The Rogation Days (from the Latin rogare, ‘to ask’) are the three weekdays before Ascension Day. However, in practice, many churches have observed Rogation on the preceding Sunday (Easter V in the Prayer Book, the Sixth Sunday of Easter in Common Worship). The Prayer Book Gospel includes the words of Jesus, ‘Whatsoever ye shall ask for in my Name, he will give it you’ – words associated with the heavenly intercession of the ascended Christ. Originally, the Christian observance of Rogation was taken over from GraecoRoman religion, where an annual procession invoked divine favour to protect crops against mildew. The tradition grew of using processional litanies, often around the parish boundaries, for the blessing of the land. The Rogation procession was suppressed at the Reformation, but it was restored in 1559. The poet and priest George Herbert interpreted the procession as a means of asking for God’s blessing on the land, of preserving boundaries, of encouraging fellowship between neighbours with the reconciling of differences, and of charitable giving to the poor. The tradition of ‘beating the bounds’ has been preserved in some communities, while others maintain the traditional use of the Litany within worship. In more recent times, the scope of Rogation has been widened to include petition for the world of work and for accountable stewardship, and prayer for local communities, whether rural or urban. At this time of lockdown as we all deal with the threat of the Coronavirus, it is vital we turn to God in prayer as individuals and as His Church. Of course, this year, we cannot have processions or join together for worship but we can still pray for the land, our nation and the well-being of Creation. Perhaps you can walk around your garden briefly pausing as you read the Scriptures and pray for various aspects of creation. You could pray through the service before your daily walk and then recall parts of it as you pass various places. The texts are shown below the hymns. If you are self-isolating or not very mobile, you can pray from your chair, imagining different parts of the world in your mind’s eye. The most important thing is to be open to God’s Spirit and pray for our world.
Prayers and Readings for Rogation Sunday 17th May 2020
The Greeting Alleluia! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia! We come before you our God and Sustainer, remembering that you are our Creator and the source of all being. Out of your love the universe was born. From primordial darkness you put in place all that is needed for growth and saw that it was good. You have put this world into our hands: may we recognise your Spirit within it, disturbing and challenging us to care for creation, for the weak and the deprived. Lord we remember that we are called by you to nourish the earth and its diversity of life, to share the gifts you have given, with one another and with the poor of the world. Amen Prayers of Penitence Let us ask God to have mercy on our tired land, and to prosper the work of our soiled hands. Let us ask God to forgive our delusion of self-sufficiency so that we may praise him for his provision and goodness. Lord, you give us this good earth, yet we take your generous gifts for granted. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, you give us this good earth, but we squander its rich resources. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, you give us this good earth, but we fail to share your bounty with all of your children. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. May the God of love and power forgive us and free us from your sins, heal and strengthen us by his Spirit, and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen. Collect Almighty God, whose will it is that the earth and the sea should bear fruit in due season: bless the labours of those who work on land and sea, grant us a good harvest and the grace always to rejoice in your fatherly care; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Mark 4:26-29 Jesus also said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.’ Prayer Almighty God, whose will it is that the earth and sea should bear fruit in due season, bless the labours of all those who work on land and sea. Grant us a good harvest and the grace always to rejoice in your care. Lord you have ordered our life that we are dependent on one another prosper those engaged in commerce direct our minds and hands in the service of you and all with whom we live and work. Grant O Lord that whatever gifts we have, they may be used to the full, for the enrichment of our lives together and for the coming of your kingdom. We pray in the name of Jesus, the good shepherd. Amen. Intercessions Let us pray to God, who alone makes us dwell in safety: Upon the rich earth send a blessing, O Lord. Let the earth be fruitful and its resources be hallowed. Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us. Upon human labour send a blessing, O Lord. Prosper the work of our hands; may all find dignity and just reward in their work; free the exploited and oppressed. Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us. Upon the produce of the earth send a blessing, O Lord. Guide into a sustainable future, and give us the will to share the fruits of the world. Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us. Upon the seas and waters send a blessing, O Lord. Teach us to cherish the water of the earth, and to conserve the seas, lakes and rivers. Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us. Upon aid agencies send a blessing, O Lord. Where the earth is parched and the well has run dry; where war brings want, and children go hungry; where the poor cry out for bread and for justice, give hands to care and heal, and compel us to be generous. Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us. For all who are affected by coronavirus, through illness or isolation or anxiety, that they may find relief and recovery: Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us. For those who are guiding our nation at this time, and shaping national policies, that they may make wise decisions: Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us. For doctors, nurses, care workers and medical researchers, that through their skill and insights many will be restored to health: Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us. For the vulnerable and the fearful, for the gravely ill and the dying, that they may know your comfort and peace: Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us. We commend ourselves, and all for whom we pray, to the mercy and protection of God. Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. A General Thanksgiving Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving kindness to us and to all men. We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we show forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen. Blessing and Dismissal God the Father, who created the world, give you grace to be wise stewards of his creation. Amen. God the Son, who redeemed the world, inspire you to go out as labourers into his harvest. Amen. God the Holy Spirit, whose breath fills the whole of creation, help you to bear his fruits of love, joy and peace. Amen.
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AuthorCanon John Green Archives
May 2021
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