Prayers of the People June 13, 2021

Written by: Julia Smolucha

The Reverend Dr. Katie Snipes Lancaster

God, you are the great silence before whom all words fail. But even the words that fail need to be spoken and so we come to you in prayer. We seek you. We trust you. We long for you. So meet us here in what is familiar and holy.

For we’ve been here before: in worship.
We’ve been here before: in community.
We’ve been here before: in the delight of gathering.
We’ve been here before: a luminous morning, marking the beginning of this day.
We’ve been here before: flummoxed.
We’ve been here before: sensing some welling up within us, as yet uncharted.
We’ve been here before: embarrassed by the evidence of stubbornness.

We’ve been here before, and yet, it is all new.
The uncertain geometry of the road ahead is all new.
The implausibility of the open road before us is all new.
The resonant joy, new.
The double rhythm of gratitude and hope, new, and renewed.
The persistent, unbroken heartbeat within our bodies, the welling of tears.

We’ve been here before, and all is new again.
So, be with us, divine love.
Be with us, resonant spirit.
Be with us, incarnate One.

Are we ready for your spirit among us?
At once yes, and always no.
We know you are beyond.
You are greater than.
You are holy.
You are light of lights.

You are outside the limits of our imagination.
You are uncharted.
You are octaves above and below.
You are the one in whom
we live and move and have our being,
abounding in steadfast love,
as far as east is from the west, you are, O God.

So be with us. Mend us.
Heal us. Enliven us.
Beckon us. Enfold us.
Be our God, and we will be your people.

Lord, hear our prayer. And hear us as we pray the prayer that Jesus teaches us. Our Father…. Amen.

The Unnamed, IX: The Quintuple Divorcée

March 12, 2023

This Samaritan Woman story is a particularly appropriate text for Kenilworth Union. In the first church constitution the founders wrote: “Recognizing the minor differences which exist among believers… we have united as a church of Jesus Christ upon the great essentials of the Christian faith.” For all of our 130-year history, unity across our differences has been a guiding principle. At the same time Protestant Christianity in the United States was breaking into what historian David Hollinger calls two broad groups: the ecumenical and the evangelical. If you wonder how churches like this one exist in a rapidly fracturing religious landscape, you will find Hollinger’s book a provocative read. Kenilworth Union remains fiercely independent, but Hollinger would label us more ecumenical than evangelical for three reasons: our participation in the movement of the World Council of Churches, the way we read and interpret the Bible seriously but not literally, and the fact that senior ministers come from mainline Protestant traditions. And yes, women preach and pastor here.

The Unnamed, VIII: The Hyphenated Woman

March 5, 2023

Don’t let the shocking, insulting nature of that comment be lost on you. It was not a compliment. It’s still not a compliment. “You dog!” I say to my son when I challenge him to a dollar a hole on the golf course and he collects $18 every time, just by getting lucky, every time. “You dog!” Forgive my language, but Jesus comes this close to calling her a bitch, a female dog. But here’s where the story gets good and becomes Gospel. Look at this pushy mother’s response to Jesus’ blunt, unmannerly metaphor. She doesn’t take offense; she doesn’t walk away huffing “Well, I never...”; she doesn’t resent it; she doesn’t argue with it: she enters Jesus’ metaphor. She wrestles Jesus’ metaphor from his grip like a University of Michigan linebacker, runs the other way, and takes it home for a stolen turnover touchdown.

The Unnamed, VII: The Woman with the Chronic Condition

February 26, 2023

Twelve years waiting to touch the fringe of power, just so she no longer has to live on the fringe of her community. And I love the way Mark talks about Jesus’ miracle-making machine. The instant she touches the fringe of his power, she can feel in her body that she is suddenly well. The bleeding stops just like that. Likewise, Jesus feels the power exit his body. That is such a nice narrative touch, don’t you think? That miraculous power is tangible; that energy is palpable; it’s like a shock of static electricity. Giver and receiver alike can feel the exchange of energy; the down at the back of both necks stands up straight. “Who touched me?” Jesus instantly demands. They say there is no such thing as a dumb question, but Jesus’ disciples think this one might just qualify. “Who touched you?! Jesus, you’re a hot celebrity crushed by a milling mêlée of humanity; everybody’s touching you!” “No!” he says. “Somebody touched me with faithful intent. I know the difference. I know when someone wants something from me.” Jesus sounds angry, but he’s not; he is amazed; he is astonished by this towering but anonymous faith.

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