Prayer for today - March 30th 2012

The printer has offered the worship materials for the coming week ...
a Holy week ...
a busy week ...

the photocopier is cooling down and clicking quietly
after running to copy and print bulletins, inserts, announcements and other items
needed for the seven services we'll celebrate in the next eight days ...

now in the quiet lull we catch our breath
before rushing headlong into the dark shadowy corners
that mark the journey from Hosannas to Hallelujahs ...

O Holy One ... hear our pray for the coming days ...

be with us as we follow the path your servant
took through dry dust streets of a long ago city ...

be with us in the jarring moments
of suffering, denial, abandonment and death ...

be with us in the long shadows
that await us as we kneel before the cross ...

hold us in the darkness as we weep for a world
that would kill its Hope and deny the Love ...

guide us through the long lonely nights that lie before us ...

take us by the hand and lead us ...

hold us when we stumble ...

and carry us when we fall exhausted ...

... and yet, as difficult as it is,
and as tempting as it may be,

don't let us hurry our way from the Hosannas to the Hallelujahs ...
but rather be with us in the slow deliberate journey that we must take

a journey that leads us
from the triumphant entry into the city,
past the overturned tables and bruised egos,
to the table where the body is broken and the blood is poured out,
to the place of abandonment and fear of friends turning away and running,
on to the thunderous quiet of the place of suffering and death
the place crowned by the rough cross
etching the sky with its reminder that here,
in this place,
our last hope perished ...

be with us as we linger
in the long quiet moments of despair and loneliness,
be with us as we linger ... afraid ... uncertain ...

be with us ...
that we may once again stand before the empty tomb
and know the full glory of the Resurrection ...

but not yet ...
when it is time ...
let us take each step
carefully,
thoughtfully,
and faithfully ...

guide us into the dark shadowy places O Holy One ...
guide us with the sure and certain knowledge
that we are not alone ...

be with us in the coming days ...
in your name we pray with out ceasing ...

Prayer for today - March 26th

Walk with me, I will walk with you
and build the land that God has planned
where love shines through. (John S. Rice)

Holy One, today we rejoice at the breadth and depth of your Grace and Love,
we celebrate the living out of the promises of inclusion and welcome,
we give thanks for the diversity of the Kingdom that embraces one and all ...

Hear our prayers for those willing to reach out and welcome in all your children.

Hear our prayers for those struggling with issues of health and wellness.

Hear our prayers for those struggling with issues of family and friends.

Hear our prayers for those who are lonely and frightened.

Hear our prayers for those facing uncertainty and violence.

Hear our prayers for those yearning to be free.

Hear our prayers for those fighting for justice and equality.

Hear our prayers for those who are battered, bloodied and beaten, but not defeated.

Hear our prayers for those who stand up for their faith, and willingly face the consequences without hesitation or fear.

Hear our prayers for those glimmering corners of creation where the land you have planned that abounds and overflows with love is emerging.

Hear our prayers for those children of God who live their faith, share their joy, and dare to dance in the light of love you alone offer ... Loving and Holy God, hear our prayers today and always as we seek to create in our lives, our congregations, our communities and our world, the Kingdom you have promised, and that you help bring into being ... be with us as we journey towards it, as we embody it, and as we work in faith to create it ... In your loving name we pray.

L'chaim !!
Hol

Prayers for today - March 23rd

Holy One, as we awoke to a day of grey and rain, we are mindful of the many blessings you have continued to pour out upon us in this season of transition and new life ... though the warmth of the sun has for the moment been pushed aside by the cool and chill of falling rain, we know that in time the grey will give way again to soft sunshine and warm refreshing breezes ...

Hear us, O Holy One as we gather in your presence and remember in our thoughts and prayers, our family, our friends, our neighbours and members of our circle of community who are in need of your strength, your comfort, and your loving presence ... Hear us as we pray for friends and family, and as we offer up strangers in our prayers as well ...

We pray this day for those who are grieving and struggling with the mixed feelings of sadness and sorrow.

We pray for those who are lonely and afraid.

We pray for those who are struggling with illness, infirmity and weakness.

We pray for caregivers and family members seeking to support and encourage those they love facing burdens, worries and stresses ...

We pray for those who are struggling emotionally, financially, mentally, and physically.

We pray for those who are in need of comfort and care.

We pray for those who may not realize the burdens they are shouldering, but who need and deserve relief ...

Loving and Holy God, we pray for those in need, and we pray too for ourselves ... be with us in our moments of weakness, and carry us when we stumble, reminding us always that we are the beloved children of the One True God, who gives us courage and strength, and who never fails us.

Holy One, hear our prayers today, tomorrow and always ... in your name we pray. AMEN.

Prayer for today - March 19th

Holy One, in the quiet of this warm and sunny day we approach you carrying with us the prayer requests and concerns of our community ... hear us as we offer up in prayer those we've named and remembered in our worship services ...

We remember in our prayers:
Donny
Chad,
Amy and her family,
Logan
Megan
Ken

we remember too the circle of family and friends who offer love and support in challenging moments ...

We remember those awash in emotions and feelings and pray for thier comfort ...

We remember those who are travelling and who are far from home ...

We remember those who are in need of healing and help though they are unwilling to make that admission out of fear or stubborness ...

We remember in our prayers those whose lives are turned upside down or inside out by uncertainty and transitions over which they have no control ...

We remember in our prayers those who are struggling and who are frightened ...

Loving and Merciful God may you hear our prayers and bring comfort and solace to us and those who rest in our hearts ... hear our prayers O Loving God and in your care answer.

Prayer for today - March 13th

Holy One, as one day give way to another, we pause to remember before you those in need of your healing and comforting touch.

Loving God, hear our prayers for those who have had their names shared within our community by email today and in the previous days ...

Into your care and love we commend our friends: Chad, Bev, Ken. Donnie and their circle of family, friends and care givers ... hear the prayers being offered over and on behalf of them, and in your love pour out your courage, your strength, your blessings and your wholeness that they may know your presence, and be comforted by your love ...

Loving God, hear our prayers for those whom we have not named directly in our instant communications, but have thought of in the passing of our days ... take from us our worries and in your love answer our concerns and prayers, even if they have been offered in fleeting moments amidst the busy-ness of our day ...

Holy One, hear our prayer today, tomorrow and always ... it is in your name we pray ...

Prayer for today - March 12th

Holy One ... as the weather changes from snow to sun to rain and back again, we are reminded that your love and your presence in our lives is constant and steadfast ... as the winds of change blow through our lives and our world, the comforting strength of your Love holds us firmly and never lets us go ...

As the rain falls and the winds blow, hear our prayers and in your love answer by pouring out your blessings and your Spirit upon us ...

Hear us as we continue our prayers for those having and recovering from surgery and treatment
Hear us as we continue our prayers for those recovering from illness and set backs
Hear us as we continue our prayers for those struggling with issues of health and wellness
Hear us as we continue our prayers for those who have had accidents and mishaps
Hear us as we continue our prayers for those who are frightened, lonely and alone ...

Pour out your Spirit upon us and upon your people that we might feel the firmness of your love and the strength of your grace ...

Take from us our worries and concerns
Take from us our fears and apprehensions
Take from us our burdens and the emotions that weigh us down ...

Transform this moment O Holy One with your love as you transform a rainy day with the brightness of sunshine and warmth ...

Touch our lives and lift our hearts with your Grace as we stand in your presence seeking your guidance and strength ...

O Holy One, hear our prayers and transform us and our moments in the fullness of your Holy Presence ...

In your name we pray ...

Prayer for today - March 9th

Holy One, as the snow falls, covering everything with a blanket of freshness,
fall upon our hearts and touch our souls ...
Bring wholeness and healing, comfort and strength to those in need ...

Hear our prayers for those in hospital and recovering at home,
Hear our prayers for family and friend who are in need ...

Into your hands O Holy One, we entrust
those recovering from surgeries,
those recovering from the onset of illness,
those recovering and healing on their journeys of grief ...

Into your hands O Holy One, we entrust
those who are lonely
those who are struggling
those who yearn for your comfort and your courage ...

Into your hands O Holy One, we entrust
those who are hurting
those who are frightened
those who hunger and thirst for righteousness ...

Loving and Holy God, hear our prayers,
those we dare to speak, and those that we hold within ...

Hear our prayers and in love, faith and the promise of hope,
answer them by pouring out your Spirit upon us and upon ALL your children.

In your name we pray.
AMEN

Prayer for today ... March 7th ...

Outside the rustle of the winds is accompanied by the rhythm of water dripping from melting snow and the soft crystaline clatter of collapsing ice ... the flutter of birds accompanies their bold and haunting call to the spring that is stirring ...

O Holy One, attune my heart and soul to the sounds of the season
In the silence may I feel your Spirit stirring within, and softly caressing my being

As I stand heavy and weary, may you lighten my heart
lifting my worries and concerns
and instilling within a sure and certain hope that where I stand
I am not alone
For you are with me

Remind me again Blessed One
that the promises made to Sarah and Abraham
still resonate throughout the cosmos
and that in the silence
I stand
knowing
feeling
living
as a child of God ...

Holy One, hear my prayers today
those spoken,
and those unuttered,
and in your love answer ...

AMEN

Prayers for today - March 6th

O Holy One ... today as the chill of winter grips much of our nation, and people huddle in the cold yearning for winter send your Spirit to move amongst and within us all ...

Be with those facing treatments, tests and surgeries ...
Be with those struggling with illness of mind, body and spirit ...
Be with those in the midst of transition and change ...

Be with those travelling ...
Be with those who are feeling far from home and alone ...
Be with those who are searching, but may not be sure what they are searching for ...

Holy One hear the prayers of your people ...
the words spoken in liturgy and worship,
the words cried out in anger and frustration,
the words whispered in fear ...

Hear the words spoken aloud, and those that lurk in the shadowy places of our hearts,
hear the words and pour out your Spirit so that those prayers may be answeres ...

Holy One, this day we call on you to touch our lives,
our hearts,
our spirits,
and hold us in your Shalom,

in your name we pray ... AMEN

Prayer for today - March 2nd

Creator God, whisper peace into our busy days ... guide to a place of your Holy Shalom where we might find renewal of mind, body and spirit ...

Hold our hearts in the moments of distress and difficulty as we face the challenges before us and struggle with the mundane ... let us be reminded by the refreshing breeze of your spirit and the glimmering of your loving light that we are not alone, and that even in the deepest darkest moments of loneliness, you are with us ...

Guide us again to the place of light, love and laughter ... let us find the strength and courage to live our faith today, mindful of our calling to recreate tomorrow into the Kingdom that yearns to be.

Be with us and with all those hungering and thirsting for justice, righteousness that they will know the warmth of your love, the strength of your grace and the joy of your presence ...

Hear us as we pray O Holy One ... and in your love answer ...

Prayer for today ...

Creator God, we pray this day for communities and places affected by the vagaries of weather and the challenges posed by too much snow, too little snow, rising temperatures, falling temperatures, and all the things that touch lives and remind us of what lies beyond our control ...

We pray this day for those places in our world struggling to make sense of the challenges before them ... be with the First Nations communities as they struggle with the teachings and guidance of thier ancestors and traditional ways, and yearn to find a place of peace and comfort in our modern world that affirms their ways while learning from the wisdom they offer to all ...

We pray this day for those struggling with addicitons ... those fighting feelings of alone-ness, fear and abandonment ... those who are yearning for peace and healing in their minds, bodies and spirit ...

We pray this day for those who are sick in hospital, care facilities or at home ... send your Spirit to rest with them O Holy One that they may know your comforting strength, your healing presence and the peace of your loving wholeness ...

We pray too for those who are travelling this day that they may find safety and rest in their journeys and they will return home refreshed and made new by their travels ...

Holy One, hear our prayers and be with us in our Lenten Journey ... these things we ask in the name of the Risen One who offers life, love and grace in abundance ...

In your name we pray, AMEN.