smoked salt and flavored salt. Salt in chunks both large and small; finely ground salt and coarsely ground salt. My salt options were suddenly numerous. And it’s taken me more than a year to figure out just what kind of salt I most enjoy. It’s been a surprising adventure.
I can’t help but think about the many containers of salt in my cabinet when I read the end of this Mark text (9:50): “Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” What if they all stopped being salty? Or what if all their distinct flavors became indistinct? What if they somehow became discontent with their job of sitting on my shelf and enabling me to increase my daily sodium intake, and they started to fight with each other? I can’t help but see this mess of salt that is no longer salt.
Jesus wasn’t referring to my salt collection when he spoke to his disciples. But it’s what I picture when I read this text. I see the church as all the different kinds of salt. You see where I’m going, don’t you? It doesn’t matter if you are the old blue canister of iodized salt or if you are regular sea salt or smoked salt or salt of a different color. You can’t shove one off the shelf or stop being salty. You are salt. I am salt. We have a job to do. To do it best we have to recognize our own saltiness and the saltiness of those who share the shelf. Then we have to live in peace with one another.
Wouldn’t it be great if the church went on a high-sodium diet and we learned to value every variety of salt for what it contributes to the sacred palate?
Rachael Keefe - pastor of Living Table, United Church of Christ in Minneapolis. Christian Century, September 28, 2018
Blessings to you this weekend, Pastor Phil
September 28
Here is a prayer grounded in tomorrow’s Gospel reading:
O God,
whose hand shelters the just and righteous,
and whose favor rests on the lowly,
banish hypocrisy from our hearts and purify us of all selfish ambition.
Let your word sown among us bring forth a harvest of peace.
We ask this through Christ,
with whom you have raised us up in baptism,
the Lord who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.
From Prayers for Sunday and Seasons, Year B, Peter J. Scagnelli, LTP, 1992.
19th Sunday after Pentecost
September 29
I hope you can join us in worship today.
REMINDER - NOISY OFFERING TODAY!
The service will be posted online. Here is the Prayer of the Day
Generous God, your Son gave his life
that we might come to peace with you.
Give us a share of your Spirit,
and in all we do empower us
to bear the name of Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord. Amen.
September 30
Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.
James 5:14
The journal Christian Century had a nice essay by pastor Nanette Sawyer, reflecting on James, and our call to pray for one another. I thought I would share that with you as we finish the month of September.
“The prayer of faith will save the sick.” So much suffering has been created by the application of this verse. Many people have entered grief with fear and guilt in their hearts—that their faith was not strong enough to save their loved one from death. This scripture is meant to be encouraging. And yet it is so human of us to turn it against ourselves, or against those around us, when prayers don’t create the outcome for which we long.
I regularly pray for things that are unlikely to come about quickly, if at all. I pray for world peace. I pray for just resolutions to major geopolitical situations. I pray for reduced gun violence and for equity and fairness between all people. I pray for an end to fake news and for increased understanding between me and my extended family about social issues. I pray that my loved ones will not die.
I don’t pray these things because I expect a miracle like Elijah’s, when it seemed his prayer impacted the clouds and rain. After all, even though the author of James lifts up Elijah as a model, the letter also reminds people to be patient like the farmers are patient when they wait for rain to come in its own time, with the early and the late rains (5:7–8). The fact that the rains will come is described as a sign that God is near. Even the prophets who spoke in the name of God had patience and showed endurance.
There are cycles of existence, and God is with us in them. There is a time for planting and a time for harvesting. There is a time for living and a time for dying. And God is with us, through it all.
The prayers I pray, with heartfelt sincerity for unlikely outcomes, I offer to God with my thoughts, words, and silent reflection in my heart. “Are any among you suffering?” James asks. “They should pray.”
I pray...
I like her insight that we often take a text like this, which is intended to be encouraging, and we "turn it against ourselves."
Remember that in God's invitation to pray, God is extending healing and care and an open hand to a relationship of love.
Blessings to you today, Pastor Phil