The One Who Turned Back

The Ten Lepers, Jorge Cocco Sántangelo

      

(Luke 17:11-19)


Ten shattered bodies cried out
for mercy.

Quaking voices carried across distance
propelled by desperation,
a white sail of hope against hope,

their plea not answered in words. Only
"Show yourselves to be confirmed as clean"
and off they ran, aching
to cast off the smothering weight
of exile, the shunning
of those who affirmed their suffering
as mark of curse.

Each step feeling lighter, they rushed on,
all but one. The one who,
even when cleansed, would be
scorned as a mangy mongrel.
Doubly outcast,
his most tenuous claim to hope
convicted the wary heart, and
ignited the fragile embers of faith.

Perhaps for him, the gift
loomed larger, the removal
of living death more precious, the kindness
the more radiant
for being given despite barriers.

Mercy admits no calculus
of worthiness;
gratitude respects no boundary.
One turned back to rejoice and sing out thanks
from the dust.

Ten were cleansed.
One was healed.

-- Leslie Barnes Scoopmire

Faith

When I cannot believe,
The brown herds still move across green fields
Into the tufty hills, and I was born
Higher, where I could watch them as a bird might.
When even memory seems imagined, what
Can I bring to prayer? A pair of knees.
The great faith that built a stair to heaven
As now my memory tries to climb a hill,
Becomes an old stone building, a deaf priest
Whose hand is in the pockets of his parish,
Who longs to buy a bell he'll never hear.
The water in the font is cold, I trace
A circle on my brow and not a cross.

-- Michael Schmidt (1947- ) British poet, novelist, and professor

Gathering Prayer for Un-Ordinary Time

Presider      God of the Lark,
God of the Aspen Grove,
we join with all your creatures
in a chorus of praise and worship.

All           We are upheld by your almighty hand;
all that we have and are is yours,
and we bow in gratitude before you.

Presider      May we echo the humble thanksgiving
sung out by cicada and tree frog,
who praise You and your provision without ceasing.

All           May we find delight in the labor you set before us,
as the hummingbird does.

Presider      May we lift our arms to you in praise
like the oak as it stretches skyward.

All           May we constantly sing your praises
like the wind that weaves through pine-needle
and sets them to resonating in joy.

Presider      May we open our hearts to your guidance
for our own sake and the sake of the world,
led by wisdom of the Spirit of Truth,
enlightened by the example of the Prince of Peace,
rooted deep in the verdant garden of the God of Life.

All           Holy Trinity, One God,
envelop us in your mercy and grace this day,

                  that we may be transformed by worship and prayer

              Into bold icons of your love and faithfulness in the world.

--Leslie Barnes Scoopmire, copyright 2023

The Two Ways: A Wisdom Song

Woe to us when we walk in the way of wickedness,
when we bend our ear to the counsel of deceit,
and scoff at what is holy from the seat of pride.
                                        Keep us true to your Way.

Blessings upon us when we delight in the truth of God,
and ponder God’s law by day and by night,
when we stand up for truth in face of the lie,
when we mouth no slogans and betray no friends.
                                        Keep us true to your Way.

Then we shall grow like trees planted by streams of water,
that yield their fruit in due season,
whose leaves do not wither.
                                        Keep us true to your Way.

We struggle with evil in our hearts,
tossed to and fro like chaff in the wind,
a rootless people whose lives have no meaning,
unable to stand when judgment comes,
desolate, outside the house of our God.
                                        Keep us true to your Way.

May ways of wickedness perish among us:
forgive us, O God, and renew us,
lead us in path of justice and truth,
obedient to your Wisdom and your Will,
trusting in the hope of your promise.
                                        Keep us true to your Way.

Giver of life, save us from the desert of faithlessness,
and nourish us with the living water of your Word,
that we may bring forth fruit that will last,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour.



--The Rev. Jim Cotter, Anglican priest and poet, from Psalms for a Pilgrim People.

Scripture Reference: Psalm 1, Proper 25A, track 1

Trinity Sunday Benediction

Go out and in all of life, worship the Lord.

Entrust yourself to the winds of God’s Spirit;
put to death selfish desires,
and offer yourself for God’s mission in the world.

And may God give strength to you and to all;
May Christ Jesus bless you with peace;
And may the Holy Spirit, whispering within your hearts,
give you assurance that you are God’s children.

--Nathan Nettleton, found at Re-Worship blog.

Trinitarian benediction based on 2 Corinthians 13:14

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, 

and the love of God, 

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 

Amen.