MorningPrayer

Dear God,      Sometimes we are too worn out and weary to pray. We struggle with direction and purpose  and we fall short.  We attempt solutions and decisions and question what we do and what we say.  Our sin is before us and we cannot escape. Only in you is there hope and redemption. Only in you can we find a pathway through the wilderness to a sanctuary of grace. Be with us,Lord, in our struggle. AMEN

Loving Creator God,     The blue and yellow of sky have fallen on brown earth and tree, immersing themselves in the soil and fiber and emerging fresh green. Born into newness, life explodes about us in joyuous abandon and righteous laughter. What miracle is this that you have sown so that we may reap? What wonder of angelic harmony unifies our  earth and leaves us gasping to catch up? Is it possible that we too, may be born fresh and alive once again? Is it possible that we also might be unified and breathless in oneness? In hope for the vision our souls await. AMEN

Dear God,      We have searched for justice and have found injustice. We have searched for love and have found hatred.  We have searched for courage and have found fear. We have searched for forgiveness and have found bitterness, We have searched for peace and have found revenge.  Is there a table of healing for our world, O God? Are we capable of wellness, wholeness and caring for one another in the midst of our own personal demons?  Even in you, God, have we split ourselves in pieces of theology and conflict. We have searched for  unity and harmony and have found divisiveness.  We need a healing touch of newness. We need  gentleness and breath of your creative harmonizing impulse. We need Jesus in our midst. AMEN

Dear Lord,     Morning has broken on a new day, a new possibility a new song to be sung.  A changed world is a vision and a hope. A changed self is a reality of newness and grace. Caught up in your love we rise again and again to confront a world of sin and grief. We are empowered by you to fly like the angels and to dream and chase the clouds of potential. In your image we dress ourselves in clothes of the morning and nourished by body and blood we plunge into life full of faith. AMEN

Lord God,  If any be in darkness, may they soon be in light. If any be in despair, may they soon be in joy. If any be in illness may they soon be in wellness. If any be in doubt may they soon be in knowledge. If any be in confusion may they soon be in clarity. If any be in hopelessness may they soon be in faith. If any be without you, may they soon be with you. AMEN

Dear God,     Today we remember the walk of Jesus to the cross and his death.  He was unwilling to sarifice his principles and was, therefore, killed by the powers of the day.  Help us with our principles. May we be fueled by knowledge and wisdom and grow in strength.  May our faith help us walk in your  compassion as members of the Kingdom of your Love. As Jesus ws open and accepting and expressed truth, might we do so likewise. AMEN

Dear God,    Quietly, without fanfare the sun rose. No dogs, no roosters, no red,  just a gentle hushing of the darkness and then, discernment. Sometimes, if we are very still and our pulse is slow then we know simple things, serene things, obvious things. In that time of whispering and silence, you nudge us into truth and understanding. Help us to be in the center of ourselves where you speak and we know. Jesus knew. AMEN

Silent Holy God,     Sometimes, you are quiet and we can't discern your will or know your way.  We pray in the confidence of your presence and unconditional love. We whisper and shout in the tradition and experience of our knowing, finding our way through faith and  belief.  You have taught us, O God, what is right; to love justice and to walk in kindness and to know that we are all one in your grace. In Jesus we pray, AMEN

Dear God,     We awake once again to the sounds of terror and of self-righteousness that values only ones beliefs and not other lives. Creating conflict is surely wrong, but the taking of innocent lives must be hideous in your sight.  Teach us, O God, the gentle art of loving kindness, of acceptance and understanding, of giving and caring for one another. Let us be creators of harmony and peace as imaged in the Kingdom of Jesus' loving mercy. AMEN

Dear God,     The Maple sap is flowing, the daffodils are glowing, the wind is blowing and the seeds are for sowing.  It must be Spring, a time to hurry up creation but to slow down ourselves.  A time to sit and watch the grass grow and the flowers churn the soil and the bees motor the land. A time for quiet thanks and gentle humming and exuberant praise. A time to recognize bliss and center oneself in the moment.  This is the time, God. Now. AMEN

Dear God,         Our faith memories march into the Holy City.  Loud voices and excited movements portray hope, joy and even victory.  It is a Hosanna moment in time.  Our lives are often like that, filled with exclamation points to be followed by run on sentences dragging us into he dust of  the street. Be with us in the highs and lows, O God.  Let us never lose the memory of the joy and the hope for another victory. Fill us with your imagination and creative pulse. AMEN

 Creator God,    Holy is your name.   You are a giving blessing Lord who provides for us from the fabric of space and delivers us into the grace of forever.   Holy is your name and in awe we sit in silence.   Forever with us in our trials and temptations, you deliver us and give us safe passage into the light of your love.    Holy are you.   We abide with you  and long to know you as you know us.    Holiness is your nature, and we shall live in yo forever. AMEN    

Holy Lord,       In our diversity, we are united in the flash-dance of creation.  Our atomic roots run underground, part of the cosmic flare, connecting us to the universal Christ and creating who we are. The sounds of your silence echo in our heartbeat and your love flows in our veins. Surely we are "fearfully and wonderfully made." Embrace us, O God, and empower us to  be vehicles of your compassionate grace.  In Jesus we pray. AMEN    

Dear God,      Sometimes our past is like distant mountains, hazy and undefined, recognized but not looming.  Sometimes it overtakes our senses like a pack of snarling, barking dogs or a sun that hits our face with blazing force. May your Spirit be a healing force that saves us from our past of sorrows and disappointments. In your Holiness may we experience that grace which cleanses and saves so every dawn is a fresh start and every day an adventure into creative loving exploration. AMEN

Dear God,      In the fires of the dawn, burn away the dead wood of our life that slows our progress. Refine us in the purest of flames so we might be cleansed and healed of imperfections.  We don't expect perfection but we do desire liberation so we can be whole, well and live in the shalom of the world. May the heaven of the Kingdom be our goal as we live as vehicles of  infinite love and vessels of eternal grace. AMEN

Dear God,      Raise us from the mud of base negativity, and give us the breath of spirit filled optimism and hope. May humanity triumph as creatures of respect, kindness and compassion.  May our imagination and creativity lift us into art forms of beauty that harmonize the universe and the quilt of human aspirations. Surely, God, we are capable of loving kindness and of living as vessels of your image and grace. Surely. AMEN

Holy Lord,      The morning mist shrouds our minds and we can't see truths beyond our knowing.  Give us wisdom to  penetrate our fears and the darkness of our inexperience. Open our hearts to new understanding and  may the fog of our past not block the sight of new horizons.  In our innermost being, we long to let go and be explorers of the spirit. Come Holy Spirit.  AMEN

Dear God,     "As the crow flies" is not very far from us to you and wholeness of being.  But we can't move that way. We  must trudge through the mud, around ravines, over mountains, cross rivers, searching for water, food and safety.  The journey is arduous, perilous and very human.  We are creatures of mud with spirits that long to soar. We are grateful for our guide in this journey, Jesus of Nazareth, who at journeys end, was proclaimed the Christ. Thank you. AMEN

Dear God,       What strengths must we possess in order to be ordinary? What courage must we have in order to be extraordinary?  What  fears must we face and dispel in order to transcend and transform?  You, our God, shall be our strength and our courage.  We shall lean on you and you shall  hold us upright in compassion and love.  Your grace is sufficient for us. AMEN

Dear God,     In the dark of the early dawn, we gather the sounds of awakening around us like the smells of fresh rain and coffee brewing.  Our eyes open to the breath of possibility and the familiarity of old visions  passing by. We touch the fragrance of fresh soap and taste the aroma of joy. Set free in your world, God, we pause in the blessing and give thanks and praise. AMEN

Dear God,      May we be worthy of your dreams for us.  Take away our base nature of shame and sin and give us a new vision of ourselves. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others. Help us to grow in beauty and truth with one another, for we have often fallen short.  May our knowledge and experience make us wise as we help the Kingdom to grow as a place of peace, joy and justice. AMEN

Dear God,    Enlightenment is a worthy goal; to go to the top of the mountain and be transformed, filled with light and infinity. We pray to be Christ like and live in the simplicity of harmony and balance as we traverse the contours and conflicts of the valley. Be with us in our daily walk. May we walk in beauty and be filled with peace. Hear our prayer, O God. AMEN

Dear God,      Consider laughter, the gurgling of sound and spirit rushing up from our inner core and tumbling across our mouth, face, eyes and hands. Like a spring of Holy water, let us be in the joy of creation and of our opportunities. May the flow of our laugh and wonder irrigate and nourish barren spaces and bring new life to the soil of humanities craving. Like Jesus offering the cup of life, may we be. AMEN

Dear God,      The day comes when we need to wrap our prayers around us like a cloak of compassion.  We have fumbled in the dark and stumble on questions without answers. Our pain grows and we freeze in the cold of heartache. Cloak us in your warmth, O God, and warm our concerns away. We shed them like an old cloak and stand up in your presence, freed and clear of mind and heart. Your prayer shawl embraces us and we live. AMEN

Dear God,     The winding day has wandered away and we have raced to catch it.  And then, wonder of wonders, when we sat down it suddenly appeared and smiled.  You are a sometimes sneaky God, aren't you, just waiting for us to be still and then popping out with a gentle, Amen.  So, we promise to pause with you, maybe tea and cookies and a slow breeze and blue sky. " Be still, and know that I am God." AMEN

Dear God,      Your community of saints has embraced life in the vision of Jesus; a Kingdom of seekers living in mystery and joy as the face of your loving kindness. We require constant updating and attention. Delete the files that no longer are relevant and upload new Holy Spirit inspired pathways for our participation in the Kingdom of your compassion. Following Jesus we live. AMEN

Holy Lord,     In silence, let our minds be. Like flowing heat and rising steam may  our hearts gently coast.  May our breathing be like the eagle floating on mountain thermals and our blood run clean and pure in its course. In  your presence, then God, may we be for you have culled us from the earth and sky and shaped us in hope and love. In grace of Jesus, then, let us live. AMEN

Dear God,      We examine ourselves in the face of creation's unfolding.  Are we like stars blazing across the void. Are we like  moss growing along the meadow pond.  Have we been kind and caring or caused harm.  Have we wounded or healed  kindred spirits. Has our footprint across the land reflected respect or negligence. Have we  striven for the highest and best. Lord, the time of reckoning is now.  We bow our heads in the shadow of the cross.  We pause. We are still. AMEN

Dear God,       There are times when we have failed others, forgive us for any pain we have caused.  But more importantly, hold fragile vessels in the palm of your hand and warm from the cold and heal the hurt. Then, enfold us all in the hope of a new dawn and a morning prayer that rises like spring flowers, nourished by the nighttime dew and the healing sun.  Help our souls to dance and our spirits to sing. Embraced by love, we can see the horizon of tomorrow. AMEN