| In the weeks leading up to the 2004 annual convention of the Episcopal
Diocese of Pittsburgh,
Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh organized a project to
provide “Reconciling Prayers” on a daily basis to subscribers of its
Internet e-mail list. I was one of many members who took
responsibility for providing prayers, poems, meditations, and the like
during this period. Some contributions were original, but many were not.
I took responsibility for October 24, 2004. My message
ended with a Scripture passage and a related, original collect. The passage was
1 John 4:19–21:
We love because he first loved us. Those who say,
I love God, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for
those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot
love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is
this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. (NRSV)
The collect was the following:For Christian UnityCreator of the universe, who made us different from
one another in myriad ways we can see and in more ways we shall never
know, yet made us all in your image; fill our hearts with your love and
our minds with your wisdom, that we may truly become brothers and
sisters of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives
and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.
 Rather to my surprise, the above collect
showed up in the official
Anglican Cycle of Prayer for the
Week
of Prayer for Christian Unity for
2006.
It has again been accorded that honor for
2007. (The Anglican Cycle of Prayer for 2006 and 2007 are no longer
posted on the Web. The relevant pages can be viewed in the Internet
Archive, however,
here and
here.) By the way, I have no idea how my prayer found its way to the
Anglican Cycle of Prayer. I did not suggest it to anyone
My collect did not have a title originally, but, given the use to which
it was put, I added the title seen above.
— LED, 1/6/2007, rev. 8/27/2023
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