MorningPrayer

Dear God,      When our reality is less than our hopes and dreams, bring our expectations into alignment while keeping alive our visions. When the drama unfolds with surprising, unanticipated endings, prepare us for the progression of surprise with inner strength and resolve. In your spirit, Jesus, the mystery of your life on earth, may we find renewal and transformation. AMEN

Dear God,       Sometimes we need a break; a time apart, a health and wellness day, a sabbath.       Sometimes we need time to just sit, read a book, bake cookies, pet the cat, walk the dog, plant a flower.        It is not always possible to have what we would like or even need, so maybe we can take a moment, a quick pause, a second in time and feel some refreshment.        Help us and be with us and work with us, God, to refresh, rejuvenate and reinvigorate in your Spirit of Holiness and your rejoicing. AMEN

Rejoice! Rejoice again I say! Leap for joy Sing loud praises The LORD is in your presence and delights in you! Give thanks, solemn thanks. Give thanks, happy boisterous thanks. Let us be in the world just as the LORD is in us. In wonder and mystery and awe and love. In grace we thrive in the house of the LORD forever. AMEN

Dear God,      Sometimes in the confusion and chaos, we can find an order of meaning and love. There seems to be a thread of energy that can be of peace. Even though we might feel disoriented and our senses overloaded we can know the diversity of creation, and relationship. Help us to sit bac and be receptacles without judgment or bias as we participate in the ongoing raveling and unraveling of these threads of life. AMEN

Dear God,       Today, may we have a happy thought, whistle a happy tune, smile with sincerity and bring joy to others. In so doing, may we feel the wonder of happiness coursing through us and may our own spirit soar.  May we brighten the day of someone who is downcast and bring hope to the forlorn. May we be the mirror of your love for us and the reflection of your grace. AMEN

Hey God,      I wondered about the wisdom of getting out of bed today:  If we do, then mistakes could be made, our muscles might get sore, we would use up resources like food and water, we might have to make decisions and face consequences, it sounds like a lot of work and effort...      And then the dog jumped on the bed to go out, the cats started running and clawing, the roosters crowed, the donkey brayed, the sun shone in the window, the phone rang, and...      Well, wish us luck with the day, and stick with us, O.K. AMEN

Dear God,     Help us with our kindness skills that will make a difference in the world around us.  We need the patience of listening and the art of reflecting.  We need the wisdom of response and the joy of goodness. We need the love of empathy and the virtue of compromise. Above all, we need the example of Jesus and the grace of you, our living God. AMEN

Dear God,      Sometimes we feel like a kite pushed about by a fickle wind; directionless and purposeless.  Sometimes we are filled with direction and purpose, a catamaran on a rising sea propelled forward faster than the wind. Whatever our state of mind and our desire and plan, may be, we pray for momentum and wisdom in the form of the Holy Spirit who gives us life, breath and love. AMEN

Dear Holy Lord,     For those of us in need of healing, flow into us like a rush of fresh spring water.  Pour through us like a mountain stream alive and vibrant in the morning sun.  Wash us clean and purify us in your spirit. May we pause in our flight and be still in your presence.  May we hold the hem of your garment as you give us a drink that lasts forever and from which we will never thirst again. In your mercy and grace, AMEN

Dear God,      As hard as it might be, may we do no harm in our journey through life.  And if we have done harm, and we probably have, may we be forgiven of our actions, either intentional, unintentional or by omission. And as we are forgiven, might we forgive ourselves and also forgive those who might have harmed us.  For, we know, God, that life is sometimes difficult and the way forward is a maze and a swamp of difficulties and decisions.  Be with us in our journey as guide and guard, AMEN

Dear God,     May we participate in the Kingdom of God as good servants of justice and mercy.  May our thoughts, words and deeds be true to the life of Jesus and the way of the kingdom.  May we be guided by the Holy Spirit as we walk in the beauty, truth and harmony of the kingdom of love. Take away our false ambitions and dark side, O God, and make us pure vessels/ AMEN

Dear God,      Thank you.  So many of us are fortunate and blessed.  We have freedom of faith and freedom of thought and we have space to be who we are.  Thank you for food that fills us full and for warmth of clothes and housing that keeps us comfortable.  Thank you for water clean and for air bright. Thank you for resources of mind and spirit that kindle in us imagination and creativity.  Thank you for the birds that sing and thank you for everything.  Let us not take anything for granted. AMEN

Dear God,      Can we catch a rainbow, the vision of light dancing through the air in energy, color and imagination.  Can we ride that power on the way to the sun or to another dimension in time and space. In the fleeting mystery and wonder of that bow in the sky can we live in beauty and harmony.  Can we float like light, ourselves, moving gracefully through time and adding hope to all we meet.  Let us, then, be part of a reality of love that embraces heaven and earth in eternal light. AMEN

Dear God,      Like snowflakes floating earthwards and winter leaves falling from trees, so our life is often up in the air, free-falling, drifting.  But yet, the gravity of your existence is pulling us towards you.  The power of your presence is drawing us nearer to your being.  What we experience as falling is actually a movement into your love.  Sway us gently on the Holy Spirit and bring us safely into your grace. AMEN

Dear God,     In the daily living of our lives and in the flowing of our hopes and dreams; may we be humble in our successes and learn from our failures.   Help us to understand that there is no tragedy in our lives that is bigger than your vision and will for us. May our spirit be vibrant and our soul be strong in the unfolding of this drama. Infused with your love and living in your grace, may we be peaceful in the midst of the unknown.  AMEN

Dear God,      Here and now, we see, hear, smell, touch, taste and know. We pause. The sky blue has fallen on us  in glowing light spilling off the high arched trees.  The cats whisper on silent feet, the dog stirs. The fire warms the still air of the room, red tongues licking and tasting. Brewed coffee coasts steadily into our awareness. We pause, eyes closed and know you are here. Always near. Is that music in our mind or our heart?  The Alleluia of praise. AMEN

Holy Lord,      Let us pause, here, now, quietly in the stillness of our breath and smile within the sanctuary of your presence. Let us be still and know you.  May you saturate our thoughts and consume us with a holy burning before we step forth and be vehicles of your activity. We are prepared for the intimacy of your desire for us and we are prepared to be lovers of you in return. May serenity and grace be ours. AMEN

Dear God,      Help us to believe in ourselves as people of your wisdom, strength and purpose.  Clear away the underbrush of doubt and let us be a pristine forest of clear growth and life abundant. May the thorns and vines that ensnare and tangle us, be burned away in the fire of your Spirit as we are clarified with new understanding and faith in the cause of justice and righteousness.  May happiness and blessing follow us and our loved ones, all the days of our life. AMEN

Dear God,      Wherever we are, help us to pray for the highest and the best. We can reach out of ourselves and into the beyond and speak to you about the dreams that are shared and visioned.  Whether we are in a nursing home, a monastery, a restaurant, a crowded busy workplace, our yard, a mountain, our car, or in our chair by the fireplace, we can bring our love to bear on the world about us. We refuse to live with pessimism and we believe that you, O God, are in charge.  Your will shall bring new things of brilliance and love into being.  In your grace, we live and breathe. AMEN

Dear God,   An old prayer to remember and reflect: Let us be emptied.... Let us be centered... Let us be filled... let us be opened... In your truth and love. AMEN

Dear God,      As we reflect upon our past, we see a life patterned like a crazy quilt; the people and events of our minds sewn together in a pattern both random and sublime.  Our memories and the individuals who make up our history are stitched and blended in contrast and unity to form our present.  Let us be grateful and thankful for the quilting of our lives and as we continue to piece the quilt, might we do so with thought and love. AMEN

Dear God,      May we walk in goodness and beauty.  May the scent of lemon and roses float from our journey and may we be the bearer of angels singing and harps playing.  May our eyes scatter rainbows and sunsets magnificent across the skies and may we fold our hands in awe at the night sky shimmering and twinkling. May our taste buds offer the hope of fresh baked bread and our minds the vision of broken chains and equal rights.  In all things, O God, may we be in your image and be the servants of Jesus, AMEN

Dear God,      Moving mountains is not something we do very well, in fact, speaking for myself, I have not moved any lately.  But I have climbed a few and with effort, I have moved some small hills of dirt.  I have been prayerful about some of my concerns and sometimes I feel better and maybe progress is being made, a shovelful at a time.  But I guess, we will leave mountain moving to you, and continue in our prayers and our hopes.  We pray that our visions are in alignment with yours and that your sight might be ours. AMEN

Dear God,      Our earth is big and our universe endless.  We wonder sometimes how important we might be.  I guess, within our own very small community we have significance, but even that is fleeting. And yet, you have given us life and here we are.  There is something so very precious about that fact and so unique about each one of us that we do quiver with anticipation. So, we choose a life of thanks and praise, of compassion and service.  We choose meaning and you, our God. AMEN

Holy God,       In our prayer may we close our eyes and listen to the still hush of the universe breathing.  In the center of our chest attend to our breath and our heart. Whisper to us the sounds of life in our lungs and the beating of our heart of ages, the magic and the mystery of your being in us.  May the Holy Spirit fill our spirit and attend to the delight of our souls. For truly, we are vessels of your infinite presence and vehicles of your eternal love. AMEN

Dear God,      Let us be part of the rhythm of life, the segmented spiraled chambers that live in harmony and support of one another.  May each of us be a cell connected to the world around us, aware of our independence but also awakened to our dependency on each other. Help us, God, to live in this  unity of purpose and meaning so that we might end conflicts and divisions and give and receive life to one another. AMEN

Dear God,      There are times when we are beaten down by worry or grief.      Times when our shoulders sag and our sighs loudly speak our pain.      Times when we are wasted and hopeless and without prayer. At such times, O God, we cast ourselves at your feet, we grab the hem of your garment, we implore you to save us.  Be merciful to us, O God.  Have compassion upon us and save us from ourselves and a cruel fate. We truly do worship you, give you praise and offer thanks. AMEN