Ever-present God, as we come to the end of another liturgical year, we remember and celebrate the present and coming kingship of Christ. We anticipate the coming day when the prophetic words of scripture are fulfilled and we work, diligently, to co-create a world where all people are loved and respected. Yet, we are perplexed […]
Entertain Angels Unaware: Remembering Barbara Bush and Winnie Mandela, and Praying for Our Leaders (April 19, 2018)
We call ourselves to remember, dear God, that you are one. We call you to hear our prayer as we struggle for focus. Our world, your world, changes so drastically. We pray for the immediate survivors of the deaths of the famous, like Barbara Bush in the United States and Winnie Mandela in the Republic […]
Be Thou My Vision: Prayers for the Nepal Plane Crash, the Skripal Poisoning, and Parkland Walkouts (March 15, 2018)
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that thou art: Thou my best thought both by day and by night, Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light. (Irish Traditional, Tune SLANE) O Light of the World, we stumble around in the darkness of this world which […]
Not by Bread Alone: A Prayer for Liu Xiaobo, a Rescue in Florida, and a Trillion-Ton Iceberg (July 13, 2017)
Dear God of instruction, open our hearts to learn, learn as our forebears in faith learned. Looking back on their experiences in captivity and liberation, they heard, “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you […]
Lord, In Your Mercy: Prayers for Mosul, Aleppo, Hurricane Matthew, and Thailand (December 28, 2016)
Once again, Lord, the voice of the prophets remains strikingly relevant through the centuries. Joel 2:24-25a reminds us that: The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten. As we pray for people who are […]
The Moment to Decide: Prayers for Colombia’s Peace Vote, Mexico’s Volcano, and Syria (October 6, 2016)
At the time of the Mexican war, often viewed as a practice war for the United States shortly before the American Civil War, the poet James Russell Lowell penned lines that still speak to us: Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide, In the strife of truth with falsehood, for the […]
Remember, O God: Prayers for Colombia’s Peace, Gabon’s Election, and the 9/11 Anniversary (September 8, 2016)
Remember, O God. Remember how you, O God, were determined to kill the Israelites whom you had brought out of Egypt, because they had turned against you and worshiped other gods. Remember how Moses called you to account? How he reminded you that you had made promises of faithfulness to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel? Remember…that […]
Make Us Story-Tellers and Memory Bearers: A Prayer Remembering Elie Wiesel (July 21, 2016)
“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place […]
Do Not Let Them Be Afraid: Prayers After a Philippines Beheading and the Death of Prince (April 28, 2016)
Jesus said, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.’ God of comfort, God of peace, we are often fear-filled people. We regard our world through eyes clouded by tears of fear and frustration, making it difficult to […]
Healer of Our Every Ill: A Prayer After the Death of Robin Williams (August 14, 2014)
World in Prayer for August 14, 2014 (As I looked around me at our world this week, preparing to write these prayers, I found myself singing over and over the words to Marty Haugen’s wonderful hymn, “Healer of Our Every Ill”, and so I have incorporated them into the prayers for this week.) […]