Report on Mississippi clergy meeting

Thank you for your prayers, dear intercessors. The format used in discussions in the past few years was breaking into assigned groups to discuss assigned questions, with a reporter from each small group. Yesterday, the clergy were allowed to share their hearts, one at a time. It was respectful, charitable, and spiritually mature.

O Lord, You are a God of tender mercies. We praise Your holy name. Amen.

San Diego

Judge to rule on summary judgment in San Diego today.

We lean on You, dear Lord. We lean on You.

Praise in Madison County

Today’s meeting of the Mississippi presbyters in Madison County promises to be painful. May God be fully present.

O Lamb that was slain, with head full-crowned, worthy are You.
May all of creation between the Pearl and Big Black Rivers proclaim, Worthy are You. The wildflowers and the trees, the meadows and the lakes, sing of Your glory.
May the atmosphere in Madison County be filled with angelic voices proclaiming, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.
May every creature in Madison County, in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the lakes, and all that are in them, say, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.
May the affirmations of the four beasts and the twenty-four elders fill the air.
We join our voices to theirs and say, O Lamb that was slain, with head full-crowned, You are worthy to take the book sealed with the seven seals. You are worthy to open the seals, for You were slain and have redeemed the saints by Your blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. You have redeemed the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi. Worthy, worthy, worthy is the Lamb.

Mississippi clergy

In the aftermath of GC09, the clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi will meet today.

Jehovah-Sabaoth,
Commission Your holy angels to bring Your servants messages, plans for the establishment of Your kingdom in Mississippi. As Your servants go forth with Your new assignments, show them the path of righteousness through any unrighteous structure.
You parted the Red Sea to deliver the children of Israel from bondage and the Jordan River to bring them into the Promised Land. Part the unrighteous structures to open a way forward for Your servants. Amen.

Mississippi clergy

In the aftermath of GC09, the clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi will meet on Friday.

Jehovah-Tsidkeenu, O Lord our Righteousness,
There is much in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life that woos our hearts away from You. There is much in the world that resists the establishment of Your kingdom on earth. We drift in a fog of confusion and are easily carried away from You by prevailing currents.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
We pray that Your clergy in the diocese of Mississippi will not become discouraged when they recognize the influence of Satan. Rather, Lord, open their eyes to view into the realm of God. Let their thoughts and words and actions be guided by kingdom principles. It is not always easy to discern what You would have them do, both individually and corporately.
Even if it requires supernatural intervention, Lord, we ask for insight into Your way, Your truth, Your life. Grant this diocese a new mind. Bring them into the mind of Christ.
Help them to stand firm and not abandon Your call on their lives. Use them in the carrying out of Your will on earth. Amen.
1 Kings 19:1-3

Mississippi clergy

In the aftermath of GC09, the clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi will meet on Friday.

Jehovah-Mekaddishkem, O Lord our Sanctifier,
Stir to their remembrance the scriptures and specific words You have given them in seasons past. Refresh Your voice in their spirits and grant them Your revelation for this season.
You are the Alpha and the Omega. Guide Your servants to the end of each task You have assigned them. Amen.

Trinity School for Ministry

Almighty God,
You are the great Lord of the harvest, and you faithfully call and equip your people for the ministry of your Gospel. We thank you for raising up Trinity, its faculty, staff, students, trustees, and supporters, and for enabling us to equip men and women for ordained and lay ministry in the Church. We ask you to sustain and expand this good work. Establish us in the grace of your Holy Spirit. Help us, both by our lives and our witness, to be faithful witnesses to your Gospel. Use us to strengthen and enlarge the number of people you send out on your mission to the world. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Church of England

A brief sketch of the current issues within the Church of England, provided by our esteemed British blog commenter Pageantmaster, can be found here.

Luke 1:30
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.

Luke 2:34-35
Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

O Lord,
You are holy God, and You cannot share Your glory with lies. We pray that the leaders of the Church of England will seek Your favor and humbly submit themselves to Your Holy Word. Amen.

Mississippi clergy

In the aftermath of GC09, the clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi will meet on Friday.

Jehovah-Elyon, O Lord Most High,
Guide Your servants to Your throne of praise. Release springs of living water within their spirits. As these springs flow from their mouths, expel bitterness, pain, and sorrow. Amen.

Minnesota

Election ongoing today.

Gracious God, you give light and life to your people. You guide us in pathways of renewal and transformation. Light the way before us now, as we discern and choose the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Minnesota. May we find a pastor who will lead us in hope, challenge us to ever greater faithfulness, and equip us with love for mission and ministry in the church and in the world. We pray in thanksgiving for your guiding presence and your grace, in the Name of Jesus our Savior. Amen.

Minnesota

Today a bishop election takes place in Minnesota. I’ve been following reports on Anglicat. Her assessment of the bishop candidates can be found here.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Oh, for a bishop that knows Jesus, that yearns for Jesus, whose zeal for Jesus is unrelenting! I cry out for Jesus in the election of the bishop of Minnesota. I cry out for Jesus in the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota. I speak the name of Jesus over the diocesan convention. May Jesus be in the atmosphere, the sound of His name in the hearts of His children. I speak the blood of Jesus around the diocesan meeting, and I implore You, Lord, for the election of a man or woman whose passion is Jesus. Amen.

Southern Sudan

Matthew 12:18-21 Young’s Literal Translation
Lo, My servant, whom I did choose, My beloved, in whom My soul did delight, I will put My Spirit upon him . . . a bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench, till he may put forth judgment to victory, and in his name shall nations hope.’

Dear Father,
We thank You for Your servant Jesus, full of Spirit, full of love. You delighted in Him. We delight in Him too. We hope in His name for Southern Sudan. Amen.

A menu of Sudan prayers can be found here.

Southern Sudan

More details on the murder of Archdeacon Joseph Mabior Garang at the altar during a service of Morning Prayer. Witnesses report that Mabior was shot twice in the legs and that his attackers may have also used a military knife called a “sonki.” After the first shots, 30 men and women from the church and town, including tribal chiefs, soldiers, a university student and other youth leaders, and several of the town’s oral historians, covered Mabior with their own bodies. All 30 gave their lives in their effort to protect him. Mabior died two hours later.

John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Father,
Your Son gave us the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever we bind on earth is bound in heaven and whatever we loose on earth is loosed in heaven. We claim this free access to God’s kingdom and declare that there are no more barriers between heaven and earth at the altar where the Venerable Joseph Garang and his 30 companions were martyred.
Open a portal into the heavens where the angels can ascend and descend, where anointings can flow from the realms of glory, and where the people of God can enter into a heavenly visitation. May the spilled blood of Garang and his 30 companions be the bedrock for a heavenly highway to Wernoyl and the worship of Your children be the paving stones.
Sudan has known conflict for two millenia. We see through a glass darkly and know only in part. If there are portals over this land that allow access of the demonic, we decree them bound. We speak in unity with our brothers and sisters in Sudan and claim the promise of Your blessing. Amen.
Matthew 16:19, Psalm 133

South Carolina

Ezekiel 11:18-20 NLT
When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile images and detestable idols. And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.

O Lord,
May it be so in the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, meeting in convention today. Amen.

South Carolina

Today’s lectionary reading includes Psalm 31, which makes for an apt prayer for the diocese of South Carolina, if you adapt it from the first person to the third person. In the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, concerns over the recent actions taken in July at the General Convention, and over matters of Scripture, polity and authority, have prompted diocese officials to call for a special convention tomorrow.