Ecumenical prayer for use in worship, small group study, individual prayer
From Pentecost Sunday through the first Sunday in September, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and his Lutheran counterpart Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton welcome congregations and individuals to regularly pray “A Prayer for the Power of the Spirit among the People of God.” This prayer – crafted by a team of Lutheran and Episcopal prayer leaders in light of the COVID pandemic – is meant to unite us in common prayer and revive us for common mission, wherever and however we may be gathered.
Congregations might wish to incorporate the prayer into worship alongside the Collect of the Day, as part of the Prayers of the People, or at the conclusion of worship before the Blessing or Dismissal. Individuals may pray it anytime as part of their own personal prayer discipline.
This movement for ecumenical prayer is especially significant as we approach the 20-year anniversary of the Call to Common Mission, the Lutheran-Episcopal agreement to share full communion for the sake of God’s greater purpose in the world. The concord was signed on January 6, 2001.
God of all power and love,
we give thanks for your unfailing presence
and the hope you provide in times of uncertainty and loss.
Send your Holy Spirit to enkindle in us your holy fire.
Revive us to live as Christ’s body in the world:
a people who pray, worship, learn,
break bread, share life, heal neighbors,
bear good news, seek justice, rest and grow in the Spirit.
Wherever and however we gather,
unite us in common prayer and send us in common mission,
that we and the whole creation might be restored and renewed,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
View full text and download this prayer video from Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry for use in local contexts / Pentecost services here: https://episcopalchurch.org/concerning-covid19/worship-formation