Tag Archives: worship

April 17, 2019 · 9:27 am

This We Know: An Affirmation for the Journey

I originally wrote these words for the Montreat Women’s Connection in 2018, and I keep coming back to them as this Lenten journey continues full speed ahead toward Good Friday. You are not alone in the boat, dear ones.

So is the sunshine

This we know: the clouds are real,

and so is the sunshine.

The winds are strong, and so is the grace.

The pain is fierce, and so is the joy.

As people of Christ,

we follow a savior who is with us in the boat,

even when we are certain that it will sink.

As people of Christ,

we are bound by the Spirit in a love that will not let us go,

even when faced with death itself.

As people of Christ,

we boldly proclaim that God walks with us through the valley,

and the most faithful thing that we can do

is walk with one another.

 

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February 4, 2019 · 10:57 am

Good News to the Poor: A Prayer from Luke 4:16-20

The following prayer was written for worship at Central Presbyterian Church on January 27, 2019.

Hear the words Jesus reads to begin his earthly ministry:

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

  because he has anointed me

    to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

  and recovery of sight to the blind,

    to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

 

Let us pray.

 

We pray, O Lord, for people who are poor:

the ones to whom you came with good news.

Challenge us to bear that good news:

to be agents of change and witnesses of love;

to be makers of peace and sharers of bread.

 

We pray, O Lord, for people who are captives:

the ones to whom you came with release.

For people who are victims of war or violence;

for people who are captured by ideologies and systems.

Release us, O Lord. Release them, O Lord,

and teach us to unbind one another’s chains.

 

We pray, O Lord, for your spirit,

the spirit which blew over the waters of creation,

the spirit which was upon you at baptism,

the spirit which sustains your church through the ages.

As the spirit was upon you, O Lord,

may we notice her in our world:

Calling us to lives that reflect your justice and your mercy.

Amen.

 

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October 28, 2018 · 9:51 am

Near To The Brokenhearted: A Prayer After the Tree of Life Shooting

Thistle- ATGT

I wonder if the tree of life looks more like a thistle.

Psalm 34:15-18

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

  and God’s ears are open to their cry.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,

  and rescues them from all their troubles.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,

  and saves the crushed in spirit.

 

Hear our prayers, Lord.

Hear the prayers of friends and family of the shooting victims,

grieving for loved ones lost.

Hear the prayers of Jewish communities,

reeling in fear and anguish.

Hear the prayers of people who feel isolated, afraid, angry, or guilty.

Hold the range of our prayers and emotions, O Lord,

and draw them all into your mercy.

 

You are near to the brokenhearted,

and save the crushed in spirit.

 

Hear our prayers, O Lord.

Forgive us for the ways we have been complicit in hatred;

for the times we have not spoken out against myths of supremacy

or patterns of violence;

for the ways we have watered seeds of division

for the sake of the status quo;

for the times we have set out to quench the flames of hatred,

and found ourselves just warming our hands by the blaze.

Forgive us, Lord, convict us and challenge us.

Love us into wholeness.

Carry us, and help us carry your message of costly peace.

 

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

and your ears are open to their cry.

 

Hear our prayers, O Lord,

for all who are brokenhearted or crushed in spirit;

for all who are ill, grieving, or recovering;

for the people we love, the people we have forgotten to love,

and the people we cannot bring ourselves to love.

Hear our prayers, O Lord.

 

We pray specifically for our Jewish friends and family,

and for synagogues in our city.

Hold them as you have, O Lord.

Love them as you do.

Call us as you will, to sit with them in their grief,

and follow their lead in walking toward peace.

 

We pray in the name of the one who was and is near to the brokenhearted,

using the prayer that Jesus taught us, saying, Our father…

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October 17, 2018 · 10:27 am

Rooted in Your Love: A Prayer

Moon Flower Vines

You are the vine, O Lord,

and we are the branches.

Our life stems from your life.

Our love is rooted in your love.

 

When we fear scarcity, O Lord,

remind us of your abundance:

Plenty for all, if all will share.

 

When we fear loneliness, O Lord,

remind us of your presence:

You abide with us in good and bad,

in joy and in fear,

and in the sacred tension between those things.

 

You are the vine, O Lord,

and we are the branches.

Our life stems from your life.

Our love is rooted in your love.

 

We pray to you, O vine and vine grower,

for all the places and people in our lives in need of your abiding presence:

(Offer your own specific prayers, aloud or in silence.)

 

We give thanks for the beautiful diversity of your creation:

We pray for all people who are LGBTQ who have been hurt by the church,

and we pray for your forgiveness and their healing for any part we have played.

We give you thanks for the life and love shared in this world:

Love that is rooted in your love,

life that stems from your life,

for you are the vine, O Lord,

and we are the branches.

Amen.

 

 

 

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August 22, 2018 · 3:15 pm

Remembrance: A Baptismal Prayer

Central Presbyterian Baptismal FontIn water, you create life, O God.

In water, you wash us.

In water, you claim us.

In water, you bind us in the presence of the Spirit.

In water, you mark us in the love of Jesus Christ.

 

In the act of baptism,

we hear your promises and we make our own:

promises to teach the stories of your love;

promises to support one another in faith;

promises to care deeply for your children:

not only the children in our own churches,

not only the children in churches,

but all the ones whom you call blessed.

 

We give you thanks, O God, for baptism

and ask for lives shaped by its waters.

Pour your holy spirit out on these waters,

that they may be the sign and seal of your grace for us.

In the name of the holy trinity we pray. Amen.

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July 24, 2018 · 9:44 pm

Christmas in July: The Prayer of the Angels

I have the joy of serving as liturgist for a conference at Massanetta Springs this week, and tomorrow in worship, we will hear the Christmas story.  Turns out the song of the angels was just what I needed on a steamy July week, and I hope it sings to you as well.

Massanetta Font

Glory to God in the highest heaven,  and peace on the earth God loves.

That was the prayer of the angels, O Lord,

and that is our prayer as well.

Glory to you in the highest heaven,

and peace on the earth you love.

 

We pray for peace indeed, O Lord,

peace that is not the absence of conflict

but the presence of justice and love;

Peace that is not bound by our attempts at compromise

but is stretched across the world in the fabric of your love.

Glory to you in the highest heaven,

and peace on the earth you love.

 

We give you thanks for that earth, O Lord,

and for all the good things in it:

For the mountains which hint at the beauty of your reign;

For the waters which carry the message of your grace;

For the fruits which teach us the sweetness of your love;

For the animals which show us what it is to be joyful;

We give you thanks, O Lord,

For friends and family united by blood or spirit;

For the church seeking to be your body;

For your spirit, guiding us all along the way.

Glory to you in the highest heaven,

and peace on the earth you love.

 

Peace, we pray, O Lord, for the earth and all people in it.

Where there is strife, make peace rain with the waters.

Where there is violence, show us how to start again.

Where there racism, convict us, challenge us,

forgive us, and transform us.

Wherever we are broken, love us into wholeness.

Glory to you in the highest heaven,

and peace on the earth you love.

 

We pray all these things boldly in love,

in the name of the one who was Love for us. Amen.

 

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January 14, 2018 · 10:35 am

Completely: Prayers of the People based on Psalm 139

Psalm 139 has always been one of my favorites, and today’s lectionary gave me a chance to reflect on it. May these prayers remind us all that we are known and loved, completely. 

atgt snow

Oh Lord, you have searched us and known us.

  You know when we sit down and when we rise up;

you discern our thoughts from far away.

  You search out our path and our lying down,

and are acquainted with all our ways.

 

We praise you, O living God,

For you know us completely and love us completely.

 

You have created us good and holy,

lending your image in the act of creation.

Again and again, we have fallen away,

and you have brought us back with words of grace.

We have hidden from mystery of your presence,

and you have found us, again and again,

and repeated the call, “Follow me.”

 

You bring peace into the chaos we create;

You bring hope into the webs of doubt we spin;

You bring your holy spirit into the corners of our lives.

 

Even before a word is on our tongues,

  O Lord, you know it completely.

You hem us in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon us.

 

We praise you, O living God,

for you know us completely and love us completely.

 

We pray for the world wrapped in your love,

for the people and places dear to our hearts,

and for the ones known only to yours.

 

For those who are cold, whether in body or in spirit:

Bring the warmth only you can provide,

and move us to us to share the warmth we can provide.

For those who are hungry, thirsty, grieving or ill:

Bring the comfort only you can provide,

and help us to share the comfort we can provide.

(Continue with prayers for your specific community.) 

 

Hear our prayers, O Living God,

for you know us completely and love us completely.

 

On this weekend of marches and commemoration,

we give thanks for the life of your prophet Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

As we celebrate his legacy, O God, let us recognize yours.

Convict us of the ways we support injustice through our action or inaction,

and empower us to work for your reign of justice, peace, and dignity for all.

 

Where can we go from your spirit?

  Or where can we flee from your presence?

If we take the wings of the morning

  and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,

even there your hand shall lead us,

  and your right hand shall hold us fast.

 

In the name of the one who was Love made flesh,

Amen.

 

 

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August 27, 2017 · 10:15 am

Prayers of the People: Our Help.

These prayers of the people are based on two lectionary texts for today: Psalm 124 and Exodus 1: 8-22.

unnamed (3)

Refrain: Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Heaven and earth, O holy God, cannot contain your boundless glory.

Heaven and earth, O holy God, cannot contain your everlasting love.

You are gracious, compassionate, and good.

You are loving, patient, and kind.

You are parent, mother, and father.

You are God, and we are not.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

 

We give you thanks for your holy story, illumined for us this day.

You call us to be faithful at all costs,

especially when the powers of the world turn their backs

on people who are vulnerable or oppressed.

In the spirit of Shiphrah and the courage of Puah,

enliven and empower us to mean the words we often pray:

Thy kingdom, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Make us hear the truth of your calling,

and move us to follow with bold faithfulness.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

 

We give you thanks, O God, for the signs of your goodness all around:

For the sounds of newborn babies,

who cry that you are making all things new.

For the hands of compassionate doctors and nurses,

whose care is an extension of your own.

For the voices of prophets, old and new,

whose stories attest to the challenge of your call.

For the church, your body in this place;

in our struggle and in our song, may we witness to your love.

 

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

 

Help, O Lord; Help, we pray.

As we pray to you from the depths of our hearts,

humble us to ask for your help,

and make us wise enough to recognize it.

We pray for the people and places who are hurting this day:

[Name the concerns of your community.]

 

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

 

For the people of the Sudan, suffering great violence.

For all in the path of tropical storm Harvey,

preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

For marginalized people everywhere,

who suffer in the same system in which benefit.

Bring your spirit of comfort, O God:

your spirit of healing, in your time and your way;

your spirit of companionship, in fostering community;

your spirit of justice, in creating change;

your spirit of love, stronger than death itself.

 

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Amen.

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July 27, 2017 · 10:04 am

Prayers from Matthew and Esther: For Such a Time as This

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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July 27, 2017 · 9:52 am

Holy Holy Holy: A Prayer from the Lips of Isaiah

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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