A Prayer for Weary Travelers: Speaking to the Soul December 29, 2022

For all those in the midst of a travel meltdown

Beloved Savior, we come before you
seeking your grace and compassion this day:
we long for the weight of your hand upon us
as we seek to live into your witness of reconciliation.

Grant your protection
to all those who are lost, stranded, or alone.
Inspire your children to care for one another
in times of uncertainty and stress.
We thank you for those
who have shown compassion to the weary
and reassured the distressed,
caring for those who are far from home

Awaken us to your presence within us, Lord Christ,
that we remember that in your incarnation,
you remind us of our true nature and work:
to comfort the hurting
to stand alongside the oppressed
to reconcile the lost
to honor the dignity of all
to walk humbly and ever closer with our God.

Blessed Jesus, you taught us to pray and to listen,
to embody wisdom, peace, and virtue,
breathing forgiveness and mercy
in the renewal of life, holiness, and hope for all:
Today, may we set our feet firmly in this pilgrim path.

Bless and strengthen us in determination, O Messiah,
as we seek to witness to your light and truth,
and in your compassion pour out your comfort
upon those whose needs we bring before you.

Amen.

This was first published at Episcopal Journal and Cafe's Speaking to the Soul on December 29, 2022. Written after having to drive 1700 miles to rescue my daughter after she was stranded and abandoned by Southwest Airlines on Christmas Day.

Prayer, day 2532

O Lord,
you remind us that there is a time for everything:
let today be a time to love and a time for peace.
Let today be a time
to heal hurts of the body and hurts of the heart,
to mend what has been broken.
Let today be a time
to embrace our fellowship with You and with each other,
to build up Your Beloved Community.
Let today be a time
to speak out for justice,
to scatter the stones of ill-will
and plant compassion in their place.
Let today be a time
to keep watch with those who work or wait or mourn,
with those whose times are in Your hand.

Amen.

Prayer 2529: The Turning- A Prayer for New Year's Day

Beloved Redeemer,
we greet your new year with open hearts:
fill them with your grace
that we may reflect your beauty
before the world.

May we turn our hearts
to shake out all the pieces of broken dreams
and rusted, dull aches and resentments
to which we cling,
that we may replace them
with the hope of new life and light
to which you call us in the coming year.

May we turn our feet
from all the paths that have not served us well,
and dedicate ourselves anew
to living with integrity and generosity,
at one with your wisdom, O Loving Creator.

May we turn our faces
toward the light of your promise, O Savior,
trusting in your goodness and mercy,
and allow our souls to be warmed
by your gospel sun dawning within them.

May we turn our tongues
to singing out your grace and truth
picking up the thread of melody
that flows from your call to follow You, O God,
and amplifying your beautiful hymn of life renewed
that echoes in creation.

May we turn our shoulders
to the wheels of justice and peace,
and turn our hands to join with each other,
resolute in standing as a bridge of mercy
in the breaches and chasms
that rend us one from another.

Spirit of Abundant Grace,
sustain us in our turning to You;
hover over us and lead us,
bless us and keep us,
and grant your blessing to those for whom we pray.

Amen.

Prayer 2528

We lift our hearts to You, 
Mechayeh HaKol, 
O Giver of Life to All: 
through the gates of prayer 
we center ourselves within your light and wisdom,
and draw near to your mercy.

Teach us to treasure your paths
of faithfulness and unity, O Holy One, 
that we may make them our own. 
May we proclaim our fellowship and love of each other 
as a sign of our worship of You, O Light Eternal. 
May we walk together reverently upon the Earth,
and extol your glory revealed in all creation. 

May we seek to heal and repair our communities, 
and restore our respect for our common bonds 
as a testimony to your call to us, O God,
to live in community and companionship with each other. 

Accept our prayers and praises
as we seek to draw closer to You, O Holy One,
and grant your peace and blessing
upon those for whom we pray.

Amen.

Prayer 2527: For the Helpers

O Great Provider,
Beneficent and Compassionate One,
we lift up our hearts in prayer,
seeking to center ourselves in your mercy,
that we may be a blessing to others this day. 
You are the Ground of Our Being
and Source of Our Hearts:
we give thanks for your blessing and love. 

Merciful God, strengthen the helpers today: 
those who work for healing; 
those who seek to ease suffering and pain; 
those who comfort the lonely 
and stand alongside the abandoned; 
those who work for true peace 
founded on justice and equality; 
those who welcome the stranger and refugee;
those who live out their lives as love in action. 
And then, O Wisdom,
make us helpers, too.
For this is true worship:
to serve You and serve each other.

Each breath we take is a gift from you, 
O Creator and Redeemer. 
As faithful people, 
may we turn our intentions toward compassion. 
May we reflect hope against despair,
light against darkness,
and enlightenment against division and prejudice,
O Light of the World.

Holy One,
we know that you are with us and alongside us
in joy as well as in sorrow or pain:
grant that the blessing of your peace and presence
may be made visible to all,
especially as we lift up these beloveds to You.

Amen.

Prayer, day 2522: On Christmas Day

Most Holy Savior,
we bend the knee of our hearts before You,
and place ourselves at your command
in gratitude and joy.

May we make our hearts
a worthy habitation
for your love to live.
May we, like Mary,
bear you with joy into the world
for the light of the world.

May we serve you
with steadfast faith and hope
for the sake of the world,
revealing God's wisdom and truth.

May we be your hands and heart in all our ways,
and do your work of reconciliation with joy.
May we turn aside from all that separates us,
and remember that we are all children of God,
called to lives of compassion.

Blessed Jesus, place the hand of your blessing
on those we now name.

Amen.

The Song of the Shepherds: Sermon for Christmas Eve

It was surprisingly cold on the Migdal, or Tower, of Eder. It was normally windy and dry this time of year, but perhaps being up in the tower exposed us to more wind than we would have expected. The last lights of the houses in Bethlehem had faded out hours before, and it felt like we were the only people for miles around who were still awake. 

Nonetheless, I and my fellow-shepherds spent every night while we were on watch overseeing the flocks below from this tower, and so had fellow shepherds generations before us. This tower, after all, had been standing since before the days of Jacob and Rachel, our patriarch and matriarch. Rachel had even been buried near here, back when the town was called Ephratha. In fact, another term for this tower was the Tower of the Flocks—that’s how long the flocks had been pastured in the fields below.

After all, we watched not just any flock. These flocks were holy. The rabbis had set aside our flocks for a special purpose—these were the lambs that would be sacrificed at Passover, so they had to be without blemish or imperfection. We had to watch them especially carefully, therefore, and keep them clean with special soft cloths given to us by the priests, that we always carried with us.(1)

So we were passing the long hours of the night, shivering slightly in the wind, when suddenly the stars overhead seemed to whirl and spin. They danced so much, at first I thought I was getting dizzy and in danger of falling from the tower, and I gripped the parapet tightly—it was hard to tell if I wasn’t already leaning over. Or which way was up.

Then the heavens tore open like a curtain being ripped in two, and light like the sun at noonday dazzled us as a rush of noise broke over us like a wave on the sea. We were driven to our knees, with our hands over our heads. Yet, within seconds, the sound resolved into the most beautiful, most heavenly song of praise I had ever heard, but from no instruments from which I was familiar—and we often soothed the herds by playing the pipes and the lyre. Even I, the one who sang the most of all of us, had never heard such music. It entwined itself in my ear and in my heart, and even while I trembled I also marveled and rejoiced at such beauty.

And then! A terrible, yet beautiful being appeared in our midst. He shone with an inner fire that shimmered with colors of garnet, jade, jasper, carnelian, opal, and sapphire, yet also seemed whiter than salt. Surely, I thought, I was going to die—yet he turned his gaze to me and took in each one of us as we cowered, and I managed to gather my courage to look upon him.

“I AM the Angel of the Lord. Do not fear,” he said, in what seemed like the most ridiculous thing to say to anyone ever, and if we hadn’t been terrified, we might have laughed a bit hysterically. Instead, we were simply shocked into an awe-filled silence. Then he swept his arms open wide. The wind around us stopped, and a soothing, honeyed warmth began to spread through my bones, an abiding peace and calmness, and I felt more alert and alive than I had ever felt before. It gave me the courage to do as he said, and we all slowly got to our feet before him, although we still shielded our still-dazzled eyes with our hands as the light danced above us and around us.

He continued. “Again, do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Can anything good ever come from Bethlehem, I wondered? Its time of glory was long since past. And why would the angel of the Lord come to us, of all people, in the middle of the night, to announce the coming of the Messiah, the long-awaited king? Why wouldn’t the Messiah be proclaimed from palaces and even from the top of the Temple itself? I felt a surge of doubt sweep over me so strongly that I began to suspect I was having some sort of dream.

It was only then that I realized I had asked my questions out loud, and I feared I had angered the self-proclaimed messenger of God. Yet he merely continued talking. “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”

And with that final word, the angel rose overhead, and the parted curtain of stars into which he ascended was pierced by an army of winged cherubim and seraphim, singing a holy melody of praise as they zoomed and dipped in formation like a murmuration of starlings—yet rather than being black forms against a white backdrop, they were pure white against an inky expanse of sky such as I had never seen before.

And then, just like that, with glorious songs of praise resounding, in formation the heavenly host ascended back into heaven, and sky sealed itself back up. The stars again shone forth in their flickering constellations, but their light now seemed diminished and hesitant in comparison to what we had just witnessed. We all looked at each other, to make sure we had all seen and heard the same thing—and soon we were talking all at once, trying to make sense of our last few minutes together

We all agreed on the details we had just seen and heard, and we were shaken to our cores. Surely, we thought, lights would be blazing on in the town. Surely, the entire region had seen and heard the amazing things we had just experienced. Surely, we had totally forgotten about the sheep down below and they had scattered to the four corners of the earth is terror. We looked down, though, and the sheep were still placidly grazing or sleeping, head to butt in clumps down below, right where we had left them. It seemed like time had stopped, and then just resumed; the wind swirled faintly around us on the top of that tower, the sheep grazed on, but our understanding had just been completely altered forever.

“What just happened? What shall we do?” wailed Chaim, the youngest of us.

Isaac, the wisest among us and also the most quiet, raised his hand to speak, and when he had our attention, he stunned us. “The prophet Micah foretold what just happened when he wrote,

'And you, O tower of the flock, The stronghold of the daughter of Zion, To you shall it come, Even the former dominion shall come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.'”(2)

Isaac looked at all of us, and then continued, “If the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem, it would be announced from this tower, and the child should be in one of the cave-stalls that we sometimes rent out to shelter our sheep before driving them to Jerusalem.” We were stunned. But that made sense, and agreed with what the rabbis had explained to us in shul. 

 “The angel said for us to go. I think we’d better go,” declared Yossel, who was always the bravest (some could call him the most foolish and reckless among us). But his next words made sense: “If we don’t go, the messenger might come back, and I don’t think I could survive it.” Yet all of us couldn’t go, so Chaim volunteered to stay behind to watch the flocks. The rest of us clambered down the tower and headed into town.

As soon as our sandaled feet touched the ground, a misty, shimmery light shone down from heaven and danced before us, and began to lead us into Bethlehem. We walked past the shelter at the tower’s base where the ewes were kept when they were giving birth, and the light moved ahead of us toward town. This was actually the least incredible thing that had happened to us in the last many minutes, and so without even marvelling we fell into step with this light. When we slowed, it slowed; when we sped up, it sped up too.

Soon it came to rest near one of the caves we used near town—a place that also had rooms to rent as we waited to depart each spring for Jerusalem, and not far from the main road-- just as Isaac had predicted. We had to duck down to enter the cave, and as we entered, we heard the sound of sheep and cattle and donkeys—but also, the low murmur of voices: a man and a girl’s. Soon we saw them—a man, a young woman laying back against a bale of straw, not much older than a girl, really-- and there, in a feeding trough, was a newborn child, his brown, curly hair pressed down flat and moist against his forehead. The young woman started as she saw us, because she had been preparing to wrap the babe in her hijab, and her hair was uncovered.

But we couldn’t back out now. We hurriedly cast our eyes downward, but our gaze kept being drawn to the baby in wonder. It was just as the angel had said! We were rooted to the spot.

It was Rueben, the oldest among us, who figured a way out of our predicament. He reached into his pouch and drew out some of the linen cloths purificators that we used to keep the lambs clean. Keeping his eyes averted from the young woman, he offered the cloths to the man. “For the baby,” Rueben whispered. And the man knelt down next to the young woman, and they swaddled the baby in the cloth strips weaving them snuggly until the child was wrapped securely against the night.

The baby, soothed, opened his eyes and looked right at us. His parents motioned us closer. His eyes were clear as the centuries, and the light of the angel host that had accompanied the announcement of his birth danced and swirled across his dark pupils. I felt all the weight of care and want and fear leave me. Just the brush of his gaze against me healed the broken places within my very deepest being.

In the stillness, as we gazed at each other, we heard an echo of that heavenly song of praise. Hosannas faintly swirled overhead. Then he turned into his mother’s arms and drifted to sleep. Could this truly be the Messiah, the longed-for savior and rescuer anointed by God to reign over Israel?

Yes. This is the lamb of God, we breathed to one another. That’s why he was announced to us, lowly shepherds that we are. Here was the true lamb without spot or stain. And we knew that this holy child would show us the way of peace. The way of truth. The way of shalom—of contentment, of wholeness, and well-being. The way of life eternal, right now.

We looked at each other in wonder, shepherds and parents, and then introduced ourselves. Together, we told the parents how we had been drawn here and what we had seen and heard, even as we knew we must sound insane.

Yet instead of disbelief, they nodded, and greeted our tale with one of their own. They told us how they, too, had been visited by angels and led by miracles and wonders to this place and this time.

Soon, Isaac prodded the rest of us. Surely, the new family needed rest. We promised to bring them food and more cloths when we could. Since our own shelter as shepherds for the temple flock was not any better than this cave, that was all we had to offer. And with that, we backed out of the cave and headed back to the tower just as dawn began to glow in the east.

Yet even as we left and returned to our tower, that song stayed within us. And we began to sing our way through the night—singing out the glory of God, echoing as best we could that song of praise. This was now our mission: to share that song of wonder, to announce the marvels we had seen with our own eyes. To proclaim to the world the coming of the Holy One of God. That song echoed within us even through the coming years. 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 Won’t you join us? Join us, even in our wonder and praise, in proclaiming the light that has come into the world! Join us in carrying that wonder, love, thanksgiving, and praise and sharing it with the world. Tell out the story of God’s love made visible, come for the sake of us all, as the poet proclaimed about us:

The Shepherds watch their flocks by night,
Beneath the moon's unclouded light,
All around is calm and still,
Save the murm'ring of the rill:
When lo! a form of light appears,
And on the awe-struck Shepherds' ears
Are words, of peace and comfort flowing
From lips with love celestial glowing.
Spiritual forms are breaking
Through the gloom, their voices taking
Part in the adoring song
Of the bright angelic throng.
Wondering the Shepherds bend
Their steps to Bethlehem, and wend
To a poor and crowded inn:--
Tremblingly their way they win
To the stable, where they find
The Redeemer of mankind,
Just born into this world of danger,
Lying in an humble manger.
And they spread abroad each word
Which that joyful night they'd heard,
And they glorified the name
Of their gracious God, Who came
Himself to save from endless woe
The offspring of this world below.(3)

Amen.

Preached at the 8:00 pm Christmas Eve service at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Ellisville, on December 24, 2019.

Readings:
Isaiah 9:2-7
Psalm 96
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-14(15-20)

Notes:
1. For a history of this theory, see https://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithwalkers/2012/12/was-jesus-born-away-in-a-manger-at-migdal-eder/
2. See Micah 4:8, at https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=444250871
3. Christina Rosetti, “A Hymn for Christmas Day,” at https://www.accuracyproject.org/t-Rossetti,Christina-Christmas.html

Prayer 1445- under the shadow of God's wings

Eternal One, in peace and gratitude we rise to praise You, giving thanks for your manifold blessings. 
You are our home and our strength, Lord Christ: May we ever behold the beauty of your creation, and sing out our wonder and joy.

May we see the works of your hands made manifest in the loving hearts we encounter, and be glad.
May we root ourselves in faith and hopefulness, praising your love throughout each day, uplifted by your Spirit.
May we be guided by compassion for all living things, and walk gently upon the earth and with each other.

Guide us and sanctify us, keeping us close under the shadow of your wings, reveling in the embrace of the Almighty. 
Pour out your comfort and strength over those who call upon You, especially those we now name.

Amen.

Named and Claimed: Speaking to the Soul, January 4, 2017

The Baptism of Jesus, Russian, 1780.

Last Sunday was New Year’s Day, a day in which the old year is gone, and we turn to hopes and promises for the year to come. Two years, the old and the new, touch for an instant, and then one recedes into the hazy shades of memory even as the other flickers to life and begins to wax bright. What’s done is done. A new year lies before us. Even if we think we know what may happen in that year, it remains true that there will be blessings we cannot possibly foresee. And so, it’s a time of hopefulness. The days imperceptibly lengthen, and for that we are grateful, even if winter has only just begun.

This year, New Year’s Day coincided with the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. We heard the story of how Jesus was brought by his parents to be circumcised and named in the Temple, according to the traditions of his ancestors going back to Abraham. In this scene, the baby is taken by his parents, named and claimed, the first-born son, given the name of Jesus: “God saves.”

The giving of the name is an important landmark: it is the accepting of the child as a member of the family. Even today, we still believe that the meaning of a name given to a child has power. Why else do expectant parents spend hours poring over baby name websites and books, if they’re old school? Certainly, the sound of the name is important, but the meaning carries weight, as well. When Mary and Joseph took the infant Jesus to the Temple, they were naming and claiming the child as a member of their household.

And then we come to this week’s gospel. In a mere blink of the eye, we see Jesus now this Sunday, a grown man approaching his kinsman John, asking to be baptized. John is scandalized by the request, yet Jesus insists. Down into the water he goes, and when he comes up, he is once again claimed and named, but this time by his Heavenly Father as the Spirit of God descends upon Jesus and alights upon him. “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus is revealed as God, what our Orthodox brothers and sisters call “theophany.” He is Jesus. And he is the Son of God. Both at the same time.

These two names reflect the two natures, the human and divine, that are themselves made manifest to us through two signs: the water and the Spirit. By these same two signs we ourselves have been baptized, named and claimed as beloved children of God as well. Hearing the story of Jesus’s baptism, I am drawn to marvel at the miracle of that grace which calls us and claims us, too, as beloved children of God. Just as Jesus did, we go down into the waters of baptism and then come up a new person, with a new, wonderful name: Christian. Christ-bearer. One who has been called to carry Christ and his light into the world, rejoicing. Come what will, we are named and claimed as children of Light, before which the darkness flees.

“Love comes down at Christmas,” the old carol proclaims. Love comes down at Christmas, and claims and names us as his own.

(This was first published on Episcopal Cafe's Speaking to the Soul on January 4, 2017.)

Prayer, day 1441

Leaves suspended in ice.

O God, our times are in your hand: may we use this day to build your kingdom and strengthen the hearts of those we meet.

May we be sources of contentment and peace rather than discord and sorrow. 

May we place your love always before our eyes, and seek to be worthy of claiming a place within your household. 

May we be disciples of your Son in deed and action, rather than through claims and empty words that turn to ash and smoke. 

May we not only enter into your temple as visitors, but invite you into our hearts, to dwell with you always. 

For You are our companion and guide and Source of All; we long for your embrace as a field longs for the caress of rain. With upraised hearts we lift our prayers to You, in hope and in faith, trusting in your limitless care and mercy.

Amen.
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Prayer 1442: for renewal and reconciliation

Blessed Redeemer,
Loving One, we thank You for welcoming us into this day, and keeping watch over us by night.
Renew a right spirit within us, that we may be reconciled with all creation, we pray.
Soothe our souls within your embrace, Lord Jesus: we rest upon your breast, and are content.
Take us by the hand, O Savior, and let us place our hearts within yours, abiding in grace and peace for ever.

May we walk the way of compassion and healing, for we know that goodness and mercy follow in your wake, Lord Christ.
Place your hand of blessing and power, O Holy One, upon us, and on those whom we now remember before You.

Amen.

Prayer 1441: The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ

The Holy Family. Source unknown.

Holy God, 
Father of All Mercies, 
Mother of All Kindness, 
we give You thanks for the Holy Name of Jesus.

Teach us to live and love
under the banner of your Beloved Son,
working to restore creation
from the hurt we have inflicted on it.

Lead us into unity
as we face forward into the New Year,
and turn to You, Lord Christ,
as our exemplar and guide.
Gather us
within the shelter of your arms
as we bear the name of Christ,
that we be holy and compassionate people.

Strengthen us in prayer and praise,
and receive our intercessions
which we lay before You
in hope and love. 

Amen.

Prayer 1440: Light in Darkness

Light in the darkness, Camp Phoenix, 2015.

Most Blessed Jesus,
we find our home in your embrace:
accept the prayers of our hearts.
Forgive us
for seeking to exploit
rather than heal
the needs and hopes of others;
teach us to work for healing and shalom.

We trust in your abundant mercies,
O God Almighty,
and ask that you guide us
to walk always in light and truth.
We offer to You our selves,
soul and body,
heart and will,
and ask that you sanctify
and enlighten us.
Burnish us to shine in your kingdom
and reflect your glory 
into the darkest corners of the world, we pray.

By the power of the Holy Spirit,
bless us and keep us
as we live and move in You,
and bless those we remember before You.

Amen.

Prayer 1439- For healing and thankfulness

May we see beauty everywhere, and give thanks.

Most Merciful One, enlighten our hearts and minds that we may know your peace and walk in wisdom.

Have compassion on our weakness and strengthen our resolve to walk in your ways. 
Accept our repentance from the depths of our hearts, and renew us in determination to serve You and each other in love. 
Deliver us from pride and enmity, fear and suspicion, we humbly pray.

May we rise and bless the Lord this day, this hour, this moment, for we are sheltered under the wings of the Lord of Life.
Bless the hands who have labored for all the comforts we enjoy, and help us to share our bounty with those in any need.

May serenity and healing pour over us as a balm to our hurts, that we may walk beside our Savior in strength and fortitude. 
Bless and keep all whose cares and concerns we place before You.

Amen.

Prayer 1438- Blazing with Christ's Light

A luminaria, a tradition in New Mexico.

Blaze forth your glory, O Redeemer, and from our waking to our resting accept our prayers and praises. May we come unto You, O God, in humility and hope, and be refreshed and restored by your faithfulness and grace. 

Lord Christ, you have known us and loved us from our first breath, in spite of our wandering ways.
Save us from presumption and pride; guide us to be humble and compassionate disciples of Jesus, your Son, Love Made Flesh.
Purify and sanctify our hearts that we may be a worthy habitation for you, bearing your peace into the world with joy. 

Through the power of your Holy Spirit set our spirits ablaze with your wisdom, and bless and keep those for whom we pray.

Amen.

Prayer 1437- For Innocent Faith

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."-- Matthew 18:3

Lord Jesus, abide with us this day, and open our hearts to proclaim your grace as we bless and magnify your Holy Name. Let the whole round earth declare your glory, and all creation join in hymns of praise. 

Draw us within the enclosure of your mercy, O Lover of Souls, and in the name of your Beloved Son preserve us and keep us. 
Guide us through your gospel to persevere in faithfulness and hope, that we may testify to your Love throughout the world. 
In your great mercy forgive us from all our sins, and set our feet securely in pathways of peace and forbearance. 

You are the Life and Truth to all who live, O God, and the hope of all who seek You. Press the kiss of your blessing, O Spirit of Healing, upon all who call upon You.

Amen.

Prayer, day 1436- Sing out God's praise

My husband and two of my sponsors vest me according to the order of deacons.

Let all the round Earth proclaim thy glory, O Creator and Savior, who blesses us and keeps us day by day! May the slumbering land sing out thy praise, O God, and the trees clap their hands in joy. May we join with the throngs of heaven to give thanks and praise to our God. 

Holy One, we lift up our hearts as we gather in your courts, united at your altar in love and remembrance. May we rededicate ourselves to discipleship and service in the name of love and hope, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Consecrate our hearts and our hands to your service, O Most High, and direct our feet into your paths of mercy. 

Place your healing hand upon those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, Lord Christ, especially those whose needs are known to You.

Amen.
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Prayer 1435- On St. Stephen's Day

A window at St. Stephe's Episcopal Church in Ferguson, MO.

Almighty, Most Merciful God, bless and keep us this day in all our ways. 
Awaken us to the joy of serving each other with glad and generous hearts. 

May we welcome the newborn Prince of Peace by planting compassion within our hearts. 
Grant us the courage to fight for good and repudiate evils small and great; may we never remain silent in the face of wrong. 
Like your deacon Stephen, may we testify to your gospel with every fiber of our being. 

Holy One, we place before you all those whose peace and well-being has been shattered by violence and persecution. 
Keep watch with those who worry or weep or mourn, Holy Lord, and send your angels to minister to those for whom we pray.

Amen.