June 6
[Live prayers were held via Zoom videoconference at 11:00 a.m. ET. Please pray in your own time today, and in the days to come.]
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
Opening Prayer
Gracious God, we commend to your loving care all who suffer, especially those who gather virtually this day seeking your healing grace for themselves and for the world in which we live. We pray today for hope and healing during a time of pandemic and in the midst of the struggle for racial justice. Open our hearts so we may hear anew the work you are calling us to do , through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Canticle G
A Song of Ezekiel
Ezekiel 36:24-28
I will take you from among all nations; *
and gather you from all lands to bring you home.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you; *
and purify you from false gods and uncleanness.
A new heart I will give you *
and a new spirit put within you.
I will take the stone heart from your chest *
and give you a heart of flesh.
I will help you walk in my laws *
and cherish my commandments and do them.
You shall be my people, *
and I will be your God.
Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Scripture Reading
Mark 14:32-36
They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.”
Canticle N
A Song of God’s Love
1 John 4:7-11
Beloved, let us love one another, *
for love is of God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, *
for God is Love.
In this the love of God was revealed among us, *
that God sent his only Son into the world,
so that we might live through Jesus Christ.
In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us *
and sent his Son that sins might be forgiven.
Beloved, since God loved us so much, *
we ought also to love one another.
For if we love one another, God abides in us, *
and God’s love will be perfected in us.
Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Litany of Repentance
Dear people of God, our history is marred by oppression, by the enslavement of those who differ from us, and by the forces of racism that attack human dignity. The sin of racism is woven into our lives and our cultures, in small and great ways, in things done and things left undone.
As followers of Christ, we reject racism and the oppression of other human beings. In building Christ’s beloved community, we must strive to love all people, respect all people, and work for the good of all people. We must stand alongside God’s children of every race, language, and culture, and work together as agents of justice, peace, and reconciliation.
In the assurance of our forgiveness, let us kneel/bow before God and humbly confess our sins: our participation in racism, our privilege based on racism, and our perpetuation of racism.
God the Father, you freed your people from slavery in Egypt, yet the legacy of slavery deforms our lives today.
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, you prayed that all would be united in your love and service, yet the divisions among us rend your body.
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, you inspire us to live peaceably with all, yet the stain of genocide and internment mars our striving for justice.
Have mercy on us.
We have harmed one another and the earth through negligence, greed, and self-interest.
Have mercy on us.
We have failed to condemn discrimination that leads to unrest.
Have mercy on us.
We have decried violence, while overlooking inequity and frustration from which it rises.
Have mercy on us.
We have practiced injustice for economic gain and have oppressed others to make a false peace.
Have mercy on us.
We have sought comfort in advantage for ourselves at the cost of injustice for others.
Have mercy on us.
We have welcomed solace over conflict and ignored the cries of those harmed by our comfort.
Have mercy on us.
We have grasped for this world’s goods, and been arrogant toward those who have little.
Have mercy on us.
We have not shared the good things we have been given, and blamed the poor for their poverty.
Have mercy on us.
We have been fearful and distrustful of those who are different from us.
Have mercy on us.
We have divided ourselves from others, and refused to listen to or believe their experience.
Have mercy on us.
We have been indifferent to the pain and suffering of our sisters and brothers.
Have mercy on us.
We have held in contempt those who need our help, and not loved them with our whole hearts.
Have mercy on us.
We have been self-satisfied in our privilege, and denied our oppression of others.
Have mercy on us.
We have preferred order over justice, and isolation over the struggle for peace.
Have mercy on us.
We have quietly held good intentions, and kept silent the message of reconciliation.
Have mercy on us.
We have failed to act with courage for the sake of love.
Have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
May Almighty God have mercy on us, grant us courage and conviction, and strengthen us to love others who are unlike us. May God, the Holy and Undivided Trinity, make us compassionate in our actions and courageous in our works, that we may see Christ’s Beloved Community in our own day. Amen.
A Litany for Healing:
Let us name before God those for whom we offer our prayers.
[name aloud or silently those for whom we pray]
God the Father, your will for all people is health and salvation;
We praise you and thank you, O Lord.
God the Son, you came that we might have life, and might have it more abundantly;
We praise you and thank you, O Lord.
God the Holy Spirit, you make our bodies the temple of your presence;
We praise you and thank you, O Lord.
Holy Trinity, one God, in you we live and move and have our being;
We praise you and thank you, O Lord.
Lord, grant your healing grace to all who are sick, injured, or disabled, that they may be made whole;
Hear us, O Lord of life.
Grant to all who seek your guidance, and to all who are lonely, anxious, or despondent, a knowledge of your will and an awareness of your presence;
Hear us, O Lord of life.
Mend broken relationships, and restore those in emotional distress to soundness of mind and serenity of spirit;
Hear us, O Lord of life.
Bless physicians, nurses, and all others who minister to the suffering, granting them wisdom and skill, sympathy and patience;
Hear us, O Lord of life.
Grant to the dying peace and a holy death, and uphold by the grace and consolation of your Holy Spirit those who are bereaved; Hear us, O Lord of life.
Restore to wholeness whatever is broken by human sin, in our lives, in our nation, and in the world;
Hear us, O Lord of life.
Bring an end to this global pandemic and end the suffering of your people; Hear us, O Lord of life.
You are the Lord who does wonders:
You have declared your power among the peoples.
With you, O Lord, is the well of life:
And in your light we see light.
Hear us, O Lord of life:
Heal us, and make us whole.
Let us pray
Compassionate God: You so loved the world that you sent us Jesus to bear our infirmities and afflictions. Through acts of healing, he revealed you as the true source of health and salvation. For the sake of your Christ who suffered and died for us, conquered death, and now reigns with you in glory, hear the cry of your people. Have mercy on us, make us whole, and bring us at last into the fullness of your eternal life. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Hear our prayers, Holy God. Breathe your Spirit over us and all the earth, that barriers would crumble and divisions cease. Make us more fully your co-healers of the broken world. Unite us with all people in bonds of love, that the whole earth and all its peoples may be at peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Going Out:
May the God of hope fill us with every joy in believing.
May the peace of Christ abound in our hearts.
May we be enriched by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Amen.
Virtual Chapel of St. Phoebe 