The 2021 Lenten prayer vigils are scheduled for Fridays – February 19th, March 12th, and Good Friday, April 2nd. These will be remote vigils rather than physical pilgrimages to the church.
Good Friday Prayer Vigil – Prayer for the World Friday, April 2, 2021
God loves all creation, all of his creatures, and especially all people, whom he made in his own image (Genesis 1). For this reason, God sent his only Son into the world (John 3:16). God’s love for us is revealed in Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, his burial, and his resurrection.
God’s love is the inspiration for our Good Friday prayer vigil, which will focus on praying for the world.
But where to start? The problems and crises in today’s world are innumerable and seem insurmountable.
We find some guidance from the 19th century evangelist Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon taught students at his Preachers College to prepare sermons with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.
Now as then, current events reveal what is common to mankind. Based on recent issues of national news publications, here are some human conditions to pray about:
*the ongoing battle against Covid-19, worsened in Europe by a more virulent strain
*the call for New York State’s Governor to resign amid charges of sexual harassment
*the failure of a multi-billion dollar “supply-chain” finance company and its effect on borrowers and lenders world-wide
*a power struggle between “big-tech” companies, their encroachment into governmental authorities as well as their participation in censorship
*the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan
*the ongoing civil war in Syria famine as a result of locust swarms in eastern Africa in 2020
*people suffering from the effects of hurricanes, floods, and earth quakes mass
*abductions and human trafficking in Nigeria
*continued jihadist terrorism throughout Africa and the Middle East
*the mounting refugee and immigration crisis on the US southern border
These world-wide miseries are not limited to the physical, material world. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
Let’s saturate the world in prayer, from midnight to midnight on April 2nd. Like the first two vigils, this is remote. Rather than go to the church, participants can pray from home, work or while traveling.
Contact Sheila Enstine by phone at 607.229.4135 or by email at ssenstine@gmail.com to sign up. Participants will receive an email reminder and a list of prayer suggestions.
