Intersections (Part 4)
O God,
Today we will likely find ourselves living in the midst of turmoil; because your Spirit and grace are in us, we have the opportunity to experience your peace in such situations and to bring your peace to bear on them.
We do not expect to be immune from the turmoil and we do not ask you to help us escape from it; to do so would be to ask you to cause us to be something other than human and to live somewhere other than the real world.
But we do thank you that where we meet turmoil we bring your peace along with us; we thank you that no matter what threatens to break us apart, we always have your peace that holds us together.
May your peace in us inspire others to seek and to know your peace so that together, we can help keep it together.
Amen.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
A Prayer for Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Intersections (Part 3)
O God,
As we encounter the situations and predicaments of life, we will sometimes find ourselves walking a line between despair and hope.
Sometimes we look at the ways the world is and we come close to giving up; we teeter on the brink of deciding that we might as well just leave the world to its own devices and not even try to make things better.
But then, thankfully, the hope we have in you intersects with our despair; we realize that we participate in the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and that in him, loss and evil and cruelty and death never have the final word.
Help us to remember that your gracious purposes for your vast creation are always far, far, far greater than the designs of sadly evil people who cannot see past their own limited lives.
Despair is easy; hope is hard.
When they meet in our spirits, let hope raise us above despair.
And cause our hope to lead us to undertake hopeful actions for the sake of a despairing world.
Amen.
O God,
As we encounter the situations and predicaments of life, we will sometimes find ourselves walking a line between despair and hope.
Sometimes we look at the ways the world is and we come close to giving up; we teeter on the brink of deciding that we might as well just leave the world to its own devices and not even try to make things better.
But then, thankfully, the hope we have in you intersects with our despair; we realize that we participate in the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and that in him, loss and evil and cruelty and death never have the final word.
Help us to remember that your gracious purposes for your vast creation are always far, far, far greater than the designs of sadly evil people who cannot see past their own limited lives.
Despair is easy; hope is hard.
When they meet in our spirits, let hope raise us above despair.
And cause our hope to lead us to undertake hopeful actions for the sake of a despairing world.
Amen.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
A Prayer for Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Intersections (Part 2)
O God,
As we encounter the situations and predicaments of life, we will find ourselves both trusting and not trusting you.
Sometimes the trust will outweigh the non-trust; sometimes the opposite will be true. And most of the time, trust and non-trust will be mixed so thoroughly that we experience them both simultaneously if not equally.
Keep us attentive to those times when trust and non-trust—when our giving of ourselves over to your care and protection and our effort to fix it all ourselves—intersect, because it is in those times when we can benefit from whatever struggle we are encountering.
Help us in those moments to learn more of the difference between what we can do and what we cannot do and between being still in our faith and active in our faith. Help us to learn how they go together in the calm, non-anxious life of faith.
Amen.
O God,
As we encounter the situations and predicaments of life, we will find ourselves both trusting and not trusting you.
Sometimes the trust will outweigh the non-trust; sometimes the opposite will be true. And most of the time, trust and non-trust will be mixed so thoroughly that we experience them both simultaneously if not equally.
Keep us attentive to those times when trust and non-trust—when our giving of ourselves over to your care and protection and our effort to fix it all ourselves—intersect, because it is in those times when we can benefit from whatever struggle we are encountering.
Help us in those moments to learn more of the difference between what we can do and what we cannot do and between being still in our faith and active in our faith. Help us to learn how they go together in the calm, non-anxious life of faith.
Amen.
Monday, October 28, 2013
A Prayer for Monday, October 28, 2013
Intersections (Part 1)
O God,
During this week lots of things will happen. Some of them will seem good to us and some will seem bad; some will be good and some will be bad.
Sometimes, what seems like a bad thing will intersect with what seems like a good thing; indeed, we go through such intersections quite often, although we seldom realize or contemplate it.
Help us in those intersections of good and bad to perceive and to experience your grace at work.
Such intersections are, after all, where real life is lived—and it is in real life that we need to experience your grace.
Amen.
O God,
During this week lots of things will happen. Some of them will seem good to us and some will seem bad; some will be good and some will be bad.
Sometimes, what seems like a bad thing will intersect with what seems like a good thing; indeed, we go through such intersections quite often, although we seldom realize or contemplate it.
Help us in those intersections of good and bad to perceive and to experience your grace at work.
Such intersections are, after all, where real life is lived—and it is in real life that we need to experience your grace.
Amen.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
A Prayer for Sunday, October 27, 2013
The Lord’s Day
O God,
Help us to worship you today with an ever-deepening child-like faith and with an ever-increasing awareness of your presence in the child-like ones among us and around us.
Amen.
O God,
Help us to worship you today with an ever-deepening child-like faith and with an ever-increasing awareness of your presence in the child-like ones among us and around us.
Amen.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
A Prayer for Saturday, October 26, 2013
Gladiators
O God,
This weekend, our gladiators will gather in the NCAA, NFL, and NASCAR arenas to do battle for our entertainment.
Keep them safe.
Protect us from bloodlust.
Amen.
O God,
This weekend, our gladiators will gather in the NCAA, NFL, and NASCAR arenas to do battle for our entertainment.
Keep them safe.
Protect us from bloodlust.
Amen.
Friday, October 25, 2013
A Prayer for Friday, October 25, 2013
Charity
Increase our charity, O God.
Help us to love in ways that lead us to think of others.
Help us to love in ways that lead us to think of others before we think of ourselves.
Help us to love in ways that lead us to think of others as our sisters and brothers.
Help us to love in ways that lead us to think of others as blessings and not burdens.
Help us to love in ways that lead us to think of others as opportunities to give ourselves away.
Increase our charity, O God.
Amen.
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (1 Corinthians 13:13 KJV)
Increase our charity, O God.
Help us to love in ways that lead us to think of others.
Help us to love in ways that lead us to think of others before we think of ourselves.
Help us to love in ways that lead us to think of others as our sisters and brothers.
Help us to love in ways that lead us to think of others as blessings and not burdens.
Help us to love in ways that lead us to think of others as opportunities to give ourselves away.
Increase our charity, O God.
Amen.
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (1 Corinthians 13:13 KJV)
Thursday, October 24, 2013
A Prayer for Thursday, October 24, 2013
Hope
Increase our hope, O God.
Help us to have hope even when everyone around us seems to be consumed by hopelessness.
Help us to have hope that is rooted in who you are and not in who we are.
Help us to have hope that inspires us to be the best we can be and to do the best we can do.
Help us to have hope for the future that inspires us to live creatively in the present.
Increase our hope, O God.
Amen.
Increase our hope, O God.
Help us to have hope even when everyone around us seems to be consumed by hopelessness.
Help us to have hope that is rooted in who you are and not in who we are.
Help us to have hope that inspires us to be the best we can be and to do the best we can do.
Help us to have hope for the future that inspires us to live creatively in the present.
Increase our hope, O God.
Amen.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
A Prayer for Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Faith
Increase our faith, O God.
Help us to trust you in what we see and in what we know.
Help us to trust you in what we can’t see and in what we can’t know.
Help us to trust you when we must keep moving and when all we can do is wait.
Help us to trust you to make sense of our past and to guide us into your future.
Help us to trust you no matter what happens and no matter what doesn’t happen.
Increase our faith, O God.
Amen.
Increase our faith, O God.
Help us to trust you in what we see and in what we know.
Help us to trust you in what we can’t see and in what we can’t know.
Help us to trust you when we must keep moving and when all we can do is wait.
Help us to trust you to make sense of our past and to guide us into your future.
Help us to trust you no matter what happens and no matter what doesn’t happen.
Increase our faith, O God.
Amen.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
A Prayer for Tuesday, October 22, 2013
West/East
O God,
We praise you that you have removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.
But we wonder why we keep heading west and looking east to try to reclaim them.
Why do we head west to think about, to fret over, and to feel guilty about the sins of our past?
Why do we look east to worry about, to be anxious about, and to be afraid of the potential sins of our future?
Help us instead to dwell in your grace of this moment and to rest in your grace of the past and of the future.
Amen.
O God,
We praise you that you have removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.
But we wonder why we keep heading west and looking east to try to reclaim them.
Why do we head west to think about, to fret over, and to feel guilty about the sins of our past?
Why do we look east to worry about, to be anxious about, and to be afraid of the potential sins of our future?
Help us instead to dwell in your grace of this moment and to rest in your grace of the past and of the future.
Amen.
Monday, October 21, 2013
A Prayer for Monday, October 21, 2013
Coming
O God,
On the one hand, help us to live in the moment, which is, after all, all that we have right now.
On the other hand, help us to live in the events of this moment and in all the moments to come in light of the fact that
Friday is coming—and it was on a Friday that our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross so that we would be able, in every moment, to take up our cross and follow him, and
Sunday is coming—and it was on a Sunday that our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the grave so that we would be able, in every moment, to walk in newness of life.
So help us live fully in each moment of this week, always being empowered and pulled forward by Friday and Sunday …
Amen.
O God,
On the one hand, help us to live in the moment, which is, after all, all that we have right now.
On the other hand, help us to live in the events of this moment and in all the moments to come in light of the fact that
Friday is coming—and it was on a Friday that our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross so that we would be able, in every moment, to take up our cross and follow him, and
Sunday is coming—and it was on a Sunday that our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the grave so that we would be able, in every moment, to walk in newness of life.
So help us live fully in each moment of this week, always being empowered and pulled forward by Friday and Sunday …
Amen.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
A Prayer for Sunday, October 20, 2013
The Lord’s Day
O God,
We worship you today because it was on a Sunday that our Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead; we worship you today because his resurrection paved the way for our future resurrection and because his resurrection empowers us to walk in newness of life here and now.
Remind us that we worship you today as risen people who serve a risen Savior!
Amen.
O God,
We worship you today because it was on a Sunday that our Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead; we worship you today because his resurrection paved the way for our future resurrection and because his resurrection empowers us to walk in newness of life here and now.
Remind us that we worship you today as risen people who serve a risen Savior!
Amen.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
A Prayer for Saturday, October 19, 2013
Life
O God,
It all begins with you. Without you, there is nothing and we are not.
But for us, it all begins with life; thank you for your ongoing creative work that gives us the privilege of being here.
Now, help us to live this life for all it’s worth.
Help us to live gratefully, to care deeply, to share generously, to participate creatively, to contribute constructively, and to love radically.
Thank you for life; help us to treat it with the respect, awe, and joy that it deserves.
Amen.
O God,
It all begins with you. Without you, there is nothing and we are not.
But for us, it all begins with life; thank you for your ongoing creative work that gives us the privilege of being here.
Now, help us to live this life for all it’s worth.
Help us to live gratefully, to care deeply, to share generously, to participate creatively, to contribute constructively, and to love radically.
Thank you for life; help us to treat it with the respect, awe, and joy that it deserves.
Amen.
Friday, October 18, 2013
A Prayer for Friday, October 18, 2013
Vulnerable
O God,
There are among us and around us many, many vulnerable lives.
Some of us give them no thought.
Some of us give them some thought but do nothing for them.
Some of us give them much thought and do something for them.
Some of us give them constant thought and do everything we can for them.
Some of us give them malicious thought and do what we can to hurt them.
Give us eyes that see.
Give us hearts that care.
Give us lives that share.
Drive away apathy.
Drive away selfishness.
Drive away cruelty.
Perhaps we will always have the uncaring and the cruel with us.
Perhaps the majority will always live as if nothing is wrong so long as they and theirs are all right.
If so, bless and empower with great grace and strength the few who keep their eyes, their hearts, and their lives open to the vulnerable among and around us.
But give us more people who think of protecting the vulnerable before they think of shielding the strong and who think of giving themselves away before they think of keeping themselves safe.
Give us more people who care …
Amen.
O God,
There are among us and around us many, many vulnerable lives.
Some of us give them no thought.
Some of us give them some thought but do nothing for them.
Some of us give them much thought and do something for them.
Some of us give them constant thought and do everything we can for them.
Some of us give them malicious thought and do what we can to hurt them.
Give us eyes that see.
Give us hearts that care.
Give us lives that share.
Drive away apathy.
Drive away selfishness.
Drive away cruelty.
Perhaps we will always have the uncaring and the cruel with us.
Perhaps the majority will always live as if nothing is wrong so long as they and theirs are all right.
If so, bless and empower with great grace and strength the few who keep their eyes, their hearts, and their lives open to the vulnerable among and around us.
But give us more people who think of protecting the vulnerable before they think of shielding the strong and who think of giving themselves away before they think of keeping themselves safe.
Give us more people who care …
Amen.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
A Prayer for Thursday, October 17, 2013
Every
O God,
Make us so fully aware of your presence that
every step we take,
every choice we make,
every thought we think,
every word we say,
every task we undertake,
every blink we blink,
every feeling we feel, and
every breath we take
is our side of a continuous conversation with you.
Amen.
O God,
Make us so fully aware of your presence that
every step we take,
every choice we make,
every thought we think,
every word we say,
every task we undertake,
every blink we blink,
every feeling we feel, and
every breath we take
is our side of a continuous conversation with you.
Amen.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
A Prayer for Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Leaders
O God,
Thank you for the women and men that we have elected to serve as the leaders of our nation. Thank you for their desire and willingness to serve.
They are always in need of your guidance, but sometimes crises arise that make us more aware—and hopefully that make them more aware—of how needed your wisdom is. This is one of those times.
So please work in and through them just as they are with their ideals, their convictions, their egos, their faults, their illusions, their faith, their intelligence, their ambitions, their delusions, and their strengths. Enable them to work together with a broad perspective and with visionary foresight in ways that will further the common good. Empower them to lead in ways that will help us as a nation to grow in making peace and in doing justice.
Give them humility to listen to you and grace to listen to one another.
Give them courage to put the nation’s interests ahead of personal goals and political expediency.
Give them love to offer themselves up for the sake of others.
Bless our leaders today; they—and we—really need you to show them the way.
Amen.
O God,
Thank you for the women and men that we have elected to serve as the leaders of our nation. Thank you for their desire and willingness to serve.
They are always in need of your guidance, but sometimes crises arise that make us more aware—and hopefully that make them more aware—of how needed your wisdom is. This is one of those times.
So please work in and through them just as they are with their ideals, their convictions, their egos, their faults, their illusions, their faith, their intelligence, their ambitions, their delusions, and their strengths. Enable them to work together with a broad perspective and with visionary foresight in ways that will further the common good. Empower them to lead in ways that will help us as a nation to grow in making peace and in doing justice.
Give them humility to listen to you and grace to listen to one another.
Give them courage to put the nation’s interests ahead of personal goals and political expediency.
Give them love to offer themselves up for the sake of others.
Bless our leaders today; they—and we—really need you to show them the way.
Amen.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
A Prayer for Tuesday, October 15, 2013
This and That
O God,
It is so easy and so tempting for us to focus on “that”: on “that person” or “that relationship” or “that opinion” or “that group.” Forgive us for those times when we do so in order—whether we realize such is our motive—to try to justify ourselves by making comparisons with others that we think cast us in a favorable light, as in “Thank you, God, that I am not like that …”
Still, help us to acknowledge that we need to pay an appropriate kind of attention to “that person” or “that group” and to the ways that they think, act, and live—to the ways that they are. But cause us to be motivated by a genuine concern to love, to understand, to relate, and to know.
It is also so easy and so tempting for us to focus on “this”: on “this life” and “this relationship” and “this opinion” and “this group.” Forgive us for those times when we are motivated by self-centeredness to live as if the point of our life is to justify ourselves, to glorify ourselves, and to protect ourselves.
Still, help us to acknowledge that we need to pay an appropriate kind of attention to “this life”; after all, we will for as long as we live have a long way to go in growing toward being who you made us to be. But cause us to be motivated by a genuine and maturing experience of your grace and your love as we have experienced them in Jesus Christ your Son so that we will show our appreciation for this life by giving it away in loving service to you and to others.
Amen.
O God,
It is so easy and so tempting for us to focus on “that”: on “that person” or “that relationship” or “that opinion” or “that group.” Forgive us for those times when we do so in order—whether we realize such is our motive—to try to justify ourselves by making comparisons with others that we think cast us in a favorable light, as in “Thank you, God, that I am not like that …”
Still, help us to acknowledge that we need to pay an appropriate kind of attention to “that person” or “that group” and to the ways that they think, act, and live—to the ways that they are. But cause us to be motivated by a genuine concern to love, to understand, to relate, and to know.
It is also so easy and so tempting for us to focus on “this”: on “this life” and “this relationship” and “this opinion” and “this group.” Forgive us for those times when we are motivated by self-centeredness to live as if the point of our life is to justify ourselves, to glorify ourselves, and to protect ourselves.
Still, help us to acknowledge that we need to pay an appropriate kind of attention to “this life”; after all, we will for as long as we live have a long way to go in growing toward being who you made us to be. But cause us to be motivated by a genuine and maturing experience of your grace and your love as we have experienced them in Jesus Christ your Son so that we will show our appreciation for this life by giving it away in loving service to you and to others.
Amen.
Monday, October 14, 2013
A Prayer for Monday, October 14, 2013
This Moment
O God,
As we live in this week and in all our weeks, keep us constantly aware that it is this moment—the moment in which we find ourselves—that matters most.
Our past moments are important; they constitute our life and we have learned valuable lessons from them. But we are not living in them and we should not try.
Our future moments are important; they constitute our destiny and can thus create in us both hope and dread. But we are not living in them and we should not try.
So plant us deeply in this moment; help us to give all of our attention and all of our energy to what and/or who we are experiencing right here and right now.
This moment is all we know we have; help us to live it for all it’s worth.
Amen.
O God,
As we live in this week and in all our weeks, keep us constantly aware that it is this moment—the moment in which we find ourselves—that matters most.
Our past moments are important; they constitute our life and we have learned valuable lessons from them. But we are not living in them and we should not try.
Our future moments are important; they constitute our destiny and can thus create in us both hope and dread. But we are not living in them and we should not try.
So plant us deeply in this moment; help us to give all of our attention and all of our energy to what and/or who we are experiencing right here and right now.
This moment is all we know we have; help us to live it for all it’s worth.
Amen.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
A Prayer for Sunday, October 13, 2013
The Lord's Day
O God,
O God,
Thank you for this day on which we can stop to remember that Jesus is alive and that we are alive.
Thank you for every opportunity in this day--the opportunity to worship, to reflect, to rest, and to recreate--to remind ourselves of the wonder of continuing life, of renewing life, and of maturing life.
Help us to take full advantage of them.
Amen.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
A Prayer for Saturday, October 12, 2013
Contentment
O God,
Help us to be content with the way things are; that is, insofar as we are reasonably certain that our heart’s desire has been to pursue your will, help us to be content with the circumstances in which we find ourselves rather than fretting over any struggles or suffering we may be undergoing.
At the same time, help us not to be content with the way things are; that is, so long as there are people experiencing injustice, oppression, suffering, sickness, and lostness, help us not to be able to rest until everyone and everything is at peace.
Bless us with both holy contentment and holy discontentment …
Amen.
O God,
Help us to be content with the way things are; that is, insofar as we are reasonably certain that our heart’s desire has been to pursue your will, help us to be content with the circumstances in which we find ourselves rather than fretting over any struggles or suffering we may be undergoing.
At the same time, help us not to be content with the way things are; that is, so long as there are people experiencing injustice, oppression, suffering, sickness, and lostness, help us not to be able to rest until everyone and everything is at peace.
Bless us with both holy contentment and holy discontentment …
Amen.
Friday, October 11, 2013
A Prayer for Friday, October 11, 2013
Beauty
O God,
Give us eyes that can see and spirits that can detect the beauty that is all around us.
Help us to see and to detect the beauty in—
--the shining sun;
--the gentle breeze;
--the baby’s smile;
--the lover’s touch;
--the friend’s concern;
--the pet’s kiss;
--the song’s movement;
--the story’s complexity; and
in so much more.
Give us eyes that see, spirits that feel, and lives that know the beauty that is all around us.
Amen.
O God,
Give us eyes that can see and spirits that can detect the beauty that is all around us.
Help us to see and to detect the beauty in—
--the shining sun;
--the gentle breeze;
--the baby’s smile;
--the lover’s touch;
--the friend’s concern;
--the pet’s kiss;
--the song’s movement;
--the story’s complexity; and
in so much more.
Give us eyes that see, spirits that feel, and lives that know the beauty that is all around us.
Amen.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
A Prayer for Thursday, October 10, 2013
Trust
O God,
Increase our faith.
We believe; help us in our unbelief.
Help us to trust you a little more today than we did yesterday; help us to learn from our experience of you in what has happened in the past to trust you in what will happen today.
Let our trust of you inspire us to do what we can and should but let our trust of you also keep us constantly aware that ultimately, our lives are in your hands and not in ours. Help us to act boldly and freely in the knowledge that you are guiding and watching over us.
Increase our trust in you and let that trust permeate our every thought, motive, action, and reaction.
Amen.
O God,
Increase our faith.
We believe; help us in our unbelief.
Help us to trust you a little more today than we did yesterday; help us to learn from our experience of you in what has happened in the past to trust you in what will happen today.
Let our trust of you inspire us to do what we can and should but let our trust of you also keep us constantly aware that ultimately, our lives are in your hands and not in ours. Help us to act boldly and freely in the knowledge that you are guiding and watching over us.
Increase our trust in you and let that trust permeate our every thought, motive, action, and reaction.
Amen.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
A Prayer for Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Listen
O God,
Give us the desire to listen—
--to your voice in the breeze,
--to your Spirit in our midst,
--to your Word in our hearts,
--to your people in their cries,
--to your creation in its groans, and
--to your call in our lives.
Then, give us the desire to act in light of what we have heard.
Amen.
O God,
Give us the desire to listen—
--to your voice in the breeze,
--to your Spirit in our midst,
--to your Word in our hearts,
--to your people in their cries,
--to your creation in its groans, and
--to your call in our lives.
Then, give us the desire to act in light of what we have heard.
Amen.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
A Prayer for Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Unseen
O God,
Thank you for things taking place in secret that are making more of a difference than we can know.
Thank you--
--for trusting prayers being praying,
--for loving acts being performed,
--for hopeful faithfulness being exercised,
--for needed resources being given, and
--for whispered blessings being conferred.
Amen.
O God,
Thank you for things taking place in secret that are making more of a difference than we can know.
Thank you--
--for trusting prayers being praying,
--for loving acts being performed,
--for hopeful faithfulness being exercised,
--for needed resources being given, and
--for whispered blessings being conferred.
Amen.
Monday, October 7, 2013
A Prayer for Monday, October 7, 2013
Ahead
O God,
Here at the beginning of a new week, we want to look ahead; we want to think about all that we expect to do during this week and to plan for the activities that we anticipate.
Thank you for the capability of looking ahead and planning ahead.
At the same time, help us not to put too must trust in our plans; give us flexibility because, while we can anticipate what we think is coming, we really have no idea what will happen.
Guard us against frustration that can accompany unexpected developments; guard us against arrogance that leads us to think that things should go as we think they should go.
Help us to plan ahead for what we anticipate lies ahead; help us not to put too must trust in our plans or in our foreknowledge; help us to trust you to guide us in whatever lies ahead.
Amen.
O God,
Here at the beginning of a new week, we want to look ahead; we want to think about all that we expect to do during this week and to plan for the activities that we anticipate.
Thank you for the capability of looking ahead and planning ahead.
At the same time, help us not to put too must trust in our plans; give us flexibility because, while we can anticipate what we think is coming, we really have no idea what will happen.
Guard us against frustration that can accompany unexpected developments; guard us against arrogance that leads us to think that things should go as we think they should go.
Help us to plan ahead for what we anticipate lies ahead; help us not to put too must trust in our plans or in our foreknowledge; help us to trust you to guide us in whatever lies ahead.
Amen.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
A Prayer for Sunday, October 6, 2013
The Lord’s Day
O God,
We worship you today not only because you have prepared a home for us in heaven but also because you have made your home here with us.
Help us to look forward to the home to which we are going and to celebrate the home we already have.
Amen.
O God,
We worship you today not only because you have prepared a home for us in heaven but also because you have made your home here with us.
Help us to look forward to the home to which we are going and to celebrate the home we already have.
Amen.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
A Prayer for Saturday, October 5, 2013
Rest
O God,
It is to our detriment that we have let the practice of Sabbath go unutilized.
We are not made to go all out all the time; we need to be renewed, recharged, and recreated.
Help us to develop and to follow the discipline of taking time to rest in you, to reflect on you, and just to be.
Let that discipline become so ingrained in us that, on days that are not our Sabbath, we still, down in our deepest being, always rest in you.
Amen.
O God,
It is to our detriment that we have let the practice of Sabbath go unutilized.
We are not made to go all out all the time; we need to be renewed, recharged, and recreated.
Help us to develop and to follow the discipline of taking time to rest in you, to reflect on you, and just to be.
Let that discipline become so ingrained in us that, on days that are not our Sabbath, we still, down in our deepest being, always rest in you.
Amen.
Friday, October 4, 2013
A Prayer for Friday, October 4, 2013
Self-Love (Part 6)
O God,
Your Son Jesus taught us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
He also taught us that if we love our lives we will lose them and he showed us that when you have the right perspective on your life you will give it away for God’s sake and for others’ sake.
So help us to love our neighbors—to love our friends, our family, and even our enemies—with a love that is always looking for ways to give ourselves away for their sake.
We love ourselves best when we give ourselves away; we love our neighbors best when we give ourselves away for them.
But we really, really need your help if we are going to live that way—so please help us …
Amen.
O God,
Your Son Jesus taught us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
He also taught us that if we love our lives we will lose them and he showed us that when you have the right perspective on your life you will give it away for God’s sake and for others’ sake.
So help us to love our neighbors—to love our friends, our family, and even our enemies—with a love that is always looking for ways to give ourselves away for their sake.
We love ourselves best when we give ourselves away; we love our neighbors best when we give ourselves away for them.
But we really, really need your help if we are going to live that way—so please help us …
Amen.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
A Prayer for Thursday, October 3, 2013
Self-Love (Part 5)
O God,
Your Son Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves.
But how do we love ourselves in a way that helps us to love others as we should?
In Christ, our perspective is being changed. In Christ, we grow toward loving you with everything we are. In Christ, we grow toward a willingness to give ourselves away for your sake and for the sake of other people; in Christ, we grow toward the ability to think more of others than we do of ourselves.
Thank you that Jesus both taught us and showed us how to live in such love.
Help us to grow a little bit each day in being able to love ourselves and our neighbors by giving ourselves away for them.
In Christ, to love you is to give ourselves away.
In Christ, to love ourselves is to give ourselves away.
In Christ, to love others is to give ourselves away.
So help us to grow in our ability and willingness to give ourselves away, all because of Christ and all because of love.
Amen.
O God,
Your Son Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves.
But how do we love ourselves in a way that helps us to love others as we should?
In Christ, our perspective is being changed. In Christ, we grow toward loving you with everything we are. In Christ, we grow toward a willingness to give ourselves away for your sake and for the sake of other people; in Christ, we grow toward the ability to think more of others than we do of ourselves.
Thank you that Jesus both taught us and showed us how to live in such love.
Help us to grow a little bit each day in being able to love ourselves and our neighbors by giving ourselves away for them.
In Christ, to love you is to give ourselves away.
In Christ, to love ourselves is to give ourselves away.
In Christ, to love others is to give ourselves away.
So help us to grow in our ability and willingness to give ourselves away, all because of Christ and all because of love.
Amen.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
A Prayer for Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Self-Love (Part 4)
O God,
Your Son Jesus taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves. But how do we love ourselves?
Loving someone requires getting to know that person; how well do we know ourselves?
Help us to look not only at our actions but to also to look into our hearts honestly and boldly so that we will better understand what inspires us to live like we live and what motivates us to do what we do.
As we grow in knowing ourselves, help us to become better able to invest our lives in the lives of others so that we can better know them, so that we can better discern what drives them and as a result better understand them.
Help us to grow in our willingness and ability to know ourselves and to know others so that we can better love ourselves and love others.
Amen.
O God,
Your Son Jesus taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves. But how do we love ourselves?
Loving someone requires getting to know that person; how well do we know ourselves?
Help us to look not only at our actions but to also to look into our hearts honestly and boldly so that we will better understand what inspires us to live like we live and what motivates us to do what we do.
As we grow in knowing ourselves, help us to become better able to invest our lives in the lives of others so that we can better know them, so that we can better discern what drives them and as a result better understand them.
Help us to grow in our willingness and ability to know ourselves and to know others so that we can better love ourselves and love others.
Amen.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
A Prayer for Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Self-Love (Part 3)
O God,
Your Son taught us that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.
But what does it mean for us to love ourselves?
After all, sometimes we think less of ourselves than we should; sometimes we are too hard on ourselves and sometimes we beat ourselves up over some falling or some failure. Our self-love can, because we are sinners, get twisted into self-hatred, self-loathing, and self-abuse.
Surely we are not to show our love for our neighbor in such ways. Surely we are not to show our love for ourselves in such ways.
Help us to experience and to embrace your gracious forgiveness so deeply that we can move toward forgiving ourselves and, having been forgiven by you and by self, we can love our neighbors by extending such grace and forgiveness to them.
Help us to love our neighbors as ourselves through experiencing and sharing your grace and forgiveness.
Amen.
O God,
Your Son taught us that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.
But what does it mean for us to love ourselves?
After all, sometimes we think less of ourselves than we should; sometimes we are too hard on ourselves and sometimes we beat ourselves up over some falling or some failure. Our self-love can, because we are sinners, get twisted into self-hatred, self-loathing, and self-abuse.
Surely we are not to show our love for our neighbor in such ways. Surely we are not to show our love for ourselves in such ways.
Help us to experience and to embrace your gracious forgiveness so deeply that we can move toward forgiving ourselves and, having been forgiven by you and by self, we can love our neighbors by extending such grace and forgiveness to them.
Help us to love our neighbors as ourselves through experiencing and sharing your grace and forgiveness.
Amen.
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