"Our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" - 7 November 2021
O
Lord Jesus Christ, our great God and Savior, your mercies and loving-kindnesses
have been from everlasting. You became man and stooped to endure crucifixion
and death for the salvation of all who rely on you. You rose from the dead for
our justification, ascended into heaven and sit at the right hand of God the
Father, from whence you shall come to judge the living and the dead; and as our
great High Priest you regard the humble prayers of all who call upon you with
their whole heart. Incline your ear and hear.
First
of all, we give you hearty thanks for the faith and faithfulness of those who
have gone from us, who have traversed their way through Sheol into your
everlasting arms (…). Though they struggled with sin, sometimes overcoming, and
sometimes not overcoming very well, nevertheless their confidence in you, their
persistence in walking in your way, lifts our hearts. As we run this race may
we joyfully recollect that these brothers and sisters have successfully run
before us to you, the author and finisher of our faith, and may that recollection
spur us on with greater and greater courage and commitment (Hebrews 12:2-3).
Further,
we implore you to remember your Holy Universal Church, which you have
emancipated with your precious blood, including this congregation and Sacred
Heart Catholic Church, St. David’s Episcopal, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. George’s
Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Confirm and strengthen your church, enlarge
and multiply her, keep her in peace, and preserve her unconquered by the gates
of hell forever. Heal the schisms of the churches, quench the ragings of the
pagans, speedily unravel and uproot the
growths of heresies bringing them to naught by the power of your Holy Spirit,
and beat down Satan under our feet. Strengthen, O Lord, and have mercy upon all
ministers, pastors, bishops, and presbyters of your Church whom you have
established to feed your flock (…). By our sound doctrine, right administration
of the sacraments, discipline, godly lives and prayers build up and strengthen
your people in all places. Save, O Lord, and have mercy upon those who envy and
slight us and seek to do us harm, forgive them and turn their
hearts (…).
Act,
O Lord, and have mercy upon all world rulers, on our president and on all our
civil authorities. Speak peace and blessing into their hearts that we may live calm
and peaceful lives in all godliness and dignity. And aid us to submit ourselves
to every ordinance of man for your sake, whether to the President, governors,
or judges, as to those who are sent by you for the punishment of evildoers and
for the praise of those who do good. For we know and confess that this is your
will, so that by doing good we may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men
(1 Peter 2:13-17).
Refresh, O Lord, and have mercy upon the aged and young, those who are pregnant, the needy, orphans, widows, single parents, the unemployed and underemployed, those whose home life is troubled and trembling, those in sickness and sorrow, distressed and afflicted, oppressed and captive, imprisoned and confined (…). Remember them, visit, strengthen, keep, and comfort them, and make haste to grant them, by your power, relief, freedom, and deliverance.
Save, O Lord, and have mercy upon those who are unbelievers, the wayward, and the entrapped (…). These requests we ask in the name of our Lord Jesus, and we pray as we have been taught, saying, Our Father…
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