Fifth Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)

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The Raising of Lazarus Lectionary:  34 Reading 1 -  Ezekiel 37:12-14 Responsorial Psalm -  Psalm 130:1-8 Reading 2 -  Romans 8:8-11 Verse - John 11:25a, 26 Gospel -  John 11:1-45 Lazarus, come out! LESSON: The Power of God Through Those Who Believe We’re a week away from the start of Holy Week. Our Lord now has his sights set on Jerusalem, and the pace is quickening. In these next two weeks, we’re living just one part of the Gospel passage from today: an encounter with the reality of suffering and death. Jesus is asking us to have faith in him. In today’s First Reading the prophet Ezekiel reminds us of the Lord’s promise to not only to bring us back to life but to bring us home. The background of this passage is the famous "Valley of Dry Bones." The people of Israel were in exile in Babylon. They weren't just sad; they were spiritually and nationally "dead." Their common saying was: "Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off." They d...
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Review: Collects for Our Cultural Moment

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Collects for Our Cultural Moment Collects for Our Cultural Moment by Terry Jonathan Stokes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am not sure that I am the intended audience for this book of prayers as there are specific [younger] generational and cultural references that I had trouble understanding.  I was looking for something that could enhance my own public ministry, but I had trouble identifying with many of the references to [what I presume are] millennial memes, or specific issues within minority communities where it felt presumptuous for me to even try to appropriate, even as an ally.  That said, it is certainly useful in identifying concerns within those communities, even if I felt awkward with the provided language.  So too with the idea that you can [and should] bring everything to God, the author was perhaps a bit too literal in execution, even though this is a great idea in theory.  This is how you get mundane items like, "For when one clogs the toilet" or "For before third-wheeling" alongside more profound prayers, such as "For a protest" and "For letting go of toxic relationships."  Perhaps it is just me, but I don't believe that I would actually use more than a handful of the prayers provided.  In addition to the topics that I mostly likely won't encounter at this stage in my life, the mix of formal thee, thy and thou ... with more current "hip" language, just didn't seem to work that well.  Fortunately, the author does include a basic [6 step] formula to enable you to create prayers more relevant to your own specific situation and/or communities and it is pretty good.

I: Friendship
II: Singleness and Romance
III: Family and Home.
IV: The Self
V: Community and Society
VI: Work and Vocation
VII: Recreation
VIII: Music
IX: Church Life

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#PrayersforthePeople #NetGalley.

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