Prayer of Invocation Father, because without you we are not able to bear fruit, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Prayer of Illumination Father, open our eyes to the ways that we are deceived and enticed; enable us to trust in your goodness and provision; grant us patience as we wait for You to teach us and make us what you want us to be. Teach us to keep in step with the Spirit, who is conforming us to Your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. Proclamation At many times, and in many ways, we come to a fork in the road, where we ask ourselves, Is God good? Should I continue to trust him? Does he really have my best interest in mind? Is he really going to deliver on his promise? Sometimes that junction comes in the form of a disorienting event that seems to contradict God’s pledge to protect us. At other
"The loss of commitment to a particular place results, at least in part, in the restless mobility that characterizes so much of American life. And even when particular individuals stay put in one place, the very possibility of easy mobility makes it possible for people to inhabit the world of the potential future rather than the concrete present: “I must keep my options open” means, in practice, refraining from committing to any particular place. Of course, potential communities are far more desirable than actual ones. We can always imagine a place better than our present one. Holding out for the perfect situation is, in some ways, easier than getting involved in the conflicts and irritants that inevitably exist in reality. But though the temptation to stay at arm’s length, to inhabit a place with ironic detachment, is alluring, the implications for a robust and healthy local community are grave. Indeed, if a critical mass of such people occupy a certain place, they are merely a collection of individuals rather than a community. They are mere residents and not stewards. In such a situation, local stories and traditions that are only kept alive in the telling and the practice are lost. But these are the very things that provide context and meaning to our social lives. They provide us with guidelines for acting together. They are the source of manners and customs that make life in a community possible. With the loss of common traditions and shared stories, we lose the cues that help us navigate a particular local world. (Italics mine). For more read here.
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