Category Archives: Time after Pentecost

Saturday Prayer 09.30.2023

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There’s a lot on our minds these days, Holy One.
It boils up, spills over.
We want everyone to mind –
mind their own business,
mind their Ps and Qs,
mind their manners.
To be in their “right” mind.
Those aren’t bad things to care about; each has its time and place.
But they aren’t the only ones; not always the most important.
Forgive us for minding way too much about some things, and not nearly enough about others. Remind us of another way to mind.
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,” Paul wrote. That mind. Let the mind of Christ be in us, we pray. Amen.

Saturday Prayer 09.16.2023

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Holy One,
The crops are coming in,
whether they’ve had enough rain or not,
whether they’ve reached their peak, or gone past it,
it’s time. Harvest is here.

““The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few…”

Lord, the kids are back in school, but not necessarily back in church. And if they suddenly all showed up at once, who would teach them? Who would care for them? Who would share your love with them?

“… the laborers are few…”

Holy One, I repent of all the times I tried to convince someone – anyone – that it wouldn’t be too hard, that it wouldn’t take too much time or energy, that it would be fun. When all along, I knew how much work it would mean, how much planning and preparation would be required to teach and lead your beloved children into a life of faith. Forgive me, Lord, for belittling this important work, for selling it short. Forgive me for trying to make the sacrifice seem small, instead of worthy. Give me a passion for sharing the immeasurable value of raising up children in the way they should go.

“… therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

Gracious and Almighty God, I’m asking. Amen.

closeup of a crabapple branch in bloom

Saturday Prayer 09.02.2023

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Lord, remember the time I was picking crabapples for jelly, and there was this squirrel right above me in the tree? The branch had bent under the squirrel’s weight, and the squirrel was hanging upside down to reach the crabapples at the tip of the branch. I heard you say, “Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb – that’s where the fruit is.”

And Lord, remember how, when I was struggling to discern your will, not sure which way to go, you sent a friend to tell me, “Put your hand on the knob. If it’s a door God wants you to go through, it will open. But you have to put your hand on the knob first.”

Holy One, give me courage to go out on a limb for you. Give me strength to put my hand on the doorknob, knowing you are the One who opens doors. Give me grace to move forward into your will, as your own beloved child. Amen.

photo of blue sky dotted with clouds at sunrise above treetops

Saturday Prayer 8.26.2023

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I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

O Lord, renew my mind and transform me! Let me discern your will –what is good and acceptable, and perfect. Let me not be distracted by the politics or commerce or popular opinion of this world. Keep reminding me that ‘sacrifice’ means ‘sacred.’ Set me apart for your purpose as much as you set me apart from the things that distract me. (Lord, I am so easily distracted.)

Lord, I pray for your Church. Soften our stubborn hearts, and help us to put our whole selves at your disposal, not holding anything back, but being completely transformed into a community of believers who share the mind of your Son Jesus. Help us to show those who don’t know you what it means to belong to the Body of Christ. I ask these things trusting in your goodness. Amen.

photo of three pairs of hands reaching into an empty wooden bowl

Saturday Prayer 8.19.2023

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Confession

Lord, I cringe when someone says,
“You must be so proud ____!”
Am I proud? I thought I was being grateful. I didn’t think I was bragging, but that’s how it came across.

Once more, you remind me how I often assume privilege I didn’t earn.
You remind me how my life of privilege makes others’ lives harder –
not because they have to work harder
or be smarter
or do more
to get the same recognition I get,
but because
when I blithely go about my business without a care in the world,
I’m creating a world that doesn’t care.
And that is not what you call me to do.

You call me to care.
Not from a position of privilege, nor even from solidarity,
but from under the table,
where all of us are hungry
for just a crumb of grace.

Have mercy, Lord. Have mercy. Amen.

picture of two loons floating on a lake

Saturday Prayer 8.12.2023

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Lord,
Sometimes, when the waves are pushing against the boat,
I get distracted by the wind,
and am surprised by the loon calling out.

“Look up!” the loon cries,
as the eagle swoops down, skims the water,
and flies up again, something caught in its talons.

The waves push against the boat,
and my doubt pushes against my faith.
Look up!
“If it’s you, Lord, command me to come to you.”
If?
“Come”, you say. “You have faith enough. It only takes a mustard seed’s worth to move a mountain, after all.”

Lord, save me. Amen.

basket of garden vegetables

Saturday Prayer 8.5.2023

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O God of abundance,
The tomatoes are turning red in the garden.
The beans – O Lord, The beans! So. Many. Beans.
The peas and lettuce and carrots and garlic
have all fulfilled their purpose.

Earth’s bounty in my backyard might make it easy for me to ignore how we’ve damaged this fragile, beautiful planet you entrusted to us. But the dry grass and rising temperatures tell a different story.

Forgive us, Lord.

Nevertheless, your grace flows like rivers. You continue to multiply zucchini as if it were bread, given to thousands.

So take me, Lord. Break me. Bless me. Give me away.
As you nourish me, let your abundance spill over,
And bless this fragile, beautiful world, because of Jesus. Amen.

Measure for Measure – Sermon on Matthew 7:1-6

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Preached at Hilltop UMC Mankato, June 25, 2023

Let’s start with a Pop Quiz! This one is called, “Who Said It?” These are all quotes by famous theologians, on the topic of judging others. Ready? Here we go!
Question number one:

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Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A

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Dear Lectionary Preachers,

I’m sorry but I can’t help you with the Gospel this Sunday. There is nothing in my archives. In 2014 I preached the Epistle passage from Romans. In 2017, I was taking the vacation I would otherwise lose. In 2020, I was between appointments. So the files are empty for Matthew 10:24-39. And that’s a shame, because it’s a great text. Maybe someday I will get to preach it.

In the meantime, I will be posting a sermon later this week on Matthew 7:1-6, where Jesus says “Don’t be so judgy!” And the Saturday Prayer will be up as usual. God be with you as you prepare to share the Good News!

In Christ’s Peace,

Jo Anne

Beauty from What’s Broken – A Saturday Prayer

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Lord, I sometimes wonder how you can bring beauty out of our brokenness, how you can redeem human souls through broken systems. I look at all the women you’ve called to ministry through the centuries, and I marvel at the way you made your voice heard, even in places where what you were speaking into our lives did not match what your Church was saying. And we heard you. We said, “Yes, Lord.”

Sustain us, Lord, with the assurance that we are, indeed, called by You, and none other. Grant us grace to continue in the way you have set before us. Take our own brokenness, and create beauty the way you always do. Lead us in the way everlasting, so we can lead others to you, because of Jesus. Amen.