Living God,
You beckon us to wake from our sleep,
to open our eyes to the goodness of your reign,
the injustice of our world, and the gap in between.
You call us to follow in the path of your love.
Forgive us, O God, when we choose the easy way.
Forgive us, O God, when we choose the selfish way, the fast way,
the successful way, the nice way,
the friendly way, the comfortable way.
Convict us, awaken us, empower us, and enliven us
to follow the Way of justice and love.
Amen.
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These prayers were written with Matthew 10:34-49 and Esther 4:1-17 in my mind and my transgender friends in my heart. 
Let us pray.
Speak to us this day, O God,
and humble us to hear your word.
Make us still enough to notice your presence,
Quiet enough to hear your voice,
Brave enough to speak your good news,
and wise enough to follow your spirit.
So often we pray to you for life:
to preserve life, to prolong life,
to guard life, to begin life.
Today we pray something else.
We pray for courage to lose our life for your sake,
and we pray for the wisdom to find it.
As Mordecai challenged Esther to be faithful at all costs,
make us hear the voices of people oppressed,
whose stories challenge our way of life.
We pray for your children everywhere:
For your people who are suffering,
Discriminated against because of their race, gender identity,
sexuality, or religion.
For your people who are fearful,
Faced with losing their access to healthcare or treatment.
For your people who are isolated,
Living in the shackles of addiction or abuse.
Holy comforter, challenger, redeemer,
We know that you are in our midst.
Help us recognize your spirit on the move,
and empower us to join your work.
Help us be your church, reformed and still being reformed.
Help us be your people, formed and still being formed.
Help us boldly share the news of your love,
For such a time as this.
Amen.
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Refrain: Holy are you, Lord of Hosts. Holy, holy, holy.
God of mercy we pray to you,
With all our joys and all our burdens.
Holy are you, Lord of Hosts.
Holy, holy, holy.
Your power is beyond our imagination;
Your grace is beyond our comprehension;
Your presence is beyond our senses;
Your goodness is beyond our wildest hope.
We give you thanks for the movement of your spirit:
In the church and in the world,
In the past and in the present,
In our lives and in our neighbors,
In our hearts and in our minds.
Holy are you, Lord of Hosts.
Holy, holy, holy.
Even as we praise you for your power and your might,
We carry the weight of a hurting world.
Where there is pain, breathe your comfort.
Where there hunger, help us share our bread.
Where there thirst, splash living water.
Where there is weakness, help us know your strength.
Hear the prayers of our hearts,
O God our maker,
and hear the prayers we dare not put to words.
Lift them into your being,
Lift our hearts to your presence.
Into our lives, breathe your love.
Into our silence, breathe your mercy.
Holy are you, Lord of Hosts.
Holy, holy, holy.
In the name of Christ,
In the love Christ,
In the grace of Christ, we pray.
Amen.
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A few years ago, I planted my first vegetable garden. I fell in love with the way the soil felt under my fingernails, with the looks of surprise on neighbors’ faces when I brought them fresh vegetables, and, of course, with the taste of a freshly picked cherry tomato, still warm from the summer sun.
I often find metaphors in the garden, and, luckily for me, so did Jesus. This liturgy was written for Central Presbyterian Church, based on the lectionary gospel for this Sunday: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23.
My happy place
Opening Sentences
Listen, O people, for the word of God,
Giving seed to the sower and bread to the hungry.
Listen, O people, for the word of God,
Growing trees in the desert and fruit in the wilderness.
Listen O people, for the word of God,
Planting faith in the weary and hope in the desperate.
Listen O people, for the word of God,
And worship God with gladness.
Prayer of Confession
God the maker of all things good,
Have mercy upon your creation.
We gather on Sundays to nourish our faith,
But we find the seeds scorched in the light of Monday morning.
We want to bear fruits of compassion and kindness,
But we fall into selfish habits,
and our discipleship withers.
Forgive us, God of mercy.
Shower us with your grace, and free us to try again.
The Affirmation of Faith draws from several of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s writings. While his words are not explicitly about gardening, they ring in my head every time my hands are in the soil. Weeds in one corner of the garden mean weed seeds in every corner. Earthworms in one place means good soil in another. Pesticide in one place means poison in every place. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Affirmation of Faith Adapted excerpts from the writings of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
We believe that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
We refuse to believe that we are unable to influence the events which surround us.
We refuse to believe that we are so bound to racism and war,
that peace, brotherhood and sisterhood are not possible.
We believe that we need to discover a way to live together in peace,
a way which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation.
The foundation of this way is love.
We believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.
We believe that what self-centered people have torn down,
other-centered people can build up.
By the goodness of God at work within people,
we believe that brokenness can be healed.
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These Prayers of the People were written for Transfiguration Sunday and are framed by the New Testament lectionary reading from Matthew 17. Throughout the prayer, a second voice reads excerpts from the text.
May these words bring you a glimpse of the light of God’s glory.
“Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.”
As we hear your story of transformation, O God,
we pray for your Spirit to transform us.
Transform our eyes to see the light of your glory.
Transform our hearts to feel the goodness of your presence.
Transform our minds to understand a fraction of your will.
Transform our world to recognize the ties that bind us to one another.
“Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’”
We give thanks, O Holy One,
for the goodness of your words, the goodness of your world,
and the goodness of your Spirit who beckons us to follow.
Give us the mind of Peter, to recognize that we stand on holy ground.
Give us the humility to proclaim, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.”
Like Peter, we want to built a tent on the mountain top,
away from the problems and distractions of the world.
Just as you did for Peter, O God,
let us sit in your glory just long enough to recharge for the journey,
and then send us out for your service in your world.
“While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’”
Holy one, you sent Christ, your son, your beloved,
to show us that we, too, are your children.
Make us know, O God, that our worth does not come from our work.
Our performance on tests or tasks or job interviews does not determine our value.
Our worth, our identity, our very being, comes from you, O God of grace.
In your image, we are created.
In your grace, we are redeemed.
In your community, we are loved.
In your spirit, we are called.
“When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’”
As the disciples were, O God, we are overcome by fear, anxiety, grief, or sadness.
Pour your healing into our wounds.
Breathe your goodness into our doubts.
Touch us, heal us, and bring us peace.
We lift before you the people in our church and in our world
who are hurting:
[Name the prayer concerns of your community, and allow room for silence.]
“And when the disciples looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.”
Give us the hope and faith, O holy one,
to look and up and see your presence around around us.
Give us the strength to know that we are not alone.
We join our voices with your disciples across all times and places as we pray, “Our father…”
Amen.
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Atlanta Women’s March, January 21, 2017
This prayer was written for worship at Central Presbyterian Church the day after the international marches for women and social justice, inspired by the gospel lectionary for the day: Matthew 4:17-23.
Holy one and holy three,
We give you thanks for your presence in this place,
For your call in our lives,
For your gifts in this world.
We pray, O God,
That we may hear and follow your voice.
Guide us as we seek to walk toward love and away from hate;
Toward freedom and away from oppression;
Toward justice and away from mere comfort;
Toward community and away from isolation.
Move us, O God, to walk in step with your spirit.
Keep us humble, O Christ.
Remind us not to walk alone,
For you never called the disciples to walk alone.
Lead us to walk together, hand in hand,
Supporting one another and reminding one another
To walk in step with your spirit.
We pray for our nation’s leaders,
And all who have great power in this world.
Move them, O God, to walk in step with your spirit.
We pray for all who feel the tug of your calling
After the weekend’s marches.
Challenge us, O God, to continue to march for a new way,
Not only in organized crowds,
But in our daily walks in and out of the workplace,
The bank,
The voting booth,
And the school.
Move us, O God, to walk in step with your spirit.
In the name of one who called us to follow in his steps,
Amen.
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This prayer was written for worship at Central Presbyterian on October 23. The prayer is inspired and shaped by Luke 18:9-14–an exaggerated parable about the exalted and the humble–and by our current election season–a lived experience that feels like an exaggerated parable.
As you read the prayer, I pray that you feel the words in the core your being, and know that the words as true for you as they were for the tax collector in Luke 18. God is love, and you are beloved.
—
O God of justice and mercy,
We give you thanks:
For your spirit breathing life into the world,
For your Word bringing hope into our hearts.
You alone are God, and we are not alone.
You are Love, and we are beloved.
You are Creator, and we are created.
You are our God, and we are your people.
Give us a glimpse of your vision for the world:
Where the humble are exalted,
The exalted are humble,
And mercy flows like water.
Motivate us to reflect your love to all we meet:
Even those who we are sure are wrong.
Challenge us to see the good.
Convict us to hold ourselves accountable.
Inspire us to work for your peace and justice.
As we hear the reports on battleground states,
Remind us of people for whom “battleground” means something different.
We pray for your children in Yemen, in Aleppo,
And for the ones seeking refuge around the world.
Where there is war, O God, plants seeds of peace,
and help us water them.
Where there is violence, O God, write songs of compassion,
and help us sing them.
Where there is suffering, O God, paint banners of hope,
and help us carry them.
We remember the people in our church family
Who are in special need this day:
(Name your own prayer concerns.)
Breathe peace, deep peace, O God,
And empower us to care for one another
With a compassion that comes from you.
We join our voices now with the faithful across time and place,
Praying the prayer that Jesus taught us, saying,
Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.
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A Prayer for Nominating Committees
God of grace and wisdom,
Bestow those gifts upon us this night.
Grant us patience, as we wait for the work of your spirit.
Make us humble, that we may hear your voice louder than our own.
Make us quiet, as you say in a sacred whisper
the names of those you would have lead your church.
Most of all, O God, remind us
that the task before us is holy one.
A hard one.
A faithful one.
For we are members of the body of Christ
seeking to be your church in the world.
Amen.
Yesterday, I had the honor of leading a memorial service for a beloved Central member named Catherine who died peacefully at the age of 93. She lived faithfully, she loved deeply, and she taught me what it means to be thankful. In gratitude for her life and her witness, I wrote and led this prayer of thanksgiving. It is inspired by Psalm 136 and by Catherine’s life, and it could be adapted for any memorial service.
May it bring you peace, and may Catherine teach you what it means to be thankful.
Stained Glass from Central Presbyterian Church
O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good,
God’s steadfast love endures for ever.
We give you thanks, O God,
even through teary eyes and weary souls.
We give thanks for your servant Catherine:
for the ways she touched our lives and hearts.
We are thankful for the time we had with her,
And we are thankful that we are wrapped in the warmth of your compassion.
O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good,
God’s steadfast love endures for ever.
We are thankful, O God, for Catherine:
for the ways she reflected your light and your love.
We are thankful, O God, for the truth that Catherine knew:
You are the resurrection and the life, and you create all things good.
We are thankful, O God, for the truth that Catherine lived:
You are a God of love and justice, and we are called to be your servants.
O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good,
God’s steadfast love endures for ever.
Catherine’s baptism is now complete in death,
for her journey of faith in this life has ended,
and she joins you in communion of the saints.
Catherine belongs to you, O God, and her life reminds us that we do, too.
We now join our voices with the faithful across time and place as we pray the prayer that Jesus taught us, saying,
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever.
Amen.
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I love the prayers of the people. Love them. To pray on behalf of a congregation–to bring the concerns of the people to God in prayer–is an honor, a privilege, and a task that I do not take lightly. Below is the prayer I shared on Sunday. May the grace and peace of Christ shine through these words and into your hearts and minds this day.
Holy one who came as a child, we pray for your children everywhere.
For those who are hungry, we pray for nourishment.
For those who are fleeing, we pray for safety.
For those who are ill, we pray for your healing.
For those who are grieving, we pray for your peace.
For those who are suffering, we pray for your presence.
Holy three who pattern community, we pray for communities everywhere.
For those who are divided, we pray for unity.
For those who are isolated, we pray for connection.
For those who are afraid, we pray for your courage.
For those who are frustrated, we pray for new hope.
Holy one, holy three, we praise you for who you are, and we pray with all of who we are.
Bless our work of faith, that it might be truly faithful.
Nourish our labor of love, that it might show your love.
Make our hope steadfast, that we might know your grace and your peace.
Amen.
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And also with you. 