Fathering and Mothering God – Creative Spirit who brooded over the waters and brought forth the heavens and the earth:
May we and all creation bless your name.
We pray for the coming of your new world – where justice reigns and war is a distant memory, where springs break forth in the desert and the wolf and the lamb lie down together, where mourning and crying and pain are no more and the river of the water of life flows crystal clear.
May this heavenly dream come to earth.
May we receive today the necessities of life – water, food, shelter, love.
Forgive us for the times we have gotten in the way of your dream – when we have turned away from the pain of the world instead of healing it, when we have held on to anger too long, when we have been careless in our treatment of others and of the earth itself.
And give us the strength and courage to forgive others.
When the journey of faith gets hard, and we are tempted to give up, lead us to a place of refreshment, help us get through the dark and difficult days.
We trust you in this
For the kingdom, its power and its beauty are yours forever. Amen.

Posted by David Bard at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

God of Healing, in the wilderness when your people were beset by snakes you told your servant Moses to lift up a bronze snake on a pole that all who gazed upon it might be healed. In this season of Lent we remember how your Son was lifted that all who gazed upon him might know life. Heal us, body and soul, to do your will in this world, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Continue reading "Prayer | Lent 4, Year B | Numbers 21:4-9" »

Posted by Lawrence Lee at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Almighty God, in the wilderness you led your people first by cloud and flame then by the law spoken to Moses. Guide us in our wilderness journeys when we have lost our way. Let us bow our spirits to your holy law and will that we may know the joys of your promises, through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Continue reading "Prayer | Lent 3, Year B | Exodus 20:1-17" »

Posted by ironic1 at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

God - whose love envelopes each of us, whose passion for justice and kindness challenges us, whose care for all life inspires us - give us grace. May your Spirit dance delightfully through our lives. In grace, give us peace in the face of things that cannot be changed - our genetic make-up, our genealogy, past hurts and mistakes. In grace, give us courage to change what should be changed - our unloving attitudes, our narrow perspectives, our cynical hearts, injustice, our too easy resort to violence. In grace, give us wisdom so that we can distinguish between those things that cannot be changed and those that can and should be so that we don't spend needless energy in the wrong direction. In Christ, who changes lives. Amen.

Continue reading "Prayer - adapted from Reinhold Niebuhr" »

Posted by David Bard at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)