order of prayers for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal

SERVICE OF MORNING PRAYER
The Chapel of the Ecumenical Centre, Geneva
Monday 13 October 2008

This week the ecumenical prayer cycle calls attention to
the nations, churches and peoples of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal

Prelude

Opening prayer
O God, we come before you with unclean hearts, selfish minds, unworthy spirits.
In your grace, you touch us and make us whole and sound.
We dance before you with joy. We sing in freedom. We swim in your love.
We give you thanks and praise for your grace.
We pray that you will touch us, again and again,
and show us the way toward true happiness.
In your triune name we pray, O Lord.
Amen.

Thuma Mina 16 – Veni Creator

Reading from Holy Scripture: Philippians 4:4-7
Soyez toujours joyeux d’être unis au Freuet euch in dem Herrn allewege, und
Seigneur. Je le répète: Soyez joyeux! abermals sage ich: Freuet euch!
Manifestez de la douceur envers tous. Eure Lindigkeit lasset kund sein allen
Le Seigneur viendra bientôt. Menschen! Der Herr ist nahe!
Ne vous inquiétez vous de rien, Sorget nichts, sondern in allen Dingen lasset
mais en toute circonstance demandez à eure Bitten im Gebet und Flehen mit
Dieu dans la prière ce dont vous avez Danksagung vor Gott kund werden!
besoin, et demandez-le-lui avec un cœur Und der Friede Gottes, welcher höher ist
reconnaissant. Et la paix de Dieu, qui als alle Vernunft, bewahre eure Herzen
dépasse tout ce que l’homme peut com- und Sinne in Christus Jesus!
prendre, gardera vos cœurs et vos esprits
en Jésus Christ.

Thuma Mina 52 – Alleluia

Reflection

Prayer of Intercession (Response: Thuma Mina 94 – La ténèbre n’est point ténèbre)
Eternal God, you call us to rejoice. Forgive our tendency towards gloom.
Remind us that your good news is glorious, and lead us into your courts with joy.

La ténèbre n’est point ténèbre devant toi; la nuit comme le jour est lumière.

Lift our lives out for their accustomed ruts, our minds out of their comfortable rants.
Lift our hearts into your presence through the revelation of your gracious will for us.

La ténèbre n’est point ténèbre devant toi; la nuit comme le jour est lumière.

Teach us how to love you, and to worship you in joyousness of spirit.
Teach us joyfully to love one another, to bring your light into one another’s existence.

La ténèbre n’est point ténèbre devant toi; la nuit comme le jour est lumière.

Wherever practical difficulties lie as snares in our neighbours’ paths,
wherever the forces of markets obscure hope for people’s futures,
wherever war or natural catastrophe amplify the temptation to despair,
shed your light upon our world, and grant that we may reflect your goodness.

La ténèbre n’est point ténèbre devant toi; la nuit comme le jour est lumière.

Hear our prayers, O God: those we utter aloud, and those we pray in silence…
Hear us as we pray for all the world, and especially this week for your grace in
Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.

All this we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who taught disciples to pray…

The Lord’s Prayer (said by each of us in his or her own language)

Sending prayer
Compassionate Lord, you know that we would prefer to have power over the storm,
a secure home, a life protected from the winds and every other threat.
Yet we gather here to ask your help in learning to live with the storms that come,
to grant us shelter among friends, to provide strength when our plans end in failure.
Build us up, Lord, again and again.
And grant that we may ever rejoice in fellowship with you, and with one another.
Amen.

Thuma Mina 134 – Laudate omnes gentes

Postlude

This service was written and put together by Theodore A. Gill