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 […]
Prayers for the United States
Prayers naming the United States have followed storms, tornadoes, wildfires and floods across many states, along with elections and political tension, gun violence, and questions of migration and race. Health, mental health and the well-being of ordinary households appear often, as do thanksgivings for its landscapes and wild places.
Families Who Grieve Without Bodies to Bury: A Lenten Prayer for Oso and Flight MH370 (March 27, 2014)
As we stand with Jesus in the wilderness during this Lenten period, we pray for the whole world. For those fighting cancer: may they have support and access to quality medical care. For parents: may they be confident in their childcare and schools. For pregnant women and for those who are trying to build families: […]
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 […]
Our Coming In and Our Going Out: A Prayer for Flight MH370, Cyclone Lusi, and Japan Three Years On (March 13, 2014)
Lord, our creator who neither slumbers nor sleeps; Lord, our protector, guide and help, be in our coming in prayer and our going out to the world in compassion. This week is the 25th anniversary of the World Wide Web, giving us such a great ability to know more about our world and to share with […]
Searching for Olympic Goodness: A Prayer for Sochi, the Mogadishu Bombing, and UK Floods (February 28, 2014)
Creativity God, we search for wholeness because your energy within us desires such. With this in mind, we see the incessant news from our world that seems to portray more brokenness than ever before. A week ago, those in the United States were reminded by one Olympic national news correspondent that “…no amount of Olympic glory […]
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 […]
Salt of the Earth: Prayers for the Sochi Olympics, the Dan River Coal Ash Spill, and Homs (February 6, 2014)
Jesus, you call us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. May we shine the light of your peace and love to its farthest corners as we remember your world in our prayers. We pray for Russia as it hosts the Winter Olympics in Sochi, for the athletes who […]
Humility and Perseverance: A Prayer for Negotiations, Climate Change, and an End to Executions (January 30, 2014)
God, on whom we rely, hear this prayer for humility and perseverance. You know that we are ever tempted to reject the better for the perfect. Help us embrace the possibilities unfolding in negotiations between the United States and Syria, in disputes in Ukraine, wherever progress, even modest progress, is being made. Free of implementation […]
Sometimes I Don’t Know What to Say: A New Year Prayer Amid Despair and Silliness (January 16, 2014)
God, sometimes I don’t know what to say. I write my prayer the same week that I offer prayers for three mothers who died too young. I write my prayer with the sounds of despair all around me. A Middle East that never seems to see what the Wise Men saw, a star in the […]
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 […]