Prayer 495

In silence we come before You, O God: abide with us, and speak into our hearts. Open our eyes to your radiance, O Lord of hosts, and our spirits to your truth. Give us open, steadfast hearts that we may grow in wisdom and in faith. Draw firmly within your embrace all who seek a deeper knowledge of You. Guide us into a holier way of living, that we may serve You throughout our day. Hear the prayers and thanksgiving of your faithful people, especially those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 494

Loving One, abide with us this day. Draw us into paths of wisdom and peace. Watch over those who are facing changes at this time, that the new chapters in their lives be filled with blessing. Give hope to those who falter and courage to those who waver. Help us to discern how we may be better disciples and how we may build your kingdom today. Inspire us through your Spirit to new devotion to your wisdom that we may be a holy people. Make us advocates for freedom and justice in service to others. Bless and defend those for whom we now pray, Lord Christ.

Amen.

Prayer 493- Ascension Day

Christ upon his throne- detail from a window at Christ Church Cathedral

(For Ascension Day)
Blessed Lord Jesus, you are our Shepherd and Savior: remember all those for whom you lived and died and rose again. Help us to spread your message of love, service, sanctity, and compassion throughout the world by our words and our deeds. Help us to be a testimony to justice and peace, and bind us together in the name of love, amity, and charity. Send the Holy Spirit to empower us to serve the weak and outcast and to make disciples of all who seek you. Through your example, let us unfailingly act with love and mercy, even to those who set themselves against us. Let us always be witnesses to your truth, and servants of your truth. Lifting our eyes to heaven, where you are enthroned in glory, we lift our prayers and petitions before You, Lord Christ, especially for those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 492- Rogation Day

From the parish garden that supports Trinity's food pantry

(For Rogation Day)
Creator God, who laid the foundations of the earth, and filled the sky with light both by day and by night, we ask that you bless us this day. Bless the fields, that they may thrum with the song of the diligent bees, who help make our harvests bountiful. Bless the skies, dappled with dawn, that they may bring forth sunshine and rain in good measure, sustaining the tender plants as they burgeon and bud. Bless our toil as we offer it up for the sustenance of your people, that we may gratefully care for the earth and for each other. Enclose us within your bounds, O God, and call us safely into your fold, especially those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 491

(Inspired by Matthew 13)
O Lord, let your word and wisdom be planted in our hearts to take root and flourish, to guide us and guard us in the paths of righteousness. Make our hearts a fertile field, not stony or thin but verdant and well-watered, for your teachings to take root. Let us guard our fledgling faith through hope and trust, and preserve it from being crushed under the heel of fear or insecurity. Like a blooming plant, let us turn our faces toward your radiance, and glory in the light of your countenance. Let us sink our roots deeply into your commandments, that we be knit together in love and faithfulness. Give respite to those who quail under oppression, and strengthen those bearing the weight of pain, anxiety, or sorrow. Comfort and shelter those who call out to you, in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Prayer 490- For Memorial Day

Almighty God, we face the rising sun with hope for this new day, filled with thanksgiving for your mercy and compassion. 

We remember those who have sacrificed their lives in the cause of freedom and justice: may our nation always strive to be worthy of that gift. We pray for those who have returned from battlefields wounded in heart, mind, or spirit: may we sacrifice for them to restore them to new life. Loving One, make of us a priestly people, dedicated to the belief that all are created equal and are precious and beloved by You. 

In your tender compassion, place your healing hand of benediction over those who are in danger, pain, or any kind of trouble. Succor those who thirst for peace, comfort those who are restless with anxiety, and bless those who mourn.

Amen. 

Prayer 489

Eternal Spirit, Holy God, we gather together as your people to give thanks for all our abundant blessings. 

May we bind our hearts and hands to love and serve each other and our Creator and Redeemer. Remembering our failures and determined to correct them, may we also forgive those who have hurt us, that we may be filled with love and light. May we see with new eyes the beauty of creation. May we lift up those who are oppressed and work for justice, freedom, and peace. May we be ever charitable and kind to those we meet, and compassionate to those who need our help. May we give freely of our time and talent to the building of your kingdom on earth. 

Hear now, O Loving One, our prayers and petitions, our thanksgivings and praises, as we lay them before You.

Amen.

Prayer 488

Starlit night, May 24, 2014

We give thanks to You, Creator God, as our hearts are drawn toward your radiant truth. You set the stars in their courses that their light may illumine the vastness of your creation. Guide us even in the darkest night by the light of Christ, our true North Star. Set us firmly within your kingdom, never to be shaken, as Polaris, Regulus, and Castor stand watch overhead to point us homeward. May we sing your praises of your mighty works as we ponder your love for us through all our days. Open the eyes of those who seek You to see that the blaze of your love burns brighter within the darkest night.

Amen.

Prayer 487

O God we come before You in prayer, for by prayer You turn our hearts, minds, and spirits to You. 

Blessed Christ, you are our anchor and our wings: in Your love we are confident to act in love to others. May we live this day as witnesses to the healing Spirit of the grace of God. May we receive that grace, regardless of our unworthiness, and the let the love of God restore our souls and refresh our hearts. 

Let all we do be blameless in your sight, O Holy One, and be an offering of love in thanksgiving for all our blessings. Heal the hurting and soothe the suffering, and let your peace fill the hearts of all for whom we pray.

Amen.

Prayer 486

God of infinite mercy, who has watched over us during the depths of the night, hold us in the hollow of your hand today. 

May we seek a deeper knowledge of You, Our Creator and our Shepherd, in all our thoughts this day. May we seek to discern how we may be better disciples and children of the Living God. May we watch out for each member of God's people, care for each other, and love each other as Christ loves us. 

Drawn into the embrace of Christ, who spread his arms of love to encompass all, let us be brave enough to love that freely. Give rest to those who are weary or broken-hearted, O God, and give healing to those whose past continues to haunt their present and their future. In your compassion, bend near to those in pain, anxiety, or suffering, Precious Lord, and welcome those who trust in You.

Amen.

Prayer 485- For the end of the school year

God of infinite wisdom, draw us into your courts today. Guide our students and our children to love You, and help us to guide them and nurture them in the paths of righteousness, compassion, and grace. Look with favor upon all parents and teachers as they prepare their students for the end of the school year. Give our children a thirst for knowledge and a desire to build an education for themselves, that they may serve You and your people. Make us grateful witnesses to all the blessings we receive. Make strong our hearts for the days ahead, Lord Christ, and bear us up on the wings of faith and hope. Help us to see each challenge as a door to opportunity to grow in faith and love.

Give your blessing to all who call to You, Loving One, especially those we now name.

Amen. 

Prayer 484

O God of unfailing love, we praise and bless You for bringing us out of darkness into the light of morning. Send your angels to watch over us this day, and strengthen us for the work You have given us to do. 

 Forgive us our failures and weaknesses, especially for failing to forgive the failures and weaknesses of others. Let us never set ourselves above our sisters and brothers, but seek to serve them in constancy and compassion. Drive far from us all hardness of heart, but instead embolden us to be fools for the love of Christ. 

Remember all those who come before You this day, and welcome them as sheep of your fold who seek their Shepherd's call. Dry the tears of all whose hearts are broken, or who struggle with fear, doubt, or pain. Soothe the afflicted, Lord Christ, and bear up the weary upon wings of hope. 

Secure in your steadfast mercy, make your face to shine upon those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 483

Scott with two of his godparents at his confirmation.

Most Holy God, thank You for bringing us together as your people, knit together by one hope, one faith, one baptism. Thank You for the gift of love in family, friendship and community, a foretaste of the heavenly banquet for which we pray. 

Awaken us from our foolish tendency to forget that You are God, and we are yours. Open our eyes to see your path, even when we think we are in trackless wastes or adrift in a sea of turmoil or doubt. 

Protect us from all, both within and without, that could cause us to stumble. Help us admit our sins, our pride, our anger, & our folly, for You always embrace those who repent & turn back to Love. 

Seal into our hearts your wisdom and your truth, that we may have life more abundantly and be a blessing to all we meet. Consecrate us to your service, that all we do may be to the glory of your Name as we walk out among our fellow men and women. Help us to live lives that sing out a testimony to your goodness, mercy, and abundant love. 

Remember these, your servants for whom we pray, and all whose cry is to You alone.

Amen.

Prayer 482

Window in Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis

Fountain of All Blessing, we come to your sanctuary to honor You and bless You for your call to us to be your people. Let your courts ring with our songs of praise and common prayer as we seek to be disciples of your Son our Savior. 

You have called us to unity, justice, and peace: let us labor with joy in the vineyards of the Lord. 
You have given us abundant love and called us to abundant love: let our hearts always be generous to our brothers and sisters. 
You have sealed us as your own forever: let us praise the grace which You have poured into our hearts until they overflow. 
You have healed our pain and bound up our wounds: let us bring your light into the darkness. 
You have encircled us with arms of forgiveness and comforted our fears: let our lives be testimony to the power of your Spirit. 

Hear our praises and prayers, our invocations and our alleluias, as we bring them before your glorious throne.

Amen.

Prayer 481- For consecration

My son Scott confirms his faith, surrounded by (from right to left) his sister, his grandmother, his godmother, his godfather, and clergy of our parish and diocese.

Loving One, we turn our faces with joy to the rising sun, thankful for your watchful love over us during the night. We have hope in the love of God, who is the Father and Mother of All. 

Be with your servants this day, O Lord, who come before You to again express their faith in You and their love for your people. 

Let us resist evil and persevere in good, and seek forgiveness when we fall from the path You have set before us. 

Let us all continue in discipleship, fellowship, communion, and prayer. 

Let us all seek to serve God in all persons and in all our ways. 

Let our words and actions proclaim our love for God through the gospel of Jesus Christ, and may we be inspired by the Holy Spirit. 

Let us love each other and all persons as images of the Divine, as Christ before us, beside us, and behind us. 

Let us work for peace through justice and equity, and never turn away from those who seek our aid.

O Loving One, place your hand of blessing and consecration upon these for whom we pray.

Amen.  

My son Scott prepares to be confirmed with Bishop Wayne Smith on May 17, 2014.

Prayer 480

Almighty One, we bless your Holy Name: turn your face toward us as we bow before You! Let us sing praises to our God and Creator as long as there is breath in our bodies. 

What are we that you should take notice of us? We are your beloved children, and we rest within your love. You have chosen us since before time: let us be as steadfast in our love for You as You are for us. 

Therefore let us love one another as sisters and brothers of the Holy One, and be knit together in amity and peace. Consecrate us to your service, and let our hearts always be set upon You and your manifold gifts. 

Give your angels charge over those who work, or watch, or weep this day, O Loving One, and pour out your blessings upon those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 479- For reconciliation

Almighty God, we thank You for forgiving us through the gift of grace for all our sins, missteps, and mistakes. 

We thank You for being with us when we ourselves have been hurt by that actions of others. Shield those who continue to suffer in body, mind, or spirit from wounds inflicted upon them. Heal them by Your immeasurable love that they may allow peace and forgiveness to take root in their hearts. 

Redeem those who have fallen into sin, anger, and violence, and bring them into the light of truth. Lead us into reconciliation with those we have hurt, and with those who have hurt us, that we may find serenity within us through your redeeming compassion. Place your hand of blessing upon all who rejoice this day, for your blessings are manifest. 

Lift up those who are anxious, mournful, or suffering, Loving One, and seal them as your own.

Amen.

Prayer 478

Loving God, spread the tent of your protection over us today. Guide us with your loving, almighty hand that we may walk in your paths with integrity. 

We fervently thank you for our abundant blessings: help us to spend our time numbering them rather than our worries. Bring us within your enclosure, that we may abide there forever, rejoicing that we are your own. 

Embrace us, Loving One, despite our manifold faults, for we seek to be worthy of You. Let our lives sing out a testimony of your love and faithfulness, your compassion and your forgiveness. Help us to speak in love, never in anger; help us to act with charity and forthrightness to all we meet today. 

Hear our prayers as we remember these, your beloved children, in their petitions and thanksgivings.

Amen.

Prayer 477- for Perseverance

Almighty God, we put our trust in You: we come before You in faithfulness and joy. Cleanse our hearts of all wrong desires, and let our motives be pure and blameless in all we do. Help us when we are confronted by those who wish us ill, or who refuse to do what they should. Help us to act with justice, and balance righteousness with mercy. Let us always remember that You are beside us as a companion, behind us as a shield, and before us as a guide, O Christ. Lead us in the way we should go, and let us joyfully follow. Place your hand of restoration over those who are in anxiety, sorrow, or pain, especially those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 476- on the Beatitudes

(inspired by Matthew 5:1-10)
O God, You bless us in every moment, and uphold us by the strength of your Love: hear our prayer, for our hope is in You.
Bless those who work as your servants, for they have fixed their hearts upon salvation in each moment.
Bless those who are gentle and kind, for they draw others to You through their witness.
Bless those who hunger for a just society, for they seek to build the kingdom of God.
Bless those who demonstrate mercy and forgiveness, for they live out a life of Love and Charity.
Bless those who are innocent and childlike, for their hearts are always open to You.
Bless those who spread peace in their wake, for they call us to live as better people and children of your household.
Bless those who suffer for their faith, for their resolve will never be shaken.
Bless those who cry out to You, for they know that God will fulfill all their needs.

Prayer 475- Mother's Day

O Lord, we thank You for love made manifest in relationship with you and each other. As our Mother, You have created us and nurtured us, O God, and made us a home in your household. We thank you for mothers, and for all the women who have mothered us.
We thank You for mothers who have tended to our pains and soothed our fears.
We thank You for mothers who have sacrificed to make us who we are.
We thank You for mothers who love us even when they don't understand us.
We thank You for mothers who have answered a thousand questions with patience and humor.
We thank You for mothers who have done the best they could with little, to make us the best we can possibly be.
Help us to always treasure our mothers and those who love us, and never take for granted all that our mothers do for us.
Hear our dreams, prayers, and wishes, our fears and our concerns, O Loving One, and draw within your embrace those we name.

Amen.

Prayer 474: Mother's Day weekend

O Lord, we draw within the circle of prayer to lay bare our hearts before You. Thank You for loving us with the fierce and steadfast love of a mother, laying down your life for us. Thank you for blessing us with loving women in our lives, mothers of birth, mothers by choice, and mothers of the heart. Thank you for the chances we have to embrace others with the love of a mother: let us never hesitate to be compassionate and tender to those in our lives. Inspire us with your Holy Spirit that we may live out your call to love with joy and thankfulness.

Hear now, O Lord, our petitions and thanksgivings for those we now name:

Prayer 473: On the Good Shepherd

O Shepherd of Our Souls, we praise you and bless you for your saving help as we rise to meet this day. 

You are the gate to life eternal: let us dedicate ourselves to following You in all our steps. 

Let us listen to You call our names, and remember that means being quiet so that we may hear You. May we allow ourselves to be guided and protected, to be led by You, our Good Shepherd. Let us come to You so that we do not fall into trouble by wandering off on our stubborn way. Let us obey your call to love even when that thwarts our wish for power or advantage over others. 

We know that we can be confident that You are always with us, so we need never fear. Reach out your hand to those who have lost sight of You, Lord Christ, and remind them of your nearness.

Hear now, O Lord, our petitions and thanksgivings for those we now name:

Amen.

Prayer 472- Dame Julian of Norwich

(On Julian of Norwich)
O Nurturing One, You place us within the embrace of love and call us to know the love of Christ as a mother's love. 

Clothe us, Lord Christ, in love, that it may enfold us, embrace us, envelop us, and indeed never leave us. Our souls seek nothing more to abide within You forever: let us place ourselves at your command, and honor You with each breath. 

Keep us, O Loving One, as a hazel nut in your hand, for all that You have created is kept within your sight, and loved by You. Only in You, our Mother and Comforter, will we have all. 

Casting ourselves within your arms, O God, we abandon all our fear, for You are with us always. Draw within your mercy all those for whom we now pray.

Amen.

Prayer 471

O Shepherd, we thank You for leading us into this new day, and raise our thoughts to You in praise and thanksgiving. We give thanks for your mercy and compassion, O God, for replacing our crooked hearts with hearts filled with grace. Help us to name our blessings and press them close to our hearts. Make us upright and gentle through all our steps today, and guide us in the paths of kindness and empathy. Place your armor upon us in the face of those who seek gain over us, and help us to pray for those who oppose us. Let us always choose to build peace over strife; make us worthy of your Name and just and merciful in all our works. Through your wisdom, may we enter into the gate of peacefulness and rest secure in your embrace. Place your right hand of blessing, O Savior, upon those for whom we pray today.

Amen.

Prayer 470- For encouragement

(for encouragement)
We acclaim You, O God of Abundant Grace, and thank You for strengthening us and blessing us. You are our shade at noonday and the cooling breeze of blessing at night. Let us place our hand in yours, Loving One, as you call us each by name. We thank You for leading us to hope and blessing. We trust in You to protect us as the sheep of your sheepfold; may we always answer your call in the depths of our hearts. Hold us fast within your embrace, Brother Christ, that we may hear your words of wisdom and peace. May we live lives worthy of You, and always do what is pleasing in your sight. Soothe our anxieties by the power of the Holy Spirit, and bend near to us as we place all our cares before You.

Amen.

Prayer 469

Let us bless the Lord, who reigns in our hearts and calls us to faith and fellowship! Give us your grace, O Redeemer, that we may be animated by our desire to serve You in thought, word, and deed. Give us a heart for forgiveness and a spirit to praise You, for You have done mighty things for us. Give us humility to loving serve our brothers and sisters, neighbors and strangers, opponents and friends. Let us remember your cup of compassion and peace, and take our place at the table of fellowship. Give comfort to disquieted souls and aching hearts, O God, and soothe those whom we embrace in prayer.

Amen

Prayer 468- The Road to Emmaus

Walk with us, Lord Christ, that we may use
this life which, through you, we have been blessed.
Be with us before the rising sun;
be with us as we lay down to rest.

Be known to us who seek your wisdom,
be known to us as our guard and guide;
Be known to us as we break bread together,
shoulder to shoulder, and side by side.

Be known to us in every stranger,
in all who hunger or have no home
Be known to us who cry out for mercy-
in those whose hope is in you alone.

O Prince of Peace, You know our sorrows
You know our joys and you know our cares:
Abide with us who call out to you
as we lift our hearts to you in prayer.

Amen.

Prayer 467: Of Mercy and Kindness

O God, we ask for your blessing upon us, for You are the One who calls us into life and love. 

Awaken us from our hardness of heart, from our pursuit of vendetta and bitterness, from our assumptions about others' motives. Let us never try to react to others today in answer to wounds we suffered in the past. 

Awaken us from our patterns of thought that lead us to suspicion and malice. Let us forgive others as we ourselves cry out to be forgiven. 

Awaken us from our fears, that we may be a testimony to your saving love and universal redemption. Let us remember that as we are known You are known, for we claim to live under your banner. 

We worship You, the One who always has mercy and calls us into wholeness. We worship You, whose Son called us into life with You and your undeserved grace. Send your Spirit to heal and gentle us, O Ruler of Life.

Help us to love others as You love us, and hear the prayers we offer for those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 466

We acclaim You, O God and Ruler of our hearts, and draw near to You in faith and trust. You have called us forth to rise from our beds, and we turn our face to the rising sun. 

Let us be like the birds who sing dawn into the sky, joyful for whatever the day may bring. Let us stride forth into the day like a sower in a spring field, cultivating kindness and compassion. Let us drink deep of your Word and Wisdom, O Merciful God, and feed upon your steadfast love. For with You at our right hands we shall not fear or stumble: this is the day that the Lord has made, and we rejoice in it. 

We lift up our hearts as we lift up our prayers, and ask your blessing this day.

Amen.

Prayer 465

Glory and honor and praise be yours, O Creator and Redeemer! You have made us and preserved us through the depth of night, and we thank You. Hold us within your compassionate embrace, O Lord, and make your loving-kindness to shine upon us. Give us willing hearts for the work we have to do. Give us strength for the challenges that we encounter and wisdom to steer around the snares that may lie in our path. Give us an awareness of your mercies, that we may praise your blessings throughout our day. We lay our prayers and intercessions at your feet, Lord Christ: send your Spirit to hover over those we now name.

Amen.