“My Country ‘Tis of Thee Sweet Land of Liberty of Thee I Sing” (Hymn, Samuel Francis Smith) Holy God, I write from my little corner of the world, my little neighborhood of my native land, the United States, celebrating its birth. You have heard the fun, fireworks explosions from sea to shining sea. You […]
Nurture Them, Shelter Them, Love Them: Prayers for 70 Million Displaced People and Juneteenth (June 20, 2019)
Holy One, Our hands reach out, our voices call forth, our hearts lift up, and in the act of praying, once again, we discover you. Our words are but a small measure of the world’s great need, yet as we draw close to you, you draw close to us. We pray to you, O Lord. […]
Grant Us Wisdom, Grant Us Courage: Prayers on Tiananmen, D-Day, and Protests in Nicaragua and Sudan (June 6, 2019)
“God of grace and God of glory on thy people pour thy power… Grant us wisdom grant us courage for the living of these days.” (Hymn, Harry Emerson Fosdick) Holy God, we sing our hymn of faith with faith, sometimes in the spirit of the modern proverb to “fake it ‘till we make it”. Our […]
A Miracle of More Than Enough: A Thanksgiving Prayer for the Migrant Caravan and California Fires (November 15, 2018)
Thanksgiving Prayer “Oh, may this bounteous God through all our life be near us, With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us; And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed; And guard us through all ills in this world, till the next!” (verse 2, “Now Thank We All Our God,” […]
Love Your Neighbor: Prayers After the Thousand Oaks Shooting and the US Midterm Elections (November 8, 2018)
Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is […]
My Help Comes From the Lord: A New Year Prayer for a Dangerous Journey (January 4, 2018)
1 “I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! 3 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. 4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. 5 The Lord […]
Holy Child, Bless Us All: A Christmas Prayer for Every Nation on Earth (December 28, 2017)
Holy child God from God, Light from Light Wisdom from before all worlds began Pain bearer Soul healer Life giver Challenger and Comforter Love beyond Love, beyond Love: Bless us all. As is our custom, in this Christmas-tide, we pause from praying about international events, to pray for everyone, in every nation in this world: […]
Never Will I Leave You: A Remembrance Day Prayer After the Texas Church Shooting (November 9, 2017)
Heavenly Father, as another week passes more tragedy and disaster have befallen your creation earth: A deadly mass shooting in Texas, US; a toxic smog blanketing Delhi, India; and a poverty-lead gambling crisis in Venezuela. Help us, please Lord. Our hearts break as we ask you to help and bless everyone affected by these disastrous […]
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 […]
Let Us Go Forth: A New Year Prayer Amid Floods, War, and the Many Who Live on the Edge (December 31, 2015)
“Forgetting what is behind, and reaching towards what is ahead, I press towards the goal of the high calling in Christ”. –Philippians 3:13-14 A new year, new resolutions, so often it is a new setting up of ourselves for failure and disappointment. As I sit here to the aural backdrop of Chinook helicopters trying to […]