One Sunday during the Easter season, my wife and I attended St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in New York City. It is a “catholic minded” Lutheran church with a good, clean liturgy; enthusiastic singing; and fine preaching. In my experience such ELCA parishes are hardly exceptional.
But what struck me most was the introduction to the Prayers of the People which went something like this: “We pray for Benedict, Bishop of Rome; and Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch; for our Presiding Bishop, Mark; and for Katharine, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church; for our own Bishop, Stephen; and for Mark, Bishop of the Diocese of New York.”
I wonder how many Episcopal churches across the country pray for the bishops of their full communion partner, the ELCA, or for neighboring Lutheran congregations; much less demonstrate liturgically an awareness that we are part of the larger Church, east and west, by remembering the leaders of the largest churches in the world?
Precious few, I’m afraid. But we could start.
That We All May Be One 
May 19, 2007 at 4:58 pm |
the brotherhood of saint gregory always includes the bishop of rome and the ecumenical patriarch of constantinople in our litany, which is used, well, once a year at our professions.
we should include the elca presiding bishop, however, and it’s embarrasing that this hasn’t been noted by us!
and, well, all our churches should do better at this kind of thing, as you note.
May 20, 2007 at 9:22 am |
Thanks, Thomas. As so often…BSG leads the way! (Kudos!)
May 22, 2007 at 6:19 am |
St. Anne’s Episcopal in Winston-Salem, NC, has prayed for our Lutheran folk for many years every Sunday during POP, even before the coming of Hal, who is our diocesan ecumenical officer – sure you know him.
May 23, 2007 at 12:08 pm |
At my parish, St. James, in Dallas, we always pray for the Bishop of Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople as wel as the Presiding Bishop and our bishop(s). We’ve done this for the 10+ years I’ve been a member there.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
May 25, 2007 at 12:02 pm |
Thanks, Margaret and Phil — may your tribe(s) increase!!