Written for the RevGalBlogPals group and shared here on my blog too… for this is a Holy Day deserving of our thoughtful reflection…
Blessings and peace…
Good Friday Prayer
Category: prayers
Monday Prayer
As dusk arrives,
I light a candle
and offer a quiet prayer
for all those who hurt
for all those who are angry
for all those who are hungry
for all those who are dying
for all those who are weary and still working
for all those who question
for all those who are judgmental
for all those who feel disenfranchised
for all of us
for all of us
for all of us
for all of us
God of the heavens
for all of us
hear our prayer
Amen.
What shall I tell my daughters?
Oh Lord…
How did we arrive in this unholy mess? The latest kerfuffle with the presidential election makes me want to throw things. Or vomit. Or maybe throw vomit. How did things get so thoroughly mucked up? Is this really the result of an uninvested, uneducated electorate, who were distracted by the rhetoric of obstructionist Legislatures, both national and local? (…as some pundits would suggest)
What shall I tell my daughters? They are voting in their first presidential election. The big issues like our national debt and student loans matter to them. (Hello. To me, too!) So does affordable healthcare. Getting a job. A clean environment. Global warming. A safer world. Marrying the person they love.
How shall I explain what their parents’ generation has done…and not done? They know as well as I do that it is a complex world we live in, far more complex than when I snoozed my way through “Principles of Democracy” (aka “civics”) in high school. It’s more than sound bites. It’s more than tabloid-driven news (God, help us!) It’s more than he-said-she-said.
This much I do know… I believe these young women, these wonderful daughters of ours are, inherently and personally, people of value and promise. They and their friends have much to give to our nation and our world. They have drive and dreams. They are articulate and compassionate.
They are watching and waiting with me, Lord.
I know You guide the hearts and actions of the nations.
I know You are able to steer even the most stubborn autocrat.
I know that whoever is elected will be flawed human being… just like me.
May Your peace reign.
May we hear Your direction.
May we know Your heart.
May we have Your mind.
And may those of us who are tasked with spiritual leadership
guard our tongues and increase our prayers…
Amen.
How long, O Lord?
The news from Nigeria breaks my heart.
For the murder of innocents…
Lord, have mercy.
My heart hurts…
How long, O Lord?
How long will we stare at the pictures,
the horror,
the unspeakable actions that humans do to each other.
How long will we wait?
How long will we long
for your justice to come,
for your love to overwhelm and change us,
for the angry rhetoric and unspeakable horrors to cease?
Lord, in your mercy…
hear our prayers
bring your comfort and your presence
to those how need it so desparately.
I have no eloquent words,
no glib phrases
no policial speeches or policies that would “fix” this.
I have only a broken hallelujah,
as I am crumbled in my heart of hearts
for the lost ones…
Maranatha, Lord.
Hear our prayers.
Amen.
Make. It. Stop.
This was written on the one year anniversary of the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. (See the original post…)
It is, sadly, appropriate for today. Three long years after Newtown, things haven’t changed much.
Lord, have mercy.
“O God,
Make it stop!”
Cry the daughters and mothers
As their sons and brothers
Lie in the street
Blood on their feet
“Not my baby!
Not my child!
Not mine, not mine!”
And someone says
“We have the right to bear arms!”
And there is
Silence.
All turn and stare as the cold hard words
Clip their hopes
Once more…
“O God,
Make it stop!”
Cry the brothers and fathers
As their mothers and daughters
Are crumpled in bed
Shot in the head
“Not my baby!
Not my lover!
Not mine, not mine!”
And someone says
“We must stand our ground!”
And there is
Weeping.
As they walk away,
as they give up hope
No peace, no promise
No more
No way…
O God,
Make it stop
May there be
a night without gunshots
A day without a brokenhearted family’s tears.
Make it stop
May it be
Bring your peace
Help us, Lord…
Amen
A Prayer for Hope and Peace
Oh God
One who knows and sees all human hearts,
We remember.
We remember those lost in acts of violence:
Terrorism
Armed Conflict
Gun Violence
Abuse
We call to mind those who still struggle with these after-shocks:
Hurricanes
Floods
Tornados
Earthquakes
We ponder the lives missing from our lives:
Cancer
Congenital conditions
Medical mistakes
Infections
Disease
Humanly caused or a random weather event,
We still ask,
“Why?”
We have no answer
But Your abiding Presence
Your voice in the wind
Your hand in the clouds
Your beauty in creation
Your compassion demonstrated through others
Today
When we stop to remember
To think
To pray
To voice the yearnings of our hearts
Bring your hope
Give us your peace.
Thank you for always being
Our Compassionate Guide
Our Wisdom
And our comfort.
In Your most Holy Name
Amen.
Prayer for a Sunday
Oh Lord,
It is far too easy to find things to do
that do not feed our souls.
We can shop and dine out, run errands and do laundry,
and these are tasks that do not revive us.
Yet there is work for a Sunday
that has been neglected far too long;
work that would be a unifying task
with family or church or friends.
Work that requires time to consider
“Do I need to keep this?”
or
“Is it time to let this go?”
So today,
I will engage in a task of holy reflection,
one where I think of my many blessings,
spiritual and material,
my wants and my needs,
and Your abundant Providence.
And I humbly repent
of all my excesses.
For today, after church,
we are cleaning out the garage.
May it be a holy work.
May it be a reflective work.
And may it be done quickly!
Amen.
