Unfinished Prayers of the people
on the occasion of Winnie Varghese' installation as dean of the cathedral of st john the divine
Yesterday I got to bear witness to and participate in the kind of joy this world needs right now: a festive liturgy to celebrate my friend Winnie - on the occasion of her being installed as dean of The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. (I’m hoping to write more about this soon). It was an honor to be asked by Winnie to write and offer the prayers. Sadly, her father experienced a medical emergency (praise God, he is fine now) that caused the service to end before these prayers could be said, so I am posting them here.
(you can click above to listen to me offer these out loud)
Unfinished Prayers
Gathered in this majestic, and still yet unfinished cathedral -Let us pray for the church, which is itself unfinished. And let us pray for this unfinished world. And let us pray also for each other - for we who, till the day we complete our baptismal journey, are also ever unfinished.
Saying: Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Holy God, Who makes all things new,
We pray for your whole church – for those who call upon your name in every language and every manner. If agreement in doctrine eludes us, may our shared and desperate need for your mercy unite us. Knit us together with strands of your love, make us one, and help us to always take you more seriously than we take ourselves.
Lord in your mercy,
People: Hear our prayer.
We pray especially today for Winnie, our new dean, that you might give her thick skin and a soft heart. Protect her from other people’s insecurities, Lord. We ask also that you strengthen her prayer, strengthen her marriage, strengthen her friendships, strengthen her health and strengthen her back. And even when her work feels unfinished, may you grant her the humility to always stop and rest.
Lord in your mercy,
People: Hear our prayer.
We pray for your blessing upon this cathedral community —this holy living room, this sign of your stubborn presence in the city. May it be a place where the powerful are humbled, the lowly lifted, the hungry fed, the lonely befriended, and where both the sorrowful and the joyous are shielded.
Lord in your mercy,
People: Hear our prayer.
We pray for leaders of nations, that they may know that only you are God and act accordingly. We pray for peace that isn’t just the absence of gunfire but the presence of dignity, and for justice that doesn’t wait for the next election cycle.
Lord in your mercy,
People: Hear our prayer.
We pray for those who suffer - and also for those who love them. For the sick and the dying, for the addicted and the incarcerated, for those whose pain is visible and those whose wounds are carefully hidden. We name them before you now, out loud or in our hearts…Comfort them, Lord.
Lord in your mercy,
People: Hear our prayer.
And we remember those who have died —may their faults be forgiven and their strengths be borrowed.
Lord in your mercy,
People: Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, you have promised to be with us and today we are claiming that promise as our own as we drop these prayers at your feet. Grant us wisdom. Grant us courage. For the facing of this hour, and the living of these days, lest we miss thy kingdom’s goal.
Through Jesus Christ, the friend of sinners we pray,
People: Amen.
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As a long retired priest, from days when women were struggling to claim leadership roles hungry for them, I take such pleasure in seeing the Cathedral Dean reflecting the best of our small communion. I once knew rectors of St. Luke's, Atlanta, and Deans of many cathedrals. No longer. Thank you Nadia, for giving me a glimpse of this thrilling moment. As for the prayers of the people, I loved them, reflected on the frozen, rote prayers we prayed in church this morning where I was. God breaks through sometimes, even to the chosen frozen.
“And let us pray for this unfinished world.” Amen!