...Pray for the Church
Form II of the Prayers of the People in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer (BCP) has always impressed me with its brevity and room for elaboration.
The title of this essay comes from the first prayer in this form which, for the sake of convenience and for those who do not have a copy of the BCP, goes as follows:
I ask your prayers for God's people throughout the world; for our Bishops ______; for this gathering; and for all ministers and people.
Pray for the Church. According to the rubrics (instructions or directions in connection with conducting worship), silence is to follow this supplication during which people may add their own intentions as the Spirit moves them, either aloud or silently.
There is always an opportunity to pray for the Church during our worship services. In this holy season of preparation and expectancy we have more reason than ever before to pray for the Church: both the institution which is the Episcopal Church in this country and the greater Church, i.e. the Body of Christ made up of all baptized individuals.
We may also be mindful of those children of God who now suffer in our country as a result of the cold snap that has made several states disaster areas due to damage from high winds and ice-laden tree limbs and power lines at the breaking point. I have received many requests from Farmers on behalf of their loved ones in the those areas.
We may be mindful of the upcoming anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami and the devastation that still remains. May we remember the Church in Louisiana and Mississippi where recovery from the destruction left by Katrina and its sister storms still continues.
As we await the coming of the Savior let us not forget today and the positive impact we may have by offering our time, talent and resources to those less fortunate than ourselves. Christ said '..the poor will be with you always..' Our current economic climate finds us with more poverty and emotional poverty than in days past.
Pray for the Church and reach out to the Church: your neighbors, sisters and brothers both near and far. Let faith bond to action and make our own love tangible as we await the manifestation of the greatest Love known.
The title of this essay comes from the first prayer in this form which, for the sake of convenience and for those who do not have a copy of the BCP, goes as follows:
I ask your prayers for God's people throughout the world; for our Bishops ______; for this gathering; and for all ministers and people.
Pray for the Church. According to the rubrics (instructions or directions in connection with conducting worship), silence is to follow this supplication during which people may add their own intentions as the Spirit moves them, either aloud or silently.
There is always an opportunity to pray for the Church during our worship services. In this holy season of preparation and expectancy we have more reason than ever before to pray for the Church: both the institution which is the Episcopal Church in this country and the greater Church, i.e. the Body of Christ made up of all baptized individuals.
We may also be mindful of those children of God who now suffer in our country as a result of the cold snap that has made several states disaster areas due to damage from high winds and ice-laden tree limbs and power lines at the breaking point. I have received many requests from Farmers on behalf of their loved ones in the those areas.
We may be mindful of the upcoming anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami and the devastation that still remains. May we remember the Church in Louisiana and Mississippi where recovery from the destruction left by Katrina and its sister storms still continues.
As we await the coming of the Savior let us not forget today and the positive impact we may have by offering our time, talent and resources to those less fortunate than ourselves. Christ said '..the poor will be with you always..' Our current economic climate finds us with more poverty and emotional poverty than in days past.
Pray for the Church and reach out to the Church: your neighbors, sisters and brothers both near and far. Let faith bond to action and make our own love tangible as we await the manifestation of the greatest Love known.
posted by Joanna Depue | 1:50 PM
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