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7/4/2020 0 Comments Prayers of the People, P+5, ADear God in Heaven,
help us. We are so divided. There are those who feel strongly ... Prayers of the People, P+5, A, posted: https://revgalblogpals.org/2020/07/04/sunday-prayer-rest-for-the-soul/
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 The spiritual practice for July is discernment. Discernment is about more than understanding or decision-making. It is about the holy process of listening for God in a way that seeks to understand God's will and align one's self with it.
Practicing discernment requires a yoking with Christ ... a walking alongside in order to learn from him. This week's passage promises that Jesus' yoke is easy, and the burden light. That doesn't mean doing God's will is easy. It means that learning the law of love is easy if we open our hearts to it. This week, practice reading scripture for understanding instead of affirmation of your previous beliefs, and then applying this new understanding to your actions. Engage in this practice with others who can offer different insights and ideas about what the passage might mean. What new revelations do you find when prayerfully approaching scripture in this way? If you're willing, share your experiences in the comments below. 7/1/2020 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, P+5, A Call to Confession
For (our) iniquities have gone over (our) heads; like heavy burdens, they are too heavy for us. (Psa.m 38:4) Let us confess our sin before God and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession, Pentecost +5, Year A To what do you compare this generation, O God? We behave worse than children, yelling at one another over differences of opinion, allowing those differences to divide us one from another within communities and even within families. Our hypocrisy is blatant; we wear it as a badge of honor. Truly in the name of privilege, we behave like fools. Forgive us, Parent God, though we hardly deserve it. Open our eyes to our own irrationality. Teach us the wisdom of your grace. Grant us the courage to submit to your transforming love, that your gracious will for the world and all your created order might be realized. Assurance of God's Grace For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1) In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God! Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this day~ 6/30/2020 0 Comments Call to Worship, Pentecost +5, A Come, you who are weary
and carrying heavy burdens. Come, and find rest for your spirit. Come, and take the yoke of Christ upon you, for Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. Come, and find rest for your souls. Come, and dance to the music. Come, you who are grieving, and mourn. Come, you children of God, and worship the Lord of Heaven and earth.  Welcome, prophets,
speaking truth to power. Welcome, welcomers of prophets, who listen and ask questions and grow. Welcome, righteous ones, seeking to live purposefully and with love. Welcome, welcomers of righteous ones, who follow and adopt holy principles and are transformed. Welcome, missionaries, offering water alongside Living Water and bread alongside the Bread of Life. Welcome, disciples of Jesus. Come, and worship. 6/18/2020 0 Comments Spiritual Practice of the Month Spiritual Practice of the Month: Witness
The Gospel passage this week is Matthew 10:24-39. Vs. 38-39 read: and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. (New Revised Standard Version) The act of bearing witness involves telling what you saw, heard, or experienced first-hand. The world is full of disciples who are taking up their cross to follow Christ at great personal risk. This is not a new phenomenon. Jesus knew when he sent the disciples out that they, like he, would be persecuted and would suffer from terrible abuse for answering the call. Bearing witness to God's love for all God's people ... bearing witness to the worth of all God's children ... does not seem like it should wreak such havoc in our lives, and yet it does. It did for Jesus who gave up his own life because of it, and who warned it would be worse for those who follow him. No truer words were ever spoken for those who take seriously the call to bear witness to Christ's call, yet it *is* what we are called to do. Where are you called to bear witness to the worth of the most vulnerable and under-served of God's children and how? Call to Confession
All these things my hand has made, and so all these things are mine, [a] says the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:2) Let us humble ourselves before the Lord, and with fear and trembling, approach the throne of grace and seek forgiveness. Prayer of Confession, Pentecost +3, Year A God, forgive us. We are so full of ourselves, expecting better treatment than even you received when you walked among us, and our feelings are hurt when we are ridiculed and taunted and persecuted for following you. We are quick to give up, to keep silent, to change sides, to forget what we have been taught, or to bury it deep within. In fear of rejection, of being disowned by those we love, we cower ... we fail to speak up ... we gloss over ... we reject the one who has loved us from the beginning of time and with him, all those he loves and calls his own. Forgive us, we pray, and grant us courage to proclaim from the housetops that which you have taught us about love and grace and the worth of every child of God who lives. Assurance of God's Grace If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. (Romans 10:9-10) In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God! Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this day. Come, disciples and teachers.
Come, descendants of slaves and descendants of slave masters. Come, and proclaim from the housetops that Jesus is Lord. Come, without fear. Come, knowing you are valued. Come in peace, regardless of the sword that will divide you from those you love for daring to follow the command to love. Come, and worship the Lord of all.  Rabbi ... Teacher ...
you have taught us that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. We have been looking for wedding banquets and hidden treasures. Instead, we find the kingdom of heaven in hospital COVID units and peaceful protests. Prophet ... Priest ... you preached to us that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. We have been looking for the mustard seed or the pearl of great price. Instead, we find the kingdom of heaven right under our noses in our siblings in Christ whose gifts are undervalued and whose voices are silenced because of who they are and the places from which they call. Physician ... Healer ... you offered comfort to us by reminding us that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. We have been looking for it in yeast and seeds. Instead, we find the kingdom of heaven in grace-filled conversation and ears that are willing to listen and hearts that are open to being changed. Reconciler ... Redeemer ... you sent the Spirit to us as a sign that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Move among us now, so that the lost can be found, the wounds can be healed, the untouchables embraced. Make your presence known, O God, so that the kingdom of heaven is evident in our midst. In Jesus' name we pray ...  Call to Confession
(God's) people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains; from mountain to hill they have gone, they have forgotten their fold. (Jeremiah 50:6) Let us confess our sin before God, and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession (based on Ezekiel 34:3-6) Good Shepherd, forgive us, though we are hardly worthy. We feast on good food. We clothe ourselves well. We choose the best of the best, and then we hoard it for ourselves and our own. We do not strengthen the weak. We do not mend the broken. We do not heal the wounds that long have festered. We do not actively seek those who have strayed, nor do we look for the lost to bring them back home. Instead, we bully and badger those who are alone and voiceless and suffering. Your own people have left our siblings in Christ exposed and vulnerable. Hear our cries of repentance. Hear our pleas for forgiveness. Stop us in our tracks, and open our eyes to the extent of our sinfulness. Help us confront our wicked ways, and teach us to listen to those whose stories we have shaped in painful and destructive ways. Give us humility, compassion, and empathy, we pray, and make us into the people you have called us to be: a people born of Love. Assurance of God's Grace All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6) In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God! Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this day. |
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Julie participated in the 25th Seminar for Certified Zentangle(R) Teacher Training in June, 2019, trained by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. In addition to creating art as a personal spiritual practice, Julie also incorporates the Zentangle(R) method in Prayer Art Retreats in a variety of contexts, including church groups, friend gatherings, and at a local art gallery. Check out the Upcoming Events page for a calendar of events, or use the Contact Us page to inquire about scheduling an event with your group!
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