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St. Mary Baptist Church, Port Barre, LA, burned down on 26 March 2019
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[Since Franklin Graham found it a good thing to call for a "SPECIAL Day of Prayer" for Donald Trump, I thought it meet and right to put together a prayer service. I'm pretty sure it's not what Graham meant, but, oh well.]
Opening Sentence
V. Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.R. Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
Glory be…
Collect
O God, the source of change, break all chains, stop all wars, and end the hate which causes both, so that your people may live with peace and freedom in Jesus Christ our Liberator. Through the same…Reading: 1 Kings 21:1-16
And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard. And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead. And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.Psalm 10
Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.
The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.
He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.
He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.
He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.
He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.
Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
The Lord is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.
Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.
Reading: Revelation 13:1-9
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear.Verse
V. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.R. But let justice run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Alleluia, Alleluia. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Alleluia.
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.Litany of Deliverance
From prison and detention camps, from unjust incarceration and from unjust sentences: Good Lord, deliver us.From crowding and eviction, from hunger and unemployment: Good Lord, deliver us.
From neglect by parents, from neglect by children, from neglect by callous institutions: Good Lord, deliver us.
From starvation and epidemic, from overcrowding of the planet, from pollution of the soil, the air, and the waters: Good Lord, deliver us.
From poverty and disease, from segregation and prejudice, from harassment, discrimination, and brutality: Good Lord, deliver us.
From racism and affluence; from the concentration of power in the hands of ignorant, threatened, avaricious, or hasty men: Good Lord, deliver us.
From propaganda and untruthfulness: Good Lord, deliver us.
From arrogance and unfeeling, narrowness and meanness, from stupidity and pretense: Good Lord, deliver us.
From boredom, apathy, and fatigue, from lack of conviction, from fear, self-satisfaction, and timidity: Good Lord, deliver us.
From retribution at the hands of our victims, from the consequences of our own folly: Good Lord, deliver us.
From resignation and despair, from cynicism and manipulation: Good Lord, deliver us.
From the tyranny of evil men in high office: Good Lord, deliver us.
Through all unmerited suffering, our own and others': Good Lord, deliver us.
Through the unending cry of all peoples for justice and freedom: Good Lord, deliver us.
Through all concern and wonder, love and creativity: Good Lord, deliver us.
In our strength and weakness, in occasional success and eventual failure: Good Lord, deliver us.
In aloneness and community, in the days of our action and the time of our dying: Good Lord, deliver us.
By the needs of mankind and of the earth, and not by our own merits or deserving: Good Lord, deliver us.
Deliver us, Good Lord, open our eyes and unstop our ears, so that we may see the figures of the saints and hear their witness: Good Lord, deliver us.
Intercessions
For the poor and hungry, for migrant workers and the homeless, the outcast and unemployed: Lord, hear our prayer.For single mothers and for children unwanted in their homes: Lord, hear our prayer.
For the wounded, for prisoners and exiles, for all who are persecuted because of conscience or resistance: Lord, hear our prayer.
For the sick and suffering in mind or body: Lord, hear our prayer.
For the mortgaged and manipulated, fearful of crime and competition, pawns in a game of the affluent: Lord, hear our prayer.
For prostitutes; for policemen, jailers, and soldiers; for all prisoners of a degraded and degrading system: Lord, hear our prayer.
For authorities and officials, that they may listen to the voice of the different and weak: Lord, hear our prayer.
For oppressors and exploiters, that they may be confused and disarmed by love: Lord, hear our prayer.
For the masters of war, that they may be given a new transplant of flesh in place of their heart of stone: Lord, hear our prayer.
For all whom we fear, resent, or cannot love; for the unlovable: Lord, hear our prayer.
For those who are dying and have died, in bitterness or tranquility: Lord, hear our prayer.
For doctors, nurses, and social workers, for ministers to the poor: Lord, hear our prayer.
For organizers, students, and writers, all who raise the cry for justice: Lord, hear our prayer.
In thankfulness for all who have been freed from prison, poverty, illness, or fear: Lord, hear our prayer.
For all those things we are not wise enough to ask for ourselves: We call on the Spirit.
We call on the Spirit to bind us in solidarity with all who are using their lives to resist evil and affirm community. Amen.
Prayer for the President
O God our only strength, look with indignation and pity on N., the President of these United States. Break down the fence around his White House that his corrupt heart might be converted and he should heed the cry for justice rising from the suffering people of this land. Teach him that peace is not built by killing, nor justice by repression. Make him the servant and not the exploiter of his people, after the example of Jesus, his Liberator and ours. Through the same...V. No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
R. We ought to obey God rather than men.
Let us go forth in peace.
Thanks be to God.
[Collect, Litany, and Intercessory Prayers adapted from The Covenant of Peace, a Liberation Prayer Book by the Free Church of Berkeley, 1971.]
