Let pray for all people and for the Church throughout the world

Transcription

1 These notes are to help people with the task of leading Intercessions as part of worship at All Saints Belmont. Introduction Preparation The intercessions are part of our worship. If they tie in with other things happening in worship that is clearly consistent and helps the whole liturgy be an integrated offering of praise and worship. In the Book of Common Prayer (BCP ) the priest led the intercession beginning with the words Let us pray for the whole state of Christ s Church militant here in earth. What followed was a single section and ended with amen. It didn t matter what was happening in the the liturgy, it didn t matter what was happening in the world, the church or anywhere else, we had our one size fits all intercession to cover it. Modern liturgies provide greater flexibility in the conduct of the intercessory prayer. Normally led by a member of the congregation, and broken into short focus segments encouraging people to respond at the end of each section. The word intercession comes from Latin inter (to go) cedere (between) so it means to go between or to intervene. In intercession we uphold people and issues before the throne of grace, asking God to bless, heal, guide and act for good. In this act we stand with Jesus, the prophets of old, and indeed the whole Church in history. Leading the intercessions of a gathered community of faith is an important, but not daunting, task. Done well it helps people connect and participate in the conversation with God. The intercession is addressed to God, not the congregation, yet spoken audibly so that those present can be part of the intercession. The congregation s task is to make it our intercession. People come to church on a sunday (or other day) to do a number of things. Worship, centring, reflection, thanksgiving, penitence, community, and intercession. Prayer is often high on a person s list. As the leader of the intercession, it is your task to help people do one of the things they came to do. It is worth keeping them in mind as we prepare the intercession. Of course we have no idea what specific things people will want to pray about, so ideally some of what we offer will be open ended and let people effectively be connected to it, in a meaningful way for them. There are untold resources to help you with the intercession. Books like Let us Pray by Janet Nelson (published by Harper Collins Publishers 1999) is but one example. These books can be a great resource. They are unlikely to be enough on their own. You will normally use them as a starting point and add, drop, edit, rewrite, and make it your own. An outline plan of preparation: Find the place where you can be a peace and prepare, and pray for guidance and inspiration. Read through the readings for the day you will be leading the intercession. If you have access have a look at the Collect as well. Across the readings you will find themes and ideas that you may want to include. The Sunday Sermon is often based on the readings - so this will help the integration. Particularly on the Friday and the Saturday before the intercession have a focus on the news and current affairs for a couple of key issues that will keep us grounded in the real world. Look up the Prayer Cycles Anglican Cycle of Prayer. Diocesan Cycle of Prayer. Parish Prayer Cycle. Consider any things that you believe may be appropriate to include. Chances are much of the Intercession can be written earlier in the week, and leaving space for what comes later. If you Start with four headings, World, Church, In Need, and Departed, then you will be able to start organising the Intercession. Think if you want to use an introductory sentence to give a context to the intercession. Think about a versicle and response you feel best suits the intercession. Page 1

2 On Saturday wander back through the intercession and put it together in clear writing that you can read and make sure it all flows. You will be almost certainly refining some aspects, especially in terms of the world and current affairs. Don t forget to leave some space for the things you may find out on the Sunday, late news, sick people and recently departed are the obvious ones that may happen. Although we refer to this part of the liturgy as intercession, there will be times when there may well be a sense of reflection, adoration, and thanksgiving expressed. Whilst the key focus in this part of worship is intercession, it is probably more accurately described as The Prayers of the People. This part of the service tends to be one of the less noisy periods of the liturgy, and a sense of quiet, and perhaps even silent, space will help people participate more effectively bringing their own unspoken items within the context of the parish offering of intercession. When you think of prayer as conversation, it seems clear that we will both speak and listen, so it makes sense that there be some space in the intercession in order that we may hear the rustling reed and the still small voice. People value some space for their own prayers, especially as we pray for those in need, and indeed also the departed. So plan where you are going to make these silent spaces that people may bring the things in their own hearts, and be open to the whispering of God. Some of the things that may be Included in the Intercession: Australia Prime Minister and Commonwealth Government Premier and State Government Mayor and Local Government The Church Wider Church Anglican Communion - (Anglican Cycle of Prayer) The Australian Church Our Bishop & Diocese -(Diocesan Prayer Cycle) Our Rector and Parish The Mission of the Church Those in Need of Intercession The Poor, The Lonely, The Oppressed, The Suffering, The Dispossessed The Marginalised The Sick - (names from parish pew-sheet + silence for people to add their own) Those who care and work for those in need The Departed and the Grieving People who have died recently - (include names) People who have died in major events in the news People who anniversary is at this time (+ silence for people to add their own) Those who mourn Shape The intercession is normally towards the end of the Ministry of the Word, following on from the Readings, Sermon and the Creed. In one sense it is our immediate response to the words we have heard and declared. The Priest will normally invite the intercession with words like: The World Those who lead the nations of the planet. Trouble spots and areas of conflict around the world Environmental Issues Current Affairs, and major meetings Celebrating advances and accomplishments for good. Major meetings or Events The United Nations Let us pray for all people and for the Church. Normal practice is that the intercession will be resolved into focus areas, and at the end of each segment there will be a versicle and response. There are numbers of classic patterns that the congregation will recognise and need no introduction, such as: Page 2

3 Lord, In your mercy hear our prayer Lord, hear us Lord, hear our prayer God of Grace hear our prayer Father, hear our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord Let us pray to the Lord Lord, have mercy For your love and goodness we give you thanks, O God There are a number of other options, or you may write your own for the day. You will need to let the congregation know the vesicle and the response we are using. It is probably not a good idea to make this it long or complex, as it is not a memory test but rather to help the congregation participate in intercession. It may be introduced simply by saying something like this, remembering to add the dry run so that people are conformable with how they have been asked to be involved, and obviously using your desired vesicle and response. Each part of our prayers will end with Lord, in your mercy and the response hear our prayer Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer. There is no rule that there be a specific number of segments. If there is a particular area for prayer in any given week, it may well make sense to have it in its own area. There is also no required order, it is simply by convention we pray, World, Church, In Need, and Departed, so this will be the order that people will most expect. Delivery Towards the end of the creed, be ready to move forward to lead the intercession. Stay calm, you are prepared, and do not rush. Speak clearly, at a measured pace. Take a strong breath, and remember that we are talking to God, and in the midst of friends. Beginning It often makes good sense to begin the intercession with an overarching response that may relate to the readings. For example if the Gospel had been an account of the Good Samaritan, you may want to begin, We have heard how the Samaritan went out of their own way to help the one who was in trouble, and so we come to you Lord, knowing that you first came to us. The clear point to bear in mind here is that this, like the rest of the intercession, is addressed to God. Whilst it is intended that the congregation hear it, they hear it in order that they may join in the intercession and make it their own. A couple of the advantages of this approach are that we have begun the conversation, and provided a connection to what has already happened in the service, and given people a point by which they move to an intercessory mode. The World In praying for the world it is worth remembering that this is the context of our mission, we are called to live in the world that finds its origins in God, and and which John tells us is the object of God s desire so much that he sent to son into the world to redeem us. Contextually the well being of many on the world is determined in part by the actions of the few, so it is worth upholding those whose decisions affect so many. In a global context we pray for the great and the powerful, which may well include the leader of the Commonwealth of Nations, The Secretary General of the UN, and the leaders of many nations. In a world of global corporations, much of the economic power is exerted beyond the leaders of nations by the captains of industry. The World is also awash with current affairs, war pestilence and famine, tense political situations, natural disasters, and good things as well, and it is important that some of this is picked up in intercession as well. We do not need to pray for every issue, but we do need to stay connected. Page 3

4 Areas of Environmental concern may also belong here as we pray for the world. Australia In a sense the prayers for Australian issues simply reflect our prayers for the world, just more closely focussed on our patch. Sometimes this will be bundled into our prayers for the world, and sometimes we may wish to separate it. Clearly it is appropriate to uphold in prayer those who lead and govern us, and at any given time there may be specific issues that are at the forefront of our attention. The Church As we pray for the Church and its mission you may well wish to pray with a broader canvass encompassing something of the Oecumenical perspective, as we have just expressed our faith in the one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Within the Anglican perspective you may well include the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Primate of Australian and our own Bishop. There may well be some place of not in the Anglican Cycle of Prayer you wish to Include. Locally we will pray for our Diocese, our Priest and Parish and those who are part of the Diocesan cycle of prayer. You may also use the Parish Prayer Cycle to include specific people and tasks. You may well include some of the missionary tasks that the Church undertakes either locally or through the various agencies of mission. readings, or the news, or just what is on your heart at the time. We have always taken upon ourselves the prayer for the sick and as we do there is a list of names on the parish sick list who should be included specifically by name, together with a space for people to uphold others in their own hearts. It is also a good idea to pray for those who care for them. The Departed In praying for the departed we are affirming our belief that in the death and resurrection of Jesus death has been conquered of its ultimate power - and so as we pray for those we love who are alive, so we continue to pray for those who have died, affirming our faith in the resurrection. There may be particular people who have died recently who we will remember by name, together with some whose anniversary is at this time. We will usually remember those who have gone before us in faith without who example we too may have been left to stumble. Some silence here will let people give thanks for the people who have helped them on the way. This part of the intercession may conclude with the versicle and response that has been used before or, perhaps one of these well known options. May they Rest in Peace and rise in glory Rest eternal grant to them O Lord and let light perpetual shine upon them Those in Need There are wide ranging groups who fall within the ambit of those in need, refugees, homeless souls, the poor, the deserted, the widowed and the orphaned, victims of violence, the marginalised, the sick, the dying, and those who are lost and alone, those who grieve for all manner of things. It is generally thought to be a good idea to have an umbrella statement however in any particular week to focus in one or two areas, and that may be related to the Conclusion This is a good point for a short silence for people to pray in their own hearts. Such a silence does not need a specific introduction, it is just some sacred space. In this space some people will to laying specific needs before God, whilst others will be attuned to the murmuring of the Spirit of God. The Intercessions conclude with the Page 4

5 following. Almighty God, you have promised to hear our prayers Grant that what we have asked in faith we may by your grace receive through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Some Notes Then Intercession is effectively the end of the Ministry of the Word, followed by the Greeting of Peace and the Great Thanksgiving. Intercession is of course what it is, and it is not a question of doing it right or wrong, however as an undertaking of leading any part of worship, most of us realise that we will always be able to do better, and the purpose of the notes is to hopefully help us all help one another in this role. A-B-C is still a good rule for intercession - audible, brief and concrete. There are lots of resources, both in print and online, and you should feel free to use any of them, however generally they will not be enough on their own. It is what you bring to the task that will make it special. Often the real advantage of these resources is where they take you. In the end what you speak may be your own words, or someone else s words that you have made your own. Time. There is no doubt that preparing the intercession can take some time. The time you spend preparing the intercession will not be wasted. It can be a good time for your own spiritual growth and focus. Sometimes the intercession will fall easily together within a short period, and other times it will take more time. Some Resources Readings The readings coming up can be found for the next week, on the pewsheet, and for some time forward on the Parish website. n choose Readings from the Quick Links Anglican Cycle of Prayer The Anglican Cycle of Prayer can be accessed on the Parish website. choose Worship from the top menu and then Prayer Cycles. Make sure you use the calendar to find the right day. The Newcastle Diocesan Cycle of Prayer The Newcastle Diocesan Cycle of Prayer can be accessed on the Parish website. choose Worship from the top menu and then Prayer Cycles. Anglican News There is a worldwide Anglican News Feed on the Parish website. choose Community from the top menu and then News. World Affairs There are many sources of news, one online resource that collects news from all around is the Google News service. and then choose either World, Top Stories, or Australia. Speak Slow enough for mood, tone and intonation to be carried. Remember it is not a sermon, it is not the news, this is the Prayers of the People. Try to avoid telling God how to fix things, or letting too much of your own opinions show, and remember to leave some silent space for people to pray and listen. Page 5