Prayer for Reformation Sunday

Here we stand, Lord,
The people you have redeemed.
Here we stand, Lord,
giving thanks to you for you are good.
We give thanks that your love lasts forever.
We thank you that you free those who are oppressed.

Here we stand knowing that it is you
We all can cry out to for help in times of trouble.
We know that you will not only deliver us but
That you will lead our way to where we need to go.


Here we stand by the living water
That you set flowing for all.
We drink freely from your waters
That gratifies everyone who is thirsty.
And we thank you that you also
Give plenty to eat for those who are hungry.

Here we stand with those who reformed the church so long ago
And with those who still are reforming the church today.
Here we stand witnesses to your good news for all.
Here we stand your servants, your followers, your children.

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Saturday: the ground of fruitful vision

O cosmic Birther of all radiance and vibration,

Soften the ground of our being and carve out
a space within us where your Presence can abide.

Fill us with your creativity

so that we may be empowered to bear the fruit of your mission.
Let each of our actions bear fruit in accordance with your desire.

Endow us with the wisdom to produce and share

what each being needs to grow and flourish.
Untie the tangled threads of destiny that bind us,

as we release others from the entanglement of past mistakes.

Do not let us be seduced by that which would divert us from our true purpose,

but illuminate the opportunities of the present moment.

For you are the ground and the fruitful vision,

the birth, power and fulfillment,

as all is gathered and made whole once again.

a paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer, printed in this month's newsletter from my local hospital's spiritual care office.

A Simple Prayer of Thanks

O God, I thank You for this day of life

for eyes to see the sky
for ears to hear the birds
for feet to walk amidst the trees
for hands to pick the flowers from the earth
for a sense of smell to breathe in the sweet
perfumes of nature
for a mind to think about and appreciate
the magic of everyday miracles
for a spirit to swell in joy at Your mighty presence
everywhere.

Marian Wright Edelman

Thursday Prayer

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, the privilege is ours to share in the loving, healing, reconciling mission of your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, in this age and wherever we are. Since without you we can do no good thing.

May your Spirit make us wise;
May your Spirit guide us;
May your Spirit renew us;
May your Spirit strengthen us;

So that we will be:

Strong in faith,
Discerning in proclamation,
Courageous in witness,
Persistent in good deeds.

This we ask through the name of the Father.

~~Church of the Province of the West Indies

Tutu, Desmond. An African Prayer Book. NY: Doubleday, 1995. 103.

Wednesday Prayer

EXPANDS HER BEING

All beings

are words of God,

Her music, Her art.

Sacred books we are, for the infinite camps

in our

 souls.

Every act reveals God and expands God’s Being.

I know that may be hard

to comprehend.

All creatures are doing their best

to help God in the Birth

of Godself.

Enough talk for the night.

She is laboring in me;

I need to be silent

for a while,

worlds are forming

in my heart.

-Meister Eckhart, (1260-1328)

German mystic

Tuesday Prayer....

The School of Love
My Love, my God,
the only way to make progress here
is to follow you totally
and love you unceasingly.
Let me not be left behind in the school of your love...
but in you and through you and with you,
let me progress day by day from strength to strength
and so bear fruit for you, my Love
in the new vineyard of your love.

-Gertrude the Great, in The Heart of Love: Prayers of German Women Mystics, trans. Brian Pickett

Prayer for Proper 25A/Ordinary 30A/Pentecost +19

Lord,
You are the one we turn to time and time again
No matter what goes on in our lives.
You are our sanctuary when times are rough.
You are our encourager when we feel discouraged.
You are our God who loves us even when we feel unloved.
You are our host who welcomes us when we feel tired and weary.
You are our nurturer when we need to be taught how to live as your children.
And we are your children, who seek to know you more deeply in our lives.
We are your followers who seek to live as you would want us to live.
We are your servants in a world that has so many great needs.
We are who others look at to see how one lives when they say they believe.
And we come back home to you daily seeking that warmth, that love, that encouragement,
Your hospitality and love makes it possible to then live as your children so that all may find their home in you and feast at your heavenly table of plenty.

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer for Business Leaders

Lord God, today we pray together for corporate leaders. May ethical business entities, whether small or large, thrive and prosper so that they may make a positive difference in the world and provide valuable work opportunities. We pray that those in authority will develop policies to protect the human rights of both employees and those in their sphere of influence. We pray that they will begin, or continue, to seek ways for their companies to be good stewards of Your creation. Amen

Thursday Prayer

Grant me, Lord, to spread true love in the world.

Grant that by me and by your children it may penetrate a little into all circles, all societies, all economic and political systems, all laws, all contracts, all rulings;

Grant that it may penetrate into offices, factories, apartment buildings, movie houses, dance halls;

Grant that it may penetrate the hearts of men and that I may never forget that the battle for a better world is a battle of love, in the service of love.

Help me to love, Lord,

not to waste my powers of love,

to love myself less and less in order to love others more and more,

That around me, no one should suffer or die because I have stolen the love they needed to live.

Quoist, Michel. Prayers. Kansas City: Sheed and Ward, 1963. 103.

Wednesday Prayer

Oh Holy One...
A big sigh here,
Drawing in a great big breath...
And exhaling slowly.

It's a new day,
For some,
Fraught with worry.
For some,
Laced with delight.

We hold the tension.

We call upon you,
To calm our hearts,
To open our hearts,
To hold our hearts,
And to help us offer our hearts to this day.
Amen.

a centering breathing prayer.

This is a breathing meditation I learned last week that has been something I have returned to each day since.    
This is all you do: 
Breath in for a count of four. 
1-2-3-4
Hold your breath for a count of 7
1-2-3-4-5-6-7
Exhale for a count of 8
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8


Repeat at least five times.  


There, don't you feel more present?   


Amen, amen....thank you creating breath Spirit of God. 

prayer for Proper 24A/O 29A/P +18

Dear God,
Long ago the Pharisees and Herodians asked your son to ask is it lawful to pay taxes to the Emperor or not? One of the major causes for the American revolution was "No taxation without representation". Now, God, we live in a time where the question is how much taxes is enough or too much? God, we pray for wisdom as they decide these questions about taxation, budget, and funding the needs of our country. Help us to remember also, the answer that your son gave was; to give to the Emperor what was the emperor’s and to God what was God’s. Sometimes we seem to forget the part about giving to God what is God’s. Forgive us God and help us to remember to give to you what is yours.. Help us to also remember that you then take what is given back to you and generously use it to spread your good news here and around the world. You make possible what seems to be the impossible. You bring healing and restoration to what seemed like total devastation. You bring peace and justice to where there was once only wars and injustice. You bring salvation and wholeness to the lost and broken hearted. And we thank you for what you have done, what you are doing and what you will do; by giving to you what is yours. And we pray for all people here and everywhere that need you in their lives. And we pray for those here and everywhere who live in poverty, hunger and starvation. And we pray for those here and everywhere who are ill, in pain, and suffering, And we pray for those here and everywhere who are looking for work, trying to maintain their homes and family. We pray for children, youth, and adults here and everywhere. We pray for our churches, church leaders, and church workers here and everywhere. We thank you for hearing our prayers. We thank you for the transformation that you are making in our lives. We thank you for the deliverance of all in this world. Amen.

Thursday Prayer

Ferocious God, we fear your peace. We say we want peace, but we confess that war and violence capture our imagination and our spirits. Violate our violence with the transforming power of your love. Wrench us from all hatreds and loves that are the breeding ground of our violence. We cannot will that your peace come, but through the Spirit you make it possible for us to live in your peace. So fire us with that Spirit that the world might be flooded with your reconciling kingdom. Amen.

Hauerwas, Stanley. Prayers Plainly Spoken. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1999. 80.

Flesh and Blood

This song feels like a prayer to me.  Although for me, nature is also flesh and blood.  
Enjoy.

Flesh and Blood

Johnny Cash

Beside a Singin' Mountain Stream 

Where the Willow grew

Where the Silver Leaf of Maple

Sparkled in the Mornin' Dew

I braided Twigs of Willows

Made a String of Buckeye Beads;

But Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood

And you're the one I need

Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood

And you're the one I need.

I leaned against a Bark of Birch

And I breathed the Honey Dew

I saw a North-bound Flock of Geese

Against a Sky of Baby Blue

Beside the Lily Pads

I carved a Whistle from a Reed;

Mother Nature's quite a Lady

But you're the one I need

Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood

And you're the one I need.

A Cardinal sang just for me

And I thanked him for the Song

Then the Sun went slowly down the West

And I had to move along

These were some of the things

On which my Mind and Spirit feed;

But Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood

And you're the one I need

Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood

And you're the one I need.

[SPOKEN]

So when this Day was ended

I was still not satisfied

For I knew ev'rything I touched

Would wither and would die

And Love is all that will remain

And grow from all these Seed;

[SUNG]

Mother Nature's quite a Lady

But you're the one I need

Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood

And you're the one I need. 

a tuesday prayer.

well, dear God...
here I am.
and my prayer for today is that I might be more patient.
that I might have more grace.
that I might have wide open eyes with which to see Your world.
I pray...
for this thing I serve called Church.
I pray
that your Heart might be my heart,
and that
I could be a humble servant
that could help inspire and ignite...
Joy in community,
Passion for sharing your Love.
Amen, amen, Amen!

Prayer for Proper 23A/Ordinary 28A/Pentecost +17

Holy One,
We are grateful for your daily presence in our lives.
Lord, we thank you for your love that lasts forever.
Remember us O God when you consider all your people.
Bring us all into your arms of salvation.
Lord, we are all in our own exile away from you.
We have chosen to sin against you and your children.
Forgive us, save us, bring us back to you

Hear o Lord, the prayers we bring to you.
We pray for our church, our church leaders and for churches everywhere.
We pray for good weather, good crops and good harvest all over.
We pray for the well being of each of our own communities and for the citizens who live in it.
We pray for wellness for our families, companions, and all those we love.
We pray for all those in need: the sick and the suffering, prisoners, captives, and their families, the hungry, homeless, and oppressed.

Help us to rejoice in you God even we don’t feel like doing it.
Help us to not be so anxious about things instead help us to talk to your about our needs and requests.
Help us to know that peace that only comes from you when we are feeling worried.
Help us to keep our focus on you in our lives, no matter what.
Help us to learn the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Help us to remember that we can do all things through you who gives us strength.

Thank you for hearing and answering our prayers. Amen.

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Thursday Prayer

May our bodies be strong,
may our tongues be sweet,
may our ears always hear the sound of your voice,
O Lord of Love.

Consiglio, Cyprian. Prayer in the Cave of the Heart: The Universal Call to Contemplation. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2010. 52.

Wednesday Prayer: Laugh with God

Two Giant Fat People

God

and I have become

like two giant fat people living

in a tiny

boat.

We

keep

bumping into

each other

and

l

a

u

g

h

i

n

g

.

-Hafiz

Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West

Daniel Ladinsky

Tuesday Prayer: May you make music today....

The Christ's Breath

I am

a hole in a flute

that the Christ's breath moves through--

listen to this music.

-Hafiz

Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West

by Daniel Ladinsky

Prayer for World Communion Sunday

GOD,
Here we are linking hearts and hands with our brothers and sisters all around the world as we celebrate world communion.
The meal we have shared in reminds us that there are those who live in a time famine where there is little to nothing to eat. We pray for these people; that by the sharing of our resources and by the work of your hand that one day there would be plenty to eat for all.
The cup we drank from reminds us that in some place there is not good clean water to drink freely from. We pray that by the work of those who are bringing tools to make that happen and by the work of your hand that one day all can drink from clear waters.
By linking hands and hearts we know there is unrest and wars across this land that effect so many lives. We pray that by the work for peace and by the work of your son, the prince of peace that one day your peace will rule in the lives of all.
By linking our hearts we are made aware that many suffer from pain, illness, diseases, un known suffering and death. We pray that by the work of the medical providers, caregivers, healers, and by your hand of healing that one day they would be healed.
We pray that this meal that has brought us closer to you, the meal that is a means of grace, fills our hearts and souls that we live our lives fully for you in what we say and what we do.
We thank you for this shared meal and for all the many ways you feed us throughout our lives with your love and mercy.
Amen.

Saturday: a place at the table

For everyone born, a place at the table,
for everyone born, clean water and bread,
a shelter, a space, a safe place for growing,
for everyone born, a star over head.

And God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace;
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice, and joy.

(A Place At The Table by Shirley Erena Murray)