Daily Prayer for Our Times

St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church, Beaverton, OR

Healing the World one Heart at a Time

Morning Prayer

Third Monday of Advent

Theme for Monday: Creation

With awe and delight in the wonders of creation we worship God, and pray for a just and sustainable use of all its riches and for those engaged in environmental care and protection.

Sentence for the Week

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; Isaiah 61:1

Confession of Sin

Beloved in God, as we pause to reflect and enter God's presence, let us remember that the gate to error and destruction is wide.

Sometimes we have passed freely through it with our eyes wide open, other times we have wandered through with the crowd without realizing the end that awaits us, and at other times we passed through the gate as we journeyed in ignornace of where our path would take us.

And let us also remember that the gate to life is narrow, but Jesus invites us in and we can see the gate and path have been made wide by God's love and mercy.

As we enter into God's presence today, let us acknowledge, confess, and set down our burden of failure to be God's love in the world.

We need your healing, merciful God;
give us true repentance.
Some sins are plain to us, our greed, avarice,
our disrespect, and lack of gratitude and charity.
Some sins are hard to see,
especially when we benefit
from community systems that,
pollute, oppresse, demean,
and negate the beauty of your creation.
Forgive us and restore us to live in harmony
with the beauty of your creation,
and be your love in the world.

God the Creator forgives us.
God the Christ heals and restores us,
God the Spirit empowers our hearts to love courageously.
Enfolded in Christ let us approach our God in peace. Amen.

The Invitatory and Psalter

O God, let our mouths proclaim your praise.

Let our hearts rejoice in your goodness.

Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor, power and might be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!

Canticle

Venite Psalm 95:1-7

Our King and Savior now draws near:
Come let us adore him.

Come, let us sing to our God;*

let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before God's presence with thanksgiving*

and raise a loud shout to God with psalms.

For our God is a great God,*

and a great Ruler above all gods.

In your hand are the caverns of the earth,*

and the heights of the hills are yours also.

The sea is yours, for you made it,*

and your hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee,*

and kneel before God our Maker.

For you are our God, and we are the people of your pasture, the sheep of your hand.*

Oh, that today we would hearken to your voice!

Our King and Savior now draws near:
Come let us adore him.

The Psalms Appointed

Psalm 41 Beatus qui intelligit

Happy are they who consider the poor and needy!*

God will deliver them in the time of trouble.

God preserves them and keeps them alive, so that they may be happy in the land,*

and does not hand them over to the will of their enemies.

God sustains them on their sickbed*

and ministers to them in their illness.

I said, "O God, be merciful to me;*

heal me, for I have sinned against you."

My enemies are saying wicked things about me,*

wondering when I will die and my name perish.

Even if they come to see me, they speak empty words;*

their heart collects false rumors; they go outside and spread them.

All my enemies whisper together about me*

and devise evil against me.

They say a deadly thing has fastened on me,*

that I have taken to my bed and will never get up again.

Even my best friend, whom I trusted, who broke bread with me,*

has spurned me and turned against me.

But you, O God, be merciful to me and raise me up,*

and I shall repay them.

By this I know you are pleased with me,*

that my enemy does not triumph over me.

In my integrity you hold me fast,*

and shall set me before your face for ever.

Blessed be the God of Israel,*

from age to age. Amen. Amen.

Psalm 52 Quid gloriaris?

You tyrant, why do you boast of wickedness*

against the godly all day long?

You plot ruin; your tongue is like a sharpened razor,*

O worker of deception.

You love evil more than good*

and lying more than speaking the truth.

You love all words that hurt,*

O you deceitful tongue. - Oh, that God would demolish you utterly,*

topple you, and snatch you from your dwelling, and root you out of the land of the living!

The righteous shall see and tremble,*

and they shall laugh at the tyrant, saying,

"This is the one who did not take God for a refuge,*

but trusted in great wealth and relied upon wickedness."

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;*

I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

I will give you thanks for what you have done*

and declare the goodness of your Name in the presence of the godly.

All Glory to the Loving One, Source of our being, Eternal Word, and Life-Giving Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The First Lesson

A Reading from Zechariah 1:7-17

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo; and Zechariah said, In the night I saw a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen; and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. Then I said, “What are these, my lord?” The angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they are.” So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, “They are those whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.” Then they spoke to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have patrolled the earth, and lo, the whole earth remains at peace.” Then the angel of the Lord said, “O Lord of hosts, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years?” Then the Lord replied with gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. So the angel who talked with me said to me, Proclaim this message: Thus says the Lord of hosts; I am very jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. And I am extremely angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they made the disaster worse. Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; my house shall be built in it, says the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. Proclaim further: Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity; the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.

A time of silence may be kept.

Officiant For the word of God in scripture,
for the Word of God among us,
for the Word of God within us.

People Thanks be to God.

Canticle

A Song of Creation: Part I Benedicite, omnia opera Domini

Invocation

Glorify the Lord, all you works of the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

I The Cosmic Order

Glorify the Lord, you angels and all powers of the Lord,*

O heavens and all waters above the heavens.

Sun and moon and stars of the sky, glorify the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, every shower of rain and fall of dew,*

all winds and fire and heat.

Winter and summer, glorify the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold,*

drops of dew and flakes of snow.

Frost and cold, ice and sleet, glorify the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O nights and days,*

O shining light and enfolding dark.

Storm clouds and thunderbolts, glorify the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Doxology

Let us glorify the Lord: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

All Glory to the Loving One, Source of our being, Eternal Word, and Life-Giving Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Second Lesson

A Reading from Revelation 3:7-13

One like the Son of Man said to me, “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of the holy one, the true one,
who has the key of David,
who opens and no one will shut,
who shuts and no one opens:

“I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but are lying—I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”

A time of silence may be kept.

Officiant For the word of God in scripture,
for the Word of God among us,
for the Word of God within us.

People Thanks be to God.

Canticle

A Song of Creation: Part II Benedicite, omnia opera Domini

Invocation

Glorify the Lord, all you works of the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

II The Earth and its Creatures

Let the earth glorify the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O mountains and hills,and all that grows upon the earth,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O springs of water, seas, and streams,*

O whales and all that move in the waters.

All birds of the air, glorify the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O beasts of the wild,*

and all you flocks and herds.

O men and women everywhere, glorify the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

III The People of God

Let the people of God glorify the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O priests and servants of the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O spirits and souls of the righteous,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

You that are holy and humble of heart, glorify the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Doxology

Let us glorify the Lord: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,*

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

All Glory to the Loving One, Source of our being, Eternal Word, and Life-Giving Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Prayers

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.

Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,

Source of all that is and that shall be,

Father and Mother of us all,

Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!

The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!

Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!

Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.

In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.

In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.

From trials too great to endure, spare us.

From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever. Amen.

Suffrages

Suffrage for Creation

V. O God, you have created the heavens and the earth;

R. All that is seen and unseen you have made.

V. You have made us a little lower than the angels;

R. Yet still, in you we live and move and have our being.

V. Lord, forgive us for not cherishing your earth our island home;

R. Have mercy upon us Lord, have mercy upon us.

V. Lord, give us courage to do what is right and not just expedient;

R. That the generations who follow us will be glad for our caring of their earth.

V. In you, Lord, is our hope;

R. Help us work together that your hope will be manifested on this earth.

Collect for the Week

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Collect for the Diocese

Collect for Creation

Almighty and everlasting God, you made the universe with all its marvelous order: its atoms, its galaxies, and its infinite complexity of living creatures. As we probe the mysteries of creation, help us to know you more truly and more faithfully fulfill our role as stewards of creation in your eternal purpose; in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayers for People Engaged in Ecology Ministries

We pray for people engaged in environmental ministries

Parish Intercessions

And we pray for our own needs and the needs of others.

Collect for Our Time

God of all mercy, keep us from a mindless acceptance of things as they are, and a longing for peace without the courage to work for justice. Let us all know in the life-threatening pandemics of disease, poverty, racism, and violence there is an inner calm that comes from faith in you, and that from this central heart of peace, there may flow a creative and courageous compassion, a deep thirst for racial justice, and a relentless proclamation of your love, to heal and reconcile your world in you through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Dismissal

Go in peace to cherish and honor all of God's creation.

Thanks be to God.

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more that we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to generation in the church, and in Christ Jesus for ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

To discover more about St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church
Please visit the St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church website.

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Acknowledgements: With Gratitude

Pray for Peace, Work for Justice.

This Daily Office App was created in 2020 at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Ladue, MO, as a partial response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd. Because of the pandemic we and many congregations began offering online variations of the Daily Office from the Book of Common Prayer. George Floyd's murder brought into sharp relief the racism and many other injustices in our world. We believe it is pointless to pray for peace unless we are actively working for justice in all spheres of our daily lives.

Within our congregation we have many people such as, medical personnel and teachers, who are putting their lives at risk to help create a better world. We also have numerous parishioners employed or engaged in not-for-profit agencies, research, and outreach all of which are striving to right the wrongs of our society and in the words of the Lord's Prayer, "helping God's Kingdom come on earth". To focus our need to engage in social action we have created this Daily Office with a two week cycle of social justice themes to help us:

Pray and reflect on our part in the systemic evils that corupt our world.
Pray intentionally for parishioners and the programs they work in to "Heal the World."
Pray for courage and wisdom to discover and empower us to be the change we wish to see in the world.

The Episcopal Book of Common Prayer and its many companion books through out the Anglican Communion are wonderful treasure troves of prayers and resources for deepening our spiritual lives and inspiring action in the world. Such books are however are a frozen meal, they need thawing out, warming up, and seasoning with local spices. This is what this app seeks to do. It added the necessary flavors of St. Peter's, Ladue, so whether at home, in church, or travelling the world, we can continue to remember and pray for one another as we walk the way of love and make this a better world in which our children's children can love and grow into the image of God that God creates them to be.

If you would like to adapt this app for your own congregation or community setting and add your own spices and flavors please email us and we can create a specific parish option for you.

Specific Acknowledgements and Copyrights.

The service structure and the traditional psalms canticles and prayers are taken from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, 1979, available from The Church Hymnal Corporation, New York. Inclusive canticles and prayers have been adapted from a variety of sources including Enriching our Worship, 1998 also available from The Church Hymnal Corporation, New York.

Specific prayers such as the Inclusive Lord’s Prayer has been taken from A New Zealand Prayerbook, ©Copyright 1989 the Church of the Province of New Zealand. This prayerbook has also provided inspiration for the inclusive Compline service and partial content to many of the collects.

In general, Biblical passages are taken from The New Revised Standard Version, ©Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

We are also indebted to The Rev. Br. Richard Edward Helmer, BSG. the developer of the The Daily Office App who provided technical advice and resources as we developed this app.

We are also indebted to Sandie Willey and her gift of words and discerning eye as together we crafted many of the prayers as we worked to create this Daily Office for Our Times.

In the course of preparing this app we have visited many websites, read and prayed many prayers, and been inspired by many writers. To all the people who share their creativity with the world we say thank you for the beauty of your words and the times when a word becomes a sparkle of truth and a moment of transcendence.

With Gratitude
Rob Voyle,
Interim Rector, St. Peter's, 2020
Director of the Appreciative Way