10.4.21 National Cathedral Morning Prayer

[Music] [Music] good morning and welcome to washington national cathedral on this monday october the 4th i'm rose duncan cannon for worship and it is truly a blessing that you have decided to join us this day for a service of prayer and reflection let us pray lord god almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your mighty power that we may not fall into sin nor be overcome by adversity and in all we do direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through jesus christ our lord aban hear these words from psalm 130. out of the depths i have i called you oh lord lord hear my voice let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication if you lord were to note what is done amiss o lord who could stand for there is forgiveness with you therefore you shall be feared i wait for the lord my soul waits for him in his word is my hope my soul waits for the lord more than watchmen for the morning more than watchmen for the morning o israel wait for the lord for with the lord there is mercy with him there is plenteous redemption and he shall redeem israel from all their sins glory to the father and to the son and to the holy spirit as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever amen our reading comes from the 10th chapter of the gospel according to luke just then a lawyer stood up to test jesus teacher he said what must i do to inherit eternal life he said to him what is written in the law what do you read there he answered you shall love the lord your god with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself and he said to him you have given the right answer do this and you will live but wanting to justify himself he asks jesus and who is my neighbor jesus replied a man was going down from jerusalem to jericho and fell into the hands of robbers who stripped him beat him and went away leaving him half dead now by chance a priest was going down the road and when he saw him he passed by on the other side so likewise a levite when he came to the place and saw him pass by on the other side but the samaritan while traveling came near him and when he saw him he was moved with pity he went to him and banded his wounds having poured oil and wine on them then he put him on his animal brought into an inn and took care of him the next day he took out to daenerye gave them to the innkeeper and said take care of him and when i come back i will repay you whatever more you spend which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers he said the one who showed him mercy jesus said to him go and do likewise today in the life of the church we remember the life and witness of saint francis of assisi francis reminds us that the essence and beauty of god emanates from within god's creation and are not imposed upon it all created things are mirrors of the divine that reflect back to the viewer of life and love that is its source francis as lesser feast and fast tells us the son of a prosperous merchant of assisi was born in 1182 his early youth was spent in harmless revelry and fruitless attempts to win military glory various encounters with beggars and lepers pricked the young man's conscience however and he decided to embrace a life devoted to lady poverty despite his father's intense opposition francis totally renounced all material values and devoted himself to serve the poor today's gospel details jesus commandment on love this is not a new teaching by any stretch of the imagination however it is given a new twist when love of neighbor is elevated to the same status of love of god the parable of the good samaritan reminds us that god is the master reverse of roles those hearing this story for the first time would have certainly been caught off guard when they heard that the samaritan is the hero those whom we least expect are the ones who often do the will of god the most saint or sinner we all receive the same abundance of god's mercy god's mercy as with god's love is at the core of who we are all creation is on fire with god's presence saint francis knew this very well it is for this reason that he shared such an intimate connection with all people in all things of nature and shared them with a familiar relationship his love of creation is also why many of us gathered yesterday and others today to bless animals in our lives it was francis's firm conviction in and his knowledge of god's love within that gave him the courage to persevere a reason to hope a cause for faith and an unlimited ability to love francis knew exactly who his neighbor was and responded without hesitation we do not find our neighbors in the abstract no the questions we ask about situations involving our neighbor whether it be homelessness immigration sustainable work human dignity and the like must always be framed in light of what is best for them not our projected assumptions this is the only way that barriers preventing proper and appropriate responses can be removed our neighbor's face is different for each one of us depending on the situation in which we live and as important as loving our neighbor is to accomplishing god's work it cannot stop there the task of discipleship is not just about bringing love to my neighbor both in thought word and also deed but in seeing the love that is at the source and falling in love with the author of love god himself this relationship i then develop with god becomes my anchor the solid rock on which i stand doing loving deeds for people isn't enough nor is living a life as there are no guidelines benchmarks or common goals to achieve living god's commandment does not find its expression in and this makes me feel good about myself moment quite the contrary god has something some definite ideas in mind for us about building the kingdom the beatitudes justice and mercy are all essential components and all that being said loving our neighbor is not always easy it is more often messy confusion or uncertain but may we always listen to new and more effective ways and the way in which we can respond open our hearts and seek out the needs of our neighbor saint francis of assisi be our inspiration and our god this day most high omnipotent good lord grant your people grace to renounce gladly the vanities of this world that following the way of blessed francis we may for love of you delight in your whole creation with perfectness of joy through jesus christ our lord who lives and reigns with you and the holy spirit one god now and forever amen may we now offer our prayers from the heart we pray for god's grace lord receive our praise and hear our prayer lord god through your grace we are your people through your son you have redeemed us in your spirit you have made us your own we pray for the church may our hearts respond to your love lord receive our praise and hear our prayer we pray for the world make our lives bear witness to your glory in all creation lord receive our praise and hear our prayer we pray for the sick and all those in need make our wills eager to obey and our hands ready to heal lord receive our praise and hear our prayer we give you thanks for the many blessings we have received make the voices of our hearts one with all your people in heaven and on earth lord receive our praise and hear our prayer and let us now commend ourselves and all for whom we pray to the mercy and protection of god through jesus christ who taught us to pray 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 but thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever amen and now the prayer attributed to saint francis lord make us instruments of your peace where there is hatred let us so love where there is injury pardon where there is discord union where there is doubt faith where there is despair hope where there is darkness light where there is sadness joy grant that we may not so much seek to be 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 is imparting that we are pardoned and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life amen and now may the blessing of god almighty father son and holy spirit be among you this day and remain with you always amen [Music] you

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Length: 14min 52sec (892 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 04 2021