Posts Tagged ‘hope’
April 12, 2020
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Lord, this pandemic has revealed our many failings.
We relied on our own wisdom, made our own plans.
We worshiped money, celebrity, and power and went the wrong way.
We embraced the cynical voices of folly and mockery.
We denied the poor and dismissed the needs of many who we now call essential workers.
We repent and seek your forgiveness Lord, as we celebrate the promise of new life brought through your death and resurrection.
Resurrect in us humility, the love of others, and trust in you.
Show us the hope of a better way, and help us to follow.
Amen
Tags:Easter, failings, forgiveness, hope, politics, Prayer, resurrection
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March 29, 2020
“God of light, eternal and bright shining, do not allow the noises and shadows of this fleeting world confuse us.” – Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)
Lord, as our routines are disrupted, our diversions disappear, and our futures grow increasingly uncertain, guide us through our fear, anger, and confusion.
Help us to trust in you.
As we sort through our media feeds, listen to the talking heads, and receive conflicting advice, focus us on what is true and hopeful and kind.
Give us a discerning spirit, O Lord.
As we seek to stay connected in community, help us find peace and comfort in what we can do and share, knowing that you walk closely with us in all things.
Help us to persevere, O Lord.
Amen
Tags:community, coronavirus, hope, peace, politics, Prayer, trust
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February 22, 2020
The following is a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, as relevant to us today as in his time (1121-1226).
Most High, Glorious God,
enlighten the darkness of our minds;
give us a right faith, a firm hope, and a perfect charity,
so that we may always and in all things act
according to Your Holy Will.
Amen
Tags:charity, darkness, faith, hope, light over darkness, wisdom
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April 11, 2017
O Lord, help us to remember in this Passion week, as we witness darkness and death in the world around us, that by following God’s will into the darkness you brought us the light of your resurrection.
Draw us towards your love O Lord, towards hope, and towards the discipline of faith, that we may find a new life, and new way, in you. Amen
Tags:christianity, darkness, despair, discipline, faith, hope, religion, resurrection, truth
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January 24, 2016
“A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.” Proverbs 17:27
“. . . Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry . . .” James 1:19
Our words matter. Words harm or heal; invite hate or love, fear or hope. Our words define us and our relationships. They direct us to evil or good. Save us O Lord from the words that hurt and discourage, that inflame and fester. Help us O Lord to use the words that heal.
“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:4-5
Amen
Tags:country, healing, hope, politics, Prayer, USA, words, words matter
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May 28, 2012
This Pentecost, O Lord, we celebrate that you are with us, and in us, and that you will never leave us. Help us to hear and to heed your voice within. Guide us and challenge us until we are, both in our public and private lives,
“Free from anger, hatred and passion; free from ill will, jealousy and envy; free from transgression, criticism and gossip; free from malice, animosity and grudges. . .”*
As we listen to the news and listen to the candidates, as we sift through what we hear, and as we make choices, help us to value civility, community, and thoughtfulness. Help us to test our fears against facts, and be willing to change. Guide us, O Lord, and move us forward.
Amen
*Quote from Julian Ibarra Zapata, 20th Century Disciples pastor Juarez, Mexico.
Tags:anger, challenge, free, guide, hate, hope
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January 12, 2012
“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.” O Holy Night (a Christmas carol)
Lord your birth reminds us that amidst the anxiety, fear, anger, and disappointment of our political life, there is hope. We have the opportunity to change our ways, to seek truth, to offer compassion, to pursue justice, to speak with kindness and civility even where we don’t agree. One person can shine a light into the darkness and together we create new patterns and a better future for all. Show us your ways O Lord, teach us your paths, and strengthen us for the year ahead.
Amen
Tags:anxiety, civility, fear, hope
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January 4, 2010
For 2010 we wish a happier, healthier, richer experience of this life for everyone we know – and for everyone we don’t know. For all of you.
On this first weekend of the new year, we offer the following verses, taken from the poem “Ring Out Wild Bells” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The text of the full poem can be found on Wikipedia.
“Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
* * *
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.”
Amen
Tags:country, hope, new year, politics, Prayer, renewal, USA
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December 29, 2009
For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. Ps. 48:14
Lord as we celebrate your birth we are reminded that you are the light that shines in a dark world that does not understand. John 1:5.
Yet you are the God of truth. May the light of your truth guide us in the year to come. Ps. 43:3.
You are the God of love. In your unfailing love, lead us to greater care and compassion for one another. Ex. 15:13.
You are the God of mercy. May we find forgiveness for our pride and greed. Help us to learn to act justly, to forgive and to heal, and to walk humbly with you. Micah 6:8.
You are the God of hope. May you guide our feet into the paths of peace and help us to move beyond fear and factions so that we might live in greater harmony in the years to come. Luke 1:79.
You are the God of joy. Let us be renewed by your presence among us, accept the gift of your grace, and rejoice in your gift of redemption and promise of eternal life. Luke 2:10-14.
You are the God of grace. Let us accept the assurance you offer and move forward in faith. Guide us in the the ways of wisdom (Pr.4;11), and restore and strengthen our souls (Ps. 23:3).
Help us, O Lord, to heed your call and to trust in you. Guide us in your truth and teach us, for you are our God and Savior, and our hope is in you. Ps. 25:5.
Guide us O Lord.
Amen
Tags:confidence, country, grace, guidance, hope, politics, Prayer, USA
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December 20, 2009
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps. 27:13-14
Lord, in this season of Advent, teach us to wait.
Teach us to wait with the hope that comes from the knowledge of your love. Strengthen our ability to trust in you, and help us to know you better through our waiting.
Teach us to wait with the courage that comes from faith in your mighty power. Give us the courage to face hard truths about ourselves and others, the courage to care, the courage to change, and the courage to seek and heed your call.
Teach us to wait with the peace that comes from forgiveness. Help us to accept that we are forgiven, and to forgive those who have caused us pain.
Teach us to wait with patience. Help us to let go of our own desire to control and to wait secure in the knowledge that “the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Ps. 33:11. Let us say as the prophets did, “I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.” Micah 7:7. Help us to see that, by your grace, hearts and minds are changing as we wait.
Help us to wait, O Lord, and to know that you are with us in the waiting.
Teach us to wait, O Lord.
Amen
Tags:country, courage, forgiveness, grace, hope, politics, Prayer, USA, waiting
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Prayers For Our Country 