Sunday Prayer: The Tongues of Mortals Epiphany 4C

Leader Creator God, we come before you-
Asking prayers for those who
Lead
Nations
Cities
Churches
Homes
All known to you in the womb
May we lead as you desire

Leader Incline Your heart, O gracious God, and teach us to love
Response May our heart be Yours.

Leader Holy One, we come before you -
a people who see in a mirror, dimly
shards of lives
broken,
sick,
poor,
hungry
hidden in our blindness.
Help us to see as You see


Leader Incline Your heart, O gracious God, and teach us to love
Response May our heart be Yours.


Leader God of Mercy, we come before you –
Speaking the tongue of mortals yet
Deaf to the
Cries
Anger
Power
Control
Hidden in our silence
Help us to hear as You hear

Leader Incline Your heart, O gracious God, and teach us to love
Response May our heart be Yours.

Leader Gentle God, we come before you-
Giving thanks for all our blessings
the gift of life
hope
faith
love
family
friends
all we care for this day
Help us to be Your Hands

Leader Incline Your heart, O gracious God, and teach us to love
Response May our heart be Yours.

Crossposted on RevGalBlogPals and SeekingAuthenticVoice

A Prayer For Bringing in the Kingdom

You came in Jesus to bring good news to the poor,

sight to the blind, freedom to the captives,
and salvation to your people:
anoint us with your Spirit;
rouse us to work in his name.
O God, by your Spirit,
bring in your kingdom.

Send us to bring help to the poor
and freedom to the oppressed:
O God, by your Spirit,
bring in your kingdom.

Send us to tell the world
the good news of your healing love:
O God, by your Spirit,
bring in your kingdom.

Send us to those who mourn,
to bring joy and gladness instead of grief:
O God, by your Spirit,
bring in your kingdom.

Send us to proclaim that the time is here
for you to save your people:
O God, by your Spirit,
bring in your kingdom.

Lord our God, our sure stronghold,
hear the voice of our pleading
and deliver us from every evil.
Strengthen us as we strive
for the poor and the oppressed
and establish your justice in all the earth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-- adapted from today's Oremus

Thursday Thought

All beings
are words of God,
His music, His
art.

Sacred books we are, for the infinite camps
in our
souls.

Every act reveals God and expands His being.
I know that may be hard
to comprehend.

All creatures are doing their best
to help God in His birth
of Himself.

Enough talk for the night.
He is laboring in me;

I need to be silent
for a while,

worlds are forming
in my heart.

-Meister Eckhart

Wednesday Prayer

In humility is the greatest freedom.

As long as you have to defend the imaginary self that you think is important, you lose your peace of heart. As soon as you compare that shadow with the shadows of other people, you lose all joy, because you have begun to trade in unrealities and there is no joy in things that do not exist.

thomas merton

Sophia

Sophia,
mercy-maker, truth-bearer, love-dweller,
Sophia,
all goodness dwells in you.

Sophia,
take me by the hand
bless the frailty of my weak places
strengthen my ability to dwell in darkness
for it is there that your deepest secrets are revealed.

Joyce Rupp
The Star in My Heart: Experiencing Sophia, Inner Wisdom (p. 3)
(LuraMedia, 1990)

Sunday Prayer: Stillspeaking God, Epiphany 3C

Holy and Gracious God, speaking into our lives
May we hear, deeply, may You sound-through us
May we be your body, hands, feet, heart
Reaching out to others may we extend your love.

Inbreaking God, stir us, we pray
To care for the broken,
Hungry, needy, sick, bereaved,
And all who have lost their way.

Stillspeaking God, whisper to us in the silence
That we may quietly hear you and
Gently follow. Stillspeaking God
Shout us out of our illusions.

God of mercy, lead our leaders
Nations, cities, houses of worship,
Houses of people, lead all with mercy
That we, all, may be merciful as you.

God of compassion,
through your Holy Spirit
Forgive us, redeem us, restore us,
teach us, fill us.

Incarnate God, divine and human
Body and spirit, us and you
One, all, thankful hearts
This day and every day.

Amen.

Crossposted on RevGalBlogPals and SeekingAuthenticVoice

Intercessory Prayer

by Donna Rathert

"Catherine of Siena stands as the classic example of the renewing power of intercessory prayer. She discovered that when her interior prayer was dry, if she held others in the light of God, her own heart was warmed and her spirit took fire." (67)

Freer, Harold Wiley and Hall, Francis B. Two or Three Together: A Manual for Prayer Groups. NY: Harper and Brothers, 1945.

Blessed Be

May the Goddess join Her strength to our strength.
May the earth in infinite beauty and diversity survive.
Blessed be.

Sunday Prayer: In The Shadow of Your Wing

God of righteousness - spread your wings
Over the earth, enfold the suffering
in clouds of mercy.
Reach into the tragedies of this earth,
Especially the chaos and despair in Haiti
May our hands be yours, bringing relief

Precious is your love, O God
May we take refuge
in the shadow of your wings.

Guide the leaders of nations – in grace
Teach us, your people to be Your heart,
your love abundant.
Like a mountain of love reaching to the heavens
A gift of the Holy Spirit given, that we may be
A place of refuge in the dust, hope in darkness
In your light may we see, may we be light

Precious is your love, O God
May we take refuge
In the shadow of your wings.

Merciful God, be with us all, - this day
The sick and the dying, the worn, and fearful
And all who suffer.
Call us by name, the name you give, love.
A fountain of mercy pouring forth light
You who lift us up, known before birth
Naming, calling, holding, caring.

Precious is your love, O God
May we take refuge
in the shadow of your wings.

Gracious and Holy One, we give thanks
For all the blessings of this life
Miracles of grace
Of being found, of air and water
Of food, song and prayer
Tenderly hold us, gently lift the
Cup, the wine of your delight.

Precious is your love, O God
May we take refuge
In the shadow of your wings.
Amen.

Crossposted on RevGalBlogPals and SeekingAuthenticVoice

Our Refuge and Our Strength

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

Pray for Haiti

Pray for the people in Haiti and for more help to be given them.

Wednesday Prayer

I apologize for my absence the past few Wednesdays. It's been a grueling transition from 2009-2010 for us ~ I would be quite satisfied to move right on to 2011.

Chorister's Prayer

Bless, O Lord, us Thy servants who minister in Thy temple.
Grant that what we sing with our lips we may believe in our hearts, and what we believe in our hearts we may show forth in our lives.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Royal School of Church Music,
variously attributed to Sir Sydney Nicholson (founder)
or Cosmo Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury 1928-1942

Sunday Prayer: Living the Baptism of Christ

Holy God, before time you named us
Through time you redeem us
You call us, precious in your sight
May we love as you love.

Holy One, through the turbulent waters
Make us steady, your hands
Holding strong the fragile and weak
May we love as you love.
Gracious God, may the fruits of our lives
be food for the hungry, bread
clothing, shelter, fire, water, Word
May we love as you love.

God of justice, remove the chaff
Of our lives that keep us from
Hearing, following, Your call
May we love as you love.

Loving God, take this day our fears our
Worries, distractions, and all
Turn them into wheat, heart food
May we love as you love.

Amen

Crossposted on RevGalBlogPal blog and SeekingAuthenticVoice

Photo from the collection of Mompriest: In the photo Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, Mompriest, and Baby Z

A Prayer For Light

I see it every day now --

another minute or two of lingering light

as day becomes night

just enough to give us hope

that the darkness and cold

will not last forever

God of light,

God of new beginnings,

enlighten us

every day

in other ways

that give us hope

and help us

give hope to others.

Amen.

A late Thursday Prayer

Lord, teach me to live today.

Help me to see that love and holiness have dirty feet

through dancing joyfully about the earth, hands joined in yours.

That life with you is whole and holy;

That everything I do

can bear your imprint,

can be colored by your love.

Eddie Askew (1927-2007)

from "Breaking the Rules" in The Leprosy Mission, 1992.

Learning and Teaching

PRAYER OF ST. THOMAS AQUINAS BEFORE STUDY

O ineffable Creator, Who, out of the treasure of Thy wisdom, hast ordained three hierarchies of Angels, and placed them in wonderful order above the heavens, and hast most wisely distributed the parts of the world;

Thou, Who are called the true fountain of light and wisdom, and the highest beginning, vouchsafe to pour upon the darkness of my understanding, in which I was born, the double beam of Thy brightness, removing from me all darkness of sin and ignorance.

Thou, Who makest eloquent the tongue of the dumb, instruct my tongue, and pour on my lips the grace of Thy blessing.

Give me quickness of understanding, capacity of retaining, subtlety of interpreting, facility in learning, and copious grace of speaking.

Guide my going in, direct my going forward, accomplish my going forth; through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Sunday Prayer

Bright Star, Holy One
Hear our prayer.

Bright Star, Holy One
Be with those who suffer
struggle, cry out, weep
are in pain of heart
or soul or mind
From the darkness
may the glory of God arise!

Bright Star, Holy One
Fill the hearts of
leaders, nations,
cities, and
faith communities
With wisdom and grace
may the glory of God arise!

Bright Star, Holy One
Lead our leaders in
your way, your hope
your love and
your peace
enlighten the pathways
with the Glory of God, arise!

Bright Star, Holy One
laugh with those who
laugh this day, lift up
our joys, our hope
is found in You,
May the Glory of God arise.

Bright Star, Holy One
help us in all we
do, and say, and are
to be your love
shining forth -
may the glory of God arise.

Bright Star, Holy One
hear our prayer.
Amen.

Crossposted on RevGalBlogPal and Mompriest's blog SeekingAuthenticVoice

Prayer For a New Year

Lord, go with us as we travel once again into a new year. It stands before us like an untraveled road, full of promise and adventure. Give us the confidence to know you will be there, whether we travel far or wander on the scenic route.


We acknowledge that we are burdened with the scars and scrapes of the past year. Let them not hinder us from new opportunities to see stars and gifts that point us to a new reality.

Help us to remember the many times in days past when we were full of despair – how you never left our side, but sent your Spirit to quicken our hearts with hope and courage.

We will spend this new year with many people – some will be easy to love and others will be hard to like. Remind us that our witness for you should be that we see all people as your children and relate to them as sisters and brothers in Christ.

Strengthen our hands to do the work of bringing your justice and mercy to this world. Open our ears to the cries of the homeless, the hungry, the sick, and victims of war. Show us new opportunities to serve you with hammers, pots, medicine, and our own presence.

Give us the voice to be a ready witness to the good news of your son Jesus Christ. Break through our polite shyness and help us to share how much your gift of faith means to us. Let our eyes sparkle with the joy of your salvation.

Lord, grant us new vistas of faith. Give us a heart that experiences a mountaintop vision in the midst of our daily work. Show us the Christ in the other and help us to hear the wisdom of those on this pilgrimage with us.

In all things we give you thanks and praise.

Amen

-- The Rev. Gradye Parsons