Beloved of God,
In the midst of an Advent full of joyful preparation, this past weekend delivered a stark reminder that our Lord Jesus Christ was and continues to be born into a broken world full of danger and sin. As Episcopal and Lutheran bishops in New England, we ask you all to hold the people of Providence, and particularly Brown University, in your prayers as they contend with the trauma of gun violence in their community. We pray especially for the repose of the two young people who have died and all who loved them. We pray also for all who are still in the grip of fear and uncertainty.
We also commend your prayers for the people of Sydney, Australia and particularly the Jewish community there and worldwide. Yet another attack on a Jewish religious gathering points to the continued evil of anti-Semitism across the globe. Please join us in standing with our Jewish siblings, while we continue to pray for peace and an end to religious violence of all kinds.
On Sunday we prayed the wonderful collect of Gaudete Sunday, called by some “Stir It Up” Sunday. It reads: “Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever."
The collect resonates more than ever this week. May God’s power, grace, and mercy be abundantly revealed in our world. We pray also that God will stir up our own resolve to deepen our commitment to peace and justice. May our way and the way of all the lands be Peace.
Blessings upon your last week of Advent. May this time be one of renewed prayer and reflection as we await the entrance of Light into our despairing world.
Faithfully,
The Right Reverend Julia E. Whitworth
Bishop Diocesan
Diocese of Massachusetts
The Right Reverend Laura J. Ahrens
Bishop Suffragan
The Episcopal Church in Connecticut
The Right Reverend Thomas J. Brown
Bishop Diocesan
Diocese of Maine
The Right Reverend Douglas J. Fisher
Bishop Diocesan
Diocese of Western Massachusetts
The Right Reverend A. Robert Hirschfeld
Bishop Diocesan
Diocese of New Hampshire
The Right Reverend W. Nicholas Knisely
Bishop Diocesan
Bishop of Rhode Island
The Right Reverend Shannon MacVean-Brown
Bishop Diocesan
Bishop of Vermont
The Right Reverend Jeffrey W. Mello
Bishop Diocesan
The Episcopal Church in Connecticut
The Reverend Nathan D. Pipho, Bishop
New England Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
A Prayer adapted from Bishops United Against Gun Violence:
Almighty and merciful God, whose only Son came
to preach peace to the nations: Hear us, we beseech you, and comfort those in
Providence and Sydney with your steady Hand, as we come before you in the wake
of unspeakable violence. Help those who mourn, those in pain, and those
grieving to feel your healing presence and abiding love. In a world that seems
hopeless, help us all to remember that our hope rests always in you, and in the
resurrection of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
For more liturgical resources, see here.