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Dear people of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast,
Life can change in a moment. What begins as an ordinary day, carefully planned and prayerfully prepared, can be interrupted by news that suddenly reshapes our focus and path. That was certainly the case this past weekend, while gathered for our annual diocesan convention, when we awoke to the news of the recent military strikes in Iran. The gravity of that moment was not lost on us. So, on Saturday morning, we paused our agenda, set aside reports and elections, and turned together in prayer.
Now, three days later, the news continues to unfold, and much remains uncertain. Yet the need for prayer has not diminished. It has deepened. Consequently, for your use at home and within your congregations, I share the prayers we offered on Saturday morning, trusting that the Spirit binds us together across distance and circumstance as we pray for peace, for wisdom among leaders, and for the protection of all whose lives are now touched by violence.
PRAYERS USED AT THE 55th DIOCESAN CONVENTION
THE SUPPLICATION BCP p. 154 For use in the Litany in place of the Versicle and Collect which follows the Lord's Prayer; or at the end or Morning or Evening Prayer; or as a separate devotion; especially in times of war, or of national anxiety, or of disaster.
O Lord, arise, help us;
And deliver us for thy Name's sake.
O God, we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have declared unto us, the noble works
that thou didst in their days, and in the old time before them.
O Lord, arise, help us; and deliver us for thy Name's sake.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O Lord, arise, help us; and deliver us for thy Name's sake.
Psalm 121 said in unison
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills; *
from where is my help to come?
2 My help comes from the LORD, *
the maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved *
and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.
4 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel *
shall neither slumber nor sleep;
5 The LORD himself watches over you; *
the LORD is your shade at your right hand,
6 So that the sun shall not strike you by day, *
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; *
it is he who shall keep you safe.
8 The LORD shall watch over your going out and your coming in, *
from this time forth for evermore.
V. From our enemies defend us, O Christ;
R. Graciously behold our afflictions.
V. With pity behold the sorrows of our hearts;
R. Mercifully forgive the sins of thy people.
V. Favorably with mercy hear our prayers;
R. O Son of David, have mercy upon us.
V. Both now and ever vouchsafe to hear us, O Christ;
R. Graciously hear us, O Christ; graciously hear us, O Lord Christ
A Collect for Peace BCP p. 815
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
A Collect for Peace Among Nations BCP p. 816
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 Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
A Collect For Our Enemies BCP p. 816
O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth: deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God, who dwells beyond all our names for you,
we pray for the will to be at peace with one another.
We remember this day those who find themselves thrust into war;
We pray for light in the darkness, and hope amid despair.
We pray for peace in ourselves; help us to breathe in peace, help us to breathe out love;
help us know and accept ourselves as your beloved.
We pray for peace in our families; help us to speak the truth to one another in love;
help us to respect and value one another.
Let there be peace in our communities; help us to create a peace born of justice and equity;
help us to honor and serve the common good.
Let there be peace in our nation; sustain our hope; grant us wisdom; empower us with courage.
Let there be peace in our world.
Help us to love the earth as our mother; help us to see other nations as our neighbors;
help us to wage peace. Amen.
— from a Litany for Peace by the Reverend Kay Sylvester
Rector, St. Paul’s, Tustin – Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles
A Prayer Attributed to Saint Francis BCP p. 833 said in unison
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
The Officiant concludes with this prayer from The Supplication.
Let us pray.
We humbly beseech thee, O Father, mercifully to look upon our infirmities; and, for the glory of thy Name, turn from us all those evils that we most justly have deserved; and grant that in all our troubles we may put our whole trust and confidence in thy mercy, and evermore serve thee in holiness and pureness of living, to thy honor and glory; through our only Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
In addition to these prayers, I commend to you a letter (below) from Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe to The Episcopal Church.
+Russell
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