|
Source: (consider it)
|
Thread: Intercession at the Daily Office
|
Qoheleth.
Semi-Sagacious One
# 9265
|
Posted
We are fortunate to be able to say daily Morning Prayer in Church Mon-Sat. I'm presently recasting the way we handle intercession at the DO and would welcome Shipmates' ideas and suggestions. Our pattern has developed without much thought, with various types of people and causes or out. Last year, I composed a monthly Prayer Cycle by including: the streets of the parish, local Church concerns and those of the town in which we are set. There's also the perennial question of who is on/off the sick list, and including the prayers which visitors left on the prayer board. And so on and so forth.
So, how and who do you settle on what and who to pray for? How does the Office nourish an individual's and a community's life of prayer? How does your DP pattern interface with your practice on Sunday?
--------------------
The Benedictine Community at Alton Abbey offers a friendly, personal service for the exclusive supply of Rosa Mystica incense.
Posts: 2532 | From: the radiator of life | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
Adam.
Like as the
# 4991
|
Posted
Our office includes intercessions. Does yours not? Which are you praying? We allow space for open intercessions between the set intercessions and the Our Father in Morning Prayer, and prior to the final intercession for the dead in Evening Prayer. We pray for community birthdays during Morning Prayer and the necrology (death days) during Evening Prayer.
--------------------
Ave Crux, Spes Unica!
Preaching blog
Posts: 8164 | From: Notre Dame, IN | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Country Teacher
Apprentice
# 17082
|
Posted
The parish I am a member of has a list of prayers that are read during the prayers of the people during the Sunday services. Our Daughters of the King chapter manage the intercessory prayers, which come off the list after three months unless there is a continued need. There are also birthdays, anniversaries, local ministries, diocesan, communion-wide, and other such prayers included. Could you use something like that?
Posts: 8 | From: Georgia | Registered: Apr 2012
| IP: Logged
|
|
Barefoot Friar
Ship's Shoeless Brother
# 13100
|
Posted
Part of the litany we do for Sunday and daily MP:
For all asking for our prayers, for our families, friends, and neighbors, for N, N, N, and N, and for those whose names we now call from the congregation . . .
[names called from the congregation]
Father, for all those whose names we have called, and those who are on our hearts, that you would free them from anxiety, fear, pain, and deprivation; that they may live in joy, peace, and health, we pray . . .
Lord, hear our prayer.
The above is our answer for part of your question. For the other parts, I'm afraid I have little to offer. We of course can find ways to weave regular requests into the litany, either by adding names where appropriate, or adding phrases, or other things.
I once pastored a church where peoples' "prayer concerns" were thinly-veiled gossip, and once Sr. W shared a recipe for a congealed salad she'd taken to a funeral that week. (This was on Sunday morning, during the regular worship service.) So after that I was keen to find ways to remember specific concerns in prayer, while minimizing gossip and distraction. Unfortunately, I'm still trying to find the perfect solution. The above is great if people understand the reasoning behind it, but I've had some people complain that they didn't get to tell about their doctor visits in great, excruciating detail and therefore felt shorted. But that may just be a cultural thing in Hadleyburg.
[ 28. June 2012, 04:14: Message edited by: Padre Joshua ]
--------------------
Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. -- Desmond Tutu
Posts: 1621 | From: Warrior Mountains | Registered: Oct 2007
| IP: Logged
|
|
The Silent Acolyte
Shipmate
# 1158
|
Posted
Apropo of the congealed salad, I think one of the models folk should seriously consider for the daily office is a strict adherence to a fixed form, where the variable parts are the collect of the day, the lessons, and the Psalms, all following the calendar and the lectionary.
No names, no enthusiasms du jour, no gossip, nothing extemporaneous, no congealed salads.
In the two places I've attended regularly where the daily office was prayed morning and evening, this was the form, read straight out of the BCP 1928 and 1979.
Less thinking: more prayer. Less us: more God.
It meant that the office was calming and meditative, not exciting and topical.
I know this won't work for every one and every place, but it is a tried and true formula.
Thank you Padre Joshua. I'm going to shameless steal this story and place it in my story catalogue right next to the Palm Sunday Brunch and the Good Friday Bean Supper.
Posts: 7462 | From: The New World | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
fletcher christian
Mutinous Seadog
# 13919
|
Posted
Long lists of names always makes me wonder if God really does need reminding all the time. I think when intercession gets to this level of detail (and in some cases it goes a lot further) the meditative aspect of prayer is lost, some of the spontaneity of the intercessions are forgone and the use of acclamatory intercessions (essentially to give thanks and allow God the space to speak) is pushed out. I'm with Silent Acolyte to a degree.
--------------------
'God is love insaturable, love impossible to describe'
Staretz Silouan
Posts: 5235 | From: a prefecture | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged
|
|
*Leon*
Shipmate
# 3377
|
Posted
This is making me thing.
I find the lists of names, diocesan prayer rotas and so on helpful. They remind me of people I ought to be thinking about. I prefer them in a fairly structured format.
I also feel strongly that the purpose of intercessions is to intercede, and so if I find them helpful, that's not at all relevant. God doesn't need the reminders.
Which sort-of suggests that there should be some place for these lists that's apart from the intercessions. However, I can't think of any appropriate place for them, and inventing one would actually be quite a radical addition.
(This tends to be my view on a lot of things that go on during intercessions: It's a good idea. But not during intercessions. Unfortunately there isn't a better place for it)
Posts: 831 | From: london | Registered: Oct 2002
| IP: Logged
|
|
Ultracrepidarian
Shipmate
# 9679
|
Posted
The intercessions at Evening Prayer at my place seems to work fairly well. While I take TSA's point on focusing more on God than on ourselves, we seem to be managing well at the moment with outward focused, occasionally topical prayer, but without much in the way of gossip.
I wrote a description of what we do below before I properly read the OP - it sounds like we do much the same as you do!
In short, we do include the prayers left on the prayer board (in abbreviated form). And people who've asked for prayer regarding illness get put on a list (without any mention of what the illness is) and get prayed for without ceasing until they ask us to stop. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Intercessions are led by a different person each day with no fixed structure, but there are rough guidelines and it mostly works like this:- General prayers for areas that are focuses of parish ministry (e.g. the homeless and organisations that work with the homeless, the university and those who work/study there etc.). Some standard prayers are often used.
- Prayers concerning issues (maybe topical) close to the heart of the intercessor (e.g. I know that the lay minister always prays for peace and understanding between those of different faiths).
- Parish cycle of prayer: Praying for a street within the parish. I particularly like this, because I know the geographic parish well, and it reminds me of all the people, businesses and educational institutions within the parish.
- Parishioners cycle of prayer: Praying by name for about half a dozen of the people on the electoral roll. No gossip/particular issues discussed, just mentioning the person's name and offering them up in prayer. I also like this, partly for the selfish reason that I know I get prayed for about once a month.
- Sick list and year's mind: Praying by name for those who have asked for prayer concerning illness, and remembering those who have died around this time of year.
- Any other prayer requests from the intercessions book (available for people to write in at any time, but not often used).
- More lengthy time of silence for people to offer up (in silence) their own prayers.
- Collects and Lord's Prayer.
It's a bit parochial, but it means that people are praying about some of the concerns of the community that they're part of, and it avoids too much in the way of gossip or wishing for world peace.
Posts: 1897 | From: Cattle crossing | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
dj_ordinaire
Host
# 4643
|
Posted
One thing I find difficult is establishing a form of intercession for use in private recitation. Although the forms of Litany that Benedictine Daily Prayer provides at Lauds and Vespers are very lovely they are clearly meant for group use and have responses which I always feel a bit odd 'answering' to myself!
Sometimes I omit them and just silently call to mind anybody or anything I feel I ought to pray for.
The litanies also end with the Our Father, which I think probably covers all bases anyway...
--------------------
Flinging wide the gates...
Posts: 10335 | From: Hanging in the balance of the reality of man | Registered: Jun 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Olaf
Shipmate
# 11804
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by dj_ordinaire:
One thing I find difficult is establishing a form of intercession for use in private recitation.
...
The litanies also end with the Our Father, which I think probably covers all bases anyway...
I think the Suffrages (as starting here in the BCP 1979) do a decent job. Additionally, the model forms provided for the Prayers of the People in the BCP 1979 (starting here, keep clicking next to see more) also do a decent job. Form III is very popular in Episcopal Churches, I have found from visiting around.
Posts: 8953 | From: Ad Midwestem | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged
|
|
Bishops Finger
Shipmate
# 5430
|
Posted
We use the Daily Office of the Society of St. Francis at Morning Prayer, usually (but not invariably) led by our parish priest.
The intercessions include (usually in this order):
Collect for the day or week as appropriate;
Prayer for the worldwide Church, the C of E, our Bishops and Archdeacon;
Our Diocesan prayer intention for the day;
Forward-in-Faith parish or concern of the day;
Our local Deanery and Rural Dean;
The work and witness of a neighbouring Deanery parish (varies day-by-day);
Our own community of faith and any specific matter;
The needs of the world;
Those individuals who have requested prayer;
The faithful departed (recent deaths, and those whose anniversary occurs that day).
I'd like to add to this list a moment or two of silent prayer or open prayer, but Father usually manages to cover most things - we have a brief discussion before the Office to raise any concerns needing prayer.
Ian J.
--------------------
Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service. (Wilkie Collins)
Posts: 10151 | From: Behind The Wheel Again! | Registered: Jan 2004
| IP: Logged
|
|
Oblatus
Shipmate
# 6278
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Martin L:
Additionally, the model forms provided for the Prayers of the People in the BCP 1979 (starting here, keep clicking next to see more) also do a decent job. Form III is very popular in Episcopal Churches, I have found from visiting around.
Form III is our standard at weekday Masses. When I'm the server, I generally switch to Form IV on holy days, not because Form IV is more festive or holy, just that it's different.
Posts: 3823 | Registered: May 2004
| IP: Logged
|
|
Olaf
Shipmate
# 11804
|
Posted
Those pre-printed intercessions are nice. One who is adept at using them can easily make on-the-spot modifications if need be, slipping in the name of a tornado-ravaged city or the name of a parishioner admitted to the hospital that morning.
It's a really nice gesture to try to name as many people, places, and events as possible, but often as a worshipper at such a church I get the feeling that it is a routine chore. I'm willing to trust that the Lord will provide for our intentions whether we read them aloud or not.
On a Sunday in Eastertide, I visited an ELCA church at which approximately 60 names were read aloud. I felt it to be a bit obsessive. I would recommend parceling the names into three groups, one per weekend service, rather than reading them all at every service.
Perhaps it is simplest to keep an intercession request book somewhere in the church, and to simply make a general prayer for those particular intercessions that have been made. A moment of silence may follow if desired.
Posts: 8953 | From: Ad Midwestem | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged
|
|
Mama Thomas
Shipmate
# 10170
|
Posted
I seem to remember the RCs having a wonderfully detailed system of intercessions at one or both the major hours of the morning and evening.
I thought they would be wonderful if adapted by any part the Anglican Communion. They haven't but the CofE adopted a few suggestions for days of the week and the seasons. The RCs have done it much better.
Can anyone please give a link to the RC office intercessions?
--------------------
All hearts are open, all desires known
Posts: 3742 | From: Somewhere far away | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
Olaf
Shipmate
# 11804
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Mama Thomas:
I seem to remember the RCs having a wonderfully detailed system of intercessions at one or both the major hours of the morning and evening.
Do you mean the ones that are preprinted with the offices? If I understand you correctly, they can be viewed at Universalis. Use the links on the left to find the desired office.
Posts: 8953 | From: Ad Midwestem | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Angloid
Shipmate
# 159
|
Posted
Communities of nuns solemnly reciting 'Lord Jesus, we are your brothers.' ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
--------------------
Brian: You're all individuals!
Crowd: We're all individuals!
Lone voice: I'm not!
Posts: 12927 | From: The Pool of Life | Registered: May 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Evensong
Shipmate
# 14696
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by The Silent Acolyte:
Apropo of the congealed salad, I think one of the models folk should seriously consider for the daily office is a strict adherence to a fixed form, where the variable parts are the collect of the day, the lessons, and the Psalms, all following the calendar and the lectionary.
No names, no enthusiasms du jour, no gossip, nothing extemporaneous, no congealed salads.
In the two places I've attended regularly where the daily office was prayed morning and evening, this was the form, read straight out of the BCP 1928 and 1979.
Less thinking: more prayer. Less us: more God.
It meant that the office was calming and meditative, not exciting and topical.
This is the practise in my Cathedral. I like it.
There is an excellent rhythm and flow to the whole thing.
--------------------
a theological scrapbook
Posts: 9481 | From: Australia | Registered: Apr 2009
| IP: Logged
|
|
Fradgan
Apprentice
# 16455
|
Posted
The Intercessions at our Morning Prayer include, of course, a number of requests to the Lord in certain areas - leadership of the church, the forgotten, those we love, the departed, etc. Between each supplication and the request "Lord, hear our prayer", there is a time allotted (10-20 seconds) for spoken but quietly whispered prayer.
This allows for a dignified and solemn participation while preventing gossip or congealed salad recipes.
Posts: 37 | From: San Gabriel | Registered: Jun 2011
| IP: Logged
|
|
Qoheleth.
Semi-Sagacious One
# 9265
|
Posted
Just bumping this up to thank you for your contributions, and to respond.
We currently use Celebrating Common Prayer for MP daily, with the Common Worship lectionary. There are some suggestions for intercession in that, and related CW materials. We (I, at any rate) do believe that visible public daily prayer for our parish and its needs is a major and essential part of our ministry, and we advertise our prayer cycle. Personally, I prefer a slow rhythmic listing of subjects without instructing God what to do with each of them. I've done a photo-tour of all the street name signs and major landmarks, and so can call to mind an image of a particular road, with its housing type. Human needs for prayer ISTM are fundamentally the same, regardless of socio-economics.
We all also use the Diocesan prayer cycle (including the Anglican Communion), and I include the cycle of the Benedictine house of which I am an oblate. I have now managed to have the sick list divided into 'acute' and 'chronic' cases ("We continue to pray for ..."). I always include all the departed, faithful and otherwise, and also those who are unable or unwilling to pray for themselves. When I'm feeling inspired, I try to spin a concise extra collect out of one of the readings in a mini-lectio.
Topical concerns may make an appearance, but sparingly. Other concerns may be presented as "those who live with mental illness and their families", rather than "Janet who has just been sectioned and her distraught husband John". I find I tend to forget the thanksgiving bits.
--------------------
The Benedictine Community at Alton Abbey offers a friendly, personal service for the exclusive supply of Rosa Mystica incense.
Posts: 2532 | From: the radiator of life | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
churchgeek
Have candles, will pray
# 5557
|
Posted
I love the idea in the OP of having a cycle praying for streets in the parish!
Where I am, we have sheets printed up with a different focus for each day of the week, but still following the general pattern of praying for the Church, the world, and the local community, incl. the sick and the dead. It follows roughly the same pattern as the POP in Eucharistic services.
Now this one isn't Daily Office, but I like the way the Prayers of the Faithful is done at the Jesuit School of Theology where I attend Mass (I'm affiliated there as a student at the consortium it's part of): The presider offers a few intercessions - seemingly spontaneously, but they tend to be particular concerns relevant to the community - and then says, "For whom or what else shall we pray?" and people offer their prayers very briefly, e.g., "For my aunt so-and-so, who is recovering from surgery, let us pray to the Lord." And everyone responds, "Lord, hear our prayer." (Sometimes people describe a situation and then say, "For this, let us pray to the Lord.") This is a bunch of theological students, though, many of them monks and nuns. Might not work in a regular parish.
--------------------
I reserve the right to change my mind.
My article on the Virgin of Vladimir
Posts: 7773 | From: Detroit | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged
|
|
Captain Chrism
Shipmate
# 11393
|
Posted
As the parish church we feel it is incumbent upon us to pray for the parish. That is to say that we pray for the welfare of those who live and work in the parish and also offer the prayers that the people of the parish would pray if they weren’t too busy with other concerns.
To enable this we have lists of the streets in the parish, the community institutions and church members, and we also pray the media headlines (local and national & international).
--------------------
Because we are not an organisation, let alone a business, or even an institution, but in reality the people of God gathered by the Holy Spirit to walk together in a way that leads to the greater glory of God... Justin Welby
Posts: 72 | From: Sherwood Forest, England | Registered: May 2006
| IP: Logged
|
|
sebby
Shipmate
# 15147
|
Posted
I would keep it BRIEF. It can be hugely tiresome to have endless intercessions. The Roman Office has nice short ones with a response. It is not restrictive of course, but gives a hint that the intercessions shouldn't begin to resemble the length of the rest of the Office
I was put off the daily eucharist in a particular church becuase the list of the sick was read every time and it was huge. It might have been better to have said 'we pray for those who are sick especially those known to us' and then move on. I began to think that in our multi-faith explorations we should incorporate into Anglican worship the Buddhist prayer wheel in the interests of brevity.
--------------------
sebhyatt
Posts: 1340 | From: yorks | Registered: Sep 2009
| IP: Logged
|
|
Olaf
Shipmate
# 11804
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by churchgeek:
I love the idea in the OP of having a cycle praying for streets in the parish!
Where I am, we have sheets printed up with a different focus for each day of the week, but still following the general pattern of praying for the Church, the world, and the local community, incl. the sick and the dead. It follows roughly the same pattern as the POP in Eucharistic services.
Now this one isn't Daily Office, but I like the way the Prayers of the Faithful is done at the Jesuit School of Theology where I attend Mass ...
I like the idea myself, but I fear that this is the sort of thing that seminaries can get away with--liturgies full of people who like to worship and have little concern about time.
It's places like this where one can sing acclamations between each intercession in a hauntingly slow four-part harmony, "O Looooord hear my praaaaayer, O Looooord hear my prayer, when..."
Posts: 8953 | From: Ad Midwestem | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged
|
|
Nick Tamen
Ship's Wayfaring Fool
# 15164
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by dj_ordinaire:
One thing I find difficult is establishing a form of intercession for use in private recitation. Although the forms of Litany that Benedictine Daily Prayer provides at Lauds and Vespers are very lovely they are clearly meant for group use and have responses which I always feel a bit odd 'answering' to myself!
Sometimes I omit them and just silently call to mind anybody or anything I feel I ought to pray for.
I find the form of intercessions for daily prayer in the Book of Common Worship (PC(USA)) adapt well for private prayer. They are structured something like bidding prayers, so they prompt the silent prayers for specific people or intentions. They vary by morning and evening and day of the week. These are the intercession for Monday Morning Prayer:
quote:
We praise you, God our creator, for your handiwork in shaping and sustaining your wondrous creation. Especially we thank you for
the miracle of life and the wonder of living . . . .
particular blessings coming to us this day . . . .
the resources of the earth . . . .
gifts of vision and skillful craft . . . .
the treasure stored in every human life . . . .
We dare to pray for others, God our Savior, claiming your love in Jesus Christ for the whole world, committing ourselves to care for those around us in his name. Especially we pray for
those who work for the benefit of others . . . .
those who cannot work today . . . .
those who teach and those who learn . . . .
people who are poor . . . .
the church in Europe . . . .
Then follows a concluding prayer (7 options) and the Lord's Prayer. Over the course of the week, various situations and conditions are covered. The church in a different part of the world is prayed for every morning, with the church "in every land" being prayed for on Sunday. In Evening Prayer, different branches/traditions of the church are prayed for daily (Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, etc.), with prayers on Sunday being for the Spirit's power in the church.
FWIW.
--------------------
The first thing God says to Moses is, "Take off your shoes." We are on holy ground. Hard to believe, but the truest thing I know. — Anne Lamott
Posts: 2833 | From: On heaven-crammed earth | Registered: Sep 2009
| IP: Logged
|
|
Vaticanchic
Shipmate
# 13869
|
Posted
It always amazes me to discover - in intercessions - that there are still people in the world who don't realise that sunny skies for us mean rainy ones for somebody else ... !
--------------------
"Sink, Burn or Take Her a Prize"
Posts: 697 | From: UK | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged
|
|
Jengie jon
Semper Reformanda
# 273
|
Posted
To echo Nick Tamen's post, the PCUSA thanksgiving and intercession is that they work. You may care to note Vaticanchick the thanksgiving is for weather and that specifically includes snow as well as sun!
The great thing about doing a thanksgiving for the weather before an intercession when it is a set liturgy is you know, that you don't know what the weather will be beforehand so you might end up thanking God for sunshine during much needed downpour after weeks of drought. So you are more balanced, that in turn leads to more balance in the intercessions.
Actually putting intercession after thanksgiving really is in my opinion a good idea and I am glad PCUSA do it. It contextualises the intercessions as being requests to an already generous God.
Jengie
--------------------
"To violate a persons ability to distinguish fact from fantasy is the epistemological equivalent of rape." Noretta Koertge
Back to my blog
Posts: 20894 | From: city of steel, butterflies and rainbows | Registered: May 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Vaticanchic:
It always amazes me to discover - in intercessions - that there are still people in the world who don't realise that sunny skies for us mean rainy ones for somebody else ... !
Maybe we just trust God to figure that bit out appropriately?
--------------------
Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged
|
|
Vaticanchic
Shipmate
# 13869
|
Posted
Eh? So it's ok to pray for sun on your own wedding day, knowing it would then rain on someone else's?!
--------------------
"Sink, Burn or Take Her a Prize"
Posts: 697 | From: UK | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged
|
|
Mamacita
Lakefront liberal
# 3659
|
Posted
I wasn't aware that faith, or meteorology, were zero-sum games.
--------------------
Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.
Posts: 20761 | From: where the purple line ends | Registered: Dec 2002
| IP: Logged
|
|
Percy B
Shipmate
# 17238
|
Posted
The problem we have is the wide variety of resources. We also try to avoid being too local and too off the top of the head of the leader. Often we fail
In theory I like the idea of praying for a street and for church people by name, but it can end up like reading a gazetteer / phone directory.
We also invite people coming in to write prayers and then feel we really must include those. But actually we settle on the whole to saying and all those for whom prayers are asked.
I think a lot of people expect parish churches to be praying the prayers of the people and we feel we should.
--------------------
Mary, a priest??
Posts: 582 | From: Nudrug | Registered: Jul 2012
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
Printer-friendly view
