Daily Readings:
Saints/Martyrs/Heroes/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: the Advent of the Nativity
RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE
ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910
Ralph Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 - September 22, 1942), was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic style. During an 1887 Christmas Eve mass in Rome, he had a dramatic conversion experience. For the rest of his life, he remained a fervent Anglo-Catholic.
A leading proponent of disciplined Gothic Revival architecture in general and Collegiate Gothic in particular, Cram is most closely associated with Princeton, where he was awarded a Doctor of Letters and served as Supervising Architect from 1907 to 1929. Through the 1920s Cram was a public figure and frequently mentioned in the press. The New York Times called him "one of the most prominent Episcopalian laymen in the country".
Cram's buildings include:
All Saints' Church, Ashmont, Massachusetts, 1892
Church of St. John Evangelist, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1892
Emmanuel Church, Newport, Rhode Island, 1900
Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1904
Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, New York, with Henry Vaughan, 1904
All Saints' Chapel, Sewanee, begun 1904, finished 1959
Saint Thomas Church, New York City, 1905-1913
Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit, Michigan, 1908
All Saints Cathedral, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1910
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York City, begun 1912, unfinished
multiple buildings at Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 1913-1927
Cole Memorial Chapel, Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts, 1917
Trinity Episcopal Church, Houston, Texas, 1919
St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Hastings, Nebraska, 1921-1929
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Winston-Salem, NC Winston-Salem, 1928
more at Wikipedia
Richard Upjohn (22 January 1802 - 16 August 1878) was an English-born architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. His family initially settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts and then moved on to Boston in 1833, where he worked in architectural design. He had relocated to New York by 1839 where he worked on alterations to Trinity Church. The alterations were later abandoned and he was commissioned to design a new church, completed in 1846. He published his extremely influential book, Upjohn's rural architecture: Designs, working drawings and specifications for a wooden church, and other rural structures, in 1852.
Notable projects included:
View of Trinity Church, New York, in 1912
Trinity Church in New York City (1839-46)
The Church of the Ascension in New York City (1840-41)
Grace Church, Providence, Rhode Island (1845; later remodelled by Ralph Adams Cram, above)
St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Burlington, New Jersey (1846-54)
Christ Episcopal Church in Raleigh, North Carolina (1846-48)
Grace Church in Newark, New Jersey (1847-48)
St. Paul's Cathedral in Buffalo, New York (1849-51)
Zion Episcopal Church in Rome, New York (1850-1851)
St. John Chrysostom Church in Delafield, Wisconsin (1851-56)
St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland (1854)
All Saint's Episcopal Church in Frederick, Maryland (1855)
St. Mark's Episcopal Church (San Antonio, Texas) (1858)
St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Albany, New York (1859)
Church of the Holy Comforter in Poughkeepsie, New York (1860)
St. Philip's Church in the Highlands in Garrison, New York (1860-61)
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Providence, Rhode Island (1860-62)
Memorial Church of St. Luke The Beloved Physician, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1861)
Trinity-St. Paul's Episcopal Church (New Rochelle, New York) (1862)
All Saint's Memorial Church in Navesink, New Jersey (1863-64)
St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Selma, Alabama (1871-75)
more at Wikipedia
John La Farge (March 31, 1835 – November 14, 1910) was an American painter, muralist, stained glass window maker, decorator, and writer.His labors in almost every type of art won for him from the French Government the Cross of the Legion of Honor and membership in the principal artistic societies of America, as well as the presidency of the National Society of Mural Painters from 1899 through 1904. Enjoying an extraordinary knowledge of languages (ancient and modern), literature, and art, by his cultured personality and reflective conversation he influenced many other people. Though naturally a questioner he venerated the traditions of religious art, and preserved always his Catholic faith and reverence.
La Farge experimented with color problems, especially in the medium of stained glass. He succeeded not only in rivaling the gorgeousness of medieval windows, but in adding new resources by his invention of opalescent glass and his original methods of superimposing and welding his material.
Among his many stained glass masterpieces are:
LaFarge window at the web author's parish church, All Saints, Whitman, Mass..
two of his largest windows, the 1887 "Angel of Help" and the 1901 "Figure of Wisdom", in Unity Church in North Easton, Massachusetts.
Sealing of the Twelve Tribes, Trinity Episcopal Church, Buffalo, New York, 1889
two windows at the Thomas Crane Public Library, Quincy, Massachusetts
14 windows at the Judson Memorial Church, Greenwich Village, New York City
four windows at the Trinity Church, Boston
windows at the St. Paul's Chapel, Columbia University, NYC
rose window at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia
more at Wikipedia
Readings:
Psalm 118:19-29
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.*
25 Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!
O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.*
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God,
and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
up to the horns of the altar.*
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God, I will extol you.
29 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures for ever.
2 Chronicles 6:12-20
2 Chronicles 6:12-20
Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication
12 Then Solomon* stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands. 13Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court; and he stood on it. Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of the whole assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands towards heaven. 14He said, ‘O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant in steadfast love with your servants who walk before you with all their heart— 15you who have kept for your servant, my father David, what you promised to him. Indeed, you promised with your mouth and this day have fulfilled with your hand. 16Therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant, my father David, that which you promised him, saying, “There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children keep to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.” 17Therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you promised to your servant David.
18 ‘But will God indeed reside with mortals on earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built! 19Have regard to your servant’s prayer and his plea, O Lord my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you. 20May your eyes be open day and night towards this house, the place where you promised to set your name, and may you heed the prayer that your servant prays towards this place.
Ephesians 2:17-22
Ephesians 2:17-2217So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.* 21In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22in whom you also are built together spiritually* into a dwelling-place for God.
Matthew 7:24-29
Matthew 7:24-29
Hearers and Doers
24 ‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. 26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!’
28 Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, 29for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes
Preface for the Dedication of a Church
PRAYER (traditional language)
Gracious God, we offer thanks for the vision of Ralph Adams Cram, John LaFarge and Richard Upjohn, whose harmonious revival of the Gothic enriched our churches with a sacramental understanding of reality in the face of secular materialism; and we pray that we may honor thy gifts of the beauty of holiness given through them, for the glory of Jesus Christ; who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
PRAYER (contemporary language)
Gracious God, we thank you for the vision of Ralph Adams Cram, John LaFarge and Richard Upjohn, whose harmonious revival of the Gothic enriched our churches with a sacramental understanding of reality in the face of secular materialism; and we pray that we may honor your gifts of the beauty of holiness given through them, for the glory of Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Thei commemoration adopted provisionally at General Convention 2009
Return to Lectionary Home Page
Webmaster: Charles Wohlers
Last updated: 4 November 2009
Scriptural Readings:
Morning Office:
Psalm 50
The Acceptable Sacrifice
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 The mighty one, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.
3 Our God comes and does not keep silence,
before him is a devouring fire,
and a mighty tempest all around him.
4 He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 ‘Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!’
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge.
Selah
7 ‘Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt-offerings are continually before me.
9 I will not accept a bull from your house,
or goats from your folds.
10 For every wild animal of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the air,*
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 ‘If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and all that is in it is mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls,
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,*
and pay your vows to the Most High.
15 Call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.’
16 But to the wicked God says:
‘What right have you to recite my statutes,
or take my covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
18 You make friends with a thief when you see one,
and you keep company with adulterers.
19 ‘You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your kin;
you slander your own mother’s child.
21 These things you have done and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one just like yourself.
But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you.
22 ‘Mark this, then, you who forget God,
or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.
23 Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honour me;
to those who go the right way*
I will show the salvation of God.’
Isaiah 9:18-10:4
18 For wickedness burned like a fire,
consuming briers and thorns;
it kindled the thickets of the forest,
and they swirled upwards in a column of smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
the land was burned,
and the people became like fuel for the fire;
no one spared another.
20 They gorged on the right, but still were hungry,
and they devoured on the left, but were not satisfied;
they devoured the flesh of their own kindred;*
21 Manasseh devoured Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,
and together they were against Judah.
For all this, his anger has not turned away;
his hand is stretched out still.
10Ah, you who make iniquitous decrees,
who write oppressive statutes,
2 to turn aside the needy from justice
and to rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be your spoil,
and that you may make the orphans your prey!
3 What will you do on the day of punishment,
in the calamity that will come from far away?
To whom will you flee for help,
and where will you leave your wealth,
4 so as not to crouch among the prisoners
or fall among the slain?
For all this, his anger has not turned away;
his hand is stretched out still.
2 Peter 2:10-1610—especially those who indulge their flesh in depraved lust, and who despise authority.
Bold and wilful, they are not afraid to slander the glorious ones,* 11whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not bring against them a slanderous judgement from the Lord.* 12These people, however, are like irrational animals, mere creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed. They slander what they do not understand, and when those creatures are destroyed,* they also will be destroyed, 13suffering* the penalty for doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, revelling in their dissipation* while they feast with you. 14They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15They have left the straight road and have gone astray, following the road of Balaam son of Bosor,* who loved the wages of doing wrong, 16but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
Evening Office:
Psalm 59
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when Saul ordered his house to be watched in order to kill him.
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work evil;
from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life;
the mighty stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Awake to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.
Selah
6 Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths,
with sharp words* on their lips—
for ‘Who’, they think,* ‘will hear us?’
8 But you laugh at them, O Lord;
you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you;
for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget;
make them totter by your power, and bring them down,
O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath;
consume them until they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob.
Selah
14 Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for food,
and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been a fortress for me
and a refuge on the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.
Psalm 60
Prayer for National Victory after Defeat
To the leader: according to The Lily of the Covenant. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
1 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defences;
you have been angry; now restore us!
2 You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
3 You have made your people suffer hard things;
you have given us wine to drink that made us reel.
4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
to rally to it out of bowshot.*
Selah
5 Give victory with your right hand, and answer us,*
so that those whom you love may be rescued.
6 God has promised in his sanctuary:*
‘With exultation I will divide up Shechem,
and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my sceptre.
8 Moab is my wash-basin;
on Edom I hurl my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.’
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
11 O grant us help against the foe,
for human help is worthless.
12 With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
Psalm 33
The Greatness and Goodness of God
1 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
Praise befits the upright.
2 Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4 For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
he put the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands for ever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all humankind.
14 From where he sits enthroned he watches
all the inhabitants of the earth—
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all,
and observes all their deeds.
16 A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.
18 Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and shield.
21 Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
Matthew 3:1-12
The Proclamation of John the Baptist
3In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’* 3This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.” ’
4Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 ‘I baptize you with* water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with* the Holy Spirit and fire. 12His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’
Eucharistic Office:
Psalm 33
The Greatness and Goodness of God
1 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
Praise befits the upright.
2 Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4 For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and shield.
21 Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
Zephaniah 3:14-18
A Song of Joy
14 Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away the judgements against you,
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you* in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
18 as on a day of festival.*
I will remove disaster from you,*
so that you will not bear reproach for it.
Luke 1:39-45
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be* a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
Daily Prayers:
A prayer during Advent
Jesus our Light,
as we prepare to celebrate your birth
may we hear your call
to live rightly,
honestly and generously
and so receive you,
the prince of peace.
Amen.
Prayer for our communities - Written by clergy in Cumbria
O God, Creator of us all,
in your Son, Jesus you have walked the way of darkness and death,
you send your Spirit of healing and truth to all in need
We pray for those injured or bereaved by inexplicable violence
May your gracious compassion surround and uphold them
We pray for all individuals and communities whose lives have been changed by this tragedy
May your sustaining love be present in all expressions of support offered and help received
We give thanks for the commitment and dedication of the emergency services
And pray that they may be given the strength they need to serve others
We give thanks for the resilience and courage of West Cumbrians
And pray that the bonds of community care and concern may hold fast at this time
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
And let our cry come unto you
Amen.
Prayers for those who mourn
O God, who brought us to birth,
and in whose arms we die,
in our grief and shock
contain and comfort us;
embrace us with your love,
give us hope in our confusion
and grace to let go into new life;
through Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Father,
you know our hearts and share our sorrows.
We are hurt by our parting from those whom we loved:
when we are angry at the loss we have sustained,
when we long for words of comfort,
yet find them hard to hear,
turn our grief to truer living,
our affliction to firmer hope
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Gracious God,
surround us and all who mourn this day
with your continuing compassion.
Do not let grief overwhelm your children,
or turn them against you.
When grief seems never-ending,
take them one step at a time
along your road of death and resurrection
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer for the new government
Heavenly Father
source of all truth and wisdom, who knows and loves the whole creation,
watch over our nation:
that truth may prevail over distortion,
wisdom triumph over recklessness
and the concerns of every person be heard.
Lord Jesus,
who chose the way of the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane,
help us to turn our backs on self interest
and to support policies that sustain the poor, the vulnerable and the frightened people of this world.
Holy Spirit,
who brought understanding among myriad peoples and languages at Pentecost,
give to all your people a passion for peace
and inspire us to work for unity and co-operation throughout the world and in our political life together.
Amen.
Prayer for those returning to work
Dear God,
You know me. Don't you? I’m not just a person on a bus or a train.
I’m not just another face on CCTV; or just another login name.
I’m me, and I have stuff going on.
Love life issues; bills to pay. Egos at work to deal with; an overflowing inbox.
So please, give me strength. Guide me to focus on what's really important. And help me make the most of every moment of this new day in this new month.
Thank you.
Amen
Prayer for Iran
Lord God.
we hold before you the nation and people of Iran:
- for those in authority: for wisdom and opennes
- for those of faith: for tolerance and growing in understanding
- for those who suffer: that they may know your presence and comfort,
and pray that by your Spirit,
hostility may end,
stability may grow,
and your justice may be established,
through Christ who is the Prince of Peace. Amen
Prayer for the People of Zimbabwe
We pray for the suffering people of Zimbabwe, Forced to live amid deterioration, disease and despair.
We raise our voices on their behalf,
As truth-tellers we want to proclaim 'This is not good', It is not how God desires our world to be.
Loving Father, look after the people of that sad but beautiful land, Care for the little ones, Comfort the dying ones, And into this hour of darkness may the light of your new dawn begin to shine.
Amen
Prayer from All Africa Conference of Churches
•Pray for the church in Zimbabwe that it takes its appropriate role in responding to the needs of the people.
•Pray for the formation of a government that will ensure delivery of services to the people of Zimbabwe.
•Pray that the food supplies reach the dying people in remote Zimbabwe and that there be enough food for everybody.
•Pray that medical supplies are made available to all areas of the country and save threatened life.
•Pray that there be unity, tolerance, love and mutual respect among all Zimbabweans regardless of political differences.
•Pray that the Lord may have mercy on Zimbabwe and give enough rains for a good harvest which will result in the restoration of human dignity, respect and recognition.
•Pray that Christians worldwide may be inspired by the Spirit to remain in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe until the end of crisis.
•Pray that the faith of Christians in Zimbabwe may be made stronger by their suffering so that in hope they retain their joy and commitment to Christ.
•Pray that the resources being extracted from Zimbabwe may benefit the whole nation including the poor rather than individuals.
•Pray that God may change the hearts of those who do not put the interests of the people but think of themselves as more important than others.
•Pray that the will of God may be done.
Prayer on being made redundant
‘Redundant’ – the word says it all -
‘useless,
unnecessary,
without purpose,
surplus to requirements.’
Thank you, Heavenly Father, that in the middle of
the sadness,
the anger,
the uncertainty,
the pain,
I can talk to you.
Hear me as I cry out in confusion,
help me to think clearly,
and calm my soul.
As life carries on,
may I know your presence with me
each and every day.
And as I look to the future,
help me to look for fresh opportunities, for new directions.
Guide me by your Spirit,
and show me your path,
through Jesus, the way, the truth and the life. Amen.
Prayer for those remaining in the workplace
Life has changed:
colleagues have gone – redundant, out of work.
Suddenly, what seemed so secure is now so very fragile.
It’s hard to know what I feel:
sadness, certainly,
guilt, almost, at still having a job to go to,
and fear of the future:
who will be next?
how will I cope with the increased pressure of work?
Lord Jesus, in the midst of this uncertainty, help me to keep going:
to work to the best of my ability,
taking each day at a time,
and taking time each day to walk with you
for you are the way, the truth and the life. Amen.
A Prayer for Peace in Gaza
Lord God of compassion,
whose will is for peace built on righteousness,
we pray for peace in Gaza:
for an end to hostilities,
for comfort and help for all who suffer,
and for reconciliation between Palestinian and Israeli,
through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Amen.
A Prayer for the Democratic Republic of Congo
O God,
loving parent of all,
comfort your children
displaced, wounded or orphaned
by conflict in Congo;
and give the people of that country
courage to seek enduring peace with justice and freedom,
that their children might grow up without fear;
for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Adapted by Canon Ian Tarrant from a prayer in the 1998 Congo Swahili Prayer Book, written after the 1996-97 war
Prayer for the current financial situation
Lord God, we live in disturbing days:
across the world,
prices rise,
debts increase,
banks collapse,
jobs are taken away,
and fragile security is under threat.
Loving God, meet us in our fear and hear our prayer:
be a tower of strength amidst the shifting sands,
and a light in the darkness;
help us receive your gift of peace,
and fix our hearts where true joys are to be found,
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
More prayers for those worried about debt
Prayers for those wishing to work out a household budget
(for prayers for those worried about debt click here)
A PRAYER SEEKING GUIDANCE
Lord God, your will is to bring hope and a future to all your people.
Trusting in your steadfast love,
we ask your guidance as we work out a household budget.
Help us to learn to let no debt remain outstanding,
except the debt to love one another,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
VERSES FROM PSALM 139
O Lord, you have searched me out and known me;
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You mark out my journeys and my resting place
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Where can I go then from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there your hand shall lead me,
your right hand hold me fast.
A PRAYER FOR WISE FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP
Lord Jesus Christ,
by taking human flesh you sanctified material things
to be a means of your grace;
grant us wisdom in our attitude to money,
and a generous heart in the use of the resources entrusted to us,
that by faithful stewardship we may glorify you. Amen.
Adapted from a prayer from the C of E Central Board of Finance
© The Archbishops’ Council
Prayers for those worried about debt
VERSES FROM PSALM 107
Let us give thanks to the Lord for his goodness
and the wonders he does for his children.
Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
bound fast in misery and iron.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness and out of the shadow of death,
and broke their bonds asunder.
Let us give thanks to the Lord for his goodness
and the wonders he does for his children.
For he has broken the doors of bronze
and breaks the bars of iron in pieces.
PRAYERS FOR THOSE LIVING WITH DEBT
Father, we pray for the many who are trapped by growing burdens of debt,
who see no way out, and who despair for their future:
give them courage to tackle the problems they face,
clarity in taking decisions which will turn their situation around,
and faith that, as they cry to you in their trouble,
you will deliver them from their distress;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God of power,
you are strong to save
and you never fail those who trust in you.
Keep under your protection all who suffer as a result of debt:
help them through their time of darkness,
give wisdom to all who seek to help,
and bring them to know true freedom
in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A FORM OF INTERCESSION
We pray for the Church, that it may be a compassionate community, ready to stand alongside those who suffer the burden of debt.
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
We pray for those who work in government, finance and the law, that they may work towards practical solutions for the problems caused by debt.
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
We pray for those individuals who, because of their debts, feel they have nowhere to turn: that they may know your presence, guidance and peace.
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
We pray for those countries affected by the enormous burden of international debt: for a just and lasting solution to the problems they face.
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
We pray for ourselves, that through our choices, actions and words we may daily live out our faith, and bear witness to you, the source of all good things.
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom,
you know our needs before we ask,
and our ignorance in asking:
have compassion on our weakness,
and give us those things
which for our unworthiness we dare not,
and for our blindness we cannot ask,
for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayers and Resources: The Peace of the World
READINGS
Isaiah 9:1-6; Isaiah 57:15-19; Micah 4:1-5
Psalms 40:14-17; 72:1-7; 85:8-13
Philippians 4:6-9; 1 Timothy 2:1-6; James 3:13-18
Matthew 5:43-end; John 14:23-29; John 15:9-17
GREETING
We meet in the presence of God
who knows our needs,
hears our cries,
feels our pain,
and heals our wounds.
PRAYERS OF PENITENCE
Let us confess to God the sins and shortcomings of the world;
its pride, its selfishness, its greed;
its evil divisions and hatreds.
Let us confess our share in what is wrong,
and our failure to seek and establish that peace
which God wills for his children.
Most merciful God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we confess that we have sinned
in thought, word and deed.
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
In your mercy
forgive what we have been,
help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may do justly,
love mercy,
and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.
May the God of love and power
forgive you and free you from your sins,
heal and strengthen you by his Spirit,
and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.
COLLECTS
Almighty Father,
whose will is to restore all things
in your beloved Son, the King of all:
govern the hearts and minds of those in authority,
and bring the families of the nations,
divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,
to be subject to his just and gentle rule;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
God, our refuge and strength,
bring near the day when wars shall cease
and poverty and pain shall end,
that earth may know the peace of heaven
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
SHORT INTERCESSION
Make your ways known upon earth, Lord God,
your saving power among all peoples.
Renew your Church in holiness
and help us to serve you with joy.
Guide the leaders of this and every nation,
that justice may prevail throughout the world.
Let not the needy be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Make us instruments of your peace
and let your glory be over all the earth.
Lord God,
you hold both heaven and earth in a single peace.
Let the design of your great love
shine on the waste of our anger and sorrow,
and give peace to your Church,
peace among nations,
peace in our homes,
and peace in our hearts,
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
BLESSING
God grant to the living, grace;
to the departed, rest;
to the Church, the Queen, the Commonwealth, and all humankind,
peace and concord;
and to us and all his servants, life everlasting;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Prayers for a troubled world
GOD of love, turn our hearts to your ways; and give us peace. Amen.
A Prayer for Refugees
ALMIGHTY and merciful God,
whose Son became a refugee and had no place to call his own;
look with mercy on those who today are fleeing from danger,
homeless and hungry.
Bless those who work to bring them relief;
inspire generosity and compassion in all our hearts;
and guide the nations of the world towards that day when all will rejoice in your Kingdom of justice and of peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Two Prayers for Justice
ALMIGHTY God our heavenly Father,
guide the nations of the world into the way of justice and truth,
and establish among them that peace which is the fruit of righteousness,
that they may become the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
GRANT us,
Lord God,
a vision of our land as your love would make it: a land where the weak are protected,
and none go hungry or poor;
- a land where the benefits of civilised life are shared,
and everyone can enjoy them;
- a land where different races and cultures live in tolerance and mutual respect;
- a land where peace is built with justice, and justice is guided by love.
And give us the inspiration and courage to build it,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for Mercy
LORD,
remember Christ your Son
who is peace itself and who has washed away our hatred with his blood.
Because you love all people, look with mercy on us.
Banish the violence and evil within us,
and in answer to our prayers restore tranquility and peace. Amen.
A Prayer for the Leaders of the Nations
O GOD our heavenly Father,
whose love sets no boundaries and whose strength is in service;
grant to the leaders of the nations wisdom,
courage and insight at this time of darkness and fear.
Give to all who exercise authority determination to defend the principles of freedom,
love and tolerance,
strength to protect and safeguard the innocent and clarity of vision to guide the world into the paths of justice and peace.
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for Reconciliation
GRACIOUS God,
ruling the earth and its people not by terror but in love;
we worship you.
We confess that too often our words hurt others and our deeds are selfish;
forgive us.
In this time of uncertainty and fear,
help us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us,
in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Today's Meditation
FRIDAY, December 17 Ember Day
Matthew 11:2-15. Are you the one who is to come?
From prison, with execution near, John sends a messenger to Jesus to ask this question. Near the end of his life, he wants to know that his ministry has meant something; that he will not die without seeing the salvation of Israel; that his death is not in vain.
Jesus’ reply is full of love and respect: look at what is happening and at the part you have played in it, he says, and have no doubt that it is really true. The political order did not disappear magically, to be replaced by another one. Earth did not turn into heaven. But the prophetic vision of John the Baptist saw the signs of the kingdom and preached them faithfully; John lived to see the One who fulfilled those signs.
When it comes time to evaluate our lives, isn’t ours the same question: have our years on earth meant something? Jesus answers yes, look at what is happening and at the part you played. “No one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Yes, our lives mean something because through Christ we lived in and opened doors to the kingdom. (1989)
PRAY for the Diocese of Kubwa (Province of Abuja, Nigeria)
Ps 40, 54 * 51; Isaiah 10:5-19; 2 Peter 2:17-22
View the daily Lectionary Readings at Satucket.com.
Or view the Bible passages at Biblegateway.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment