Prayer for the Church - A Revision

During the past few weeks, we were asked to pray this prayer as we remembered the Bishops meeting for the Lambeth Conference:

O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

After hearing the prayer in church, Bud Swank, one of the members of Trinity Cathedral sent me this reflection:

Today I found myself meditating on the Prayer for Lambeth Conference. It
seems to me that we are, in part, praying for something that we ought not to
expect or even desire.

"...carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation...."

I understand the plan of salvation to be transformational and
revolutionary in nature. The old is made new. Individuals may become something
that their friends hardly even recognize, and with whom those old friends may no
longer care to associate. Institutions have boxes blown up, customs set aside,
and new leaders put in place. These are not things that ordinarily happen in
tranquility, but by radical commitment to doing things that have never been
thought nor done before. Individuals commonly pass through a period of turmoil
as part of moving from the old to the new, and so do institutions. Conflict is a
necessary part of the process, as that is the only way that we can be motivated
to make the transition from what we know to what we do not know. It was what was
experienced by those around Jesus, and is what I expect to see today as God's
plan of salvation is carried out.

Therefore I offer this alternative prayer:
"...may your plan of salvation redeem the ferment of our times and transform it into new life and holy vitality...."

Bud is right of course. Change, which is a necessary element of life, is messy. And not necessarily tranquil. Tranqility can be an idol that leads to death.

Brian
http://blogs.deanbaker.org/