MorningPrayer

Holy God,   Embrace us in the promise of Christmas.  Hold us fast in the turmoil of the night and the blazing of the day so we might not falter or fail. Wrap us in the promise of love like a warm blanket of silk. Set us before the fireplace of hope where companionship flows around us in the heat of truth and endless faith.  As we walk towards Christmas may mystery and wonder guide us like a huge silent star. AMEN

Dear God,     Changes. There are changes all around us and even to us:  we are surprised by our image in the mirror, new born babies now crawl and talk,  living situations of loved ones change, the climate is hot then cold, foods are good then bad... there is no end to the changes.  And we need to be adaptable, flexible, and changeable as well as constantly learning new terms and techniques of technology.  What, O God, is not changeable? You are our rock and our salvation. You, God, are unchangeable in our lives of faith and  love. To you, we look as our constant in life. AMEN

Dear God,       We pray that we have experienced the fulfilling food of gentleness and kindness this holiday time.  We pray that we have been nourished in the arts of gratitude and thankfulness and that we are awake this morning to the blessings of our life.  Many of us, blessed with community, friends and family, bow our head, still, in the awareness of God's grace, AMEN

Thank You God,       For this day of official gratitude.  May the feast of abundance fill us with warm hearts of thanks for our blessings. May the family and friends of the day fill our spirits and nourish our souls in love.  May our pauses of silence be frequent as we reflect on the gifts in our life.  May this day of blessings and gratitude become the norm of our life as every day is a day of holiness and sacred prayer for thanks. AMEN

Gracious God,     The day has wandered away without us; whistling, skipping and wearing a saucy red bandana.   Perhaps you can lasso the day for us, God, and bring it back into our corral. Perhaps, you can help us to brand it and make it our own so it wont get lost, or even stolen.  Every now and then, days do that to us and we get a bit bewildered on the range ourselves. Help us in our day, Gracious God, re-remember us. AMEN

Dear God,    In the swirling clouds and the  grey of mist, the flip of wind and the tumble of sun we draw a deep breath of excitement and vigor. We fill ourselves full of vibrant alive air and release our fears and dis-ease. We exclaim joyous sounds of  praise, joy and ahh!  And then we pause, we are  still. The silence of contentment and deep serenity seeps through our cells and we whisper, a murmured hush of, praise and ahh. AMEN

Creator God,     Your fingers, graceful, like palm branches swaying paint the colors of creation and the firmament expanding. Humanity receives breath in color splashing on the canvas, red, yellows, blacks, whites, mingling and flowing in swirls of the imagination across endless space.  What are we, that we are so colorful, vibrant and imaginative in our own ways? What swells our minds with song and invention? What rhythms bring love pouring from our hearts and embracing one another? We are made in your image. Thank you God. AMEN

Holy God,    We seek the peace of the Holy morning, the light of rejoicing and the laughter of the church. Within the community of mystery and wonder might we find the faith that resonates your beating heart and the breath of your being. Among ourselves might we find the community in understanding and patience, celebrating the equality that is found in Jesus. With glad hearts, praying hearts and clapping hands, we come together. AMEN

Dear God,      We look out the window of the unknown.  We don't know what is out there, ready to be revealed. Are we ready for the dawning of the day, are we prepared in our heart and mind to take this leap of faith?  Have we held your hand in knowledge and understanding?   Is our prayer of faith still the eyes we see with and the feet with which we walk? With you, our God, we peer through the window into the new day, and we have no fear, for we have lived and breathed your presence all the days of our life. AMEN

Holy God,      May peace like early sunshine flow over us like a warm blanket of softest cotton.  Embrace us in amazing grace of sweetest sounds and may our minds swirl like galaxies unfolding and stars gleaming. From the gravity of earth let us leap into a space of infinite love and endless possibilities. Release our souls in the first burst of light and Spirit us into Holiness. AMEN

Dear God,     When our hearts are chilled by frost or fear may you warm us with pentecost flames of fire.  May the Spirit of love flow through us in the caring eyes of friends and the warm embrace of family.  May the community of faith be  like burning embers of your presence melting the ice of hopelessness and indifference. In your arms and the arms of love we place ourselves in trust AMEN

Dear God,    Let us be thankful for what we have, for gratitude is not all that difficult. Many of us live in comfort and have been blessed with family and friends sufficient for our needs. We are thankful.  Many of us have health or have had our share of good health. We are thankful.  Life is rich and full for many of us. We are thankful.  In circumstances of stress and illness, may we find a pinpoint of light to be grateful for. We are  thankful , O God. AMEN

Dear God,      We wonder if our agenda matches your agenda?  Our list seems endless and is a daily endeavor, of checking, doing, crossing out.  Is there no end to the items and how do we prioritize anyhow?  What if we are tired and weary and just want to sit, is it acceptable to sit? What is on your list, God? Is it big things like the expanding universe and peace on earth? Are you concerned with the butterflys  and the ferns in the forest? I suppose your list is endless, too. We pray that our list doesn't overwhelm us and that it matches your priorities. AMEN

Dear God,     In all of our conversations this day, may we stop in our own thoughts and listen to the other. May we hear carefully and reflect diligently.  May we then respond in the best possible way, our fresh reflection guiding the way of response. May we be communicators of grace and caring in our hearing and our speaking. AMEN

Holy Lord,   Waken us to a lullaby of heavenly flutes, moaning through the trees and coasting on the breeze. Flow under our skin and soothe tangled nerves.  Enter the streams and rivers of our body and smooth the shorelines of illness and dis-ease.  Balance us in the rhythm of the whispered tune bringing harmony into our cells and silken waves sighing on the shoreline of our thoughts. Bring us into your presence, O God, in gentleness. AMEN

Dear God,    In the rush of the day, it is easy to get caught up in windstorms and pounding seas.  It is easy to feel lost, neglected or worn out. May we have a Holy Pause that refreshes and rejuvenates. May we stop and take a moment; watch the sky unfurl and the trees bend to the cold winds.  Hear the symphony unleash its drums and the flute sing in the willows.  May we take the Be Still time and be Holy. AMEN

Dear God, Sometimes the remnants  from the past fall around us like scattered leaves, gather around our feet and flow and flit into our living space to become dust and mess. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the memories, pain or shame and can't break free.  We need your freeing saving grace. We need you to sweep our space clean and help us start again. We need your command to exorcise the demons and calm the wind and waves. May your word of love blow across us with a Holy Spirit passion. AMEN

Holy Lord,   The winds of morning surprise us with fresh cleansing power. Our eyes are opened and our mind swept clean. Freshly scrubbed, we emerge from the cocoon of unknowing into the clarity of a new dawn. You greet us in a whispered gust of grace, and invite us into a new heaven of promises and possibilities.  May unlimited clarity be ours as we journey through the stars into your world of endless compassion. AMEN

Dear God,    This is a day of remembrance and thanks for those who have served our country in the military.  We are grateful to them and their families who have given of themselves, endured and sacrificed.  But we also pray for a more peaceful world, where humanity  has matured and grown out of greed, fear and intolerance. We believe that your vision for us is a table of blessing where we can all partake together and where the lion and the lamb lie down together. So, we crawl and march forward like toddlers  learning to walk. Help us in your wisdom, love and grace. AMEN

Dear God,    Help us to be mindful of moments passing. Sometimes we plod from thought to thought, sticking to the moment like mud to boots. The forest floor holds us and we can't move. Sometimes we zoom through our brain cells at light speed and exit our galaxy in a warp of frozen electrons. We are bigger than multiverses. But what did we think? What did we know and feel? May we breathe a sacred breath of knowing and beat a heartbeat of holiness. May we pause in the moment and stare into the light of your eyes and be frozen in time. AMEN

Lord God,       May we  always be filled with gratitude for the blessings we have.  Let us not take for granted anything, especially the soft touch of love, but let our thankfulness shine as the milky way of stars. For those of us in comfort, let us remember those who are not, and be prayerful for our joys and for their tears.  May the Holy Spirit wash us clean and keep us pure in our faith. AMEN

Dear God,     May we be joyful in our community of family and friends, rejoicing in  faith, fellowship and work.  May your spirit enfold us like a cloak of holiness as we treasure the gifts of companionship and love. Help us to rise above the cold of pettiness and bitterness and know the warmth of forgiveness as we relax into the peace of your sacred fire and are warmed within your grace.  Eternal, amazing grace, may we accept this divine mystery. AMEN

Dear God,      May we in beauty be this day. Open our senses that we might feel.      May we in harmony be this day.  Open our hearts that we might understand.      May we in truth be this day.  Open our minds that we might know.      AMEN

Holy Lord,    We each think about you differently. We have different understanding about what you want for us, what we should do, and how we should do it.  This often causes division and conflict.  We wish you could have been a little clearer, because the scriptures of all faith's have conflicting views within their own revelations, let alone with each other. But what we can believe is a commonality of love for you and love for one another. Within that love comes ethics like kindness, tolerance, acceptance and understanding. Help us, O God, to achieve the highest principles of faith and vision for and with each other. We can't do it without you. AMEN

Dear God,       We awaken to the slow coasting of light, filtered through bare branches and leaves vibrating gently before slipping the mooring of their life's blood. The spirit filled air whispers our name, calling us forth from slumber and the haze of unknowing. "Awaken! Awaken to the new dawn," it sighs. The wood stove moans in its heat, the cat purrs, the traffic surges and we greet the sun in the hush of hope, knowing that today, is the day the Lord has made. Rejoicing and being, go hand in hand. AMEN

Dear God,      As we make decisions today, pulling levers, pushing buttons, marking boxes might we be guided by the highest principles of wisdom.  Might you guide us and show us the way for humanity to be most noble and viable.  Help us to rise above manipulation and advertising and be of independent thought. Might your grace bring understanding and tolerance to the task. May we approach the task with integrity and regardless of outcomes be gracious and kind in our task of being human made in the image of Christ. AMEN

Holy Lord,    Sometimes interrupted in the routine, surprised, startled.  Is it grace that falls on us, changing our perspective of hope and our vision of the present?  Is the moment new and fresh and are we awakened to a new possibility?  When our eye blinks, what do we miss?  In between heart beats, what do we feel?  In the long inhalation and exhalation of breath what spirit do we possess?  Startle us, O God. Let your grace awaken us to the fresh colors of a new day. AMEN

Lord Almighty,     For those of us who have  many options, choices and opportunities; we pray that we might not use them blithley or without understanding and gratitude. We are blessed in this, our world, to be able to make a multitude of decisions.  For those who have almost no choices, we pray that the life they are given might be gracious and kind, and when it is not, may they be sustained by your love.  For a fair, just and equitable world we pray, O God. AMEN

Dear God,      Sometimes we hide behind masks that hide our true feelings or identity. But no matter what mask we wear, our true identity is known to you.  Help us to wear our identity with pride and assurance. May our self-esteem and portrayal of ourselves match your vision for us. May we be secure in ourselves and not hid,. but grow in our truest understanding so that we are the reflection of your love and the embodiment of your grace. AMEN