St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer:  Thursday – The people of Bondeau, Haiti, especially Pere Phanord, the school teachers and medical clinic volunteers; for our Cursillo community

Feast day of Bernard Mizeki martyr

Our optional lessons for today, the feast day of Bernard Mizeki, who was born in Mozambique and was converted to Christianity by brothers of the Society of Saint John the Evanglist and then served as a misisonary in South Africa and Zimbabwe where he was murdered for his faith, are very striking in light of the horrible news from Charleston, S.C. Nine new martyrs were killed in cold blood and it appears only because they dared to worship while black.

It seems impossible for us to have a logical conversation about guns in this country, nor about racism, nor about mental health issues. Instead, we are complicit because we keep electing officials who don’t have the guts to do anything about any of this. And since most elections these days are bought and sold by the rich and powerful I wonder if we will ever have the will, as a nation, to really insist on change from our leaders.

So that leaves us – where we must pray, must stay the course against racism, must insist on justice for all the children of God, and where we must hold our leaders accountable. As a nation, we should be ashamed. And as followers of the Prince of Peace, we should not tolerate this any more. 

Meanwhile for those lives lost, I leave you with the Revelation reading from today in honor of Mizeki. May these words provide some comfort to those who grieve.

Revelation 7:13-17

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ 14I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

15 For this reason they are before the throne of God,

   and worship him day and night within his temple,

   and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. 

16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;

   the sun will not strike them,

   nor any scorching heat; 

17 for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd,

   and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’

St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer: Wednesday Paul’s Place after school program and the St. Paul’s Day School

Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The collect above is for Proper 6 and is said beginning on that Sunday at Eucharist and at the Daily Offices all week. It is a good way to “collect” our thoughts and prayers as we hear God’s word read and preached, ask God’s forgiveness of our sins, and share in Christ’s body and blood at the Eucharist. It is also helpful as we pray the offices together, because these words are powerful reminders of our calling. The Church as God’s household, the grace of God which asks each of us, and equips each of us in our own way, to proclaim God’s truth boldly and minister God’s justice with compassion.

I pray I can do both – proclaim truth with boldness and minister justice with compassion. I pray you can also.

St Paul’s Cycle of Prayer:  Tuesday – Seekers and other Young Adults, those in our community who are unchurched, our community and those in need, especially Family Promise and CROS ministries

Our Psalm today includes these words: 

6 That the generations to come might know,

and the children yet unborn; *

that they in their turn might tell it to their children;

7 So that they might put their trust in God, *

and not forget the deeds of God,

but keep his commandments;

My oldest daughter, Chelsea, arrived yesterday for a week long visit. Yay! She is expecting her first child in October, our 2nd grandchild in four months! With all these babies, and having just completed VBS at St. Paul’s, the importance of these words really struck me this morning. The generations to come, the unborn children must  know to put their trust in God so that they in turn may tell their own children. Not to forget. Not to let the story get lost in all the demands of the world, not to rush through life so fast and so hard as to neglect to teach of our God, of Jesus, of love and grace. I pray for all parents today. It’s the toughest and sweetest job in the world. I pray for strength and peace and I pray you will make sure your children know they were created in love in order to love. Pass it on….

St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer for Monday: Pray for our Children, Youth, and Family ministries, those who teach our children and our youth; the music program at St. Paul’s, it’s leader and choirs.

Feast day of Evelyn Underhill.  Click HERE for help with the daily readings

Some pretty familiar and important lessons for us today – from 1st Samuel the story of Hannah praying the Lord would give her a male child and promising to dedicate him to God, coupled with the depiction of Jesus’ Ascension in the book of Acts. After reading those I was struck by this line from the General Thanksgiving: “that we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives”. Hannah teaches us the power and persistence of prayer, while the angels teach us to then go forth and live as followers of Jesus when they ask the disciples why they continue to gaze up into heaven after Jesus has ascended. It’s one of my favorite lines in Scripture: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up to heaven?” In other words – get busy, Jesus needs you more than ever.

(Click HERE for help with the daily readings.)

St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer for Sunday: Pray for staff, vestry, wardens and clergy. Pray for the Rector Search committee. Click HERE for the rector search prayer.

Sing to the Lord a new song. Psalm 96 has such beautiful language, calling us to praise God, to join with all creation:

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea thunder and all that is in it; *
let the field be joyful and all that is therein.  Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy before the LORD

How will you sing a new song to God today? A song of praise and thanksgiving?