A Community Prayer for Hill Country Flood Victims and Their Families

Community Prayer Service July 9, 2025

Gathering Song Abide With Me

Welcome

Bless you, and thank you, for your presence at this community prayer. My name is Father Jonathan, priest of St. James, and on behalf of the St. James family, our friends at Highland Oaks Church of Christ, St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, Lake Highlands Presbyterian, and others, thank you for being here to join in prayer tonight.

One of you asked me what our purpose for tonight would be. My first thought was that the purpose of this community prayer is to grieve. But that’s not quite true. If you’re like me, you are grieving already. The images and headlines recounting the flooding, unimaginable devastation, and loss of life in the Texas Hill Country have challenged and broken our hearts. We have lost loved ones and neighbors. We are grieving already.

No, today, we gather to do something different. We come together to bring our grief to God. To claim our broken hearts and the opportunity to say to God with all that we have that we wish it had been otherwise. So, we come together to pick up an ancient practice of the faithful, which is lament. For people of faith, lament allows our prayer to be honest, gives voice to our pain, and reminds us, through each other, that we are not alone. And lament gives us space to return to the deep promises of God. Lament is prayer that does not rush but leads to trust in the God who hears the cries of God’s People and sees them when they call.

In a moment, a bell will begin and end the silence, and our youth will then call us to prayer in a paraphrase of psalm number 5, which is a psalm of Lament. For even in our grief we are not left alone but joined in word and prayer and breath to every generation of God’s People, all those who have grieved, hoped, and trusted in the God who raised Jesus from the dead.

Psalm 5

O God, find me!
I am lost
In the valley of grief,
and I cannot see my way out.

My friends leave baskets of balm at my feet,
but I cannot bend to touch
the healing
to my heart.

They call me to leave
this valley,
but I cannot follow
the faint sound
of their voices.

They sing their songs
of love,
but the words fade
and vanish in the wind.

They knock,
but I cannot find the door.

They shout to me,
but I cannot find the voice
to answer.

O God, find me!
Come into this valley
and find me!

Bring me out of this land
of weeping.
O you to whom I belong,
find me!

I will wait here,
for you have never failed
to come to me.

I will wait here,
for you have always been faithful.

I will wait here,
for you are my God,
and you have promised
that you counted the hairs on my head.

This is Lament Psalm 5 from “Psalms of Lament,” Copyright 1995 Ann Weems. Used by permission of John Knox Press.

When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. 

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. 

Come Down, O Love Divine Hymnal #516 

A reading from John’s Gospel. 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 

O Gracious Light Hymnal #25 

The Lord be with you. 

And also with you. 

Let us pray. 

Almighty God, your Holy Spirit moved over the waters in the beginning of creation, and your Son Jesus walked on the Sea of Galilee: Be mightily present with all those impacted by catastrophic flooding in the Hill Country. Be close to the lost that they may be found; Guide and protect those who search; Strengthen those who await news of loved ones; Comfort those who mourn; Provide for those who have lost homes and livelihoods. And in the midst of things we cannot understand, empower us to entrust all to your never-failing love, and give us the will to persevere in our response to their needs. All this we ask through your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

God of all compassion, you make nothing in vain and love all you have created. Comfort your servants whose hearts are weighed down by grief and sorrow. Lift them up, and grant that they may so love and serve you in this life, that together with your children, they may obtain the fulness of your promises in the age to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

A candle is lit and placed in the sand.

O God, whose beloved Son took children into his arms and blessed them: Give us grace to entrust the more than 100 victims of the Hill Country flooding, including so many children, to your never-failing care and love, and bring us all to your heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

A candle is lit and placed in the sand.

Most merciful God, whose wisdom is beyond our understanding: Deal graciously with the survivors of the departed and all of us in our grief. Surround them and us with your love, that we may not be overwhelmed by the loss, but have confidence in your goodness, and strength to meet the days to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

A candle is lit and placed in the sand.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth be moved, and though the mountains be toppled into the depths of the sea; Though its waters rage and foam, and though the mountains tremble at its tumult. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Amen. 

A candle is lit and placed in the sand.

O God, our times are in your hand. In the midst of uncertainty lead us by your never-failing grace as we seek to be agents of healing and hope. Walk with us through difficult times; watch over us in danger; and give to us a spirit of love and compassion for those who suffer and mourn. And finally remind us that you have promised never to leave us so that even in the valley of the shadow of death your love may be felt, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

A candle is lit and placed in the sand.

Father of all, we pray to you for all those whom we love but see no longer. Grant to them eternal rest. Let light perpetual shine upon them. May his soul and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. 

A candle is lit and placed in the sand.

All, together 

Grant us, Lord, the lamp of charity which never fails, that it may burn in us and shed its light on those around us, and that by its brightness we may have a vision of that holy City, where dwells the true and never-failing Light, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

In the space of the music that follows, you are invited to write your own prayers on a prayer card and place it in the basket on the altar, and also to light a candle of intention, as a symbol of your prayer. 

Let us pray God’s care and keeping for the dead. Let us pray God’s mercy on the living. 

Let us pray our thanks for first-responders and helpers. 

Let us pray for solidarity, companionship, and generosity for the affected peoples’ recovery in the weeks and months ahead. 

Let us pray for hearts big enough to break and to follow the Savior’s commandment to love. 

Let us pray in the words our Savior Christ taught us, 

Our Father, who art in heaven, 

hallowed be thy name, 

thy kingdom come, 

thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread. 

And forgive us our trespasses, 

as we forgive those who trespass against us. 

And lead us not into temptation, 

but deliver us from evil. 

For thine is the kingdom, 

and the power, and the glory, 

for ever and ever. 

Amen. 

Jesus said, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” 

Amazing Grace Hymnal #671 

Closing Prayer 

God of love, 

God of peace, 

Come and comfort all who are grieving. 

Weep with those in sorrow. 

Gather round the circles of remembrance. 

Hear the choirs of gratitude, 

and make Holy all that pours from broken hearts. 

May your eternal embrace, your forever love, 

your Divine Presence that is before death, 

companions through death, 

and rises after death, 

be the resting place - the place of return - 

where we can always find each other. 

- Rev. M Jade Kaiser, enfleshed 

May Christ the Good Shepherd 

enfold you with love, 

fill you with peace, 

and lead you in hope, 

this day and all your days. Amen. 

Let us bless the Lord. 

Thanks be to God. 

Thank you for your prayers and presence. This concludes our service. You are welcome to go home, and equally welcome to remain in prayer. The doors will remain open for the next little while. The Lord bless and keep you. 

Those who wish to give may donate to local Hill Country relief efforts here. 

Beholding, Becoming, & Ron Burgundy

 When Paul says “imitate me” in Philippians today, I wonder how you hear it. I wonder how he means it. “Imitate me.” And not just imitate me, “Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me.” Do you like what he did there? If you imitate me, you’ll be joining the others who already have. That’s right, there’s a line. A bandwagon, if you will. Don’t worry, there’s probably room for you. Paul, channeling his best Ron Burgundy, “I don’t know how to put this. I’m kind of a big deal.” But even before we get to Paul’s reputation in some circles as a sometimes long-winded and/or arrogant grump, it just feels like a smug thing to say. You want the answer? Look no further. Right here. 

But then. This one time, years ago, I found myself in the Badlands of South Dakota and had me rethinking what I thought I knew about St. Paul. I was in the Badlands of South Dakota on a hike that had become unexpectedly treacherous. I was in way over my head. And a more experienced hiker in front of me, who was no less uneasy about our unfolding situation than I was, calmly and humbly comforted me: Jonathan, it’s gonna be okay. It’s not gonna be easy. But watch where I put my hands and look where I put my feet. Put your hands and feet in those places. I’ll do the figuring. You do the following. We’re gonna make it. Together. I promise I won’t leave without you. So, I did. And we did - we made it out of the wilds together. What I’m suggesting is that it’s at least a possibility, for Paul’s haters this morning, that maybe he isn’t only or always smug. Maybe his invitation to imitation is born of shared belonging and compassion.

 

Even so. Even if Paul didn’t come with some baggage (and he does). Even if he could be read more charitably by us (and he can), some people won’t imitate another person, any person, on principle. They want to be original. They want to write their own story. From scratch. But did you know - and they have studies on this - that even our ideas of independence are things we copy from other people? Because you’re trying to be independent like John Wayne, or your grandpa, or whomever. You’re working off a template. While you and I are probably working off different templates, there doesn’t seem to be any real way around the fact that you’re always copying something; that your pure originality is a myth.

In fact, it turns out, the act, the art, of imitation, of consideration and emulation, is a part of our biological hardwiring. It’s automatic. Because we’re made for connection and social belonging. Babies start imitating parents well within their first year of life. At the same time they start copying you, they start to recognize when you’re copying them, too. And they love it! Which explains the addictive properties of peek a boo.

As adults, we continue to mimic one another, sometimes on purpose and sometimes not. And the not on purpose parts are important. They’re important, not so you and I will learn to stop imitating but so that we’ll become aware that we always are imitating. There’s no turning it off. Constantly, unknowingly, borrowing micro-expressions from other people. Constantly, unknowingly, carrying ideas about the world we got from other people: ideas about love and its limits, scarcity and abundance, ideas about what is and isn’t possible, about what is and is not desirable, ideas we will sometimes only later see were not the only way to see, even when we choose to keep them. The expressions are like threads that show us the ways love has shaped us. Attention and imitation are important because we human beings are shaped by our loves.

A theologian friend of mine was taking his oldest kid and a friend to the mall. As he dropped them off at the circle, he called out, “Have a good time at the temple!” The temple was an inside joke between them. It was the dad’s way of reminding his son that formation doesn’t always start with our heads. It happens in the silent spaces of life, in countless invisible decisions of attention and presence. Where you put your treasure, there will your heart be. That kind of stuff. The dad wanted to remind his son that mall shapes a life in a particular direction. Without asking your permission. Just by your being there. Hopefully, the community of faith offers an alternative formation, life that is life, in a different direction. Because, when it comes to imitation, the question is not if but who and to what end? Because the possibility that you can write or control your own story from scratch is, frankly, not on the table.

One of the gifts Lent can maybe be is space to examine the imitations at work in our lives. The patterns, both life-giving and life-diminishing, running in the background, in us. To get honest about the gazes that grab us. What do I notice? What do I fail to notice? What would I like to notice more? Where would I like my heart to be? Maybe Lent can mean an audit of our longings and our loves. Of our screen-time, so to speak. Of the voices we prioritize and direct the fact of imitation toward the One whose love first moved the sun and the stars.

Along these lines, one possible very good use of Lent is to reflect on the examples you first remember observing and admiring, as a child, especially those example of faith. Who in your life first made some part of you come alive: “That!” you felt. I want to be kind like that? Or unexpectedly gentle like that? Or put together like that? Or totally comfortable being not put together. Or not reducible to a partisan box to fit in, like that? Holy like that? Looking back, what was it about that that that captivated your imagination? How would you describe the thing you saw that compelled your heart?

A young Roger Schutz, years away from founding the ecumenical community of brothers called Taize was, he says, only imitating his grandmother when, at the outset of World War II, he moved to a small town, on the edge of the fighting, to make room for and protect Jewish refugees. She had done the same during the first World War. After the war, Roger opened his home again, this time to German prisoners of war. Looking back, he eventually recognized the force of faith in what he had done. But at the beginning, he was only doing what he knew his grandmother would have done. What she had done. Following her in the way opened up his later understanding.

The fact that you and I can live the life of faith, like Brother Roger, before we understand everything there is to know about either God or ourselves is a great relief to me. If fully understanding a thing was a prerequisite to doing a thing, who would ever, for example, get married? Right? So, good news, says St. Paul. Don’t overthink it. If you want to (eventually) understand generosity, give. If you want to become a person of justice, do just acts. If you want to be a person of prayer, pray. Fake it til you make it. Preferably with others who know you well. But, don’t be fooled, it isn’t faking at all. It’s forming it all. It’s learning with our bodies in the community of faith whose eyes, whose lives, hearts, and attention are all set on Jesus. Because we were made for imitation. Where with hearts fixed on Christ we might become like the One we behold.

Because, bad news/good news. Bad news: you and I can’t think our way to holiness. Good News. You were never meant to. “Imitate me.” Paul says. “Follow me,” Jesus says elsewhere. See, even Paul wasn’t being original. Hear in those words an invitation of belonging and love. Consider the possibility that the invitation to imitation is not the end but the beginning of your freedom and mine, true freedom for the People of God. With the Good News that faith names a journey we travel together. Where together, with Paul, with and in one another, we might also hear our Savior say to us: watch where I put my hands and look where I put my feet. Put your hands and feet in those places. I’ll do the figuring. You do the following. We’re gonna make it. Together. I promise I won’t leave you alone.

Amen.

You Cannot Win Your Life (A Sermon for Ash Wednesday)

The other day I took my daughter, she’s six, to a friend’s birthday party at a trampoline park. For the next two and a half hours, I watched her run as I have never seen her run. Fierce and determined. Hair flowing wildly behind her. She jumped with courage. Climbed every obstacle in her path. She laughed with her friends until her shoulders shook. She was utterly in her element. “Dad,” she told me later, “The whole time it felt like a dream. I didn’t believe it. I had the very best time.”

My daughter had the very best time. This, despite never noticing a large, shiny, electronic leaderboard hanging prominently over the middle of the jumping course, listing in real-time the ranking of the children, as measured in jumps completed. My daughter had the very best time, despite having no idea that for the majority of the two hour session she, who is among the youngest and smallest children in her class at school, placed in the top 10 - out of more than a hundred kiddos - on that board. Now, I thought about this. I can’t say for sure, but I don’t imagine that this knowledge would have added one iota to her euphoria when she said to me, Dad, the whole time it felt like a dream. I had the very best time. The board was impressive, even suggestive of what mattered most. But, in the end, it was silly. What, after all, can it mean to win jumping with friends?

Similarly, delivering a commencement speech years ago at Northwestern University, Stephen Colbert one time observed to a quad full of eager college graduates, “You cannot win your life.” You can’t win jumping with friends, and you cannot win your life. It’s a memorable saying that belongs on the Mount Rushmore of True Things I Love and Frequently Live as if I Do Not Believe. Or TTILAFLASIDNB, for short. 

You cannot win your life. But here’s my dilemma. I’m a good American who was taught early on that a tie is like kissing one’s sister. That winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing. And, for these and other reasons, soccer is a fraud. Let me ask you. What would the alternative to winning your life even be? That’s the challenge for my 21st century American imagination. At the 2024 summer Olympics, Noah Lyles won the closest track finish ever when he outran Kishane Thompson in the 100 meter sprint by a record five thousandths of a second. That’s 0.005. Do you realize the absurdly amazing levels of technology required to manufacture a winner of a race that close? But we do have the means to decide it. Consider how fantasy football has given way to legalized sports gambling and - setting aside questions of morality for a second - consider how it turns so much of life into a thing to be won. You can now bet not just on the outcomes of games but on individual performances, even real-time wagers as to whether this or that shot will go in. Each ball and strike. One prop bet for this year’s Super Bowl was whether Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce would get engaged directly after, and again the point isn’t whether or not you should care about Tay Tay and Travis but how so much of our cultural mindset imagines every second of our experience as a thing to exploit, to win or to lose, most often as measured in money. Because every second should bear a profit. 

Jesus says today, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Another beautiful saying on the mountain of True Things I Love and Frequently Live as if I Do Not Believe.

There your heart will be also. Where is your heart? If you listen closely, that’s the question Ash Wednesday asks you today. Where is your heart? What are you trying to win? At whose expense? Would you believe that the God of all things doesn’t give a lick for the leaderboard of our victories? And, if this is true, what would you be willing to reconsider about your life and the bedrock, the foundation, of its worth?

Maybe that’s why Jesus gives his followers this warning. Beware of practicing your piety before others. See how he names that even religion is something we sometimes slip into imagining as a thing we can win, over against those who differ from us in ways we judge to be unforgivable. See how even something like love of God and love of neighbor can be warped by a leaderboard with real time rankings in ways that decay and undo the heart of it all. But, if in Christ Jesus the scorecards have all, in the final analysis, been thrown away, then my love toward my neighbor isn’t winning me heaven, it’s allowing me to become more true. If the scorecard is silly, and instead, all things come of Thee, O Lord, then even the love I think I’m giving you is really God’s gift to me and you together, giving us the gift of a life that remembers our kinship to each other and all those who are made in and bear the image of God in this world. In other words, embracing lives of love, first of all God’s own, is how we’re made real. Why do I settle for winning my life, when I could instead live my oneness with God and with you as a beloved child of God in the household of God? Why waste my life with winning when I might more rightly find my place in a holy communion and come to thank God for the gift of it all? Where, O Lord, is my heart?

So, today, following Joel’s advice to “rend your hearts and not your garments,” we pray for hearts that can both seek and grieve. Hearts that seek God and hearts that can grieve the ways our attempts to win life have wounded the world and the heart of the One who loves it. We grieve especially the places in our lives and in the world where creatures of God are in any way diminished or destroyed. We pray for hearts open to remembering that to love a sister or brother is to find our lives caught up in their own. Rend your heart and not your garments. Let God’s all-compassionate heart break open your heart. Take your Savior at his word when he says that to find your life, we must lose it.

The ashen cross on our heads today confronts us with a new possibility and a true invitation.

What if the only way to be not afraid isn’t to win every battle (with the unfortunate side effect of imagining the world as a series of battles) but to embrace the depths of our vulnerability, our fragility, even our mortality, and discover new lives of deeper trust in the living God?

Because there’s no getting out of life alive. So, there is no winning life, much less love. There is only dying and being given new life. The life that is life: the abundant life of giving, forgiving, being forgiven, and trusting that the God who made you and will never forget or forsake you; will not let life or death or height or depth or anything else separate you for the breadth and the depth of God’s love for you. Will forever bless, hold, and keep you. And this is exactly what this holy day means to tell you. 

Amen.