Wednesday Prayer

I am as rich as God.
Each dust mote
more or less
do I in common
with my God possess.

See what no eye can see,
go where no foot can go,
choose that which is no choice--
then you may hear
what makes no sound--
God's voice.

-Angelus Silesius, 17th century

And Then.....

And then all that has divided us will merge

And then compassion will be wedded to power

And then softness will come to a world that is harsh and unkind

And then both men and women will be gentle

And then both women and men will be strong

And then no person will be subject to another's will

And then all will be rich and free and varied

And then the greed of some will give way to the needs of many

And then all will share equally in the Earth's abundance

And then all will care for the sick and the weak and the old

And then all will nourish the young

And then all will cherish life's creatures

And then all will live in harmony with each other and the Earth

And then everywhere will be called Eden once again.

+ Judy Chicago

Monday Prayer: For Healthy Appetites

Give me a good digestion, Lord
And also something to digest. 
Give me a healthy body, Lord, 
With a sense to keep it at its best. 
Give me a healthy mind, good Lord, 
To keep the pure and good in sight, 
Which, seeing sins, is not appalled, 
But finds a way to set it right. 
Give me a mind that is not bored, 
That does not whimper, whine or sigh. 
Don't let me worry overmuch
About the fussy thing called "I". 
Give me a sense of humor, Lord, 
Give me the grace to see a joke, 
To get some happiness in life, 
And pass it on to other folk. 




Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) 







Braybrooke, Marcus. 1000 World Prayers. John Hunt Publishing Ltd, Hampshire, UK. 2000. p. 140

Prayer for First Sunday of Lent year B

Lord,
We offer our thoughts and prayers to you.
We put our trust in you to hear and respond to our needs.
We pray for your tender mercies for those of us who are suffering.
We pray for strength for those of us who are experiencing weakness.
We pray for comfort for those of us who are grieving.
We pray that though we too go through our own wildernesses that you would be with us.
We pray that though the wild beast may encompass us you would protect us.
We pray that though we are tempted that your angels watch over us too.
Mark us with the sign of your love as you marked you own son.
Lord, we believe that your Kingdom is at hand;
And so we repent and believe with all our hearts your good news.
Lord remove from our lives those barriers that keep us from being in relationship with you, ourselves and others that we may truly live into the joy of your Kingdom.

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Friday Prayer for Rescue

Our church is using a prayer guide from Waymakers during these days of Lent.  I'll be posting a few of the prayers.  Just wanted to give credit to the authors, and the prayer guide called "Seek God for the CIty 2012."

For February 34th: Seek God to rescue us from sin's power.

If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness...My soul waits for the LORD more than watchmen wait for the morning--put your hope in the LORD, for with God is unfailing love and...full redemption...from all sins.  Psalm 130:3-8

God, If we were to suffer the repercussions of our sins, we would have been annihilated long ago.  Instead, you have gone through the record of our wrongs, and by the power of your love, our sins have been wiped away.  We stand in awe of your mighty mercy.  Why then do we still wait, hope, and yearn for even more?  Because you have promised more!  Not only do You pardon our sins, but you free us from the debilitating power of sin.  We can be more certain of your love and your word than we can of the sun's rising.  So today we focus our hearts together on the hope that you will continue to deliver us...fully redeem us.  Cause us to LIVE and to LOVE like you!  Amen

(I'm trying to post something every day at my blog. If you'd like to join me, come on over. My blog is here.)

Let us pray for others

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.

Ash Wednesday

Ring around the rosy,
pockets full of posey,
Ashes, ashes,
We all fall down!

On this day of penitence,
Of looking back,
Of looking forward,
Of dancing and spinning and falling down into the ashes...
It is good to lay on this supportive earth home.
We come from its dust,
And to its dust we return.
Hold us in this dust,
Long enough to remind us of how human we are,
And how much a part of this earth we are.
Then pick us up, and plant our feet firmly in the dirt,
As we travel with You these next 40 days.
Amen

Tuesday Prayer

I'm a little late today as I am unexpectedly out of town.

Today I am reflecting on people who have lost hope because there is no real reason to believe in recovery.

What despair and sadness this is.

So today, our prayer is for hope against all hope.
amen

Monday Prayer: Between Mountaintop and Ash Heap

Loving Source of Life-

The fruits of your Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

These are the markers of your Presence in my life... the ways I believe You are... and the way You are shaping me to be...

As I descend from the mountain of Transfiguration, You are leading me into a time of self-control... a time of reflection... a gift of contemplation.... a bounty of revelation... 

Walk with me. Help me to bear fruit. Prune what is dead in me and help me to cast it away. 

Help me to remember that it is not failure if I cannot do everything... when I cannot do everything... as I cannot do everything...

Make me accepting of forgiveness. 

Shape me as a bearer of forgiveness. 

Increase my faith in forgiveness. 

Restore to me... to us... to all... to Your Church... to your creation.... the joy of your salvation. 

Bring spring to the Tree of Life You have planted in all your servants. 

Lord, we pray to you. 

In your love, answer us. 

Amen. 

Prayer for Transfiguration Sunday B

Lord, you are the mighty one,
You created light; you send your light around the world.
You sent your son into the world of darkness as the one true light, the light that brings hope to all.
And yet we want to capture it like a firefly and keep it to ourselves so that only we have the good feelings and experience.
At the same time there are those who would reject your light, try to find any way imaginable to cover the light.
But God you told us to be the light of the world and to let our light shine. And so today as we pray, we want to let our light shine for others whose light may have grown dim, or has almost gone out or yes even are in the dark.
We want to shine the light of hope to those who are discouraged, dejected, desponded and disappointed.
We want to shine your light of love to those who are our enemies, are hated, are bullies, abused, bullied, disenfranchised.
We want to shine your light of grace to those who have given up, don’t believe
God loves them, and don’t feel wanted, lonely and needy.
We want to shine your light of faith, for those who are hungry to believe yet are not sure, those who have struggled a long time with chronic illnesses, frustration, anger and disbelief.
Lord, we carry your light into this world for all to see what a glorious and wonderful
God you are.
Amen

cross posted at revgalblogpals

holy ground

Be still,
for the presence of the Lord,
the Holy One, is here.
Come before God
with praise and thanksgiving;
we stand on holy ground.
Be still,
for the presence of the Lord
is shining all around.
Holy fire, splendor, radiance
are here, lighting our way
and setting us on fire with love
as we stand on holy ground.
Be still,
for the power of the Lord
is moving in this place.
God comes to cleanse and heal,
to fill us with grace overflowing,
as we stand on holy ground.

adapted from the hymn "Be Still for the Presence of the Lord". Prayer from LiturgyLink.

Thursday Prayer

Eknath Easwaren wrote:

"In India, where families often make severe sacrifices to send a son or daughter to college, everyone is patient with a student who is out of cash. If you are waiting in line for tickets with two or three friends, for example, and your turn comes at the box-office window, everyone understands if you suddenly discover that your shoelace has come loose. You bend down to tie it, giving your friends a chance to buy your ticket, and everybody knows there is no question of generosity or stinginess; you simply do not have the capacity to pay.

"Similarly, when someone suddenly gets angry, you can think to yourself, “Well, his shoelace has just come untied.” He has just run out of inner resources. Whatever he was doing before, he has to bend down and look at his feet; he hasn’t got attention to give to anything else. To grow rich in love – to make yourself into a real tycoon of tenderness – have patience with others."

This reminds me of the prayer: Bless ______________, change me."

Wednesday Prayer

What Song Then?


When my life is alien soil
and a wind
like fear
makes restless ground
of all I have done--

what song, then,
to send out roots
that will drink the rain
that does not come--

how could I sing?

Watch light come
from dark and mist rise
from waters
as sky and shore
emerge out of night,
and a tree half-green,
half-bare.

Half-afraid of what is in me
(though God has called it good)
I sob over nothing,

desires I cannot name.

Sing us, they say,
a song you remember...
         
-Kathleen Norris, Little Girls in Church
  University of Pittsburgh Press, 1995

Tuesday Prayer....

Even the briefest
 moment of silence
is both a way of
coming into the present
and a way of
moving on.
-Jon Kabat-Zinn

Monday Prayer: Spectrum

For the hungry and the overfed
May we have enough.


For the mourners and the mockers
May we laugh together.


For the peacemakers and the warmongers
May clear truth and stern love lead us to harmony.


For the silenced and the propagandists
May we speak our words in truth.


For the unemployed and the overworked
May our impress on the earth be kindly and creative. 


For the troubled and the sleek
May we live together as wounded healers.


For the homeless and the cosseted
May our homes be simple, warm and welcoming. 


For the vibrant and the dying
May we all die to live. 






New Zealand Prayer Book, 1997. p. 162

Prayer for Sunday Epiphany 6b

Compassionate God,
We are grateful you made your compassion incarnate in your son Jesus, who healed the sick such as the leper.
We are grateful you still show your compassion in this world through your people.
There are so many in this world that need your compassion; those who are sick, those who are outcasts, those who are disabled, and those who are grieving.
Lord we pray you keep pouring your compassion on those in need.

Lord we cry out for your mercy for those who are experiencing injustice in this world.
We pray you will make right the wrongs of this world.
We pray you set free those who are prisoners of dictatorships.
We pray that you unslave those who are trapped by slavery.
And we pray for the children of this world who are often victims of injustice.

Merciful God we pray for our leaders that they may be blessed with wisdom.
We pray for our churches that we may truly be your incarnation in this world.

God Who Dances...

May the God who dances in creation

and embraces us with human love

who shakes our lives like thunder

Bless us and drive us out with power

to fill the world with her justice.

Amen.

Janet Morley

"On Prayer" poem

You ask me how to pray to someone who is not.

All I know is that prayer constructs a velvet bridge

And walking it we are aloft, as on a springboard,

Above landscapes the color of ripe gold

Transformed by a magic stopping of the sun.

That bridge leads to the shore of Reversal

Where everything is just the opposite and the word 'is'

Unveils a meaning we hardly envisioned.

Notice: I say we; there, every one, separately,

Feels compassion for others entangled in the flesh

And knows that if there is no other shore

We will walk that aerial bridge all the same.



~~Czeslaw Milosz

Polish poet (1911-2004)

Healing Time...

Sometimes,
dear One who is Many and Mystery,
we just need your wholeness, your healing touch.
Just  because.
We know we are to be Sharers of Your Gospel,
The Defenders of Your Justice,
The Lovers of Your Love...
and we believe this, we know this, we strive to do so,
in fact,
it is what we live for.
We don't always live up to what we long to live for.
We know this.
We have regret and sorrow.
We need your grace....
and we need to allow ourselves that grace.  
And then,
there are times,
when we just need You.
Your embrace,
Your wholeness,
Your healing---
because we are flat out like everybody else.
We need You.
Your Mystery and Many-ness.
Come,
O Holy One,
Come.
Amen

a Servant Song prayer

Monday Prayer: For Work Unseen

God, you are our Loving Parent, who knows all that happens to us, who aches with us, who rejoices with us...

On this day, we pray for all those around us whose work is often unlauded, but still appreciated and, sometimes, taken for granted...

... for morticians who receive and prepare our bodies for in their last stages of this life...

... for stockers, who attempt to work unseen such that the shelves of our stores never seem empty...

... for janitors and cleaning crews whose service means hospitality of washed floors, dusted shelves, empty trash cans, and clean bathrooms...

... for tow truck drivers who come in the dark of night, the deep snow, the pouring rain and carry our vehicles to safety...

... for nail technicians whose ministry of touch brings joy to people receiving manicures and pedicures...

... for people whose current position is searching for work....

... for homemakers of all sorts, who bring peace and comfort to those around them...

... for all these and so many others, we ask Lord that you would bless them, strengthen their efforts, and answer their prayers.

God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Out of your love, answer us.

Amen.

Sunday prayer for Epiphany 5/Ordinary 5

Holy One,

Hear our prayers oh Lord,

Our lives are often like an emotional rollercoaster in a runaway car.

We sometimes feel our lives are out of control and so we often try to get control.

We then grow weary and tired,

because just about everything we try to do on our own falls short.

And then we give up Lord.

We let go Lord.

We quit trying to be in control.

It is times like these that we need you Lord,

We need to commune with you, to become centered and whole.

We need to draw close to you, to experience your healing touch.

We need the support of one other, the love of one another, the encouragement of one another to remind us of your presence.

It is times when we commune with you that then we are lifted up on eagles wings,

                                                                       Then we gain power for our faintness

                                                                       Then we gain strength for our weariness

                                                                       Then we who are broken hearted are healed

                                                                       Then we who are wounded find healing

                                                                       Then we find hope in his steadfast love

And Lord when we have received our healing,

may we then be a vessel for you to use to heal other. 

May we go about proclaiming the good news  to all

May our households of faith be a gathering of those in need of healing and forgiveness. 

Amen

Cross posted at revgalblogpals

Everlasting Arms

A few weeks ago on the main RevGal blog, we asked for descriptions of who we are as RevGalBlogPals. What words or phrases come to mind when you think of our community?

Those words and phrases were turned into a wordle and into new verses for the old hymn Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.

At Big Event 5.0 last week, we sang the old and then the new verses at our opening and closing worship services. We hope you'll join in as we seek to "pray twice" in this way.

Here among these friends, truth we dare to speak,

leaning on the everlasting arms.

Courage we will find, as Your way we seek,

leaning on the everlasting arms.

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms!

Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

In our sistership see God's realm is here,

leaning on the everlasting arms.

Share our stories, joy, laughter, hope, and tears,

leaning on the everlasting arms.

Wednesday Prayer: The Lord is My Shepherd

(the sound isn't perfect, but I love this acoustic version)
May you know the Shepherd's presence with you today, in all of your valleys and mountain tops.
Amen.