As PastorDan is off enjoying a much deserved vacation with his lovely spouse, I am stepping into the pulpit to lead the evening rememberance. I only hope I can do it half as well as he does.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all [humankind] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
O Creator,
help us, as we celebrate the infant steps of the United States of America, to remember those who have lost or been deprived of the unalienable Rights you have endowed us with:
Help us to remember those who have lost their lives:
- the men and women of the armed forces in every nation;
- the men, women and children of Iraq
- the victims of war and terrorism in all places, especially the Middle East, Darfur, Northern Ireland, and all nations;
- the victims of starvation, AIDS, and other disease;
- the victims of street violence in the United States and elsewhere.
[In the silence of your heart remember those in your own circle who have died; if you wish, please share them with us in the comments below.]
O Creator,
help us, as we honor the early fight for liberty, remember those who have lost their own liberty:
- the victims of torture in Guantanamo, Abu Gharib, and other places around the world;
- those who languish in places where there is no due process of law, and those denied due process;
- the innocent who have been convicted unjustly, especially those who face the death penalty;
- the prisoners who have served their debt to society, and yet are denied release;
- those imprisoned by fear, addictions, or greed.
[In the silence of your heart remember those in your own circle who are imprisoned; if you wish, please share them with us in the comments below.]
O Creator,
help us, as we spend time celebrating with family and friends, to reflect on what happiness truly means, and to remember those whose happiness may feel far away:
- those who suffer from poverty, both at home and abroad, as they face a world that places so much emphasis on material goods;
- those with chronic pain, depression, or other debilitating illness, for whom happiness may seem a distant memory;
- those who grieve the loss of friends or family, for whom happiness may have died with their loved ones;
- those in debt, whose pursuit of happiness through material goods has put them in a hole they may feel they will never get out of;
- the wealthy and powerful, who may lose sight of what is truly important in life in their quest for more wealth and more power.
[In the silence of your heart remember those of your own circle who have lost sight of their own happiness; if you wish, please share them with us in the comments below.]
And finally, O Creator,
as we in the United States sing “God Bless America” and other songs, help us to remember that we are not a chosen nation, and that You bless not just America, but the entire world. May we learn to lead by example and not by might.
[In the silence of your heart, add your own prayers for the United States or the country of your choice; if you wish, please share them with us in the comments below.]
Amen, Selah, so be it…
Thanks for taking over for Pastordan.
May I add prayers/good thoughts to my husband’s daughter who just had a baby today at age 20. The father is a known drug dealer who has served time in jail and the girl has had several scrapes with the law recently and they have pitbulls in their apartment. I fear for the baby who cannot defend itself and I hope that she is graced with a mothering instinct to rival no other and that she makes some needed changes in her life for the benefit of herself and especially her baby son.
to you and your new grandbaby.
My in-laws have a best friend — Paula. They’ve known her for years; her late husband was a fraternity brother of my dad-in-law’s. She has two children…but the daughter has become a lost soul. After years of drug abuse and a parade of abusive men (who abused her children as well), Paula had to take action. Her granddaughter went to a good foster family, whom Paula knew and had a daughter the same age. The grandson, however, was 13 and had some major psychological problems from the years of abuse, as well as learning disabilities which were probably also psychological. So, Paula took his rearing upon herself. Today, this formerly scared little boy is a handsome, confident young man — he graduated from high school, has a great job in a local restaurant, has taken on responsibilities in our church.
If you and your spouse keep in close touch with your daughter and her new family, and are willing to step in if necessary, I’m sure your grandson will turn out just fine.
Thanks for the good wishes, and I’m shocked to be called a grandmother! Ahhhh!
Ok, I’m better now.
I’m more than ready to take action if need be. I will keep as close an eye on the new mother and baby as I can within the constraints of our almost non-existent relationship. She sees any offer of help or advice as meddling, in fact, almost offensive to her.
I’d like to offer this sermon from the person who gives some of the best I have ever heard and he does it sunday after sunday.
This one is a sermon a feminist could love:
Be warned it is a PDF file.
Keep It Covered
1 Corinthians 11:2-16
Series: Tough Texts of the Bible
July 25, 2004
© William G. Carter
11:2 I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed
them on to you. But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and God is the head of Christ. Any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head
disgraces his head, 5but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled disgraces her head–it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved. For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil. For a man ought not to have his head veiled, since he is the image and reflection of God; but woman is the reflection of man. Indeed, man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man. For this reason a woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman; but all things
come from God. Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? Does
not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is degrading to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. But if anyone is disposed to be contentious–we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
I’ve been doing this series on tough texts of the Bible. This week, I almost broke down and gave you a third week on the Good Samaritan. This is a tough text. It’s the first of two from 1 Corinthians 11. If you don’t like what I have to say, be sure to come back next week. (That’s always a pretty good rule.) Today we need to talk about the importance of women covering their heads in worship.
Looking around the sanctuary, it doesn’t look like anybody believes that verse anymore, even though some of my earliest memories of church had to do with those women who wore hats on Sundays. Most of them didn’t wear a hat any other time of the week. But on Sunday morning, I can recall at least four or five women wearing hats to church.
And they weren’t always the same hats. It seemed to be some kind of fashion contest. The men never wore
hats inside the sanctuary, although the boys in our youth group had to wear yarmulkes at a Passover seder one time.
I have an old black and white picture of me and my younger sister Debbie. She was wearing an Easter
bonnet, and I was wearing a little felt fedora and a clip-on tie. That seems like so long ago.
That’s about all that I can personally engage with this text. I’m starting to wonder: what’s the big deal
about hats? Why is a passage like this in the Bible?
Some would say it’s here because Paul wants to remind all the women that they aren’t as important as the
men. And there’s some evidence of that. Some think he is a woman-hater. “The husband is the head of his
wife,” he says. It’s right there on this page, even though it’s the only time in the New Testament that we can be sure that Paul himself is saying it.
There were a couple of letters that were written a lot later than this, and they seem to suggest that men are
more important than women. The name of Paul is signed to those letters, even though there is good evidence
that the letters were written after Paul was dead.
More Keep It Covered
Thanks for the contribution.
I think we had an adult series on “Tough Texts in the Bible”, but I don’t know if this one got covered.
Uh, oh, spouse is back with laundry, so got to go be domestic…
Ah, Cali Scribe, you have chosen a most appropriate text for us. It brings tears to my eyes.
I add my thoughts and prayers for those caught in the material wasteland. And for all of us who want things to be different than the way they – a definition of suffering.
Thank you.
Will you change your name to Grandmother Nature? I know how you both feel – I was that girl in trouble, but now I am the meddling old one. Just can’t resist trying to help.
I’m thinking everybody wants to be needed – what if you asked her to help you in some way. Then you could begin a relationship of trust, and conversation. Maybe at some point she’ll appreciate your views on the dangers of drug dealing and dogs.
Pit bulls sound frightening, but they do have the sweet doggy nature, if they are being trained to fight, I would be a fierce meddler. Any dog can be a threat to a child who is not taught to respect it. I’ll be thinking of them, and you.