So I offer to anyone reading this a service that I developed 11 years ago today. The different prayers and scripture readings are intentional. I hope they might continue to help us to heal, to reflect and to seek God in the midst of our fears and confusion.
Light and peace, in
Jesus Christ our Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
Grant us, Lord, the
lamp of charity which never fails, that it
may burn in us and
shed its light on those around us, and
that by its brightness
we may have a vision of that holy City,
where dwells the true
and never-failing Light, Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Psalm 85: 7-13
7 Show us your mercy, O Lord, *
and grant us your
salvation.
8 I will listen to what the Lord God is saying,
*
for he is speaking
peace to his faithful people
and to those who turn
their hearts to him.
9 Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him,
*
that his glory may
dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth have met together; *
righteousness and
peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth shall spring up from the earth, *
and righteousness
shall look down from heaven.
12 The Lord will indeed grant prosperity, *
and our land will
yield its increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him, *
and peace shall be a
pathway for his feet.
A reading from Micah
4:1-5
In days to come
the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established
as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised up above the hills.
Peoples shall stream
to it,
and many nations shall
come and say:
‘Come, let us go up to
the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us
his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall
go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between
many peoples,
and shall arbitrate between strong nations
far away;
they shall beat their
swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift
up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more;
4but they shall all
sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid;
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has
spoken.
For all the peoples
walk,
each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in
the name of the Lord our God
for ever and ever.
A Song of Christ’s Goodness
Anselm of Canterbury
Jesus, as a mother you
gather your people to you; *
you are gentle with us
as a mother with her children.
Often you weep over
our sins and our pride, *
tenderly you draw us
from hatred and judgment.
You comfort us in
sorrow and bind up our wounds, *
in sickness you nurse
us and with pure milk you feed us.
Jesus, by your dying,
we are born to new life; *
by your anguish and
labor we come forth in joy.
Despair turns to hope
through your sweet goodness; *
through your
gentleness, we find comfort in fear.
Your warmth gives life
to the dead, *
your touch makes
sinners righteous.
Lord Jesus, in your
mercy, heal us; *
in your love and
tenderness, remake us.
In your compassion,
bring grace and forgiveness, *
for the beauty of
heaven, may your love prepare us.
A reading from
Colossians 3:12-15
As God’s chosen ones,
holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint
against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord* has forgiven you, so you
also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds
everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in
your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
The Song of Simeon Nunc dimittis
Luke 2:29-32
Lord, you now have set
your servant free *
to go in peace as you
have promised;
For these eyes of mine
have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared
for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten
the nations, *
and the glory of your
people Israel.
Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the
beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
The Holy Gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Glory to you Lord
Christ
‘You have heard that
it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to
you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be
children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on
the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you
love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the
tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,*
what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be
perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
The Gospel of the
Lord:
Praise to you Lord
Christ.
I believe in God, the
Father almighty,
creator of heaven and
earth.
I believe in Jesus
Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by
the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin
Mary.
He suffered under
Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died,
and was buried.
He descended to the
dead.
On the third day he
rose again.
He ascended into
heaven,
and is seated at the
right hand of the Father.
He will come again to
judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy
Spirit,
the holy catholic
Church,
the communion of
saints,
the forgiveness of
sins,
the resurrection of
the body,
and the life
everlasting. Amen.
Officiant The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Officiant Let us pray.
Almighty God, giver of
all good things:
We thank you for the
natural majesty and beauty of this land.
They restore us,
though we often destroy them.
Heal us.
We thank you for the
great resources of this nation. They
make us rich, though
we often exploit them.
Forgive us.
We thank you for the
men and women who have made this
country strong. They
are models for us, though we often fall
short of them.
Inspire us.
We thank you for the
torch of liberty which has been lit in
this land. It has
drawn people from every nation, though we
have often hidden from
its light.
Enlighten us.
We thank you for the
faith we have inherited in all its rich
variety. It sustains
our life, though we have been faithless
again and again.
Renew us.
Help us, O Lord, to
finish the good work here begun.
Strengthen our efforts
to blot out ignorance and prejudice,
and to abolish poverty
and crime. And hasten the day when
all our people, with
many voices in one united chorus, will
glorify your holy
Name. Amen.
O God, you made us in
your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your
Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take
away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts;
break down the walls that separate us
unite us in bonds of
love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to
accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all
nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly
throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
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.
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 Lord our Governor,
whose glory is in all the world: We
commend this nation to
thy merciful care, that,
being guided
by thy Providence, we may dwell secure in thy peace. Grant
to Barack the
President of the United States, Chris the Governor of this
State, and to all in
authority, wisdom
and strength to know
and to do thy will. Fill them with
the
love of truth and
righteousness, and make them ever mindful
of their calling to
serve this people in thy fear; through
Jesus
Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the
Holy Spirit, one God,
world without end. Amen.
Almighty God, we
commend to your gracious care and
keeping all the men
and women of our armed forces at home
and abroad. Defend
them day by day with your heavenly
grace; strengthen them
in their trials and temptations; give
them courage to face
the perils which beset them; and grant
them a sense of your
abiding presence wherever they may be;
through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Almighty God, heavenly
Father, you have blessed us with the
joy and care of
children: Give us calm strength and patient
wisdom as we bring
them up, that we may teach them to love
whatever is just and
true and good, following the example of
our Savior Jesus
Christ. Amen.
O God, who created all
peoples in your image, we thank you
for the wonderful
diversity of races and cultures in this world.
Enrich our lives by
ever-widening circles of fellowship, and
show us your presence
in those who differ most from us, until
our knowledge of your
love is made perfect in our love for all
your children; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We beseech you,
Almighty God, to pour your blessing upon the fire fighters, EMTs and the police
of our land: strengthen and preserve them in every danger; that they, who
protect our lives and property while they faithfully perform their duties may
so serve you here that they fail not finally to attain your heavenly promises.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God, whose days are
without end, and whose mercies cannot be numbered: Make us, we pray, deeply
aware of the shortness and uncertainty of human life; and let your Holy Spirit
lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days; that, when we shall have
served you in our generation, we may be gathered to our ancestors, having the
testimony of a good conscience, in the communion of the Catholic Church, in the
confidence of a certain faith, in the comfort of a religious and holy hope, in
favor with you, our God, and in prefect charity with the world. All this we ask
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The peace is
exchanged.
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.
Peace I leave with
you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not
let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. And the blessing of
God Almighty the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you this day and
always. Amen.
Les us go forth in
peace,
Thanks be to God.
