Morning Prayer: Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 6th 2020

I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house ofthe Lord."    Psalm 122:1

The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshiperswill worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for such theFather seeks to worship him.    John 4:23

Confession of Sin

The Officiant says to the people

Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence ofAlmighty God our heavenly Father, to set forth his praise, tohear his holy Word, and to ask, for ourselves and on behalfof others, those things that are necessary for our life and oursalvation. And so that we may prepare ourselves in heart andmind to worship him, let us kneel in silence, and withpenitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, that we mayobtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy.

Silence may be kept.

Officiant and People together, all kneeling

Most merciful God,we confess that we have sinned against youin thought, word, and deed,by what we have done,and by what we have left undone.We have not loved you with our whole heart;we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,have mercy on us and forgive us;that we may delight in your will,and walk in your ways,to the glory of your Name. Amen.

The Priest alone stands and says

Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sinsthrough our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in allgoodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you ineternal life. Amen.

The Invitatory and Psalter

All stand

Officiant Lord, open our lips.

People And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Officiant and People

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: asit was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Except in Lent, add    Alleluia.

On other Sundays and weekdays

The mercy of the Lord is everlasting: Come let us adore him.

Venite     Psalm 95:1-7

Come, let us sing to the Lord; *    let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *    and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God, *    and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *    and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, *    and his hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *    and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God,and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *    Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

The Psalm or Psalms Appointed

Psalm 119:33-40

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, *and I shall keep it to the end.

34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law; *I shall keep it with all my heart.

35 Make me go in the path of your commandments, *for that is my desire.

36 Incline my heart to your decrees *and not to unjust gain.

37 Turn my eyes from watching what is worthless; *give me life in your ways.

38 Fulfill your promise to your servant, *which you make to those who fear you.

39 Turn away the reproach which I dread, *because your judgments are good.

40 Behold, I long for your commandments; *in your righteousness preserve my life.

At the end of the Psalms is sung or said

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Lessons

Ezekiel 33:7-11

You, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, “O wicked ones, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: “Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?” Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?

9    The First Song of Isaiah     Ecce, Deus     Isaiah 12:2-6

Surely, it is God who saves me; *    I will trust in him and not be afraid.For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, *    and he will be my Savior.Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing *    from the springs of salvation.And on that day you shall say, *    Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;Make his deeds known among the peoples; *    see that they remember that his Name is exalted.Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, *    and this is known in all the world.Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, *    for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Romans 13:8-14

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

15    The Song of Mary    Magnificat          Luke 1:46-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *    for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed: *    the Almighty has done great things for me,    and holy is his Name.He has mercy on those who fear him *    in every generation.He has shown the strength of his arm, *    he has scattered the proud in their conceit.He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *    and has lifted up the lowly.He has filled the hungry with good things, *    and the rich he has sent away empty.He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *    for he has remembered his promise of mercy,The promise he made to our fathers, *    to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Hymn 674 Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive, DETROIT

1“Forgive our sins as we forgive”

you taught us, Lord, to pray;

but you alone can grant us grace

to live the words we say.

2How can your pardon reach and bless

the unforgiving heart

that broods on wrongs and will not let

old bitterness depart?

3In blazing light your cross reveals

the truth we dimly knew,

how small the debts men owe to us,

how great our debt to you.

4Lord, cleanse the depths within our souls,

and bid resentment cease;

then, reconciled to God and man,

our lives will spread your peace.

Matthew 18:15-20

Jesus said, “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

Sermon- Very Rev. Alston B. Johnson

When I was the young rector of my first parish in the Mississippi Delta, I used to play ping-pong some afternoons with the older and wiser Presbyterian minister in the town.  It seems that I was pre-destined to win a few of those games.  And while we would slap the ball back and forth this younger minister would ask the older minister questions about the life and work we shared.  Once I asked, “What is the hardest thing for you?  What do you find is the most difficult part of being in the local church?”

            Without missing a beat, and hitting a very good shot, he said, “Church discipline.”  He paused, and said, “And I believe that you will find it the most difficult as well, because you seem to be in this game as a pastor.”  Not death, not crisis, not carpet colors, or raising money, or soccer, or home games at the college . . . church discipline.

            “The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies . . . probably because they are generally the same people.” – GK Chesterton.  

Every now and then I meet a person who is excited about discovering new faith in Christ, a new love for the Church, only to become discouraged when they realize that this “new” life within the Body of the faithful can sometimes be every bit as cantankerous as something else they might call “real life.”        

A brief reading of Paul’s letters to the early Church tells this story.  Why else would Paul be writing to the Romans, “let us lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light . . .”  As I have sometimes said to some of you, Paul did not write all of these letters because he had nothing better to do with his time.  Obviously the early Christians needed direction and encouragement.  They needed reminders of the life to which they had been called; a life that was every bit as difficult as life in something called we sometimes call the “real world.”

            I once read something recently that interested me, having served as a volunteer chaplain in a state penitentiary,

            Many studies have shown that people tend to exaggerate their own positive characteristics and abilities. For instance, studies have shown that most drivers think they're a better-than-average driver. Psychologists call this the state of "illusory superiority."

Recently (2014), a team of British researchers tested this common "better-than-average" tendency by surveying 85 convicts at a prison in South East England about their pro-social traits. The inmates were aged 18 to 34 and the majority had been jailed for acts of violence and robbery. The inmates completed questionnaires anonymously and in relative privacy. Here's what the study concluded:

Compared with "an average prisoner" the [convicts] rated themselves as more moral, kinder to others, more self-controlled, more law-abiding, more compassionate, more generous, more dependable, more trustworthy, and more honest. Remarkably, they also rated themselves as higher on all these traits than "an average member of the community," with one exception—law-abiding. The prisoners rated themselves as equivalent on this trait relative to an average community member.

Christian Jarrett, "Jailed criminals think they are kinder, more trustworthy and honest than the average member of the public," Research Digest (2-10-14)

            What are we to do in a community when everyone is convinced that they are not only right and nice, but more right and more nice than everyone else?

In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus is giving instruction on what to do when someone sins against us within the community.  Jesus advises a direct approach – in private. Take the grievance to its source, with the grace of privacy.  If that does not work take others with you; perhaps fresh ears and hearts might be helpful.  If the obstinacy remains, even in the midst of church authority, that person is choosing a path that is outside the boundaries of a graceful resolution.  Let them be as the unconverted to the community, a Gentile and Tax Collector; someone in need of transformation.  It reminds me of something I once heard from a wise and seasoned teacher.

I remember sitting in a seminary class at Sewanee, and hearing one of our professors say something that caused me to sit up and pay attention.  He said, “contrary to what many of you might think, or what you might feel, or what you have been told by others . . . being a Christian is something very different than being a doormat.”

Our class conversation had to do with boundaries; boundaries in personal life, family life, and Christian life.  Our professor was pointing out that often wolf-like behavior in some will take advantage of the sheep-like behavior in others.  Open communities like churches are occasionally safe havens for personalities willing to bend or break the most basic expectations or boundaries regarding decency, kindness, patience, and understanding.  Escalations in rhetoric and a certain flavor of righteous indignation cause other more demure personalities to become timid and afraid. 

As Paul is pointing out in Romans, reveling, drunkenness, debauchery, licentiousness, quarreling, and jealousy all have an opportunity to exist in the very places where Christians are encouraged and commanded to foster their opposites.

Some personalities are energized rather than enervated by conflict and the breaking of boundaries; and if the truth were told, we all probably have such tendencies.

Rationalization, fear, conflict avoidance: these sometimes masquerade as a superficial version of “turning the other cheek,” and those willing to cross common boundaries of decency, kindness, and patience will use a naturally patient, or passive, environment to make doormats of others.  Alphas presuming upon the beta reticence of others.

Our professor was offering us both a warning, and a promise. 

The warning is that Christian communities will sometimes invite persons who will have little regard for observing common boundaries; and there is a temptation in the name of a weak Christian charity to subsequently become a doormat.  

The promise is that those who are hurt when such boundaries are crossed have some path of redress and hope; bad behavior does not have to be perpetually endured.  There is scriptural injunction, both from Jesus and Paul, as well as in the teachings of the Church, to address such situations.

This small directive from Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel gives the individual believer, as well as the larger Church, a path out of the wilderness of hurt and alienation.  The question is whether or not we will accept this path when any one of us becomes hurt or wounded in the midst of our community life. 

It is the rare person that can immediately do what Jesus is advocating in Matthew’s Gospel; go directly to the one at fault and lay bare our hearts.  Such immediacy, though commendable, is often very difficult.  There is always the gift of time; and there is always the gift of time in prayer for the one, or ones, that have hurt us. 

Bringing those who have hurt us into the presence of Christ in the midst of our prayers brings calm, and sometimes brings an added clarity, so that we might see the role we may have played in creating a situation of harm and hurt.  

I do not believe that God is glorified by manufactured feelings of forgiveness, and that we may need to spend some time in our own tears, recognizing our own limitations, before we seek to simply point out the fault of another.  Nor is God glorified when we meet anger, either justified or misplaced, with our own version of righteous retribution.  As Abigail Van Buren, Dear Abby, once said, “Those who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes.”

In my own life, when I am hurt in such a way, I will sometimes pray with a trusted Christian friend for the one who has done the hurting. 

We will also pray that my own fault or participation in creating a situation of harm, be acknowledged and offered in confession; it is a way of entering the sacred space of Christ’s promise, “where two or three are gathered together in my name, I will be in the midst of them.”

In the past year, some of you may have noticed at times that I am changing the words of the prayer book – call the Bishop.  In the Lord’s prayer I am finding it more and more helpful to use this phrase . . . “Forgive us our trespasses as we are forgiving those who are trespassing against us.”  Bringing those words and intentions into the active voice help me to find a place to put my anger and my own fault.  It helps me find the medicine that Christ has promised when relationships are broken and I am hurt and angry. 

Sometimes such prayer and reflection become preparation for an eventual reconciliation.  It is one way to seek to make whole what has been broken. 

There is an old Cherokee story that describes the nature of such prayer.  It is a proverb that I have shared many times in the past.  It still holds truth.  

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, there is a terrible battle between two wolves inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked, "Which one of them wins this battle?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one that I feed.”

The Apostles' Creed

Officiant and People together, all standing

I believe in God, the Father almighty,    creator of heaven and earth;I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.    He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit        and born of the Virgin Mary.    He suffered under Pontius Pilate,        was crucified, died, and was buried.    He descended to the dead.    On the third day he rose again.    He ascended into heaven,        and is seated at the right hand of the Father.    He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,    the holy catholic Church,    the communion of saints,    the forgiveness of sins    the resurrection of the body,    and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Prayers

The People stand or kneel

Officiant The Lord be with you.

People And also with you.

Officiant Let us pray.

Officiant and People

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy Name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those

who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.

A

V.    Show us your mercy, O Lord;R.    And grant us your salvation.V.    Clothe your ministers with righteousness;R.    Let your people sing with joy.V.    Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;R.    For only in you can we live in safety.

V.    Lord, keep this nation under your care;R.    And guide us in the way of justice and truth.V.    Let your way be known upon earth;R.    Your saving health among all nations.V.    Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;R.    Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.V.    Create in us clean hearts, O God;R.    And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

The Collect of the Day

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Collect for Sundays

O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance ofthe glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us thisday such blessing through our worship of you, that the weekto come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ ourLord. Amen.

A Collect for Mission

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of theearth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to thosewho are far off and to those who are near: Grant that peopleeverywhere may seek after you and find you; bring thenations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh;and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through JesusChrist our Lord. Amen.

For Sick Persons

O Father of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help intime of need: We humbly beseech thee to behold, visit, andrelieve all thy sick and ill servants, for whom our prayers are desired.Look upon them with the eyes of thy mercy; comfort them witha sense of thy goodness; preserve them from the temptationsof the enemy; and give them patience under their affliction. Inthy good time, restore them to health, and enable them to leadthe residue of this life in thy fear, and to thy glory; and grantthat finally they may dwell with thee in life everlasting; throughJesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Doctors and Nurses, Hospital Administrators, and Hospital Staff

Sanctify, O Lord, those whom you have called to the studyand practice of the arts of healing, and to the prevention ofdisease and pain. Strengthen them by your life-giving Spirit,that by their ministries the health of the community may bepromoted and your creation glorified; through Jesus Christour Lord. Amen.

We invite your own prayers of Intercession and Thanksgiving at this time.

Silence

62. A Prayer attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there ishatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; wherethere is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; wherethere is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; wherethere is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek tobe consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it isin pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that weare born to eternal life. Amen.

Hymn 593. Lord Make Us Servants of Your Peace, DICKINSON COLLEGE

1Lord, make us servants of your peace:

where there is hate, may we sow love;

where there is hurt, may we forgive;

where there is strife, may we make one.

2Where all is doubt, may we sow faith;

where all is gloom, may we sow hope;

where all is night, may we sow light;

where all is tears, may we sow joy.

3Jesus, our Lord, may we not seek

to be consoled, but to console,

nor look to understanding hearts,

but look for hearts to understand.

4May we not look for love’s return,

but seek to love unselfishly,

for in our giving we receive,

and in forgiving are forgiven.

5Dying, we live, and are reborn

through death’s dark night to endless day:

Lord, make us servants of your peace,

to wake at last in heaven’s light.

The General Thanksgiving

Officiant and People

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,we your unworthy servants give you humble thanksfor all your goodness and loving-kindnessto us and to all whom you have made.We bless you for our creation, preservation,and all the blessings of this life;but above all for your immeasurable lovein the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,not only with our lips, but in our lives,by giving up ourselves to your service,and by walking before youin holiness and righteousness all our days;through Jesus Christ our Lord,to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.Thanks be to God.

The Officiant may then conclude with one of the following

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, andthe fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.Amen.    2 Corinthians 13:14

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace inbelieving through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.Romans 15:13

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitelymore than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him fromgeneration to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesusfor ever and ever. Amen.    Ephesians 3:20, 21

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