Day: September 7, 2013

Syria: Sep 7th ~ Day of Fasting, Prayer and Action

fast4syria-facebook-graphic-250PRAYER: Almighty eternal God, source of all compassion, the promise of your mercy and saving help fills our hearts with hope. Hear the cries of the people of Syria; bring healing to those suffering from the violence, and comfort to those mourning the dead. Empower and encourage Syria’s neighbors in their care and welcome for refugees. Convert the hearts of those who have taken up arms, and strengthen the resolve of those committed to peace.

O God of hope and Father of mercy, your Holy Spirit inspires us to look beyond ourselves and our own needs. Inspire leaders to choose peace over violence and to seek reconciliation with enemies. Inspire the Church around the world with compassion for the people of Syria, and fill us with hope for a future of peace built on justice for all. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace and Light of the World, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

PETITION: For the people of Syria, that God may strengthen the resolve of leaders to end the fighting and choose a future of peace. We pray to the Lord…

FOR PRAYER VIGIL SCHEDULE… click here.

ACTION ALERT: Urge Congress to Pursue Political Solution in Syria, Not Military Option! Click here to compose / send your own letter / email to your Two Senators and Congressional Representative.

BACKGROUND RESOURCES:

Pope Francis Call to Prayer & Fasting ~ click on link.

I repeat forcefully: it is neither a culture of confrontation nor a culture of conflict which builds harmony within and between peoples, but rather a culture of encounter and a culture of dialogue; this is the only way to peace.

May the plea for peace rise up and touch the heart of everyone so that they may lay down their weapons and be let themselves be led by the desire for peace.

To this end, brothers and sisters, I have decided to proclaim for the whole Church on 7 September next, the vigil of the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace, a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world, and I also invite each person, including our fellow Christians, followers of other religions and all men of good will, to participate, in whatever way they can, in this initiative.

On 7 September, in Saint Peter’s Square, here, from 19:00 until 24:00, we will gather in prayer and in a spirit of penance, invoking God’s great gift of peace upon the beloved nation of Syria and upon each situation of conflict and violence around the world. Humanity needs to see these gestures of peace and to hear words of hope and peace! I ask all the local churches, in addition to fasting, that they gather to pray for this intention.

USCCB: Letter To The President ~ click here to link.

We have heard the urgent calls of the Successor of Saint Peter, Pope Francis, and our suffering brother bishops of the venerable and ancient Christian communities of the Middle East. As one, they beg the international community not to resort to military intervention in Syria. They have made it clear that a military attack will be counterproductive, will exacerbate an already deadly situation, and will have unintended negative consequences. Their concerns find a strong resonance in American public opinion that questions the wisdom of intervention and in the lack of international consensus.

USCCB: Letter To Congress On Syria ~ click here to link.

We absolutely condemn the use of chemical weapons in Syria. These indiscriminate weapons have no place in the arsenals of the family of nations. With you we mourn for the lives lost and grieve with the families of the deceased. At the same time, we remain profoundly concerned for the more than 100,000 Syrians who have lost their lives, the more than 2 million who have fled the country as refugees, and the more than 4 million within Syria who have been driven from their homes by the violence. Our focus is on the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Syria and on saving lives by ending the conflict, not fueling it.

Morning Readings: Psalm 119:50; Isaiah 37:14-24,33-34; Matthew 21:22 ~ ask anything

Morning Prayer ~ Celtic Daily Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

lamb-of-god

Opening sentences

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Declaration of faith

To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God. Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning readings

Psalm 119:50 ESV This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.

Isaiah 37:14-24,33-34 ESV  Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord:

“OLord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.”

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word that theLord has spoken concerning him:

“‘She despises you, she scorns you — the virgin daughter of Zion; she wags her head behind you — the daughter of Jerusalem.

“‘Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel! By your servants you have mocked the Lord, and you have said, With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon, to cut down its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses, to come to its remotest height, its most fruitful forest….

“Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares theLord.”

Matthew 21:22 ESV  “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Prayer ~ If Only I Love Jesus (M. Basilea Schlink)

I praise the wounds and the blood of the Lamb that heals the weakness of my body, I praise the wounds and the blood of the Lamb that heals the weakness of my soul, I praise the wounds and the blood of the Lamb that heals the weakness of my spirit!

  • Praise be to the blood of the Lamb in His forgiving power.
  • Praise be to the blood of the Lamb in His cleansing power.
  • Praise be to the blood of the Lamb in His saving power.
  • Praise be to the blood of the Lamb in His releasing power.
  • Praise be to the blood of the Lamb in His victorious power.
  • Praise be to the blood of the Lamb in His renewing power.
  • Praise be to the blood of the Lamb in His protecting power.

For whoever believes in the power of the blood of Jesus, nothing is impossible.

  • I praise the blood of the Lamb that covers all my sins so that they can no longer be seen, I praise the blood of the Lamb that cleanses me from all my sins and makes me white as snow, I praise the blood of the Lamb that has power to free me from all my bondages and chains of sin.
  • I praise the blood of the Lamb that is stronger than my own sin-infested blood and remoulds me into the image of God, I praise the blood of the Lamb that is victorious over all powers that seek to oppress me, over every power of the enemy.
  • I praise the blood of the Lamb that protects me from all the devious attacks of the enemy.
  • I praise the blood of the Lamb that prepares for me the bridal garment.
  • I praise the blood of the Lamb that makes all things new.

Hallelujah! Amen.

Hymn: “All I Have Is Christ” – Sovereign Grace

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ / Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

I once was lost in darkest night / Yet thought I knew the way / The sin that promised joy and life / Had led me to the grave / I had no hope that You would own / A rebel to Your will / And if You had not loved me first / I would refuse You still

But as I ran my hell-bound race / Indifferent to the cost / You looked upon my helpless state / And led me to the cross / And I beheld God’s love displayed / You suffered in my place / You bore the wrath reserved for me / Now all I know is grace

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ / Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone / And live so all might see / The strength to follow Your commands / Could never come from me / Oh Father, use my ransomed life / In any way You choose / And let my song forever be / My only boast is You

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ / Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

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Peanut Gallery: Selected readings from the Daily Office of the Northumbrian Community as available online here… and in the book form, Celtic Daily Prayer available on Amazon.com.

The website and prayer book are rich in prayer resources and I commend them to you. For our purpose here, I am limiting my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.