Thursday Healing Service- July 22
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Healing and Prayers in Quarantine For Our Friends, Our Families, for the Church and for the World Feast Day of Mary and Martha, July 29 Ordination of the Philadelphia Eleven - July 29 On July 29, 1974, at the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia, eleven Episcopal women deacons were ordained the first women in the Episcopal priesthood. This photograph, which was picked up worldwide, shows the women deacons at the communion rail during the part of the service in which the ordaining bishops ask them questions regarding their preparation for the priesthood. Two weeks after the ordination service had taken place, on August 14–15, Presiding Bishop John Allin convened an emergency meeting of the House of Bishops at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. At first, the House declared the priestly ordinations of the eleven women to be invalid, stating that “we express our conviction that the necessary conditions for ordination to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church were not fulfilled on the occasion in question, since we are convinced that a bishop’s authority to ordain can be effectively exercised only in and for a community which has authorized Page !1 of !12 him to act for them…Then Arthur A. Vogel, Bishop of West Missouri, raised his objection. He was considered the most theologically astute of the bishops, and told his colleagues that they had no theological grounds for declaring the ordinations invalid because they were performed by bishops in good standing according to the Ordination Rite in the Book of Common Prayer and by laying-on-of-hands within the Apostolic Succession. To declare the ordinations invalid would be to flout hundreds of years of orthodox definition for the criteria of valid ordination. The House of Bishops listened and changed its position, declaring the women irregularly ordained instead. Celebrant: Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever. Amen Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen. The Lord be with you And also with you Let us pray O God, heavenly Father, your Son Jesus Christ enjoyed rest and refreshment in the home of Mary and Martha of Bethany: Give us the will to love you, open our hearts to hear you, and strengthen our hands to serve you in others for his sake; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Page !2 of !12 First Lesson: Romans 12:9-13 9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. 11Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Psalm: 36:1-5 1 There is a voice of rebellion deep in the heart of the wicked; * there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 He flatters himself in his own eyes * that his hateful sin will not be found out. 3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful, * he has left off acting wisely and doing good. 4 He thinks up wickedness upon his bed and has set himself in no good way; * he does not abhor that which is evil. 5 Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, * and your faithfulness to the clouds. Gospel: Luke 10:38–42 38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ 41But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’ Priest: The Gospel of the Lord People: Praise be to thee, O Lord.. Reflection: Page !3 of !12 A Litany of Healing (Let us name before God those for whom we offer our prayers.) God the Father, your will for all people is health and salvation; We praise you and thank you, O Lord. God the Son, you came that we might have life, and might have it more abundantly; We praise you and thank you, O Lord. God the Holy Spirit, you make our bodies the temple of your presence; We praise you and thank you, O Lord. Holy Trinity, one God, in you we live and move and have our being; We praise you and thank you, O Lord. Lord, grant your healing grace to all who are sick, injured, or disabled, that they may be made whole; Hear us, O Lord of life. Grant to all who seek your guidance, and to all who are lonely, anxious, or despondent, a knowledge of your will and an awareness of your presence; Hear us, O Lord of life. Mend broken relationships, and restore those in emotional distress to soundness of mind and serenity of spirit; Hear us, O Lord of life. Bless physicians, nurses, and all others who minister to the suffering, granting them wisdom and skill, sympathy and patience; Hear us, O Lord of life. Grant to the dying peace and a holy death, and uphold by the grace and consolation of your Holy Spirit those who are bereaved; Hear us, O Lord of life. Page !4 of !12 Restore to wholeness whatever is broken by human sin, in our lives, in our nation, and in the world; Hear us, O Lord of life. You are the Lord who does wonders: You have declared your power among the peoples. With you, O Lord, is the well of life: And in your light we see light. Hear us, O Lord of life: Heal us, and make us whole. Let us pray. Open us to your healing power, O God. We entrust ourselves to your care, knowing that you are doing for us and for all the world far better things than we can ask or imagine. With you as our companion and guide, strengthen us to hope for all that is good, and to fear no evil. For your love is stronger than death, and your faithfulness reaches to the heavens; and to you we give glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and to the ages of ages. Amen. Confession of Sin Let us confess our sins to God: God of all mercy, we confess that we have sinned against you, opposing your will in our lives. We have denied your goodness in each other, in ourselves, and in the world you have created. We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf. Forgive, restore, and strengthen us through our Savior Jesus Christ, that we may abide in your love and serve only your will. Amen. Page !5 of !12 Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. Prayers for Healing +Uno Avisto David Burlinghoff Jay Coffey Chris and Kim Elizabeth Hallman Helen Jim Holmstrom Zane Hutcherson Gordon King Debbie Lawrence +Molly Miles Ware Mitchell Fr. Michael Murphy Brenda Payne +Tonda Rawls Meredith and Ben Reiner Ruth Shelton +Margaret Smith We pray for those sickened and isolated by this virus. those who are one the front lines and continuing to work in the face of this pandemic. We pray for the repose of the soul of all who have died from this virus and those who are suffering from the spiritual, emotional and physical unrest in the country. We pray for our leaders to make wise and courageous decisions to seek peace, healing and reconciliation in our country. We pray for all those who have died in the fight for racial equality. Page !6 of !12 Therefore, we stand in faith and love with our brothers and sisters of color as we walk this journey together. We pray for a raised awareness and consciousness for our world and our community and we resolve to pray daily that we might become the people that God wants us to be. We also continue to pray those on our long-term prayer list, especially: Allison and William Cross*, Richard Dixson, Betsy Donahue, Carol, *Ed Fisher*, Marylu Fowler*,Judy Franks*, Margaret Haile*, Mary Florence Jackson*, Dot Jensen*, Christina Lathan, Matt, Jennifer Nicely, Shirley Page, Ann Palmer*, Will Mary Pratt*, Beverley Richardson,* Howard Snead*, Evelyn Vanderford*, Elizabeth Wyatt, Bob Younger* O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord.