Japan Prayer Service liturgy offered for use by congregations.

Here is a copy of the liturgy for the Prayer Service yesterday, March 18,  at the Episcopal Church Center in New York. It was a very well attended service and many said it was a very moving, solemn and powerful service. You may freely use or adapt this service as our gift. We encourage you to organize Prayer Services like this for Japan and for other countries which suffer calamity.

The Rev. Dr. Winfred B. Vergara
Missioner for Asiamerican Minsitries
of The Episcopal Church

www.episcopalchurch.org/asian.htm

PRAYER SERVICE FOR JAPAN

In the aftermath of the recent
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

and the danger of nuclear meltdown

Friday, March 18, 2011 – 4:00 P.M.

The Chapel of Christ the Lord at

The Episcopal Church Center

815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Prelude  - Samuel Cheung

Opening Hymn # 390: “Praise to the Lord...”

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near;
praise him in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who over all things so wondrously reigneth,

shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been
granted in what he ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee; surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee. Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriend thee.

Praise to the Lord, who, when tempests their warfare are waging,

who, when the elements madly around thee are raging,
biddeth them cease, turneth their fury to peace,
Whirlwinds and waters assuaging.

Praise to the Lord, who, when darkness of sin is abounding,
who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding,
sheddeth his light, chaseth the horrors of night,
saints with his mercy surrounding.

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him; Let the amen sound from his people again,
gladly for all we adore him.

Words: Joachim Neander (1650-1680), 1680
trans. Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878), 1863; .Music: Lobe den Herren (also known as Praxis pietatis) (Stralsung Gesangbuch, 1665)

Welcome & Call to Prayer – Fred Vergara

On March11, 2011 the great earthquake rocked Japan; it was followed by a horrific tsunami. The death toll and the extent of damage from this calamity defies our imagination. Thousands of lives were lost; thousands more missing; and there is fear of danger from radiation from nuclear reactors.

In the midst of death and destruction that we see in the world, let us be reminded that there are values that endure: family, friendship and faith. We gather today as family, as friends and as faith-community, who believe in divine intervention. God says in II Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray; and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I shall hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.”

Today, let us pray for the healing of the land and people of Japan and for the blessings of peace in our world.

Prayer in Japanese – Kyoko Toyama

First Reading: Ecclesiastes 3: 1-11 – Kumiko Bueller

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and time to build, a time to weep and time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time, He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (The Word of the Lord)

People: Thanks be to God.

Psalm 23: “The Lord is My Shepherd” - ALL

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want

He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff---they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord, my whole life long.

2^nd Reading: Romans 8:18-25 – Christina Hing

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now, and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope, we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is not seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

 (The word of the Lord)

People: Thanks be to God.

Sharing: Brief Personal Stories, News clips, Word from ERD

Kyokomary Kageyama, Kirsten Laursen Muth

Written Messages from:

The Archbishop of Canterbury – to be read by David Copley

The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church – by John Colon

The Archbishop of Nippon Sei Ko Kai – by Peter Ng

Hymn: “Servant Song”

Brother, sister let me serve you; let me be as Christ to you; Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey, and companions on the road We are here to help each other, walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ-light for you, in the nighttime of your fear; I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping; when you laugh I’ll laugh with you; I will share your joy and sorrow till we’ve seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven, we shall find such harmony, Born of all we’ve known together in Christ’s love and agony.

Brother, sister, let me serve you, let me be as Christ to you Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.

(Maranatha Music; Scripture in Song, c. 1986)

A LITANY OF HEALING  - Linda Watt

LEADER: Let us name before God those for whom we offer our prayers (Prayer needs or names of people, places and events will be announced)

LEADER: God of our Faith, you made the world and everything in it; you formed us in your own image and given us the breath of life;

PEOPLE: We praise and thank you, Lord.

L: God of our Hope, you come that we may have life and have it more abundantly; your will for us is health, healing and salvation;

P: We praise and thank you, Lord.

L: God of Love, you make our bodies the temple of your Holy Spirit; in you we live and move and have our being;

PEOPLE: We praise and thank you, Lord.

L: Merciful God, pour out your compassion upon the people of Japan who suffer from the devastation brought about by the recent earthquake and tsunami. Grant your healing grace to all who are sick, injured, or disabled, that they will be made whole;

P: Hear us, O Lord of life.

L: Grant to all who died the hope of eternal rest and enable those who mourn the comfort of your loving embrace;

P: Hear us, O Lord of life.

L: Enable those who are anxious, fearful or in trouble, the knowledge of your will, awareness of your presence and the comfort of your word;

P: Hear us, O Lord of life.

L: Mend broken relationships and restore those in emotional distress to soundness of mind and calmness of spirit;

P: Hear us, O Lord of life.

L: Bless the rescuers, physicians, nurses, and all others who minister to the suffering, granting them wisdom and skill, energy and strength; sympathy and patience;

P: Hear us, O Lord of life.

L: Bless the efforts of the Japanese government and the global community to find ways and means to contain and eliminate any further damage or danger to people, land, air and sea and supply them with specials skills and know-how in safety and security.

P: Hear us, O Lord of life.

L: Restore to wholeness whatever is broken in our humanity, in our lives, in our nations, and in the world and give us peace that surpasses human understanding;

P: Hear us O Lord of life.

L: Lord, You are the God who does wonders.

P: You have declared your power among the peoples.

L: With you, O Lord, is the wellness of life and in your light, we see light.

P: Hear us, O Lord of life; heal us and make us whole.

L: Everlasting God, you have given us grace to pray with one heart and one voice, and you have promised that where two or three are gathered in prayer, you are in their midst; fulfill now, we pray, the longings of your people. Heal the land and people of Japan, rescue those who are in danger and restore the wholeness of your creation. In the name of the One who holds all things together, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Japanese Flute Music – Shoji Mizumoto

Silence

Blessing

May the City of God be in our world; may the Reign of God be in our hearts; and may the Peace of God be in our lives;

and the blessing of God Almighty be with us all, ever more. Amen.

Closing Hymn #680 “O God Our Help in Ages Past”

O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come;

Be thou our guide while life shall last, and our eternal home.

Under the shadow of thy throne, still may we dwell secure;

sufficient is thine arm alone, and our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood, or earth received her frame;

from everlasting, thou art God, to endless years the same.

A thousand ages in thy sight, are like an evening gone

Short as the watch that ends the night, before the rising sun.

Time like an ever rolling stream, bears all who breathe away;

they fly forgotten as a dream, dies at the opening day.

O God our help in ages past our hope for years to come

Be thou our guide till life shall last and our eternal home.

Clergy and Lay Ministers Assisting in the Service

The Rev. Dr. Fred Vergara                 Ms. Linda Watt

The Rev. David Copley                       Ms. Kyokomary Kageyama

Mr. Peter Ng                                      Ms. Kyoko Toyama

Mr. John Colon                                 Ms. Kirsten Laursen Muth

Mr. Samuel Cheung                          Mr. Shoji Mizumoto

Ms. Kumiko Bueller                          Ms. Christina Hing

Announcement

The Episcopal Asiamerican Ministry and Partnership for Asia and the Pacific of the Episcopal Church Center and the Metropolitan Japanese Ministry of the Diocese of New York, wish to thank you all for your presence.

Thank you Angeline Cabanban and Aki Gu for the bulletin and Su Hadden and Cheryl Quinonez for the chapel arrangements.

To donate to Japan relief and to support the work of Nippon Sei Ko Kai, please send checks to Episcopal Relief and Development (ER-D) for the “Japan Earthquake Response Fund” and mail to ER-D, The Episcopal Church Center,

815 Second Avenue

, New York, NY 10017. For more information, email: er-d@er-d.org.

Candles are provided for those who wish to light one for your loved ones.

We invite you to the Welcome Lounge after the service for coffee and cookies, conversation and prayer ministry.

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