Visit #NotForSale http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
Collect on Human Trafficking
Almighty God and heavenly Father, You have created us, Your people, to do Your work in Your world. Be with, protect, and comfort all those who are in situations of fraud, force, and coercion, especially those ensnared in human trafficking and those who minister to or care for them. Through Your Holy Spirit, open the hearts of this country and the world, and enliven all our minds as we remember those who are sold in our midst, and inspire us to proclaim the freedom You offer to all through Your well-beloved Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who with You and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns. Amen.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Mother's Day Prayer
A Collect for Mother's Day
Loving God, on this day
we thank you for the love of our mothers,
who have nurtured our souls and blessed our lives.
May we see your loving Spirit within them and guiding them.
We pray for those mothers in our world today where war or famine, violence or illness have hindered their care for children; and for those mothers who have lost children.
We ask you to bless them with your own special love.
We ask this in the name of our Savior Jesus, who was loved by his mother Mary.
Amen.
Loving God, on this day
we thank you for the love of our mothers,
who have nurtured our souls and blessed our lives.
May we see your loving Spirit within them and guiding them.
We pray for those mothers in our world today where war or famine, violence or illness have hindered their care for children; and for those mothers who have lost children.
We ask you to bless them with your own special love.
We ask this in the name of our Savior Jesus, who was loved by his mother Mary.
Amen.
May 12 Sermon
Her name was Alice. She was one of the founding mothers of the Episcopal Church. I first heard of her at the diocesan ECW Luncheon on May 2. We remember George Washington. We think of Deborah Franklin. But I did not know Alice.
She lived to be a 116 years old! She was still fishing in the Delaware River at the age of 105! She spent her life collecting stories about Philadelphia and its people. Alice became known in her time as an oral historian.
Why didn’t I know her? Because Alice of Dunk’s Ferry was the daughter of slaves from Barbados and would herself be enslaved for all of her life, and for too long her contributions to Christ Church Philadelphia and to the history of the area were dismissed and forgotten because she was a slave. When she was still fishing in the Delaware River at the age of 105, she was fishing for her master. And yet every Sunday, she would ride her horse from the ferry where she collected tolls to her parish, Christ Church in Philadelphia. She did this at least to the age of 95 if not longer!
Christ Church is now remembering this remarkable woman and her contributions to the parish and to the city. She is their oldest known parishioner. It is a wonderful story but it is also a sad tale of life in this country at its beginning, with a people enslaved for profit. That was true for St. Paul in his day.
Consider our readings from the Acts of the Apostles these past few weeks: it was Jesus who confronted Saul on that road to Damascus and the HS becomes his guide for his ministry; setting him free from hatred to love others as Christ loved him and his name became Paul. Last week he & his companions brought the Good News to Macedonia and Lydia accepted it and it changed her life and the life of her family.
In today’s reading, Paul continues his missionary journey in Macedonia and there he meets:
-a slave-girl (she is without name): spirit of divination (fortune telling), profit source!
-she knows Paul and his companions: Slaves of the most high God! (I’ll come back to that) They proclaim a way of salvation! (She is spreading the Good News)
-Paul moved by the Spirit, for her human right to be free, NO, that’s not right! Paul is annoyed at her constant chatter (for days!), so he casts out her spirit…and she is set free…Paul did the right thing but he failed to see her enslavement.
However the owners cannot exploit her anymore, they have lost their profit and they are angry. Paul & Silas are thrown into jail; beaten for their faith and their teaching.
She is free and they have lost their freedom. They never get to that place of prayer that they were headed too.
-so in jail, shackled and away from others they pray and sing songs to God; prisoners were listening of course - it was midnight, how could they sleep? And an earthquake strikes, the doors open, they are free!
-the jailer is ready to do himself in, he would be blamed…but they are still there - What must I do to be saved? The jailer asks. They answered: Believe in the Lord Jesus.
A simple and yet profound statement…Believe in Jesus.
And the Holy Spirit moved that night; Paul & Silas are free; the jailer brings Paul & Silas to his home to take care of their wounds, to give them food and the jailer and his household are baptized and they believe.
In one night a slave-girl is freed from her bondage, a jailer comes to faith and Paul & Silas learn more about this faith that is in them. Salvation belongs to all.
The salve-girl knows that Paul & Silas are disciples – slaves of God!
What are we slaves of? If someone came up to you, as you exited this Church, and said, You are a slave of…
What would the answer be? God? Do you proclaim salvation (hope, love, joy) in your actions?
Have you brought freedom (salvation) to others? Freedom belongs to everyone.
Because the battle for freedom continues today…
According to the organization, Not for Sale, the modern-day slave trade is enslaving more than 30 million individuals today. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “After drug dealing, trafficking of humans is tied with arms dealing as the second-largest criminal industry in the world.” Why? It is a $32 billion-dollar-a-year industry.
Like slavery of old, there is profit to be made on human beings.
At this year’s super bowl, there was a lot of talk about the human trafficking that happens around our biggest sporting event and the attempts to curb it. But it doesn’t just happen overseas and then brought here. Just this past week, three missing teenagers were found a decade later, enslaved (kept in chains & rope) in a house in Ohio, they now have their freedom.
We have our work cut out for us...
To work for the freedom of the Alices of our world. To hear their stories and honor who they are.
To look at ourselves and consider what enslaves us, and ask God to free us, so that we can work like Paul & Silas for the good of others (and have the faith of Alice & the slave-girl)…
May we do unto others as we would have them do unto us, being servants of God to bring freedom to our world. Amen.
She lived to be a 116 years old! She was still fishing in the Delaware River at the age of 105! She spent her life collecting stories about Philadelphia and its people. Alice became known in her time as an oral historian.
Why didn’t I know her? Because Alice of Dunk’s Ferry was the daughter of slaves from Barbados and would herself be enslaved for all of her life, and for too long her contributions to Christ Church Philadelphia and to the history of the area were dismissed and forgotten because she was a slave. When she was still fishing in the Delaware River at the age of 105, she was fishing for her master. And yet every Sunday, she would ride her horse from the ferry where she collected tolls to her parish, Christ Church in Philadelphia. She did this at least to the age of 95 if not longer!
Christ Church is now remembering this remarkable woman and her contributions to the parish and to the city. She is their oldest known parishioner. It is a wonderful story but it is also a sad tale of life in this country at its beginning, with a people enslaved for profit. That was true for St. Paul in his day.
Consider our readings from the Acts of the Apostles these past few weeks: it was Jesus who confronted Saul on that road to Damascus and the HS becomes his guide for his ministry; setting him free from hatred to love others as Christ loved him and his name became Paul. Last week he & his companions brought the Good News to Macedonia and Lydia accepted it and it changed her life and the life of her family.
In today’s reading, Paul continues his missionary journey in Macedonia and there he meets:
-a slave-girl (she is without name): spirit of divination (fortune telling), profit source!
-she knows Paul and his companions: Slaves of the most high God! (I’ll come back to that) They proclaim a way of salvation! (She is spreading the Good News)
-Paul moved by the Spirit, for her human right to be free, NO, that’s not right! Paul is annoyed at her constant chatter (for days!), so he casts out her spirit…and she is set free…Paul did the right thing but he failed to see her enslavement.
However the owners cannot exploit her anymore, they have lost their profit and they are angry. Paul & Silas are thrown into jail; beaten for their faith and their teaching.
She is free and they have lost their freedom. They never get to that place of prayer that they were headed too.
-so in jail, shackled and away from others they pray and sing songs to God; prisoners were listening of course - it was midnight, how could they sleep? And an earthquake strikes, the doors open, they are free!
-the jailer is ready to do himself in, he would be blamed…but they are still there - What must I do to be saved? The jailer asks. They answered: Believe in the Lord Jesus.
A simple and yet profound statement…Believe in Jesus.
And the Holy Spirit moved that night; Paul & Silas are free; the jailer brings Paul & Silas to his home to take care of their wounds, to give them food and the jailer and his household are baptized and they believe.
In one night a slave-girl is freed from her bondage, a jailer comes to faith and Paul & Silas learn more about this faith that is in them. Salvation belongs to all.
The salve-girl knows that Paul & Silas are disciples – slaves of God!
What are we slaves of? If someone came up to you, as you exited this Church, and said, You are a slave of…
What would the answer be? God? Do you proclaim salvation (hope, love, joy) in your actions?
Have you brought freedom (salvation) to others? Freedom belongs to everyone.
Because the battle for freedom continues today…
According to the organization, Not for Sale, the modern-day slave trade is enslaving more than 30 million individuals today. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “After drug dealing, trafficking of humans is tied with arms dealing as the second-largest criminal industry in the world.” Why? It is a $32 billion-dollar-a-year industry.
Like slavery of old, there is profit to be made on human beings.
“Vulnerable people and communities are targeted by recruiters, and traffickers and through deception, fraud and coercion are brought into slavery.” Not For Sale website says. “While sex trafficking is often at the forefront of our awareness, slave labor and debt bondage are more common in our world today.”
At this year’s super bowl, there was a lot of talk about the human trafficking that happens around our biggest sporting event and the attempts to curb it. But it doesn’t just happen overseas and then brought here. Just this past week, three missing teenagers were found a decade later, enslaved (kept in chains & rope) in a house in Ohio, they now have their freedom.
William Wilberforce the great English abolitionist once said, “You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”
We have our work cut out for us...
To work for the freedom of the Alices of our world. To hear their stories and honor who they are.
To look at ourselves and consider what enslaves us, and ask God to free us, so that we can work like Paul & Silas for the good of others (and have the faith of Alice & the slave-girl)…
Again in the words of William Wilberforce, “Let everyone regulate his conduct by the golden rule of doing to others as in similar circumstances we would have them do to us, and the path of duty will be clear before him.”
May we do unto others as we would have them do unto us, being servants of God to bring freedom to our world. Amen.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
CT - A Prayer for School & Colleges
Remembering all who teach here in CT on this National Teacher Day:
O Eternal God, bless all schools, colleges, and universities and especially the teachers on this National Teacher Day, that they may be lively centers for sound learning, new discovery, and the pursuit of wisdom; and grant that those who teach and those who learn may find you to be the source of all truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O Eternal God, bless all schools, colleges, and universities and especially the teachers on this National Teacher Day, that they may be lively centers for sound learning, new discovery, and the pursuit of wisdom; and grant that those who teach and those who learn may find you to be the source of all truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pray for Refugees
Learn more here: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/emm
A Prayer:
ALMIGHTY and merciful God, whose Son became a refugee and had no place to call his own; look with mercy on those who today are fleeing from danger, homeless and hungry. Bless those who work to bring them relief; inspire generosity and compassion in all our hearts; and guide the nations of the world towards that day when all will rejoice in your Kingdom of justice and of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (from the Church of England)
A Prayer:
ALMIGHTY and merciful God, whose Son became a refugee and had no place to call his own; look with mercy on those who today are fleeing from danger, homeless and hungry. Bless those who work to bring them relief; inspire generosity and compassion in all our hearts; and guide the nations of the world towards that day when all will rejoice in your Kingdom of justice and of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (from the Church of England)
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The Giving Tree
Deacon Christopher gave us two wonderful things last week:
He reminds us of the Bible Challenge, and invited us to read the Acts of the Apostles in its entirety.
Do it Here
And he also used the Giving Tree in his wonderful children's sermon, considering it a parable of Jesus.
I do not have his text but I found this blogpost to be helpful:
http://www.criticalpages.com/2012/the-giving-tree/
- Posted using BlogPress from my mystical iPad!
He reminds us of the Bible Challenge, and invited us to read the Acts of the Apostles in its entirety.
Do it Here
And he also used the Giving Tree in his wonderful children's sermon, considering it a parable of Jesus.
I do not have his text but I found this blogpost to be helpful:
http://www.criticalpages.com/2012/the-giving-tree/
- Posted using BlogPress from my mystical iPad!
6th Sunday of Easter Sermon
Who is Christ for us today?
This famous question asked by Deitrich Bonhoeffer in his jail cell, is the question every Christian of every generation must ask who follows Jesus.
Who is Christ for me/you today? For it is Jesus who transforms our lives…
Consider what you heard today: Who was Christ for Lydia in Acts of the Apostles & Who was Christ for the invalid of Bethzatha in today’s Gospel?
Now, Lydia had it all.
She had a business that was thriving, selling expensive cloth, richly dyed to the movers and shakers, the wealthy and elite, not just to her hometown but to Rome too. But this wasn’t enough, and she was looking for more for herself & her household. Where would it come from?
Lydia had it all, but her life still felt shallow, like something was missing.
He had nothing. He isn’t even named in the Gospel.
He sat near a pool, hoping for healing that hadn’t come in 38 years. He couldn’t remember feeling well. If he could get in at the right time, when the pool was stirred, he would be well, or so he thought. But he couldn’t help himself, where would help come from?
For the invalid of Bethzatha, his health was poor, his illness consumed his life. Family and friends were not there.
And then on the Sabbath, the day God has asked for us to rest and make holy, people entered their lives that would change everything.
Paul on his missionary journey through Macedonia, comes to a place of prayer he supposes, the Greek word hints that it is not a proper synagogue but a place where people use to pray. There he finds some women and engages them in conversation, which would have been highly unusual in that day of age.
And there is Lydia, a worshipper of God, and the Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. Her family was baptized and she offered hospitality to Paul and his companions. For Paul brought Christ to her.
The missing piece was found in the words and life of Jesus. Lydia, a woman of stature and wealth, would see in the words spoken by Paul, that all these things she had were not enough in her life. And the God whom she worshipped had brought Jesus to her through Paul, and in her baptism she began her ministry, just as Paul had done after his encounter with Jesus.
Jesus came to the pool by the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem called Bethzatha. There he found many who were blind, lame, and paralyzed lying near the pool. Jesus found the one who had been there for thirty eight years & knew he had been there a long time. What hope does he have left?
“Do you want to be made well?” Jesus asks him…I have no one to help put me in the water… and Jesus healed him… “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” The missing piece was the healing words of Jesus, the one who cared enough to stop and help someone in deep need, his heart was open for help and in that word was life and the invalid’s life was restored.
Jesus comes to all of us, weather we are wealthy or not, sick or not. Jesus offers himself as the bearer of life, who will transform us, if our hearts are open and ready to let God in.
This can happen, even in the worst of circumstances.
This famous question asked by Deitrich Bonhoeffer in his jail cell, is the question every Christian of every generation must ask who follows Jesus.
Who is Christ for me/you today? For it is Jesus who transforms our lives…
Consider what you heard today: Who was Christ for Lydia in Acts of the Apostles & Who was Christ for the invalid of Bethzatha in today’s Gospel?
Now, Lydia had it all.
She had a business that was thriving, selling expensive cloth, richly dyed to the movers and shakers, the wealthy and elite, not just to her hometown but to Rome too. But this wasn’t enough, and she was looking for more for herself & her household. Where would it come from?
Lydia had it all, but her life still felt shallow, like something was missing.
He had nothing. He isn’t even named in the Gospel.
He sat near a pool, hoping for healing that hadn’t come in 38 years. He couldn’t remember feeling well. If he could get in at the right time, when the pool was stirred, he would be well, or so he thought. But he couldn’t help himself, where would help come from?
For the invalid of Bethzatha, his health was poor, his illness consumed his life. Family and friends were not there.
And then on the Sabbath, the day God has asked for us to rest and make holy, people entered their lives that would change everything.
Paul on his missionary journey through Macedonia, comes to a place of prayer he supposes, the Greek word hints that it is not a proper synagogue but a place where people use to pray. There he finds some women and engages them in conversation, which would have been highly unusual in that day of age.
And there is Lydia, a worshipper of God, and the Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. Her family was baptized and she offered hospitality to Paul and his companions. For Paul brought Christ to her.
The missing piece was found in the words and life of Jesus. Lydia, a woman of stature and wealth, would see in the words spoken by Paul, that all these things she had were not enough in her life. And the God whom she worshipped had brought Jesus to her through Paul, and in her baptism she began her ministry, just as Paul had done after his encounter with Jesus.
Jesus came to the pool by the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem called Bethzatha. There he found many who were blind, lame, and paralyzed lying near the pool. Jesus found the one who had been there for thirty eight years & knew he had been there a long time. What hope does he have left?
“Do you want to be made well?” Jesus asks him…I have no one to help put me in the water… and Jesus healed him… “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” The missing piece was the healing words of Jesus, the one who cared enough to stop and help someone in deep need, his heart was open for help and in that word was life and the invalid’s life was restored.
Jesus comes to all of us, weather we are wealthy or not, sick or not. Jesus offers himself as the bearer of life, who will transform us, if our hearts are open and ready to let God in.
This can happen, even in the worst of circumstances.
In the mid-1990s, the African nation of Uganda was devastated by a bloody civil war. One night, rebel soldiers abducted 139 girls from a Catholic boarding school. The parents of the girls and the headmistress pleaded with the rebels for the children's release; the rebels released most of the students - but continued to hold 29 girls. The parents of the remaining hostages agreed not to conduct their own searches at the urging of school officials, who feared that such efforts would upset the delicate negotiations underway between the sisters and the rebels.As we continue our Easter celebrations, it is Jesus who will transform our lives, no matter who we are, rich or poor, healthy or sick, victim or perpetrator, we must open our hearts and believe on this Sabbath day. And then go out from here and be that Christ bearer to the world, so by your life, people will see the answer to the question: Who is Christ for you today? Amen.
Seeking some solace during their long wait, the parents began meeting each week at a local church to fast and pray for their daughters' safety and release. The first night a priest led them in the Lord's Prayer. They prayed Jesus' words together - until they got to “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” They realized that they could not say the words. The service ended right there. The parents silently left the church. One mother remembers:
"We needed God, so we decided to put things right. That prayer was a revival in our lives . . . praying for those who wronged us became our sacrifice."
When the parents met the next week, the transformation had begun. As they prayed to forgive the rebels, their sorrows began to lift. They became vehicles of forgiveness, organizing meetings in their community and region to share their stories. Their work led to an organization of Ugandan parents to advocate for the release of abducted children everywhere and a peaceful resolution to the conflict in their country. It took seven long years before all the children returned home - but the work of reconciliation for lost and abducted children begun by those parents continues today. [From Divinity, Duke University Divinity School, Winter 2010.]
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