P8. Prayers of the People from June 26, 2011

The following were the Prayers of the People written for Advent Parish for June 26, 2011 - the eighth in a series.  See Entry #736 for a full explanation.

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PRAYERS FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST - JUNE 26, 2011

We, the children of God, come now in prayer, seeking guidance, peace, mercy, and grace, responding to O Lord Our Provider, Hear Our Prayer.

We pray for God’s people throughout the world, seeking light for their eyes and peace for their families.  We pray for the daily needs of all created in your image, praying O Lord Our Provider, Hear Our Prayer.

We pray for peace and understanding among the nations.  We pray for our own women and men in uniform.  We pray for those rebuilding after storms in Louisville and throughout the nation.  We seek the well-being of all people, praying O Lord Our Provider, Hear Our Prayer.

We pray for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the downtrodden.  We pray for the unemployed and underemployed.  We pray for those in prisons of any kind.  We pray for those in need of healthcare, of friendship, of peace.  We pray for our own efforts at funding the programs of Advent Parish, to address our ministry of providing the pantry needs of those in our midst, praying O Lord Our Provider, Hear Our Prayer.

We pray for our friends in Christ.  In the Anglican Communion we pray for the Province of Niger, Nigeria.  We pray for the All Saints Center and Episcopal Youth Event in the Diocese of Kentucky.  We pray for our partners and friends in the Highland Community Ministries at Metropolitan Community Church.  We ask your blessings upon each of their missions and all of their members, praying O Lord Our Provider, Hear Our Prayer.

We pray for ourselves, our Advent Parish, our bishop Terry, our rector Tim, and all those providers of your blessings to those who pass through our red doors on Baxter Avenue.  We pray for the success of our program celebrating the visit of Bishop Robinson in July.  We also pray especially for [names go here].  We seek peace for all those in need, praying O Lord Our Provider, Hear Our Prayer.

We pray for those who have brought us to this place, our deceased families and friends, for those lost to wars and conflict, for those lost to famine or weather events, and for all who have passed from this life to the Church Eternal, and for all of those they have left behind, praying O Lord Our Provider, Hear Our Prayer.

Celebrant:

O Lord our Provider throughout the ages, lead us in the days ahead, healing our wounds, fulfilling our needs, bringing peace and mercy and grace, now and forever, AMEN.

 

     

765. Guess who's coming to dinner!

The question was asked on Facebook by a Kentucky political site, "Which politician would you wish to have dinner with and why?"  I offered the following lengthy answer, or four answers, living and deceased for both Kentucky and the Republic.

Here are the responses.

National (deceased) - John Hay, secretary and biographer to Lincoln, later US Ambassador to Great Britain, and later US Secretary of State under McKinley and Roosevelt, and a native of Salem, Indiana.

Kentucky (deceased) - James Wilkinson, American soldier and statesman in the mid to late 1700s in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky. Laid out and named the streets in Frankfort, was involved in a scandal with Spain over Kentucky and access to the Mississippi River, friend of presidents and vice presidents including the notorious Aaron Burr. Teddy Roosevelt, 65 years after his death, said of him, "In all our history, there is no more despicable character." He is buried in Mexico City.

National (living) - George H. W. Bush, who had the best-ever resume upon running for the White House - not that I voted for him (I didn't), had served under a known traitor (Iran-Contra) and early-on recognized that Trickle Down was, as he called it, voodoo economics. He lived through the transformations of both political parties, saw his sons elected governors of two different states and one elected president, and was himself the son of a US Senator. And he wears cool socks in his old age.

Kentucky (living) - this one is difficult. I remember my conversation with the late Frank Burke, mayor and congressman, just before his passing on the 20th century political history of Louisville which was fascinating. That would have been my answer. So my answer may need to come from a politically related person and not a politician. In that respect, I would turn to journalism and narrow my choices to Al Smith or David Hawpe. Hawpe and I are friends so that can be arranged. That leaves Al Smith as my answer.

What are your thoughts?