Fourth Sunday of Advent: God's Evolution and Revolution In Christ

Today's Scripture Readings

Micah 5: 2-5a (NRSV)

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,

who are one of the little clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to rule in Israel,

whose origin is from of old,

from ancient days.

Therefore he shall give them up until the time

when she who is in labor has brought forth;

then the rest of his kindred shall return

to the people of Israel.

And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD,

in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.

And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great

to the ends of the earth;

and he shall be the one of peace.

Magnificat (Canticle 15 BCP. p. 91)


Hebrews10: 5-10 (NRSV)

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

"Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,

but a body you have prepared for me;

in burnt offerings and sin offerings

you have taken no pleasure.

Then I said, 'See, God, I have come to do your will, O God'

(in the scroll of the book it is written of me)."

When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then he added, "See, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God's will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Luke 1: 39-55 (NRSV)

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

And Mary said,

"My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Blog Reflection

If there were ever a Being in all the universe who can turn a world settled unto itself upside down, God would be the One.  It is a fact of life, that God does not leave us to our comfort zones without some way of moving us to become more faithful followers of Christ. 

In the coming of Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, God turned a world where the powerful were to dominate the weak with no recourse, into a world redeemed by the sacrifice of God's Son.  That sacrifice did not begin with the Cross, it began when God left the throne of heaven and came to us in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.  In 2 Corinthians 8: 9  Paul wrote: "For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich."   This is the very song of Mary in the Magnificat.

William Barclay in : The New Daily Study Bible The Gospel of Luke wrote: "When Joan of Arc knew that her time was short, she prayed, 'I shall only last a year; use me as  you can" (Page 17).

In the Magificat, Mary sings of how she is God's "lowly servant" yet, God used her to do mighty things, and therefore she proclaimed God's Name to be holy.   When we accept that God uses our prayers, though they may seem insignificant to us, great and mighty things happen.  Even if what happens is something we do not see for ourselves.  Mary received God's random act of grace, by being chosen as to give birth to God's Son, yet she recognizes God's great power in her life, and how it brings about an evolution of God revealed to human kind to begin what Barclay calls a "moral revolution," a "social revolution" and "an economic revolution" (Pages 19, 20).

A "moral revolution" that is the end of a pride that considers ourselves greater that God.  This idea fits very well into the first step of humility in the Rule of St. Benedict.   That first step being that we keep the consciousness of God always before our eyes.  This is a recognition that God is God and we are not.  It is a giving over of control and our own wills to that of God with a trust in God, even when our personal securities become unstable in an effort to help us to find our stability in God, through obedience and conversion of life.

A "social revolution" by which through Christ the helpless and vulnerable are those who inspire us to a radical conversion.   A reorganizing of our lives that recognizes Christ in those who are sick without health care, and the lesbian girl coming out to her parents.   The young gay man being harassed by the high school football team.  The LGBT people of Uganda fearful of a law passed that would put them in prison just for their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression, or very possibly executed.  The social revolution of Christ born through Mary is our invitation to be the voice for the retired and disabled who could lose Social Security benefits to satisfy tax breaks for the wealthiest people, in a fiscal cliff resolution.  To care about the constant placing of the welfare of the poorest and most vulnerable of society as a chip, while giving the wealthy more power to own more and to exercise even more power.

A "social revolution" can be the beginning of an "economic revolution." 

Barclay writes: "A Christian society is a society where no one dares to have too much while others have too little , where everyone gets only to give away.

There is loveliness in the Magnificat but in that loveliness there is dynamite.  Christianity brings about a revolution in individuals and revolution in the world" (Page 20).

As we leave the Season of Advent and enter into the Christmas Season, we are all called to sing the Magnificat with Mary.   We sing that Christ will once again be born in us and in our world, to infuse our society and the Church with an environment of justice, equality and freedom from oppression and violence.  In Christ, our human nature is restored with God's grace by which God is randomly choosing and empowering us to be the change that we want to see in the world.

Amen.


Prayers

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation,
that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a
mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, p. 212).

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, p. 823).

St. Thomas the Apostle: The Saint Who Dared to Confirm Faith

Today's Scripture Readings

Habakkuk 2: 1-4 (NRSV)

I will stand at my watchpost,

and station myself on the rampart;

I will keep watch to see what he will say to me,

and what he will answer concerning my complaint.

Then the LORD answered me and said:

Write the vision;

make it plain on tablets,

so that a runner may read it.

For there is still a vision for the appointed time;

it speaks of the end, and does not lie.

If it seems to tarry, wait for it;

it will surely come, it will not delay.

Look at the proud!

Their spirit is not right in them,

but the righteous live by their faith.

Psalm 126 (BCP, p. 782)


Hebrews 10:35-11:1 (NRSV)

Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

For yet "in a very little while,

the one who is coming will come and will not delay;

but my righteous one will live by faith.

My soul takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back."

But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

John 20: 24-29 (NRSV)

Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with the other disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

Blog Reflection

Mother Prioress Delores Hart, OSB once said: "If you can have hope, you just may find faith."  

St. Thomas was the Apostle who dared to confirm faith.  He was not satisfied with the words of others.  Thomas wanted faith on a realistic level, not a superficial level.  He wanted to know for certain that what he was to believe had the sustainability that the world around him did not have.  

It takes a great act of faith to not settle for the superficial and ask for confirmation.  In questioning, we open ourselves to God's answer.   Then faith is much more a matter of trust.   By faith, I not only mean what is written and proclaimed in the Creeds or the articles of religion.  When I write of the faith that I believe Thomas was seeking, I mean he really wanted a reason to let go of his certainty.  I think a better word for faith is the word trust.

As I was doing my Lectio Divina on this Gospel reading this morning, I used the recently approved Common English Bible.  When I got to Chapter 20: verse 27 the very last sentences in the NRSV reads: "Do not doubt but believe." I found myself disturbed a bit by the wording in the Common English Bible that reads: "No more disbelief. Believe!"

What might it mean for us to hear the words "No more disbelief.  Believe!"? 

I think we are all in a state of disbelief that one week ago today, a gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT with the intention to shoot and killed 26 individuals, 20 of them 6 or 7 year olds.   How could this have happened?   I think we are all in disbelief that there are still individuals who think that the solution to these things not happening again is more guns.  What is more to disbelieve than the fact that our public schools as early as the elementary grades are no longer completely safe from the most heinous of violence?

What happens when we find ourselves in a place where we disbelieve?

I think the word disbelieve is a word that disturbs us.  We want to believe in something. We want to have that trust that God really does have our best interests in God's heart.  We desire to believe that God really does love all of humankind with an inclusive love.  That God wants justice and equality for all people.   However, we, like Thomas have to be willing to step up and ask God to help us to confirm our faith and trust that what God wants is true and real.    Because, when we do that, God will answer: "I have sent you."

The Common English Bible's translation of Hebrews 11:1 is: "Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don't see."  Faith looks for God to continually reveal God's Self in new and awesome ways.  To help us to not surmise God, but to see that God is continuously evolving.

The evolutionary God is not the omnipotent God who is every where, to prevent every evil from happening.   In many ways, God has not ended all oppression, violence and cruelty.   God does not intervene where humans exercise their free will.   However, when humankind is willing to answer "Here I am, send me" with the Prophet Isaiah in Chapter 6:8, God will so work with us to do so much. 

When it comes to ending the discrimination and oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people in the Church and society, God has called us to be about the work of doing that.  

Who else, but us have the power to stop drone missiles from killing innocent civilians, women, men and children in Pakistan?  

We do have the opportunity to speak up about the injustice of putting Social Security on the table in negotiations over the fiscal cliff crisis. That putting the stability and sustainability of retired, disabled and poor people in the playing cards for asking the wealthiest to pay a bit more to help fund education, infrastructure and homeland security is an injustice.  Now is the time to be speaking up and acting with regards to this kind of evil in our Nation.

The time to demand that more be done in terms of helping those suffering from mental illness so that they have access to affordable health care, psychiatric medicine and an opportunity to be functioning individuals in our society, is now. 

We all have an opportunity today, to do some thing that helps reduce gun violence on our streets, in our schools, in our houses of worship and local communities. 

When we go before Jesus in prayer, and ask as Thomas did to show us his wounded hands and side, Jesus will tell us: "No more disbelief.  Believe!"   In other words, don't just sit staring at the television with all the horrible reports and do nothing.  Spend some time in prayer.  Write a letter.  Join a local organization and begin helping in efforts to make your local community a better place for all people.   See the wounds of Christ as those in all of our sisters and brothers, and believe that the Risen Christ can impact those who have not seen him, to believe through what God does through us.

No more disbelief.  Believe!

Amen.


Prayers

Everliving God, who strengthened your apostle Thomas with
firm and certain faith in your Son's resurrection: Grant us so
perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our
Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found wanting
in your sight; through him who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for St. Thomas, Book of Common Prayer, p. 237).

O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know
you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend
us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that
we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of
any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen. (Collect for Peace, Book of Common Prayer, p. 99).

Third Sunday of Advent: Rejoice! The Lord is Near?

Today's Scripture Readings

Zephaniah  3: 14-20 (NRSV)

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;

shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

O daughter Jerusalem!

The LORD has taken away the judgments against you,

he has turned away your enemies.

The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;

you shall fear disaster no more.

On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands grow weak.

The LORD, your God, is in your midst,

a warrior who gives victory;

he will rejoice over you with gladness,

he will renew you in his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing

as on a day of festival.

I will remove disaster from you,

so that you will not bear reproach for it.

I will deal with all your oppressors

at that time.

And I will save the lame

and gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praise

and renown in all the earth.

At that time I will bring you home,

at the time when I gather you;

for I will make you renowned and praised

among all the peoples of the earth,

when I restore your fortunes

before your eyes, says the LORD.

First Song of Isaiah: Isaiah 12: 2-6 (BCP., p.86)


Philippians 4:4-7 (NRSV)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 
Luke 3: 7-18 (NRSV)

John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

Blog Reflection

Exactly what is there for us to rejoice on this Third Sunday of Advent?   Our nation is living a nightmare this weekend with the horrible shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.  Children between the ages of 5-7 shot to death with multiple gunshot wounds by a madman of a gunman. It hardly feels as if the Lord is anywhere near to that small town, with weeping parents, relatives and a whole community where faith has been shaken to the core.

Our human limitations cannot put this puzzle together.  Nothing makes sense.  Every attempt to try to reason this within our minds, just comes back with a terrible feeling of grief and despair.  How are we to rejoice and feel that the Lord is near?

The communities written about in our Scripture Readings this weekend were also facing unspeakable violence, oppression and questions of how the reality of what is around them become moments of faith i moving forward together.  

Zephaniah is confronting a corrupt king who has ignored the prescriptions of Deuteronomy to care for the poor and disenfranchised in his care.   The Prophet has been condemning the practices of the king, and is calling for a new order by which a remnant shall come and rebuild the city and nation to be one that takes seriously their God given call to seek justice and equality for all people.   The exalted ones who are ignoring their responsibility to the least among them will be replaced by one who shall put off the judgement of God by God coming among them as a warrior who gives victory to his people.  It will be a great day of rejoicing.
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We are all sharing in the unspeakable grief and horror of what has happened in the elementary school in Connecticut.  Out of the bitterness of our emotions is coming together a human community who is weeping with the parents and families, who have had their whole lives shattered by violence.   People are raising our voices in concern for how accessible automatic weapons of mass destruction are in the hands of those who should not have  them.  People are looking to be proactive with their anger and sorrow, rather than just passing it off as another mass murder.  This is something to rejoice in, and see that the Lord is indeed near.   In Psalm 147 we pray that "God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."   God weeps with all of us and especially those who are so grieving in ways that we cannot know.  But, we know that God shares in our sorrow and concern for those who are wounded and weeping.   Rejoice, the Lord is near.  And acting on our behalf.  In faith we have to believe that, even though our human sight and emotions are not feeling it at this moment.

No one knew sorrow than Paul.  Paul was the great Apostle to the Gentiles who went into areas, only to be rejected, sometimes put in prison, scourged and had his life threatened.  In this letter to the Church at Philippi, Paul is writing from prison.  Yet, he tells us to rejoice always, to worry about nothing, pray with thanksgiving and petition to God.  As we continue to ask all of our questions that lead to very few answers with the tragedy we saw yesterday, this Season of Advent reminds us of what it is we await.  We wait for the promise of God, a reign where there is peace, justice and mercy for all.   It came to us in the birth of Christ in Bethlehem on that Christmas Night, and through the Holy Spirit continues to teach us and call us to renew our faith and trust in God, and even though we live in a world full of violence, none of it has the last word.  God goes through our life experiences with us, and consoles us in our moments of sorrow and hopelessness. We can always rejoice that God does hear our prayers and is never so far away from us, that we have reason to believe that God is present and walking with us.  Only in faith and trust can we believe that.  If we ask God for such a grace, God will grant it.

John the Baptist continues to call upon the people of his day to prepare the way for the Lord, by working to establish a kingdom of justice, freedom from oppression and a desire to love others.  John the Baptist does not claim himself as the Messiah, but calls those who are listening to him to prepare for the One who is coming.  That preparation comes by way of our taking care of what is right in front of us.  We can rejoice because we all have time given to us in this moment to do something about things as they are.  At times all we can do is pray.   Prayer by itself is most often the greatest and best thing we can do.   In prayer we draw closer to the heart of God and find in God our Source of love, acceptance and compassion.   The one thing that amazes me about the experience of the shooting this weekend, is that it takes something like that to make us realize how important it is for us to pray for and embrace one another.  If we will only take some time to be quiet before God as our Source of love, acceptance and compassion, there just may be more peace and an ending to violence and oppression.  If we really want these to be possible, we will do these with the same urgency by which we do many other things that are far less important.

If we want to see a Church and society where we are effective in working for justice, peace and equality for LGBT people and all others, we must recognize our human limitations, but be open to what God can accomplish through us, if we will only make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit.   We have to do it in prayer and then allow what we pray to become transparent in our lives.   That which becomes transparent by way of God's grace can become instruments by which God transforms the human community in ways that only the Divine Love can know and bring about.

Amen

Prayers

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come
among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins,
let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver
us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and
the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, p. 212).


Most holy God, the source of all good desires, all right
judgements, and all just works: Give to us, your servants, that
peace which the world cannot give, so that our minds may be
fixed on the doing of your will, and that we, being delivered
from the fear of all enemies, may live in peace and quietness;
through the mercies of Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen. (A Collect for Peace, Book of Common Prayer, p. 123).

O merciful Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that
thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve thy children:
Look with pity upon the sorrows of thy servants for whom
our prayers are offered. Remember them, O Lord, in mercy,
nourish their soul with patience, comfort them with a sense of
thy goodness, lift up thy countenance upon them, and give
them peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Those in Trouble or Bereavment, Book of Common Prayer, p. 831).

Second Sunday of Advent: What God Are We Preparing the Way For?

Today's Scripture Readings

Malachi 3: 1-4 (NRSV)

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight-- indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

Canticle 16 (BCP., p. 92)


Philippians 1: 3-11 (NRSV)

I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how

I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Luke 3: 1-6 (NRSV)

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

'Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled,

and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight,

and the rough ways made smooth;

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

Blog Reflection

This weekend I attended the Trinity Wall Street's 42nd National Theological Conference with speaker Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB.   During this conference the question was raised: What is the Radical Christian Life?   In her answer to this question, Sr. Joan referred to the evolutionary God.  The God that is forever changing our understanding of who God is, and what God is doing as one age dies and another is coming to life.

There were two statements Sr. Joan made that struck me among many, that I think are relevant to today's mediation on this Second Sunday of Advent as we read about St. John the Baptist preparing the way for God to come.  

1. We have to be careful about how we summarize God.

2. What we believe about God is how we relate to God.

Now to break them down a bit.

1. We have to be careful about how we summarize God.  If we believe that God is the One who has no beginning or ending, then all of what we write or say that tries to define God will always fall short.  Many languages, cultures and religious traditions have made many attempts to define a Being who is beyond ourselves and yet very close to us.  Whether we define God in Christ as Christians do, or as Allah as the Muslims might do, our definition is our own.  What may be true for one, may not be for another.  

Does this mean there is no God to believe in?   Or a God who came to us in the Person of Jesus Christ?   No, it does not mean that there is no God, or that God did not come to us in Christ..  As Christians we do believe in a God who is real, tangible, and who became God's perfect revelation in a Man of Nazareth, born of Mary and Joseph and changed the world forever more. 

What we have to be careful about is how we define (or prepare the way for) a God by our own definition.   The God who is the vending machine who we pray to, to give us what we want, will always disappoint us.   The God who is defined by Biblical literalists who want to continue to subordinate women, oppress LGBT people, people of different cultural or religious practices, because "that's the known law of God" will always leave them, disappointed and feeling that they must martyr themselves, when things do not go their way.

2. What we believe about God is how we relate to God.    If all we believe about God is that God is a vending machine or the mighty law giver, the writer and author of the Bible as God's sexual penal code, etc, then that is how we will relate to God.   It is also how we will relate to others who do not see things our way.   We will never be satisfied with newer understandings of who God is, because God fits into a nice Pandora's Box, and so does everyone else.   We form a sense of self-righteousness and arrogance.

But if we believe that God is calling upon us to be the John the Baptist's of the second decade of this the 21st Century, who are preparing the way for the evolutionary God, we will be open to the movement of God's Holy Spirit.   We can read the Bible, celebrate our traditions and look forward to new developments as opportunities to encounter and become re-acquainted with God who comes to us in Christ, anew and ready to welcome all who want to come to him.  We will be the one's who speak out about the abuse of the environment through global warming and the neglect of the sick and the poor.    We will look for ways of working towards a greater equality fo LGBT people, women, people of different races, religions, economic statuses etc.  Because God is always evolving upon us to prepare new places for God.

As we prepare to welcome the Christ child at Christmas this year, we would do well to pray for ourselves to be open to receiving Christ in however he shall come to us.  That we will never let go of Emmanuel "God with us" and realize that whatever new and evolutionary means by which God makes God's Self known to us, that our hearts, our minds, our prayers and our lives are ready to embrace, receive and make her/him find at home in us.

What God are we preparing the way for?

Amen.


Prayers

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to
preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation:
Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins,
that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our
Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, p. 211).


Gracious Father, we pray for they holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen. (Prayer for the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p. 816).

First Sunday of Advent 2012: The Season of Already, But Not Yet

Today's Scripture Readings

Jeremiah 33:14-16 (NRSV)

The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: "The LORD is our righteousness." 

Psalm 25 (BCP., p. 614).
 
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 (NRSV)

How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.

Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Luke 21: 25-36 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

"Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Blog Reflection

Every person in every place experiences a change of the seasons.  In Fr. Albert Holtz, OSB's book: From Holidays to Holy Days: A Benedictine Walk through Advent, he writes that the Greek word for season is kairos.  We are now in the kairos the Season of Advent.   The kairos of the Reign of God that is already here, but not yet.  The word kairos can also be understood as an "opportunity."  Holtz makes the point that every moment of every day is it's own kairos.   An opportunity to enter into a deeper relationship with God and others around us.  

Advent is a fantastic kairos to examine our priorities.  Are we so set on getting that perfect gift for or from someone that we forget that Christmas is about the birth of Christ who came to redeem the world?   Are we so busy planning holiday parties and attending a play of The Christmas Carol or the Nutcracker Suite for a little culture, but take no time to change the culture of injustice, oppression and prejudice in ourselves and communities?   Are we patting ourselves on the back for helping to serve Christmas dinner at a soup kitchen, but we do not do anything about addressing the widespread poverty that is right outside our doors?

The reign of God is already here.  We celebrate the memory that Christ already came into this world as a baby, and through his life, death and resurrection opened a new way to salvation in God.  Jesus brought that change of God interacting with people who were marginalized by political, religious and social structures designed to keep the powerful and the helpless worlds apart.   God drew closer to those stigmatized and gave them the power to be lifted up and fed with "the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor. 5:8), while "casting down the mighty from their thrones" (Luke 1: 52).   Those who filled their lives with self righteousness through external practices of piety without observing justice, mercy and good faith, found themselves as "the rich sent away empty" (Luke 1:53).  

However, the reign of God is not yet here.   We still live in a world where the wealthy are exploiting the poor, lonely, the aged and the sick.  We are horrible stewards of God's creation as we continue to pollute the air, water and destroy the forests and wet lands, while plummeting cultures that neither want or need us there.  Women, LGBT, Native Americans, Jewish people, Muslims and many others are still second class citizens.  In Uganda, LGBT people face the possibility of a bill being passed that will put them in prison, just because of who they are, and false information about them spreading because of the false witness of American evangelical missionaries. 

In our celebrations of Advent, we have that kairos to pray and discern how we can help advance the arrival of the reign of God in our lives and communities.  The season of understanding how much God really loves us, and calls upon us to love God present in others, is now upon us.  It is a story that is connected to our history and continues to be reborn through the faith, compassion and witness of people who see places where the reign of God has yet to take root and become a garden of many beautiful colors. 

One of those places where God's reign needs more room to be reborn, is within each of us.  We can all take just a few extra minutes a day to give thanks to God for all that we are so fortunate to have.   We can also begin to take a look at our own attitudes and what might be one thing that we can address this Advent.  We can also take notice around us of who is hurting and in need of our concern and/or assistance.  There is always a place and a kairos for us to bring God's reign closer to ourselves and to others. 

May we take time this Advent to look for that kairos and discern how to bring God's reign that is already here, but not yet, just a little bit closer to change the world for the better.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of
darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of
this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit
us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come
again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the
dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen. (Collect for First Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, p. 211).


O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, p. 815).


Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this
land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as
their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to
eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those
who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law
and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of
us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Oppressed, Book of Common Prayer, p. 826).

Last Sunday After Pentecost: Christ the King: An Inclusive Reign

Today's Scripture Readings

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 (NRSV)

As I watched,

thrones were set in place,

and an Ancient One took his throne,

his clothing was white as snow,

and the hair of his head like pure wool;

his throne was fiery flames,

and its wheels were burning fire.

A stream of fire issued

and flowed out from his presence.

A thousand thousands served him,

and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.

The court sat in judgment,

and the books were opened.

As I watched in the night visions,

I saw one like a human being

coming with the clouds of heaven.

And he came to the Ancient One

and was presented before him.

To him was given dominion

and glory and kingship,

that all peoples, nations, and languages

should serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

that shall not pass away,

and his kingship is one

that shall never be destroyed.

Psalm 94 (BCP,. p.722)


Revelation 1: 4b-8 (NRSV)

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Look! He is coming with the clouds;

every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him;

and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.

So it is to be. Amen.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

John 18:33-37

Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

Blog Reflection

Here we are at the end of another Liturgical Year, celebrating the feast of Christ the King.   Also known and preferred by many as the Reign of Christ.  The triumphant and holy celebration of Jesus Christ as King is only 87 years old.   In 1925 Pope Pius XI added it to the Roman Catholic church calendar as a way of expressing some hope after World War I.  It was a recognition of Christ as having been victorious over sin and death, and had an opportunity to reign in the world's politics after a brutal and deadly conflict.   One does not have to look very long after 1925 to see that not only did Christ not rule in the hearts and lives religious and political leaders then, but we still have a long way to go as we prepare to bid good bye to 2012.

In the book of the Prophet Daniel, the image is that of a glorious reign of the Ancient One who is mighty and coming to bring justice with  his mighty arm.  The Ancient One who brought Israel from Egypt into the promised land, and gave them the commandments through Moses.  Christians have looked back upon the writings from the Hebrew Scriptures to honor the culture and religion of the Jewish people.   And we would like to think that in this Year of 2012, we no longer have antisemitism, but we know very well that there is.  God's people were wanting that mighty sign of God coming in glory to deliver them from captivity and bring them the salvation of their nation.  

Christians can and still do believe that Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophesies in Hebrew Scriptures.  Our task in this second decade of the new millennium is to accept what the Scriptures mean for us, while respecting what they mean for others who have followed a different faith journey from ours.  The Reign of God is inclusive. 

Jumping into our Gospel, what might the significance be of Pilate having the conversation with Jesus in the Praetorium?   The Praetorium was the center of political power in the world.   It was from the Praetorium that Pilate governed Jerusalem on behalf of the Roman Emperor Tiberius Caesar Augustus.  In this account from John, Pilate is questioning the authority of Jesus as a king.  The answers Jesus gives Pilate presents the stark contrast between what Pilate understands a kingdom to be, vs. what is the Kingdom of God that Jesus speaks of.   While Pilate wants to know about the earthly kingdom that Jesus might think he rules, the Kingdom that Jesus speaks of is not found in this world.  If that Kingdom were there, he might not have been in captivity without some kind of fight from of his followers to prevent his imprisonment.  God's reign is not one of political maneuvering, one of war or conquest.   The Reign of God is one of peace, justice, love and mercy.  Qualities that are present in the world, because of God's ownership of what God created.  The Reign of God of which Jesus speaks is already here, but not yet.

Jesus said that he was born for one purpose to testify to the truth and that all who belong to truth, hear his voice.   What "truth" might Jesus be talking about?

Immediately we are tempted to jump back to John 14: 6: "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me."   While this is certainly true for us Christians, it also has the tendency to suggest that our religion is one of supercessionism.  Meaning that all other religions and practices outside of Christianity are in and of themselves null and void, unless they become Christian.   It can also be from here that many Christianists continue their assault on LGBT people, Native Americans, women and many others who define "truth" a bit differently than how John 14:6 might be read.

Michael and Lori Hardin in their internet Commentary on the readings called Preaching Peace had this to say about what truth for some can mean.

The fact is, at the base and center of philosophy (Derrida), religion (Barth) and literature (Girard) lies a victim, an innocent victim. We have been in complete and utter denial about this. We refuse to believe that we would sacrifice innocents. We continue to insist we only bring justice to those who deserve it. We further separate ourselves from scapegoating by turning over this task to the police or the military and the courts and prison systems. We don’t have anything to do with ‘violence.’ Our hands are clean.

As an example we cite American Christian awareness of issues that surround the Holocaust. Because America fought in World War II against Germany, it is conveniently assumed that whatever the German Christians did and thought had nothing to do with Christianity here in America. But it does, for the anti-semitism that found such virulent expression in Nazi Germany had many of its roots in the United States with Henry Ford (click here for an eye-opening paper on Ford.), and they have found expression around the world for the past 1,900 years (with specific reference to anti-Semitism in Christianity, not to mention the ancient world). You cannot follow Jesus and be anti-Semitic at the same time; Jesus was a Jew. But there are those who insist that their ‘theology’ bears little resemblance to that of the German Christians, when in fact, it does. It is all loaded with Post Constantinian and post Augustinian dualism and participation in the victimage mechanism.

So, the question is, if our human ideologies stem from victimage and are masked by lies, how can we then know the truth? It is quite simple: the truth does not retaliate or defend itself. ‘My kingdom is not of this world, if it were my disciples would fight to prevent my arrest.’ They tried, but Jesus prohibited them from using violence on his behalf. Had he done so, it would have destroyed his entire mission to reveal the truth: that God is love and love is non-retributive, non-retaliatory and non-violent.

In other words, if something or someone claims to be truth and has violent presuppositions or acts in a violent (= coercive) manner, then it is not truth. Truth may be attacked but it cannot be harmed. It is not ‘of this world’, that is, structured by negative mimesis. This is precisely how the gospels can speak of truth and why the Fourth Gospel calls Jesus, ‘the true and living way.’

Pilate may have discerned this seeing that John says his fear escalated with each encounter he had with Jesus. But, his job (and his life) was more important than a ragamuffin Jew from Galilee, so eventually the fear of retaliation from his mimetic boss (Caesar) was greater than his fear of a king who would not defend himself.

And so it is with us. We remain silent in the face of victimization because we chose to protect our source of security, our jobs, our incomes, our lifestyles. Perhaps the real question is, in the face of retaliation and retribution are you on the side of Jesus or not?

Finally we observe that inasmuch as today is Christ the King Sunday, please note that it is ‘Christ the King under arrest and being interrogated Sunday.’ It is Christ the King being held hostage Sunday. It is Christ the royal political prisoner Sunday. It is Christ the King soon to be beaten and crucified Sunday. It is Christ the innocent King/Victim Sunday. It is not Christ the powerful King Sunday. It is not Christ the mighty warrior Sunday. It is not Christ the King as Lawgiver and dispenser of punishment Sunday. It is Christ, whose kingdom is not of this world, the King Sunday.

As we celebrate Christ the King Sunday, Jesus is once again in danger or being killed just for being LGBT in the African country of Uganda.   They are again considering their monstrous and destructive bill to imprison LGBT people or possibly put them to death by hanging.  The sad truth still remains that people using the Name of Jesus Christ from America have some responsibility for what is happening there.  The Gospel is again being hijacked to suggest that marginalization, oppression and death is the answer to dealing with prejudice and the refusal to honor Christ in others who are different from themselves.   They cannot envision that the Reign of Christ is inclusive.

Rev. Susan Russell wrote:

"Christ the King has been co-opted by those who understand the Reign of Christ to be not about the Lordship of Love but about obedience to orthodoxy. The king whose throne was a cross and whose dying words were “My God, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” has been replaced with a judge whose message is “My God will not forgive you unless you are doing it my way.” It is time for us to find our voices and reclaim the historic faith we have inherited: to pro-claim the Good News of the Gospel of Grace whenever and wherever we can; to challenge those who preach the Jesus of Judgment by our serving instead the King of Love."

One of the things we as Benedictines understand is that obedience to Christ is not so much about fear and judgement.   Though at times it may appear as much in the Rule, especially when you read things like this.

"This message of mine is for you, then, if you are ready to give up your own will, once and for all, and armed with the strong and noble weapons of obedience to do battle for the true King, Christ the Lord." (Prologue, v. 3.  RB 1980, p.157).

Obedience for Benedictines is about responding in love to what Christ calls us to do through the Superior.  This model is there to remind us that Christ is the loving and compassionate Savior who desires nothing more than to lead us to that Kingdom that is here, but not yet.  A Reign where we are open to Christ as he is present in every person.  Especially those who are oppressed by injustice and inequality.  St. Benedict brings this to mind as he says in Chapter 4 on the Tools of Good Works: "Go to help the troubled and console the sorrowing" (vs. 18,19, RB 1980,  p. 183).   Obedience to truth is more than Jesus, it is honoring him present in others and being willing to serve him there.

As we prepare to celebrate Advent and the new Liturgical Year one week from today, we would do well to ask ourselves what the Reign of Christ looks like for us?   How do we understand the Reign of Christ as an inclusive Kingdom?   How is that Reign present to us in the here and now?   How are we responding to Christ the King coming to us in our neighbor?

These questions are not a matter of just what is objectively true.  They are a matter of our faith and trust in God. To believe that God challenges us to let go of our self-security a bit. So that Christ will make the Kingdom a much greater reality for us and in us. So that it will become clearer to us and others, that Christ is our King. 

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all
things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of
lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided
and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together
under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p. 236).


Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this
land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as
their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to
eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those
who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law
and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of
us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Oppressed, Book of Common Prayer, p. 826).


Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, p. 823).

Praying with Compassion for Those Most Like Us

Today's Scripture Reading

James 2: 14-26 (NRSV)

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith without works is barren? Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness’, and he was called the friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. 

Blog Reflection

I have been reading With Open Hands by Henri J.M. Nouwen.   It is a book about prayer.  Nouwen draws the reader into a serious self-examination of what prayer means.  

Praying...demands a relationship in which you allow someone other than yourself to enter the very center of your person, to see there what you would rather leave in darkness, and to touch there what you would rather leave untouched. (p.19)

Nouwen invites us to take a good deeper look into our relationship to God through prayer.

Are we hanging on to things from God with "clenched fists"? (Chapter 1).

There are many points that have been very moving for me while reading this book.  However, the most recent chapter 4: Prayer and Compassion struck me.  What is written in that chapter appeared to be making a new connection for me to today's New Testament Reading from James for use with the Daily Office.

To the point about prayer and compassion I want to use the following from Nouwen's book.

Compassion goes beyond distance and exclusiveness.

Compassion grows with the inner recognition that your neighbor shares your humanity with you.  This partnership cuts through all walls which might have kept you separate.  Across all barriers of land and language, wealth and poverty, knowledge and ignorance, we are one, created form teh same dust, subject to the same laws, and destined for the same end.   With this compassion you can say, "In the face of the oppressed I recognize my own face and in the hands of the oppressor I recognize my own hands.   Their flesh is my flesh; their blood is my blood; their pain is my pain; their smile is my smile.  Their ability to torture is in me too; their capacity to forgive I find also in myself.   There is nothing in them that does not belong to me, too.  In my heart, I know their yearning for love and down to my entrails, I can feel their cruelty.  In another's eyes, I see my plea for forgiveness and in a hardened frown, I see my refusal.  When someone murders, I know that I too could have murdered, and when someone gives birth, I know that I am capable of birth as well.  In the depths of my being, I meet my fellow humans with whom I share love and hate, life and death (p.92,93).

After I read this, my mind drifted to all of the times I read something from the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) or the Family Research Council (FRC) for example, and just burn with rage at what they said.  I have at times allowed what they've written to drive me to near depression.   I am at the point where I no longer read those things regularly, because of how much they drive me down.

What Nouwen wrote here and what I believe James may be challenging us to do, is to align our faith with our work.  Earlier in James 1:22-25, we read about the idea of being doers of the word and not hearers only is like looking in a mirror.  What we do with what we pray and read, is a reflection of who we really are and what we are really doing.  A mirror large enough, not only shows you a reflection of yourself, but also everything you do while glancing into that mirror.

If all we do is read or listen to what those who say the most horrific things about women, liberals, LGBT people etc and react only, then, sad to say, we are no better than they are.  What they say and think, is some thing many of us said or thought before we came out of our own closets and accepted ourselves.   Before many of us came out, we said horrific things about people who are LGBT.  If we were part of a conservative Christian tradition, we probably quoted Leviticus 20:13 erroneously, and/or maliciously.   Many of us closeted gay men, struggled what to do about that crush we had on a classmate in school, while telling ourselves we would go to hell if we ever did anything physical about it.

While we must not "make peace with oppression" and just hear things like these passively, we can do some work from our faith in these moments.   We can pray with compassion for those who speak as we once spoke.   We can receive them into our prayers with compassion from a point of hospitality to seek healing and reconciliation for them and ourselves.    We can identify with their weaknesses and look carefully at our own attitudes of prejudice towards others for whom we may still harbor some kind of bias that we would rather ignore.  Through our prayers for them with compassion, we can experience the compassion of our God coming to touch those places in our lives that need to be mended and made holy.

If we will only take some time to make use of this exercise, we will find even our anger and depression, giving way to love for Christ above all else, and honoring God in even our adversaries.   We are all on the same journey, even if we are approaching them from very different directions.   God is as much their destiny as God is ours.

Who are we willing to pray for with compassion today?


Prayer

O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love
our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth:
deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in
your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for our Enemies, Book of Common Prayer, p. 816).

O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know
you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend
us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that
we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of
any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen. (Prayer for Peace, Book of Common Prayer, p. 99).