“I will create a pathway in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 Beloved Holy One, Amidst the muted roar of nighttime and early morning traffic on highways, the stench of diesel and gasoline, the noise of human living, You are here. YOU ARE. Praise be! Whatever our situation – in town, village, […]
Prayers for Afghanistan
Afghanistan is carried here through decades of war and its aftermath, through hunger, avalanches, earthquakes and floods, and through the education and rights of women and girls. Journalists, aid workers and teachers appear often, and thanksgiving is offered for those who keep schools and newsrooms going in hard conditions.
How Can We Ask Forgiveness: Prayers for South Sudan’s Children and the Rohingya (June 19, 2014)
Dearest One, How can I ask forgiveness for letting a person die? How can we ask forgiveness not just for ourselves, but for the whole world? Not just for this moment in time, but for all of human history, for all lives to come? Four sleeping homeless people were run over – apparently deliberately – […]
There Is a Balm in Gilead: A Prayer for Farzana Parveen and the Kidnapped Nigerian Schoolgirls (May 29, 2014)
Go up to Gilead and take balm. — Jeremiah 46:11 “There is a Balm in Gilead” – American Spiritual There is a balm in Gilead To make the wounded whole; There is a balm in Gilead To heal the sin sick soul. Some times I feel discouraged, And think my work’s in vain, But then […]
In the Presence of Holy Mystery: Prayers for Chile’s Earthquake and Guinea’s Ebola (April 3, 2014)
In the presence of our Creator, we seek renewal, wisdom, and inspiration. In the presence of our Beloved, we bring our true selves, our desires, and our fears. In the presence of the Holy Mystery, let us gather our hearts in prayer. O Beautiful Presence, open our eyes to all that surrounds us so that […]
Come Down, Come In, Come Among Us: A Prayer for the Marginalized and Flight MH370 (March 20, 2014)
Thursday, March 20th 2014 “If God is your co-pilot, swap seats!” (cartoon) “Purity does not come in separation from but in deeper penetration into the Universe … Bathe yourself in the ocean of matter; plunge into it where it is deepest and most violent; struggle in its currents and drink its water. For […]
With Ashes on Our Foreheads: A Lenten Prayer for Freedom, Hunger, and Human Rights (March 6, 2014)
Morning Psalm I open my heart, Loving God… I place myself in your hands… I breathe in the beauty of the rising sun… I savor the gift of another day of life. Wherever this day leads, let me rest in the assurance of your presence with me, in me, around and under me. Let me […]
Calm Me, Lord: A Prayer for Storm-Battered Britain, the Homs Ceasefire, and the Sochi Olympics (February 13, 2014)
Calm me, Lord Calm me, Lord, as you calmed the storm; Still me, Lord, keep me from harm, Let all the tumult within me cease, enfold me, Lord, in your peace. Text: David Adam What a maelstrom of events is present in the news this week. Torrential unseasonal rain in Indonesia has affected the Pacific […]
Gifts of the Wise Men: An Epiphany Prayer for Chile’s Fires and Sudan’s Displaced (January 9, 2014)
And, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped […]
Home by Another Road: A New Year Prayer for a World Still Broken After Christmas (January 2, 2014)
World in Prayer This Week – January 2, 2014 “And having been warned in dream not to return to Herod, they [the Wise Ones] left for their own country by another road.” Matthew 2:12 (NRSV) God of dreams and desires, in this sacred season you reach to the world in rhythms beyond the rational. An […]
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind: An Advent Prayer Remembering Nelson Mandela (December 12, 2013)
This week, Dear Lord, has been one where the contrast between what is right and what is convenient or what we choose to do has been held up to scrutiny. We give thanks for the example that change is possible through the life journey and work of Nelson Mandela. We pray for honesty, humility, and […]