An order for morning prayer - ecumenical prayer cycle Canada

The following order was prepared by Theodore A Gill and included a fascinating reading from Stephen Neil's A history of Christian Missions , about which more soon.

Morning Prayer - The chapel of the Ecumenical Centre, Geneva
Tuesday 4 August 2009 - The Ecumenical Prayer Cycle focuses our attention this week on Canada and the USA


Huron carol, by Jean de Brébeuf, c. 1641

’Twas in the moon of wintertime, when all the birds had fled,
That mighty Gitchi Manitou sent angel choirs instead.
Before their light, the stars grew dim, and wondering hunters heard the hymn:
Jesus, your King, is born, Jesus is born. In excelsis gloria.

Within a lodge of broken bark the tender Babe was found;
A ragged robe of rabbit-skin enwrapped His beauty round.
And as the hunter braves drew nigh, the angel song rang loud and high:
Jesus, your King, is born, Jesus is born. In excelsis gloria.

The earliest moon of wintertime is not so round and fair
As was the ring of glory on the helpless Infant there.
The chiefs from far before Him knelt with gifts of fox and beaver pelt.
Jesus, your King, is born, Jesus is born. In excelsis gloria.

O children of the forest free, O you of Manitou,
The Holy Child of earth and heaven is born today for you.
Come kneel before the radiant boy who brings you beauty, peace and joy.
Jesus, your King, is born, Jesus is born. In excelsis gloria.

Prayer (United Church of Canada)

L: We come to you, O Lord, with thanks and praise for Creation.
We are thankful for the passion of the young,
for the youth among us who push us all to recognize
the urgency of the environmental crisis.

All: Thank you, Creator and giver of passion.

L: We are thankful for the insights of our Indigenous
brothers and sisters who draw on their
tradition and teach us about the sacredness of all
Creation and how to live in kinship with it.

All: Thank you, Creator and giver of passion.

L: We are thankful for the inspiration of those
among us who have already begun to live their
lives in ways to show a caring for the earth,
water, and the skies.

All: Thank you, Creator and giver of passion.
We thank you, God, for all signs of hope
that keep us from despairing
and point us toward new ways of living. Amen.

John 6 :35-40

Intercessions (based on a prayer of Karl Barth at the Basel city men’s prison)

Lord, be and remain the God of our salvation in the realm above
and amid the perplexities and frustration of human ventures and current events.
Transform us by your grace.

Tell and show all people that no one is lost to your sight,
but that no one can escape your sight, either!
Transform us by your grace.

Make yourself known everywhere
as the Lord of the pious and the godless, of the wise and the fools, of the healthy and the sick.
Be and remain the God of our salvation.

Be the Lord of our poor churches, Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox – and whatever else,
the Lord of righteous and of unrighteous governments.
Be and remain the God of our salvation.

Lord of Israel, and God of all nations, we join in prayer this week for your whole Creation,
and in particular for the people and churches of Canada and the United States of America.
Teach us that none is lost to your sight, but also that none may escape your sight.

Be the Lord of the well-fed and of the underfed,
and also of those who are called to speak and write,
whether they produce creations that are good or not so good.

Be our protector in whom we all may trust, our source of grace in whom we find forgiveness,
as well as the Judge to whom we will be responsible on the Last Day,
just as we are responsible to you now.
This we pray through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.


The Lord’s Prayer


Jesus says: I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.

Bless the Lord.
The Lord’s name be praised.
Go forth in the power and love of the Triune God.
Thanks be to God. Amen.

The Bread of Life as we pray for the USA and Canada

The following order was put together by Theodore A Gill

Monday Morning Chapel Service,Ecumenical Centre, Geneva, 3 August 2009

This week the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle calls our attention to
the people and churches of Canada and the United States of America.

Call to worship – Psalm 117
Give glory to the Lord, all you nations!
Sing God’s praises, all peoples of the earth!
For great is God’s goodness towards us,
and God’s faithfulness is eternal.
Praise the Lord! Amen.

Thuma Mina 69 Je louerai l’Eternel (in French, German and English)
Je louerai l’Eternel de tout mon cœur. Je raconterai toutes tes merveilles,
je chanterai ton nom. Je louerai l’Eternel de tout mon cœur.
Je ferai de toi le sujet de ma joie. Alléluia!

Ich lobe meinen Gott, von ganzem Herzen. Erzählen will ich von all seinen Wundern
und singen seinem Namen. Ich lobe meinen Gott, von ganzem Herzen.
Ich freue mich, und bin fröhlich, Herr, in dir! Halleluja!

Praise, I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart. O God, I will tell
the wonders of your ways, and glorify your name. Praise, I will praise you, Lord,
with all my heart. In you I will find the source of all my joy. Alleluia!

Opening prayer

We do bring you praise and thanks, O Lord. Be with us as we gather, and bless your church.
Show mercy to your creation, and to your people everywhere.
Forgive us our sin, and strengthen our spirits to pray in the power of your Spirit.
Be with all who are in need, and inspire us to reach out to one another in faith and love.
Bring your mercy, justice and peace into all the world, especially where violence flares.
We pray for all nations,
and this week especially for the people and churches of Canada and the United States.

Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us, and grant us your peace.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: Amen.

A reading from Hebrew scripture: Exodus 16:11-18

Le Seigneur dit a Moïse: J’ai entendu les plaintes des Israélites. Dis-leur donc
ceci de ma part: Ce soir vous mangerez de la viande, et demain matin vous aurez du pain en suffisance; ainsi vous saurez que moi, le Seigneur, je suis votre Dieu.

En effet, le soir, des cailles arrivèrent et se posèrent sur tout le camp, il y avait une couche de rosée. Lorsque la rosée s’évapora, quelque chose de granuleux, fin comme du givre, restait par terre. Les Israélites le virent, mais ne savaient pas ce que c’était, et ils se demandèrent les uns aux autres: Qu’est-ce que c’est?
Moïse leur répondit: C’est le pain que le Seigneur vous donne à manger. Et voici ce que le Seigneur a ordonné: Que chacun en ramasse la ration qui lui est nécessaire; vous en ramasserez environ quatre litres par personne, d’après le nombre de personnes vivant sous la même tente.

Les Israélites agirent ainsi; ils en ramassèrent, les uns beaucoup, les autres peu. Mais lorsqu’ils en mesurèrent la quantité, ceux qui en avaient beaucoup n’en avait pas trop, et ceux qui en avaient peu n’en manquaient pas. Chacun en avait la ration nécessaire.

Thuma Mina 112 Let Us Break Bread Together on Our Knees (in English)

A reading from the Fourth Gospel: John 6:28-35

Ils lui demandèrent alors: Que devon-nous faire pour accomplir les œuvres voulues
par Dieu? Jésus leur rèpondit: L’œuvre que Dieu attend de vous, c’est que vous
croyiez en celui qu’il a envoyé.

Ils lui dirent: Quel miracle peux-tu nous faire voir pour que nous te croyions?
Quelle œuvre vas-tu accomplir? Nos ancêtres ont mangé la manne dans le désert, comme le dit l’Ecriture: Il leur a donné à manger du pain venu du ciel.

Jésus leur répondit: Ce n’est pas Moïse qui vous a donné le pain du ciel, mais c’est mon Père qui vous donne le vrai pain du ciel. Car le pain que Dieu donne, c’est celui qui descend du ciel et donne la vie au monde.
Ils lui dirent alors:
Maître, donne-nous toujours de ce pain-là!

Jésus leur déclara: Je suis le pain de vie. Celui qui vient à moi n’aura jamais faim et celui qui croit en moi n’aura jamais soif.

A meditation on the Bread of Life

A prayer from the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, February 2006 Sung response, Thuma Mina 136 “Bendice, Señor, nuesto pan” (in Spanish)

Giver of all good things: we thank you for answered prayer in the gift of daily bread.
At your command the seed germinates, and grain rises from the ground, and labourers heed the call to work the fields that are ripe for harvest.
By your grace the millers grind and bakers bake, so that families and cities and nations are fed.
Give all the people of the earth their daily bread, we pray.

Bendice, Señor, nuestro pan…

Chef de la maison de la foi, tu connais chaque famille par son nom.
Nous te prions de nous rassembler autour de ta table abondante.
Ouvre nos yeux et nos oreilles, vivifie tous nos sens, afin que nous trouvions
dans le pain si généreusement donné pour tous la preuve de ta souveraineté et de ta providence.

Bendice, Señor, nuestro pan…

Brot des Lebens, du bist die beste Quelle, unseren Leib und Geist zu nähren.
Wenn Frauen und Männer grosse Not leiden und wenig Zuversicht haben,
überrasche uns wieder mit barmherzigen Gaben, die wie Manna scheinen für die,
die dem Tod entgegensehen, die trauern, die leiden und sich verlassen fühlen.
Gib uns unser Brot für jeden Tag und lass es uns willig mit den Hungrigen teilen.

Bendice, Señor, nuestro pan…

Teach us how to pray from our hearts, Lord, that we may come to trust entirely in you.
For you are with us in the gift of daily bread, yet accompany us too in times of fasting, poverty and want.
Keep us in your love, and grant that we too may show love to you and to our neighbours.
Hear us now as we pray, each in our own language, the prayer that Jesus taught us…

The Lord’s Prayer (each in his or her own language)

Thuma Mina 195 Komm, Herr, segne uns (verse 1 in German, 2 in English, 3 in French)
1. Komm, Herr, segne uns, dass wir uns nicht trennen…
2. Blessing shrivels up when your children hoard it…
3. Porteurs de la paix, la paix que tu donnes…

The sending
Nie sind wir allein – We are never alone!
Go forth in that confidence, in the company of God,
to love the Lord and serve our neighbours.
Thanks be to God! Amen.