the way

Those who know Your name will trust in You,

for You,

Lord,

have never forsaken those who seek You!

(ps 9:10)

Jesus You are the way, the truth and the life.

You told us that we cannot walk the way You walked, or drink the cup You drank, but thank You that you guide us in spirit and in truth along the path you have chosen for us.

Help us, we pray, when the road seems long or too much to bear. Thank You that sometimes it's a joy to walk it, and You put a spring in our step.

Above all we thank you that we walk with You. You are by our side, every step of the way, whether we feel you or not, whether we stop to acknowledge You or not, whether the day is good or bad, the road smooth or stony - You are there, trusted Lord and Saviour. Amen

Teach Me to Pray

Often I have said to people, "I will pray for you" but how often did I really enter into the full reality of what that means? I now see how indeed I can enter deeply into the other and pray to God from his center. When I really bring my friends and the many I pray for into my innermost being and feel their pains, their struggles, their cries in my own soul, then I leave myself, so to speak, and become them, then I have compassion. Compassion lies at the heart of our prayer for our fellow human beings. When I pray for the world, I become the world; when I pray for the endless needs of the millions, my soul expands and wants to embrace them all and bring them into the presence of God. But in the midst of that experience I realize that compassion is not mine but God's gift to me. I cannot embrace the world, but God can. I cannot pray, but God can pray in me. When God became as we are, that is, when God allowed all of us to enter into his intimate life, it became possible for us to share in his infinite compassion. -- Henri Nouwen In praying for others, I lose myself and become the other, only to be found by the divine love which holds the whole of humanity in a compassionate embrace.

Gracious God...teach me to pray.

Artwork: "The Power of Prayer," Richard Verner

In the Evening

O Lord, support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then in thy mercy, grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last. Amen.

—Book of Common Prayer

Tuesday Prayer

Spirit of the Living God
Fall afresh on me.

Melt me

Mold me

Fill me

Use me

Spirit of the Living God
Fall afresh on me.

Open now thy gates of beauty,
Zion, let me enter there,
Where my soul in joyful duty
Waits for Him Who answers prayer.
Oh, how blessèd is this place,
Filled with solace, light and grace!

Lord, my God, I come before Thee,
Come Thou also unto me;
Where we find Thee and adore Thee,
There a heav’n on earth must be.
To my heart, oh, enter Thou,
Let it be Thy temple now!

Here Thy praise is gladly chanted,
Here Thy seed is duly sown;
Let my soul, where it is planted,
Bring forth precious sheaves alone,
So that all I hear may be
Fruitful unto life in me.

Thou my faith increase and quicken,
Let me keep Thy gift divine,
Howsoe’er temptations thicken;
May Thy Word still o’er me shine
As my guiding star through life,
As my comfort in my strife.

Speak, O God, and I will hear Thee,
Let Thy will be done indeed;
May I undisturbed draw near Thee
While Thou dost Thy people feed.
Here of life the fountain flows,
Here is balm for all our woes.

Words: Benjamin Schmolck, 1730 (Thut mir auf die schöne Pforte); translated from German to English by Catherine Winkworth, 1863.

God of Life, Source of Love, we thank you for the power and extravagance of your love for all creation. Such love is almost incomprehensible. You love us, each one of us, just as we are. You have hopes and dreams for us, because in your eyes we are like a precious, priceless gift, ready to be a blessing in the best way possible.

Help us to know that your love is not bought for a price – it simply is. Help us to accept this grace and let it wash over us in waves of acceptance and eternal love.
We thank you God for every blessing we encounter in our lives. We thank you for the care and support of others through life’s challenges and for those who share our joys with us.

We thank you for the meaningful essence of this Lenten walk we have shared together...for its challenges and its discoveries.

God of Compassion, we pray for all we know to have special need of your grace this day. The sick, the dying, the fearful, the hungry, the lonely, the confused, the discerning, the lost, the saddened, the despairing, and all who struggle in body, mind or spirit.

God, be with all who need to feel your presence with them. Grant the comfort and peace that only you can provide. Let your arms enfold your children, that they may find refuge in the warmth of your embrace.

All this we pray in the name of Jesus who leads us onward toward Jerusalem. Prepare our hearts, minds and spirits for what awaits him there, that we might stay with him in these coming weeks, even when the skies turn dark. Amen.

rushing waters

and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory.

Ez 43:2

Lord,
Anoint our ears to hear You, our eyes to see You, our hearts to respond to You, in all circumstances.

Amen

The Love of God

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose...in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. -- Romans, chapter 8

Dear Lord,
Help us live into the hope
that no matter what happens,
you stand with us
and lead us
into that time and place
when all will be well
and all manner of thing will be well.
In Jesus' name, Amen.

Prayer of Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Life Lesson

If we can learn to praise you in the desert,
in the darkness when we can barely see,
Then we will ever be close to you.

Teach me to love you when it's hardest,
in the driest, most barren moments,
if my thoughts and feelings are distant,
and I will walk with you.

Psalm 11 - Taking Refuge

In the One I take refuge
even when I want to flee
like a bird to the mountains.

The wicked are bending the bow;
They fit their arrow to the string
and shoot at the very heart of the world.

Still I put my trust in the One
who lives in the holy temple of my soul
whose throne is in heaven and on earth.

The One examines the good and the bad,
and hates those who make war.

The One causes the fires of regret
to burn up the oppressors;
their guilt is a scorching wind.

The One loves those who bring justice.
Those who do good
will look upon that holy face.

In the One I take refuge.
I put my trust in the One.

From Barbara Gibson's Psalms for Troubled Times: Prayers of Hope and Challenge

Please Call Me By My True Names

Don't say that I will depart tomorrow-
even today I am still arriving.

Look deeply: every second I am arriving
to be a bud on a Spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with still-fragile wings,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.

I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry,
to fear and to hope.
The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death
of all that is alive.

I am a mayfly metamorphosing
on the surface of the river.
And I am the bird
that swoops down to swallow the mayfly.
I am a frog swimming happily
in the clear water of a pond.
And I am the grass-snake
that silently feeds itself on the frog.

I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,
my legs as thin a bamboo sticks.
And I am the arms merchant,
selling deadly weapons to Uganda.
I am the twelve-year-old girl,
refugee on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean
after being raped by a sea pirate.
And I am the pirate,
my heart not yet capable
of seeing and loving.

My joy is like Spring, so warm
it makes flowers bloom all over the Earth.
My pain is like a river of tears,
so vast it fills the four oceans.

Please call me by my true names,
so I can hear all my cries and laughter at once,
so I can see that my joy and pain are one.

Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up
and the door of my heart
could be left open,
the door of compassion.

(prayer from Thich Nhat Hanh, photo from Abbey of the Arts)

A Prodigal Prayer

Dear God……sorry, that sounds goofy, like I’m dictating a letter. Clearly it’s been a while since I’ve prayed. To be honest, and I guess that’s what this is all about, I haven’t so much as given a thought to you in several years. Am I holding my hands right? This is the way I remember from church school…

I don’t even know what I believe about you anymore. Sorry God, but that’s the truth. Where the hell...sorry...where are you? War, genocide, rape, murder, poverty...I could go on and you know it. Why does all that happen and where are you while good people are being broken and obliterated?

Where were you when my life was falling apart? Where were you when I lost all my money and my friends abandoned me? It’s not like I sat around waiting for you to rescue me or anything, I just did what I had to do to get by. But now... here... I want to know why I felt so alone and afraid. I went to church with my parents and I was confirmed so I know all about that “God is there for you” talk. I don’t get it. It’s like you disappeared when I needed you the most.

It’s okay though, because everything worked out. I went back home. I couldn’t believe it God, it was amazing. My Mom, when she saw me, she just held on to me so tightly I could hardly breathe. She cried and smiled and laughed all at the same time. She didn’t care what I had done or where I had been – she just held on to me and said “Thank you God. Thank you God” over and over again.

I guess I’m thankful too. In a world where there always seems to be a winner and a loser, I’ve generally been the loser. But Mom – she doesn’t see me that way at all. She doesn’t keep score, she just loves me.

God, I still don’t know where you are, or even if you are out there, but I know this much – my Mom loves me no matter what. She loves me the way my church school teachers used to say that Jesus loved me. Hey, wait a minute...God...is that where you are? In Mom’s tight hugs and the way she messes my hair and kisses my cheek?

God! God. Thanks. Oh, and Amen.

safe harbour

Jesus help us to leave safe harbours behind
and walk on water to You
the safest harbour there is

March Madness

"We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."

"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.

"You must be, said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here." -- Alice's Adventures Through the Looking-Glass

God, sometimes life feels mad --
mad in terrible ways
as I listen to the horrors of the day's news
mad in frustrating ways
as I try to juggle my responsibilities
mad in comic ways
at those times
when the only thing left to do
is laugh

Thank you for your abiding, healing presence
in this mad world
and in my mad life.

Prayer of St. Anselm

O Lord my God,
teach my heart this day
where and how to see You,
where and how to find You.

You have made me and remade me,
and You have bestowed on me
all the good things I possess,
and still I do not know You.
I have not yet done that
for which I was made.

Teach me to seek You,
for I cannot seek You
unless You teach me,
or find You
unless You show Yourself to me.

Let me seek You in my desire,
Let me desire You in my seeking.
Let me find You by loving You,
Let me love You when I find You.

Upon Arising

Arise, my soul, arise, shake off your guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice, in my behalf appears;
Before the throne my Surety stands,
Before the throne my Surety stands,
My name is written on His hands.


My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And "Father, Abba, Father," cry.

- Charles Wesley, 1742

The Avowal

As swimmers dare
to lie face to the sky
and water bears them,
as hawks rest upon air
and air sustains them,
so would I learn to attain
freefall, and float
into Creator Spirit’s deep embrace,
knowing no effort earns
that all-surrounding grace.
Denise Levertov








Photo credits: Walter Meayer Edwards and National Geographic

You Hear Our Silent Cries

O God, we labor in the heat of the day,
and so often the labor feels hopeless, unproductive, useless ....

And yet, you hear our silent cries.
You give us one another
to speak that which we in our pain cannot speak.
You give us your Word
that utters those things we cannot find the words to say.

And not only do you give us the words to speak,
but you also turn your ear to us and hear us,
even when all we have strength to whisper is,
"Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer."
For you have promised to hear us.
You have promised to turn your face to shine upon us.
You have promised to be our shade
when the heat of the day saps our strength
and the well of hope runs dry.

And you have promised,
even in the silence,
to give us the sweet sound of peace.

(prayer from John McCullough Bade)

Loving and Nurturing God, as we continue our Lenten journey, we ask your blessing upon us. We thank you for one another, and for the gift of this community of faith and others like it all around the world.

We give thanks for the blessing of friends and families who care and give support in times of need and celebrate with us in times of joy. Truly these are the sources of your love and nurture that keep us bearing the fruits of our faith. We see you reflected in the kindness and compassion of the people around us, and we do give thanks.

God, we pray for all who feel alone in their struggles. May they know the power and peace of your presence, and feel the comfort of the Holy Spirit in and around them.

We pray for all who are grieving the loss of a loved one, for the walk of grief can be a desolate one. We pray for all who are ill or undergoing tests or treatments for illness of body, mind or spirit.

We pray for all who are suffering in poverty and for all who are hungry or thirsty this day. We especially pray for the community of Nipigon in the wake of the mill fire.

We pray for children everywhere, especially during this March break, that they might enjoy this week and stay safe. We pray also for all your creatures upon the earth, especially our domestic pets for all the joy they bring to us. We pray for this planet on which we live. Help us God to be better stewards of this great gift.

God, we pray for peace in our time. We pray, stop the genocide in Darfur, stop the war in Iraq and the continued struggle in the Middle East. Wherever your people are harming one another, we pray, send the peace that only you can provide.

These prayers we join with all the prayers of our hearts as we share together in the prayer that Jesus taught his friends to say whenever they were gathered…...


Amen.

Help us God!

Thank You that Your mercies are new
Every morning, and every minute of the day!

I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
(Isaiah 46)

Thank you God for this promise.

Help us to trust You - and not our own understanding
Help us to recognise You - in all circumstances, good and bad
Help us to rest in You - and not our own survival techniques
Help us to reach out;
To be taken into Your embrace and loved by You,
To be held close and changed by our relationship with You.

Amen

When God Hides

Psalm 69

O God
sometimes it is
so hard to see you
so hard to show you to people
looking for your presence
in their lives
in their afflictions
in their disappointments
in their crises
help me see
through the lens of faith
and take the leap of trust
that you are here with me
and with all whom I serve.

Amen

What a Wonderful World

This multimedia meditation on the joy and beauty of life runs about 2.5 minutes. It has pictures and music but no words. If you don't have the time or you're in a place where you don't want to hear the music, I offer this short alternative:


Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

—Psalm 37: 4

As Pants the Hart for Cooling Streams

As pants the hart for cooling streams

When heated in the chase,

So longs my soul, O God, for thee

And thy refreshing grace.

For thee, my God, the living God,

Mythirsty soul doth pine:

O when shall I behold thy face,

Thou Majesty divine?

Why restless, why cast down, my soul?

Hope still, and thou shalt sing

The praise of him who is thy God,

Thy health's eternal spring.

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

The God whom we adore,

Be glory, as it was, is now,

And shall be evermore.

Nahum Tate & Nicholas Brady

It is all holy

To breathe, to laugh, to curse, to weep, to sit in the midst of perfect order, to stand in the center of perfect chaos, to break bread, to eat three strawberries, to touch a piano's keys, to kiss a lover's skin, to birth, to baptize, to bless, to bury, to live, to die - either it is all holy, or none of it is holy.
And this is what I know.
It is all holy.
-Mary Cartledgehayes Grace: A Memoir

Peaceful Monday

Peace is flowing like a river

Flowing out through you and me,

Flowing out into the desert,

Setting all the captives free.

God of the Lenten journey, hear our prayers. We gather in thankfulness and praise for the blessing of your Spirit’s presence in our midst. God, bless us and keep us in your care as we walk with you toward the cross. Strengthen our resolve to remain faithful to your call upon our lives, that we might bring your peace, your justice and your love to a world in need of all three.

We pray today, God, for all we know to be in special need of your grace. For those who are ill, or facing the end of their days on this earth. For those who are grieving the loss of a loved one, or the loss of a relationship, or a vocation. For all who struggle in situations of oppression, abuse or fear. For all who have been affected by weather-related tragedies, and for those whose loved ones died or were injured in the Atlanta bus accident. We pray also for communities struck by economic crises and the pain of watching neighbours suffer with poverty and need.

God of Peace, we yearn for an end to war, hunger, genocide and all forms of desolation that leave your children feeling lost and abandoned. Bring the peace that only you can provide.

All of this we pray in the name of the one who came to show us the way, Jesus Christ. And now we pray as he taught us…

Amen.

carried

Dear Lord Jesus

Thank you that You walk with us at all times, and carry us when we need it.

Help us to learn to give our burdens to You, and accept the rest that is offered by You alone.

Amen

Keeping It in Perspective

Goodness is stronger than evil;
Love is stronger than hate;
Light is stronger than darkness;
Life is stronger than death;
Victory is ours through him who loves us.
Amen.
-- Desmond Tutu

Determination

Every so often, this miracle happens:

A seed falls upon rock and takes root, refusing to die.

The stronger it grows, the deeper its roots go, probing for sustenance. It puts out green branches, a sign of hope.

O God, plant your love in the rocky soil of my heart. Sustain it with your grace. Help me believe that I am strong enough to make it through, though the obstacles before me may seem insurmountable, because in You all things are possible.

Help me to live as a sign of hope to all who seek your Kingdom.