Archive for the ‘March 27’ Category
Above: Pentecost Dove
Image Scanned from a Church Bulletin
The Fulfillment of the Promise of Easter
MAY 27, 2023
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Exodus 19:1-9 or Acts 2:1-11
Psalm 33:12-22 (LBW) or Psalm 130 (LBW) or Psalm 98 (LW)
Romans 8:14-17, 22-27
John 7:37-39a
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Almighty and ever-living God,
you fulfilled the promise of Easter
by sending your Holy Spirit to unite the races and nations on earth
and thus to proclaim your glory.
Look upon your people gathered in prayer,
open to receive the Spirit’s flame.
May it come to rest in our hearts
and heal the divisions of word and tongue,
that with one voice and one song
we may praise your name in joy and thanksgiving;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 23
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O God, on this day you once taught the hearts of your faithful people
by sending a right understanding in all things
and evermore to rejoice in his holy consolation;
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you in communion with the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982)
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The Episcopal, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic traditions provide for the Vigil of Pentecost, a service I have never had the opportunity to attend. Page 227 of The Book of Common Prayer (1979) contains a rubric regarding the vigil. The Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), Lutheran Worship (1982), and Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006) offer collects and readings for the Vigil of Easter. The Lutheran Service Book (2006), which offers no collects in the pew edition, includes readings for this vigil.
The Vigil of Pentecost was popular during the Middle Ages. It was one of the favored occasions for baptism. Continental Protestant reformers rejected this vigil in the 1500s; they restored the liturgical primacy of Sunday.
Yet here we are, with Lutherans approving the celebration of the Vigil of Pentecost. Liturgical renewal, blessed by thy name!
The theme of unity carries over from the readings for the preceding Sunday. The faith community gathers in expectation of the fulfillment of divine promises, including the “promise of Easter,” to quote the collect from the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978).
God is the central actor, despite the anthropocentric tendencies of much of human theology. That God is central should cause much thanksgiving and place human egos in proper context.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 26, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM COWPER, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT ADELARD OF CORBIE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND ABBOT; AND HIS PROTÉGÉ, SAINT PASCAHSIUS RADBERTUS, FRANKISH ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, AND THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF ROBERT HUNT, FIRST ANGLICAN CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA
THE FEAST OF RUGH BYLLESBY, EPISCOPAL DEACONESS IN GEORGIA
THE FEAST OF SAINT STANISLAW KUBITSA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1940; AND SAINT WLADYSLAW GORAL, POLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP AND MARTYR, 1945
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM STRINGFELLOW, EPISCOPAL ATTORNEY, THEOLOGIAN, AND SOCIAL ACTIVIST
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Judas Iscariot, by James Tissot
Image in the Public Domain
Judas Iscariot
MARCH 27, 2024
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 70:1-2 4-6 (LBW) or Psalm 18:21-30 (LW)
Romans 5:6-11
Matthew 26:14-25
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Almighty God, your Son our Savior suffered at the hands of men
and endured the shame of the cross.
Grant that we may walk in the way of his cross
and find it the way of life and peace;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 20
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Merciful and everlasting God the Father,
who did not spare your only Son
but delivered him up for us all that he might bear our sins on the cross;
grant that our hearts may be so fixed with steadfast faith in our Savior
that we may not fear the power of any adversaries;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 43
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In context, Isaiah 50:4-9a is an odd lection to read on this Sunday. The speaker–the prophet/servant (Second Isaiah)–is pious yet merely human, therefore, sinful. He believes that the suffering of the exiles during the Babylonian Exile has been justified. Yet he also anticipates the divine vindication of that exiled population, for the glory of God. Applying this reading to sinless Jesus (who suffered an unjust execution as an innocent man) requires astounding theological gymnastics.
Judas Iscariot played an essential role in a divine plan. The writers of the four canonical Gospels portrayed him negatively, for one major obvious reason. The Gospel of John added that Judas was an embezzler (John 12:6). Despite all this, Judas was not outside the mercy of God. And he had not committed the unpardonable sin–blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:32; Mark 3:28; Luke 12:10). Judas may have thought that he knew what he was doing, but he did not. Recall Luke 23:24, O reader:
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
—The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
I do not pretend to know the ultimate fate of Judas Iscariot. I am not God. I do, however, repeat my position that the only people in Hell are those who have condemned themselves. God sends nobody to Hell. Divine mercy and judgment exist in a balance I cannot grasp, for I am not God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 12, 2022 COMMON ERA
HOLY TUESDAY
THE FEAST OF HENRY SLOANE COFFIN, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR; AND HIS NEPHEW, WILLIAM SLOANE COFFIN, JR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND SOCIAL ACTIVIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT DAVID URIBE-VELASCO, MEXICAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1927
THE FEAST OF SAINT JULIUS I, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZENO OF VERONA, BISHOP
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Clarke County Jail, Athens, Georgia
Image Source = Google Earth
God is Watching Us
MARCH 27, 2022
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Hosea 11:1-11
Psalm 105
Colossians 3:1-11
John 18:15-27
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God is a like a loving father in Hosea 11:1-11. The people of Israel and Judah are like a perpetually rebellious son in that passage. Not only does God call for the people (plural) to repent in Hosea 1:1-11, but God also repents of destructive plans. Mercy follows judgment.
In context, those collective, persistent sins involved committing idolatry and treating human beings badly. Authors in both the Old and New Testaments banged the drum of the message that God cares deeply about the treatment of human beings, especially vulnerable ones, by individuals, communities, systems, institutions, and governments.
Recently, in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, where I live, I read about a local miscarriage of justice. Without ever receiving either proper mental health care or a trial, an elderly, mentally ill woman spent nearly a year in the Clarke County jail. The District Attorney’s Office had refused to drop the charges at the time the article went to print. There should never have been any legal charges, just proper mental health care.
When governments act unjustifiably, they do so in the name of the people. I say,
Don’t you dare do that in my name!
I say,
Repent of injustice.
I say,
God is watching us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 7, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FRANÇOIS FÉNELON, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF CAMBRAI
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALDRIC OF LE MANS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANGELA OF FOLIGNO, PENITENT AND HUMANITARIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT GASPAR DEL BUFALO, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARIES OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUCIAN OF ANTIOCH, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 312
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2021/01/07/god-is-watching-us/
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Above: The Temptations of Jesus
Image in the Public Domain
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For St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church, Athens, Georgia
Lent 2019
Texts: Mark 1:12-13; Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13
Reading the Bible for spiritual formation is an ancient Benedictine practice. My primary purpose in writing this short piece is to ask, how do the accounts (mainly the Lukan and Matthean ones) of the temptations of Jesus challenge us, both as individuals and a parish, to follow Jesus better than we do.
The Temptation to Turn Stones into Bread
Bread was especially precious in ancient Palestine, with relatively little arable land.
We are blessed to be able to purchase our bread inexpensively at stores. Bread is abundant in our context, so we probably take it for granted more often than not. We can, however, think of some tangible needs related to scarcity.
One challenge is not to permit tangible needs to overtake intangible necessities. We all depend entirely on God and dwell within a web of mutual responsibility and dependence. According to the late Henri Nouwen, this temptation is the temptation to be relevant. Relevance is not necessarily bad; in fact, it is frequently positive. However, maintaining the proper balance of tangible and intangible needs is essential. Furthermore, Christ’s refusal to cave into the temptation to use his power to make bread—to cease to depend on God—ought to remind us never to imagine that we do not depend entirely on God.
Questions
- Do we permit tangible needs to distract us from intangible necessities? If so, how?
- Do we manifest the vain idea that we do not depend entirely on God? If so, how?
The Temptation to Jump from the Pinnacle of the Temple
Many scholars of the New Testament have proposed what the pinnacle of the Temple was.
That matter aside, this temptation is, according to Nouwen, the temptation to be spectacular. It is also the temptation to attempt to manipulate God by trying to force God to intervene in a miraculous way. That effort, like turning stones into bread, would indicate a lack of faith.
We humans frequently like the spectacular, do we not? We tell ourselves and others that, if only God would do something spectacular, we will believe. We are like those who, in the Gospels, only wanted Jesus to do something for them, and not to learn from him.
Questions
- Does our attraction to the spectacular distract us from the still, small voice of God? If so, how?
- Does our attraction to the spectacular reveal our lack of faith? If so, how?
- Does our attraction to the spectacular unmask our selfishness? If so, how?
The Temptation to Worship Satan in Exchange for Earthly Authority
Many Palestinian Jews at the time of Christ thought of Satan as the power behind the Roman Empire and of the Roman pantheon as a collection of demons. Jesus affirmed God the Father as the only source of his identity.
This temptation is about idolatry, power, and morally untenable compromises.
Many well-intentioned people—ministers, politicians, and appointed office holders, for example—have, in the name of doing good, become corrupt and sacrificed their suitability to do good. They have sacrificed their moral integrity on the altar of amoral realism.
Some compromises are necessary, of course. As Reinhold Niebuhr reminded us, we cannot help but commit some evil while trying to do good, for human depravity has corrupted social systems and institutions.
Questions
- Have we established our identity apart from God? If so, how?
- How have we, with good intentions, committed or condoned evil?
- Have we made morally untenable compromises? If so, how?
The Good News
The good news is both collective and individual.
I discover the principle, then: that when I want to do right, only wrong is within my reach. In my inmost self I delight in the law of God, but I perceive in my outward actions a different law, fighting against the law that my mind approves, and making me a prisoner under the law of sin which controls my conduct. Wretched creature that I am, who is there to rescue me from this state of death? Who but God? Thanks be to him through Jesus Christ our Lord! To sum up then: left to myself I serve God’s law with my mind, but with my unspiritual nature I serve the law of sin.
–Romans 7:21-25, The Revised English Bible (1989)
Jesus has modeled the way to resist temptation—to trust God and to understand scripture.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 10, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF MARIE-JOSEPH LAGRANGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT AGRIPINNUS OF AUTUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; SAINT GERMANUS OF PARIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; AND SAINT DROCTOVEUS OF AUTUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN OGLIVIE, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT MACARIUS OF JERUSALEM, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
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Adapted from this post:
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/03/10/thoughts-and-questions-about-the-temptations-of-jesus/
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Above: Ministry of the Apostles
Image in the Public Domain
A Faithful Response, Part V
MARCH 27, 2024
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 70
Hebrews 12:1-3
John 13:21-32
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As I read Isaiah 50:4-9a, I realized that I had, very recently, written about that passage in the post for Palm/Passion Sunday. I have decided not to duplicate the essence of that analysis here, but rather to provide a link.
Likewise, a portion of Psalm 70 reminded me of Psalm 71:13, about which I wrote in the post for Tuesday of Holy Week. I have therefore provided a link to that post also.
Now for Hebrews 12:1-3 and John 13:21-32….
The audience for the poorly named Letter to the Hebrews (actually a treatise) was Gentile Christians. The author encouraged them to derive courage from the example of Jesus. Those who crucified Christ intended his execution as a method of disgrace and extermination, but it became, as the Gospel of John stated so well, his glorification (12:23). Jesus gave the commandment, first to his Apostles (minus Judas Iscariot), to love one another as he loved them. That commandment has come to apply to Christians.
Jesus loved sacrificially and unconditionally. He loved all the way to his death.
That is a daunting challenge. Being a Christian is about serving people, not lording over them. Many Christians are fortunate; they will never be in a position to face the possibility or reality of martyrdom. Others are less fortunate, though. The annals of Christian history are replete with the sacrifices of martyrs. But all of us must, if we are to follow Christ, love one another as he loved his Apostles–sacrificially and unconditionally. This, possible via grace, is a mandate, not a recommendation.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 27, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B: TRINITY SUNDAY
THE FEAST OF PAUL GERHARDT, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ALFRED ROOKER, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST PHILANTHROPIST AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS SISTER, ELIZABETH ROOKER PARSON, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF AMELIA BLOOMER, U.S. SUFFRAGETTE
THE FEAST OF SAINT LOJZE GROZDE, SLOVENIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/05/27/a-faithful-response-part-vi/
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Above: The Original Text
Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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Loving God, who loves us, mourns with us, and rejoices with us,
the death of dreams and aspirations is among the most traumatic losses to endure.
It cuts to the emotional core of a person, causing great anguish, grief, and anger.
Regardless if the dream was indeed the one a person should have followed
(assuming that it was not morally wrong, of course),
the pain and disappointment are legitimate, I suppose.
I have known these emotions in this context more than once.
I wish them upon nobody, not even those who inflicted them upon me.
May we, by grace, function as your ministers of comfort
to those experiencing such a death or the aftermath of one
and who are near us or whom you send our way.
And may we, by grace, help others achieve their potential
and refrain from inflicting such pain upon others.
In the name of Jesus, who identified with us, suffered, died, and rose again. Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 19, 2014 COMMON ERA
HOLY SATURDAY, YEAR A
Posted April 19, 2014 by neatnik2009 in April 1, April 10, April 11, April 12, April 13, April 14, April 15, April 16, April 17, April 18, April 19, April 2, April 20, April 21, April 22, April 23, April 24, April 25, April 26, April 27, April 28, April 29, April 3, April 30, April 4, April 5, April 6, April 7, April 8, April 9, Ascension, Ash Wednesday, Easter Sunday, February 10, February 11, February 12, February 13, February 14, February 15, February 16, February 17, February 18, February 19, February 20, February 21, February 22, February 23, February 24, February 25, February 26, February 27, February 28, February 29, February 4, February 5, February 6, February 7, February 8, February 9, Friday in Easter Week, Good Friday, Holy Monday, Holy Saturday-Easter Vigil, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday, June 1, June 10, June 11, June 12, June 13, June 2, June 3, June 4, June 5, June 6, June 7, June 8, June 9, March 1, March 10, March 11, March 12, March 13, March 14, March 15, March 16, March 17, March 18, March 19, March 2, March 20, March 21, March 22, March 23, March 24, March 25: Annunciation, March 26, March 27, March 28, March 29, March 3, March 30, March 31, March 4, March 5, March 6, March 7, March 8, March 9, Maundy Thursday, May 1, May 10, May 11, May 12, May 13, May 14, May 15, May 16, May 17, May 18, May 19, May 2, May 20, May 21, May 22, May 23, May 24, May 25, May 26, May 27, May 28, May 29, May 3, May 30, May 31: Visitation, May 4, May 5, May 6, May 7, May 8, May 9, Monday in Easter Week, Palm Sunday, Pentecost, Saturday in Easter Week, Thursday in Easter Week, Tuesday in Easter Week, Wednesday in Easter Week
Tagged with Anger, Grief
Above: The Dogma of the Redemption, by John Singer Sargent
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZ62-133671
Shame and Glory
MARCH 27, 2024
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The Collect:
Almighty God, your Son our Savior suffered at human hands
and endured the shame of the cross. Grant that we may walk
in the way of the cross and find it the way of life and peace,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 30
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The Assigned Readings:
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 70
Hebrews 12:1-3
John 13:21-32
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A Related Post:
A Prayer for Wednesday of Passion Week/Holy Week:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/prayer-for-wednesday-of-passion-weekholy-week/
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O God, make speed to save me;
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Let those who seek my life
be put to shame and confusion;
let them be turned back and disgraced
who wish me evil.
Let those who mock and deride me
turn back because of their shame.
But let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
let those who love your salvation say always, “Great is the Lord!”
As for me, I am poor and needy;
come to me quickly, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay.
–Psalm 70, Common Worship (2000)
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Shame and honor are social constructs. One has only as much honor or shame as others agree one does. And people can redefine symbols. This has happened in the case of the cross, originally a symbol of shame and utter annihilation, but now one of victory over evil and death.
May we who claim to follow God really follow God. As part of that discipline may we, in words of Isaiah 50:4,
Console the weary
with a timely word….
—The Revised English Bible (1989)
And, also as part of that discipline, may we not subscribe to false codes of honor and shame, for the glorification of our Lord and Savior in the Johannine Gospel was his crucifixion.
“Shame” is glorification. The first will be last. The last will be first. Some prostitutes and Roman collaborators will enter Heaven before certain respectable religious people will. I detect a good pattern here.
May we notice that pattern and live according to its ethic of radical grace, by the power of grace. And may we, unlike the author of Psalm 70, reject the predictable and understandable tendency to seek the doom and disgrace of our enemies and persecutors. May we follow the example of our Lord and Savior.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 28, 2013 COMMON ERA
THANKSGIVING DAY (U.S.A.)
THE FEAST OF SAINT STEPHEN THE YOUNGER, DEFENDER OF ICONS
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH PIGNATELLI, RESTORER OF THE JESUITS
THE FEAST OF KAMAHAMEHA AND EMMA, KING AND QUEEN OF HAWAII
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/shame-and-glory/
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Above: Paul Raiseth Eutychus to Life, 1728
Image in the Public Domain
Raised to New Life in Christ
MARCH 26 and 28, 2023
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The Collect:
Almighty God, your Son came into the world to free us
from all sin and death. Breathe upon us the power
of your Spirit, that we may be raised to new life in Christ
and serve you in righteousness all our days, through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 28
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Kings 17:17-24 (29th Day)
2 Kings 4:18-37 (30th Day)
Psalm 143 (Both Days)
Acts 20:7-12 (29th Day)
Ephesians 2:1-10 (30th Day)
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My spirit faints within me;
my heart within me is desolate.
–Psalm 143:4, Common Worship (2000)
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The assigned readings for these two days pertain to death and restoration to life. Elijah raised a widow’s son from the dead. So did Elisha. These deeds benefited the mothers in that society, making them less vulnerable economically. Acts 20 tells us that St. Paul the Apostle, who probably spoke for too long into the night, restored young Eutychus, who had fallen asleep and fallen from a third-story window, to life. Certainly the young man was important to his faith community.
The metaphor coexists with the literal fact in Ephesians 2:1-10. Through Jesus, the text tells us, we who die in our trespasses find spiritual rebirth. Although the Apostle does not say so in this passage, we then carry a mandate to bless others—to pass it on, to pay it forward. We are responsible to and for each other.
May we act accordingly.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 27, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES INTERCISUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
THE FEAST OF HENRY SLOANE COFFIN, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGIAN
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/01/15/raised-to-new-life-in-christ/
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Above: Easter Vigil, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Dunwoody, Georgia, April 8, 2012
Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
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The congregational response to “We pray to God” is “Lord, hear our prayer.”
As we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus of Nazareth, we bring our thanksgivings and concerns to the throne of grace.
We pray for
- Justin, the Archbishop of Canterbury;
- Katharine, our Presiding Bishop;
- Robert and Keith, our Bishops;
- Beth, our Rector;
and all lay and clergy members of the the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
We pray to God.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for economic justice, environmental stewardship, good government, and a better society. We pray especially for
- those who struggle with financial, career, job, and/or vocational issues;
- those who suffer because of tyrants and violence; and
- those who suffer because of the apathy or prejudices of their neighbors.
We pray to God.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for shalom among people everywhere.
We pray to God.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We give thanks for everything which causes God to rejoice, especially
- the beauty of the natural world;
- the beauty which people have created;
- [the birth of G, son/daughter of H and I;]
- loving relationships;
- X, Y, and Z, who celebrate their birthdays this week; and
- A and B, C and D, and E and F, who celebrate their anniversaries this week.
We pray to God.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for all military personnel, especially (insert list here).
We pray to God.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for others for whom we care, especially (insert list here).
We pray to God.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who have died, that they will have eternal rest.
We pray to God.
Lord, hear our prayer.
[The celebrant concludes with a Collect.]
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 3, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF SAINT KATHARINE DREXEL, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT CUNEGOND OF LUXEMBOURG, HOLY ROMAN EMPRESS THEN NUN
THE FEAST OF SAINT GERVINUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY, ANGLICAN PRIESTS
Above: Lent Wordle
I found the image in various places online, including here: http://standrewauh.org/a-study-for-lent/
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The congregational response to “We pray to you, O God” is “Hear our prayer.”
We pray for the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, that it may show the face of Christ to the world and draw people to you,
We pray to you, O God.
We pray for
- Katharine, our Presiding Bishop;
- Robert and Keith, our Bishops; and
- Beth, our Rector;
- and all clergy and lay members,
- that they may serve you faithfully,
We pray to you, O God.
We pray for
- Barack, our President;
- Nathan, our Governor;
- Nancy, our Mayor; and
- all others who hold positions of authority and influence,
that justice may prevail,
We pray to you O God.
That we may, by grace, do your will each day,
We pray to you, O God.
That all who suffer may find succor,
We pray to you, O God.
We pray for (_____) and all who have died, that they may enjoy and glorify you forever,
We pray to you, O God.
We pray for our own needs and those of others.
Congregationally specific petitions follow.
The Celebrant adds a concluding Collect.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 2, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE
LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
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