Light of the world, shine in our hearts, that we might see and act with compassion.
Shine in our minds that we might love justice, and act wisely.
Dispel our fears, our anger, our resentments, our sorrows and despair.
Shine on our hands that we might reach out in love.
Shine on our feet that we might find the path of peace.
Guide us O Lord through the new year.
Amen
The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood. John 1:5
Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. 2 Chronicles 20:16
Lord God of light, in your word we find hope,
In your presence we find joy,
In your guidance we find peace,
In your love we find rest.
Even in the darkest times, your light is there, if we are willing to look.
Help us to see it, embrace it, and share it. (John 1:9)
Amen
We are wandering in the wilderness Lord, and even though it is of our own making, we are lost and confused and afraid.
Help us to hear and to follow the voices of your prophets calling out, inviting us into a better way. (Is. 40:3).
Lead us through the change, the adversity, our fears and anxieties.
Let us, like Abraham, follow your love, even though we do not fully know where we are going. (Heb. 11:8)
Sustain our hope in what we cannot yet see (Heb. 11:1), and guide us towards your peace.
Amen
You call us forward Lord,
Guide us by the light of your love
From our fears and sins release us, that we might have
to heal, to hope, to seek, and to be the “heroes of the future.”*
Amen
*From the papal encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” by Pope Francis, October 3, 2020, paragraph 202.
202. Lack of dialogue means that in these individual sectors people are concerned not for the common good, but for the benefits of power or, at best, for ways to impose their own ideas. Round tables thus become mere negotiating sessions, in which individuals attempt to seize every possible advantage, rather than cooperating in the pursuit of the common good. The heroes of the future will be those who can break with this unhealthy mindset and determine respectfully to promote truthfulness, aside from personal interest. God willing, such heroes are quietly emerging, even now, in the midst of our society.
Note: Italicized text below is from the hymn “For The Fruit of All Creation”, by Fred Pratt Green (1901).
“. . . for the plowing, sowing, reaping, silent growth while we are sleeping, future needs in earth’s safekeeping, thanks be to God.”
We give thanks in this season for hope and healing, for friends and family, for cooking and cleaning and eating, for tears and laughter.
We give thanks for the beauty that surrounds us in plants and people and earth and sky and the many small crafts and things that furnish our homes, reminding us of those who have gone before.
We give thanks for the often overlooked evidence of your grace throughout our lives in ways large and small and in between. We thank you for your patient presence O Lord.
“. . . for the wonders that astound us, for the truths that sill confound us, most of all that love has found us, thanks be to God.”
Amen
Today we pray for all those who are sick and dying, the grieving, and those in the healing professions. And as we ask for both wisdom and courage to navigate both our politics and pandemic, we share this Prayer for Putting on a Mask, composed by The Right Reverend Richard Bott who is the current Moderator of the United Church of Canada. May it strengthen our resolve and connection with our neighbors, whenever we wear our masks, and our awareness of the love and generosity of others when we see them wear theirs.
Creator,
as I prepare to go into the world,
help me to see the sacrament
in the wearing of this cloth –
let it be “an outward sign
of an inward grace” –
a tangible and visible way
of living love for my neighbours,
as I love myself.
Christ,
since my lips will be covered,
uncover my heart,
that people would see my smile
in the crinkles around my eyes.
Since my voice may be muffled,
help me to speak clearly,
not only with my words,
but with my actions.
Holy Spirit,
as the elastic touches my ears,
remind me to listen carefully –
and full of care –
to all those I meet.
May this simple piece of cloth
be shield and banner,
and each breath that it holds,
be filled with your love.
In your Name
and in that love,
I pray.
May it be so.
May it be so.
Amen.
Today’s prayer comes from a statement on healing our country issued by The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, and the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, dean of Washington National Cathedral, on November 7, 2020.
We pray for this nation and for our leaders. We pray for patience and endurance. We pray that as we move forward, no one is left behind. We pray that in all we do, may we be guided by the prophet’s call to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
As we start a new chapter in our nation’s history we share the following prayer from the encyclical “All Brothers” published by Pope Francis on October 3, 2020. The encyclical provides guidance for our civic lives. The prayer is titled “A Prayer to the Creator” and appears in paragraph 287. Let us commit ourselves to our common good.
“Lord, Father of our human family,
you created all human beings equal in dignity:
pour forth into our hearts a fraternal spirit
and inspire in us a dream of renewed encounter,
dialogue, justice and peace.
Move us to create healthier societies
and a more dignified world,
a world without hunger, poverty, violence and war.
May our hearts be open
to all the peoples and nations of the earth.
May we recognize the goodness and beauty
that you have sown in each of us,
and thus forge bonds of unity, common projects,
and shared dreams. Amen.”
Thank you Lord, for our right to vote and have a say in our future.
May we use it wisely.
Thank you for those with the courage to seek change, for those willing to wait in long lines to help secure a better future, for those with hope.
And yet our anxiety rises. Will we be able to break through our economic and political shackles? Will we overcome our sins of division, of power, of factions, of failure to love? (Gal. 5:19)
May we become a better people than we are. Guide us and forgive us O Lord. Help us to choose what is noble, what is right, and what is admirable. (Php. 4:8) Help us to trust in you and your grace.
Amen
Holy Spirit guide us.
Noise, fear, anger, surprise – constant and unrelenting – scrambles our focus, feeds our anxiety.
And we feel lost, wondering which way to go.
Show us your ways.
Ways of love, of courage, of compassion, of self-control.
Calm our troubled spirits and grant us wisdom.
Help us to follow where you would lead.
Amen.
Prayers For Our Country 