Prayer on Reformation Sunday

Dear Lord,
On this Reformation Sunday, we thank you for those persons you have poured your spirit into that then set about reforming your church. We thank you that you are still at work in the life of the church reforming us reshaping us, and remaking us into your image.

One of the ways we reflect your image Lord is how we care for one another with love,care and prayer. We pray for those who are in the hospitals today. We pray for those at home with illnesses, pains and recovering from treatments and/or surgeries. We pray for those in nursing homes and those who are home bound. We pray for their families during these times. We pray for those who are facing death. We pray for those who have died and for those who are grieving. We pray for their Doctors, nurses, health care workers and care takers.Lord may we reflect your image in our love, care and prayer that we put to action for these your children.

We reflect your image in how we love, care and pray for the world. We pray for those around the world who as Christians face imprisonment and martyrdom. We pray for those who countries torn by civil war. We pray for those living in poverty. We pray for those who live in starvation. We pray for those who are being used in slave labor, child labor and sex labor. We pray for those who have been effected by disasters such as those in Indonesia because of the earthquakes and Tsunamis. We pray for those in disaster areas who face outbreak of diseases such as Haiti with the cholera outbreak. We pray for our country as this Tuesday we vote for new leadership. Lord, may we put into action our love, care and prayers for the world.

Lord, we pray for your church that we be a beacon of hope, grace, love and light in this world. May our open doors reflect your open arms to all. May our arms and hands reaching out to those in need reflect your love for all. May our forgiveness of one another reflect your forgiveness for all.
Amen.

thankfulness

Saturday October 30th

Lord, there are marvelous things that we do not know, and we cannot comprehend.
Lord, things that happen in our life, and things that happen in the lives of our friends.
Lord, we desire to be thankful, to appreciate everything that comes across our path - because we know that every good gift comes from you!

Lord, so often life hurts, we get angry and upset, we fail to recognise your hand or to understand, yet Lord You ask us to be thankful for everything, and to have faith in You – thank You.

Amen

PS it took me three attempts to post this ... I'm thankful I got there in the end!

Blessing Our Cities # 15 Provision Prayer

I apologize for the late hour of this posting. Long and hectic day, and no computer nearby.

Psalm 36:6-7 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

God we ask that you will guard our cities from great harm. How grateful we are for the care you have for every living thing! Help us to value life in all its many forms and to see your creativity in the work of your loving hands. May we be as simple and pure hearted as children, taking refuge in you as a child might run to a loving parent for protection. May the people of our cities, towns and villages, those among whom we live and move, experience your kindness and truly know how precious it is to be beloved of God. Amen

O God, the Spirit of truth,
help us to be truthful with one another.
O God, the Spirit of gentleness,
help us to be gentle with one another.
O God, who knows what is in our hearts
more clearly than we do ourselves,
help us to hear one another.
O God, lead us in the way
of truth and love. Amen.

~~Richard Harries

Harries, Richard. "#362."The Book of a Thousand Prayers. Ed. Angela Ashwin. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002. 150.

Wednesday Prayer

The Prayer of St. Francis de Sales

Be at Peace
Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life;
rather look to them with full hope as they arise.

God, whose very own you are,
will deliver you from out of them.
God has kept you hitherto,
and God will lead you safely through all things;
and when you cannot stand it,
God will bury you in loving arms.

Do not fear what may happen tomorrow;
the same everlasting parent who cares for you today
will take care of you then and everyday.

God will either shield you from suffering,
or will give you unfailing strength to bear it.

Be at peace,
and put aside all anxious thoughts and imagination.

St. Francis de Sales 1567-1622

image from Catholic Fiction

a prayer for all that we forget but finally remember....

Hello dear prayer pals,
I am just getting into the swing of posting for Tuesday prayer, but alas, I forgot until now.   So, today, I am going to offer a prayer for the times when we get charging ahead into our days without checking our schedules, for the times we forget and remember too late, or remember just in time....or, whatever. 

Oh Holy One,
When we get going without checking in with our hearts, or with You...
Slow us down.
Slow us down so that we might enter into each day at least with awareness of what might be in store...
Help us to be planful, but open to spontaneity, surprise, whimsy, and the leading of your Spirit.
Help us to be open and ready, but not erratic....

O dearest God,
There is so much love and hurt and details on all of our plates.  Help us to feed each other, and allow us to be fed by you.

Oh Holy One,
Slow us down.
Give us rest,
Give us peace,
Give us breath.

Amen

Open Arms

O Lord,
I am caught in that moment of half-light,
the breathless point of balance between sun and moon.
As I bid farewell to the cold purification of the night,
in the same movement, I fling wide my arms
to be embraced by the warmth and glory of the sun,
knowing that in due time I will bow to the receding light
and open my arms to darkness once again.

Thus, O Lord, You come into our lives,
in the blaze of spendour, the certainty of Your presence,
in the times of aridity and isolation, even to the point of
despair.
Throughout this continuing journeying,
from the zenith of midday to the depths of midnight
and back to blinding noontide, we grow towards You,
the true light, that shines like the sun beyond darkness,
forever.

ISHPRIYA R.S.C.J.
(Earth Prayers, edt. by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon: HarperCollins; 1991)

Prayer for Proper 25C / Ordinary 30C / Pentecost +22

God of hope,
We thank you for this wonderful fall weather that brings forth the beautiful colors.
We thank you for you many gifts and graces you bring us in our life.
God of hope,
We pray for those who may be feeling hopeless these days that they may experience hope from you.
God of hope,
We pray for those who are dealing with illnesses, bring forth your healing for their lives.
God of hope,
We pray for those who are grieving, bring hope to them in the midst of their grieving.
God of hope,
We pray for those who have lost their jobs and need work, open the doors for work.
God of hope,
We pray for those dealing with addictions that they may be set free.
God of hope,
We pray for those whose marriages and families need healing, set forth in motion the forgiveness and reconciliation that is needed.
God of hope,
We pray for hope in our lives where we may need it.
God we thank you for your hope in all our lives.
Amen

Blessing Our Cities # 14

This is an excerpt from the first post (back in June) of the "Blessing Our Cities" prayers.

I'd like to use the Friday prayer as expressions of hope and blessing for the cities/towns in which we live and minister...prayers of blessing are usually expressions of God's intended goodness...Blessings bestow a future. Prayers of blessing are always prayers of hope. Join me as we pray blessing on our communities. If you have specific requests for your city or town, please let us know in the comments.

So far I have posted prayers for peace, increase, family fulness, and now abundant life. This is the second prayer for abundance, God style.

Let's return to Jeremiah 17:7-8 for a moment:

Blessed are the ones who trust in the Lord...For they will be like trees planted by the water with roots planted deep by a stream. They will not fear when the heat comes... leaves will be green and they will not be anxious in a year of drought, nor cease to yield fruit.

and The Epistle of James, chapter 1, verse 12:

Blessed are those who persevere under trial, because when they have stood the test the will will recieve the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

Together, O Lord, we bless those who are tested in their love for You. Help them stand. Let them feel the great honor of both Your presence and Your reward. Give abundant life to those who love. We ask this for ourselves, for those in our areas of influence and ministry, and for others around the world who are suffering because they love you. Aman

Thursday Prayer

Our Loving Creator God,

We bring before you this day
the burden the whole world carries
as it endures extreme poverty and hunger
in every land.

Stretch out your loving arms, we pray,
to embrace the suffering women, men and children
whose bodies, minds and spirits are shrinking
before our very eyes.

Help us to look, really look,
with clear eyes and open hearts,
to see the pain and hopelessness
in their bewildered eyes.

Kindle within each one of us
a flame of love and purpose,
and then

Enable us to channel our love into action
in every way possible
and impossible.

For this we pray. Amen.

~Mimi A. Simpson of Santa Barbara, CA

Ed. Margaret Rose, Jenny Te Paa, Jeanne Person, and Abagail Nelson. Lifting Women's Voices: Prayers to Change the World. NY: Morehouse Publishing, 2009. 90-91.

Waves

Oh, God, whose gender we do not have any way of knowing, but about which we fuss and fight,
Send waves of love and mercy over us
Every one of us, your precious children

Our churches are so broken and fractured
Within and without
We worry about our relevance, our future
Even as we forget to follow the simplest teachings of Jesus:

Love everyone
Give to the poor
Help people

Let us swim this day in the ocean of your love.

Tuesday Prayer

O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos,
Focus your light within us--make it useful:
Create your reign of unity now--
Your one desire then acts with ours,
As in all light, so in all forms.
Grant what we need in each day in bread and insight.
Loose the cords of mistakes binding us,
As we release the strands we hold
Of other's guilt.
Don't let surface things delude us,
But free us from what holds us back.
From you is born all ruling will,
The power and the life to do,
The song that beautifies all,
From age to age it renews.
Truly--power to these statements--
May they be the ground from which all
My actions grow.

--an alternative Lord's prayer
By Neil Douglas Klotz
From the book, god has no religion:blending traditions for prayer by Frances Sheridan Goulart

Prayer for P 24C / O 29C / P +21

Lord,
Your son taught us to pray and to never lose heart.
But frankly God there are times that wear us down and we feel fainthearted.
We feel weary and close to giving up.
There are times Lord we lose hope and give up.

It is times like these that we need to hold each other up in prayer.
It is times like these that we need to encourage each other.
It is times like these that we need to be there for one another.
It is times like these that we need to cry out to God for those in need.

But God it is not just for those in need, it is also for justice that we cry out.
We plea for those who can not speak up for themselves.
We stand up for those who rights have been violated.
We seek peace with justice for those who need both.
We pray for justice for those who are the weakest.

We thank you for your justice at work in this world.
We thank you for hearing our prayers and answering them.
We thank you for your showing concern and protection.
We thank you for your mercy that you pour out with your justice.

In all of this may we be found faithful

cross posted at revgalblogpals and rev abi's long and winding road

image found at Christ Church Nanton

Blessing Our Cities #13

This week we pray together for the blessings of abundant life.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (New Living Translation)

7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.

God of abundance, we pray together once again for the people of our cities, towns and villages, the people where we minister, live, work, and play. We ask for both ourselves and for those around us to experience more than mere existence. We pray for the joy that comes from continual fresh discovery of the reason you sent Jesus to this world, "...that they might have life, and have it abundantly." May we be alive with your kind of life, trusting, and resting in peace that comes from faith. And may that overflow to those around us. Amen

And now a little rocky Jesus music to help wake you up and start your day! Don't say I didn't warn you. I pray blessings of Life Abundant for you today!

For Chile

Easing any burden
that binds another's soul
uplifts the Soul of the world.
Mercy and Love will
bear many a weight.

We are asking,
May
Mercy
flourish on Earth.

Peace Planet: Light for Our World is a spiral book with short prayers written for each country of the world in alphabetical order. It was composed by Nan Merrill (author of Psalms for Praying) and Barbara Taylor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are interested in buying Peace Planet prayers, this is the only way I know to do it:

Mail a check for $15.00 to
Friends of Silence
Peace and Prayer Gift Shop
200 Rock Street
Hannibal, MO 63401

For information, email: FriendsOfSilence@sbcglobal.net

Let me go steadily on

My God,
I pray that I may so know you and love you
that I may rejoice in you.
And if I may not do so fully in this life,
let me go steadily on
to the day when I come to that fullness. �

God of truth,
I ask that I may receive,
so that my joy may be full.
Meanwhile,
let me mind meditate on it,
let my tongue speak of it,
let my heart love it,
let my mouth preach it,
let my soul hunger for it,
my flesh thirst for it,
and my while being desire it,
until I enter into the joy of my Lord,
who is God one and triune,
blessed forever. Amen.

-Anselm c.1033-1109
Proslogion

Mockingbirds: a poem-prayer for Tuesday

This morning
two mockingbirds
in the green field
were spinning and tossing

the white ribbons
of their songs
into the air.
I had nothing

better to do
than listen.
I mean this
seriously.

In Greece,
a long time ago,
an old couple
opened their door

to two strangers
who were,
it soon appeared,
not men at all,

but gods.
It is my favorite story--
how the old couple
had almost nothing to give

but their willingness
to be attentive--
but for this alone
the gods loved them

and blessed them--
when they rose
out of their mortal bodies,
like a million particles of water

from a fountain,
the light
swept into all the corners
of the cottage,

and the old couple,
shaken with understanding,
bowed down--
but still they asked for nothing

but the difficult life
which they had already.
And the gods smiled, as they vanished,
clapping their great wings.

Wherever it was
I was supposed to be
this morning--
whatever it was I said

I would be doing--
I was standing
at the edge of the field--
I was hurrying

through my own soul,
opening its dark doors--
I was leaning out;
I was listening.

 The Atlantic Monthly Company. The Atlantic Monthly; February 1994; Mockingbirds; Volume 273, No. 2; page 80. Online Source

Prayer for P 23/O 28C/ P 20

Jesus,
Just as you healed the lepers,
Heal us of our leprosy, heal us of our negativity, our judging others, our bad attitudes toward others.
Just as you healed the lepers, heal those that need healing today.
And Jesus, just as the one came back rejoicing and giving thanks to you, may we too come back giving thanks to you.
Lord, we pray for those who have experienced or are experiencing bullying in school and life just for being different.
And we pray for those who bully others.
Help us to be the ones who take a stand against bullying, who find ways to stop the behavior and who bring healing into their lives.
Jesus, we want to express our thanks and gratitude for the rescue workers being able to reach the trapped miners in Chile.
We pray for those who were affected by toxic sludge in Hungary.
Lord, there are many more in this world whose impoverished lives have been made worse by natural disasters; we pray for the necessary recourses be made available, the people who can bring help go forth to serve.
Lord may we be your agents of healing in this world today.
Amen

cross posted at revgalblogpals and rev abi's long and winding road

for those in ministry

Lord, a simple prayer today

Bless those who will minister Your Word this weekend

Whatever their context, whatever their circumstances, I pray that You will draw those who minister Your grace, Your love, Your hope and Your promises this weekend closer to You.

Bless the final preparations for services, that all may be done according to Your will.

In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen

Blessing Our Cities #12

As we continue to pray blessings for those places where we live, we turn our thoughts to families once again. Today, I invite you to look ahead to the future as we ask blessing of integrity for generations that will follow us.

A righteous person who walks in integrity, how blessed are his children after him! Proverbs 20:7

And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 16:16

May those who sit with us in church, who listen to our sermons, sing songs of worship, those who are influenced by our presence, our work, our ministries, our lives, be changed by the grace and abundant love of God. May they be people of integrity so that their children will be blessed in time to come. May the children remember us as people who loved, above all. May those we cannot yet see be blessed as well, the children and grandchildren who will be the church, the citizens. Embrace the children of our cities, Lord Jesus, and bless them as only you can do.
Amen

The following made me smile, especially the little girl on the right playing the conga drum. Hope these kids make you smile too!

Wake Up

Do not say that I'll depart tomorrow
because even today I still arrive.

Look deeply: I arrive in every second
to be a bud on a spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.

I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry,
in order to fear and to hope,
the rhythm of my heart is the birth and
death of all that are alive.

I am the mayfly metamorphosing in the
surface of the river,
and I am the bird which, when spring comes,
arrives in time to eat the mayfly.

I am the frog swimming happily in the
clear water of a pond,
and I am also the grass-snake who,
approaching in silence,
feeds itself on the frog.

I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,
my legs as thin as bamboo sticks,
and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly
weapons in Uganda.

I am the 12-year-old girl, refugee
on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean after
being raped by a sea pirate,
and I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable
of seeing and loving.

I am a member of the politburo, with
plenty of power in my hand,
and I am the man who has to pay his
"debt of blood" to my people,
dying slowly in a forced labor camp.

My joy is like spring, so warm it makes
flowers bloom in all walks of life.
My pain is a river full of tears, so full it
fills up the four oceans.

Please call me by my true names,
so I can hear my cries and my laughs
at once,
so I can see that my joy and pain are one.

Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up,
and so the door of my heart can be left open,
the door of compassion.


(Thich Nhat Hanh, "Earth Prayers from Around the World" Edt by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon Harper Collins, 1991)

Why?

Dear God-as-I-understand-you,
I don't understand.

Why must there be sorrow and betrayal and falseness?
Death and destruction and starvation?
Sometimes you are impossible to see.

But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’

The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.

- Lamentations 3:21-26, NRSV

Hat-tip to Kathrynzj

Prayer

It doesn't have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try
to make them elaborate, this isn't
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.


Mary Oliver

Prayer for World Communion Sunday

God we come to you during this special day of worship when we share communion our brothers and sisters in Christ from all around the world. And yet we realize we are not in communion with those in Christ in the world. Lord may this moment of shared communion bring us closer to each other and closer to you.

Lord we pray for those around the world suffering in so many different ways, whether it is violence, war, terrorism, huger, displacement, or homelessness. We ask for these things to end and be replaced by your great mercy new everyday.

Lord we are reminded that this is breast cancer awareness month. We are reminded that it mainly affects women but it does affect men too. And so we pray for those who have breast cancer, and those who have lost loved ones to it.

We are also reminded that this domestic violence month. There are so many effected by domestic violence not just at the hand of abuse, but also those who have been killed. We prayer for families that have been ripped apart by domestic violence, and we pray for those who have died due to it.

Lord it is also Clergy appreciation month, may we take time to appreciate our clergy that we have now and those before. It is sad that the stress of the job of clergy is having such an effect on them; that they are unhealthy, depressed and discouraged so much so that they often quit. Lord we take time to pray for them, encourage them, support them and appreciate them.
Amen