The Prayers of the People
Back in June, Alex was asked to give the sermon for Youth Sunday at our church, St. George's Episcopal in Arlington. You can see a video of that sermon here. He loved everything about the experience, and the response from the congregation was overwhelming. There was even a moving review posted by a newcomer to our church on Facebook (posted June 3rd). We were on a high for days! 😊
Shortly afterwards, our Associate Rector John Shellito asked Alex if he would be interested in writing The Prayers of the People for our liturgy. For those of you unfamiliar, this is the part of our church service where we pray together aloud, in a call-and-response format. The prayers are offered on a global scale, then a national scale, then to the local level, then we pray for each person on our church's prayer list by name, then we remember each person who has died in our community since our last service.
In the Episcopal Church, there are six different versions in our Book of Common Prayer, but "adaptations or insertions suitable to the occasion may be made." Translation: sometimes parishioners are asked to write The Prayers of the People. I love when this happens, because some of the most moving and beautiful interpretations I've ever seen have taken place at my humble church. In my humble, unbiased opinion, of course.
I especially like this part of the service: we are praying together, in communion with one another, remembering that we are part of the fabric of the entire world, the nation, and our community. It helps us to focus our prayers outside of our own specific needs and to remember concerns outside of our own. Going to church each Sunday helps pull me out of my own head and my own problems, and helps ground me in the truth that we are all connected to one another.
Okay, back to Alex! He was thrilled to be asked to write the prayers, but he needed some guidance on how to get started. John kindly agreed to come to our house to go over the framework with Alex and to answer any questions; this made Alex feel much less anxious about the whole endeavor for sure. He wrote the prayers with John sitting there with us; I think it was a very powerful experience for all of us: John was able to see Alex writing these words, which is always a moving experience for people to see first-hand. I was able to be the proud mom watching my son write something so moving, and Alex was given the opportunity to be seen as a thoughtful young man with something to say and share with a community of people he truly cares about. It was warm fuzzies all around, lemme tell you.
This is what ran in the bulletin:
"The Prayers of the People in our liturgy this summer were written by Alex Cormaney, who also offered the Youth Sunday Reflection this past June. John Shellito was grateful to help provide some of the framing and also a little feedback for these prayers, but Alex is the author. They are his words, and we are grateful for them! Alex writes: 'Love is everything that God is, and God is everything that is love. Please listen to my prayer and know that God loves you. Thank you for listening and for giving me the chance to write this prayer; it means a lot to me to be able to pray with you this way.'"
The Prayers of the People
Written by Alex Cormaney
The Leader and the People pray responsively
It pleases God to know that we are praying for the world and his creation. We hope that we are loving God and loving people like Jesus taught us.
Lord, in your motherly love,
Hear our prayer.
The country pleases God when we welcome refugees and immigrants.
Lord, in your motherly love,
Hear our prayer.
It pleases God when we love our neighbors as ourselves.
Lord, in your motherly love,
Hear our prayer.
For those who are pained in their hearts, bodies, or spirits, especially ________________; we pray that God would please please please love them to good health.
Lord, in your motherly love,
Hear our prayer.
For those who have gone to God and are now made whole, especially _________________; we pray for their rest and their peace.
Lord, in your motherly love,
Hear our prayer.
These Prayers will run each Sunday until September. I'm so grateful that Alex was once again given an opportunity to show a side of himself that remains mostly hidden to the world at first glance. I am so grateful for the community at St. George's. And I am so, so grateful for Alex, and that I get to be his mom.
