An ecumenical order of prayers for Bolivia, Chile and Peru

Worship in the Ecumenical Centre for Monday 30 June 2008
Tenemos Esperanza
A spirituality of resistance

Praying through the ecumenical prayer cycle for Bolivia, Chile and Peru

Welcome

Sing ~ El Cielo canta alegria ~ Agape 22 verses 1 and 2 Spanish, verse 3 English

Image: Copyright Andre Jordan from : If You’re Happy and you Know it

Psalm 69 (extracts)
Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.
I am weary with my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
with waiting for my God.
More in number than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;
many are those who would destroy me,
my enemies who accuse me falsely.

Sung response ~ Agape 81
Santo, Santo, Santo
i Mi Corazon te adora!
Mi Corazon te sabe decir:
i Santo eres Señor

With your faithful help rescue me
from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
and from the deep waters.
Do not let the flood sweep over me,
or the deep swallow me up,
or the Pit close its mouth over me.

Sung response: Santo, Santo, Santo (Agape 81)

Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
Do not hide your face from your servant,
for I am in distress—make haste to answer me.
Draw near to me, redeem me, set me free because of my enemies.

Please stand to sing ~ and remain standing for the reading of the Gospel

Hale, hale, hale luya
Hale, hale, hale luya
Hale, hale, hale luya
Haleluya, Haleluya

Gospel reading ~ Mathew 10 24 -32 read in Spanish
‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
Whom to Fear ‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
Not Peace, but a Sword ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

Hale, hale, hale luya …

Meditation - Hold on to hope by Jane Stranz

Sing: Tenemos Esperanza verse 1 in Spanish ~ Agape72

Prayers of intercession
We pray throughout this week for the peoples and churches of Chile, Bolivia and Peru.

Spirit of peace, fill all the world with your transforming presence.
May the leaders of all countries rule with maturity and justice.
May all nations have tranquility and their sons and daughters be blessed.
May the people and the flocks and the herds prosper and be free from illness.
May the fields bear much fruit and the land be fertile.
May the face of all enemies be turned towards peace.

Sung Response: Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara / Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara ~ Agape 69

Spirit of unity, we pray for your church.
Fill your people with all truth and peace.
Where we are corrupt, purify us. Where we are in error, direct us.
Where anything in us is amiss, reform us. Where we are right, strengthen us.
Where we are in need, provide for us. Where we are divided, reunite us.

Sung Response: Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara / Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara

Spirit of love, watch over those who wake or watch or weep,
and give your angels charge over those who sleep.
Tend the sick, rest the weary, give courage to women in childbirth,
soothe the suffering, and bless the dying.

Sung Response: Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara / Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara

God of Creation, of planting, growth and harvest:
Sow the potential of your Word in our lives, in the midst of this world,
like seed broadcast across a field of fertile soil.
Through the presence of your Son, our Light and our Life,
nurture the tender shoots of faith as they grow strong and tall.
By the power of your Spirit, help us to reap a harvest
of honest belief, unity, justice, peace and love.
Amen.

(copyright (c) WCC - Em Tua Graça)

The Lord’s prayer ~ said by each in their own language

Blessed are the poor…
Not the penniless, but those whose hearts are free.
Blessed are those who mourn…
Not those who whimper but those who raise their voices.
Blessed are the meek …
Not the soft but those who are patient and tolerant.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice …
Not those who whine but those who struggle.
Blessed are the merciful …
Not those who forget but those who forgive.
Blessed are the pure in heart …
Not those who act like angels but those whose life is transparent.
Blessed are the peace-makers …
Not those who shun conflict but those who face it squarely.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for justice …
Not because they suffer but because they love.
(copyright P. Jacob, Chile, from Wisdom is Calling pp.263-264 ed G Duncan)

Blessing

Sing: Tenemos Esperanza verses 1, 2 and 3 in English or Spanish.