Today begins the summer Embertide…a period of focused prayer
for the ministry of the Church. The quarterly Embertides teach us that all ministry—lay
and ordained—requires prayer if it is not to be merely another human project.
This intentionality of prayerful communion in God marks authentic Christian
witness; it is never and “extra,” some sort of “icing” on an already-made cake.
We may have plans, ideas, hopes…but what makes them ministry is their submission to God in discernment marked by true
prayer. What makes ministries last longer than our own strength is the strength found in prayer.
In the Western Christian tradition there has come to be a
very peculiar and destructive division between the “spiritual” and the
“practical.” We speak about not wasting time in fussy liturgies or
“church-speak” and getting “out there” to do justice and good works. One hears many calls to action, witness, &c., but very little in the way of a creative, deep, and honest call to prayer as the basis for all this action.
This division between prayer and ministry has no basis in
the Christian Faith. Christ is shown again and again in the act of prayer in the Gospel. For Christ the God-Man, prayer
and action are both expressions of a state of communion in the will of the
Father. It should be so for us, his disciples, who through him are now called to become "partakers of the Divine Nature." (2 Peter 1:4)
Today we see many movements and programs in the Church that
run a predictable course: a great deal of excitement to begin with, then a
fairly predictable and inevitable decline. Various terms are used to describe this
decline: “compassion fatigue,” “burnout,” “over-extension,” &c. They often
indicate the same basic problem at heart, though: these were not ministries in the
fullness of the word; they have not been consecrated in prayer, offered in
prayer, soaked in prayer.
The Embertides provide a regular time for withdrawal from
the doing of ministry in our
doing-obsessed world into the being
of ministry—the reality of our being in communion with the source of all
authentic Christian service: the Holy and Undivided Trinity. By offering the Embertide prayers, reading the lessons in Sacred Scripture, and coming silently before
God in humility, we are renewed in the vision, energy, direction, and meaning
of ministry. Our true place, rôle, and significance in whatever relationships
or forms of service we are offering is revealed. This, along with good spiritual direction, confession, and study, helps us understand what we must do and what we must not do in the particularities of ministry.
Each Christian is called to serve, but only in the way
Christ gives us. It is this radical and deep dependence on Christ—not our own
egos or ideologies—that marks true Christian ministry and makes it
“sustainable.” Once we put our hand to the plow of discipleship, we may not
look back, either in longing for the old life, or to get our instructions from
some other source.
The service we offer in such a prayer-soaked ministry is revealed for what it truly is: not servitude, “but true and lasting freedom
in the Redeemer.”
Collects and Lessons
for the Ember Days
Wednesday in Embertide: For
those to be ordained
Collect
Almighty God, the giver of all good gifts, in your divine
providence you have appointed various orders in your Church: Give your grace,
we humbly pray, to all who are [now] called to any office and ministry for your
people; and so fill them with the truth of your doctrine and clothe them with
holiness of life, that they may faithfully serve before you, to the glory of
your great Name and for the benefit of your holy Church; through Jesus Christ
our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.
Numbers 11:16-17,24-29
1 Corinthians 3:5-11
Psalm 99 or 27:1-9
John 4:31-38
Friday in Embertide: For
the choice of fit persons for the [ordained] ministry
Collect
O God, you led your holy apostles to ordain ministers in
every place: Grant that your Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may
choose suitable persons for the ministry of Word and Sacrament, and may uphold
them in their work for the extension of your kingdom; through him who is the
Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Samuel 3:1-10
Ephesians 4:11-16
Psalm 63:1-8
Matthew 9:35-38
Saturday in Embertide: For
All Christians in their vocation
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body
of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications
and prayers, which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church,
that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you;
through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Exodus 19:3-8
1 Peter 4:7-11
Psalm 15
Matthew 16:24-27
An
Embertide Litany
(adapted
from the Litany for Ordinations in
the 1979 Book of Common Prayer)
For use on Ember Days or other occasions, this
Litany may be used for the Prayers of the People at the Eucharist or the Daily
Office (following the collects), or it may be used separately.
God the
Father,
Have mercy on us.
God the
Son,
Have mercy on us.
God the
Holy Spirit,
Have mercy on us.
Holy
Trinity, one God,
Have mercy on us.
We pray
to you, Lord Christ.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the
holy Church of God, that it may be filled with truth and love, and be found
without fault at the Day of your Coming,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For all
members of your Church in their vocation and ministry, that they may serve you
in a true and godly life,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For all
bishops, priests, deacons, and the laity, that we may be filled with your love,
may hunger for truth, and may thirst after righteousness,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the
ministries of this diocese and parish,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
That,
mindful of our covenant with you in Holy Baptism, we may faithfully fulfill the
duties of our ministries, build up your Church, and glorify your Name,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
That by
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we may be sustained and encouraged to
persevere to the end,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For our families
and all the members of this community, that they may be adorned with all
Christian virtues,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For all
who fear God and believe in you, Lord Christ, that our divisions may cease and
that all may be one as you and the Father are one,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the
mission of the Church, that in faithful witness it may preach the Gospel to the
ends of the earth,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For
those who do not yet believe, and for those who have lost their faith, that
they may receive the light of the Gospel,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the
peace of the world, that a spirit of respect and forbearance may grow among
nations and peoples,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For
those in positions of public trust [especially___________], that they may serve
justice and promote the dignity and freedom of every person,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For a
blessing upon all human labor, and for the right use of the riches of creation,
that the world may be freed from poverty, famine, and disaster,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the
poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for refugees, prisoners,
and all who are in danger; that they may be relieved and protected,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For
ourselves; for the forgiveness of our sins, and for the grace of the Holy
Spirit to amend our lives,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For all
who have died in the communion of your Church, and those whose faith is known
to you alone, that, with all the saints, they may have rest in that place where
there is no pain or grief, but life eternal,
we pray
to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Rejoicing
in the fellowship of the ever-blessed Virgin Mary, (blessed N.) and all the saints, let us commend ourselves, and one
another, and all our life to Christ our God.
To you, O Lord our God.
The
collect
O God, you manifest in your servants the signs
of your presence: Send forth upon us the
Spirit of love, that in companionship with one another your abounding grace may
increase among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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