MorningPrayer

Dear God,     Surely, you are with us as we walk this walk of holiness, this week from the parade of palms to the arrest and crucifixion.  Surely, you are with us as we feel the joys in our lives and the sorrows.  Surely, you are with us and lead us from blindness into sight of your face and understanding of the Kingdom.  Surely, the mystery of love is in us as we live in the wonder of grace.  Surely, Surely. AMEN

Holy Lord,     May we walk in your glory, not to glorify ourselves but in simplicity, to recreate the earth in your name. May we see possibilities not problems and potential, not pettiness. On this Palm Sunday, may we sing in joy and triumphant belief that love will reign supreme and your gracious compassion will flow across all people like a gentle breeze in a fragrant meadow of flowers. May we hear angels in the birds song and Jesus laughing in living, flowing  water and taste your breath in the flowers aroma. AMEN

Dear God,    We wind our memories  like a ball of yarn, the old buried under the new.  But sometimes, the ball slips from our fingers and rolls across the floor, the old memories revealed and stark before us. We stare at the threads, flipped and turned against the tiles, wood and rugs of our present.  We remember our memories and sometimes we weep and sometimes we laugh. God, help us to carefully rewind the ball, healing the past hurts and bringing to new light the promises of our present. Be with us,O gracious Spirit, as we create new memories. AMEN

Dear God,     In the tasks of the day, may we find pleasure and not drudgery.  May the moments ticking by, be moments of mindfulness and awareness. Moments of oneness and pleasure.  Remind us that the simple acts of being alive are as important as the tasks of doing.  May we be in your spirit of grace in all moments. AMEN

Dear God,     May we walk in beauty; carefully placing our steps among  miracles abundant and wonderful.     May we walk in harmony; rejoicing in our senses that integrate our world in music and lyrics glorious.     May we walk in truth; in your image and reflection may we be and see.     May we truly truly, truly be. AMEN

Holy God,    A prayer for humanity, for our efforts. triumphs and failures. Yes, we are amazing, the science, the math, the art, the successes we have are incredible and fantastic.  The human mind is a marvel of creative intellect.  But we grind to a halt in human relations, in kindness in caring for one another.  The atrocities in the world on a micro and macro scale are horrifying and we need help.  We need saving grace to lift us up. We pray for the millions displaced by war and greed of money or ideology. We pray to let the people of the land live in peace. AMEN

Dear God,      Sometimes we feel like  threads in a weaving, but not just one thread, rather, many threads all at once.  We are threads of varying sizes and colors thrust into the warp of life. We try to keep track of where we are going and what we are doing in the fabric. It is not easy, God. We need help in this weaving.  We sometimes think we can do it on our own, but, eventually, we find out that we can't.  You are the master weaver. Help us to keep track of ourselves, and the manner in which we interact with other threads. AMEN

Dear God,     The song birds usher in the day, even before the sun appears.  Do they know it is coming? I guess they have infinite faith and are part of the rhythms of our world. May we have the trust of the songbird so that our song might rise in unison with your love. May we be part of this great cycle of life, knowing that, yes, it will turn out well.  You hold our song in your hands and the melody in your heart. We trust. AMEN

Dear God,     Sometimes we are so weary, our eyes close and our mind drifts into a white fog. We are filled with sadness and despair and can't find the energy to light a candle or push away the gloom.  We mutter a single word of prayer, "Help," and collapse into your mercy.  We hope that others are praying for us. Be with us, Lord, in our distress. Save us so that we might smile and live in joy, another day. AMEN

Heavenly God,    Your Spring has fallen on us with a sodden grey flop of morning light. We shake ourselves and the flowers spring from the earth in yellows and whites.  A rebirth of the land and a renewal of the Spirit. We flush ourselves in clean flowing water of love and feel the embracing of renourishment.  New songs of glory and anthems of praise fill us and are launched from our breath  like rainbows flying. The rhythms of the cosmos are surely the tendons of your body and the laughter from your mouth. AMEN

Dear God,    For precious memories that have  fastened themselves to our being, like pitons on a rock wall;  they help us cling to meaning and eternal hope.  For love that has gathered our soul in a basket of grace and carries us through the winds of life.  For our dreams that blaze before us, reaching out to us with fingers of opportunities unrealized.  In the countless moments, memories and reflections of our day, we give you thanks. AMEN

Dear God,    We pray that you see us with forgiving, loving eyes.  Wipe away our blemishes and soot covered limbs. Sweep the cobwebs from our mind and shake the dust from out of our heart. Straighten our fingers to do compassionate work and clean our blood so it runs in purity of purpose. And in the looking glass, may we see ourselves with your eyes of love, serenity, new vision and endless hope. Thank you God. AMEN

Awesome God,      Zap us with a sense of awe.  Ignite us with wonder.  Take us out of the mundane and boring and inflame us with a passion for life and breath.  You have filled the earth with small miracles of light and dark and shape and form.  Before our eyes, creation is born, lives and dies in a cast shadow and a reflection of the spirit.  We lift our arms in astonishment and utter the hallelujah of praise. A holy AMEN.

Holy Lord,     Your Sabbath holds  us , hugging warmly our earthly selves in a spirit blanket of softest fleece.  Your candles glow softly and the music gently wraps our scattered thoughts, we relax and let go tensions, anxieties and fears.  In choosing your Sabbath we are chosen to recognize comforts and blessings.  May we release stress and allow your healing balm to clothe us, making us well and whole. AMEN

Dear God,     Sometimes we hear you saying to us, "Relax, you are trying to hard, going to fast, forcing your spirit to go places it does not want to go." We need to listen and follow your direction. Help us to calm our tattered spirit that is driven by the winds of culture and connect to the deep inner rhythms of our natural soul. Inner peace will follow if we but heed your voice. AMEN

Dear God,     The winds of morning light have brushed the trees into shaky shadows and risen puffs of clouds washing the sky clean.  Your creation is exploding in color and form.  We, each in our own way explore the new day.  There are possibilities to experience and our own potential  to shake loose from the doldrums of night. As creatures of your breath we find  our beating heart in the promise of grace and love. In beauty, let the wind blow and creation expand. AMEN

Dear God,    A thank you for small pleasures that slow us down and make us pause. Where are we going, anyway? A thank you for these points of interaction that seem insignificant but are the fibers of wood that make the tallest tree. May we take deep, long, slow breaths that wind like a lazy river and flow like the jet stream across the landscape of our lives. AMEN

Dear God,      In the interruptions of our thoughts and activities, may we find the ultimate in grace, those God moments that take us unawares.  Like a sparkle of light flashing through crystal, may our eyes open in wonder and we have an ahha,  moment of surprise and beauty.  In truth, God, may we be open to the unexpected and unanticipated, and not irritated. AMEN

Dear God,    Here, in the middle of the day we look back on who we have been since we greeted the sun.  We hope, it has been good, wholesome and filled with grace.  We look ahead to the rest of the day. If the first part has not been good, then we have another chance.  Wonderful thing about faith, God, we always have another chance. And as we look forward we are both hopeful and grateful for the opportunities. Make us a clean slate, God, a window filled with light. AMEN 

Dear God,     The pictures of our ancestors look at us with kindness and confidence.  We are encouraged before them to follow our destiny with dignity and pride.  We are encouraged to strive harder and make a difference in our world; a positive difference, we might add.  Perhaps, these ancient photos  were not thinking of us but we know that the ultimate reward is about loving well and so we see them loving us, and us loving them.  Just as our memories reach back to you and we know that you love us. In Jesus name we pray. AMEN

Creator God,     We slid into life, each in our own time, place and way.  An earthen manger is prepared for us.  We pray that love nurtures us and mercy feeds us. Born into hope and a vision of eternity, we long to live as the reflection of you, our God. Is the book of our life written by the choices we make or the pages we turn? We long for happiness and meaning and for the epilogue to read, Living happily ever after with the Lord God. AMEN

Dear God,    If we pause and listen, we can hear the rumblings of wisdom chants, deep in the bowels of the earth; those ancient hymns of cosmic breathing in the chaos. If we are very still, our feet will tremble and our heartbeat align with the chanting as we become one with creation.  For you formed us out of the mud, waters and winds of a borning song.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made and our blood is the rivers and our flesh the mountains and our cells the minerals of creation. We are the dust of stars and your hope for the future. In us, we pray, be. AMEN

Dear God,    May those who travel be in safety and security. May angels watch over them and guide and guard.  May those who need medical assistance find the blessings of aid and help.  May those who are anxious, stressed or fearful be comforted in the anointing oils of inner grace.  May we all know your presence, God, as sustainer of our lives, and spiritual direction of holiness and sacred worth. AMEN

Dear God,    Sometimes we realize just how blessed we have been.  Meaning to say, that we have so many comforts and good things that have happened in our life. Sure, there have been some hard times and difficulties, it is part of living in the garden, but wow, a quick life review reveals a multitude of comforts, and loving exchanges in our life. For many of us, it really has worked out in a beautiful way, and we are profoundly grateful and thankful. AMEN

Dear God,     Thank you for simple joys; the dancing flames and crackling fire, the cat licking its paw, the tentative steps of the infant, the oak leaves brown against the snow white.  Thank you for this beauty that makes us smile, lights up our eyes and gives pleasure. For the sunlight turning the dark into colors, for the smell of fresh coffee and baking bread, for the sound of laughter and a Beethoven symphony, for the taste of honey and the touch of a loved one's hand, we give thanks and pause in the recesses of our heart for this treasure trove of eternal grace. AMEN

Holy Sabbath. Holy Lord. God Most High.  Sacred day of being and becoming. May we be Holy. May we breathe in the sacred breath and exhale our failures and fears. Fill us full of your presence. Flow into our blood stream and enter our cells. Infuse our muscles, organs and bones in the freshness of new beginnings. Born anew, may our bodies be living sacrifices to you and our hearts be embraced by your spirit. "Be still, and know God." AMEN