At the Brink of Dawn

Now
is the hour
to wake from our sleep
and busy ourselves with the stuff of this day.

Jesus, be our light of today.
Chase darkness
out.

-- from The Center For Liturgy

Working in His Orchard

3-5Our prayers for you are always spilling over into thanksgivings. We can't quit thanking God our Father and Jesus our Messiah for you! We keep getting reports on your steady faith in Christ, our Jesus, and the love you continuously extend to all Christians. The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope.

5-8The Message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn't diminish or weaken over time. It's the same all over the world. The Message bears fruit and gets larger and stronger, just as it has in you. From the very first day you heard and recognized the truth of what God is doing, you've been hungry for more. It's as vigorous in you now as when you learned it from our friend and close associate Epaphras. He is one reliable worker for Christ! I could always depend on him. He's the one who told us how thoroughly love had been worked into your lives by the Spirit.

9-12Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.

13-14God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.

Col 1: 3-14, The Message.

Mercy Now

Yeah we all could use a little mercy now.
I know we don't deserve it, but we need it anyhow.
We hang in the balance, dangle between hell and hallowed ground.
And every single one of us could use some mercy now.
Every single one of us could use some mercy now.
Every single one of use could use some mercy now.

—Mary Gauthier

For anyone in the mood to hear the whole song, I offer the YouTube version:

Sat 1st December

Lord, help us to appreciate what we have. Help us do our best for a better world. Amen

Tuesday Prayer

Anne Lamott says there are really only two prayers.
Help. Thank You.

Psalm 62

62 Nonne Deo?

1 For God alone my soul in silence waits; *
from her comes my salvation.

2 She alone is my rock and my salvation, *
my stronghold, so that I shall not be greatly shaken.

3 How long will you assail me to crush me,
all of you together, *
as if you were a leaning fence, a toppling wall?

4 They seek only to bring me down from my place of honor; *
lies are their chief delight.

5 They bless with their lips, *
but in their hearts they curse.

6 For God alone my soul in silence waits; *
truly, my hope is in her.

7 She alone is my rock and my salvation, *
my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.

8 In God is my safety and my honor; *
God is my strong rock and my refuge.

9 Put your trust in her always, O people, *
pour out your hearts before her, for God is our refuge.

10 Those of high degree are but a fleeting breath, *
even those of low estate cannot be trusted.

11 On the scales they are lighter than a breath, *
all of them together.

12 Put no trust in extortion;
in robbery take no empty pride; *
though wealth increase, set not your heart upon it.

13 God has spoken once, twice have I heard it, *
that power belongs to God.

14 Steadfast love is yours, O Sophia, *
for you repay everyone according to their deeds.

Sunday Prayer

Loving and Mysterious Christ, today we give thanks for you – for your birth, life, and ministry – and for the ultimate mystery of your death and resurrection. We thank you for the power of Love revealed in your earthly presence in our midst, and for the eternal gift of the Holy Spirit to guide, strengthen and comfort each of us.

We don’t always know how to imagine you, Jesus, nor do we all share the same sense of who you are. We give thanks that your love for us is deep and wide enough to contain our confusion and missteps.

Thank you for loving us as we are and encouraging us to grow in love and faith, just as you encouraged your disciples so long ago. Bless us this day and always, as we continue to follow your way.

Jesus, we have named some people and situations that we know are filled with struggle. You know the ache in the human heart when there is loss, illness or broken relationships. You know all of our struggles, and so we ask your special blessing upon us and all who suffer.

By your grace, grant us peace. By your power and inspiration, help us to be peacemakers, bringing your radical love and justice wherever we go.

And hear us now, as we pray using the words that you taught to your friends…

Saturday's prayer By Rabbi Harold S. Kushner

In light of the mideast peace talks;

A Prayer For The World

By Rabbi Harold S. Kushner

Let the rain come and wash away the ancient grudges,

the bitter hatreds held and nurtured over generations.
Let the rain wash away the memory of the hurt, the neglect.
Then let the sun come out and fill the sky with rainbows.
Let the warmth of the sun heal us wherever we are broken.
Let it burn away the fog

so that we can see each other clearly.
Let the warmth and brightness of the sun

melt our selfishness.
And let the light of the sun be so strong

that we will see all people as our neighbors.
Let the earth, nourished by ain,

bring forth flowers to surround us with beauty.
And let the mountains teach our hearts to reach upward to heaven.
Amen.

picture from ECUMENE

O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen.

- Samuel F. Pugh

Thanksgiving Prayer

Gracious and Life-Giving God,

You loved us into being, and your love sustains us now. We imagine that you delight in us as a mother delights in her precious child, an idea that has meaning for us precisely because you gave us families as the matrix within which we carry out your design for loving and being loved here on earth.

Today we gather with our families, those we were born into and those we created ourselves, those that chose us or that we chose without reference to blood relationship. Today we give thanks for all the blessings we enjoy, the bounty of your Creation, and especially for all of the families that we belong to.

They have carried us and nourished us, loved us and taught us to love, helped us to imagine what we might be at our very best and grounded us as we tried and sometimes as we failed to achieve those wild dreams. If at times they have disappointed us, we know that the reverse is also true.

Teach us to love, and teach us gratitude for all of the love we have received.

Thank you.

Amen.

(by Widening Circles)

Be Mindful, O Lord

Be mindful, O Lord, of those who travel by land, by sea, and by air; of the old and young, the sick, the suffering, the sorrowing, the afflicted, the captives, the needy and the poor; and upon them all send forth Thy mercies, for Thou art the Giver of all good things. Amen

Tuesday Prayer

From the song Holy Now

Wine from water is not so small
But an even better magic trick
Is that anything is here at all
So the challenging thing becomes
Not to look for miracles
But finding where there isn’t one

When holy water was rare at best
It barely wet my fingertips
But now I have to hold my breath
Like I’m swimming in a sea of it
It used to be a world half there
Heaven’s second rate hand-me-down
But I walk it with a reverent air
‘Cause everything is holy now
Everything, everything
Everything is holy now

Read a questioning child’s face
And say it’s not a testament
That’d be very hard to say
See another new morning come
And say it’s not a sacrament
I tell you that it can’t be done

This morning, outside I stood
And saw a little red-winged bird
Shining like a burning bush
Singing like a scripture verse
It made me want to bow my head
I remember when church let out
How things have changed since then
Everything is holy now

Lyrics by singer/songwriter Peter Mayer

That Our Joy May Be Complete

"I am the true vine, and God is the vinegrower. Every branch in me that bears no fruit is removed. Every branch that bears fruit is pruned to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.

Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing....If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. God is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.

As God has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept God's commandments and abide in God's love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

John 15:1-5, 7-11

Sunday Prayer

Loving God, Holy Mystery, we give thanks this day for all the ways in which we encounter you and experience your presence in our midst. In quiet moments of heartfelt intentional prayer, and in drive-by prayers whispered in the midst of life’s chaos – you are there. Thank you God.

We thank you for our faith and all who share in this journey of spiritual discovery. Bless us all, Holy One, for we are indeed works-in-progress, doing the best we can for this day and seeking each day to learn, grow and live in deeper relationship with you.

Help us to be agents of your love and bearers of your peace in this troubled world. Help us to be a light shining your good news into the shadows, bringing hope, justice, peace and comfort where it is needed most.

Bless, O God, those named in this place today and those whose needs are known only to you. Comfort those who mourn, give strength to those who struggle in body, mind or spirit, and may your Spirit hover close wherever despair and heartache linger.
These, and all the prayers of our hearts, we raise to you in the assurance of our faith. With thankfulness and praise, we share now the prayer that Jesus taught his friends to say when they gathered together…

Saturday's prayer of Thanksgiving

In honor of upcoming Thanksgiving Day in America;

Thanksgiving Prayer – American Indian

Great and Eternal Mystery of Life, Creator of All Things, I give thanks for the beauty You put in every single one of Your creations.
I am grateful that You did not fail in making every stone, plant, creature, and human being a perfect and whole part of the Sacred Hoop.
I am grateful that You have allowed me to see the strength and beauty of All My Relations.
My humble request is that all of the Children of Earth will learn to see the same perfection in themselves.
May none of Your human children doubt or question Your wisdom, grace, and sense of wholeness in giving all of Creation a right to be living extensions of Your perfect love. Image from Sacred Hoop Magazine

Thanks

God doesn't really need to hear a "thank you." Yet we need to become people who never fail to be grateful. How shameful to go through life without expressing thanks to God for [God's] gifts. Get into the habit of taking divine blessings for granted, and you'll be just as ungracious to your parents, to your husband or wife, or to your friends. Who wants to have a relationship with someone like that? All of us ought to share the sentiment of the Hasidic rabbi who regularly prayed, "O God, You have given so much to me, I dare to ask You to give me one thing more -- a grateful heart." -- Benjamin Blech, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism

Disturb Us, Lord

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

–Attributed to Sir Francis Drake, 1577

The Canticle of the Creatures

Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord,
All praise is Yours, all glory, honor and blessings.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong;
no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.

We praise You, Lord, for all Your creatures,
especially for Brother Sun,
who is the day through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor,
of You Most High, he bears your likeness.

We praise You, Lord, for Sister Moon and the stars,
in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.

We praise You, Lord, for Brothers Wind and Air,
fair and stormy, all weather's moods,
by which You cherish all that You have made.

We praise You, Lord, for Sister Water,
so useful, humble, precious and pure.

We praise You, Lord, for Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night.
He is beautiful, playful, robust, and strong.

We praise You, Lord, for Sister Earth,
who sustains us
with her fruits, colored flowers, and herbs.

We praise You, Lord, for those who pardon,
for love of You bear sickness and trial.
Blessed are those who endure in peace,
by You Most High, they will be crowned.

We praise You, Lord, for Sister Death,
from whom no-one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in their sins!
Blessed are those that She finds doing Your Will.
No second death can do them harm.

We praise and bless You, Lord, and give You thanks,
and serve You in all humility.

-St. Francis of Assisi

Tuesday Prayer

Empower me
to be a bold participant,
rather than a timid saint in waiting,
in the difficult ordinariness of now;
to exercise the authority of honesty,
rather than to defer to power,
or deceive to get it;
to influence someone for justice,
rather than impress anyone for gain;
and, by grace, to find treasures
of joy, of friendship, of peace
hidden in the fields of the daily
you give me to plow.

Ted Loder, Wrestling the Light

Pray Faithfully, Love Boldly

God our rock and refuge:
keep us safe in your care and strengthen us with your grace,
that we may pray to you faithfully and love one another boldly,
following the example of Jesus,
who with you and the Holy Spirit lives for ever and ever. Amen.

Enriching our Worship (Church Publishing, 1998), p.52.
Source: Veronese Sacramentary

Remembrance Sunday Prayer

This is a prayer that was written by Gord for last year's Remembrance Sunday observance. It is profound and thought-provoking, so I thought it would be good to share it again.

God of peace and love, on this 11th day of the 11th month we once again gather to remember. We remember that in Jesus of Nazareth you have called us to be people of peace saying, “Blessed are the peacemakers” and reminding us that we are to love our neighbour and our enemy as we love ourselves.
But we also acknowledge that there are times when we as a global community fail to live out those words, times when young men and women hear the call to don the uniforms of their country and serve under their flag.
Today we give thanks for all who have chosen to serve their country. We give thanks for their bravery, their commitment, and their love.
But we know that when armies meet on the field there are always some who don’t come home.
And so we pause in the memory of those who went and did not return to mothers and wives and children left behind.

We remember battles at Ypres, and Passchendale, and Vimy Ridge in the war we were told would end all wars, battles where the blood of enemies mingled in the mud and water of France and Belgium.
And we remember those who fell in the war that came a scarce generation later. And again young men died in places like Hong Kong, and Ortona, and Dieppe, and Juno Beach, and in the Netherlands.
We remember all who fell and were buried far from home, or who sank to a watery grave in the cold Atlantic.

Then as the years past the roles changed and we sent our best to help keep the peace in places like Cyprus, and the Golan Heights, and Cambodia. And still some died and were buried.
And now, in these last few months we find that our young have returned to the battlefield, only to have over 50 of them return in a coffin carried solemnly to a waiting aircraft.

God, whose hope for the world is peace, on this day we not only remember the fallen of Canada who lie buried under a military tombstone. We remember also the fallen of Germany, and Japan, and France, and Australia. Or Italians, and native Afghanis, and English. This day we honour all who die as a result of humanity’s common failing to live in the peace you have hoped for all these millennia.

God, we pray too for those who returned from battle forever changed by what they had seen. For those who bore, and still bear, wounds of body and soul. In particular we remember those from within this Legion community who have died since the last time we gathered in this way: (read names from bulletin).

And now, God of love, as we have remembered and honoured, we prepare to go back into our everyday lives. May the remembering we have done here today reawaken and strengthen our commitment to work for peace, true peace. Help us to remember that peace will never truly come from a gun barrel but from the depths of our hearts. Help us remember our calling to be peacemakers at home and abroad, in the big things and in the small. And may we never forget the cost that has already been paid.

God of peace that surpasses all understanding, we pray our remembrances and our hopes in the name of Christ, the Prince of Peace, who taught his friends to pray by saying together:
Our Father, who art in heaven…

Amen.

Saturday prayer for Renewal

A Prayer For Renewal

Lord, we are your people, the sheep of your flock.
Heal the sheep who are wounded.
Touch the sheep who are in pain.
Clean the sheep who are soiled.
Warm the lambs who are cold.
Help us to know the Father's love through Jesus the shepherd, and through the Spirit.
Help us to lift up that love, and show it all over this land.
Help us to build love on justice and justice on love.
Help us to
believe mightily,
hope joyfully,
love divinely.
Renew us that we may help renew the face of the earth.
Amen
Author Unknown

(Picture of Jesus the Shepherd at Acts 1711 ministries)
I have the same picture in my office.

A Treasure Old and New...

Giver of Life, who is in and beyond the universe, we would speak your name with thoughtfulness.


May we follow the laws of peace and understanding here on earth as the stars obey the laws of heaven.


May there be food for all so that none may go hungry.


When we have been unfair, unkind or thoughtless, give us the courage to say we are sorry and help us to be forgiving when others hurt us.


Give us the strength to do what we feel is right and to turn away from whatever hurts ourselves or others.


For the wonder, beauty, and the goodness all around us we give praise and thanks.

-- The Lord’s Prayer as interpreted by the Rev. Barbara Marshman

Thursday Prayer

Lord, take me where You want me to go;
Let me meet who You want me to meet;
Tell me what You want me to say; and
Keep me out of your way.

--Father Mychal Judge, FDNY

interuption for urgent prayer

(I hope it was ok to post this as an extra prayer request today!)

Lord have mercy

Finland Shooting Death Toll Rises to More Than Seven, MTV3 Says

More than seven people may have been killed in a school shooting in Tuusula, Finland, broadcaster MTV3 reported, citing Interior Minister Anne Holmlund.

“There seem to be many victims,” Holmlund told the Helsinki-based broadcaster in an interview.

Tuusula is a municipality of about 35,000 people located 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north of the Helsinki.

Please, please pray for our nation -the Republic of Finland. It's in shock. This is the first ever shooting in a high school. The principal was killed and there are at least six other known victims.
Pray for the families of the victims and the man who did the shootings (Auvinen;who was a former pupil of the school)

Thank you all.

Prayer for Autumn Days

Prayer for Autumn Days

God of the seasons, there is a time for everything; there is a time for dying and a time for rising. We need courage to enter into the transformation process.

God of autumn, the trees are saying goodbye to their green, letting go of what has been. We, too, have our moments of surrender, with all their insecurity and risk. Help us to let go when we need to do so.

God of fallen leaves lying in colored patterns on the ground, our lives have their own patterns. As we see the patterns of our own growth, may we learn from them.

God of misty days and harvest moon nights, there is always the dimension of mystery and wonder in our lives. We always need to recognize your power-filled presence. May we gain strength from this.

God of harvest wagons and fields of ripened grain, many gifts of growth lie within the season of our surrender. We must wait for harvest in faith and hope. Grant us patience when we do not see the blessings.

God of geese going south for another season, your wisdom enables us to know what needs to be left behind and what needs to be carried into the future. We yearn for insight and vision.

God of flowers touched with frost and windows wearing white designs, may your love keep our hearts from growing cold in the empty seasons.

God of life, you believe in us, you enrich us, you entrust us with the freedom to choose life. For all this, we are grateful.

Amen.

as found at http://www.stagnescathedral.org.

Tuesday Prayer

crossposted at the RevGals prayer site

(with help from Elijah, age 5)

Thank you for this wonderful world we have.
I love my beautiful backyard.

Thank you for leaves and trees.
I love you, trees.


regdbhhhhhhhhh

Transport the Cry of My Desire

Ah! O cherished one of my vows, my innermost heart thirsts for you.

Ah! Quickly make me come to you, God, living fountain; from you let me draw eternal life forever.

Ah! Quickly let your face shine upon me; let me gladly see you face to face.

Ah! Quickly, quickly show yourself to me; let me rejoice happily in you for eternity.

Ah! ah! O life of my spirit, transport the cry of my desire and join it in one voice with the festive psaltery of your love. And make my life so much your own and glue my soul to your love in such a way that all my life and acts may sing praise to you on the ten-stringed psaltery and that my total intention united to you, may commence, progress, and terminate in you, O true life of my soul.

Ah! and ah! O true love of my heart....

Gertrud the Great of Helfta, Spiritual Exercises VI: 546-559.
(Tr. Gertrud Jaron Lewis and Jack Lewis, Cistercian Publications, 1989, p. 113).

Sunday Prayer

Ever-present, Loving God, with humble gratitude I offer the prayers of my heart. I have so much for which to be thankful...for every glimpse of your love and grace that touches my life, for shelter and food to sustain me, for the sense of your Spirit hovering close in the ordinary and extraordinary moments of life.

God, I'm thankful tonight for cool autumn evenings and the symphony of barking dogs outside my window (though honestly, they may not sound as good in a few hours). I'm thankful for my faith community and the blessing of serving in their midst.

As we honour the saints who have gone before us, I ask your blessing upon our church family this morning. Enfold us all in your care, and etch upon our hearts the assurance that in life, in death and in life beyond death, we are not alone - you are with us. Bless all who are feeling the cold sting of a recent bereavement, as well as those whose loss is slowly evolving into a bittersweet ache in the soul.

God, I'm also thankful tonight for the support and care of our online faith community, the RevGals. I pray that all who are called to preach the word this morning will be blessed and lifted up on the wings of the Spirit's bold care and inspiration. All this I pray in the name of the One who calls me forward, Jesus Christ, who taught his friends to pray together saying...

Amen.

It helps now and then to step back and take the long view

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,

it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction

of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.

Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying

that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.

No prayer fully expresses our faith.

No confession brings perfection.

No pastoral visit brings wholeness.

No program accomplishes the church's mission.

No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.

We plant the seeds that one day will grow.

We water seeds already planted,

knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation

in realizing that. This enables us to do something,

and to do it very well. It may be incomplete,

but it is a beginning, a step along the way,

an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference

between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own. Amen.

Prayer by Oscar Romero

Image of Oscar Romero

A Prayer For All Souls' Day

Prince of Lights,
upon the Throne
Which all the
Seven circle,
Immortals ringing
Love eternal,
Hear ourprayer

Triune Sky’s
renascent Sun,
Swift unmoved
and moving still
All the spinning
spheres, hear,
Hear our prayer

Musician, Master of Silence, O sweet
Symphonist thundering Melody, Maker
And Mover of Heaven’s harmony hear,
Hear our prayer

For those who died far from home,
who died suddenly,
Shivering shocked into silence
Grant them your peace

For those who pined on the shore for the lost
long years before Death brought release
Grant them your peace

For those who denied you and sought you,
Fleeing your face and chasing your shadows;
May they drink of the fountain that drank of the streams
Lord, grant them your peace

For those who fight the tides too quickly come,
Numb with pain, immersed in confusion;
Terrified we might lose them we broken voiced pray,
Through you wounds and for Lazarus’ love let them live
Grant them your peace

For we who remain in the dark wood — Minoan
Throttle of illusion — doubting the Fire
Of your Love which burns all about us, open our eyes,
And grant us your peace

Your peace which passes all understanding:
Keep our hearts and minds in your knowledge and love,
Now and always, Amen.

-- David Ashford

Thursday prayer

My soul proclaims your greatness Oh my God
And my spirit has rejoiced in you, my Savior
For your regard has blessed me
An ordinary woman who searches.
From this day all generations will call me blessed
For you are mighty, you have made me great
And holy is your name.
Your mercy is on those who fear you through all generations.
You have scattered the proud and their hearts' fantasies.
You put down the might from their seat
And have lifted up the powerless.
You have filled the hungry with good things
And have sent the rich empty away.
You, remembering your mercy, have helped your people Israel
As you promised Abraham, Sarah and mercy to their children forever.
--translation from Language About God in Liturgy and Scripture: A Study Guide