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I offer this weekly #LetUsPray as a way to stay anchored amidst the turmoil of the day. For paid subscribers (and last-minute worship planners), I also offer some liturgical resources and sermon prompts based on the week's readings from The Revised Common Lectionary and/or The Narrative Lectionary. Each offering is written on Wednesday and published on Thursday, allowing me to focus on current events or issues.
I am not sure how this is possible, but against the backdrop of the Super Bowl halftime controversy, the debates over Homeland Security funding, and the ongoing release of the Epstein files, it feels like the volume of political rhetoric has grown even louder. As this has been happening, I have been spending most of my days in a hospital room sitting with one of my elders who is dealing with some health issues. Having been in that space, I could only notice the vast network of dedicated people who tend these spaces of healing. That got me thinking and praying about the many voices that surround us every days that are never heard, noticed, or even acknowledged. So this week, I offer this prayer, not as a castigation for those who are raising their voices in righteous indignation to fight injustice, but as a reminder that there are always more stories to be heard and told.
For Those Who Whisper #LetUsPray
Let Us Pray —
God of the whispers and the wailing
You hear Your people at any volume
God of the powerful and the promising
You hear Your people from any place
From where we live:
for those who wash down our streets
for those who deliver mail door to door
for those who bag our groceries
for those who walk our furbabies
for those who visit our cities
for those who love nextdoor
for strangers in our midst
and for the struggling before us
From where we learn:
for those who guide our children safely across
for educators who shape lives
for custodians who tend to spaces
for staff who support all things
for paras who hold things together
for volunteers who do whatever is needed
for substitutes who step up and step in
and for those who are struggling before us
From where we govern:
for interns who yearn for what may be
for staffers who dig deep and know much
for admins who welcome the public
for clerks who keep things in order
for legislators who serve the public good
for janitors who keep the place running
for service workers who feed the people
and for those who are struggling before us
From where we worship:
for those who show up
for musicians who play
for educators who teach
for pastors who proclaim
for staff who support
for volunteers who serve
for sextons who tend
and for those who are struggling before us
From these places and more
for the voices long silenced
to the voices amplified daily
for those who only know isolation
to those who bask in belonging
for all of these things
and for all of these people we pray
— AMEN
Liturgy and Preaching Prompts
As I have prepared liturgies over the years, I have attempted to be economical with the words, addressing the events of the day in ways that help people find grounding in their faith. The text I used most is the Common English Bible. For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) and The Narrative Lectionary from The Working Preacher (NL). As Paid Subscribers, please feel free use any of these resources with or without attribution.
Peace,
Beginning next week, the First Sunday in Lent, liturgical resources will be available only to paid subscribers.
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Sunday, February 15, 2026: Transfiguration Sunday
RCL Year A: Exodus 24:12-18, Psalm 2 or Psalm 99, 2 Peter 1:16-21, Matthew 17:1-9
NL429: John 9:1-41, Psalm 27:1-4
Call to Worship — (Matthew 17:1-9)
One: In a world filled with so much disappointment and sorrow
ALL: God we welcome Your presence with awe and wonder
One: Let Your people be open to all that you come to say and do!
ALL: And let us bask in the beauty and radiance of it all!
Confession —
God of liberation and joy, sometimes we forget that we are not destined to live in bondage and sorrow. Forgive us when we are surprised by Your promised acts of wonder and beauty, grant us the courage to always hear Your words of possibility, and comfort us when our spirits become confined by fear.
Assurance of Pardon —
God is not only pleased with the one called Jesus. We are shown that God is more than pleased with us as well, for in the life, death, and resurrection of the one called Jesus, we are forgiven, our lives made anew, and we are reminded of our eternal life with God. For this we can all be pleased. AMEN.
Note: I am partial to using a common Assurance of Pardon during liturgical seasons to reinforce a theological concept or to provide a common element if other parts are of the service shifting around.
If I were preaching this Sunday — (Matthew 17:1-9)
What do we do in the face of awe?
In this telling of the Transfiguration, Peter treats this as no big deal. Sure, you all just show up, let's build some tents. In Mark's telling, the tents come as an offering in response to fear. I might address both the ways we should remain open to the possibility for God's awe to be revealed before us, and that sometimes we will not be ready for it, and it may be frightening at first.
Who vouches for whom?
I love the idea that Jesus needed someone to vouch for him. Even with all the special effects going on around, God still felt the need to pipe down, "This is my Child whom I dearly love. I am very pleased with him. Listen to him!" What kind of proof do we need from whom about what? This could go many ways: both in how distrustful we can be AND how we need to listen to the voices of the past.
Charge and Benediction —
Folks are always invited to liberate the benediction that I have used for the past three decades.
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