Again and again we return to you, Most Welcoming God.
Again and again we seek your face, searching
for that glint of grace in your eyes
for that insightful word from your tongue
for that compassionate smile on your countenance.
Again and again we sit at your feet, learning
to love more often, more tangibly
to give more selflessly, more unreservedly
to listen more carefully and speak more boldly.
Again and over again we share your table, marveling
at the abundance of your life
at the wellspring of your imagination
at the hope that we find when we rest in you.
Again and again we give you thanks, Most Wondrous God.
Showing posts with label Monday Prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monday Prayer. Show all posts
Monday, August 12, 2013
Monday, August 05, 2013
RevGalPrayerPals: Monday Prayer
God of vocation and avocation,
I pray for those who rise today to seek employment. Whether short or long-term, be with them in their search for work, for hope, for assurance.
Grant strength for another interview, another form, another line. Bring peace and consolation in a time of rejection.
Your creation has space for meaningful work for all Help us to see the usefulness of Christ in those around us.
Amen.
Monday, July 29, 2013
RevGalPrayerPals: Waiting for My Children to Sleep
Abba-
I sit here and wait,
Damp with sweat and tired...
Waiting for the stillness that means they sleep. Oh, so briefly,
I am tired to the bone, but I dare not complain.
So many friends long for this task, but does not need doing in their house.
Many grieve to wait this wait one more time.
Some keep this vigil, accompanied by the hum of machines and hospital sounds.
And some friends have a life without this wait, which is also fine.
I wait and I listen and I feel a connection to all those...
And to You, who keep this watch every day, for the whole creation.
Thank you.
Amen.
Monday, July 15, 2013
RevGalPrayerPals: Monday Prayer: Nuclear Family of God
On this day in 1945, at 5:29:45 a.m., the Manhattan Project comes to an explosive end as the first atom bomb is successfully tested in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
God of creativity and inspiration-
You smiled as we learned about animals, as we explored the garden of creation, as we expanded to see Your face in all things.
Your Spirit inspires us to new connections and deeper understanding.
And then the forces that oppose you whisper in our ear and we forget, oh so briefly, that promise and future of growth and well-being. Moments of destruction reap lifetimes of pain and unforgiveness.
On this day of remembering, inspire us toward creativity with a healing purpose. Lead all creation to reconciliation through peace. Open our eyes to see you in all those around us.
Be with us and renew us, again, into being co-creators with you- purposed with growth and blessing for your creation.
Amen.
God of creativity and inspiration-
You smiled as we learned about animals, as we explored the garden of creation, as we expanded to see Your face in all things.
Your Spirit inspires us to new connections and deeper understanding.
And then the forces that oppose you whisper in our ear and we forget, oh so briefly, that promise and future of growth and well-being. Moments of destruction reap lifetimes of pain and unforgiveness.
On this day of remembering, inspire us toward creativity with a healing purpose. Lead all creation to reconciliation through peace. Open our eyes to see you in all those around us.
Be with us and renew us, again, into being co-creators with you- purposed with growth and blessing for your creation.
Amen.
Monday, July 08, 2013
Monday Prayer: Gratitude
“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.
Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.” ― Thomas Merton
God, open my heart so that I may more fully experience your goodness in all around me- all situations, all people, all creation, in silence and in singing. Amen.
Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.” ― Thomas Merton
God, open my heart so that I may more fully experience your goodness in all around me- all situations, all people, all creation, in silence and in singing. Amen.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Monday Prayer: John the Baptizer
Holy Parent of All-
On this his feast day, we give you thanks for John the Baptizer. We praise your hand for his zeal and fervor, for his conviction and temerity, for his courage and his faithful action.
We are moved at his boldness in proclaiming Your kingdom.
We resonate with his hesitation at baptizing his cousin, Jesus- his Savior and our Lord.
We lament his death- too soon- at the hands of Herod and Herod's wife.
We thrill at his call to prepare, in the wilderness, the way of the Lord.
We want to be like him.
But then we don't.
Well, we'd like the same conviction, the same strength, the same courage, the same tangible experience of both Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
We would prefer not to die like him, not to be uncomfortable in diet or clothing, to speak truth to power but without being terrified of what it will mean for our future.
Can we have one set of requests without the other?
No?
Reflection
Lord, make us like John the Baptizer and quickly, before we can change our minds.
Amen.
On this his feast day, we give you thanks for John the Baptizer. We praise your hand for his zeal and fervor, for his conviction and temerity, for his courage and his faithful action.
We are moved at his boldness in proclaiming Your kingdom.
We resonate with his hesitation at baptizing his cousin, Jesus- his Savior and our Lord.
We lament his death- too soon- at the hands of Herod and Herod's wife.
We thrill at his call to prepare, in the wilderness, the way of the Lord.
We want to be like him.
But then we don't.
Well, we'd like the same conviction, the same strength, the same courage, the same tangible experience of both Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
We would prefer not to die like him, not to be uncomfortable in diet or clothing, to speak truth to power but without being terrified of what it will mean for our future.
Can we have one set of requests without the other?
No?
Reflection
Lord, make us like John the Baptizer and quickly, before we can change our minds.
Amen.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Monday Prayer: A Scholar's Wish (Or a Pastor's)
God help my thoughts! They stray from me, setting off on the wildest journeys.
When I am in church, they run off like naughty children, quarreling, making trouble.
When I read the Bible, they fly off to a distant city, filled with beautiful women.
My thoughts can cross an ocean with a single leap; they can fly from earth to heaven, and back again, in a single second.
They come to me for a fleeting moment, and then away they flee. No chains, no locks can hold them back; no threats of punishments can restrain them, no hiss of lash can frighten them.
They slip from my grasp like tails of eels; they swoop hither and thither like swallows in flights.
Dear, chaste Christ, who can see into every heart and read every mind, take hold of my thoughts. Bring my thoughts back to me, and clasp me to yourself.
Amen.
"Celtic Prayers". The HarperCollins Book of Prayers, 1993. p. 95
When I am in church, they run off like naughty children, quarreling, making trouble.
When I read the Bible, they fly off to a distant city, filled with beautiful women.
My thoughts can cross an ocean with a single leap; they can fly from earth to heaven, and back again, in a single second.
They come to me for a fleeting moment, and then away they flee. No chains, no locks can hold them back; no threats of punishments can restrain them, no hiss of lash can frighten them.
They slip from my grasp like tails of eels; they swoop hither and thither like swallows in flights.
Dear, chaste Christ, who can see into every heart and read every mind, take hold of my thoughts. Bring my thoughts back to me, and clasp me to yourself.
Amen.
"Celtic Prayers". The HarperCollins Book of Prayers, 1993. p. 95
Monday, June 10, 2013
Monday Prayer: For Those Who Mourn (Dirge Without Music)
Dirge Without Music
I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.
So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:
Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned
With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.
Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.
Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.
A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,
A formula, a phrase remains, --- but the best is lost.
The answers quick & keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love,
They are gone. They have gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curled
Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not approve.
More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world.
Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.
- Edna St. Vincent Millay
I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.
So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:
Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned
With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.
Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.
Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.
A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,
A formula, a phrase remains, --- but the best is lost.
The answers quick & keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love,
They are gone. They have gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curled
Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not approve.
More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world.
Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.
- Edna St. Vincent Millay
Monday, May 27, 2013
Monday Prayer: Memorial Day
God of peace and reconciliation-
We ask that your holy light would shine this day on:
All those men and women of this country who gave their lives in wars and conflicts, who died in many and various ways, who may or may not have agreed with the cause, whose lives brought greater freedom and whose lives are part of regrettable history. May they rest in your peace.
All those men and women of other countries- who had families, hopes, and dreams- who may have fought willingly or were coerced or manipulated, who saw a greater good or who felt a sense of hopelessness. May they rest in your peace.
All those men and women of all countries who died for peace, who refused to fight, who hungered and thirsted for righteousness, who died hoping for an end to violence. May they rest in your peace.
On this day, may we remember that war is not inevitable. Death is an enemy- of yours and of ours. Grant us the resolve to be dedicated to the cause of peace.
Amen.
We ask that your holy light would shine this day on:
All those men and women of this country who gave their lives in wars and conflicts, who died in many and various ways, who may or may not have agreed with the cause, whose lives brought greater freedom and whose lives are part of regrettable history. May they rest in your peace.
All those men and women of other countries- who had families, hopes, and dreams- who may have fought willingly or were coerced or manipulated, who saw a greater good or who felt a sense of hopelessness. May they rest in your peace.
All those men and women of all countries who died for peace, who refused to fight, who hungered and thirsted for righteousness, who died hoping for an end to violence. May they rest in your peace.
On this day, may we remember that war is not inevitable. Death is an enemy- of yours and of ours. Grant us the resolve to be dedicated to the cause of peace.
Amen.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Monday Prayer: After the Fire
God of Pentecosts-
We have received from you an inheritance of fire, not of ashes.
You have breathed your Spirit into us and we have been born anew.
And now our raised hands look for your purpose.
Our feet look for your path.
We look to spend our inheritance as fools for your grace,
As fools in your grace.
As fools by your grace.
Amen.
We have received from you an inheritance of fire, not of ashes.
You have breathed your Spirit into us and we have been born anew.
And now our raised hands look for your purpose.
Our feet look for your path.
We look to spend our inheritance as fools for your grace,
As fools in your grace.
As fools by your grace.
Amen.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Monday Prayer: Lord, grant us eyes to see
Lord, grant us eyes to see
Within the seed a tree,
Within the glowing egg a bird,
Within the shroud a butterfly:
Till taught by such, we see
Beyond all creatures thee,
And hearken for thy tender word
And hear it, "Fear not: it is I."
Within the seed a tree,
Within the glowing egg a bird,
Within the shroud a butterfly:
Till taught by such, we see
Beyond all creatures thee,
And hearken for thy tender word
And hear it, "Fear not: it is I."
- Christina Rossetti
Monday, May 06, 2013
Monday Prayer: Ravensbruck Prayer
O Lord, remember not only the men and women of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted on us; remember the fruits we have bought, thanks to this suffering- our comradeship, our loyalty, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart which has grown out of all this, and when they come to judgment let all the fruits which we have borne be their forgiveness. Anonymous
Prayer written by an unknown prisoner in the Ravensbruck concentration camp.
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