Keep praying for the FCA/GAFCON leaders meeting in London

Just a reminder to please continue to pray for the 200+ Anglican leaders gathered in London for the FCA/GAFCON leaders conference.

You can follow news from the conference here:

News

Resource page (audio, video, photos)

I highly recommend reading or watching Apb. Wabukala of Kenya’s opening address.  It is EXCELLENT and deeply refreshing to hear his vision for the future of the Anglican Communion and his call to heed and obey what God is requiring of us, individually and corporately – “living not for ourselves but for Him who died and rose again.”

Here is a section of his address:

What does the Lord require of you?

This is the greatest question facing us this week.  It demands that we have a clear headed understanding of the situation we face and are willing to let go of comfortable illusions. It also, and most crucially, calls us back to what God has said. Micah affirms that “he has showed you, O man, what is good”. Discovering the will of God, what God requires, is not dependent upon our ingenuity or imagination. He does not play games with us. He speaks through the scriptures. The question is whether or not we will allow the Holy Spirit to apply that word to our hearts and then obey it.

What does the Lord require? First we need to bring a biblical mind to the situation we face. None of us looked for this crisis and we may be tempted to think we can get back to a time when the life of our communion ran along more predictable and familiar lines. But that is an illusion. Faith is not escapism, but facing things as they are in the confidence that God will act. The crisis we face is also an opportunity. Its origin can be traced back many years. The unprecedented challenges to Anglican identity forced upon us by the revisionist scriptural interpretation have in the mercy of God, given us an historic opportunity to rediscover the distinctive reformed catholicity of our Communion as shaped so profoundly by the witness of the sixteenth century Anglican Reformers.

Trusting God’s providence, we can be confident that in God’s own time He is putting right what has been going wrong, but He takes us up into His purposes and if we are to understand the implications of this crisis for the recovery and renewal of Anglican identity, we must first be clear on what sort of crisis it is.

We cannot treat this as simply an institutional crisis….  […]

What does the Lord require? He requires, says Micah: that we act, that we act justly and with mercy, not just write and think about things. We must act out of our God given identity, we must be true to ourselves as we are in Christ crucified, redeemed through the cross where God’s Justice and Mercy meet. This is what it means to act with authenticity. It is not a matter of following our subjective dreams and feelings, but being true to the one who has risen from the dead, so that we might live not for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose again for us.

MUST WATCH this video! Prayer ministry on the streets of London

Wow. Wow. Wow.

You’ve got to watch this short video from the FCA Conference – a Rwandan bishop shares about an opportunity he had to be part of a prayer ministry team on the streets of London.  Just awesome!

You can watch it here.

 

Praying for the FCA / GAFCON gathering in London

Cherie Wetzel at Anglicans United has a post with information about how to be praying for the FCA / GAFCON leaders gathering in London.

About 200 Anglican leaders from 26 countries and 22 Provinces are meeting in London in from April 23-27th.

The full article is here.

Here are key prayer points:

Again we ask for your partnership in this conference, through your prayers. In particular please pray for:

• Resolution of any remaining travel matters for delegates (e.g., visas)
• Safe travel and good health of delegates
• Faithful and Spirit-filled teaching from the Scriptures
• Heartfelt unity and fellowship
• A God-given vision for the future of Anglicanism, in light of the current challenges
• Clear goals and a common mind in service of Christ

Celebrating 5000 Blog Entries (Part 2) – Some of the special prayer series we’ve done over the years

As part of our celebration of 5000 blog entries on this site, I thought it would be helpful to pull together at least a partial listing of some of our special prayer series.

Apart from the special menus and compilations of Advent, Lent and Easter devotional posts and resources, we’ve done a number of special prayer campaigns in recent years.  Below are just a few of the menus of prayers or links to special prayer collections we’ve compiled since 2006, or category listings where you can find all the prayers posted in conjunction with a specific event or topic.

Pray for the GAFCON Primates Meeting in London

Unfortunately, I’ve been offline much of the past 2 days, and have limited internet access today so am not sure if one of my L&B colleagues has already posted a prayer request for the GAFCON Primates meeting in London that started yesterday.  The Living Church reports:

Eight archbishops are meeting in closed-door session at a London hotel this week to review plans for the creation of a new Anglican Communion province to be known as the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).

Seven primates: Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya, Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda, Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone, Archbishop Valentino Mokiwa of Tanzania, Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda, Archbishop Justice Akrofi of West Africa; along with the Most Rev. Peter Jensen, Archbishop of Sydney (Australia) began talks on April 14 at hotel near Heathrow airport.

The whole story is here.

Please uphold the meeting and all named in your prayers!

GAFCON Lenten Bible Studies “Way of the Cross” available

Shucks. I remember reading awhile back that GAFCON was going to release a Lenten Bible Study series. But the announcement was back in Dec. or Jan. when I was travelling and my mind was far from Lent. So, I’d forgotten all about it. Today, however there is an updated press release / reminder over at Anglican Mainstream. So, even though we’re already well into Lent now, consider checking this out. I’m really eager to have some Lenten materials from a Global South perspective, and am so glad GAFCON has reminded us of this resource!

***

Download Lenten Bible studies & notes for the Way of the Cross

Message from Justin Brierley, Premier Christian Radio

I would love to draw people’s attention to the webpage where they can now download the Lenten Bible study audio and notes for “The Way of the Cross” – a collaboration between GAFCON and Premier Christian Radio.

The address is www.wayofthecross.co.uk

The podcast uses original audio from the GAFCON Bible expositions as well as specially recorded material from a couple of contributors that was not available when the material was originally recorded.

The 2009 Lent resource “The Way of the Cross” is a 6-part Bible-study podcast based on the expositions of Scripture given at the historic Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) which took place in Jerusalem, June 2008.

GAFCON called the Anglican church back to its roots in scripture and orthodoxy as 291 Bishops and 900 other Anglican leaders met together to consider a way forward for the Anglican Communion.

These six studies open up the Biblical story of salvation and are accompanied by questions for personal or group use which help to relate current issues of biblical truth to the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ.

The studies are as follows

1. Genesis 12 – The Promise of God – Archbishop Justice Akrofi

2. Exodus 24 – The Presence of God – Canon David Short

3. 2 Samuel 7 – The King of God – Revd Vaughan Roberts

4. Luke 24 – The Son of God – Bishop Michael Fape

5. Revelation 21 – The Throne of God – Archbishop Datuk Yong Ping Chung

6. Jude – The Authority of God – Bishop Wallace Benn

The Anglican Communion

“Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
John 20:15

Lord, we are weeping for the betrayals and the broken relationships, the death of trust, within the Anglican Communion. We mourn Satan’s destruction. Like Mary Magdalene, we yearn to find that which is lost.
Speak to the GAFCON primates as they meet this week. Call each one by name. We pray that their hearts will be satisfied with nothing less than Jesus. May the love within the Anglican Communion grow like the dawn, as beautiful as the full moon, as pure as the sun, as awesome as an army with banners.
Song of Solomon 6:10, John 20:15-16

Hat tip: Inspiration for this prayer came from a Francis Frangipane devotion.

GAFCON prayer bulletin

Received via e-mail–

To: All GAFCON Participants &

All Church, Diocesan and Provincial Intercessors

PRAYER BULLETIN SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER 2008

Grace and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Praise and
glory be to the One who was, the One who is and the One who sits on
the throne for ever and ever. Amen.

The Primate of all Nigeria, the Most Rev. Peter Jasper Akinola has
been moved in his spirit to call on all intercessors throughout the
world to seek God’s face fervently, spending nights and days on our
knees, praying earnestly for our Anglican Communion. At his
instigation, we therefore bring before you the first of a series of
quarterly Prayer Bulletins, and ask that you join us in praying for
the following:

1. Pray for a Spirit-led, united leadership for the GAFCON Primates
Council, that they may remain faithful to the teachings of the Bible,
steadfast in promoting the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
uncompromising in the pursuit of the truth of the word of God and the
love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Also pray for the GAFCON Theological
Resource Group and the GAFCON Leadership team that they may remain
faithful, focused and not distracted.

2. Lift up before the throne of grace the Jerusalem Statement, which
represents the collective mind of the participants at GAFCON, as
revealed by the Holy Spirit, that this statement may be a guide in
the pursuit of the two fundamental resolutions of GAFCON, i.e.:

a. that the Bible be upheld as the final authority for the life,
faith and conduct of all believers;

b. that mission and evangelism, saving the lost, bringing life and
health to the poor and needy, remain the main tasks of the church.

3. Pray earnestly for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit powerfully to
bring about renewal, revival and transformation of lives, communities
and environments.

4. Pray for a clear focus for the Anglican Church to pursue God’s
agenda from Scripture, God’s authority as given by Jesus Christ, and
God’s mission in saving sinners and turning them to saints through
the work of the Holy Spirit. Pray sincerely that all other agendas be
lost, and Jesus alone be Lord.

We count it a privilege to be called upon for this great task in the
vineyard of the Lord.

The Lord be with you,

+Most Rev. Dr. Benjamin A. Kwashi

Archbishop of Jos

Co-ordinator GAFCON Prayer Teams

Benedictus: Luke 1:68ff

Benedictus.
St. Luke i. 68.
BLESSED be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people;
LORD, please come and visit your people today with your Holy Spirit.

And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
Father, thank you for sending your son to us; thank you for sending your prophets and evangelists to us; thank you for all the witnesses you have raised up among us.

As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets which have been since the world began;
Holy Spirit, please continue to speak by the mouth of your servants in our generation.

That we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us.
Jesus, please save us from the hand of all who hate your gospel and your faithful people.

To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers and to remember his holy Covenant;
Father, please do your works of mercy in our day. Thank you for the new covenant you made with us through the blood of your son Jesus.

To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham that he would give us;
Holy Spirit, thank you for making us children of Abraham and heirs to the promises made to him by faith in the name of Jesus.

That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear;
Jesus, you have not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Thank you. (2 Timothy 1:7)

In holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.
Father, you are a holy God and you have called us to holiness. Please help us answer your call to holiness. Thank you. (Leviticus 19:2)

And thou, Child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
Holy Spirit, thank you for sending John to prepare the way for Jesus; please help the Episcopal Church hear his call to repent of our sins.

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people for the remission of their sins,
Holy Spirit, please bring the leaders and teachers and people of the Episcopal Church to a saving knowledge of Jesus for the remission of their sins. Thank you.

Through the tender mercy of our God whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us;
Jesus, thank you for your tender mercy towards us and for the light you give us day by day.

To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Thank you, Father, that there is no darkness dark enough to hide us from the light of your love for us. (Psalm 139:1-12)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen.
So be it.

A word received: Don’t be afraid, I AM with you.

Thursday: 134, 135; Numbers 23:11-26; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 22:1-14
Friday: 141, 143:1-11(12); Numbers 24:1-13; Romans 8:12-17; Matthew 22:15-22

Notes from the Front Line

***** Check out Bishop Dave Bena’s comments on GAFCON at http://transfigurations.blogspot.com/2008/07/cana-bp-david-bena-writes-to-his-clergy.html

***** A Novena for Vocations to the Community of St. Mary

Prayers to be Said Daily

St. Mary’s Convent, 242 Cloister Way, Greenwich, NY 12834-7922
(518 ) 692-3028, http://www.stmaryseast.org e-mail: melizcsm@aol.com

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8 )

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

Collect for the Community of St. Mary:
Almighty God, who chose the blessed Virgin Mary to be the Mother of your Incarnate Son, grant to us your servants who bear her name so to yield ourselves to the operation of the Holy Spirit that we may be acceptable in your sight and may bring forth to you the fruit of good works, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fourth Day: For Vowed Life as Type of the Church as Bride
Lord Jesus, even as we await eagerly the revelation of the whole Church Triumphant as your spotless and holy Bride, so we ask that you call women in our age to live the particular vocation of a vowed life, given wholly to the love of God. Prepare the hearts of these women by trimming and replenishing their interior lamps with the oil of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Albany Intercessor

Traveling Mercies for GAFCON Pilgrims

We pray for all GAFCON participants returning  to their homes throughout the world. 

Ezekiel 2: 1-7 (from the readings for the transferred Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul)

And he said to me, “Son of man, stand upon your feet, and I will speak with you.” And when he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me upon my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels, who have rebelled against me; they and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The people also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them; and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that there has been a prophet among them.  And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit upon scorpions; be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear; for they are a rebellious house.

Father, send guardian angels to watch over the Anglican pilgrims as they return from the Global Anglican Future Conference in Jerusalem.  May their travels be on time.  May they not be beset by lengthy delays, lost luggage, or missed connections.  May they be safe from foul weather and other travel dangers.  May they be faithful witnesses of your Gospel to other travelers they encounter. 

Father, may they speak your word without fear to those who are in rebellion against you.  May they have no fear of those who have turned away from you.  May your Holy Spirit speak through them.  May those who hear their words know that they have heard your utterances. 

Father, thank you for the gift of this conference to these pilgrims, and to those of us back home.  May your name be glorified as a result. 

Amen.

GAFCON Primates’ Council

The primates’ council will initially be formed by the six Anglican primates participating in the GAFCON from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Southern Cone, Uganda and West Africa. Also the Anglican Church of Tanzania delegation to GAFCON is in agreement with the statement but will need the endorsement of their House of Bishops before their archbishop join the council.

Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. You change times and seasons; You set up kings and depose them. You give wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. You reveal deep and hidden things; You know what lies in darkness, and light dwells with You. We thank and praise You, O God of our fathers.
We desire Your mercies, O God of heaven, for Benjamin, Peter, Emmanuel, Gregory, Henry, Justice, and Valentino. Grant them wisdom and might. Make known to them the desires of Your heart for the Anglican Communion. May they help to establish Your kingdom and Your will in the Communion as it is in heaven. Amen.
Daniel 2:17-23

Final Day of GAFCON

We pray for those pilgrims in Jerusalem as they return to the Lord’s table for a final time together and prepare to return home.

ACTS 17: 26-28

And he made from one every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your poets have said, ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Father, your church is scattered throughout the earth, but we are all your children.  Be with our Jerusalem pilgrims as they worship together, dine together, and say good-bye to one another.  May they show the face of Jesus to one another.  May the Holy Spirit fill their hearts.  May they be joyful at the outcome of this meeting.  May they continue to seek you.  May they continue to seek your honor and glory. 

Thank you, Father, for this conference.  Thank you for the hope it has provided to those of us at home.  May we never forget that you are sovereign, and that all that occurs is part of your divine plan.

Amen.

GAFCON

Pray for those praising the Lord in Jersusalem.

Matthew 21: 9-11

And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Father, bless those who have come in the name of Jesus.  May they sing hosannas.  May they shout for joy.  May they answer your further call with boldness knowing that they can rely on your strength.  Bless them Lord.  Guide their deliberations as this conference winds down.  Be a part of their sessions.  And, please, Father, prepare them to leave the mountaintop and return to the demon-infested valley to continue your work.  Arm them with spiritual weapons, Father.  Grant them courage.  Grant them wisdom.  Grant them purity.  Let the light of Jesus shine in their faces.  Make them your instruments of peace.  Make them your instruments of salvation. 

All honor, praise, and glory are due you, Father.  May we seek not our own glory, but instead seek only to one day see your glory.  Amen. 

GAFCON

We pray that the Light of the world may illuminate the Anglican pilgrims in Jerusalem.

Matthew 20: 29-34

And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the roadside, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”  The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent; but they cried out the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”  And Jesus stopped and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?”  They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”  And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Lord, have mercy on us.  Open our eyes.  Have pity on us and give us eyes to see your light. 

Our church has been blinded by the world, Father.  We can no longer discern good from evil.  We no longer recognize evil as evil, and sometimes even proclaim evil to be good.  We have preferred darkness to the light for so long that we are now are lost in the dark. 

Father, send forth your Spirit to the Anglican pilgrims in Jerusalem and give them wisdom and knowledge and eyes to lead us out of this dark place.  Create a path for them, Father, and lead them to your path and along your path.  May they not stumble.  May they not falter.  May thy will be done.

Amen. 

GAFCON

We give thanks and praise for the faithful witness of the participants at this event.  We pray that God will continue to shower blessings upon them.

Romans 5: 1-5

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.

Father, may we rejoice in the turmoil in our church, knowing that you are there all along, leading us, guiding us, giving us strength and courage.  Use this turmoil to produce in us endurance, and character, and the great Christian virtue of hope.  May we see your hand at work.  May we have faith in your providence when we fail to see your hand at work.  Pour your love into the hearts of those representing us in Jerusalem, Father.  Give them the undiluted Holy Spirit.  May they not waver from finishing the race they have begun, which will surely end with them beholding your glory if they do not flag. 

We give you thanks and praise, Father, for the powerful witness of those who have already made themselves heard at this conference.  May we not care what the world thinks of this conference, but care only what you think of it, Father.  May you be pleased.  May you be pleased.

Amen.