Almighty and Everlasting God, you hate nothing that you have made and forgive the sins of all those who will turn away from them. Create and make in us new and apologetic hearts, that, mournful of our sins and acknowledging our misery, we may receive from you, the God of all mercy, perfect forgiveness and […]
Sing a New Church Into Being: A Prayer for Human Dignity, Melting Permafrost, and Water (January 13, 2022)
As the scheduled writer for this week, I, like so many others, am finding life in its beauty and complexity challenging, dispiriting, frustrating, with more questions than answers and often don’t want to hear what I think God is trying to say to me as the way forward: more of the same old, same old…? […]
Lord, Rend the Heavens and Answer: Prayers for Gaza, Indonesia’s Disasters, and Syria’s Camps (January 21, 2021)
This opening Litany of Praise is from the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 2021 taken from the ecumenical service published by CTBI prepared by the The Monastic Community of Grandchamp. Switzerland. Congregation: You who call us to be praise in the midst of the earth: glory to you! Reader 1: We sing your praise in the midst […]
A Different Kind of King: A Christ the King Prayer for Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Tigray (November 19, 2020)
In 1925, Pope Pius XI established the Feast of Christ the King, also known as Christ the King Sunday, as a corrective to a major worldwide shift toward nationalism. This feast day is included in the Revised Common Lectionary and is celebrated by most mainline Protestant denominational groups. O Christ, what can it mean for […]
A Holy Week Prayer: Food Sharing in Italy, Ventilators in Nigeria, a Gang Truce in Cape Town (April 9, 2020)
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ~ Lamentations 3: 21b – 23 [Early on the first day of the week] Mary Magdalene […]
After Notre Dame Burned: A Holy Week Prayer for Sacred Places Under Threat (April 18, 2019)
Holy One, As Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France burned this week, so many millions of us were bound together in heartbreak. As Notre Dame emerged damaged but not fully destroyed, so many millions were bound together in hope. As we consider Paris and Notre Dame, we pray for fulfilling and fruitful work of healing and […]
Christ Be Our Light: Prayers After the Methodist Vote and the Hanoi Summit (February 28, 2019)
Longing for light, we wait in darkness. Longing for truth, we turn to you. Make us your own, your holy people, Light for the world to see. Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness. Christ, be our light! Shine in your church gathered today. Words and music by Bernadette Farrell […]
We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest: Prayers for Syria, Haiti, and Survivors of Abuse (February 21, 2019)
[Italics are quotes from “Ella’s Song” by Sweet Honey in the Rock.] We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes. Almighty God, we pray for all who fear for their lives around the globe, living in war-torn areas, living in fear of terrorism, and living under oppressive governments, including: the civilians in Baghuz, Syria […]
Love Came Down at Christmas: A Blessing for Every Nation on Earth (December 28, 2018)
Love. Love, said poet Christina Rossetti, “Love came down at Christmas.” Love spoke to Mary in the voice of the angel Gabriel. Love said: “Fear not.” Fear not, when you have seen a vision of hope and glory, healing and joy that transcends the universe. Fear not when you are called to be the bearer of […]
When Headlines Do Not Tell the Whole Story: A Prayer for the Billions Who Call This Planet Home (October 18, 2018)
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands […]