Prayer for General Synod: love and joy

Not having grown up in a Roman or Anglo-Catholic tradition the idea of a 'Novena' is a bit of a novelty for me, although praying regularly at particular times or for special purposes is familiar.

A Novena is 9 days of focused prayer.

NovemberNovena website has 9 days of prayers for the General Synod of the Church of England which meets in London next week 19-21 November 2012. You can find links to the agenda and papers here. The business on Tuesday 20 November is of significant concern for the future of the church. The Draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure will be presented for final approval. Passions run high on this issue and it is unlikely to be an easy debate.

Regular readers of this blog will know what my views are from previous posts such as the one 2 days ago. Much prayer is needed for all members of the General Synod. I'm not talking about prayer for a particular outcome, but, in words from the NovemberNovena website, prayer for

"mutual love and understanding at a time when the biggest story may seem to be one of division."

The invitation "amid the noise of debate" is "to find the peace of Christ and pray" and

"for the fruit of the Spirit to be clear in the way we live together as brothers and sisters in Christ".

Each day of 9 days prayer leading up to and carrying through the Synod dates started yesterday. Each day's focus for prayer is an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, starting yesterday with love and praying

"that we may demonstrate our love for each other clearly and sacrificially".

The accompanying Bible verse was John 15: 17,

"This is my commandment: love each other."

Today's focus is to pray

"for joy, that our joy be be infectious".

The accompanying Bible verse is Luke 2: 10,

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." 

Each day's prayer focus concludes with a hymn, the Lord's Prayer, The Grace and this prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles:
peace I leave you, my peace I give you;
look not on our sins,
but the faith of your Church,
and graciously grant her peace and unity
in accordance with your will. Amen. 

You can find the prayers for the next few days here and I will publish the day's focus and the link on Seeker every day until 21 November. There are also helpful resources at Vigil for Synod

Image Credit: Novena by Beto Sanchez, CC License