Thursday, July 31, 2014

A Prayer for Thursday, July 31, 2014

Past

O God,

Help us to see past

our sins to your grace,
our comforts to the world’s hurts,
our plenty to others’ lack,
our wants to their needs,
our children’s opportunities to other children’s survival,
our politics to your justice,
our opinions to your truth,
our pettiness to your magnanimity,
our despair to your hope,
our narrowness to your broadness,
and
our closedness to your openness.

Amen.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

A Prayer for Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Big & Little

O God,

We praise you because you are the God of big things.
We praise you because you are the creator and sustainer of the Universe.
We praise you because you are the beginning and the goal of history.
We praise you because your majesty is unfathomable.

We praise you because you are the God of little things.
We praise you because your eye is on the sparrow.
We praise you because you care about our little lives.
We praise you because your love is knowable.

Grant that we will see our little lives
in the context of the big things you are doing
so that we don’t overestimate
our importance.

Grant that we will experience
the love and grace of your presence
so that we don’t underestimate
our value.

Amen.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

A Prayer for Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Teach Your Children

O God,

Help us to teach our children well.

Let us teach them
of acceptance,
of forgiveness,
of faith,
of grace,
of mercy,
of service,
of sacrifice,
of compassion,
of fairness,
and
of love.

Let us teach them that doing good
is more important than doing well.

Let us teach them that serving others
is nobler than dominating others.

Let us teach them that getting
is prelude to giving.

Let us teach them that
commitment to you and
commitment to others
is the essence of a good life.

Let us teach them that it
is not enough for them to be
grateful that they are not
in Syria or Gaza or Nigeria or Honduras
where their lives would
be in constant danger
but that they should do
whatever they can to help
the children in those and other places.

Help us to teach our children
not just with our words but
through our attitudes and actions.

Help us to grow and change that
we might be the best teachers we can be.

Amen.

Monday, July 28, 2014

A Prayer for Monday, July 28, 2014

Again

O God,

Here we go again; it’s another Monday.

Some of us are expecting the same old thing; we assume that the week will bring redundancy and boredom.

Some of us are anxious about possible new things; we worry that the week will bring the unexpected and the unwanted.

Help us to be thankful for routines that bring a sense of order and normalcy to our lives—but deliver us from the ruts into which we may have fallen that keep us from noticing and appreciating the wonder of it all.

Help us to be interested in and even excited about the unexpected events of life—but deliver us from anxiety over what may or may not happen.

Give us a sense of purpose and meaning in everything this week brings, whether it’s the “same old same old” or the “where in the world did that come from?” kind of week.

Amen.

Sunday, July 27, 2014

A Prayer for Sunday, July 27, 2014

The Lord’s Day

O God,

When we come before you in worship today, we will bring our family with us.

Perhaps they will literally be there with us; perhaps we will be accompanied by our spouse and/or by our children. Perhaps multiple generations of our family will be present.

But even if we come to worship alone, our family will be there with us. We will bring with us the family dynamics that helped to form us. We will bring with us the family ways that influence the manner in which we look at life, at the world, at other people, and at faith. We will bring us with us the family voices that tell us how it has always been and how it should be. We will bring the judgment of our family members who told us that we are special or who told us that we are no good.

Thank you that we bring our family with us to worship. Show us how to embrace the best of our family’s legacy and to lay aside the rest.

Amen.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

A Prayer for Saturday, July 26, 2014

Stories

O God,

Thank you for stories.

Thank you for the stories that we read;
help us to learn well from them.

Thank you for the stories that we hear;
help us to listen attentively to them.

Thank you for the stories that we live;
help us give ourselves fully to them.

Thank you for the stories that you are writing
as part of the great story that you are telling.

Thank you that our stories are part of your story.

Now, about some of these characters …

Amen.

Friday, July 25, 2014

A Prayer for Friday, July 25, 2014

Like

O God,

You are,
your Book says,
love.

You are commitment.
You are communion.
You are faithfulness.
You are sacrifice.
You are grace.

We are,
your Son says,
to love you and
to love one another.

Help us to practice commitment.
Help us to practice communion.
Help us to practice faithfulness.
Help us to practice sacrifice.
Help us to practice grace.

Enable us to love
like you love and
even to be love
as you are love.

Amen.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

A Prayer for Thursday, July 24, 2014

Imprecision

O God,

We lack precision; we seldom if ever get anything just right, which means that our lives are always imperfect and incomplete. And that means that our lives are always fragmented and messy and challenging.

Thank you.

Thank you for the humility that comes from knowing that we always have a long way to go.

Thank you for the moments when we know that we have made a little progress.

Thank you for the ongoing opportunities we have to keep on trying and to keep on growing.

Thank you for the grace that gives us the freedom to do what we can and to trust you for the rest.

Thank you for the times when we sense that we are at least headed in the right direction.

Thank you for loving us in our incompleteness and for helping us grow toward wholeness.

Amen.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

A Prayer for Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Broaden

O God,

Deliver us from narrowness
and grant us broadness.

Broaden our vision.
Broaden our perspective.
Broaden our understanding.
Broaden our compassion.
Broaden our faith.
Broaden our love.
Broaden our life.

Amen.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

A Prayer for Tuesday, July 22, 2014

First

O God,

When I see a hurting person,
let my first thought be of her.

When I see a poor person,
let my first thought be of him.

When I see a refugee person,
let my first thought be of her.

When I see a homeless person,
let my first thought be of him.

When I see a person using an EBT card,
let my first thought be of her.

When I see a person who is unkempt,
let my first thought be of him.

When I hear a person who is ignorant,
let my first thought be of her.

When I hear a person who is prejudiced,
let my first thought be of him.

And when my first thought is of them,
let it be a thought of kindness and compassion.

Amen.

Monday, July 21, 2014

A Prayer for Monday, July 21, 2014

Slow Down

O God,

Slow us down.

Slow us down so we can see the beauty of the earth.
Slow us down so we can see the faces of people.
Slow us down so we can hear the cries of the hurting.
Slow us down so we can hear the whispers of your Spirit.
Slow us down so we can feel the energy all around us.
Slow us down so we can feel the life within us.
Slow us down so we can be aware of other lives.
Slow us down so we can be aware of our own life.
Slow us down so can think clearly.
Slow us down so we can act purposefully.

Slow us down.

Amen.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

A Prayer for Sunday, July 20, 2014

The Lord’s Day

O God,

We praise you today
because you are eternal,
although the reality of eternity
is beyond our understanding.

Give us a glimpse of eternity
in our worship of you today;
let the fact of eternity come to
have a greater impact on how
we think about and
live in the here and now.

Give us a long view
that fills every moment
in the short term
with great meaning.

Amen.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

A Prayer for Saturday, July 19, 2014

Too Much

O God,

Sometimes there is so much that
we don’t know what to say
so all we can do is to
be still and know that you are God
and that your Spirit intercedes for us …

Amen.

Friday, July 18, 2014

A Prayer for Friday, July 18, 2014

Peace

O God,

We pray for the peace of Israel.
We pray for the peace of Gaza.
We pray for the peace of Malaysia.
We pray for the peace of the Netherlands.
We pray for the peace of Ukraine.
We pray for the peace of Syria.
We pray for the peace of Libya.
We pray for the peace of Afghanistan.
We pray for the peace of Iraq.
We pray for the peace of Somalia.
We pray for the peace of Honduras.
We pray for the peace of El Salvador.
We pray for the peace of Guatemala.
We pray for the peace of America.
We pray for the peace of the world.

Amen.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

A Prayer for Thursday, July 17, 2014

Myself

O God,

I have thought of myself,
I do think of myself,
and
I will think of myself.

When I think of myself,
help me to think of myself

as someone who
is loved by you,

as someone who
is loved by you
no more or less than others
are loved by you,

and

as someone who
is loved by you
so that I am set free
to love you,
to love others,
and
to love myself.

Amen.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

A Prayer for Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Beautiful

O God,

Let me do something
beautiful today.

Let me

spend time with someone
who is lonely,

soothe someone
who is hurting,

encourage someone
who is discouraged,

forgive someone
who is guilty,

accept someone
who is outcast,

welcome someone
who is unwelcome,

or

love someone
who is unloved.

Amen.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

A Prayer for Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Reality

O God,

I believe; help my lack of belief.

I love; help my lack of love.

I forgive; help my lack of forgiveness.

I obey; help my lack of obedience.

I accept; help my lack of acceptance.

I pray; help my lack of prayer.

I live; help my lack of living.

Amen.

Monday, July 14, 2014

A Prayer for Monday, July 14, 2014

Good

O God,

Keep us focused on
things that really matter.

Let us do good work
on good projects
that will be

for the good of your kingdom,
for the good of our community,
for the good of the world,
and
for the good of people—
or at least
for the good of one person.

Amen.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

A Prayer for Sunday, July 13, 2014

The Lord’s Day

O God,

We worship you today
because you are God.

Because you are God
there is so much about you
that we cannot know;
remind us today that
we do not have you
figured out.

Because of your grace, though,
we can know you and
we can live in relationship with you;
help us to learn to live boldly
in your great grace
and to trust fully
in your great purposes.

Let our worship of you today be
full of wonder and awe and
full of love and trust.

Amen.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

A Prayer for Saturday, July 12, 2014

Feel/Do

O God,

Give us tender hearts
that lead us
to do hard work
and
to make tough choices
that will help people
who need help
and
will address underlying causes
that need to be addressed.

Move us to the
kind of compassion
that moves us
to take stands,
to take chances,
and
to take action
for your sake
and
for the sake of others.

Amen.

Friday, July 11, 2014

A Prayer for Friday, July 11, 2014

Unity

O God,

We praise you
for being
unity in diversity,
for being
One in Three,
for being
Holy Trinity,
for being
love.

We praise you
for making your home
with your Church
so that we can reflect
your unity in diversity
and
so that we can reflect
your love.

Make us one
so that we will know
that we know you
and
so that people can,
in knowing us,
come to know you.

Amen.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

A Prayer for Thursday, July 10, 2014

Thursday (and Tuesday)

O God,

Sunday is the
first day of the week;
it is the Lord’s Day.

Monday is for most of us the
first day of the work week;
it is the day of beginning and resumption.

Wednesday is the
middle day of the week;
it is hump day.

Friday is for most of us the
last day of the work week;
it is a day of celebration.

Saturday is the
last day of the week;
it is a day of relaxation and chores.

Thursday, like Tuesday, is just
kind of there;
it is ordinary, bland, and
expected to be uneventful.

So help us to watch out
on Thursdays (and Tuesdays);
use them to teach us what
we need to know
about randomness
and ordinariness.

Amen.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

A Prayer for Wednesday, July 9, 2014

1, 2, 3

O God,

As we encounter challenging situations, let
our first thought be always of you,
our second thought be of others,
and
our last thought be of ourselves.

As we speak about challenging situations, let
our first thought be always of you,
our second thought be of others,
and
our last thought be of ourselves.

As we act on challenging situations, let
our first motivation be what is desired by you,
our second motivation be what is needed by others,
and
our third motivation be what is good for ourselves.

Amen.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

A Prayer for Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Off

O God,

Sometimes we feel
a little off.

Sometimes we feel
a little off schedule,
a little off our game,
a little off script,
and/or
a little off center.

When we feel
a little off,
use it for good;

help us to live
into our offness
so that we can
see things differently,
approach life differently,
and
experience
you,
ourselves,
and
others
differently.

To feel off is to feel
like we don’t have control—
so maybe when we feel off
we can live
more realistically
and
more honestly.

So thank you for those times
when we feel off—
keep us from
desperately and hurriedly
trying to get back
on again.

Amen.

Monday, July 7, 2014

A Prayer for Monday, July 7, 2014

More

O God,

I am needy;
make me needier.

I am weak;
make me weaker.

I am poor;
make me poorer.

I am empty;
make me emptier.

Do in and with me
whatever is necessary
to make me more
dependent on you.

Amen.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

A Prayer for Sunday, July 6, 2014

The Lord’s Day

O God,

As we prepare to
worship you today,
make us ready to be

amazed,
surprised,
confused,
perplexed,
flabbergasted,
comforted,
challenged,
discombobulated,
or
awed—

whatever befits today’s
encounter between
who you are
and
who we are.

Amen.

Saturday, July 5, 2014

A Prayer for Saturday, July 5, 2014

Looking Back

O God,

Sometimes we look back on a week with a general sense of gratitude that we have made it through another mundane and rather predictable series of days.

Sometimes we look back on a week with a specific sense of gratitude that you have brought us through a particular crisis that we never saw coming.

Whichever kind of week this was for us, please accept our gratitude for both your grace in bringing us through and for our ability to thank you today.

Amen.

Friday, July 4, 2014

A Prayer for Friday, July 4, 2014

Independence Day

O God,

Please bless America.

Thank you for the principles that have made America great; bless us with an ongoing and always growing commitment to those principles that we might become even greater, that we might become better at being the best people we can be.

Bless us with an ongoing and growing commitment to freedom; help us to be committed as much to the freedom of others as we are to our own freedom.

Bless us with an ongoing and growing commitment to responsibility; help us to have the individual responsibility to do what we can for ourselves and the corporate responsibility to do what we can for those who need help.

Bless us with an ongoing and growing commitment to justice; help us to do everything in our power to insist upon equal treatment under the law for everyone and to have a special concern for those whose social and economic status makes them especially vulnerable to injustice.

Bless us with an ongoing and growing commitment to equality; help us to have a bold vision of what it means for all people to be created equal and not to give in to the all-too prevalent attitude that some people are just naturally more equal than others.

Bless us with an ongoing and growing commitment to hospitality; help us to celebrate our immigrant heritage and to create and to apply policies that will guide us in welcoming and embracing the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses who come to us yearning to breathe free.

Bless us with an ongoing and growing commitment to diversity; help us to embrace and to celebrate both our particular heritage that contributes to our individual and family identity and the common heritage that binds us all together as Americans.

Bless us with an ongoing and growing commitment to cooperation; help us to work together to try to build an even greater nation that will offer a model to the world of a people that will go to any lengths, will expend any effort, and will make any sacrifice to insure that our government of the people, by the people, and for the people will accept and carry out the responsibility of maintaining an environment in which we all have the great opportunities and obligations brought to us by life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

O God, please bless America!

Amen.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

A Prayer for Thursday, July 3, 2014

Friends

O God,

Thank you for friends.

Thank you for friends
who care and share.

Thank you for friends
who give to you and
who let you give to them.

Thank you for friends
who love you and
who let you love them.

Thank you for friends.

Amen.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

A Prayer for Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Waiting

O God,

Waiting can be hard.

As we wait

for news,
for results,
for updates,
for information,
for changes,
for healing,
for peace,
for improvement,
or
for progress

Let our waiting be filled

with trust in you,
with determination to do what we can,
and
with gratitude for those who are doing their best to help.

Amen.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

A Prayer for Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Home

O God,

Thank you for home;
thank you for
the place where
and for
the people with whom
we belong.

Thank you for making
your home with us;
thank you for the promise
that we will make
our home with you.

Bless those who
have no home;
bless those who are homeless
due to poverty,
due to mental illness,
due to violence,
due to drought and famine,
and
due to other natural
or
human-made causes.

Bless those who,
even though they have
a place in which
and
people with whom
to live, are struggling
to find the peace
that comes from knowing
where they really
belong.

Amen.