On being called

Leadership is about motivating change, whether that means inviting people into livelier worship, a more engaged life of prayer, greater awareness of God's activity in our own lives, or a community that treats its members with greater dignity. You may have a vocation to lead others into greater care for the earth, or to pastor those living with the changes that disease brings. Each one of us, as a consequence of our baptism, is a leader somewhere. Those who are ordained have a focus for leadership that is about equipping the rest of the baptized for their daily ministries of leadership. All of us are meant to be about the work of building the reign of God, and since it does not yet seem to be here in its fullness, we are not likely to work ourselves out of a job any time soon.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
Commencement sermon at Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest
May 15, 2007

Gracious, loving, and leading God, help each one of us to discern and live out the vocation you've called us to, with compassion and commitment, this day and everyday. Amen.

Wednesday's Prayer

Give thou thine heart to the wild magic,
To the Lord and the Lady of Nature,
Beyond any consideration of this world.

Do not covet large or small,
Do not despise weakling or poor,
Semblance of evil allow not near thee,
Never give nor earn thou shame.

The Ancient Harmonies are given thee,

Understand them early and prove,
Be one with the power of the elements,
Put behind thee dishonour and lies.

Be loyal to the Lord of the Wild Wood,
Be true to the Lady of the Stars,
Be true to thine own self besides,
True to the magic of Nature above all else.

Do not thou curse anyone,
Lest thou threefold cursed shouldst be,
And shouldst thou travel ocean and earth,
Follow the very step of the ancient trackways.

carmina gadelica - ancient celtic oral tradition

In Paradisum

May the angels lead you into paradise,

may the martyrs come to welcome you,

and take you to the holy city,

the new and eternal Jerusalem.


May the choirs of angels welcome you

where Lazarus is poor no longer.

May you have eternal rest.

May you have eternal rest.


Traditional Latin chant for the funeral liturgy.

Sunday Prayer

Eternal God of Fire and Wind,

We come to you in prayer filled with awe at the way you move in our lives. No tongue of fire is too small to spread your goodness, no breath too insignificant to speak your truth. Each day contains its holy moments, a constant reminder of your Spirit's presence.

On this day we celebrate the birthday of all churches and ponder what it means to be your church. In a world filled with differences help us to recognize our common source in you, Creator of all. When we would shutter ourselves against your energy, blow through us and change us as you blew through the crowd in Jerusalem, opening our minds and hearts.

With eyes and ears trained and tuned to you, may we work together to share your love, both in our churches and in the world. May walls and structures never become more important to us than your call to feed the hungry, to house the homeless and to care for the sick and imprisoned. May old ways of being and tired modes of thinking be released into your wind as it blows this day.

We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

Saturday's Prayer for Memorial Day Weekend

Eternal God,

Creator of years, of centuries,

Lord of whatever is beyond time,

Maker of all species and master of all history --

How shall we speak to you

from our smallness and inconsequence?

Except that you have called us to worship you

in spirit and in truth;

You have dignified us with loves and loyalties;

You have lifted us up with your lovingkindnesses.

Therefore we are bold to come before you without groveling

[though we sometimes feel that low]

and without fear

[though we are often anxious].

We sing with spirit and pray with courage

because you have dignified us;

You have redeemed us from the aimlessness

of things' going meaninglessly well.

God, lift the hearts of those

for whom this holiday is not just diversion,

but painful memory and continued deprivation.

Bless those whose dear ones have died

needlessly, wastefully [as it seems]

in accident or misadventure.

We remember with compassion those who have died

serving their countries

in the futility of combat.

There is none of us but must come to bereavement and separation,

when all the answers we are offered

fail the question death asks of each of us.

We believe that you will provide for us

as others have been provided with the fulfillment of

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

A Memorial Weekend Prayer

By Rev. Dick Kozelka (ret)

First Congregational Church of Minnesota

Minneapolis, MN.

Evening Prayer

Out of the silence at the beginning of time
you spoke the Word of life.
Out of the world's primeval darkness
you flooded the universe with light.
In the quiet of this place
in the dark of the night
I wait and watch.
In the stillness of my soul
and from its fathomless depths
the senses of my heart are awake to you
For fresh soundings of life
for new showings of light
I search in the silence of my spirit, O God.

J. Philip Newell, Celtic Benediction

Prayer for the Last Day of School

Dearest God,

We come to you today and recognize your hand in our lives.
We look on this last day of school with recognition
of the knowledge and wisdom that you have granted to us.
We come to you now and ask that you would have today be a new beginning for each of us.
That we will look to our education, our classes and learnings
not as something that is for us,
but as preparation to make the world a better place.
We thank you for the knowledge that you have given us
and seek to use this knowledge to fulfill your purposes in the world around us.

During this time of transition we ask that you would grant us faith, courage, and purpose.
Help guide us to serve you in everything that we do.
It is only through you that we can truly find purpose and meaning in this life,
and we seek you in our pursuit of knowledge, truth, and purpose.
Help us to continue seeking truth and knowledge
as we step into our summer -- our time of rest.

We trust you and thank you for the journey of life that you have given us.
Thank you for this day and each and every day that we walk with you.

Our prayer is to know you more with each passing day and to constantly thank you for your grace and your goodness.

Amen.

"Tuesday Prayer" or "Taking a Peek at a Lectionary Reading Coming Up Way Next Week"

Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

May hope not disappoint YOU, dear RevGals and Pals, wherever you find yourselves today.

Christ Our True Mother

God chose to be our mother in all things*
and in the fullness of time
took human form in the womb of Mary.

God, the perfect wisdom of all*
chose to be arrayed in this humble place.

Christ came in our poor flesh*
to share a mother's care.

Our mothers bear us for pain and for death*
our true Mother, Jesus, bears us for joy and endless life.

Jesus carries us within him in love and travail*
until the full time of his passion.

And when all was completed, and we were carried so for joy*
still, all this could not satisfy the power of God's wonderful love.

All that we owe is redeemed in truly loving God*
for the love of Christ works in us;
Christ is the one whom we love.

Tuesday Matins (Morning Prayer) Canticle, season of Advent
Adapted from Julian of Norwich

Church Publishing, 2006

Sunday Prayer

Gracious and Loving God, in thankfulness and praise we gather our prayers with all the prayers of the faithful on this day. We give thanks for the gift of creation, for our life and for our faith and in praise we thank you for the spiritual journey we share with one another.

God, guide us on our way, and help us to remember Jesus’ prayer that “all may be one” and lead us forward so that the way we live our lives can help to make unity in the faith a reality. Grant that we might step out in faith with tolerance, patience and a willingness to see the face of Christ in each person that we meet.

God of Compassion, be with all who are hurting today. Make your comforting presence known to all in need of your power and grace. Enfold the grieving in your love, give strength to those who are ill or recovering from surgery, and give faith to those who wander in the wilderness of their searching, yearning, spirits.

Grant us your peace, O God, and send us out to live in the unity of the Holy Spirit, which proclaims with one voice the Love revealed in Jesus, who taught us to pray together saying…

Saturday's Prayer, Simply Simple

SIMPLE GIFTS

Traditional Shaker Hymn

'Tis the gift to be simple
'Tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
and when we find ourselves in the place just right
'twill be in the valley of love and delight.

Refrain

When true simplicity is gained,

to bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,
to turn, turn will be our delight
'til by turning, turning we come round right.

'Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,

'Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,

And when we expect of others what we try to live each day,

Then we'll all live together and we'll all learn to say,

Refrain:

'Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,

'Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of "me",

And when we hear what others really think and really feel,

Then we'll all live together with a love that is real.

refrain:

Simple Gifts was written by Shaker Elder Joseph Brackett, Jr. in 1848. It was first published in The Gift to be Simple: Shaker Rituals and Songs. Simple Gifts was a work song sung by the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing (more commonly called the Shakers, an offshoot of the Quakers).

The photo is of Pleasant Hill Shaker Community, Kentucky at National Geographic. There are some more photos if you wish to see them. This was one of my favorite places to go while in Seminary.

A Celtic Rune Before Prayer

I am bending my knee



In the eye of the Father who created me,



In the eye of the Son who purchased me,



In the eye of the Spirit who cleansed me,



In friendship and affection.



Through Thine own Anointed One, O God,



Bestow upon us fullness in our need,



Love towards God,



The affection of God,



The smile of God,



The wisdom of God.



The grace of God,



The fear of God,



And the will of God



To do on the world of the Three,



As angels and saints



Do in heaven;



Each shade and light,



Each day and night,



Each time in kindness,



Give Thou us Thy Spirit.

Patient Trust

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are all, quite naturally,
impatient in everything to reach the end
without delay.
We should like to skip
the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being
on the way to something unknown,
something new,
and yet it is the law of all progress
that is made by passing through
some stages of instability-
and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually –
let them grow,
let them shape themselves,
without undue haste.
Don't try to force them on,
as though you could be today
what time (that is to say, grace and
circumstances acting on your own good will)
will make you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you
and accept the anxiety of
feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.

—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Busy, Troubled, Faithful

Gracious God,

On a day of many responsibilities,
a day of niggling details,
a day of blessed encounters,
remind us of Jesus, who sat at the table.

On a day of rushing here and there,
or sitting too long at a desk,
or juggling home and church,
remind us of Jesus, who sat at the table.

On a day that lasts too long,
with work stretching beyond sunset,
with always one more chore to perform,
remind us of Jesus, who sat at the table.

On a day ending sooner than seems possible,
with dinner to prepare or papers to write,
homework to complete or check or grade,
remind us of Jesus, who sat at the table.

Bless our work and our prayers,
our hearts and our minds,
our bodies and our souls, we pray. Amen.

Tuesday Prayer

God our Mother,
Living Water,
River of Mercy,
Source of Life,
in whom we live
and move
and have our being,
who quenches our thirst,
refreshes our weariness,
bathes
and washes
and cleanses
our wounds,
be for us always
a fountain of life,
and for all the world
a river of hope
springing up in the midst
of the deserts of despair.
Honor and blessing,
glory and praise
to You forever.

Amen.

-Medical Mission Sisters

Life Prayers from Around the World: 365 Prayers, Blessings and Affirmations to Celebrate the Human Journey

Thanksgiving

Blessed are you O God, vigilant mother.
--Blessed are you, O God, vigilant mother.

From the beginning you have rejoiced in creation,
dancing with us in joy and tears,
guarding us as the apple of your eye.
--Blessed are you, O God.

In the course of time you gave us Jesus,
who has ever raised up women and men
to spread the good news of your justice.
--Blessed are you, O God.

Today we are sent by your Spirit,
guardian of the poor,
to nurture and care, to proclaim and rejoice.
--Blessed are you, O God.

A Prayer Book for Remembering the Women. J. Frank Henderson; hymn texts by Mary Louise Bringle. Liturgy Training Publications, 2001.

Sunday Prayer

Gracious God, we thank you for this day and the beauty we may find in it. Even if this is a painful day and our hearts are grieving, you show us glimpses of holiness. A child’s hand reaching up to show us freshly picked dandelions, a smile from someone who cares, or an embrace from a loved one...in all these, we see you, O God.

On this special day, we thank you God for the people around us who provide nurture and care and love. In every gesture of love and encouragement, we see a reflection of your grace shining in our lives. In thankfulness, we praise you, Mother God.

We pray for all whom we have named aloud and for those whose needs are known only to you. We ask your blessing and comfort for all who suffer this day. God, take them under your wing like the Mother hen nestles her chicks close to her. Bring solace and strength, and may the peace that only you can provide be shared by all your people, for we ask in the name of the One who came to show us the way, Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together saying....

Saturday's prayer:The Quietness of Prayer

The Quietness Of Prayer
By Peter Marshall

Father, I ask Thee to take from me now
all that does harass and annoy,
all that has laid upon my heart burdens of anxiety and care.
I thank Thee for the stillness of this time of prayer-
this oasis in my busy day
when I can relax before Thee,
lay my burdens down,
and handover to Thee all my anxieties.

At this moment,
I open my heart to receive Thy blessing;
knowing that in Thy presence
The furrows are being smoothed from my brow,
The lines from my face,
the load from my heart,
the doubts from my mind,
the fears from my soul,
and I am at peace.

And now I thank Thee,
not only for Quietness without,
but for Thy quietness at the heart of the universe and
for quietness within. In Thy presence, I pray.
Amen

For the ordinary

When we consider your world, O God,
we always seem to be aware of the bizarre,
the out-of-kilter, the extraordinary.
Only occasionally do we marvel
at day following night,
at the repeating cycles of birth, growth, decay and death,
at the consistency of the phases of the moon.
Give us the grace to wonder at the ordinary.

—Doris Donnelly

Morning Poem

Every morning
the world
is created.
Under the orange

sticks of the sun
the heaped
ashes of the night
turn into leaves again

and fasten themselves to the high branches ---
and the ponds appear
like black cloth
on which are painted islands

of summer lilies.
If it is your nature
to be happy
you will swim away along the soft trails

for hours, your imagination
alighting everywhere.
And if your spirit
carries within it

the thorn
that is heavier than lead ---
if it's all you can do
to keep on trudging ---

there is still
somewhere deep within you
a beast shouting that the earth
is exactly what it wanted ---

each pond with its blazing lilies
is a prayer heard and answered
lavishly,
every morning,

whether or not
you have ever dared to be happy,
whether or not
you have ever dared to pray.

~~Mary Oliver

Tuesday

"You are always digging in the past or poking at the future, but rarely do you rest in this moment. It's something like the habit of my dear friend Susan, who - whenever she sees a beautiful place - exclaims in near panic, "It's so beautiful here! I want to come back here someday!" and it takes all of my persuasive powers to try to convince her that she is already here...There's a reason they call God a presence - because God is right here, right now. In the present is the only place to find Him, and now is the only time."

Elizabeth Gilbert Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

Monday Blessings

Let us bless the source of life,
source of darkness and light,
heart of harmony and chaos,
creativity and creation.

Let us bless the source of life,
source of the fullness of our knowing.

May we learn with humility and pleasure,
may we teach what we know with love,

and may we honor wisdom
in all its embodiments.

Let us bless the source of life,
source of faith and daring,
wellspring of new song
and of the courage to mend.

Marcia Falk, The Book of Blessings: New Jewish Prayers for Daily Life, the Sabbath, and the New Moon Festival (Beacon Press, 1996) pp. 166, 168, 174).

Gracious God, as this new day begins, my heart swells with the wonder of it all. I give thanks for the blessings that stand out as beacons of your grace and power...the tiny baby whose every movement, every sound, speaks of your power of creation. I give thanks for signs of spring all around us...the buds on the trees and the green grass emerging after a long winter.

Compassionate God, I give thanks that even in times of struggle, you are there. I am grateful for the community of care surrounding the grieving families I have worked with this week. Bless them and grant them your peace.

God, your greatest hope for creation is that we Love. May every day of my life be a genuine quest to love you with all my being and to love my neighbour. Teach me God to live well the gospel which I proclaim in the name of the One who calls me, leads me, and holds me - Jesus Christ - who taught us to pray together saying...

Saturday's Prayer

You are the peace of all things calm,
You are the place to hide from harm.
You are the light that shines in dark,
You are the heart's eternal spark.
You are the door that's open wide,
You are the guest who waits inside.
You are the light, the truth, the way,
You are my Saviour this very day.
Celtic blessing from the 1st millennium

A Prayer For Today

Merciful God, we praise you that you give strength for every weakness, forgiveness for our failures, and new beginnings in Jesus Christ. Especially we thank you for
the guidance of your Spirit through this day...
signs of new life and hope...
people who have helped us...
those who struggle for justice...
expressions of love unexpected or undeserved...

Almighty God, you know all needs before we speak our prayers,
yet you welcome our concerns for others in Jesus Christ.
Especially we pray for
those who keep watch over the sick and dying...
those who weep with the grieving...
those who are without faith and cannot accept your love...
those who grow old...

God our Father,
glorious in giving and restoring life,
do not hide your face from your people
overcome with loneliness and fear;
turn our mourning into dancing
and raise us up with your Son,
that we may rejoice in your presence for ever. Amen.
--excerpted from today's Oremus

Universal Peace Prayer

Lead me from death to life,
from falsehood to truth.
Lead me from despair to hope,
from fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love,
from war to peace.
Let peace fill my heart, my world, my universe.
Amen.

night prayer

Apologies for posting this today's prayer with only one hour of Tuesday left (on the west coast, at least). Translation from the new century hymnal.

All praise be yours my God this night.
And all the blessings of the light.
Keep me kind maker of all things
Beneath the shelter of your wings.

Sleep tight, Rev Gals.