Sunday, December 07, 2008
An assurance of Pardon
Our Savior says, "Let not your heart be troubled. In my Father's house are many rooms .... I go to prepare a place for you .... that where I am you may be also." Friends, the love of God is roomy, full of welcome. Know that you are forgiven; receive the welcome of God, where you will always find shelter.
Come
Come as a child to the kingdom!
Come believing in angels on heavenly errands, with eyes for a wandering star and ears for the message of dreams. Come as a child who hears the angel proclaim, "With God all things are possible!"
Come as a child to the miraculous kingdom of our miraculous God!
Come believing in angels on heavenly errands, with eyes for a wandering star and ears for the message of dreams. Come as a child who hears the angel proclaim, "With God all things are possible!"
Come as a child to the miraculous kingdom of our miraculous God!
Take My Life
Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold;
Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my will and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal Throne.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold;
Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my will and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal Throne.
Where Charity and Love Prevail
Where charity and love prevail, there God is ever found;
Brought here together by Christ's love, by love are we thus bound.
With grateful joy and rev'rent heart true charity we learn;
Let us with heart and mind and strength now love Christ in return.
Brought here together by Christ's love, by love are we thus bound.
With grateful joy and rev'rent heart true charity we learn;
Let us with heart and mind and strength now love Christ in return.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The 13th Psalm
O Lord, how long wilt Thou forget me?
How long wilt Thou withhold Thy favor from me?
How long mush I cherish a daily grief?
How long is my foe to triumph over me?
Look to me, O Lord, my God, and answer me.
O Lord, revive me, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
O Lord, revive me, lest my foe claim, "I have master him."
O Lord, revive me, lest my enemies exult over my downfall.
But on Thy kindness I indeed rely,
let me exult over Thy saving aid;
I will sing unto the Lord!
For He hath dealt with me so lovingly.
How long wilt Thou withhold Thy favor from me?
How long mush I cherish a daily grief?
How long is my foe to triumph over me?
Look to me, O Lord, my God, and answer me.
O Lord, revive me, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
O Lord, revive me, lest my foe claim, "I have master him."
O Lord, revive me, lest my enemies exult over my downfall.
But on Thy kindness I indeed rely,
let me exult over Thy saving aid;
I will sing unto the Lord!
For He hath dealt with me so lovingly.
Praise your name always
Oh God, sometimes You seem so far away. I cannot always sense Your presence or feel Your power. At times there seems to be only darkness around me. How long do Ihave to live in this void, O God? How long?
Break into the night around me, O God; fill in the vast emptiness. Enter into my conflict lest I fall and believe I cannot rise again. I continue to trust in Your ever-present love. I shall again discover true joy in my relationship to You. I will proclaim Your praises, my Lord, for you will never let me go. I know that nothing can be hidden from you. I can only acknowledge my errors and accept your loving forgiveness.
O Lord; heal the hurts of those who have been affected by my failures. Restore to me the joy and assurance of a right relationship with you. Reinstate me in your purposes, and help me to avoid the snares and pitfalls along the way. It is only then that my tongue will be set free to sing your praises and my hands to perform the tasks you have set before me. It is only then that I can relate deeply and meaningfully to all those I encounter and communicate to them the message of reconciling love.
I come to you with only the desire for a new spirit in my heart. I come with a sincere desire to be your servant, to walk in your course for my life, to receive your love and channel it to my fellow human beings about me.
I thank you, God, that this is acceptable to you and that I will remain your child forever. And I will praise your name always.
Break into the night around me, O God; fill in the vast emptiness. Enter into my conflict lest I fall and believe I cannot rise again. I continue to trust in Your ever-present love. I shall again discover true joy in my relationship to You. I will proclaim Your praises, my Lord, for you will never let me go. I know that nothing can be hidden from you. I can only acknowledge my errors and accept your loving forgiveness.
O Lord; heal the hurts of those who have been affected by my failures. Restore to me the joy and assurance of a right relationship with you. Reinstate me in your purposes, and help me to avoid the snares and pitfalls along the way. It is only then that my tongue will be set free to sing your praises and my hands to perform the tasks you have set before me. It is only then that I can relate deeply and meaningfully to all those I encounter and communicate to them the message of reconciling love.
I come to you with only the desire for a new spirit in my heart. I come with a sincere desire to be your servant, to walk in your course for my life, to receive your love and channel it to my fellow human beings about me.
I thank you, God, that this is acceptable to you and that I will remain your child forever. And I will praise your name always.
Bless God!
Bless God, O My soul!
All within me bless God's name!
Bless God,
who was,
and is,
and shall ever be the same!
All within me bless God's name!
Bless God,
who was,
and is,
and shall ever be the same!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Sweet Hour of Prayer
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Maker's throne
Let all my needs and wants be known.
In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter's snare
By your return, sweet hour of Prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Maker's throne
Let all my needs and wants be known.
In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter's snare
By your return, sweet hour of Prayer!
Come, My Way, My Truth, My Life!
Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life!
Such a Way as gives us breath,
Such a Truth as ends all strife,
Such a Life as killeth Death.
Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength!
Such a Light as shows a feast,
Such a Feast as mends in length,
Such a Strength as makes his guest.
Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart!
Such a Job as none can move,
Such a Love as none can part,
Such a Heart as Joys in love.
- George Herbert
Such a Way as gives us breath,
Such a Truth as ends all strife,
Such a Life as killeth Death.
Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength!
Such a Light as shows a feast,
Such a Feast as mends in length,
Such a Strength as makes his guest.
Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart!
Such a Job as none can move,
Such a Love as none can part,
Such a Heart as Joys in love.
- George Herbert
A Prayer
We thank you, for you are our God and God of our fathers and mothers forever. You are the Refuge of our life, the Shield of our help. From generation to generation may we thank you and count your praises - evening, morning, and noon.
For our lives, which are committed into your hand,
For our souls, which are entrusted to you,
For your miracles, which are with us every day,
For your wonders and goodness at all times.
O Good One, your compassion does not fail!
Oh Merciful One, your loving kindness never ceases!
Forever we hope in you.
For our lives, which are committed into your hand,
For our souls, which are entrusted to you,
For your miracles, which are with us every day,
For your wonders and goodness at all times.
O Good One, your compassion does not fail!
Oh Merciful One, your loving kindness never ceases!
Forever we hope in you.
Strong Faith
Friends, you are sons of Abraham and daughters of Sarah, heirs of God's blessing and covenant!
May we too walk in God's presence, trusting in the guidance of God.
Know that God's chosen ones find divine power beyond all human comprehension and God's ways of mysterious, miraculous. As gracious as the dawn to those longing for light, so welcome is God's love to those who have endured in trust and hope.
Then may we live and worship with the strong faith of Rachel and Jacob, open to God's call and presence.
May we too walk in God's presence, trusting in the guidance of God.
Know that God's chosen ones find divine power beyond all human comprehension and God's ways of mysterious, miraculous. As gracious as the dawn to those longing for light, so welcome is God's love to those who have endured in trust and hope.
Then may we live and worship with the strong faith of Rachel and Jacob, open to God's call and presence.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Prayer of Sorrow
Holy God, whose ways are not our ways and whose thoughts are not our thoughts, grant that your holy Spirit may intercede for us with sighs too deep for human words.
Loving God, in our sorrow, hold us gently in your arms.
On this day, we would look to you for guidance in the manner in which we relate to one another.
Help us to give as we would receive,
To hear as we would choose to be heard,
To speak as we would choose to be spoken to,
And to forgive as we would choose to be forgiven.
Bring forth from the very depths of our hearts a willingness to be patient. Help us perceive time as a healing balm that soothes the deepest wounds, while conquering the greatest anxiety.
Through the veil of our tears and the silence of our emptiness, assure us again that ear has not heard, nor eye seen, nor human imagination envisioned, that you have prepared for those who love you. As we celebrate life, we ask for your presence to comfort our grieving spirits.
And when we are again able, direct us in an ongoing effort to be your hands in the world desperately in need of tender touching.
Amen.
Loving God, in our sorrow, hold us gently in your arms.
On this day, we would look to you for guidance in the manner in which we relate to one another.
Help us to give as we would receive,
To hear as we would choose to be heard,
To speak as we would choose to be spoken to,
And to forgive as we would choose to be forgiven.
Bring forth from the very depths of our hearts a willingness to be patient. Help us perceive time as a healing balm that soothes the deepest wounds, while conquering the greatest anxiety.
Through the veil of our tears and the silence of our emptiness, assure us again that ear has not heard, nor eye seen, nor human imagination envisioned, that you have prepared for those who love you. As we celebrate life, we ask for your presence to comfort our grieving spirits.
And when we are again able, direct us in an ongoing effort to be your hands in the world desperately in need of tender touching.
Amen.
Celebration of Life
When we have passed the tests we were sent to Earth to learn, we are allowed to graduate. We are allowed to shed our body, which imprisons our soul the way a cocoon encloses the future butterfly and when the time is right we can let go of it.
Then we will be free of pain, free of fears and free of worries - free as a beautiful butterfly returning home to God, which is a place where we are never alone, where we continue to grow and sing and dance, where we are with those we loved and where we are surrounded with more love than we can ever imagine.
- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
Then we will be free of pain, free of fears and free of worries - free as a beautiful butterfly returning home to God, which is a place where we are never alone, where we continue to grow and sing and dance, where we are with those we loved and where we are surrounded with more love than we can ever imagine.
- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
Assurance of Forgiveness
The mercy of God is not diminished by the wavering strength of our faith or by our capacity for joy. The mercy of God is poured upon us, faithful and faithless, joyful and joyless alike, that all may come to know the boundless love of God.
Friends: Simply accept the good news!
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven and given new life!
Friends: Simply accept the good news!
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven and given new life!
A Prayer of Confession
God of truth, how difficult it is for us to be truthful before you. We want to hide our anxieties and fears, our resentments and self-centeredness. Cut through our evasions with the truth of your word, and help us to be honest.
God of mercy, your hopes for us are greater than our own, yet the times that we fall short of the mark do not surprise you. Forgive us, we pray, even for the separation from you that we cannot see or find too painful to confess.
God of love, we know that you accept us as we are. Help us to accept ourselves.
Teach us to affirm what is good in our lives and to put behind us what is unworthy, that by your grace we may live in confidence and joy, in the manner of Jesus our Christ.
Amen.
God of mercy, your hopes for us are greater than our own, yet the times that we fall short of the mark do not surprise you. Forgive us, we pray, even for the separation from you that we cannot see or find too painful to confess.
God of love, we know that you accept us as we are. Help us to accept ourselves.
Teach us to affirm what is good in our lives and to put behind us what is unworthy, that by your grace we may live in confidence and joy, in the manner of Jesus our Christ.
Amen.
Season of Lent
This is the season of Lent, a season to remember more clearly the life of Jesus Christ. A season to remember that to follow Christ is to take up your crosses and to be servants of all.
Thanks be to God!
Thanks be to God!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Eternal Spirit
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Light
O God of ferocious tenderness and disarming insistence, put Your ear to our hearts, listen to what we long for, and touch us with healing and with hope. Sometimes the darkness of doubt is upon us, doubt of our worth, our power, our possibilities, our connection with others, our kinship with You.
O God, separate once more the light from the darkness. Make light of us.
Dispel our gloomy grudges and guilty fears. Transform our self-preoccupations into a filament of trust, a radiant confidence in You.
O God, make light in us.
Make light in us to mount one small reformation of trust, and so to span some gap and tip some scale toward justice.
O God, make light through us, igniting a dawn of reunion, a wave of laughter, a glow of peace, a splendor of joy, leading to a magnificent resurrection of Your Love.
O God, separate once more the light from the darkness. Make light of us.
Dispel our gloomy grudges and guilty fears. Transform our self-preoccupations into a filament of trust, a radiant confidence in You.
O God, make light in us.
Make light in us to mount one small reformation of trust, and so to span some gap and tip some scale toward justice.
O God, make light through us, igniting a dawn of reunion, a wave of laughter, a glow of peace, a splendor of joy, leading to a magnificent resurrection of Your Love.
Something Heavy
Everyone, no matter who, carries something heavy. Approach everyone you meet with compassion and love.
Silence
When we try to express communion with God in words, we rapidly reach the end of our capacities. A fairly long period of silence to listen to the voice of God deep within, therefore, is essential in discovering the heart of prayer.
A very simple reality
When we open the Gospel, each of us can say, "These words of Jesus are rather like a very ancient letter written in an unknown language. But since it is written to me by someone who loves me, I am going to try to understand it's meaning, and to put into practice right away the little I have grasped."
Extensive knowledge is not important at the outset. In time that will be of great value. But it is through the heart, in the depths of themselves, that human beings begin to grasp the Mystery of Faith. Everything is not granted at once. An inner life is developed step by step. Today, more than in the past, we enter into the faith by going forward in stages.
Right at the depth of human condition, lies the longing for a presence, the silent desire for a communion. Let us never forget that this simple desire for God is already the beginning of Faith.
Moreover, no one is able to understand the entire Gospel in isolation from others. Each person has to say, "In this unique communion that is the Church, what I do not understand of the faith is understood by others who are living from it. I do not rely on my faith alone but on the faith of Christians of all times, those who have gone before us, from the time of Mary and the apostles to those of today. And day after day I prepare inwardly to put my trust in the Mystery of Faith."
So it becomes clear that faith - trusting in God - is a very simple reality, so simple that everyone could receive it. It is like surging upwards again and again, a thousand times, throughout our life, and until our very last breath.
- Brother Roger of Taize
Extensive knowledge is not important at the outset. In time that will be of great value. But it is through the heart, in the depths of themselves, that human beings begin to grasp the Mystery of Faith. Everything is not granted at once. An inner life is developed step by step. Today, more than in the past, we enter into the faith by going forward in stages.
Right at the depth of human condition, lies the longing for a presence, the silent desire for a communion. Let us never forget that this simple desire for God is already the beginning of Faith.
Moreover, no one is able to understand the entire Gospel in isolation from others. Each person has to say, "In this unique communion that is the Church, what I do not understand of the faith is understood by others who are living from it. I do not rely on my faith alone but on the faith of Christians of all times, those who have gone before us, from the time of Mary and the apostles to those of today. And day after day I prepare inwardly to put my trust in the Mystery of Faith."
So it becomes clear that faith - trusting in God - is a very simple reality, so simple that everyone could receive it. It is like surging upwards again and again, a thousand times, throughout our life, and until our very last breath.
- Brother Roger of Taize
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Psalm 96:1-4
O sing unto the Lord, sing a new song all the earth.
Bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day. For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised. Declare his glory among the heathen; declare his wonders among all the people. For the lord is great and greatly to be praised.
Bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day. For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised. Declare his glory among the heathen; declare his wonders among all the people. For the lord is great and greatly to be praised.
A Prayer
Holy God, we come before you with awe, for you are great in love and power!
Some of us come with sadness and some with joy, yet we know you receive us as we are.
Mighty God, stay with us always, as we worship and as we share the risk and challenge of living our faith. By your Spirit, turn our fear to courage and our confusion to confidence.
Teach us God, with your healing fire.
Speak to us through your word.
Abide always in our prayers, the spoken and the unspoken; and make your Word come true in our hearts.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
Some of us come with sadness and some with joy, yet we know you receive us as we are.
Mighty God, stay with us always, as we worship and as we share the risk and challenge of living our faith. By your Spirit, turn our fear to courage and our confusion to confidence.
Teach us God, with your healing fire.
Speak to us through your word.
Abide always in our prayers, the spoken and the unspoken; and make your Word come true in our hearts.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
Let Us Worship God!
God in Christ has told us, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
We stand at the doorway of this new day and new week.
With the bold confidence of God's beloved children, we raise our hands to knock: that the living God may oil the hinges of our hearts' doors, that they may swing gently and easily to welcome God's coming.
Let us worship God!
We stand at the doorway of this new day and new week.
With the bold confidence of God's beloved children, we raise our hands to knock: that the living God may oil the hinges of our hearts' doors, that they may swing gently and easily to welcome God's coming.
Let us worship God!
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Sunday, January 06, 2008
A Prayer of Thanksgiving
Let us give thanks to God!
It is right and joyous to come together in the presence of God and one another, invited to share in the gifts of creations and to become stewards of God's bounty for the world.
We praise you, O God, for your abundant mercy; from your goodness we have received grace upon grace.
Gathered as your people, we remember all you have done in our world: the beauties of nature you have molded with your hands, the prophets you have inspired with your vision of righteousness, the poets and psalmists into whom you have breathed the sustaining music of your spirit.
We remember especially Jesus Christ, who showed us in his life and teachings, that you will never stop drawing all creation back to your embrace, and that your call for love and justice cannot be defeated.
Loving God, Almighty Creator, who sent a star to guide the magi to where Christ was born, and whose signs and words in every age lead people to Him: We thank you for showing us Jesus, the light of the world, through whom we are baptized into your service.
Amen.
It is right and joyous to come together in the presence of God and one another, invited to share in the gifts of creations and to become stewards of God's bounty for the world.
We praise you, O God, for your abundant mercy; from your goodness we have received grace upon grace.
Gathered as your people, we remember all you have done in our world: the beauties of nature you have molded with your hands, the prophets you have inspired with your vision of righteousness, the poets and psalmists into whom you have breathed the sustaining music of your spirit.
We remember especially Jesus Christ, who showed us in his life and teachings, that you will never stop drawing all creation back to your embrace, and that your call for love and justice cannot be defeated.
Loving God, Almighty Creator, who sent a star to guide the magi to where Christ was born, and whose signs and words in every age lead people to Him: We thank you for showing us Jesus, the light of the world, through whom we are baptized into your service.
Amen.
A New Years Prayer
Almighty God,
Your Son has come to be a part of our world.
We rejoice that he is here!
He has your eyes and he has seen us.
He has your mouth and he speaks to us.
He has your heart and he cares for us.
Help us now to receive Him with joy, so that the light He brings may fill our lives and be reflected to people young and old all over this world, not only today, but also through this New Year.
Amen.
Your Son has come to be a part of our world.
We rejoice that he is here!
He has your eyes and he has seen us.
He has your mouth and he speaks to us.
He has your heart and he cares for us.
Help us now to receive Him with joy, so that the light He brings may fill our lives and be reflected to people young and old all over this world, not only today, but also through this New Year.
Amen.
Epiphany
When the song of the angel is still
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among peoples,
To make music in the heart!
Send us, O God, into your world, to be your hands and feet, to speak the truth and to seek justice for all. Unite us with all who are fed by Christ, that, from now forward, we may allow the light of Christs love to shine through us in an uncertain world.
Amen.
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among peoples,
To make music in the heart!
Send us, O God, into your world, to be your hands and feet, to speak the truth and to seek justice for all. Unite us with all who are fed by Christ, that, from now forward, we may allow the light of Christs love to shine through us in an uncertain world.
Amen.
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