This prayer is shared from the RevGals page.
Lord,
in the quiet
in the waiting
in the promises of Old
we see You.
Our hearts are touched
Just brushed
with a promise of more…
Longing
waiting
seeking
caring
carrying
lifting us beyond
the anger of the moment
the worries for tomorrow.
Your hope renews us
with the promise of more
of life
of hope
of grace
of the Christ Child
Born
for us again.
Amen.
And Amen.
Reposted from RevGalBlogPals Friday Prayer:
I saw the wildfires, Lord.
The flames licking at houses, scorching trees.
The stuff of homes and families and memories…
GONE.
I am undone.
The raging power of the flames scared me,
their passion was so all-consuming.
but unlike the fires,
You are not capricious.
You are not destructive.
I searched my heart…
In the haze of my busy-ness, do I sense You?
Do I know the heat of Your love?
Do I feel Your unbridled power?
Do I feel at all?
What is burning? What is glowing?
What inspiration burns inside me?
In the past,
I have longed, burned for You…
But now,
I am tired and distracted,
Brittle with anger
instead of supple with your Grace.
Rekindle my joy
Rebuild my heart
Remind me of the transforming power
of Your love
again and again.
Amen.
and Amen.
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…
Prayer and photo credit: Rev. Deb Vaughn
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.
New Journeys
Here’s to new journeys
and new challenges,
new paths to travel
and new delights.
Here’s to new knowledge
and new conversations,
new friendships
and new memories.
For all who are starting off on new adventures,
my prayers go with you.
God knows;
you do not travel alone.
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.
Offering a priestly blessing
I was touched by a pastoral act I performed yesterday… giving and anointing those who came forward for a priestly blessing. The blessings I used were based on Numbers 6, one loosely based on Jeremiah 7, and others which were in liturgies or prayers that I have used before.
It was an honor to be asked to offer these personal blessings to members of the congregation. Many are dear friends. Many had their own burdens and heartbreaks that were unknown to me, but I could see in their eyes or on their faces that they wanted to hear and know the blessing of God in their lives.
Don’t we all want to know God will bless us? Don’t we all sense we need a touch of the Divine in our lives, each an every day? The problem is that our contemporary Christian culture equates blessings from God with material things. This is so far from the truth!
What greater blessing can I offer someone? The blessing that I offered affirmed God’s promises are true… now and always. I wanted them each to know how deeply they are loved by God, and how God cares for them providentially and personally.
In the act of offering this blessing, I was blessed. As I spoke words over others, I heard them for myself. And when tears rose in their eyes, they were in mine as well.
There are days that I wonder at God’s Call on my life. But today — today I have it strengthened deep in my heart.
Thanks be to God.
~–oOo–~
These are the blessings I used:
May your ears hear the uplifting and the encouraging.
May your hands help those in need.
May your heart be humble and receptive to the things of God.
May your mind be strong, disciplined, and balanced.
May the grace of the Lord, the spirit of God and the peace of Christ be with you always. Amen.
The Lord bless you and keep you
May the Lord’s face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord’s countenance lift you up and give you peace
In the name of our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer,
Amen.
In the Name of Christ,
I bless you with the promises of God.
In the power of Holy Spirit,
may you be healthy and strong in body, mind and spirit.
May God’s angels be with you to protect and keep you always.
Amen.
May God be your strength and your source of power
May you know God’s salvation
May God lead you, protect you and defend you
All of your days.
In the Name of our God, Amen.
