Prayer and Fasting for GAFCON - Day 32

Today, Saturday, is the eve of the Global Anglican Future Conference
Morning and Night Prayers are posted for Day 32

Opening Verse
Let my prayer be set forth in thy sight as the incense; and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice. Psalm cxli. 2.

A Psalm of Ascent
Ecce nunc. Psalm cxxxiv. 1928 Book of Common Prayer, USA

BEHOLD now, praise the LORD, * all ye servants of the LORD;
Ye that by night stand in the house of the LORD, * even in the courts of the house of our God. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, * and praise the LORD.
The LORD that made heaven and earth * give thee blessing out of Sion.
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.

The First Lesson
15 “Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.”
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.
19 So the two of them continued on their journey. When they came to Bethlehem, the entire town was excited by their arrival. “Is it really Naomi?” the women asked.
20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?”
22 So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Moabite woman. They arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest.
Ruth 1, NLT

Prayer
Lord, your work is wonderful, even when don't understand it. Even as Naomi struggled with loss and bitter days, you were preparing her faithful daughter-in-law to bring forth the line of King David, the flesh and blood that would be shared by our Savior Jesus Christ.

Thank you for gathering faithful Anglican leaders in these bitter days. We praise you for Global South leaders who have clung to the Gospel rather than return to old gods. We bless you for calling together your workers and making the world is ready for harvest.

ALMIGHTY God, whose compassions fail not, and whose loving-kindness reacheth unto the world's end; We give thee humble thanks for opening heathen lands to the light of thy truth; for making paths in the deep waters and highways in the desert; and for planting thy Church in all the earth. Grant, we beseech thee, unto us thy servants, that with lively faith we may labour abundantly to make known to all men thy blessed gift of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for Missions, 1928 BCP, USA

Second Lesson
28 About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. 31 They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem.
32 Peter and the others had fallen asleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, “Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials — one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 34 But even as he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them, and terror gripped them as the cloud covered them.
35 Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.” 36 When the voice finished, Jesus was there alone. They didn’t tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
37 The next day, after they had come down the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus. 38 A man in the crowd called out to him, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, my only child. 39 An evil spirit keeps seizing him, making him scream. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It batters him and hardly ever leaves him alone. 40 I begged your disciples to cast out the spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”
41 Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you and put up with you?” Then he said to the man, “Bring your son here.”
42 As the boy came forward, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy. Then he gave him back to his father. 43 Awe gripped the people as they saw this majestic display of God’s power.
While everyone was marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, 44 “Listen to me and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies.” 45 But they didn’t know what he meant. Its significance was hidden from them, so they couldn’t understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
Luke 9, NLT

Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, for taking another group of disciples up on a mountain with you for GAFCON.

We pray for these pilgrims, because their work of prayer will not be easy. The light of your presence can be too much for frail human nature. Clouds of fear and exhaustion can prevent understanding. Words from the Father and you will need to be pondered until the Spirit makes their meaning clear.

But we are praying that you will be present to them as The Way, The Truth and The Life. We pray that they will come down the mountain filled with the Spirit, able to challenge the enslaving powers of sin and death, to set people free, and to carry the cross as you assign to each of them.

Thank you for illuminating the mind of the theological team as it wrote The Way, The Truth and The Life. Thank you for these words to guide the pilgrims' thoughts during GAFCON.

O GOD, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly; Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of Wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Guidance, 1928 BCP, USA

Prayers for the Eve of the Conference

Collect for Sunday (tomorrow is the Fifth Sunday after Trinity)
GRANT, O Lord, we beseech thee, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance, that thy Church may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In te, Domine, speravi. Psalm xxi.
IN thee, O LORD, have I put my trust; let me never be put to confusion; * deliver me in thy righteousness.
Bow down thine ear to me; * make haste to deliver me.
And be thou my strong rock, and house of defence, * that thou mayest save me.
For thou art my strong rock, and my castle: * be thou also my guide, and lead me for thy Name's sake.
Draw me out of the net that they have laid privily for me; * for thou art my strength.
Into thy hands I commend my spirit; * for thou hast redeemed me, O LORD, thou God of truth.

A Hymn
To thee before the close of day,
Creator of the world, we pray,
That, with thy wonted favour, thou
Wouldst be our guard and keeper now.

From all ill dreams defend our sight,
From fears and terrors of the night,
Withhold from us our Ghostly foe,
That spot of sin we may not know.

O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, thine only Son,
Who, with the Holy Ghost and thee,
Doth live and reign eternally.

A GAFCON Pilgrim's Supplication
My prayer is twofold:
1. That the conference will have such a dramatic impact on the Anglican Communion through God the Holy Spirit that it will turn back to its biblical roots.
2. That those of us in Jerusalem can be instruments to help the church we love so much to be revived and embrace the Christ of the gospels.
Claus K. Lenk, Treasurer, Anglican Network in Canada