Many of us will gather this Sunday with grief and anger and deep questions about our lives, our nation, our world. I appreciated the prayer of the Rev. Katherine Burgess of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Québec City that was shared through www.presbyterian.ca …
Prayer at a Time of Hateful Violence in Canada
God of loving-kindness,
creator and sustainer of all,
you hold all life and souls in your hands.
You sent Christ into the world
as the Prince of Peace
to a world that is too often violent and tragic.
We come to you in prayer in
the face of the shootings
and hate against our Muslim sisters and brothers in Quebec;
we come to you in grief
for those whose lives are cut short or forever changed;
we come to you in anger
because of the violence and hate in the world;
and we come to you in confession
for our complicity in a culture of violence
and for times when we have been silent
in the presence of hateful words
or inactive in the presence of violence.
Give us understanding to comfort those in loss;
give us wisdom to be voices of peace in moments of chaos, tension and fear;
give us courage to be a force for change in our communities;
and give us strength to help build your kingdom of
reconciliation, love and peace in this world.
And in your grace, let us see the day when guns and all weapons that destroy life are transformed into instruments of peace and healing.
We gather in prayer to ask these things in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
And, in an unexpected way, I came to appreciate anew the Gospel lesson selected for this Epiphany season Sunday many weeks ago – Jesus transforming the water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana (John 2:1-11). Join with me in prayer and reflection and Holy Communion, a time to be renewed in spirit, and the way of Christ for life in this world.
Have a look at the Order of Service below. There is ample free parking on the streets around and in the public lot off Queen Street behind the church. There is available a nursery for infants a programme for children during the service. We look forward to greeting you, and ‘may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all’ (2 Corinthians 13:14).