Happy Anniversary to me!

Excuse the personal touch today, but I have so much to be thankful for. My wife, Jennifer, and I are celebrating 32 years of marriage today. I am so blessed and she, along with our children, sons-in-law and grandchildren (one here, one on the way soon) are all answers to prayer, of that I have no doubt.

Pray today for families, in all the various shapes and sizes they come in.

From the BCP, For those we love:

Almighty God, we entrust all who are dear to us to your never-failing care and love, for this life and the life to come, knowing you are doing for them better things than we can desire or pray for; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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.

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Tough stuff from Matthew Chapter 5 today:

43 ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

You have to be wary, I believe, when Jesus starts a sentence with “you have heard that it was said”, always followed by the lethal “But I say to you”. I imagine those following him cringing whenever they hear one of these admonitions. “How hard will this be?” they must wonder.

We don’t have to wonder. It IS hard. Loving our enemies AND praying for them? Greeting those who are not part of “us”. Welcoming the stranger, the different, the other?

Maybe in this political campaign season, reporters can start questions that way – “tell me Candidate X, you have heard it said….but Jesus said…..How does that fit your policy plans?” I would especially like to hear that asked of candidates and those in office who claim allegiance to Jesus above all else. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Christians serving in the public sphere, running for office, etc. I just want them to act more like Jesus, to remember how Jesus turns everything upside down, and then promoting policies that echo “but I say to you”, no matter how hard that may be. Especially how hard it may be to get votes once they really follow our Lord…..

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

Psalm 78 gives a history lesson of the murmuring of the Israelites in the wilderness and includes these words: 

25So mortals ate the bread of angels; *he provided for them food enough.

Provided food enough. And what is this food? Paul talks about it in today’s lesson to the church in Corinth. 1st Corinthians 5 admonishes the Corinthians for immoral behavior, then reminds them also of the kind of food God has given them:

7 Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. 8Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

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

Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

Psalm 80 repeats and then ends with the above refrain. In the Psalm we see a crying out for God, a desperate appeal, a litany of challenges and difficulties. Unlike many Psalms it does not turn eventually to thanks and praise for God’s response. Instead, there is this repeated phrase, asking God to restore us, to show us the light, and claiming against all adversity that God can and will save God’s people.

In this troubled and difficult life, in a world torn apart by violence, war, and hatred, in a time where millions are refugees, millions go hungry, thousands are killed every day, many many many of whom are completely innocent yet suffer anyway, sometimes all we can do is the same, just pray for God’s light, God’s salvation. We pray. And repeat. And pray. And wait.

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts.

St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer – 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 Prayer Instructions for links to Morning or Evening Prayer for today)

Special prayers of blessing and celebration to all of the good folks of St. Paul’s. A big day!

What better way to reflect on a day of exciting news and thanksgiving for work very well done than praying the Phos Hilaron?

O gracious light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of Life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer – Sunday – Clergy, Staff, Wardens and Vestry and the Rector Search (click HERE to read the Rector Search prayer)

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