Morning Prayer with St. Patrick

We have entered into the season of the Church Year called "Lent." The name Lent comes from an old word, "Lencten," which originally referred to that time of year in the Northern Hemisphere when the days began to lengthen. This corresponded with the liturgical season after Epiphany and before Holy Week and Easter. And so, the season of "Lengthening" became simply the season of Lent.


Lent is a period of 40 days of fasting before Holy Week, not counting Sundays, which are Feast days always, celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus. The period of 40 days of fasting corresponds to the 40 days Jesus fasted and prayed in the wilderness before beginning his ministry.


This year during Lent, our church will begin the day with a short service of Morning Prayer in the main Sanctuary, at 8:00 a.m. The service is derived from what is traditionally called St. Patrick's Lorica, a very lyrical and powerful prayer summoning the basic tenets of Christian faith and the elements of the world together for strength and protection. I have adapted the Lorica for this service of prayer. This is the text:



Gather in Silence
Opening Words
Leader:
I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through a belief in the Threeness, Through confession of the Oneness Of the Creator of creation.
People:
I arise today 
Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of all peoples.


Song



Invocation
Leader: 
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs and matriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men and women.
People:
I arise today Through the strength of heaven; 
Light of the sun,     
Splendor of fire, 
Speed of lightning,     
Swiftness of the wind, 
Depth of the sea,    
Stability of the earth, 
Firmness of the rock. 


Scripture reading
Sharing
Silent reflection


Prayer for Protection
Leader: I arise today Through God's strength to pilot me; God's might to uphold me,      
People:  God's wisdom to guide me, 
God's eye to look before me, 
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,  
God's hand to guard me,  
God's way to lie before me,  
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me from snares of the devil, 
From temptations of vices,    
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.




Prayer for the World
ALL:
(Everyone is invited to speak aloud names of places and peoples in the world)
I summon today all these powers between our world and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes body and soul,
Against prayers and preaching of prophets of falsehood,
Against laws which suppress the soul and spirit,
Against doctrines and teachings that spread hate and discord,
Against the powers of idolatry,
Against every knowledge that corrupts the body and soul.
Christ shield our world today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
Against bombing, against hunger,
Against earthquakes, against devastating storms,
So that fullness of life may come to all in abundance.


Song


Sending Forth
Leader:  Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, 
People:  Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, 
Leader:  Christ on my right, Christ on my left, 
People:  Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Leader:  Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
People:  Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Leader:  Christ in the eye that sees me,
People:  Christ in the ear that hears me.  




ALL:
I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Creating the Beloved Community

Over the course of the next three Sundays, January 10, 17 and 24, I will be preaching on The Beloved Community. Creating the Beloved Community was an idea that was central to the thinking and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Accordingly, my blogs for the next three weeks will explore aspects of Dr. King's thought and practice that relate to this idea. In addition, I'm going to explore how Dr. King's religious faith found expression in political and social action, all of it filtered through the lens of the Beloved Community. A good overview of Dr. King's concept is found in an article by Kenneth  L. Smith and Ira G. Zepp, Jr. entitled "Martin Luther King's Vision of the Beloved Community."  The King Center in Atlanta, Georgia is also an excellent place to find out about Dr. King's ideas and work. The Martin Luther King, Jr., National Day of Service has extensive information concerning the 40 Day Pledge of Nonviolence .  These are all good
Read more

Salt, Light and Congruent Lives

Image
Main Point for the sermon this week: There is power in religion to align our lives with our deepest values and beliefs. Matthew 5:13-20 ‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.  ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.  ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others
Read more

Is the UMC an Old Car?

Image
When I was in graduate school in the mid-90s, I drove a 1980 Toyota Corolla. It had a standard transmission, manually-operated windows, and no air conditioning. But it was fairly dependable for the decade I drove it. During graduate school, it got me between Salem, Oregon, and Berkeley, California, at least once a month, as I returned home to see my family. The drive North and South could be a trial during the Summer months, especially in the Central Valley when the temperatures reached 115°. Not having air conditioning was a problem, so I figured out a system wherein I wrapped an ice cube in a bandana and wrapped it around my forehead, and drove with the windows down. The rapidly-evaporating ice cube cooled my head, but I had to add a new ice cube every rest stop. But it worked. It was not a glorious or glamorous car, but it got me dependably between Point A and Point B. I used it to take my German student friends to experience the Redwoods and to drive down Highway 1 to Claremo
Read more