Today we remember the Martyrs of Sudan. Another one of the reasons why I love the Anglican Communion and TEC in particular is because we have remembrances of Holy Ones like today and theres no need to petition someone, or a group of people, in another country to seek permission to have a feast day like this and no need to go through a bunch of bureaucratic tape to have someone or a group of people declared saints or martyrs. Its like it was in the early Church! O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen, Alleluia! Alleluia. The Lord is risen indeed: Come let us adore him. Alleluia. The Christian bishops, chiefs, commanders, clergy and people of Sudan declared, on May 16, 1983, that they would not abandon God as God had revealed himself to them, even under the threat of Shariah Law imposed by the fundamentalist Islamic government in Khartoum. Until a peace treaty was signed on January 9, 2005, the Episcopal Church of the Province of the Sudan suffered from persecution and devastation through twenty-two years of civil war. Two and a half million people were killed, half of whom were members of this church. Many clergy and lay leaders were singled out because of their religious leadership in their communities. No buildings, including churches and schools, are left standing in an area the size of Alaska. Four million people are internally displaced, and a million are scattered around Africa and beyond in the Sudanese Diaspora. Twenty-two of the twenty-four dioceses exist in exile in Uganda or Kenya, and the majority of the clergy are unpaid. Only 5% of the population of Southern Sudan was Christian in 1983. Today over 85% of that region of six million is now mostly Episcopalian or Roman Catholic. A faith rooted deeply in the mercy of God has renewed their spirits through out the years of strife and sorrow. The Collect for the Martyrs of Sudan... O God, the One who is steadfast in the midst of persecution, by your providence the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church: Grant that we who remember before you the blessed martyrs of Sudan, may, like them, be steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ, whom they refuse to abandon, even in the face of death, and by their sacrifice brought forth a plentiful harvest, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. A Collect for Mission... Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen. In the World Cycle of Prayer, we remember and pray for the people of New Caledonia. In the Ecumenical Cycle of Prayer, we remember and pray for our sisters and brothers who are members of the Reformed Churches. Benediction... Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia. Alleluia. Thanks be to God. Alleluia. Alleluia. Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20,21)
Posted on: Fri, 16 May 2014 11:01:26 +0000
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