MorningPrayer

Dear God,    Nourish us with the deep well waters of your eternal spirit, not the runoff of culture's frenzy.    Nourish us with the well rooted plant of organic love, not the scraps of societal greed.    Nourish us with the light of cosmic stars, the endless sight of your grace.    Nurture us in the heartbeat of your truth, beauty and harmony, so our souls might grow in love. AMEN

Dear God,    Sometimes we wonder, (some of us), why we have life so good?  Why hasn't more gone wrong and why do we live in such comfort and ease? Sure, there are some difficult issues and things to deal with, but for the most part, it has been a pretty fine life. A life of family, friends, church, community.  A life of beauty, comfort, work and pleasure.  A life with some loss and tragedy but  not overwhelming. There is much to be thankful for,  because we realize that many have not had it so good. So we give thanks for our blessings, and remember with love, those who have not had the joys we have had. AMEN

Dear God,     Like Moses standing on Holy ground, we stand with head bowed before the sacred fire of life. We sing, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty..." awed by the beauty of this gift. In this universe of spinning rocks, exploding stars and fuming gases, what is humanity, that you are mindful of us?  In this universe of photons, electrons, invisible  atoms and pulsing blood, what is humanity that you are mindful of us?  And yet, we, with beating heart and intake of breath gaze at the skies and gaze into loved one's eyes and experience the mystery and wonder of life; the gift of being. With head bowed we are anointed with the oils of your presence.  Our cup overflows. Trembling in awe we are filled to overflowing with gratitude. We are still, overwhelmed by life and filled with thanksgiving. AMEN

Dear God,    As we prepare ourselves for the feast of feasts,we affirm that the love that binds is the truest feast of all.  May our hearts beat in the deepest meaning of life as our blood flows in the love of family, faith and hope. In your loving mercy, O God, may our wounds be healed, our feet dance, our lips sing and our very hearts be opened to the sacred touch of grace. In Jesus name we pray, AMEN

Dear God,    In the rushing torrent of culture, sweeping us towards holidays that seem designed more for greed and want than family and faith; we need to stop.  Pause, once again in the  candle of belief and experience the wonder and mystery of life as a  gift and a treasure. Help us to be still and pause at the reflecting pond of harmony, balance and beauty. May we see your face, our God of love and joy. AMEN

Lord God,    Help us to do what we must do today but without rancor, harshness or despair.  Help us to navigate the world of business, personal relations and  public situations with understanding, tolerance and the desire to find solutions. Let mediation and the principles of mercy and righteousness be our methods as we reach for our  goals and strive for justice.  In your name and with your help, O God, we shall live as members of your Kingdom. AMEN

Dear God,    Gratitude and thanks for our tables filled with food.      Gratitude and thanks for our homes warm and comfortable.    Gratitude and thanks for our family and friends who are there with us and for us.    Gratitude and thanks for our community and country and earth of beauty.    Gratitude and thanks for.....    AMEN

Dear God,    For those who are unable to pray for themselves; who are small, weak, depressed, distressed, oppressed and ill, we deepen our hearts, we lift up our hands, we send prayers of loving compassion to fill them full and to cloth them with a healing garment of protection and grace. May the light of your love and care saturate us all, O God, so that we might live in the illumination of your presence and hope.  Jesus, hold us all in your arms. AMEN

Dear God,    The last leaves have slipped, skidded and sloped towards earth.  The last Requiem of this year's harvest of elegance lies limply on mother earth.  The bones and ligaments of trees etched against the sky, sigh with a different tune in the cool north wind. We bundle our cloak closer about our own bones, pause to acknowledge the rhythm of our earth and flow on, face set and determined to find our own Jerusalem.  Our own Requiem is sometime coming in the harvest of another fall, but until then, may we sing a tune of angels love and greet the dawn with vision,, hope and prayer. AMEN

Dear God,    Since birth you have been preparing us for this day; tenderly molding us.    Lovingly, you have nurtured us, giving us the waters and soils of life to grow.    Gently you have pruned us preparing us to grow fruit in beauty and abundance.    And now we have arrived, each in our own way at the day of being, the day of life.    This  is our day of potential meeting the opportunity we have been given.      May our spirits fill and soar in the Holiest of the Divine.    May we  be fragrant in the earth.       AMEN

Dear God,    Wherever we are may we see the sunlight streaming us together like strings of Christmas bulbs.  May we feel the crisp air and breezes of our spinning planet clothing us in a common cloak of need and desire.  May the clear waters of our shared cup fill us full of goodness, mercy and understanding. May our souls created in the heartbeat of God, walk in harmony, beauty and grace. AMEN

Dear God,    Made in your image, let us be.      On earth as it is in heaven, let us be.    Reality reflected in living glory, let us be.    Made whole, made well, healed in love of your name, let us be.    Quiet and still in grace and peace, let us be.    Praying each line slowly and carefully, let us be. AMEN

Dear God,    You have gifted us with the, "present moment".  Sometimes we take this gift and put it in a box and wrap it in pretty paper and place satin bows around and put it on the shelf for later; we are sure that it will be better tomorrow. Help us to understand that while dreams are important and worth working towards, there is nothing as precious as the gift of this moment. In this moment let us be alive, see with clarity, speak and move with purpose and open our hearts to the opportunities we are gifted with. AMEN

Dear God,    Thank you for those around us who help us to live more fully and lead us to the highest and best.  For those who make us laugh, we smilingly give thanks. For those who make us think, we reflectively give thanks. For those who help us to be pure, we humbly give thanks. For those who lift us to a spiritual mountain top, we prayerfully give thanks.  For those who teach us how to love, we lovingly give thanks.  Thank you God for giving us Jesus and the saints who lead us into your arms. AMEN

Dear God,     Do I hear angels singing, or is that children laughing?  Do I hear a word of wisdom or is that an owl hooting? Do I hear the whisper of prayers or is that leaves flickering and falling through the air?  Do I hear the murmuring of the elders or is that or is that the wind rustling tree branches?  Do I hear you talking, God, or is that my heart beating in the silence of my thoughts? AMEN...

Loving God,     Let us sit with bowed heads and folded hands and be quiet with you.  Focus our minds on your holiness and let us contemplate the nature of existence through the heart of you, our loving, living God.  Keep our mind from wandering. Help us to do the hard, mental work of keeping you in our thoughts. May we be flooded with humility, filled with awe and immersed in grace. Allow a smile to float across our faces and may our eyes shine in the wonder of this love. Let us be alive in the sacred and divine nature. AMEN

Dear God,    In gentleness of mind  may we be blessings to others, this day. Like cobwebs in the crawl space, may our issues, and short comings be swept aside.  May we be patient and kind, forgiving others even as we want to be forgiven. Help us to be crisp and clean and in clarity of mind and deed, live this day without blemish or shame. In Jesus name we pray. AMEN

Dear God,    Sometimes the stressors of life are like waves washing over us, knocking us down and  taking away our breath. We can't fight back and we can't flee.  Help us, then, O God, to lean back and float in faith.  Keep us above the churning froth and the undertow.  Float us in safety  and hep us maintain balance. Let  our prayer float out to you from parched lips and swollen eyes, our prayer of deliverance, healing and saving grace.  Help us float, Jesus. Hold our hand. AMEN

Lord of Creation,    The wind is like a moaning surf this morning, sighing, sliding, slipping over naked tree limbs and  tossed frothing into  the smoky air. Hold on to us, God.  Don't let us blow away and be lost in the tangled mountain top or dangled over a shadowy ravine. Grab our coattails, grab our desire and prayer of longing, hold us safe in the palm of your hand.  Help us to stand firm, trees of your ambition and eternal vision. Let us be your tree of life. AMEN

Dear God,     Help us to be brave, to ride the roller coaster without loosing our stomach or forgetting to breath.  May our cries of delight be prayers of joy and our screams of fear be prayers of wonder.  In these ups and downs of our daily ride through life, may we remember to pause at the pinnacle and see the majesty of the heavens and pause at the bottom and give thanks for the treasures of earth. God, you are our God, and in you we breath and live. AMEN

Dear God,    Our Fellowship of Faith meets today and we ask for you blessing and guidance. Even though we might be only 100 that meet in our sanctuary we believe we are thousands; our thoughts and prayers reaching out like webs of the Spirit and intertwining with the thoughts and prayers of people around the world. Under your vision and in your heartbeat of mercy we can blanket the globe in love and positive energy; offering hope, peace and faith to all. In the far-reaching vision of the Cosmic Christ we off ourselves as living servant of you, our God. AMEN

Dear God,    Our east Tenseness morning awakens us in a hush of white frozen mist; gently we stir like a  bear in its cave. We pray to slip and slide gracefully through the day.  We pray for those who have slept and awaken in a whirl of wind or the chaos of illness, fear and despair. May those who mourn be comforted. May they be soothed by the calming hand of God. In our comforts may we find the whispers of love inhaled as we exhale the blessings of God's presence.  Embrace us in the garment of the master. AMEN

Lord,    Sometimes we talk too much and listen too little.  We get in the way of our seeing, hearing and knowing.  Perhaps a stranger will enter our lives, today, and we need to see and hear.  Perhaps, it will be you in disguise and you need a compassionate look, a kind word, a helping hand.  Before we rush away, rush in or rush about we need to be still in the presence of the ordinary and be attentive to the divine.  May all space, all things and all people be known as holy. AMEN

Dear God,    Thank you for our ancestors that have led the way into this present moment. For their journey, efforts, struggles and triumphs we give thanks; we are the recipients of their efforts and love.  Let us take nothing for granted, for we are neither entitled nor free from our own tasks and responsibilities. Help us to fulfill our souls purpose so that our descendants might continue to live in the blessing and the grace of life and love. In the stillness of our deepest selves, might we know the connection of eternity. AMEN

Dear God of Creation,    Explosions of color dot the landscape and fill our mind in memories of wonder, joy and new beginnings.  We remember the glory of life and are reminded daily of our potential coming alive in the opportunities of creations's unfolding. We pray that we turn memories into calls of action, and that we are alive in the colors of mystery, love, grace and compassion. May the present moment be a landscape ofwows and ooos and ahhs.  AMEN

Dear God,    Sometimes the mist and fogs of darkness obscure our vision and even dull our hearing.  We peer helplessly into the swirling mist and see confusion and chaos.  We listen carefully and sound is distorted and seems to surround us aimlessly. We long for the clean sweeping breath of the Spirit to wash away the gloom and bring clarity to our lives. We sing, "Be thou my vision," and pray aloud for you, our God, to set us free.  Show us the right way to move forward. Lord, be our guiding light and purest breath. AMEN

Holy Jesus,    What do you require of us today?  Shall we engage in deep thought and explore mysteries of life.  Shall we exercise and run like the wind and leap tall buildings.  Shall we work and study and  solve perplexing riddles. What do you want from us today, Jesus?  Shall we open our heart to the stranger, poor, lame and oppressed. Shall we be still and quiet or shall we engage in energetic debate and confabulous dialogue.  "Listen," is the reply. "Listen and to each its own value be given. Listen and be in prayer and find the balance and harmony of your life to  be content".  With your help, we shall so strive. AMEN

Dear God,     Faith can be a gentle thing, like a soft pillow under head at night.  Or faith can can be a high energy event like a life buoy thrown to us while drowning. In faith and confidence and belief and positive God growing attitude, let us move through our days living by a creed of Holy deliverance and loving support.  In faith, let us live in the fullness of the moment, the confidence of the past and the mystery of the future. Let us live in the grace of love. AMEN

Dear God,    For warmth of home and comfort we give thanks. For water, warm or cool, abundant and immediate we give thanks.   For food of variety and interest we give thanks.  For electricity and appliances and community support we give thanks. For roads and stores and money in the bank we give thanks. For church, friends, family and loving attention we give thanks. For all things we give thanks, O God. AMEN

Holy Lord,     Above the seen is the unseen majesty of your thoughts.  Below the scene of our life is the reality of your love.  Beyond our vision is the wonder of life unfolding in incredible, mysterious ways.  Help us to  be in the presence of your thoughts, love, and eternal grace-filled wonder so we might overcome pettiness and   blindness and live in the divinity of sacred space. AMEN