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The Prayer Page This page is dedicated to prayer. This page is intended to be a collection of various prayers that are either by you, for you or about you. It can be a place to share special prayers or a place to go when you need a prayer. Feel free to use it as you need and to add to it for the needs of others. Do you have a favorite prayer? One that means a lot to you? You can submit your prayer and it will be added to this page. You can also submit links to prayer pages that you have found. Or follow a link to see where it leads you. There is also a form where you can submit a prayer request for the Wednesday Eucharist with Prayers for Healing. Just fill in the form and click submit.
Difficult Times in Honduras
Following Hurricane Mitch, St. Margaret's Church sent a team of 13 volunteers to help rebuild in Honduras. The trip was a blessing to all of us. Here is a recent news clip:
The Rt. Rev. Lloyd Allen, Bishop of Honduras, and others in that country have asked The Episcopal Church to pray for their nation following the ouster of its president in late June and a sizable earthquake in May. The Episcopal Church has a strong presence in Honduras, and early reports indicated that most residents were safe and that visiting mission groupos from the U.S.A. were carrying on with their work. Prayers have been requested for a peaceful and just solution to the situation in Honduras, for protection from violence, and for the work of the church in that diocese and elsewhere.
Ice Storms Paralayze the Midwest
Gracious God, we remember this day our brothers and sisters in the Midwest where the ice storm has stranded travelers in airports and truck stops; has left thousands without electricity and has taken the lives of 35 people. May they know your presence and mercy as emergency relief teams work to relive and support them. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN.
A Mother Requests Our Prayers
Laura Conway has emailed me to say that her child Jamison Nicole has been born 3 months premature. Baby, Mom and Dad are currently at the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. Laura has asked for our prayers and looks forward to bringing Jamison to Church for her baptism. The family has a blog to give updates on Jamison's progress. http://jamisonnicole.blogspot.com Canon Shallcross, August 26, 2007 + Lord Jesus Christ, Good Shepherd of the sheep, you gather the lambs in your arms and carry them in your bosom: We commend to your loving care this child Jamison Nicole. Relieve her pain, guard her fro all danger, restore to her your gifts of gladness and strength, and rasise her up to a life of service to you. Hear us, we pray, for your dear Name's sake. Amen. from The Book of Common Prayer, p. 459
Gentle Rain is Our Reminder Aug-20-2007
It's a rainy Monday here in the Lehigh Valley.
As I look out my front window, determining if I need a raincoat or an umbrella, I pause to think of all the people who have lost loved ones, homes, crops and businesses in the floods this summer. These heavy rains have fallen in our own Midwest States of Texas, Oklahoma and Minnesota. These heavy rains have fallen around the globe in Great Britian, Bangladesh, China, and North Korea (where 500 bridges were washed out).
Our rain today is gentle. May it remind us to pray for and give for the relief of others.
+Gracious God, as we give thanks for all the timely and seasonable blessings of our lives, we pray that you will bring both hope and relief to all those who have suffered from the extreme floods of this summer, we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who dwells with you and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.
August 4, 2007
Praying for Minnesotans Statement from the Right Rev. James L. Jelinek
Regarding the I-35W Bridge Collapse On behalf of the Diocese of Minnesota, we offer our prayers to all who are affected by the devastating bridge collapse in Minneapolis yesterday. The University Episcopal Center is about a half mile away from th e site, and, to our knowledge, all are fine. The prayers and well wishes have been streaming in overnight from across the country. People are checking in with one another - quick emails that say "you ok?" and "we're fine" are filling the airwaves. We will keep all posted with any news we receive regarding people we know and love who were victims or witnesses in any way. We've had many questions asking, "What can we do?" For now, we'll let the emergency personnel do their work and let them tell us what might be helpful when they are ready. But we can do what we do best - pray.
We pray for those who have died, may their souls and the souls of all the departed rest in peace.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for those who may still be trapped, those who are injured, and for those whose loved ones have not yet been accounted for. We pray for perseverance, and strength, and hope. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for those whose vocation serves the common good; for first responders, search and rescue, fire fighters, police officers, paramedics, for those who work in hospitals and blood banks; the newsrooms and media centers; for places of prayer- our churches and temples and mosques and our homes. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for those in leadership; for our governor and mayors, for state and federal agencies, and for coordination of services in the immediate and distant future. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for ourselves and our children. Calm our fears, comfort our sorrow, and guide our response. Set us at the difficult task of studying and rebuilding for the future. Grant us patience in the days ahead. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and they also have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen. [Adapted from the Book of Common Prayer] We are posting these prayers and this note from Bishop Paul: "Diana and I each crossed this bridge twice a day for 6 years, and pray that no one we know is among the dead."
No More Delay on Darfur New York Times (4/19/2007) - "Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, attaches as little value to the promises he makes to the international community as he does to the lives of the many thousands of people who are being murdered in Darfur." Link to full article. Please pray for the people of Sudan.
Most loving Father, whose will it is for us to give thanks for all things, to fear nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on you who care for us: Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested to us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Book of Common Prayer, p. 216
This is holy time We're gathered together to worship you and love one another and as we pray and as we sing and as we dance and as we dream Lord, I ask of you just this one thing... Won't you dance with me? Throughout the heavens and below the seas Up on the mountaintops Flow with the breeze Come, carry me Lord, won't you dance with me?
O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Prayer for the Victims of Hurricane Katrina +O God, we remember when the disciples of Jesus were terrified after a long night on a turbulent sea. When they cried to you for help, you stilled the sea and brought them to safety. We ask now that you comfort and still the hearts of those suffering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. We pray for those who have been displaced and who now must return to homes destroyed or damaged by the storm. We pray for those whose lives were lost and for those who now must grieve the loss of a loved one. We pray for those who are attempting to offer help and relief to victims. While we wonder why such devastation can occur, where lives and property can seem held so capriciously in the hand of what is uncontrollable, we know, O God, that you count every hair on our head and that our names are written on the palm of your hand. Let your loving grace wash over those who must now face damaged lives, homes, and possessions. Hold them close to yourself until they are sure of the security of your loving embrace. Calm their hearts and still their souls, O Lord. We ask this for the sake of your love. AMEN. This prayer is part of Sisters of Charity Health System’s commitment to supporting and nurturing Spirituality in the Workplace. 9/9/05 Money for the relief of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans may be send to our Presiding Bishop's fund: Episcopal Relief and Developement, c/o US Hurricane Fund, PO Box 12043, Newark, NJ 07101
A Four-fold Franciscan Blessing May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart. May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom and peace among all people. May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy. May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done. And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator, Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide, be with you and remain with you, this day and forevermore. Amen. This blessing was part of the Sermon on July 10, 2005 by the Rev. Canon Lexa Shallcross.
No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him. 1 Corinthians 2:9
O God of heavenly powers, by the might of your command you drive away from our bodies all sickness and all infirmity: Be present in your goodness with your servant, that his weakness may be banished and his strength restored; and that, his health being renewed, he may bless your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
For our Parish Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our prayers for this parish family. Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Thanksgiving Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.
We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.
We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.
We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.
Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.
Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.
An Order for Compline.
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