Rejoice, pray, give thanks always

As he was dying, Abba Benjamin taught his sons this:

Do this, and you'll be saved:

Rejoice always,

pray constantly,

and in all circumstances give thanks.

 

 

Abba Benjamin was one of the Desert Fathers of the 3rd and 4th centuries.

Wednesday Prayer: Humility

Augustine of Hippo, a fifth-century bishop and theologian, wrote, "The way to Christ is first through humility, second through humility, third through humility.  If humility does not precede and accompany and follow every good work we do, if it is not before us to focus on, if it is not beside us to lean upon, if it is not behind us to fence us in, pride will wrench from our hand any good deed we do at the very minute we do it."

Lord, we pray for humility. 

Source:  Common Prayer: Claiborne, Wilson-Hartgrove, Okoro

Monday Prayer: A Prayer of Faith, for Faith

We are not alone, we live in God's world.

We believe in God: who has created and is creating,    
   who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh,
       to reconcile and make new,
    who works in us and others by the Spirit.

We trust in God.

We are called to be the Church:
    to celebrate God's presence,
    to live with respect in Creation,
    to love and serve others,
    to seek justice and resist evil,
    to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
       our judge and our hope.

In life, in death, in life beyond death,
    God is with us.
We are not alone.

    Thanks be to God. Amen.









A Statement of Faith of the United Church of Canada.

Sunday Prayer: Pentecost

(Bonfire at the BE 2.0, photo by Terri)

Holy and Gracious God, we give you thanks for
family, friends, life, love - for
All the blessings (name blessings and thanksgivings)
you have bestowed upon us.

In Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of our Mothers and Fathers, your desire for
us leads the way, may we have
the ears to hear the cries of this world -
responding with Your hope.

In Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Compassionate One, fill us with your love that we
may see deeply into all the needs
around us, (name the hurts, needs, and hope you are carrying)
help us to care with Your heart.

In Your mercy, hear our prayer.

May Your love, Your grace, Your compassion,
Your mercy, carry us away, this day
and lead us with love
to be Your hands and heart in the world.
Amen.

Saturday: opening the windows

O God, You who are always doing a new thing, we confess that we sometimes close windows against the fresh air of new ideas, against the noise of other people’s worries, against the winds of change. God of every place and time, we confess that we often draw the curtains against people who are different, against world news or community concerns. Forgive us our insulation in our locked homes, our shuttered churches, the security systems on our hearts. Open up our lives, and let your Spirit blow through. Amen.

Thursday Prayer

Thank you, O Holy One of All.

You Alone: Wednesday Prayer

You alone secure us in our place, O Lord.  In our going out and coming in, deliver us from fear, that we may, by your Spirit's power, let down our defenses in love.  Amen.

--from Common Prayer by Claiborne, Wilson-Hartgrove, Okoro

It's Tuesday, again...

For broken people, God, I pray. For those who suffer disappointment because of not getting employment In spite of being brilliant and wonderfully capable. For those who suffer from depression that debilitates and distorts reality, For those whose families find everyday exhausting and challenging because of special needs children, For those who are isolated, and lonely and completely stressed. For the hurt and fear and more fear these dear ones carry, Underneath the surface Of navigating life as normally as possible. I pray for love and strength and comfort and community. Amen

Monday Prayer: Commencement

Oh, gracious Mother of our beginnings and our endings,
Open us to the new paths you are placing before us.
Grant peace to our summer plans.
Bring strength to the on-going tasks that are without season.
Deliver us from over-booking and over-planning.

You have brought us to this place
And we know we will go no further without your Presence
Guiding,
Encouraging,
Accompanying us all.

Amen.

Sunday Prayer: Easter 7B

In peace, let us pray to the One, Holy and Gracious God.
Silence
Oh God, you know what is in the heart of everyone,
We pray especially -
For all people in their daily life and work;
For our families, friends, and neighbors,
For those who seek God, or a deeper knowledge of God,
For those who are alone
For those who are unemployed
For those who are struggling.
be with these we pray for, that your joy may be in all.

For this community, the nation, and the world;
that all may live with justice and equality
that God's joy will be in our hearts
and the hearts of all
and God's joy will be complete.

For the just and proper use of God's creation;
Because you, Oh God, know what is in the heart of everyone,
We pray especially for -
those who suffer from hunger, fear, war, violence,
oppression and for
those who are in danger, sorrow, or any kind of trouble;
May we be your hands of compassion,
and your heart of love.

For the special needs and concerns of this community.

For all the blessings of our lives.

May your joy be in us,
May we share your joy in all we do
and in so doing, may your joy be complete.
Amen.

Thursday Prayer

Prayer for Desert Times

The journeys of our lives are never fully charted.
There come, sometimes, to each of us, deserts to cross,
Barren stretches
Where the green edge on the horizon may be our destination,
Or an oasis on our way,
Or a mirage that beckons and will leave us lost.
When fear grips the heart, or despair bows the head,
May be we bend as heart and head lead us down
To touch the ground beneath our feet,
And scoop some sand into our hands,
And receive what the sand would teach us:
It holds the warmth of the sun
When the sun as left our sight,
As it holds the cool of the night when the stars have faded.
And hidden among its grains are tiny seeds, at rest and waiting.
Dormant, yet undefeated. Desert flowers.
They endure.
Moistened by our tears,
And by the rain that comes to end even the longest drought,
They send down roots, and they bloom.

Oh, may we believe in those seeds,
And the seeds within us.
May we remember in our dry seasons
That we, too, are desert flowers.

Amen.

- Margaret
Keip

Prayer for a Major Life Transition

Lord, help me now to unclutter my life, to organize myself in the direction of simplicity.  Lord, teach me to listen to my heart, teach me to welcome change, instead of fearing it.  Lord, I give you these stirrings inside me.  I give you my discontent.  I give you my restlessness.  I give you my doubt.  I give you my despair.  I give you all the longings I hold inside.  Help me to listen to these signs of change, of growth; help me to listen seriously and follow where they lead through the breathtaking empty space of an open door. 

from Common Prayer,  Claiborne, Wilson-Hartgrove, Okoro

Tuesday Prayer...

oh those days,
when everything starts out great...
the kitchen gets cleaned after breakfast,
you actually exercise,
you take of the kids, get them off to school with joy, (or you get to walk the furry family members without hurry and only love),
you pack a nutritious lunch,
all ready to go to the office,
and a crisis hits,
and you have to swoop in and save the day,
because no one else WILL,
and you can't bear the results if you don't,
and in spite of knowing this is quite possibly co-dependent,
when the innocent
will suffer,
you just don't care.

yeah, those days?
God, hear my prayer.
help me to forgive those who don't step up to the plate,
and forgive my self-righteous irritation,
and
finally,
knowing that a living one is safe and cared for,
in this moment,
in spite of the inconvenience,
I am grateful.
Amen.

Monday Prayer: Stay with us, Lord

You, Lord, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name. Leave us not. 


                                                                                          Jeremiah 14:9b

Sunday Prayer: Easter 6B

Holy and Gracious God
we give you thanks for the gift of -
life
home
community
family
and all the blessings of this life.
God, bless us with your love.

Creator God
in the chaos of this world
hunger
dis-ease
sickness
Poverty of mind, body, spirit
use our hands and hearts for healing.
God, bless us with your love.

Mother God
nurture those who weep, comfort
pain
sorrow
loss
despair
fear
with strong arms sustain us
use our lives to bring forth your new creation.
God, bless us with your love.

Father God
nurture those who seek violence
who abuse
land
body
spirit
Byyour Holy Spirit may all people
come to know your peace.
God, bless us with you love.

Brother Christ
hear us when we call out to you
in brokeness from
oppressions
known and unknown
help us name our fears
and be healed.
May we live your commandment of compassion.
God bless us this day with your love.

Sister Spirit
lift us up on angels wings
fill our
hearts
minds
spirits
bodies
with hope
that we might respond to God's call
with joyful song and praise.
God bless us with your love,
this day
and every
day.
Amen.

Thursday Prayer

We would receive all at Thy hand. If it should be honor and glory, we could receive them at Thy hand; if it should be ridicule and insults, we would receive them at Thy hand. Oh let us be able to receive either the one or the other of these things with equal joy and gratitude; there is little difference between them, and for us there would be no difference if we thought only of the one decisive thing: that it comes from Thee. Amen.

Kierkegaard, Soren. The Prayers of Kierkegaard. Ed. Perry D. Lefevre. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1956. 55.

Jesus, we believe...

Jesus, we believe in your kingdom coming.  

Even amid pain and despair, we believe that with each brave prophet - with each unknown disciple who stretches her arm as a bridge between a broken world and a holy kingdom - you are laying another brick for the New Jerusalem.  Amen. 

- Common Prayer: Claiborne,Wilson-Hartgrove, Okoro

A Tuesday Prayer...for those who nothing to say....

Ah,
God.
There is so much in my heart, on my heart, around my heart...
That it is hard to sift through.
There is deep sadness,
grief,
joy,
contentment,
gratitude,
more sadness,
many questions,
fear
change,
hope,
more questions, unformed,
whirling and swirling about.
So,
I pray,
for all that I don't have to say.
for all that I can't find words to say.
for all that I wish I could say.

And mostly,
I pray for your hands to hold it all.
Amen

Monday Prayer: For the Unemployed

O God of vocation and calling, of work and of play...
On this day, we lift to you our brothers and sisters who are looking for work. We pray for those who have been turned down after yet another application. We pray for those who search for work with dignity. We speak of those whose discouragement has become paralyzing. We carry those whose unemployment benefits are ending and who are afraid.

Remember in your grace-
- college students just graduating
- older adults not yet ready or able to retire
- people with language barriers
- those whose work is not valued, but is necessary
- migrant workers and others who are paid "off book"
- the underemployed
- the uninsured
- people who believe selling their bodies is the next step
- those who believe the unemployed are just lazy
- for the unmotivated, the fearful, the despondent, the angry


Grant all these the comfort of your Spirit, the ability to see open doors, the grace of connections and opportunities, and the hope of a better tomorrow.


Amen.

Sunday Prayer: Easter 5B

God of the wilderness
who meets us in unexpected ways
who journeys with us, our guide

our Hope and salvation;
We give thanks for all the blessings of this life.
May we love one another as you love us.

God you illuminate
the path before us, Jesus, beloved

Leads us into your truth
May life with bold, love!
We offer prayers for the Church universal, and all people.
May we love one another as you love us.

God you grow in and through
all creation, gentle compassion
bringing forth new life from the

Broken places, pruned, made new.
May we be the source of new fruit,
May our lives birth hope, inspired by your Spirit.
May we love one another as you love us.

God of peace and mercy
enfold us in your grace,

Release us from our limitations
Greed, bigotry, injustice

Prune the vines that bind us.

We ask for wisdom and courage, your perfect love to cast out sin.

May we love one another as you love us.

God, heal us from despair
through your gaping wounds
Open us, enable us to have the courage to love

Scarred as we are by the trials of life.
We ask for your grace to heal us in mind, body, and spirit.
May we abide in you as you abide in us.
Amen.

Thursday Prayer

May your soul calm, console and renew you.

May the light of your soul guide you.

May the light of your soul bless the work you do

with the secret love and warmth of your heart.

May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul.

May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light and renewal

to those who work with you and to those who see and receive your work.

May your work never weary you.

May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration
and excitement.

May you be present in what you do.

May you never become lost in the bland absences.

May the day never burden.

May dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day

with dreams, possibilities and promises.

May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.

May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected.

Anam Cara: Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World by John O'Donohue

Saint Anne

In Traveling Mercies, Anne Lamott says there are really only two prayers.

One is "Help me, help me, help me."

The other is "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

She also speaks often in her work of "speaking nicely to myself."  I would suggest that this, too, is a form of prayer; a nod to the spark of the Divine in all of us.

Today, speak nicely to yourself.  And check in with God.  And listen, too.  

So,
dear One...
it's May Day....
a festival of dance, of fertility, of fun...
I remember leaving May baskets for friends, and running away to avoid being kissed,
but oh,
how much fun getting caught with laughter and affection.

It's May Day,
oh dear One,
I don't have baskets of candies, or a ribboned pole to dance around.
Today,
at least, for me there are no festivities,
but really, who cares.  It's not like it's a religious holiday, right?

And yet,
I long for the joy of being a silly youth,
the freedom of dance,
the giggling, the joy....

so, today,
I pray for spontanaeity,
for the moment,
to be awake and free,
willing,
to discovered the promise
of colored ribbons,
and instant dance,
and
laughter.

amen.