Document
Call to Prayer (Psalm 117)
Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Extol him, all you peoples!
Praise the Lord!
For great is God’s steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!
Song of Adoration: Agios o Theos (Trisagion)
Litany of Praise
Together let us praise God:
Many: You who call us to be praise in the midst of the earth: glory to you!
One: We sing your praise in the midst of the world and among all peoples. We sing your praise in the midst of creation and among all creatures.
You who call us to be praise in the midst of the earth: glory to you!
We sing your praise among suffering and tears. We sing your praise among promises and achievements.
You who call us to be praise in the midst of the earth: glory to you!
We sing your praise in the places of conflict and misunderstanding. We sing your praise in the places of encounter and reconciliation.
You who call us to be praise in the midst of the earth: glory to you!
We sing your praise in the midst of rifts and divisions. We sing your praise in the midst of life and death, the birth of a new heaven and a new earth.
You who call us to be praise in the midst of the earth: glory to you!
Psalmody
Responsive Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
“Be still, and know that I am God!”
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
“Be still, and know that I am God!
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
“Be still, and know that I am God!
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
God makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God!”
Word
A reading from the Gospel of John (15:8-12)
Jesus said, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Holy Wisdom, Holy Word!
Thanks be to God.
Reflection: Prof. Dirk G. Lange, Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Relations, LWF
Silence
SONG: Ubi caritas (Taizé – Gelineau)
Prayers
Intercessory Prayer
God of love, through Christ you said to us: “You did not choose me but I chose you”. You seek us, you invite us to receive your friendship and abide in it. Teach us to respond more deeply to this invitation, and grow in a life that is ever more complete.
Listen to our cry.
God of life, you call us to be praise in the midst of the world and to welcome one another as a gift of your grace. May your loving gaze, which rests upon each person, open us to receive each other just as we are.
Listen to our cry.
God of all people, you knit us together in one human family. We entrust to you the peoples and churches in Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. Praise be you for the 2,000-year presence and witness of the church in this area. Praise be you for the Church Fathers and Mothers who came from this region, for the many Christian martyrs, and for the seven ecumenical councils that convened here.
Listen to our cry.
God of communion, sustain the pioneering work of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in quest of Christian unity and for protection of the environment.
Listen to our cry.
God of compassion, heal the memories and wounds inflicted by early 20th century genocides of Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian communities.
Listen to our cry.
God of peace, open ways of peace through the current tensions in these lands, enhance respect for all minority groups and their claims,
Listen to our cry.
God of care, as many countries continue in lockdown, bring healing to all the sick. We entrust to you all those infected with COVID and all those suffering from the many ways COVID has impacted life, emotionally, psychologically, physically, spiritually.
Listen to our cry.
God of the one vineyard, you call us to abide in your love in all we do and say. Touched by your goodness, make us a reflection of that love in all the spaces we inhabit. Pave the way for bridging rivalries and overcoming tensions.
Listen to our cry.
God of life, hold in your gentle embrace all who will die this day.
Listen to our cry.
Thrice-holy God, we thank you for having created and loved us. We thank you for your presence in us and in creation. May we learn to look upon the world as you look upon it, with love. In the hope of this vision, may we be able to work for a world where justice and peace flourish, for the glory of your name.
AMEN.
The Lord’s Prayer (each in the language of our heart)
Blessing
Be one, so that the world may believe! Abide in his love, go into the world and bear the fruits of this love.
May the God of hope fill us with all joy and all peace in faith, so that we may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Go in peace. Prepare the way of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
