****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. Have you ever had one of those weeks when your schedule fits together like a well-cut puzzle? Or at least you think it does. This is the week I am in now. There are no major projects to do, but between spending with family in San Francisco, scheduling 4 local appointments, buying a new car and selling another, and buy a car, driving back to Pasadena, and then flying back out of Pasadena to events in Toronto and Detroit, it's a little more spinny in my head than usual. All good things. It'll be fine. If you haven't already figured out the content flow of the Faith Montage, it moves through the breadth of the Christian faith as I and many others understand it. We begin with God and Gathering and slowly make our way to our Sending. My frenzy of a week got me thinking about all the ways we each offer what we have to the things we are passionate about: family, movements, work, etc. Too often the church thinks about offering mostly in monetary forms, but as we know, there are so many other ways we can offer back to God what God has given to our stewardship. Today, the Faith Montage addresses offering that is grounded in the generosity of God. Summer FAith Montage This Faith Montage is from Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. I hope these words will speak to your soul. Paid Subscribers have access to a PDF of the entire montage. Subscribe/Upgrade ### Faith Montage: For My Offering to God #LetUsPray _Let us pray —_ With a posture of plenty, wisdom, and faith I offer back to God. What I have is not mine to store up and hoard. What I do is not meant for acknowledgment and affirmation. What I believe is not meant to remain stagnant and stale. What I have, what I do, what I believe come from God, with a spirit of hopeful joy, with a posture of abundant generosity, with trust in God that the world would deny. I return all that I am and all that I have to God. Time. Talent. Treasure. Energy. Expertise. Wealth. Presence. Passion. Privilege. I choose generosity because God has been generous to me. _— Amen._ * * * #### Breath Prayer Receive (inhale): _May I be as generous._ Release (exhale): _As God is generous to me._ Peace, ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 27, 2026 The Day's Readings (Year A)**:** Exodus 17:1-7 | Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 | Philippians 2:1-13 | Matthew 21:23-32 Readings for Year 1, Matthew: Genesis 39:1-23 Joseph is unjustly put in prison; yet God is present with him there. Matt 5:11-12, Blessed are you when people revile you For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary **(NL)**. For Bible translations, I turn to The Common English Bible**(CEB)** or New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition **(NRSVUE).** For more liturgical inspiration, check out enfleshed or liturgylink. **Paid Subscribers may use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution.** ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. Greetings, all, from some late-night, hip, young workspace coffee place in LA. And yes, I may be the oldest person here. All good, just call me Kuya B. Not sure if you have heard, but my new book just came out 😜 This week has been a doozy. Intense conversations abound in my life, personally and professionally. I have facilitated some important conversations that folks would rather not have and have heard some hard stories from others. I am not sure that I have been home before 10 pm in the past week. I firmly believe that there are seasons of life and work, so this will settle in time. The part of the faith montage that comes up today feels almost like I wrote it as a letter to myself for this particular moment and season. Summer FAith Montage This Faith Montage is from Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. I hope these words will speak to your soul. Paid Subscribers have access to a PDF of the entire montage. Subscribe/Upgrade ### Faith Montage: For the Generosity of God #LetUsPray _Let us pray —_ I believe in the GENEROUS spirit of God. God has been generous to me, so I give back to God all that I have the courage and faith to offer. When the fear of scarcity causes me to forsake abundance, I choose generosity. When the insidiousness of convenience causes me to avoid discomfort, I choose generosity. When capitalism makes me want to commodify what I offer, I choose generosity. When arrogance causes me to tie strings to my gifts, I choose generosity. When despair causes me to ask, “Why bother?” I choose generosity. When I forget that I have chosen to believe that, in life and in death, I belong to God, I choose generosity. I choose generosity because God has been generous to me. _— Amen._ * * * #### Breath Prayer Receive (inhale): _May I know generosity._ Release (exhale): _May I be generosity._ Peace, ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 20, 2026 The Day's Readings (Year A)**:** Exodus 16:2-15 | Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 | Philippians 1:21-30 | Matthew 20:1-16 Readings for Year 1, Matthew: Genesis 12:1-9 (Call of Abraham, promise of land, descendants, blessing to the nations) and Matt 28:19-20 (Go therefore and make disciples of all nations) For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary **(NL)**. For Bible translations, I turn to The Common English Bible**(CEB)** or New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition **(NRSVUE).** For more liturgical inspiration, check out enfleshed or liturgylink. **Paid Subscribers may use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution.** ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. Greetings all, from 100+ degree Pasadena, CA 🥵 I had the most random thought today: "Why do we like one shape of pasta over another?" I told you it was random. I used rigatoni this evening, thinking I was "branching out" in my pasta game. Silly boy. It's the same food item, just produced in different shapes. And yet, people have preferences. FTR, I love me a good al dente angel hair followed closely by mini-elbows if I can find them. I am sure someone somewhere has done a study on such things. Again, random. This week, there has been some very serious discernment at the church I work with, as well as some personal decisions. I was thinking about how I make some of my most important decisions. Of course, I talk wth family – and more and more with my adult children. I also have a group of colleagues who have been meeting together for 25+ years. We have walked with one another through the joys and tragedies of life and have participated in discernment journeys about both personal and professional matters. So grateful for these saints in my life. This week's #LetUsPray is basically what I believe about Jesus and why I am grateful for the fullness of his life, death, and resurrection. There is always a possibility that ideas change over time, but I am confident my beliefs about Jesus will not change much. Summer FAith Montage This Faith Montage is from Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. I hope these words will speak to your soul. Paid Subscribers have access to a PDF of the entire montage. Subscribe/Upgrade ### Faith Montage: In Gratitude for the Fullness of Jesus #LetUsPray _Let us pray —_ _I choose to believe in grace made real through Jesus Christ._ _For the complete and complex humanity of Jesus, and the mysterious and boundless divinity of the Christ,_ _I am GRATEFUL._ _Grateful for the prophet, activist, and agitator, who speaks God’s hopes, intentions, and truth into the world._ _Grateful for the pastor, protector, and gatherer, who curates space for curiosity, compassion, and kinship._ _Grateful for the priest, steward, and guide, who tends, grounds, and guides the spirits of those on the journey._ _Grateful for the poet, artist, and creative, who instigates, inspires, and invites exploration of divine possibility._ _Grateful for the unpretentious life of Christ, the teacher and friend._ _Grateful for the revelatory death of Christ, the offender and threat._ _And grateful for the promised resurrection of Christ, the seeker and solace._ _For in the life, death, and resurrection of the one called Christ, we are reconnected to God, reunited with the saints, loved for eternity, and promised that one day there will be a new heaven and new earth._ _For this I am grateful. For this we are grateful._ _In all of this, we find mystery, meaning, and motivation._ _— Amen._ * * * #### Breath Prayer Receive (inhale): _May I know Christ._ Release (exhale): _May Christ know me._ Peace, ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 13, 2026 The Day's Readings (Year A)**:** Exodus 14:19-31 | Psalm 114:1-8 | Romans 14:1-12 | Matthew 18:21-35 Readings for Year 1, Matthew: Genesis 6:5-22; 8:6-12; 9:8-17 (Noah, the flood, and the promise of the rainbow) and Matthew 8:24-27 (Jesus calms the storm) For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary **(NL)**. For Bible translations, I turn to The Common English Bible**(CEB)** or New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition **(NRSVUE).** For more liturgical inspiration, check out enfleshed or liturgylink. **Paid Subscribers may use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution.** ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. A few weeks ago I talked about that dangerous sentence, "Once x-task is done, things will slow down..." because it rarely does. Welp, it was true. Today I just caught up on all my emails from all the accounts, so the inboxes are down to zero (And no, I do not understand those of you who have hundreds and thousands of unread emails taunting you every day. To each their own.) Anyhoo, it feels good. Really wish that after I emerged from my cave, the world was in better shape, but it looks like the same old $h!t, different day. The settlers in Palestine continue to act with brazen impunity and full support from too many; it seems like there have been multiple mass shootings, and yes, we are still snatching people off the street and disappearing them to who knows where. We must keep at it however and wherever: write, speak, pray, sing, agitate, act. Next up are a couple of posts in the hopper. One is about restraint being the superpower of leaders of color who serve in predominantly white contexts. I am also starting to think through the How to Grow a Church project. And finally, I have a two-parter about church pastoring, why it is a blessing AND why it is terrible. I am going to link back to these two prompts on FB if you want to add your 4¢. * **Why it is a blessing:** _I know pastoring a congregation can be difficult and overwhelming, but here's the prompt (to link to a new post)— "It is a blessing, honor, and privilege to be a pastor because..."_ [link] * **Why it is terrible:**_As a follow-up to my previous post about why congregational pastoring is a blessing, I'll do a follow-up post and link back to this post, "Pastoring a congregation is [insert your adjective: difficult, overwhelming, soul-sucking] because . . ."_ [link] Okay, now on to this week's #LetUsPray when we begin to talk about the how the Spirit reveals God's hopes and intentions for humanity. Summer FAith Montage This Faith Montage is from Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. I hope these words will speak to your soul. Paid Subscribers have access to a PDF of the entire montage. Subscribe/Upgrade ### Faith Montage: The Story Will Be Revealed #LetUsPray _Let us pray —_ _As it has been with generations before and will be for generations to come,_ _God’s story has and will be REVEALED to God’s gathered people._ _The story will meander, — but God’s time is God’s time._ _The story will confuse, — but God will guide us if we choose to follow._ _The story will contradict, — but God’s perfection lies in a willingness to change._ _The story will be deemed weak, — but God reimagines what is powerful._ _The story will seem like a distant figure emerging from the mist-worn fog, but when we see God, we really see God._ _And we will know._ _The story will be revealed._ _— Amen._ * * * #### Breath Prayer Receive (inhale): _May I know and believe._ Release (exhale): _The story of God._ Peace, ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 6, 2026 The Day's Readings (Year A)**:** Exodus 12:1-14 | Psalm 119:33-40 | Romans 13:8-14 | Matthew 18:15-20 NL Summer Readings (First and Second Timothy)**:** Exodus 20:17 (Do Not Covet). Accompanying text: Matthew 22:34-40 (The Great Commandment) For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary **(NL)**. For Bible translations, I turn to The Common English Bible**(CEB)** or New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition **(NRSVUE).** For more liturgical inspiration, check out enfleshed or liturgylink. **Paid Subscribers may use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution.** ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. It's been three weeks since the last #LetUsPray, but as promised, I'm back. This week, we continue working our way through my Faith Montage. We are about 2/3 of the way through and are now in the Spirit section. In this week's reading, the Spirit compels us to go into the world to be bearers and sharers of the Gospel, not as much a command as an invitation to live as if our faith matters. Summer FAith Montage This Faith Montage is from Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. I hope these words will speak to your soul. Paid Subscribers have access to a PDF of the entire montage. Subscribe/Upgrade ### Faith Montage: Not if We Go, but as We Go #LetUsPray _Let us pray —_ _It is into the revealing story of God that we are COMPELLED to go. Where we are called to serve God and others. Where we are drawn into a deeper relationship with God. Where we are thrust into the struggles of the world._ _It is in God’s revealing story where we grow into who God intends us to become._ _Not if we go, but as we go._ _As we go, we seek: Wisdom. Healing. Growth. Love._ _As we go, we are healed: By others. By ourselves. By surprise. By love._ _As we go, we offer back to God: Our talents. Our resources. Our humanity. Our love._ _As we go, we share what and who we know God to be. Hope. Joy. Peace. Love._ _— Amen._ * * * May we all know the Spirit whenever and wherever we need. Peace, ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 2, 2026 The Day's Readings (Year A)**:** Exodus 3:1-15 | Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c | Romans 12:9-21 | Matthew 16:21-28 NL Summer Readings (First and Second Timothy)**:** Exodus 20:12-16 (Tuned toward the Neighbor) Accompanying text: Matthew 22:34-40 (The Great Commandment) For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary **(NL)**. For Bible translations, I turn to The Common English Bible**(CEB)** or New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition **(NRSVUE).** For more liturgical inspiration, check out enfleshed or liturgylink. **Paid Subscribers may use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution.** ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. This week has been a wild one, mostly because my spouse and I are on a week-long, whirlwind, zig-zag, cross-country trek to see two of our kids who had the audacity to move out of state to live their lives :-) Our New York time has been filled with good food, much laughter, and sweet conversations. The time has been good for my soul, and it has been a serious example of a life of privilege. I have been struck by how easy it has been to simply unplug from the world for these first three days. An example, again, when multiple things can be true at the same time. I don't feel shamed by this reality; rather, I am further convinced and convicted that everyone should have the opportunity and resources to take a break from the pressures of the world . . . to have a vacation that reenergizes and rejuvenates their bodies and souls. And then on the way home (and why this post didn't get sent out on time) we spent three hours on the LaGuardia tarmac behind 55 other planes, had to return to the gate to refuel, and then got stuck overnight in Denver. So of course, at 4:00am . . . good times. Anyhoo . . . in this week's installment of my Faith Montage, I am reminded that the Spirit shows up in so many ways no matter what is happening in life. My time of privileged rest is not for nothing, as the Spirit is active throughout – and has provided much inspration for future Amalagmation relflection on humanity. This week my liturgical resources focus on that silent place where we meet God, and my sermon prompt is around the Romans passage and the idea of being the "beautiful feet" of God as we engage in conversation, not conversion. Summer FAith Montage This Faith Montage is from Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. I hope these words will speak to your soul. Paid Subscribers have access to a PDF of the entire montage. Subscribe/Upgrade ### The Spirit's Delicate Dance Between Creator and Created #LetUsPray _Let us pray —_ _The STORIED revealing of God’s hopes and intentions is intricately woven in and through our interactions with God— a delicate conversation between Creator and created._ _The Spirit moves through prayer: Not a checklist but a conversation. Not performance but release. Not to control but to relinquish. Not to manipulate but to listen. Not with words but also with words._ _The Spirit moves through community: Not to demand but to discern. Not to fix but to encourage. Not to confine but to compel. Not to detach but to engage. Not to seek perfection but to love perfectly._ _The Spirit moves through the Bible: Not an indifferent collection but an anthology of human experience. Not a contract to be enforced but a covenant to be honored. Not a map to be followed but an adventure to be embraced. Not a literal set of rules but evolving truths to be revealed. Not a weapon of faith but a wellspring of liberation._ _The Spirit moves in the in-between: Not always knowing where but trusting God is present. Not always knowing how but trusting God is active. Not always knowing when but trusting God is near. Not always knowing why but trusting God is faithful. Not always knowing but trusting that God is._ _Through these windows we meet ourselves, we meet others, our understanding of God is expanded, the movements of God are made real, and the revealed and revealing story of God is made known._ _— Amen._ * * * May we all know the Spirit whenever and wherever we need. Peace, ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 2, 2026 The Day's Readings (Year A)**:** I Kings 19:1-15 | Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45 | Romans 10:5-15 | Matthew 14:22-33 NL Summer Readings (First and Second Timothy)**:** 2 Timothy 3:14—4:8, 16-18 (The Lord Stood by Me) Accompanying text: Luke 18:6-8 In writing liturgy, I attempt to be economical with words while addressing the events of the day in ways that help people find grounding in their faith. For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary **(NL)**. For Bible translations, I turn to The Common English Bible**(CEB)** or New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition **(NRSVUE).** For more liturgy inspiration, check out enfleshed or liturgylink. Paid Subscribers may use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

A Prayer for the Week and Resources for Sunday, August 2, 2026

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. First, how is it August already? Second, I hate that there have been more shootings in the news and lawmakers are not even pretending to want to do anything about it. It's as if US society has resigned itself to a future filled with guns. We must not go numb to or normalize gun violence as if there are no other options. We must not give up. We must not only keep pressing our legislators to have the courage to tackle the gun violence health crisis, but we must also teach and model ways to deal with anger and address conflict without resorting to violence of any kind, body, mind, or spirit. And all the while, for our own grounding and for the Spirit who surrounds us, we must pray. I have been sharing prayers about gun violence, but if you need a prayer for your community, here is a litany, Another Shooting in America__ or purchase a copy of __ A Prayerbook Concerning Gun Violence and use promo code “BRC” for 20% off. Seems appropriate that we move into the Spirit section on my faith montage, as it is always good to remember that the Spirit of God is always moving and always active – even in the midst of tragedy and heartbreak. Summer FAith Montage This Faith Montage is from Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. I hope these words will speak to your soul. Paid Subscribers have access to a PDF of the entire montage. Subscribe/Upgrade ### The Sweeping and Unwavering Spirit #LetUsPray _Let us pray —_ _The Spirit of God repeatedly sweeps over humanity leaving us inspired: to seek God’s hopes for each of us, to live into God’s intentions for the entire body, and to answer the call to participate in the fulfillment of God’s ever-revealing hopes for the world._ _The Spirit invites us into relationship and conversations with God. The Spirit encourages the quest and reveals God in the act of questioning. The Spirit pokes and prods us to be open and aware that God is with us. The Spirit revives, refreshes, and reminds us that God will help bear the weight of our weariness. The Spirit is unwavering in the belief that we have the capacity to know God more. The Spirit moves around us. The Spirit moves through us. The Spirit moves in spite of us. And when we are open, the Spirit moves us._ _— Amen._ * * * May we all know healing. Peace, ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 2, 2026 The Day's Readings (Year A)**:** Genesis 32:22–31 | Psalm 17:1–7, 15 | Romans 9:1–5 | Matthew 14:13–21 NL Summer Readings (First and Second Timothy)**:** 2 Timothy 2:8-15 (Remember Jesus Christ, Raised from the Dead) Accompanying text: Luke 17:16-19 In writing liturgy, I attempt to be economical with words while addressing the events of the day in ways that help people find grounding in their faith. For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary **(NL)**. For Bible translations, I turn to The Common English Bible**(CEB)** or New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition **(NRSVUE).** For more liturgy inspiration, check out enfleshed or liturgylink. Paid Subscribers may use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. It feels like EVERY day we can say something to the effect, "When we look at the world, it seems like there is another round of violence, suffering, and hurt being experienced by God's people." I hate that this has been normalized. It makes me angry, sad, and sometimes severely pessimistic about the future. And then something happens to remind me that, yes, there is too much pain in the world, but there is also healing. Does it come about when or how I want it to? Rarely, but healing is present. This next section of My Faith montage follows the acknowledging of hurt. Even though we may cause much of the pain in the world, we are also part of the healing. Summer FAith Montage We continue with the next section of my Faith Montage from Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. I hope these words will speak to your soul. Paid Subscribers have access to a PDF of the entire montage. Subscribe/Upgrade * * * ### The Hurt Who Are Healed #LetUsPray _Let us pray —_ _And yet we know what it is to be HEALED. To be healed is to be whole. To move toward healing is to move toward holiness. In mind. In body. In gut. In heart. In spirit. In soul._ _You cannot be healed if I am still hurting. I cannot know wholeness if you are still in agony. We cannot experience either while neighbors and strangers suffer still._ _My wholeness is intricately and intrinsically woven together with yours and yours with mine. Healing is mine is yours is ours. Wholeness is ours is yours is mine._ _Yet we cannot know healing and wholeness without the One who loves us into being. God loves healing into the world. In whispers. In whimsy. In wonder. In exhale. In excitement. In euphoria. In solitude. In silence. In subtlety._ _Our bodies, minds, and souls are healed by God. Healed in ways creative, soothing, beautiful, and bold. Healed in ways surprising, subtle, unruly, and old. Through boisterous laughter uncontained, and anger righteously expressed, through sounds that soothe and silence that settles, through communities organized and justice realized, through intimacy, generosity, understanding, and rest, through equity, jubilance, remembrance, and risk, through lament and confession, through forgiving and being forgiven, through grace offered and grace accepted, through being seen, being heard, being known._ _In all of these things, in God’s good time, in unexpected ways, God’s healing and wholeness is a mighty balm for our bone-tired bodies, for our compassion-fatigued hearts, and for our weary, weary souls._ _— Amen._ * * * May we all know healing. Peace, ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 26, 2026 The Day's Readings (Year A)**:** 1Kings 3:5-12 | Psalm 119: 129-136 | Romans 8:26-39 | Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 NL Summer Readings (First and Second Timothy)**:** 2 Timothy 1:1-14 (Rekindle the Gift of God) Accompanying text: Luke 17:5-6 In writing liturgy, I attempt to be economical with words while addressing the events of the day in ways that help people find grounding in their faith. For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary **(NL)**. For Bible translations, I turn to The Common English Bible**(CEB)** or New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition **(NRSVUE).** For more liturgy inspiration, check out enfleshed or liturgylink. Paid Subscribers may use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. Summer FAith Montage This week I continue with the next section of my Faith Montage from Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. I hope some of these passages will speak to your soul. If you are interested in using slide versions, I am slowly litanizing (Is that even a word?) the entire montage. Paid Subscribers have access to a PDF of the entire montage. Subscribe/Upgrade This past week I have seen more violence and brutality across my socials. While I am grateful I have not become completely numb and these scenes still shock me, sometimes I simply want to look away. The thing is, some people do not have the privilege to look away because the pain and suffering are being inflicted upon them. This part of the Faith Montage both names the hurt that many experience as well as the hurt we may inflict upon others. If we are going to live lives of healing, we must not look away. * * * ### The Gathered Who Are Hurting #LetUsPray _Let us pray —_ _But these called, sacred, gathered bodies are HURTING. From ancestors and saints past to misfits and strangers of today, we live in a world that feeds on destruction, rewards hatred, reinforces oppression, dismisses grief, denies accountability, and manipulates vulnerability —and often in the name of God._ _We have lost our way. We have turned and been turned away from God’s intentions and hopes for humanity. We have brought pain upon my body, your body, our bodies. Born from anger, disappointment, and mourning,_ _As we desecrate the earth, God weeps. As we equate light as good and dark as bad, God weeps. As we pursue profit and perpetuate poverty, God weeps. As we criminalize suffering and incarcerate siblings to invisibility, God weeps. As we fortify empire and exploit humanity, God weeps. As we legislate bodies and deny human agency, God weeps. As we mock emotions and renounce empathy, God weeps. As we choose individualism and abandon the common good, God weeps. As we worship “normal” and demonize difference, God weeps. As we benefit from unjust systems and justify their existence, God weeps. As we deny privilege and default to indifference, God weeps. As we choose apathy and forsake the body politic, God weeps. As we profit from disparity and blame others for their desperation, God weeps. As we deny the sins of our past and reinforce institutions of oppression, God weeps._ _And as we embolden violence upon bodies who bear darker skin, who go unheard, who believe differently, who love who they love, who are deemed weak, who are silenced, who are unarmed, who are not in control, who broaden gender, who are gifted to our care, who are the “enemy,” who are different, God weeps._ _We resist and refuse to lament and confess to that which holds us back from fully knowing God. Born again and again from anger, disappointment, and mourning, God weeps. And yet . . ._ _— Amen._ * * * May we sit with the hurt. Peace, SPONSORED For you early adopters, The Amalgamation Server on Discord is open. We may still make a few changes, but feel free to hop on over. ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 19, 2026 The Day's Readings (Year A)**:** Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 | Psalm 45:10-17 | Romans 8:12-25 | Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 NL Summer Readings (First and Second Timothy)**:** 1 Timothy 6:6-19 (Take Hold of Eternal Life) Accompanying text: Luke 16:27-30 In writing liturgy, I attempt to be economical with words while addressing the events of the day in ways that help people find grounding in their faith. For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary from The Working Preacher **(NL)**. For Bible translations I turn to The Common English Bible**(CEB)** or New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition **(NRSVUE).** For more liturgy inspiration, check out enfleshed or liturgylink. Paid Subscribers should please feel free to use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

A Prayer for the Week and Resources for Sunday, July 12, 2026

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. Summer FAith Montage This week I continue with the next section of my Faith Montage from Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. I hope some of these passages will speak to your soul. If you are interested in using slide versions, I am slowly litanizing (Is that even a word?) the entire montage. Paid Subscribers have access to a PDF of the entire montage for personal or congregational use. We close out the "gathered" section of my Faith Montage with the part speaks of the spaces in which we come togtether. * * * ### The Expansiveness of Gathering #LetUsPray _Let us pray —_ We gather in forms and functions as expansive as creation is itself, by affiliation, association, denomination, and affinity, in living rooms, kitchens, coffee shops, corners, country churches, town-square sanctuaries, grand cathedrals, amid blaring speakers, bright lights, sacred windows, shiny screens, pipes floor to ceiling, folding chairs, dripping candles, well-worn pews, and worn-out carpet, with cymbals, bells, lyres, guitars, organs, drums, soundtracks, and turntables. Basking in the sounds of invitation. Held in welcomed silence. God gathers us still. _— Amen._ * * * However or wherever you find yourself gathered with community this day, may you experience belonging, justice, and love. Peace, ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 12, 2026 The Day's Readings (Year A)**:** Genesis 25:19-34 and Psalm 119:105-112 | Isaiah 55:10-13 and Psalm 65:(1-8), 9-13 | Romans 8:1-11 | Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 NL Summer Readins (First and Second Timothy)**:** 1 Timothy 1:12-17 (Have Confidence in the Gospel) Accompanying text: Luke 15:4-7 In writing liturgy, I attempt to be economical with words while addressing the events of the day in ways that help people find grounding in their faith. For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary from The Working Preacher **(NL)**. For more liturgy inspiration, check out enfleshed or liturgylink . Paid Subscribers should please feel free to use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. Summer FAith Montage This week I continue with the next section of my Faith Montage from Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. I hope some of these passages will speak to your soul. If you are interested in using slide versions, I am slowly litanizing (Is that even a word?) the entire montage. Paid Subscribers have access to a PDF of the entire montage for personal or congregational use. For you pastors out there, I don't know about you, but I generally dread preaching on July 4th. It has often been because many of the churches that I have served have sacrificed themselves at the altar of "let's just get along," or I simply was not brave enough to tackle Christian Nationalism and toxic patriotism. This July 4th, you better believe that I am taking on both of those when I am in the pulpit. I'll expand in the worship resources section, but I am going to try and come at it from two directions: we critique because we want the best for things we love, and we are all closer to crossing the line of kindness to cruelty than we would like to admit. But first, we continue working our way through my Faith Montage as we see how and why we gather as God's people. If you need a specific prayer addressing Christian Nationalism, here is one: For Those Fighting Christian Nationalism. * * * ### Gathering as Misfits and Strangers #LetUsPray _Let us pray —_ _By dirt roads and oceans vast, across concrete highways and infinite skies, by coercion and by consequence, by circumstance, and by choice — our journeys converge._ _Ancestors and saints, generations past, generations of today, and generations yet to come._ _We arrive, we mingle, and we observe._ _We step forward, we step back, we pause, we try again_ _We engage in a divine dance, these bodies, the body, all in a space that is God’s,_ _These bodies embody the depth and texture of the Divine, seen and unseen, known and unknown, addressed and avoided._ _These bodies are not always in control, minds betraying, bodies breaking down, emotions in disarray, mind, body, and spirit, swirling, swirling, swirling._ _Misfits and strangers uniquely gathered like no place other. Gathered by love, gathered to love, gathered even when we are unable to love, and gathered especially when we feel undeserving of love._ _Woven together in moments momentary and lingering to worship God, to know what it is to belong, to celebrate the jubilance of life, to grieve when life is loss, to lament and to confess, to forgive and to be forgiven, to worship, to pray, to march, to nap, to argue, to ponder, to weep, to laugh, to discern the mind of Christ and the will of God, to love the other as the world would not want us to love ourselves, to affirm and proclaim that we belong to one another, and in turn we belong to God._ _— Amen._ * * * Hoping that you experience belonging in many ways and in many places! Peace, ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 5, 2026 RCL Year A Readings (NRSV)**:** Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 | Psalm 45:10-17 | Romans 7:15-25a | Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 NL Summer Readings (Ruth & Esther) **(** CEB**):** Esther 7:1-10, 9:1-2, 20-22, 29-32 (From Sadness to Joy) Accompanying text: Luke 1:68-72 (God Saves [Biblical] Israel) In writing liturgy, I attempt to be economical with words while addressing the events of the day in ways that help people find grounding in their faith. For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary from The Working Preacher **(NL)**. Paid Subscribers should please feel free to use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. Summer FAith Montage This week I continue with the next section of my Faith Montage from Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. I hope some of these passages will speak to your soul. If you are interested in using slide versions, I am slowly litanizing (Is that even a word?) the entire montage. Paid Subscribers have access to a PDF of the entire montage (See below) for personal or congregational use. I'm back. Sorry about missing last week. The past 10-ish days have been all about getting settled into my SoCal housing and riding a steep learning curve for worship planning. It has been energizing, but a lot. For those outside the church, I am currently serving as a p/t Transitional Pastor at Pasadena Presbyterian Church in Pasadena, CA. I'll be here for a year-ish helping the community move towards calling a new permanent pastor. When someone like me arrives, there are always folks want things to happen and for me to quickly get to it. Perfectly natural, but whenever I arrive somewhere tasked with some particular tasks, I remind myself not to jump in before I know the people. Getting to know folks before entering any change conversation seems pretty basic, but the tyranny of the urgent makes jumping right in quite attractive. With this in mind, it seems only fitting that we enter the section of the Faith Montage that speaks the complexity and beauty of God's GATHERED _._ * * * ### Grounded in the Presence of God #LetUsPray _Let us pray —_ _Created in the image of God, I choose to join with others as God’s GATHERED._ _We are the body gathered, beautiful, powerful, holy bodies._ _These bodies are of all shapes, sizes, abilities, and hues. These bodies move through the world loving and loved, desiring and desired, healing and healed._ _These bodies hold tightly and tenderly the complexities of being: attractions, peeves, passions, scars, successes, traumas, triggers, desires, rejections, revelry, heartbreak, intentions, rage, rapture, miscues, magnificence, contradictions, courage, determination, discombobulation, dwelling, doubt._ _Beautiful and complicated creatures seeking and being sought, committed and compelled humans navigating the complexities of the world, and people loved beyond our imagination by the One who beckons us forth._ _— Amen._ * * * Again, thanks for stopping in one more time. I appreciate you! Peace, ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 21, 2026 RCL Year A Readings (NRSV)**:** Genesis 21:8-21 | Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17 | Romans 6:1b-11 | Matthew 10:24-39 NL Summer Readings (Ruth & Esther) **(** CEB**):** Ruth 4:1-22 (New Life) Accompanying text: Luke 1:46-55 (Mary Praises God) In writing liturgy, I attempt to be economical with words while addressing the events of the day in ways that help people find grounding in their faith. For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary from The Working Preacher **(NL)**. Paid Subscribers should please feel free to use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution. Gift Subscriptions If you find this weekly prayer, liturgy, or any other aspects of The Amalgamation meaningful, I would not hate it if you shared the joy with others by purchasing a Gift Subscription. 🧧 Gift Subscription * * * ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. Summer FAith Montage This week I continue with the next section of my Faith Montage from Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. I hope some of these passages will speak to your soul. If you are interested in using slide versions, I am slowly litanizing (Is that even a word?) the entire montage. Paid Subscribers have access to a PDF of the entire montage (See below) for personal or congregational use. Looks like summer has begun. As I reflect on my transition to Pasadena Presbyterian Church, plan family vacations, and engage in "normal" life activities, the weight of the world continues to tug at my soul. I share this not to shame or guilt, but to simply acknowledge how easy it is for us to normalize life when others are suffering. As I reflect on the many privileges afforded to me and my family, I continue to center my life on "the work" to make this possible for all people. A stark reminder is this note from our friends in Gaza. > [6/1, 12:36 PM]: Hello Robin, Bruce and their family > [6/1, 12:36 PM]: How are you all > [6/1, 12:39 PM]: This period is very bad. Life is tense, and there is indiscriminate bombing everywhere. We have had the worst Eid al-Adha ever. There is no joy, no Eid gifts, no sacrifice. There are no signs of happiness or celebration for the holiday. Where I live, there are frequent evacuations, destruction, and killing. Our family does what we can to help financially, and we certainly lift our friends up in prayer, but we also vote and act in ways that we hope will make a difference in their lives. And this is yet only one family who happened to connect with us two years ago. It is overwhelming, and sometimes paralyzing, to think of so many who are suffering in isolation. So today, I commit again to keep at it. And this week's section of my Faith Montage grounds me in that work. This week's sections: what it means to be _GROUNDED in the presence of God._ * * * ### Grounded in the Presence of God #LetUsPray _Let us pray —_ _I am GROUNDED in the presence of God. God knows me. God sees me. God loves me. And that is enough._ _God is with me. God has been with me. God will always be with me._ _Through crawling minutes and blurred decades, mundane whispers and shouts of magnificence, awkward encounters and an impassioned embrace, brisk breezes, warm skies, cool fog, living deserts, flourishing forests, living water, the farm, the field, the town, the suburb, the streets, and the city,_ _during protests, parties, feasts, and funerals,_ _at coffee shops, clubs, stages, pitches, courts, corners, classrooms, playgrounds, porches, barbershops, dining tables, couches, screens, and every unexpected holy space:_ _Through and in it all, God is known to my soul, and I am reminded that I am known by God._ _— Amen._ * * * Thanks for hanging out here. You will notice that I added a section to the liturgical resources. I am having the church read through the Belhar Confession over the summer, so I have included that _Affirmation of Faith_. Also, I may be posting this note on Wednesdays at noon-ish from now on, as my workflow is shifting. We shall see. Peace, ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 7, 2026 RCL Year A Readings **(** NRSV**):** Genesis 12:1-9 and Psalm 33:1-12 | Hosea 5:15-6:6 and Psalm 50:7-15 | Romans 4:13-25 | Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 NL Summer Readings (Ruth & Esther) **(** CEB**):** Ruth 2:1-23 (Gleaning and Hope) and Luke 6:36-38 (Give and It Will Be Given) In writing liturgy, I attempt to be economical with words while addressing the events of the day in ways that help people find grounding in their faith. For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary from The Working Preacher **(NL)**. Paid Subscribers should please feel free to use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution. Gift Subscriptions If you find this weekly prayer, liturgy, or any other aspects of The Amalgamation meaningful, I would not hate it if you shared the joy with others by purchasing a Gift Subscription. 🧧 Gift Subscription * * * ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. How is it almost June? I was having a conversation with someone this week about activism, faith, and the church. We talked about the need for our actions to be rooted in and grounded in an understanding of our faith. Elements of our faith will shift and change over time, but for people of faith, we will make the strongest impact if our actions and our activities are rooted in our beliefs. Yes, this seems pretty basic, but I have found that when I am feeling a little bit off-kilter, I need to stop, take a breath, and ask myself why I am doing what I am doing. Maybe the disorientation is justified, but sometimes it becomes clear that I have bought into motivations that are not worthy of my energy, time, or resources. That feeling inside is the Spirit poking and prodding to check myself. This conversation, combined with the reality that there is a month of self-inflicted chaos ahead of me with our family Bay Area move and my move to Pasadena to start my time as the p/t Transitional Pastor at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. What I am going to do is to share my "Statement of Faith," or as I titled it in Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith, my "Faith Montage." I am sure you will not agree with everything, but I hope some of these passages will speak to your soul. If you're interested, I am in the process of litanizing (Is that even a word?) the entire montage and creating slides for folks to use. Also, if you are a Paid Subscriber, you can get a PDF of the entire montage (See below) for personal or congregational use. I begin with the belief that, _in life and in death, I belong to God_. * * * ### I am Known by God #LetUsPray _Let us pray —_ _I choose to believe that, in life and in death, I belong to God. God stirs my soul._ _In the morning, life-giving first breath fills my lungs. God stills my spirit._ _In the evening, the calm of the night flows through my body. God moves me._ _The Holy One beckons me forth, through bands of light, into coves of darkness, woven into rainbows, and amid the in-between and unknown—_ _All the while, with every tender breath, I am reminded of God’s hoping, yearning, and dreaming that I grow into all I am intended to become._ _I am**GROUNDED** in the presence of God._ _God knows me. God sees me. God loves me. And that is enough._ _God is with me. God has been with me. God will always be with me._ _Through crawling minutes and blurred decades, mundane whispers and shouts of magnificence, awkward encounters and an impassioned embrace, brisk breezes, warm skies, cool fog, living deserts, flourishing forests, living water, the farm, the field, the town, the suburb, the streets, and the city, during protests, parties, feasts, and funerals, at coffee shops, clubs, stages, pitches, courts, corners, classrooms, playgrounds, porches, barbershops, dining tables, couches, screens, and every unexpected holy space:_ _Through and in it all, God is known to my soul, and I am reminded that I am known by God._ _— Amen._ * * * Peace, ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, May 31, 2026 RCL Year A Readings **(** NRSV**):** 1 Samuel 2:1-10 | Psalm 113 | Romans 12:9-16b | Luke 1:39-57 NL Readings (Ruth & Esther) **(** CEB**):** Ruth 1:1-22 (Loss and Loyalty) Accompanying text: Matthew 5:3-9 (The Beatitudes) In writing liturgy, I attempt to be economical with words while addressing the events of the day in ways that help people find grounding in their faith. For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary from The Working Preacher **(NL)**. Paid Subscribers should please feel free to use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution. Gift Subscriptions If you find this weekly prayer, liturgy, or any other aspects of The Amalgamation meaningful, I would not hate it if you shared the joy with others by purchasing a Gift Subscription. 🧧 Gift Subscription * * * ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

A Prayer for the Week and Resources for Sunday, May 24, 2026

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. Antisemitism, Islamophobia, conflating Judaism with Israel, and the rise in anti-Muslim hate speech by public leaders have led to too many deaths, grief, rage, and trauma — that will take generations to heal. This week, there was another shooting reportedly driven by white supremacist ideology. Just another day of gun violence in America. It seems society, as a whole, has become numb to the bloodshed and has resigned itself to the idea that our addiction to guns and the epidemic of gun violence are normal and unavoidable. I get it, being overwhelmed by the number of issues confronting society today, but we must not become more indifferent to gun violence — the terror it causes, the grief it creates, or the retribution it generates. We must not normalize young people filled with hate, students being traumatized at school, or the growing rollcall of heroes who give up their lives protecting others. Instead, we must continue to raise our collective voices and act in ways that say there is a different way of living in a world of conflict and confrontation. We must keep working to change the political will of our public servants as well as our cultural connection to guns. **For those who continue to scream this from the mountaintops, thank you, and please don't stop.** The following prayer is one I submitted for the project, How Long, Oh Lord?: A Prayerbook Concerning Gun Violence (Code BRC for 20% off). The number of instances of hatred being lived out through gun violence can be paralyzing and overwhelming, so if you need a prayer, I hope this prayer helps... * * * ### When Hatred and Gun Violence Collide #LetUsPray _let us pray —_ _god of every hue and every human, gun violence, fueled by hate, is not your will._ _the depth of our sorrow cannot be measured as groans of grief vibrate in our bones and the needless loss of life surpasses understanding_ _but what can we expect when we live in a culture that justifies hatred because of who one worships because of who one loves because of where one was born because of what one looks like because of what one does because of one’s passions because of one’s politics because of how one simply moves through the world_ _. . . and, god, often this hatred is sown in your holy name._ _and what can we expect when guns are so deeply embedded in our culture when guns are gamified without discretion when guns are glorified as tools of power when our response to gun violence is more guns when gun profit has more power than human potential when guns are too easy to get when global siblings have shown us a different way when we have lost our ability to embody nuance, embrace sensibility, and mine wisdom. when it feels like we have thrown up our hands and given up._ _god, we have lost our way._ _and yet, god, you have greater expectations for us you expect us to choose a path of life over death to choose possibility over profit to choose acceptance over exclusion to choose grace over retribution to choose discernment over disregard to think to pray to act and above all to choose love over hate._ _for these things we pray — amen._ * * * For those of us who have been personally touched by gun violence, whenever these things happen, feelings and memories come flooding back. If that is you, you are seen and held by many in the same way I am sure see and hold others. Peace, ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### The Day of Pentecost, May 24, 2026 RCL Year A Readings **(** NRSV**):** Acts 2:1-21**or** Numbers 11:24-30 | Psalm 104:24-34, 35b | 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13**or** Acts 2:1-21 | John 20:19-23**or** John 7:37-39 NL442 Readings **(** CEB**):** Acts 2:1-21 | Philippians 4:4-7 | John 14:16-17 In writing liturgy, I attempt to be economical with words while addressing the events of the day in ways that help people find grounding in their faith. For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary from The Working Preacher **(NL)**. Paid Subscribers should please feel free to use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution. Gift Subscriptions If you find this weekly prayer, liturgy, or any other aspects of The Amalgamation meaningful, I would not hate it if you shared the joy with others by purchasing a Gift Subscription. 🧧 Gift Subscription * * * ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

****Weekly #LetUsPray**** I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. Paid subscribers have access to liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. Apologies for taking last week off. I have been finishing up my time as the p/t Bridge Pastor at Burlingame Presbyterian Church, and it has been a wild ride with these lovely folks. I now get a few weeks' break, then head down to Pasadena Presbyterian Church to serve as their p/t Transitional Pastor. For those who do not track my every pastoral move, I occasionally take on a short-term, part-time Bridge Pastor role. I am usually asked to pastor a church through some kind of conflict or transition that requires some pastoral tending. This has also meant that, over the years, I have had to say goodbye quite a bit. For those going through some kind of transition (good or not-so-good) that requires leaving a place of work, worship, or anywhere you have developed relationships, this prayer is for you. For those interested, here is my farewell sermon at Burlingame Presbyterian. * * * ### For High #LetUsPray _let us pray —_ _god, as i leave this place let me leave with grace let me leave with generosity and let me leave with wisdom_ _with the grace you offer allow me to release responsibilities i no longer carry allow me to let go of resentment that may never be resolved and allow me to move into what is next, unburdened by what was_ _with the generosity you grant_ make known the places where I have grown here make known the depth of relationships that i leave behind and make known to others the gratitude i have for them _with the wisdom you instill_ grant me the foresight to take time to breathe grant me the courage to reflect from deep within and grant me the discipline to leave well _for these things we pray — amen._ * * * One of the most important words of counsel that I have ever received is this: "The strength of your legacy is determined by how you leave." As I have worked with departing pastors and have gone through this myself with varying degrees of success, these are good words to hold onto during any time of leaving. Peace, PS: If anyone already had this Hamilton diddy ringing in your ears . . . ## LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS #### Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 17, 2026 RCL Year A Readings (NRSV)**:** Acts 1:6-14 | Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 | John 17:1-11 NL442 Readings (CEB)**:** Philippians 2:1-13 (CEB) In writing liturgy, I attempt to be economical with words while addressing the events of the day in ways that help people find grounding in their faith. For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary **(RCL)** and The Narrative Lectionary from The Working Preacher **(NL)**. Paid Subscribers should please feel free to use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution. How Long, Oh Lord?: A Prayerbook Concerning Gun Violence For prayers that address the epidemic of gun violence in the United States, purchase a copy of __How Long, Oh Lord?: A Prayerbook Concerning Gun Violence__ and use promo code “BRC” for 20% off. Purchase How Long, Oh Lord If you find this weekly prayer, liturgy, or any other aspects of The Amalgamation meaningful, I would not hate it if you shared the joy with others through giving Gift Subscription or purchasing a Group Subscription. * * * ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now