The Matriarchs Have Moved

Looking for Ask the Matriarch? RevGalBlogPals has a new home on the web:

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You'll find old-fashioned favorites like the 11th Hour Preacher Party, Tuesday Lectionary Leanings, Ask the Matriarch, daily prayers and the Friday Five at our new home. You'll also find new features such as Narrative Lectionary and The Pastoral is Political. Come and see! And let us know what you think of our new digs by leaving a comment at the new blog.

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Thursday Prayer

You keep us loving.
You, the God whose name is love,
want us to be like you--
to love the loveless and the unlovely and the unlovable;
and most difficult of all, to love ourselves.
So thank you. . . for the loving time.

And in all this, you keep us,
through hard questions with no easy answers;
through failing where we hoped to succeed
and making an impact when we felt we were uselss;
through the patience and the dreams and the love of others;
and through Jesus Christ and his Spirit,
you keep us.
So thank you . . . for the keeping time,
and for now, and for ever. Amen.

~~Iona Community, Scotland

Thursday Prayer

Lord, make me like crystal that your light may shine through me.

~~Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923)

Thursday Prayer

O God of mercy, we cannot understand. . . .
     why all of our needs are povided
while others are still oppressed with need
We could have been born in another land.
We pray for all who lack food and clothing,
who are cold and ill,
who have lost home and country,
who are disheartened and discouraged
who are unemployed or underemployed.
Give us the will and provide the grace to love them all in you
and in loving to help bear their burdens and meet their needs.
In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

~~Mildred Tengbom

Thursday Prayer

It seems to me Lord
that we search much too desperately for answers,
when a good question holds as much grace as an answer.
Jesus,
you are the Great Questioner.
Keep our questions alive,
that we may always be seekers rather than settlers.
Guard us well from the sin of settling in
with our answers hugged to our breasts.
Make of us a wondering, far-sighted, questioning, restless people
And give us the feet of pilgrims on this journey unfinished.

~~Macrina Wiederkehr

Thursday Prayer

Open unto me--light for my darkness.
Open unto me--courage for my fear.
Open unto me--hope for my despair.
Open unto me--peace for my turmoil.
Open unto me--joy for my sorrow.
Open unto me--strength for my weakness.
Open unto me--wisdom for my confusion.
Open unto me--forgiveness for my sins.
Open unto me--tenderness for my toughness.
Open unto me--love for my hates.
Open unto me--Thy Self for my self.

Lord, Lord, open unto me!
Amen.

~~Howard Thurman

Thursday Prayer Thought

"I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended." (Nelson Mandela, 1918 - )   This is the day we are given; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Thursday Prayer

One of my friends highly recommends praying the Welcoming Prayer each day.

 This is by Mary Mrozowski, the founder of the welcoming prayer:

I let go my desire for security and survival.
I let go my desire for esteem and affection.
I let go my desire for power and control.
I let go my desire to change the situation.

Contemplative Photographer

Thursday Prayer

Grow us slowly, persistently, and deeply, Lord
to be people who watch without distraction
listen without interruption
and stay put without inclination to flee.

Amen.

                               ~~Abba Anthony

                                        (Anthony the Great c. 251-356)

Thursday Prayer

Ground of all being,
Mother of life,
Father of the universe,
Your name is sacred, beyond speaking.
May we know your presence,
May your longings be our longings
In heart and in action….—Casa del Sol prayer of Jesus

From Shalem Institute.

Every Moment A Prayer

“It’s really quite simple. When we look at a tree, God is there. When we look at a flower, God is there. When we look at the sky, God is there. When we look at the earth, God is there. We can see God in the faces of people on the street, in the faces of our children, our friends, our partners, our colleagues, and our bosses. When we see God shining through the faces of all those around us—those like us and those unlike us—every moment becomes a prayer and the world becomes a different place to live in.”

n     Anne Wilson Schaef

Thursday Prayer

Pause in the Presence. “In the beginning God”. This is how the Bible begins, and this is how prayer must begin. Words without the Presence remain just words, but we are not without the Presence. Let the Word become flesh and dwell among us that we may hold His Glory.

In the Beginning GOD

In the beginning of space

                    of time

                    of the universe, GOD.

In the beginning of creation

                    of life

                    of mankind, GOD.

In the beginning of individuals

                    of personalities

                    of me, GOD.

In the beginning of this year

                    of this week

                    of this hour, GOD.

In the beginning of each thought

                    of each word

                    of each deed, GOD.

Add to this any beginnings you feel are important to you this day. Know that He abides with you and surrounds you.

“As He was in the beginning, He is now and shall be forever, God.” Amen.

Adams, David. Borderlands: The Best of David Adams’ Celtic Vision. Franklin,

Wisconsin: Sheed and Ward, 2000. 134-135.

Thursday Prayer

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

Thursday Prayer

O God of all creation, you stand as mysteriously behind the forces of nature as you are revealed in the frailty of humankind; accept our prayers for all those who suffer from the ferocity of the winds and the battering of the rains. May you restore all those who are lost to those who love them, give to those who mourn a sure confidence in your abiding love, and fill all of with strength to meet the days ahead with faith, hope, and love, for it is in such that we meet you and act on your compassionate behalf. Amen.

Thursday Prayer

"Lord Jesus, come into my heart; pray in me and with me; so that I may learn from you how to pray."

~Mother Teresa

Thursday Prayer: Serenity Prayer for Clutter