Pick Up Your Cross

Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit you have made us one with your saints in heaven and on earth: Help us to see your presence burning in the hearts of others; grant that we may be united in a fellowship of love and prayer; give us the courage to pick up our cross and respond to the needs of the world, give us the stamina to follow you, to be your hands and heart in the world; enable us to witness to your grace and mercy. We pray all this through the love your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Saturday Prayer

Fire of the Spirit,
Life of the lives of creatures,
Spiral of sanctity,
Bond of all natures,
Glow of charity,
Lights of clarity,
Taste of sweetness to the fallen,
Be with us and hear us.

Hildegarde of Bingen - 12 century
(from World Prayers)

(Hildegarde Mandala found here.)

Holiday Weekend Prayer

Deep peace of the Running Wave to you.

Deep peace of the Flowing Air to you.

Deep peace of the Quiet Earth to you.

Deep peace of the Shining Stars to you.

Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.

-- Prayer from the Iona Community

Thursday Prayer

Be Thou my will,
Be Thou my will,
Be Thou my will.

~~Thomas Kelly

In the face of Tornadoes

(Note: this is after an entire evening and part of a nigh spent in the basement b/c of Tornadoes.)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, as we enter upon a time of vigilance and preparedness with the beginning of the annual tornado season, let us humbly bring our prayers to God, the Lord of the wind and the rains, the Lord of good season and bad, the Lord of blessing and hope, that he might bless us with his mighty power and protect us in our ways.

A: Lord God of all seasons, you bless us throughout the year.

C: You are the rain that refreshes the earth.

A: You are the light that shines upon all things.

C: You are the miracle of birth and growth.

A: You are the author of time and its seasons.

C: You set it all in motion for the benefit of all.

A You are the Creator who blesses.

C: You are the Guardian of all that you have created.

A: As we enter upon this season of vigilance, we ask that you watch over us.

C: Keep us alert and watchful in our days.

A: Protect us from all harm.

C: Keep us from devastation.

A: Deepen our faith,

C: That our fears disappear in our trust in you.

A: Bless those public agencies responsible for storm tracking, watches and preparedness.

C: Bless their plans, their practices, their skills, their dedication.

A: And at the time of extreme watchfulness,

C: Increase their skills, their concentration, and our willingness to follow their advice and commands.

A: The eyes of all look to you, O Lord.

C: You open your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

P: Lord of the universe and the four winds, hear our petitions and supplications on this day. In you alone is our salvation. In you alone do we find our lives safe. As once you were the guide and protection of your people Israel in pillars of wind and fire, so also guide and protect us, your people of today, and keep us in safety and peace all our days; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit, belong all honor and glory, now and forever.

C: Amen

From here.

Tuesday Prayer

Sometimes
a tear
is the only
prayer
there is.

I Received the Living God

I received the living God, and my heart is full of joy.
I received the living God, and my heart is full of joy.

Jesus said: I am the bread kneaded long to give you life;
You who will partake of me need not ever fear to die.

Jesus said: I am the way, and my Father longs for you;
So I come to bring you home to be one with us anew.

Jesus said: I am the truth; if you follow close to me,
You will know me in your heart, and my word will make you free.

Jesus said: I am the life far from whom no thing can grow,
But receive this living bread, and my Spirit you shall know.

I received the living God, and my heart is full of joy.
I received the living God, and my heart is full of joy.


Ellen Doerrfeld Coman

Sunday Prayer

Gracious God, we thank you for the gift of life. We thank you especially for the gift of your Son who leads us in this life. May we humbly proclaim, this day, to know You.

and this from Theresa of Avila, a poem called,

You are Christ’s Hands

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which to look out
Christ’s compassion to the world
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about
doing good;
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.

and then this from Mary Oliver, a poem called,

Who Said This

Something whispered something
that was not even a word.
It was more like a silence
that was understandable.
I was standing
at the edge of the pond.
Nothing living, what we call living,
was in sight.
And yet, the voice entered me,
my body-life,
with so much happiness.
And there was nothing there
but the water, the sky, the grass.
(Red Bird: Beacon Press, 2008)

May we proclaim to know You in the wonder of the world, in the wonder in us, in the things we do, and the things we do not do, all in your name. Amen.

Saturday Prayer

In the silence of the early morning
your Spirit hovers over the brink of the day
and new light pierces the darkness of the night.
In the silence of the morning
life begins to stir around me
and I listen for the day's first utterances.
In earth, sea and sky
and in the landscape of my own soul
I listen for utterances of your love, O God.
I listen for utterances of your love.

from J. Philip Newell, Celtic Benediction
Gannet Image of Iona Sunrise

Thursday Prayer

Lord, make me taste by love what I taste by knowledge; let me know by love what I know by understanding. I owe you more than my whole self, but I have no more, and by myself I cannot render the whole of it to you. Draw me to you, Lord, in the fullness of love. I am wholly yours by creation; make me all yours, too, in love.

Lord, my heart is before you. I try, but by myself I can do nothing; do what I cannot. Admit me into the inner room of your love. I ask, I seek, I knock. You who made me seek, make me receive; you who gave the seeking, give the finding; you taught the knocking, open to my knock. . .

By you I have desire; by you let me have fulfillment. . . . Let me be filled with your love, rich in your affection, completely held in your care. Take me and possess me, wholly, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit are alone blessed to ages of ages. Amen.

~~Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033-1109)

His Eye is on the Sparrow

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

Tuesday Prayer

First forgive the silence
That answers prayer,
Then forgive the prayer
That stains the silence.

Excuse the absence
That feels like presence,
Then excuse the feeling
That insists on presence.

Pardon the delay
Of revelation,
Then ask pardon for revealing
Your impatience.

Forgive God
For being only a word,
Then ask God to forgive
The betrayal of language.

Mark Jarman from "Five Psalms" in To the Green Man

The Orchard of Love

If you are patient and calm,
And hide your cares where you can,
Then the power of love will grow in you.

Now let me tell you where I shall then be:
I am in myself in all places and in all things,
As I have always been eternally.

And I shall be waiting for you in the orchard of love
And shall pluck for you the flowers of sweet union
And shall make a bed for you out of the soft grass of holy knowledge,
And the bright sun of my eternal Godhead
Shall make you radiant with the secret wonder of my attractiveness--
A bit of which you have intimately revealed--
And I shall bend down for you the towering tree of my Holy Trinity.

Then you shall pick the green, white, and red apples of my succulent humanity,
And the shadow of my Holy Spirit shall protect you from all earthly sadness.
Then you will have no thought of your heartache.

Mechthild of Magdeburg, The Flowing Light of the Godhead
(Paulist, 1998) Book II, p. 95.

A prayer for Sunday

Gracious and loving God,

We come to you having spent ourselves in preparation for leading in worship, preaching and other duties of being a Pastor. We come some of us with heavy hearts, physical ailments, tired minds, weary souls and overworked bodies. We ask for your grace to face these hours, to deliver your message to your people, to stand strong when called to do so, to bring the healing touch to those who need it, to be the calm presence in the midst of the storms of life. We ask for your Holy Spirit to empower us with your love, your grace, and your mercy. We take this time Lord for the nurturing of our souls that we may serve you this day and all the days of our lives. Amen.

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Saturday Prayer

Eternal One, Silence from whom my words come;
Questioner from whom my questions arise;

Lover of whom all my loves are hints;

Disturber in whom alone I find my rest;

Mystery in whose depths I find healing and myself:

enfold me now in your presence;

restore me to your peace;

renew me through your power;

and ground me in your grace.

Amen.

The New Century Hymnal, No. 847, Ted Loder.

Gannet Image, St. Augustine Beach.

Prayer For a "Junk Drawer" Day

Help.

Thursday Prayer Poem

life is a garden,

not a road

we enter and exit

through the same gate

wandering,

where we go matters less

than what we notice

~ Bokonon ~

(The Lost Book)

Dear Jesus, as I call on you today I realise that I often come asking for favours.
Today I'd like just to be in your presence.
Let my heart respond to Your Love.

Tuesday Prayer

I am praying again, Awesome One.

You hear me again, as words
from the depths of me
rush toward you in the wind.

I've been scattered in pieces,
torn by conflict
mocked by laughter...

I yearn to be held
in the great hands of your heart -
oh let them take me now.
Into them I place these fragments, my life,
and you, God - spend them, however you want.

words: Rainer Maria Rilke
photo: if you know the provenance of this photo, please let me know so I can give proper credit.

Precious Lord, Della Reese

Sunday's Prayer

Lord,
Sometimes it seems like the boat we are in is too small and is being tossed to and fro in the storms of life. Lord calm our storms, calm us. Sometimes our fear is so great that even though we might want to walk on water we sink, reach out your hand to us Lord. Reach out your hand to those who are trying to walk faithfully in the midst of the storms of their lives. Lord help us when we have little faith, Help those around us who have little or no faith. Amen

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Saturday Prayer

We are off to collect the Lovely Daughter from her camp counseling job in western North Carolina, and I wanted to find a prayer that reflected back the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Another time, another place, but the same shining:

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.

~ Augustine's Confessions

Gannet Photo of Looking Glass Rock in the Pisgah National Forest (NC)

Friday Prayer

O Lord God who has called us, your servants, to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden and through perils unknown:

Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

The Spirit of Prayer

“The modern Orthodox theologian, Vladimir Lossky, spoke of a ‘margin of silence’ belonging to the words of Scripture, ‘which cannot be picked up by the ears of those outside.’ Only those who can discern this margin of silence are able to enter into the real meaning of the Scriptures. It is only in a spirit of prayer that we can become attuned to this silence.”

Louth, Andrew. Denys the Areopagite. New York: Continuum, 2001. 44.

Tuesday Prayer

...prayer as a means of advancing God's kingdom is no stranger than any other means.

Go into all nations and preach the gospel, Jesus told his disciples, thus launching the missionary movement with its harrowing history; would not a large banner in the sky have served God's purpose as well? Heal the sick, visit prisoners, feed the hungry, house strangers - Jesus also commanded these activities, delegating them into our hands rather than enlarging his own Galilean ministry to global scale.

Consistently, God chooses the course of action in which human partners can contribute most.


Prayer: Does It Make A Difference? by Philip Yancey, page 137

Prayer of Catherine of Siena

Tender mercy of the Holy Spirit,
enflame my heart
and unite it to yourself!

...I proclaim, eternal gentle goodness of God,
that the mercy of the Holy Spirit,
your blazing charity,
wants to enflame my heart
and everyone's
and unite them with yourself.

...Gentle Jesus!
Jesus love!

Prayers of Catherine of Siena, ed. Suzanne Noffke (Paulist, 1983).

Sunday Prayer

(From the personal photo files of Mompriest)
Gracious God, Thank you for the gift of life; for the complexity of life, the challenges of life, the beauty of life. Thank you for sending us your incarnate Word, who lived (lives) and walked (walks) as one of us. Thank you for accepting us just as we are: broken, shattered, incomplete, but willing to try to follow. Thank you for being with us as we wrestle with you and struggle through our faith and belief in you. Thank you for remaining with us when we doubt and when we resist and when we can do no more. Thank you for always waiting. Waiting for us to return. Waiting for us to understand that brief glimpse that is YOU in our lives. Thank you. And, as we limp through life, limp through faith, limp toward you, thank you for being there, with open arms and open heart. May we offer others this same generosity, compassion, and love. In your name. Amen.

Name Unnamed

Name Unnamed, whose intriguing presence
is closer to home than we dare imagine,
fill us with wonder of you
that we may be filled with wonder of ourselves.

Name Unnamed, whose creativity is a river running,
startle us with diversity
and surprise us wth difference
that we may be filled with wonder of others.

Name Unnamed, whose mystery and concern is revealed in Jesus,
reshape our perceptions,
reshape our patterns of living, reshape our politics and prayer,
that we may be beilled with wonder of a world made whole.



from The Pattern of Our Days:
Worship in the Celtic Tradition from the Iona Community
edited by Kathy Galloway
(Gannet Image of Iona Nunnery Ruins)

A Prayer For Presence

God of your goodness, give me yourself, for you are sufficient for me... If I were to ask anything less I should always be in want, for in you alone do I have all.
--Julian of Norwich