St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer – Saturday – for the Green Team and for all Creation, for our ministries to Seniors, and for all on our Parish prayer list.

As the 10th anniversary of Katrina approaches, I find myself being drawn once again to the Psalms. I will have more to say about the one Psalm that was so important to the people of St. Patrick’s, and to me personally, as the 29th draws closer. Stay tuned!

But today Psalm 137 is a piece of where we looked for God.

  “1By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, 

when we remembered you, O Zion.

2As for our harps, we hung them up 

on the trees in the midst of that land.”

A people in exile, they wondered “4How shall we sing the LORD’S song upon an alien soil?” We spent a good while in exile but not in a foreign land of course. We weren’t captued by an enemy nation, but our temple was destroyed and we wandered without a “home” for a long time. And we struggled, at times, to sing the Lord’s song. We wept, we remembered, and sometimes we just hung up our harps. Yet like the Israelites in exile, we never failed to worship and to pray and to gather as God’s people, wherever that happened to be. For the oppotunity to do so, we are forever grateful.

St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer – Friday – Daughters of the King, Brotherhood of St. Andrew, Marthas, worship volunteers (acolytes, ushers and greeters, chalice bearers) and all over volunteer groups who work so tirelessly and joyfully for the Kingdom of God and the Body of Christ at St. Paul’s.

It is the feast day of Blaise Pascal, brilliant physicist and wonderful “apologist” for the Christian faith, apology in the traditional sense of the word meaning to defend something. Pascal combined an amazing scientific career, with truly historical breakthroughs, with a firm conviction of faith in Christ, standing up to the Jesuits and a corrupt Pope of his day.

I do love this one famous quote (he has many), it is part of a series of letters, called the Provincial Letters, where he takes on the Jesuits. It is believed these letters were read by over a million people, not bad for the 1600’s! This quote should be memorized by all preachers: “This letter is longer than usual, because I lack the time to make it short.” 

It is a lot easier to write really long sermons. I pray I take the time to make them short (to a point – let’s not get too carried away here!). Emphasis for me is on time – sermon prep is really important and preachers have to carve out that time from a pretty hectic schedule. Pray for your pastor/preacher and support them however you can to take that time – maybe they will make it short!

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.

(click Prayer Instructions for links to Morning or Evening Prayer for today)

Psalm 131:

¹O LORD, I am not proud; *
I have no haughty looks.

²I do not occupy myself with great matters, *
or with things that are too hard for me.

³But I still my soul and make it quiet,
like a child upon its mother’s breast; *
my soul is quieted within me.

⁴O Israel, wait upon the LORD, *
from this time forth for evermore.

While I expect comments about “I have no haughty looks”, I remind my vast reading audience that I have to APPROVE any comments, so be kind!

I needed this Psalm today. I am having trouble sleeping – I am sure related to all the Katrina memories flooding back as I go back through pictures and videos and blogs, preparing a presentation and sermon for the 10th anniversary. And also, quite honestly, for real anxiety of finding my next gig…er…call. I am only human. Like you, I need reminders to be still, to be quiet, to have “my soul quieted within me” and to wait upon the Lord. The Psalmist says “I do not occupy myself with great matters, or with things that are too hard for me”. Great advice. I pray I can keep it.

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

(click Prayer Instructions for links to Morning or Evening Prayer for today)

Today’s Psalms are 121, 122, and 123, the first 3 of the 15 Songs of Ascent. These are all favorite Psalms of many people. We know them even if we don’t recall which Psalm they are from.

¹I lift up my eyes to the hills; *
from where is my help to come?

²My help comes from the LORD, *
the maker of heaven and earth.

and

¹I was glad when they said to me, *
“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

²Now our feet are standing *
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

³Jerusalem is built as a city *
that is at unity with itself;

⁴To which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD, *

and

¹To you I lift up my eyes, *
to you enthroned in the heavens.

Many believe these Psalms were sung as pilgrims wound their way up to Jerusalem. They could see holy hills. They would naturally be looking up, reminding them of God’s omnipotence. They speak of going to the house of the Lord, the tribes “go up” to the Lord’s house on earth while lifting up their eyes to the Lord enthroned in the heavens. Can you picture it? I hope you are also glad when you say “let us go to the house of the Lord”. For the Lord is our help, our shield, our redeemer.

Monday – Children, youth, and family ministries of St. Paul’s and those who teach and work with our youth. Our music program and choirs.

(click on Prayer Instructions for tips on saying Morning or Evening Prayer and online resources)

From this morning’s gospel, Mark chapter 11, Jesus says: 

25 ‘Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.’

We are reminded of this, of course, whenever we say the Lord’s Prayer. But reading it today it reinforced for me the “practice” of forgiveness. We say the confession as part of Morning or Evening Prayer and Holy Eucharist. That’s important. But Jesus asks us in our prayer time to forgive “if we have anything against anyone”. Anything? Any anger, any jealousy, any envy, any hate?

We practice forgiveness because there is enormous power in it. And waiting for us when we do so is the amazing truth that God forgives us.

So practice. Forgive. And then live like you are forgiven. For you are.