The Prayers of the People
Episcopalians aren't known for our long, extemporaneous prayers. Rather we are a people of the (prayer) book - a book that lists many different types of prayers from the Collects that start each Sunday's service to the individual prayers at the back of our book, like our birthday/anniversary prayer.
We also have a time during our worship when we have the "Prayers of the People" which are not read by clergy, but by a parishioner on behalf of the gathered people. During this time we regularly pray for the Church, the world, and our nation - especially our elected officials. These are prayers that I hope you will pray not just on Sunday, but each day. So, I encourage you to join me in praying that Donald Trump and all those elected this week to public office take their vocation to service as a sacred trust, one that puts into practice values that seek justice for all with genuine compassion.
As our new Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe wrote this week, "Regardless of our political allegiances, we must remember that God has called us in The Episcopal Church to seek and serve Christ in all persons. No matter the party in power, we are one church, and we will continue to fulfill our baptismal covenant by proclaiming in word and example the Good News of God in Christ, striving for justice and peace among all people, and protecting the dignity of every human being." Or put a different way, as our own Bishop Daniel Gutierrez has written, "we must go forward believing that our identity is not party, label, or ideology; our identity is Christ."
And so, at St. John's we will continue to love and support one another, celebrating and praying for one another, regardless of whom we voted for, because our primary identity is as God's beloved children and as members of one family, our goodness and humanity are bound together in the same love that Christ has shown us.
Peace and blessings,
Rev Jill
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