Trinity 8

 July 25, 2021

Trinity 8

(Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16; John 6:1-15)

When was the last time you considered the question, "What is my calling?" That's not a question of your job, although the hope is that any occupation we engage in becomes an expression of our deeper call. The same goes for our state of life: married, single, clergy – with or without celibacy vows – and any myriad of possibilities. Each of those commitments becomes the context through which we become who we are called to be.

St. Paul brings us this question today in the Letter to the Ephesians, a letter that scholars see as addressed to the worldwide church throughout the ages. We might imagine the great apostle looking directly at us — individually or as an assembled community — as he says with a booming voice, "I urge you to live a life worthy of your calling."

Now, look in the mirror and dare to ask, "What is he expecting of us?" or "What does he hope for us? What does it mean to really live our calling or vocation?"

Paul goes to the heart of the matter and says, "You were called to one hope."

That hope, he explains, comes through the Lord Jesus and draws as one body in the Spirit into union with the Father so that God dwells in and through all. Our call is to be exactly who we are, offering our own gifts to the one body we are becoming.

So far, this is theory about hope and unity and vocation. Some churches follow a three readings cycle for their Sunday services – one from the Old Testament, one from the New testament, and one from the Gospels. If we were to use the Old Testament reading assigned for today in the Revised Common Lectionary, we would read from 2 Kings 4 also. 2 Kings and John offer something more specific than Paul’s expectations.

The story about Elisha is one in a series of anecdotes in which the prophet worked life-giving wonders on behalf of individuals or groups of people.

In this case, someone came from pagan territory with a small sacrificial offering. Instead of saving the gift for sacrifice, Elisha ordered a servant to distribute what would have been the equivalent of 20 rolls and some raw grain to a group of a hundred hungry people.

The sensible servant protested that such a gesture was ridiculous, if not insulting. Who would present such a paltry amount to such a large group?

Of course, as in the other situations mentioned in this section of 2 Kings, Elisha's outrageous desire to respond to the need at hand found fulfillment. The people ate and there were leftovers.

In today's Gospel, we hear the most oft-repeated story in the New Testament, the miraculous sharing of bread. The same one we heard from Mark last week. Mark and Matthew each recount two versions of the story and Luke and John each tell one; every rendition has unique emphases. While John's is the longest and most theological, today we begin with the details of the incident.

Obviously, the evangelists capitalized on the parallels between this incident and Elisha's history. John adds special details including the fact that this happened around the time of Passover, the celebration of God's deliverance of Israel from slavery.

Then, even more than in Elisha's story, we hear of the preposterous disparity between the size of the crowd and the quantity of available food. Mark and John also add subtle details that reflect Psalm 23 by depicting people reclining on lush grass.

In each account, we hear echoes of the Last Supper as Jesus takes bread, gives thanks and distributes it to the people. Anyone steeped in the Hebrew Scriptures hears this as a story of one greater than Elisha offering bread as God did in the Exodus desert. Christians hear in it strains of a Eucharistic celebration.

Having relished some of the artistry and details of the story, we still ask what it says about our calling. Admittedly, the story seems preposterous to some. One can invent rational explanations for what happened, but none of the evangelists are interested in those. We are meant to see and believe in the miracle of the loaves. 

In spite of the way we often refer to the incident, no account ever says that the bread was multiplied. They only tell how a tiny amount was offered, that the multitude ate, and there was food to spare — in spite of the disciples' doubts. There is no scientific explanation, that is why it is called a miracle.

In the light of Paul's invitation to great hope, we can read the stories of miraculous sharing as a call to preposterous faith. The thought that humanity can learn to act as one or that we can "live in a manner worthy" of our call appears as ludicrous as the decision to satisfy the hunger of a multitude with a few rolls and some dried fish. It is also the hope to which we are called. We are called to the hope – faith of a God who can, and does, all things. Miracles are indeed real.

According to these Scriptures, faith calls forth unreasonable expectations. Our calling is to offer the paltry stuff of our lives and assume that God will do more with us than we could ask or imagine.

Maybe this is the calling for all Christians, to look for the miracle in what seems preposterous and ludicrous. To know in the end, that our calling, and life’s miracles are not our own. They are God’s. Maybe if we expected and thus were more open to miracles, more would be experienced. 

Let’s us follow Paul’s call to hope and live our calling in preposterous ways.

Let us pray.

In our Gospel reading we are reminded that there are so many in the world today seeking the true meaning of life, like sheep without a shepherd. We pray to our God in Heaven, who is father of all mankind, that He have compassion for all his flock and open our eyes to our calling and to the message of the true shepherd. We pray to the Lord.

For a sharper awareness of the hungers within our hearts. May we rely on your grace and providence to satisfy and fill us, and to give us direction. We pray to the Lord.

Bless all who bring food – our loaves and fishes - to our tables daily; farmers, harvesters, transporters, grocers and cooks. Renew their dedication with energy, perseverance and inspiration. We pray to the Lord.

That the Church may boldly and faithfully point to Christ as the true bread and sustenance for every human need. We pray to the Lord.

For those around the world and here in our country where cases of COVID-19 are seeing another surge, and for those anxious about the future. We pray to the Lord.

For those on our parish prayer list, that they may receive swift answers to their needs and that they may find consolation through Christ’s healing presence. We pray to the Lord.                    

We bow our heads and remember in silence our own personal intentions and the intentions of those who have asked for our prayers (pause). We pray to the Lord.  

Wondrous and generous God, your gifts are overwhelming: Your sun lights the way for our journey, and your stars puncture our darkness. Your living water quenches our thirst, and your broken bread opens the door to eternal life. Your healing touch binds up our wounds, and your forgiveness washes clean our sin.

Wondrous and generous God, from the four corners of the earth, a chorus of praise erupts. The ocean roars and the trees shout their joy. From the deepest depths of our being, our prayer gropes to find words of adoration. For you are patient and kind, even as we wander, lured by the trivial and attracted by the quick solution. For you are full of compassion and truth, even as we stumble in relationships and hesitate at the doors of justice.

Come now, wondrous and generous God. Bring comfort to those who agonize over broken relationships, who mourn the death of what used to be. Touch those whose bodies need healing. Liberate those whose addictions warp their full potential. Surprise those whose days are filled with sameness and whose joy has ceased.

Come now, wondrous and generous God. Make this church a place where seeds grow, joy is shared, songs are sung, peace is shaped, dreams are born, sorrow is graced and ripples of love spread. May your preposterous ways permeate our lives so that we may see your miracles and what you are calling us to be. In the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

God Love you +++

The Most Rev. Robert Winzens

Pastor – St. Francis Chapel

San Diego, CA

We at St. Francis appreciate all of you who keep our ministry alive through your prayers and donations. There is much ministry to do, with ever so limited resources! Please consider adding St. Francis Chapel as one of your donors! Thank you, and God Bless+++

www.stfrancisucc.org then click the donate button in the upper right corner.

Trinity 6

 July 11, 2021

Trinity 6

(Ephesians 1:1-14; Mark 6:7-13)

You are social distancing, you have masks in the glove compartment, jacket pockets, desk drawers and on hooks in the hallway, and you’re afraid to go shopping. Yet, the Bible says you’re blessed. Excuse me? Well, okay, maybe California no longer has so many of these restrictions, however I am sure you get my drift.

The first verse of today’s Epistle reading mentions a form of the word “blessed” three times! Even those of the dimmest understanding will recognize this as a probable key to the entire reading.

Reading verses 4 through 14, however, is a daunting task. If one were to enumerate all the blessings mentioned therein … well, it would be like searching for the correct number of squares in a Facebook puzzle. If you are not familiar with the puzzle, you’re additionally blessed. Only the perceptive and spatially gifted can arrive at the correct answer. You uncover one blessing, only to find another … like Russian nesting dolls. Well, okay, maybe I am exaggerating – a smidge. 

Maybe we should count the blessings in the passage – and in our lives -  just as the old hymn “Count Your Blessings” advises us to do:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one.

Count your blessings, see what God hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one.

Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

So, how many blessings are in the passage? Some might argue for a number between 20 and 28 blessings! Others might not see so many blessings, but can easily spot the big ones:

~ God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (v. 4).

~ God destined us for adoption as his children (v. 5).

~ In Jesus we have redemption through his blood (v. 7).

~ In Jesus we have … the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace (v. 7).

~ In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance (v. 11).

~ In him you also … were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit (v. 13). 

Maybe blessings are not supposed to be counted. It may seem absurd on the face of it. Counting our blessings makes about as much sense as trying to count grains of sand at the beach or the number of hairs on your head. C’est impossible! Yet, counting and keeping track is what we humans do. We not only count our own blessings, but we count the blessings of other people and wonder why they’re blessed and we aren’t. We keep track of successes and failures, insults and awards, the good things and bad things. We like to have a balance sheet, or a P&L statement that shows just where we are in this experience we call life. We have egos, don’t you know?

So it’s natural to itemize our blessings, and one gets the feeling that the apostle Paul is just getting started — that he feels blessed in so many countless ways.

But we don’t often feel blessed these days, do we? 2020 and 2021 have not been easy. The three-headed ogre — Politics, Racism and Pandemic — is a fire-breathing monster that has kept the country on edge for a long time. Is it possible that like the ancient Israelites tramping through the wilderness of Zin, we have lost sight of our blessings and instead constructed a culture of complaint. If we’re honest, we can find things to complain about far easier than we can find blessings. 

That’s probably overstating the case, but still, to speak of one’s blessings is so … 1950s. It’s retro and nostalgic. Perhaps we used to feel blessed, but the thrill is gone. What happened?

Blessings? What blessings? 

We Are Blessed

This reading from Ephesians 1 is a much-needed attitude adjustment. But before going further, let’s look at the word “blessing.”

Grammatically, it can be both a noun and a verb. Used as a noun, we might say:

~ “She is such a blessing.”

~ “He said a blessing before dinner.”

~ “Dad gave our marriage his blessing.”

~ “We have received so may blessings.” 

And by the way, “blessing” is a countable noun.

But the word can also be a verb, conveying action.

~ “The pastor blessed the couple and sent them on their way.”

~ To cite today’s reading: “ … God … who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.”  Here, the word appears as both a verb and a noun.

I am amazed I can even remember all this from grammar school, however ….  

The point is that a blessing is something that one can both receive (noun) or bestow (verb). We can receive a blessing, and we can bless others.

In the Old Testament, blessings generally refer to material possessions, children, good crops, good health and long life. Ancient Judaism considered such things as blessing from God for living within His laws. 

When God blessed Job after his horrifying ordeal, the Bible says that “the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. … In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters … After this Job lived for one hundred and forty years. … And Job died, old and full of days” (Job 42:12-17). Notice he didn’t get a second wife? After all, his wife was not taken from him – in fact she even told him that he should curse God and die! (Job 2:9) Thus God didn’t give him another wife to match, because one Mrs. Job was quite enough, thank you very much! (There is more to this story also, but we will leave it be for today.)

Many people are familiar with the most famous blessing in the Hebrew Bible is the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:24-26:

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the New Testament, however, blessings generally refer to spiritual benefits. The text before us is an example of this, of course, but there are other well-known passages, too. The most famous of these are the so-called Beatitudes from the mouth of Jesus himself.

In the Beatitudes, traditional notions of what it means to be blessed are turned upside down. People, exposed to the Scriptures through the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees, generally believed that:

~ The rich were blessed, but Jesus said the poor were blessed.

~ Those who were in mourning had been cursed or punished for their sins, but Jesus said that those in mourning were blessed and would be comforted.

~ The strong and mighty are the blessed ones, but Jesus said the meek would inherit the earth.

~ You are blessed if you have plenty to eat and drink, but Jesus said that those who “hunger and thirst after righteousness” are truly blessed. 

The apostle James speaks of the blessing that comes to the person who “endures temptation” because “Such a one … will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

But we’re not in Matthew 5 or James 1. We’re in Ephesians 1, and here we have blessings galore. Of course we are blessed! We’ve been “chosen” before the natural world came into being! God thinks of us as divine children. Our sins and transgressions have been forgiven through the blood of Christ. And — this is interesting — there is an “inheritance” awaiting each of us! Okay, yes, our inheritance in heaven is better than becoming a billionaire! Of course, asking for both is a bit outside of our message today.

In our roles as husbands, wives, sons and daughters, neighbors and friends, we have all experienced moments of mercy and forgiveness. How liberating it feels to be forgiven! We are blessed.

So, we understand the apostle Paul when he reminds us that God has forgiven us. God has no argument or beef with us. God’s cool. We’re cool. All God’s children are cool. What a blessing! Cool. 

Now, to the part where we bless others.

To bless, to be a blessing, is the verb form of the word. Followers of Jesus try to live in a way that blesses others.

As the apostle Paul says in our text, we have received “every spiritual blessing,” so now we try to offer others every tangible and emotional blessing that we can. In all we do, we bless others, and our lives are blessings in action – or we should be.

~ People who are blessed do not curse (see James 3:9-10).

~ People who are blessed do not listen to complainers and naysayers (see Psalm 1).

~ People who are blessed do not feel entitled; they feel grateful.

~ People who are blessed tend to pay their blessings forward; in other words, they are generous.

~ People who are blessed are vividly aware of their blessed-ness and are humbled by it.

~ People who are blessed see the sacred and holy in every aspect of their lives. 

This last thought is particularly significant. The apostle Paul had some incredible adventures that included shipwrecks, floggings, imprisonment, false accusations, the misunderstanding of colleagues, and illness. But Paul always regarded himself as blessed. He lived and breathed in the blessing of God!

Maybe this awareness of the providence of God came, in part, from his upbringing and education as a Jew. This cannot be understated because, as Rabbi Jennifer Singer notes, “Judaism is chock-full of blessings.” She references Rabbi Fred Dobb, who said, “We’ve got blessings for seeing heads of state, Torah scholars, and ugly people. Blessings over sunsets, meteors, rainbows, reunions, and bad news. Blessings for bread and baked goods and fruit and vegetables, all different.” Gosh – they sound just like Catholics! A prayer or blessing for nearly everything!

A blessed person perceives blessings when others are oblivious. In turn, a blessed person blesses everything! In the Talmud, Rabbi Meir suggests “reciting 100 blessings each day …  one every 10 minutes of our waking lives.” Which is to say that we “should be constantly aware of the world around us and should respond through gratitude and prayer.”

So, can we come up with 10 blessings a day? Absolutely! And let us pray that it happens! Meanwhile I will curb my sarcasm for a few minutes. 

Let us pray.

In today’s Gospel we read how Jesus sent out his disciples to spread his message among the people of Israel. Through baptism we too are disciples sent out to live the gospel. We pray that through the example of our words and actions we may in our own lives be witnesses of the goodness of God, our Father. We pray to the Lord.             

We pray that the Good Lord, who sent out the Twelve, would today look down with mercy on his Church and inspire young men and women to join in the good work of spreading his holy gospel. We pray to the Lord.

 For our companions on this faith journey. For our families, friends, co-workers and members of our parish community. Hold us together in faithfulness to each other and unify our commitment to Christian values during this time of polarization. We pray to the Lord.

Bring healing to all in need. Invigorate those who are saddened or having difficulty. Restore life to the sick, the dying and the grieving. Inspire the addicted and the destitute. Create life-giving pathways for immigrants and for all who are afflicted. We pray to the Lord.

Awaken with us, oh Lord, the blessings you have given us. May we open our hearts and minds to see the blessings we often ignore. We pray to the Lord.

For our LGBTQ brothers and sisters as they celebrate Pride this weekend here in San Diego, may they never fear to live in honesty by living as they truly are. May legislation be passed to protect and give complete and equal rights. God does not make mistakes, he creates all humanity and love us all equally regardless of the gender we are or know we should be, and that we all should be free to love whom we are drawn to, just as God has designed all of humanity. We pray to the Lord.

For those on our parish prayer list, that they may receive swift answers to their needs and that they may find consolation through Christ’s healing presence. We pray to the Lord.                    

We bow our heads and remember in silence our own personal intentions and the intentions of those who have asked for our prayers (pause). We pray to the Lord.  

Holy God, weave praise into the fabric of our days so our lives become a blessing to others.

Weave peace into our words and deeds so hatred and anger are disarmed.

Weave love into our work so accomplishments are imbued with humility.

Weave kindness into our actions so the world becomes a joyous place to live.

Weave hope into every encounter so we may testify to God's continuing resurrection.

Weave songs into our worship so our morning might echo in praise to God. Amen.

God Love you +++

The Most Rev. Robert Winzens

Pastor – St. Francis Chapel

San Diego, CA

We at St. Francis appreciate all of you who keep our ministry alive through your prayers and donations. There is much ministry to do, with ever so limited resources! Please consider adding St. Francis Chapel as one of your donors! Thank you, and God Bless+++

St. Junipero Serra Sunday

 July 4 2021

St. Junipero Serra Sunday

Trinity 5

Independence Day

(2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13)

Do you ever wonder if God is giving you a nudge to begin something in your life, but the task seems impossible? Our patron saint for California, Junipero Serra certainly did – but he was successful in many ways, even if a bit controversial to some. So did our founding fathers of our nation – and they too succeeded.

In September 2020, Israel signed diplomatic pacts with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, the first such agreements since Israel’s peace accords with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. Neither of the new deals end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — which many believe is the greatest obstacle to peace in the Middle East — but both appear to be steps in the right direction, even with the past few weeks of unrest.

The pacts were brokered by the United States and dubbed the Abraham Accords in recognition of the biblical Abraham, who is the spiritual ancestor of both Jews and Muslims. The accords normalized relationships between the two Muslim countries and Israel and may have set a precedent for how peace in the Middle East will progress. In fact, Israel and Morocco agreed to normalize their relations in the months following the accords, with the United States recognizing Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara.

The biggest step toward Middle East peace would be to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, but that hasn’t happened, despite the many efforts of skillful, well-intentioned diplomats and others. The Abraham Accords, however, ignored that area and instead focused on how an accord could benefit those nations willing to be involved. Sometimes, doing what is possible is better than bemoaning a larger goal that can’t be achieved at present.

Something like that seems to be going on in today’s Gospel reading. Jesus was visiting his hometown — Nazareth — and when the Sabbath came, he went to the local synagogue and began to teach. His reputation as a miracle worker had likely preceded him, and Jesus’ teaching apparently wasn’t what that congregation was expecting. Yes, there was great wisdom in what he was saying, but who did he think he was? After all, he was a hometown boy, and some in the pews apparently thought he was getting too big for his britches. “And they took offense at him” is what we learn today. On the whole, they had no faith in him, and because of that, “he could do no deed of power there.” Faith on the part of the recipients was necessary for healings and the like, and since that wasn’t evident, the congregation missed out on what Jesus might have done for them. 

Remember, what I often say to many, God will not force himself upon you, he wants you to be a willing participant. Of course, that isn’t to say he doesn’t have the power to do so, for he certainly has and sometimes does – he merely wants you to agree to or be open to his miracles. There are times when there are two parties involved in a miracle, and one party is open to God’s grace, while the other is not. God could very well work a miracle for the accepting recipient and the other will be somehow be affected by it, but indirectly – vicariously. I suppose this can be viewed as a paradox.

Mark makes this comment while narrating the story: “And [Jesus] could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.” So, there must have been at least a few individuals present with enough faith to receive his help. We see the linkage to the Abraham Accords in Mark’s comment. When it turned out that Jesus could not accomplish in Nazareth what he had set out to do — what he was willing to do — he did what was possible, what the circumstances would allow, and healed a few sick people. He could have forced his miracles on them, but they still would not have accepted him, so there was no point.

What can we take from this? Sometimes, doing what is possible is better than giving up if solving the larger problem is beyond reach.

We know of no Bible verse that commands, “Do what is possible.” In fact, when the Bible uses the word “possible,” it is sometimes to contrast what God can do versus what human beings cannot do, such as in Luke 18:27, where Jesus said, “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.” 

Nonetheless, there is an underlying theme in Scripture advocating and praising effort, diligence, perseverance and “bearing fruit,” which points us toward doing what is possible in the realm of good works, healing, peacemaking and other virtuous undertakings.

There is also Mark’s account of the woman who intruded into the house of Simon the Leper, where Jesus was a guest, and anointed Jesus’ head with costly ointment. She was soundly criticized by some of those at the table for the extravagant “waste” of the ointment. But in her defense, Jesus (knowing he was soon to die) said: “She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial” (Mark 14:8), suggesting that she had accomplished what was possible.

Saint Francis of Assisi once advised, “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” In some difficult circumstances, the possible may be all that’s ever accomplished, but doing it can still be a godly thing. And Francis’ statement does suggest that there’s a momentum that may be unleashed by doing the necessary and the possible, and that it may carry over regarding the more difficult.

How can we apply this “do-what’s-possible” principle?

One place might be when you have offended someone, and that person has rebuffed your attempts to make amends. While the offended individual may remain intransigent, others who were less directly affected by your offense may be open to giving you another chance or putting the matter behind them. So, do what’s possible and make peace with them. Turning the other cheek sometimes means forgiveness and accept the amends being offered.

Another place might be in gift giving, where you have the “perfect” gift in mind for a loved one, only to find out that it’s no longer available or is beyond your reach budget-wise. What’s still possible, however, is some other genuine expression of your affection for that person (which may mean more than the gift anyway).

Kitty Harris, director of the Center for the Study of Addiction and Recovery at Texas Tech University, gives us another application of this principle from her journey to recovery from alcohol addiction: “As we begin the journey of recovery, we are capable of doing only the necessary. We don’t drink and we go to meetings and we live our lives in hourly increments. Slowly, as hours turn into days and days into months, the fog lifts and we begin to recall our forsaken dreams and goals. One day we realize it might be possible for us to achieve what we abandoned. As our dreams are reclaimed, we become the people we were intended to be and suddenly we realize we are doing the impossible. That is the story of my recovery …”

This principle also applies to projects or missions you may be feeling called by God to undertake, but seem impossible to you (I feel this way frequently as I have too many irons in the fire sometimes). Doing some part of the project that is possible is likely to give you an indication regarding whether you are really feeling the call of God or only entertaining an idea of your own.

A larger point behind this “do-what’s-possible” principle is that Christianity is not just a set of beliefs, but also a set of practices (think, for example, of the golden rule, the Sermon on the Mount and the Ten Commandments). Religion writer Karen Armstrong puts it this way: “Religion is not about accepting 20 impossible propositions before breakfast, but about doing things that change you. It’s a moral aesthetic, an ethical alchemy. If you behave a certain way you will be transformed.” 

Thus, doing what is possible puts us in a position where God will transform us from people who think real change is impossible, to people who are doing the work of God — even when it looks like the odds are against achieving anything.

In that Nazareth synagogue, Jesus “could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.” More would have been possible if others had some faith, but Jesus did what he could, and it meant the world to those few sick people who were cured. And for them, it was the will of God the Father being done by God the Son.

Let us pray.

In today’s Gospel we read how Jesus was rejected as a prophet in his own town, by those who knew him as the carpenter’s son. We pray that we, who through our baptism are brothers and sisters with Christ, remain faithful to him and grow daily in faith nourished by the Word of God and his gift of the Bread of life. We pray to the Lord.               

As we reflect on today’s Gospel, we pray that, in our own lives, we do not allow familiarity to breed contempt for others and that we treat all God’s children with love, honesty and respect. We pray to the Lord.               

We pray for those who reject Christ, his Gospel and his Church that they may understand that Jesus requires just one commitment from us, that we love one another and our neighbor as ourselves. We pray to the Lord.

That the Lord will bless our nation as we celebrate Independence Day, and that we will remain always grateful for the freedom we have as a country. We pray to the Lord.

For the men and women in our military at home and abroad, and for all the public safety personnel who serve our nation; that they be kept safe and rewarded for their generosity and sacrifice. We pray to the Lord.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. We pray to the Lord.

For those burdened by poverty, hardship, oppression, and persecution; that God will rescue them and lift them up. We pray to the Lord.

For those on our parish prayer list, that they may receive swift answers to their needs and that they may find consolation through Christ’s healing presence. We pray to the Lord.                    

We bow our heads and remember in silence our own personal intentions and the intentions of those who have asked for our prayers (pause). We pray to the Lord.  

Father God, you created all the eye can see – the entire universe and cosmos – and we, yet part of the same creation, we do not welcome you into our lives and world. We often to not let you work miracles even though we so desperately need them! Use your divine power, we pray, to open our hard hearts to let you in and to listen to all you would have us know.

O God, you call us into agreement with one another. You urge us to end the divisions among us. How is this even possible? With fists clenched and jaws set, we grip tightly our perspectives and opinions, ready for battle with any who would challenge us.

We worship the god of Being Right. Desperate to belong somewhere, we claim allegiance to tribes of our own making — tribes of doctrine, of politics, of social location. Our quarrels reach your ears, and even as we stammer out our excuses, we know it is not your way.

Your way is excellent. Your way is relationship, discipleship, neighborliness, servanthood. Your way transcends the dim truths we might fashion from earthly assets. And your way seems impossible for us to imagine.

Help us to imagine it, O God, as we come to the table. Let the fellowship we have while at table continue when we leave the table. Help us to imagine sitting down together and breaking bread. Let the magnanimity we feel and express there go with us as we leave the table.

Imagine it for us, gracious God. Imagine it within us. Show us how to drop the nets, filled with our meager catch, which we clutch to ourselves, our paltry security, our self-made identity. Teach us to share. You have a better identity in mind for us. Make us into your fishers of people. Or perhaps we must simply allow ourselves to be caught by you first. Let us be one community, a tangle of faults and foibles, yet held in your net of grace. This is your way. We long for it, too. Amen.

God Love You +++

The Most Rev. Robert Winzens

Pastor – St. Francis Chapel

San Diego, CA

We at St. Francis appreciate all of you who keep our ministry alive through your prayers and donations. There is much ministry to do, with ever so limited resources! Please consider adding St. Francis Chapel as one of your donors! Thank you, and God Bless+++