My Blog

Tag: Response

  • A Call to Prayer

    In both the offices of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, The Book of Common Prayer of The Episcopal Church includes a series of prayers called Suffrages. In ecclesiastical use, the word Suffrages refers to a series of intercessory prayers. The ones in the current liturgy are the latest version of Suffrages that Anglican Christians around the world have been praying daily since 1549.

    In the offices, the Suffrages are arranged in a responsive fashion with the letter “V” representing the versicle. A versicle is a little verse, usually from the Psalms, said by the officiant. The letter “R” represents the response to the versicle. Here are the Suffrages to which I want to draw your attention:

    V. Show us your mercy, O Lord;
    R. And grant us your salvation.
    V. Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
    R. Let your people sing with joy.
    V. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
    R. For only in you can we live in safety.
    V. Lord, keep this nation under your care;
    R. And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
    V. Let your way be known upon earth;
    R. Your saving health among all nations.
    V. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
    R. Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
    V. Create in us clean hearts, O God;
    R. And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

    Notice that a little over half of the Suffrages are intercessions for the world, the nation, and the vulnerable. The prayers we offer don’t change God. They call upon God to express those divine qualities and yearnings God has already revealed to us through Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. When words of prayers leave our lips, it is we who ought to be changed – to become more godly in our words and deeds. These Suffrages, then, prompt us to shape our lives and our behavior to align with the qualities and yearnings of God, especially toward the world, the nation, and the vulnerable among us.

    When we pray prayers like this, to borrow a meaningful phrase from the late Congressman John Lewis, we are making “good trouble.” When we pray prayers like this, we are on the verge of becoming the change we would like – and God would like – to see. When we pray prayers like this, we are stepping into the role of ally for those who work for peace and healing, seek justice and truth, and foster tangible hope for those in any kind of need.

    As a response to the precarious situation in which we find ourselves, I am making a renewed commitment to pray the Suffrages every day through the end of this year. I invite you to join me.

    If you are inclined to pray the entire morning and/or evening office that would be great too. If you have a Book of Common Prayer, you can turn to it. Or there are several online offerings that may be even more helpful in that they provide the daily readings as well as the prayers. I’d be happy to know that some of you are joining me in the Suffrages alone, if that is something you feel moved to do. You choose the time of day. For some, the morning or evening might be most meaningful. For others, the Suffrages might be most appropriate after watching the news or following one of the daily outbursts to which we are becoming all too accustomed.

    If something in your life changes because of this spiritual discipline, please let me know!

    Blessings,

    Ron Short Blue Sig Cropped

     

     

     

     

    The Very Reverend Ron Pogue

    P.S. Here are several online resources.

  • What Are You Doing Here?

     

    "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind" is a hymn with words taken from a longer poem, “The Brewing of Soma” by American Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier. A couple of lines from this wonderful hymn have been on my mind during the last couple of months as we have had news of hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, and mass shootings.

    Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
    O still, small voice of calm.

    These words are inspired by a passage of Scripture, I Kings 19:11-13, in which the Prophet Elijah is struggling to hear God’s voice. God tells Elijah to go and stand before the holy mountain. When he does, there is a mighty wind, an earthquake, and a fire. But he is not able to hear the “still small voice” of God in the midst of any of those numinous, frightening, destructive events. He is only able to hear God’s voice in the silence that follows.

    Elijah is asking God, “Where are you and what are you doing?” But when the response comes from God, it is God who is asking the questions: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

    Maybe we have been trying to hear God’s voice and wondering what God is doing in the face of all these horrific events that have destroyed life and property, dashed hopes, and undermined our sense of security. “Where are you, God, and what are you doing?”

    Silence.

    But, as we see from Elijah’s experience, silence may be the environment in which we are finally able to hear – to reflect, to discern, to understand – the Divine Voice.

    And when we do hear the Voice, we may hear the same question that Elijah heard: “What are you doing here, Ron?” Here, at this point in time, in this place, in the aftermath of the wind, the earthquake, the fire, and the violence.

    God and God’s people have been responding to all of those tragedies, offering hope, healing, and relief to people whose lives have been suddenly torn apart. Episcopal Relief and Development, for example, has people in place, working with local relief agencies and authorities to take immediate steps to help. The members of St. Andrew’s Cathedral have sent contributions to Episcopal Relief and Development to provide the funding needed to carry out the work that needs doing. Some have made their contributions directly, and others have contributed through the Cathedral. Thus far, we have sent $7,370 for hurricane relief.

    Soon, it will be time to respond to calls for teams of people to go to affected areas and get physically involved. This article by ERD head Rob Radtke provides a helpful description of what is being done and what each of us can do to help in the days ahead. The Episcopal Diocese of Nevada is providing support and advocacy following the massacre in Las Vegas. And people around the world are joining their voices in prayer for the victims and for divine guidance for those who work to make do the things and make the changes that will protect God’s children.

    Thank you for what you are doing. When the time comes for a call to go, I hope we will have people with the physical strength and time to respond. In every case, may we continue to listen for God’s voice!

    Here's a beautiful recording of that hymn, sung by the Choir of Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucestershire, England.


    I’ll see you in Church!

    Ron Short Blue Sig Cropped

     

     

     

     

    The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue
    Interim Dean
    St. Andrew’s Cathedral
    Jackson, Mississippi