25 August 2010
You are invited to share the Global Day of prayer for Prison Ministry
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Peter's release from prison. Painted for IPCA by Jesper Neve.
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2010 the Day of Prayer will be celebrated
in the IPCA conference in Stockholm,
the 25th August which also is IPCA's birthday.
IPCA started 1985 so in the conference
we thank God for IPCA 25 years!
This year's program comes from IPCA Europe.
The program can be used any time and in any place,
it is not limited to the special date for Global Day of Prayer.
Download PDF with prayer program
Prayer program in Ethiopian language Ahmaric
Opening Hymn
O Lord my God! when I awesome wonder
Consider all the works thy hands hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
The power throughout Thy universe displayed;
Chorus:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great thou art, how great Thou art.
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze;
Chorus: Then sings my soul…….
And when I think that God his Son not sparing
Sent Him to die – I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:
Chorus: Then sings my soul….
When Christ shall come with should of acclamation
And take me home – what joy shall fill my heart!”
Then shall I bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!
Chorus: Then sings my soul……
oOo
Opening responses
Leader: Out of darkness came light
All: And the power of God was revealed.
Men: In the running wave and the flowing airs,
Women: in the quiet earth and the shining stars.
Leader: Out of the dust came life;
All: And the image of God was revealed
Men: In the human face and the gentle heart.
Women: In the warm flesh and the depth of soul.
Leader: Out of justice came freedom;
All: And the wisdom of God was revealed
Men: In the need to grow and the will to love,
Women: In the chance to know and the power to choose.
Leader: And God looked at the creation
All: And behold, it was very good.
THE FIRST STATION
Jesus is condemned to death
Bible reading
Forcibly, after sentence, he was taken. Which of his contemporaries was concerned at his having been cut off from the land of the living, at his having been struck dead for his people’s rebellion? He was given a grave with the wicked, and his tomb is with the rich, although he had done no violence, had spoken no deceit.
[Isaiah 53:8-9]
SILENCE
Reading
Martin Luther King predicted his own violent death, but even in his darkest hour he would not use violence to overcome evil. He said: “To our most bitter opponents we say, ‘we shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We shall meet your physical force with soul force. Do what you want to us and we shall continue to love you.”
SILENCE
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Jesus, you stood before Pilate, defenceless, without legal representation. We ask that you stand beside those who are imprisoned without trial or have been sentenced without a fair hearing.
All: May the courage of Martin Luther King inspire us to work with integrity for an end to injustice.
REFRAIN: (Sung)
Were you there when Jesus was condemned?
Were you there when Jesus was condemned?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when Jesus was condemned?
THE SECOND STATION
Jesus is condemned to death
______________________________________________________________Bible Reading
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering, loading it on Isaac, and carried in his own hands the fire and the knife.
[Genesis 22.6]
SILENCE
Reading
St Richard of Chichester, on being appointed Bishop, choose to wear simple clothing, eat only vegetables and gave most of his money to the poor. He said: “Thanks be to thee, Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits which you have won for us, for all the pains and insults you have borne for us. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother, may we know you more clearly, love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day.”
SILENCE
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Jesus, like Abraham you were obedient to the Father’s call, and by taking up your cross you carried the burden of sin on behalf of us all. Remove from us any love of prestige or status so that we may help to carry your cross.
All: May the simplicity of Richard of Chichester inspire us to work tirelessly for our sisters and brothers in prison.
REFRAIN (Sung)
Were you there when he bore the wooden cross?
Were you there when he bore the wooden cross?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when he bore the wooden cross?
THE THIRD STATION
Jesus falls for the first time
Bible Reading
A hard lot has been created for human beings, a heavy yoke lies on children of Adam from the day they come out of their mother’s womb, till the day they return to the father of them all.
[Ecclesiasticus 40:1-2]
SILENCE
Reading
St Augustine of Hippo was brought up in the Christian Faith, but puzzled by the problem of evil, he abandoned his childhood Faith. His mother Monica continued to pray for him and meeting St Ambrose, he began to search for God. In later life, he was able to pray: “O God, in all our [perplexities, give us your guidance, in all our dangers your protection and in all our sorrows your peace. You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless till they rest in you.”
SILENCE
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Jesus, as you struggled under the weight of your burden you fell with all the frailties of human weakness. Remember us in our weakness when we stumble and when we fall.
All: May the struggles of Augustine of Hippo inspire us to work with integrity for an end to violence and crime.
REFRAIN (Sung)
Were you there when he stumbled to the ground?
Were you there when he stumbled to the ground?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when he stumbled to the ground?
THE FOURTH STATION
Jesus meets his mother
Bible reading
A disaster for me, that you bore me to be a man of strife and dissension for the whole country. I neither lend nor borrow yet all of them curse me.
[Jeremiah 15:10]
SILENCE
Reading
This prayer was found scribbled on a piece of paper, in Ravensbruch Concentration Camp for women, at the end of the 2nd World War:
“O Lord, remember not only the men and women of goodwill, but also those of ill will, but do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted on us. Remember the fruits we have borne – the suffering, our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility, the courage, the generosity, the greatness of heart which has grown out of this; and when they come to judgement, let all the fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness.
SILENCE
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Jesus, your mother suffered as she watched you on your journey to the cross. To this day she suffers as she watches over people who are suffering, excluded and kept in poverty by unjust political and economic systems. We pray that we may draw inspiration from her as we work for a better world.
All: May the faith of Mary, the Mother of God inspire us to forgive those who harm us.
REFRAIN (Sung)
Were you there when he met his mother’s gaze?
Were you there when he met his mother’s gaze?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when he met his mother’s gaze?
THE FIFTH STATION
Simon Cyrene helps Jesus
______________________________________________________________
Bible reading
On their way out, they came across a man from Cyrene, called Simon, and enlisted him to carry his cross.
[Mathew 27:32]
SILENCE
Reading
St Patrick of Ireland was captured by pirates and forced into slavery for six years. In his slavery, he learnt how to pray. “In a single day” he says in his autobiography, “I said as many as a hundred prayers. I used to stay in the woods and on the mountain and before the dawn I would be aroused to prayer, in snow and frost and rain, because then the spirit was fervent within.”
SILENCE
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Jesus, following Simon’s example we want to offer ourselves to you and walk along with you. Help us to be women and men of prayer. With Patrick, we say: ‘Christ be within me, behind me, before me and beside me. Christ to win me, to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me and Christ above me. Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in mouth of friend or stranger.’
All: May the prayerfulness of Patrick inspire us to pray without ceasing especially when we feel powerless and inadequate.
REFRAIN (Sung)
Were you there when Simon shared his cross?
Were you there when Simon shared his cross?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when Simon shared his cross?
THE SIXTH STATION
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
______________________________________________________________Bible reading
“You see this woman?” said Jesus, “I came into your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason I tell you that her sins, her many sins, must have been forgiven her, or she would not have shown great love.”
[Luke 7:44-48]
SILENCE
Reading
Martin Luther became a monk, but he was tormented by doubts about his standing before God. He experienced an overwhelming conviction that it was by faith in Christ alone that he could be saved. In great humility, he prayed “Behold lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord fill it. I am weak in the faith, strengthen me. I am cold in love, warm me and make me fervent that my love may go out to my neighbour. I do not have a strong and firm faith. At times I doubt and am unable to trust you altogether. O Lord help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in you.”
______________________________________________________________
SILENCE
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Jesus, the tenderness of Veronica came briefly to your aid. May we take a share of that tenderness into our prisons, in the knowledge that God is close at hand. May we demonstrate our love through our actions as well as our words.
All: May the humility of Martin Luther inspire us to place all our trust in God while we recognise and acknowledge our frailty.
REFRAIN (Sung)
Were you there when she offered him her veil?
Were you there when she offered him her veil?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when she offered him her veil?
THE SEVENTH STATION
Jesus falls a second time
______________________________________________________________Bible reading
It is, then, about my weakness that I am happiest of all to boast, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me, and that is why I am glad of weaknesses, insults, constraints, persecutions and distress for Christ’s sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong.
[2 Corinthians 12:9-10]
SILENCE
Reading
John Wesley, an earnest, pious but discontented young man listened to a reading from Luther’s ‘Preface to Romans’ at a religious meeting in London. Suddenly he felt his heart ‘strangely warmed’ and a new, overwhelming sense of god’s love possessed him. He prayed, “Fix thou our steps, O Lord that we stagger not at the uneven motions of the world. The winds are often rough and our own weight presses us downwards. Reach forth, O Lord thy hand, thy saving hand, and speedily deliver us.
SILENCE
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Jesus, your weakness in falling a second time was to become your strength as you gathered yourself to pick up the cross and resume your journey. Help us to face, with honesty, our own weaknesses so that we may build our strengths in fellowship with you.
All: May the determination of John Wesley inspire us to keep going, even when we fall, knowing that the Lord himself will lift us up
REFRAIN (Sung)
Were you there when he fell a second time?
Were you there when he fell a second time?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when he fell a second time?
THE EIGHTH STATION
Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem
______________________________________________________________Bible reading
Large numbers of people followed him, and women too, who mourned and lamented for him. But Jesus, turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep rather for yourselves and for your children.”
[Luke 23:27-28]
SILENCE
Reading
Little is known of Julian of Norwich’ except what she wrote in her autobiographical work ‘Revelations of Divine Love.’ As a young woman she had prayed for a greater understanding of Christ’s suffering and a physical illness to help her spiritually. At age 30, both her prayers were answered. She received visions which are described in her book. She prayed, “God, of your goodness, give me yourself, for you are sufficient for me. I cannot properly ask anything less, to be worthy of you. If I were to ask less, I should always be in want. In you alone do I have all.”
SILENCE
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Jesus we give thanks for all the women and men who stand on the front line to protest to confront justice. We pray for their continued courage and persistence; and that their sadness and anger be turned into a powerful force of good.
All: May the insights of Julian of Norwich inspire us always to speak and act with wisdom, as we minister to those who live and work in our prisons.
REFRAIN (Sung)
Were you there when the women wept for him?
Were you there when the women wept for him?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when the women wept for him?
THE NINTH STATION
Jesus falls a third time
Bible reading
My strength is trickling away, my bones are all disjointed, my heart has turned to wax, melting inside me. My mouth is dry as earthenware, my tongue sticks to my jaw. You lay me down in the dust of earth.
[Psalm 22:14-15]
SILENCE
Reading
“The biggest disease today is the feeling of being unwanted” said Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Treating this’ disease’ was the aim of all her work. She felt called to live and work among the ‘fallen’, the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta. She prayed “Dearest Lord, may I see you today and every day, in the person of your sick and, whilst nursing them, minister unto you. Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, the exacting, the unreasonable, may I still recognise you and say ‘Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you.’
SILENCE
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Jesus, under the weight of the cross your strength ebbs as the hour of execution draws near. We pray for a world free from torture, abuse and outrage.
All: May the love of Mother Teresa of Calcutta inspire us recognise you in those we serve in our prisons.
REFRAIN (Sung)
Were you there when he struck the ground again?
Were you there when he struck the ground again?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when he struck the ground again!
THE TENTH STATION
Jesus is stripped of his garments
______________________________________________________________Bible reading
They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he refused it. Then they crucified him, and shared out his clothing, casting lots to decide what each should get.
[Mark 15:23-24]
SILENCE
Reading
On the 14th November 1940, during the 2nd World War, an air-raid destroyed the medieval cathedral of Coventry. It was left a burnt-out shell. Coventry and Dresden are both symbols of destruction. In 1963 a new cathedral was consecrated and it has become a centre of reconciliation between former enemies. “The hatred and violence which has divided nations, peoples, individuals and Faiths, Father forgive. For greed, for crime, for indifference to suffering, for pride, Father forgive.”
SILENCE
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Jesus, stripped of your clothing, you are made ready for the cross. May we be stripped of all that separates us from you and help us to practise forgiveness and compassion.
All: May we always be quick to forgive and always ready to seek forgiveness ourselves.
REFRAIN (Sung)
Were you there when the soldiers stripped his clothes?
Were you there when the soldiers stripped his clothes?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when the soldiers stripped his clothes?
THE ELEVENTH STATION
Jesus is nailed to the cross
______________________________________________________________Bible reading
Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you all know. This man, who was put into your power by the deliberate intention and foreknowledge of God, you took and had crucified and killed by men outside the law.
[Acts 2:22-23]
SILENCE
Reading
After the outbreak of World War 2, Roger Schutz began to shelter Jewish and other refugees in a large house in burgundy, not far from the ancient Abbey of Cluny, in France. Taize is now an ecumenical Christian community. Young people from all over the world gather there to meditate and study. The Rule of Taize states “O Lord Christ, help us to maintain ourselves in simplicity and in joy, the joy of the merciful.” Brother Roger’s prayer says, “O God the Father of all, you ask every one of us to spread love and reconciliation where people are divided. You open this way for us, so that the wounded body of Jesus Christ, your church, may be leaven of communion for the poor of the earth and in the whole human family.”
SILENCE
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Jesus, bloodied and broken, you were nailed to wood and hoisted up high. Fill us with courage as we try to live the gospel n truth in the face of conflict and difficulties.
All: May the witness of Taize inspire us to build a new world of justice based on restoration rather than punishment.
REFRAIN (Sung)
Were you there when he opened wide his arms?
Were you there when he opened wide his arms?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when he opened wide his arms?
THE TWELFTH STATION
Jesus dies on the cross (At this point we all kneel for a few moments)
______________________________________________________________Bible reading
It was now about the sixth hour and, with the sun eclipsed, a darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. The veil of the Temple was torn right down the middle; and when Jesus had cried out in a loud voice, he said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” With these words he breathed his last.
[Luke 23:44-46)
SILENCE
Reading
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was able to remain calm in his prison cell, during the heavy bombing raids over Berlin, when explosions were accompanied by the howling of his fellow prisoners. Yet he was aware of a conflict in himself. He wrote: “Who am I? Am I really that which other men tell of? Or am I only what I myself know of myself? Restless and longing and sick like a bird in a cage, struggling for breath as though hands were compressing my throat. Who Am I? They mock me these lonely questions of mine. Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O god, I am thine.”
SILENCE
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Jesus, your life ended with violence. May we learn how to combat violence today through our love of peace and our work for a fairer world.
All: May the trust of Dietrich Bonhoeffer inspire us to die, daily, with our Saviour, to all that would separate us from the God of love and peace.
REFRAIN (Sung)
Were you there when he bowed his head and died?
Were you there when he bowed his head and died?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when he bowed his head and died?
THE THIRTEENTH STATION
Jesus is buried
______________________________________________________________Bible reading
Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean shroud and put it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a large stone across the entrance of the tomb and went away.
[Mathew 27:59-60]
SILENCE
Reading
John Henry Newman, while vicar of the University church in Oxford was part of a group of clergy and laity who responded to growing attacks on Christianity. He used this prayer, which is probably of 16th century origin: “O Lord, support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes and the busy world is hushed and the fever of life is over and our work is done. Then, lord, in your mercy grant us a safe lodging and a holy rest and peace at the last, through Jesus Christ Our Lord.
SILENCE
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Jesus, you were laid to rest by your friends. We understand their sadness and despair even though we believe in the life to come.
We pray that we may be a community of hope and faith, yearning and working for a better world.
All: May the wisdom of John Henry Newman inspire us to remember that everything passes and only love remains.
REFRAIN (Sung)
Were you there when they took him from the cross?
Were you there when they took him from the cross?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when they took him from the cross
THE FOURTEENTH STATION
Jesus rises from the dead.
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Bible Reading
------------------------------------------------
“And there coming to meet them, was Jesus. ‘Greetings’ he said. And the women came up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.”
(Matthew 28: 9-10)
Silence
Reading
To be a good Prison chaplain is to allow oneself to be vulnerable. We cannot understand this until we have been stripped bare of all our pride and pretension – Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling.
To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it in tact, you must give your heart to no-one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the rick of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.’
(C.S.Lewis)
Silence
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
O happy fault. O necessary sin of Adam which gained for us so great a Redeemer.
We pray for all who have been made hard and cynical by life in prison;
Who feel no sorrow for the evil they have done.
And, even now, are planning further crime.
Break the bonds of fear and isolation.
Support with your love prisoners; their families, prison staff, and all who care.
Heal those who have been wounded by crime
And help us all to forgive one another,
All: May the risen Lord dwell in us as we take his light into those dark places of our prisons.
REFRAIN (Sung)
Were you there when he rose up from the dead?
Were you there when he rose up from the dead?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when he rose up from the dead?
Leader: Go out and be light. May your word burn like the word of the prophets. May your defence of the poor, the victims of injustice and oppression, be a transforming power of our world. May your voice, your feet, your hands, become those of Christ, building up the reign of God in our human history. And may God bless us, the Creator, Redeemer, and Breath of our Life.
ALL: AMEN
CLOSING HYMN
How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him
Who brings good news, good news,
Proclaiming peace
Announcing news of happiness,
Our God reigns, our God reigns
Our God reigns, our God reigns (twice)
You watchmen lift up your voices joyfully as one,
Shout for your king, your King
See eye to eye
The Lord restoring Zion
Our God reigns, our God reigns
Our God reigns, our God reigns (twice)
Waste places of Jerusalem break forth with joy
We are redeemed, redeemed.
The Lord has saved
And comforted his people
Our God reigns, our God reigns
Our God reigns, our god reigns (twice)
Ends of the earth see the salvation of our God
Jesus is lord, Jesus is lord.
Before the nations
He has bared his holy arm
Our God reigns, our God reigns (twice)