NIGHT PRAYER: Thursday 7/10

In September of 2016, Scott Staniar, a parishioner at Holy Family in Concord, spoke to me about the possibility of forming a men's prayer group.  Within a couple of months, with the assistance of Mike Robichaud and Jeff Hackman, the proposed prayer group was a reality with as many as 30 or more men participating on a monthly basis.  The meetings were faith-filled, Spirit-driven, genuinely Christian and vulnerably prayerful - which are also the terms I might use to speak of Scott who, just recently, at 61, ended his battle with cancer and claimed the victory promised him by Jesus.

 

I'm away for two months and won't be there for Scott's wake and funeral but I'll certainly be there in spirit and in prayer... 

 

If you knew Scott, you knew, without a doubt, that Scott had personally met Jesus, that they were the best of friends, and that the Spirit of Jesus was very much at home and alive in the depths of Scott's soul.  All of that and yet Scott's faith and its expression was never at all off-putting or overwhelming - to the contrary it was inviting, warm and respectful.  Scott's life humbly heralded the gospel of Jesus wherever he went, in word and deed.

 

Scott leaves behind his wife, Rita, their children Garth, Leslie, Kimberly, and Elizabeth, and his parents and his sister - and countless others whose lives were touched by his faith in so many ways and venues.  I'm one of those countless others and I thank God for that grace - as I pray for Scott, for all who love him, and for all whose lives were touched by his faith.

 

Let us pray...

 

We thank you on this night, O Lord,

for the men and women in our lives:

    in whose faces 

        we've seen your face,

    in whose words 

        we've heard your voice,

    through whose hands

        we've known your help, 

    in whose hearts

        we've found your love,

    in whose eyes

        we've seen your light, 

    in whose arms 

        we've felt your warmth,

    in whose presence

        we've found your peace...

    

We thank you on this night, O Lord,

for these holy women and men who were:

    your gifts to us,

    your grace for us,

    your blessing in our lives;

    your gentle touch of mercy,

    your spirit hovering near us,

    your love within our reach...

 

We thank you on this night, O Lord,

for all those you've called home:

    bathe them in your mercy, 

    welcome them to paradise,

    reward them for their labors

    and hold them in your arms' embrace 

    'til comes the day

    when we'll all meet again...

 

Protect us, Lord while we're awake

    and watch over us while we sleep

that awake, we might keep watch with you

    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

 

Deep Peace by Sir John Rutter

   sung by Aled Jones 

 

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