You live at the hinge

You brood in the night in its fearfulness,
You dawn the day in its energy,
You move at the edge of night
into the margin of day.
You live at the hinge between fear and energy.
You take the feeble night and give us strong day,
You take our fatigue and bestow courage,
You take our drowsy reluctance and fashion full-blooded zeal.
What shall we say?
You, only you, you
You at the hinge--and then the day.
You--and then us,
from you in faithfulness,
us for the day,
us in the freedom and courage and energy,
and then back to you--in trust and gratitude.
Amen.

Walter Brueggemann, Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth, 5.

O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Greeting Shekinah

Shekinah of the sun, Shekinah of the moon,
We greet You with our morning song,
We greet You with the washing of hands,
We greet You with our dawn fire.

Shekinah of the morning star, Shekinah of the dew,
We welcome You as the running deer,
Our feet swift in dancing.
We welcome You as the golden eagle,
Our hands spread in prayer.
We welcome You as the shimmering stream,
Our spirit flowing to the sea of Your delight.

We bless the day with our rising smoke.
Let our prayers ascend to the skies.
Let our prayers touch the earth.
Shalom Achoti, shalom Sister,
All life sings your song.

Lynn Gottlieb, She Who Dwells Within
Harper SanFrancisco, 1995, p. 32

Sunday's Prayer

Loving God,
Be with us as we finish our preparations mentally, emotionally and spiritually; to begin our days, go through our days, and complete our days. Be in us as we walk into our places of worship and meet with so many different people to be able to be their spiritual leaders. Be in our heads to help us think clearly. Be in hearts to be able to know ourselves and to keep us calm in any anxious moments. Be in our souls to keep us centered and to guide our way with your Holy Spirit. May the words of our mouth, the meditation of our hearts, and the spirit of our souls be acceptable in your sight, O Lord. Amen

Cross posted at revgalblogpals

and my blog.

Saturday Prayer

WATER PRAYER

"Be praised my God for Sister Water who is useful, humble, precious and pure."

As St. Francis prayed in great gratitude for Sister Water,we pray in thankfulness for her life sustaining generosity. We acknowledge that water in its mysterious beauty causes the desert to bloom. One tiny drop spread collected with thousands of dropswaters seeds and future harvests to feed us and all creatures. One tiny drop multiplied quenches our burning thirst. Our bodies, like the body of earth, are over 75% water. We are a water people. We are a water planet.

Oh compassionate God,

Creator who breathed over the waters

we seek forgiveness for our mindless use of water.

We beg for wisdom to know how to conserve and cherish water,

We ask healing for the ways that we disrespect and contaminate our sister.

In this drought time we wait and watch for the gift of rain upon earth.

We watch and wait for the rain of grace into our souls.

Come free us from hatred, greed, fear, and our lack of love for your gifts

upon earth.

Transform us into living streams of water

flowing green and moist with life, hope, and love for earth and all peoples.

We pray this prayer in the name of God who is gracious Creator, Jesus who is

Eternal Word, and Spirit who is Wellspring of Wisdom.

Amen.

(Adapted from Joan Brown, osf, Ecological Ministry of the Social Justice Office, Archdiocese of Santa Fe.)

True Happiness

God, our society teaches that you cannot be happy without money, success, power, and approval. It teaches that you should cling to these things like barnacles to a boat. "Focus on approval." "Succeed at all costs." "Do whatever it takes to make money." But You, O God, teach us that anxiety and worry take over when we cling to anything other than You. Your Word says that when these things become more precious than You, we become emotionally dependent on them, and their yoke is heavy. God, free us from this bondage and make us slaves of Christ, for His yoke is light. Amen.
-- from the website www.prayersatwork.com

Thursday Prayer

God, make me brave for life: oh, braver than this.

Let me straighten after pain, as a tree straightens after the rain,

Shining and lovely again.

God, make me brave for life; much braver than this.

As the blown grass lifts, let me rise

From sorrow with quiet eyes,

Knowing Thy way is wise.

God, make me brave, life brings

Such blinding things.

Help me to keep my sight;

Help me to see aright

That out of dark comes light.

~Author Unknown

Psalm Prayer 139

O God, protector of heaven and earth, in whose death hell was harrowed, by whose rising again the multitude of saints was gladdened; at whose ascension the host of angels exulted; we make our prayer to the exceeding might of so much glory, that led in the way everlasting, we may be protected by that arm wherein Thine honoured friends rejoice with Thee in heaven; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

-- from the Lutheran Liturgical Prayer Brotherhood

Tuesday Prayer

O Birther! Father- Mother of the Cosmos

Focus your light within us - make it useful.

Create your reign of unity now-

through our fiery hearts and willing hands

Help us love beyond our ideals

and sprout acts of compassion for all creatures.

Animate the earth within us: we then

feel the Wisdom underneath supporting all.

Untangle the knots within

so that we can mend our hearts' simple ties to each other.

Don't let surface things delude us,

But free us from what holds us back from our true purpose.

Out of you, the astonishing fire,

Returning light and sound to the cosmos.

Amen.

Lord's Prayer, Translated from the Aramaic by Neil Douglas-Klotz

Birkat Shalom

Eternal wellspring of peace--
may we be drenched with the longing for peace
that we may give ourselves over
as the earth to the rain, to the dew,
until peace overflows our lives
as living waters overflow the seas.

Marcia Falk, The Book of Blessings
(Beacon, 1996)

My Apologies

I am a new contributor to this site and my first major accomplishment has been to post something intended for my own blog here. Apparently this site now pops up first when I sign in. It took me almost as long figure out how to delete the post as it did to write it, and I know that anyone who reads via a scubscription service will receive it anyway.

I'm so sorry!

Think of the Irish music as prayer.

Sunday Prayer

Sower of the seed,
You know each one of us inside out. You know our coming and going. You know our thoughts and our feelings. And you love us deeply. Your love cries out to all who will hear it. Lord may we hear your love today. May we sow the seeds of love in a hungry world starved for true love—your love.

Saturday's Prayer

Oh, let me never speak

What bounds of truth exceedeth;

Grant that no idle word

From out my mouth proceedeth;

And then, when in my place

I must and ought to speak,

My words grant power and grace

Lest I offend the weak.

(Johann Heermann - 1630)

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.

--Anon

Prayer for Desert Times

The journeys of our lives are never fully charted.
There come, sometimes, to each of us, deserts to cross,
Barren stretches
Where the green edge on the horizon may be our destination,
Or an oasis on our way,
Or a mirage that beckons and will leave us lost.
When fear grips the heart, or despair bows the head,
May be we bend as heart and head lead us down
To touch the ground beneath our feet,
And scoop some sand into our hands,
And receive what the sand would teach us:
It holds the warmth of the sun
When the sun as left our sight,
As it holds the cool of the night when the stars have faded.
And hidden among its grains are tiny seeds, at rest and waiting.
Dormant, yet undefeated. Desert flowers.
They endure.
Moistened by our tears,
And by the rain that comes to end even the longest drought,
They send down roots, and they bloom.

Oh, may we believe in those seeds,
And the seeds within us.
May we remember in our dry seasons
That we, too, are desert flowers.

Amen.

- Margaret
Keip

Think on These Things

Whatsoever things are true,

Whatsoever things are honorable,
Whatsoever things are just,
Whatsoever things are pure,
Whatsoever things are lovely,
Whatsoever things are of good report;
If there be any virtue,
And if there be any praise,
Think on these things.

- Philippians 4

Tuesday prayer

To put the world right in order,
we must first put the nation in order;

To put the nation in order,
we must first put the family in order;

To put the family in order,
we must first cultivate our personal life;

We must first set our hearts right.

confucius


from worldprayers.org

Dark Contemplation

Although some interpretations of dark night could reinforce passivity and women's internalized inferiority, subordination, lack of self-esteem and self-actualization, John of the Cross sings of the affirmation of the person by God within and of the redemption or transformation of affectivity that dark night effects. Dark contemplation is not a validation of things as they are or a ploy to keep women contented "outcasts of the [patriarchal] land" but a constant questioning and restlessness that waits for and believes in the coming of a transformed vision of God; an affirmation of the self as woman that comes from deep inside and the consequent maturing to wholeness as a complete person; and anew and integrating spirituality capable of creating a new politics and generating new social structures.

Contemplation is what Dorothee Soelle calls revolutionary patience and is the epitome of passionate desire, activity, self-direction, autonomy, and bondedness. It is a time bomb and will explode in new abilities and energy in women that cannot be conquered. Ultimately, it is the mystic, the contemplative woman, who will be reassured, affirmed, and loved, who will see and love, and for whose sake the world will be given sight, language, reassurance, and love. And she will understand Celie's final epistle, a letter to God: "Dear God. Dear stars, dear trees, dear sky, dear peoples. Dear Everything. Dear God."

Constance Fitzgerald, OCD
"Impasse and Dark Night"
Living with Apocalypse, Spiritual Resources for Social Compassion (pp 93-116)

Sunday Prayer

Creator God, you are still creating today in our midst. You are still sowing your seed of the Kingdom of God in our midst. You are still lighting our path with your word. Lord today as we worship you; come refresh us once more with your Spirit. Come seed our hearts with your good news. Come pour your mercy over us. Lord may we go through out this day praising and worshiping you. Thanks be to you Creator God. Amen

Saturday's Prayer

God of Pilgrimage

God of Pilgrimage

be with me on my journey

through this life;

guard and defend me,

shelter and feed me,

challenge and inspire me,

teach me and lead me,

and when my days are ended

welcome me home at last

to rest in your love forever.

Source Unknown

Found in Ely Cathedral England

Photo Pilgrimage 2007 (795)

The Next Right Thing

Gracious God,
help me to do
the next right thing
today.

Thursday Prayer

Your silence is full, irresistible;
your presence is joy unspeakable.
People drifting into mind
we lift to you and pray they find
health in sickness,
life in deadness,
strength in weakness,
light in darkness.
Their loss you bear, mysteriously;
Your peace you share, eternally.

~Anglican Church of Kenya, Our Modern Services (Nairobi: Uzima Press, 2002), p15

Prayers for Healing

Lord God, Giver of Life, Source of all healing,
who alone can help us grow in wholeness:
We thank you for the gift of life and health,
and remembering your faithful servants
Cosmus and Damian
we ask you to guide and uphold
all doctors, surgeons, hospital staffs and
all engaged in the ministry of healing
together with those they serve,
that disease and disunity
may everywhere be overcome;
through Christ the Divine Healer,
who suffered and died and lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit
our God of Salvation, now and always.
Amen.

parish prayer - st. cosmus & st. damian in the blean

*I know just too many people in the hospital right now -- too many who are suffering in spirit and in the flesh. Prayers their way today.

Tuesday Prayer

Dear Jesus,

It's VBS week.

When you told us to go out and make disciples,
did you imagine this?

Did you anticipate
songs,
some sleepy teen volunteers,
some weepy childen,
some rambunctious children,
stories,
laughter,
activities,
snacks,
crafts,
bathroom breaks,
visual aids,
moments of grace?

I guess we cant know.
But we know you wanted us to live as if everything were a blessing, which it is.
Help us to remember that, this week and every week.

Amen.

Mi shebeirach

Mi shebeirach avoteinu
M'kor habracha l'imoteinu

May the source of strength who blessed the ones before us,
Help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing
And let us say: Amen.

Mi shebeirach imoteinu
M'kor habracha l'avoteinu

Bless those in need of healing with refuah sh'leimah
The renewal of body, the renewal of spirit
And let us say: Amen.

Traditional Hebrew prayer for healing,
set by Debbie Friedman

Sunday prayer

Lord,
on this holiday weekend, when people are out of town, we pray travel mercies for them. We pray for rest and renewal for all. We pray for ourselves as we come to worship you.

We remember today Lord, the sacrifices that have gone into the making of this nation.
We remember that we have freedom and at the same time pray for those who do not.
We remember that we have the right to a fair trial, and pray for those where there is no justice. We remember we can pursue happiness, while we pray for those who at best can only survive.

Lord today we bring the sacrifice of our love, our selves, and our souls,
may it be a sweet smelling fragrance to you.
Amen

Lord, we ask ..

Lord, we ask for your hand of healing on those who are in pain today
Lord, we ask for your words of comfort to those who are suffering today
Lord, we ask for your love to meet the hearts of those who are lonely today

and we thank you that we can come together to pray and to worship you. Amen

Freedom Prayers

Sorry that I forgot Thursday's prayer; I just remembered this morning. For the 4th of July:

Gracious God, when the struggles of life hem me in on every side, open me to the freedom of your presence that can help me see beyond every restriction, every limit that binds me.

O God, give me the wisdom to see the subtle ways people can be enslaved and the courage to speak for those who have no voice. I ask this for the sake of your love.

Gracious One, may we honor the freedom you have given each of us, by refusing to judge those who are different from us.

O God, when we wake to yet another day of wonder and joy in the beauty of your creation, give us the heart to keep our needs simple, our desires soft, our wills pliable, so that we never participate in the exploitation of the earth, which is the work of your hands.

From ExploreFaith.org.

Tuesday Prayer

God is in the child's eye, see them wide wondrous wise
God is in the rain and snow, and each snowflake this we know
God is in the trees and air, the rocks the birds the bees the bears
God is in the clouds above, God is in each act of love
God is in the oceans deep, some say God goes there to sleep
God is in the mountains high whistling a lullabye
God is in the darkest wood, God is in your neighborhood
God is in a place that's near, sometimes it's just not so clear
God is in...

Beth Nielsen Chapman - God Is In/Goddess In