Pray for discernment
O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
| · It is not too late to watch the Washington National Cathedral’s service Holding on to Hope: A National Service for Healing and Wholeness featuring Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and a host of faith leaders from other traditions. In the midst of a pandemic, racial reckoning, and a historic election, this service gathered Americans for prayer, song, lament, hope, and a call to love God and neighbor.
· Join us TODAY at 6:00 pm, as the DAIR Leaders’ Network (a new, local interfaith coalition co-founded by our rector) offers an Interfaith Prayer for a More Perfect Union via Facebook Live. This service will include music, readings, and meditations from a number of faith traditions, centered around the themes Be Kind, Be Strong, and Stay Together. · On Wednesday, November 4 at 7 pm, Trinity Cathedral will be hosting a service for the whole Diocese and will include scripture, prayer, hymns and several short reflections. Bishop Megan will be one of the speakers. Praying for Peace in our Civic Life. In addition, St. Martin’s clergy and lay leaders will be offering various opportunities to come together in prayer and conversation throughout the week. We will have Morning Prayer at 8:30 am and Compline at 8:30 pm online, as has been our practice since March. Clergy are also offering Office Hours when you can meet up with one of us on Zoom and chat about whatever is on your mind. Please call or email info@churchofstmartin.org for the Zoom link. We are also encouraging people to use our beautiful labyrinth for personal prayer and walking meditations. The Labyrinth is a sacred pattern that leads you on a path to its center and back out again. It’s a way of praying with the body that invites God into an active conversation with the heart and soul. The Labyrinth is an ecumenical, interfaith, spiritual tool. It is open to all. You pray to the higher power of your choice. The Labyrinth at Saint Martin’s is always open to those who wish to use it. On Tuesday, November 3 and Wednesday, November 4 there will be an opportunity to walk the Labyrinth using some additional spiritual tools to help you reflect on the events of the days and offer your concerns and prayers to God. The plan is for volunteers from St. Martin’s will be available from 12 – 1 and 5 – 6 pm on both Tuesday and Wednesday to help ensure social distancing and explain the spiritual tools available. An outline of the week looks something like this: Tuesday, November 3 8:30 am – 9:30 am – Morning Prayer & Alex office hours (on Zoom) 12noon – 1 pm – Labyrinth Walk with volunteer guides Pamela will also be holding office hours on the labyrinth at this time. 5 pm – 6 pm – Labyrinth Walk with volunteer guides 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Margaret office hours (on Zoom) 8:30 pm – Compline (Pamela) Wednesday, November 4 8:30 am – Morning Prayer on Zoom 9:00 am – 10:00 am – Alex office hours (on Zoom) 12noon – 1 pm – Labyrinth Walk with volunteer guides Pamela will also be holding office hours on the labyrinth at this time. 1 pm – 2 pm – Ernie office Hours (on Zoom) 5 pm – 6 pm – Labyrinth Walk with volunteer guides 8:30 pm – Compline (on Zoom) Other resources: If you are looking for reliable information and resources for this election season, we invite you to read our post about Election and Post-Election Resources. We’ve compiled information from the Episcopal Public Policy Network about what we might expect in the days after the election. Uncertainty creates anxiety; having knowledgeable, reliable sources lay out some of the possibilities should help alleviate that uncertainty and the accompanying stress. |