Praying for the Church
Last Sunday a member of the parish asked: “Why did we include St Peter at the end of eucharistic prayer?” Great question – it shows someone is paying attention! You probably know that some Eucharistic prayers include a line like the one we will use this coming Sunday:
In the fullness of time bring us, with St Peter, St Paul, St Francis, and all your saints,
from every tribe and language and people and nation, to feast at the banquet prepared from the foundation of the world.
This is a eucharistic intercession. We are asking God to gather us as a local church with the saints from all places, all races, and all times into communion with Christ. It is particularly appropriate that do so this week since this is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This Octave, eight days, takes place between February 17th, The Confession of St Peter (see Mt 16:13-19) and February 25th, The Conversion of St Paul (see Acts 9:1-18). We should always be praying for the church, but in these days, when so many churches struggle with issues of Covid, financing, and changes in the culture, the church needs the grace of the Lord. We must renew the priorities of confession of faith and conversion as exemplified by Peter and Paul as we proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.
I urge you to pray for the church. Pray for St. Francis as we approach our annual meeting on January 30. Pray for our Vestry, Profile and Search Committees as they prepare our church for the future. And pray for Christians everywhere. We are all part of the body of Christ and “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it” (1 Cor 12:26). Please join us in person or online this Sunday as we pray that God will gather us all to the heavenly banquet.
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