House of Prayer

On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’ And his disciples heard it. Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, ‘Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations”? But you have made it a den of robbers.’ And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. Then Peter remembered and said to him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea”, and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ‘Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.’ Mark 11:12-25

Wonderful Creator, you give us mothers to nurture

aunties and grammas to teach us and strengthen us

a whole village of women and men to raise us up

and you place lights in the sky for our journey.

We cry and curse when our lives hit rough roads

we cry for your help and ignore your teaching

we hold onto revenge and indulge is selfishness

and never forgive the ones who have hurt us.

Yet you enter this week of passion with promise

teaching your disciples about the power of faith

showing them how to be forgiven and renewed

but we refused to bend our hearts at all.

We stand in the need of your love and prayer

we are lost and have turned from prayer to greed

mend us and mold us again into your people

so the world might be renewed again by your love. Amen