Epiphany Prayer 26 (Day 375)

O God, Your everlasting love revives me: I raise my heart before your altar in prayer, and I am filled with peace. You are the God who paints the sunrise: the glory of the Lord fills the skies. 

You set your hand before me and behind me; You set me upon your way, and my heart is full of joy. One thing I seek today: to do the will of my God, and to work for justice and peace for my brothers and sisters. Make me a friend to the downtrodden and a help to the weary. 

You have mercy on all who call upon You; let your light shine forth to those who have lost their way. 

Soothe the ache of sadness and sorrow in those who mourn, O Loving One: we trust in You, and our hearts are uplifted. Hear the cares and concerns of your people, O God, and be with those we now name.

Amen.

Epiphany Prayer 25 (Day 374)

O Lord Christ, you are our rock and our salvation: in you we put our trust. 

You have blessed us and loved us from our first breath: your hand is upon us to guide us in wisdom. Let us have the faith of little children, that we open our hearts completely to you and each other. Help us to grow in wisdom and grace, O Wonderful Counselor, and be joyful in hope that we may be your faithful servants today. Give us peaceful hearts and loving hands, and may hearts and hands be open to do your will. May all things we do shine with the light of Christ. 

You are always at our side, O Lord, sharing in our joys and our tears, and we are comforted indeed. O Lord, you hear us in our praises and our petitions: in your mercy visit your Spirit of love and compassion upon those we now name.

Amen.

Epiphany Prayer 24 (Day 373)

Almighty God, you pierce the darkness within us and make us glad: let us arise to sing a song of praise to You. 

Take us by the hand today, O Lord, and guide us in the ways of peace. Let no word leave our lips but that which sings of your mercy and lovingkindness. Weave your love into the fabric of our souls that we be knit together as a holy people. Inspire us to place our selves in your service, that we burn brightly as a beacon of justice and reconciliation. 

Soothe us in body, mind, and spirit that we may always remember your great goodness. Hear our thanksgivings and our petitions for our brothers and sisters, and bend near to all who call upon You.

Amen.

Epiphany Prayer 23 (Day 372)

Inspired by John 5:1-18
O God, you are our font of every blessing, and we rise to sing your praise. Let us receive your Word wherever we are in our hearts, and respond with hope and joy. 

Let us rise up from those things that paralyze us- uncertainty, bitterness, hardness of heart- and take up our mat and walk. Let each step we take be a testimony to the power of the peace of God, which restores us and draws us into wholeness. Stir up in us the waters of compassion, that we may recover our sense of community and justice. 

Breathe upon us, O Spirit of Christ, and fill our souls with your whispered, healing love. Let our prayers uplift those who are in need of healing, direction, or comfort, that You may embrace them.

Amen.

Epiphany Prayer 22 (Day 371)

O Blessed One, we call upon you in the night and are comforted: dwell within our hearts forever. You are our light at midday: make us burn with a holy fire for your Word. 

By your great mercy you have saved us and set us free from fear; let us use this day you have given us to praise You. Let us love others not for what they do for us, but for the beauty of God that shines within them. Let us set our minds upon your holy wisdom: give us understanding to turn our hearts toward your will. Bless our endeavors, we pray, that we may persevere in running the race you have set before us. 

You have made your face to shine upon us: let us praise you with every breath. Heal the sick, Lord Christ, and tend to those who ache in body or soul with the balm of your love. O Loving One, send your blessing out upon those for whom we pray.

Amen.

Prayer for Discernment -Annual Meeting 2014 (Day 370)

O Gracious God, we are your people, and we ask that you guide us this day to do your will. Make of us a priestly people, dedicated to the ministry you have called each of us to do. 

Give us wisdom and love in equal measure, that we may know how, as well as why, we are to follow your path. 

Let us clasp hands around your altar as one people, dedicated to the shared vision of building your kingdom. Let us go forth then to be your disciples, nourished by the love that draws us together. 

Let us tend the sick, the sorrowing, the weak, and the lost in your Name, with joy in our labors and praise on our lips.

O Loving Savior, You are with us always: send, we pray, a special blessing upon those we now name. 

Amen.

Epiphany Prayer 20 (Day 369)

O Gracious God, you are our light and our salvation: guide us and keep us as the apple of your eye. 

By your gracious hand we are uplifted; your abiding faithfulness is our anchor and our bedrock. 

O God, gather your people in the tent of meeting; let them sing your praises in your courts. 

In your compassion forgive us our sins, that we may renew our relationships and obey your commandments. 

Animate us by your Spirit that we may proclaim your name and saving power throughout the world. 

Receive our thanksgivings and prayers for your manifold gifts; You are the Source of all our blessings. 

Extend the hand of your mercy over the sick, the sorrowing, and the weary, or those who are in any danger. For the sake of your Love, hear our prayers for those whose concerns we hold in our hearts.

Amen.

Epiphany Prayer 18 (Day 368)

O God, we turn from our rest toward our rising, singing always your praises within our hearts. Our spirits rise on the wings of hope; our trust in You is a warm wind at our backs. Lead us, O Savior, into wisdom and truth; arm us with love and gentleness. 

 Let us never treat tender hearts with impatience, but attend to each other with care and integrity. Forgive us our foolishness, and call us into wholeness. Cleanse our intentions, so that all we do, we do in love and reverence. 

O God, our spirits rest within your hand; lighten the burdens of those we now name.

Amen.

Epiphany Prayer 17 (Day 367)

(Inspired by Psalm 25)
O Loving One, we cast ourselves into your embrace; we rest upon your breast and know peace. In You we put our trust: we will never be shaken, for You are our God, and You watch over us as we sleep. Our rest is in You through the watches of the night, and our hope is in You all through the day. Lord Jesus, teach us your ways, that we may never let our feet slip from the path of the Almighty. We rejoice in your healing power, O Spirit of Wisdom, and raise up praises for all God's blessing and mercy. You are gracious and tender to us in our loneliness or affliction, O Lord: You bear us up when we are weary. O Merciful God, receive our humble offerings of thanks, and hear our petitions for those who name.

Amen.

Epiphany Prayer 16 (Day 366)

Almighty God, surround us in a cloud of rejoicing as we rise to take up our place in the throngs who praise You. 

Let us join hands in a circle of brotherhood and lift up our hearts to You, O Mighty Redeemer. You are our shield and our breastplate, the wind at our backs to send us forth in the power of your Name. We thank you for endowing us with reason and skill: let us use all your gifts in your service. 

Abide with those who are ill today, and guide the minds and the hands of those who treat them. Remember us, O Lord, in our sorrows and afflictions, in our cares and concerns. Hear the deepest longings of our hearts, drawing us to You, for we long for your comfort and counsel. 

In your tender love and care, Lord Christ, lift up the hearts of those for whom we now pray.

Amen.

Epiphany Prayer 15 (Day 365)

Loving, Almighty God, you have called us to be your children and you embrace us every moment. You set the stars in their courses yet keep your eye on the sparrow, and we know that joy in you is our strength as we abide forever in the shadow of the Most High. We thank and praise you for your faithful love for us even when we despair. Watch over and strengthen and comfort, we pray, these your beloved children.

Amen.

Prayer for Martin Luther King Day 2014 (Day 364)

 

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Prophet and Martyr

Almighty God, You created us in freedom, and called us to live in truth: may all that we do bring glory to your Name. You sent us martyrs and prophets, such as the Rev. Dr. King, to call us again to live in covenant and mutuality with each other. 

Prosper the work of those who seek to heal the divides among us, and forgive us for when we have failed to honor each other. May we never forget that to love each other is to love You, and join hands and hearts in brotherhood with all your children. Let us remember that the kingdom of God is our neighborhood, and build our foundations on justice and equality. Let us sit together at the table of fellowship, and share each other's joys and hardships. 

Bind the hearts of those who sorrow, and build the strength of those who are bowed down, O Holy One. Look with favor upon those who call upon You, especially those we now name.

Amen.

Epiphany Prayer 14 (Day 363)

Precious Lord, we gather together together to worship You today. You are the light of the world, Lord Christ: may we be enlightened anew by your Word and Sacraments to live our lives in You. 

May we live out your call to radical love to a world misshapen by our own faults. May we serve You by serving each other, and taking each other's burdens as our own in holy love, the key to our salvation. 

Lord, we pray for our brothers and sisters whose lives are torn by violence, displacement, or war; and pray for an end to injustice. We gather to our hearts those who are in pain, or who face uncertainty or sadness, that they be comforted. Send your Spirit to rest upon the troubled waters of our lives, and especially on those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer of Dedication and Discernment (Day 362)

We awaken with joy, uplifted by the Hand of God, our refuge and our rock. 

May we seek to serve You in unity and truth, using the gifts You have given us to build the kingdom of God. Take our hands and take our hearts, O Source of All Being: all that we have is Yours. 
Let us empty ourselves of everything but your call to love and serve You, and to love and serve all. 

Rest upon the hearts of those we love, and teach us to love each other and treasure their beauty as your child. We treasure your many blessings within our hearts; they spread to the very corners of our lives. We thank you for the voices of friends in the morning, and the companionship of Christ through the day. 

When trials beset us, may we remember that we dwell in the Shadow of the Almighty, who gathers us within Love's embrace. God calms the waters when storms arise, and sets us to rest, secure upon the gentle waves which carry us through each day. With gratefulness for your mercy, we place the needs of our loved ones before You, O God: hear our prayer.

Amen.

Prayer 361

 

Dame Julian of Norwich

Let us rise up and shine forth the glory of God: New every morning, all of your creation praises thee, O Lord of hosts! 

Let us be knit together in mission, love, and faithfulness as You are One, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As celestial bodies are moved under mutual attraction, draw us into your orbit, O King of Heaven. All power and glory are Yours, yet You have given us freedom: let us freely choose to serve You in all things. Make us worthy to claim your Name, that our obedience and compassion may sing out our place within your household. 

Incline your ear to our prayers for those we name, O Most Merciful God, as we bear them up in tenderness.

Amen.

John Vernon Taylor- A Prayer of Daily Dedication

Lord Jesus Christ,
alive and at large in the world,
help me to follow and find you there today,
in the places where I work,
    meet people,
    spend money,
    and make plans.
Take me as a disciple of your Kingdom,
to see through your own eyes,
and hear the questions you are asking,
to welcome all men with your trust and truth,
and to change the things that contradict God’s love,
by the power of the cross
and the freedom of your spirit. Amen. 

-- John Vernon Taylor

Prayer 360

We rest under the shadow of the Almighty; let us rise and take up our work with joy. Let us call upon the Name of the Lord, who surrounds us in the light of His embrace. 

O blessed Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor, guide us in each step we take today. May we seek to open ourselves to the will of God in our lives and center ourselves within God's love. May we make of ourselves a living sacrifice, our hearts a tabernacle for the Almighty. Watch over us, O Lord, as you watch over the sparrow and the lark: let us sing our praise to you for all your lovingkindness. 

Lord Jesus, you know our pains and afflictions; send your healing power into the hands of those who care for us. We pray especially for those who are facing surgery or treatment this day, and give thanks for how they have touched our lives and blessed us. Give ear, O God, we pray you: we place the needs of these loved ones within the stronghold of Your love.

Amen.

Prayer for those undergoing medical treatment or surgery

Almighty God, we praise you for all your generous gifts: in your mercy, hear our prayer and supplications. 

You are the Eternal Healer, and call us to work with You in restoring balance to the world: be with those who are ill. You are the source of all wisdom, and have inspired us to hunger for learning, and persevere in seeking it. We thank you for the knowledge and skills of doctors and nurses, and ask that you guide their hands. Bless those, Lord Jesus, who have heard your call to take up your healing ministry. Give doctors wisdom as they determine treatment, and make their judgment steady and sure. Give nurses discernment, gentleness, strength as they tend the sick and their families and provide for their needs. Give those who are ill or injured comfort in their distress, and soothe their pain, O merciful One. Bind up their wounds, that they may heal swiftly, and be restored to health and physical comfort. 

Be present with the families of those who are ill, and draw them into your embrace as they await word. Your love for us is never-ending, O God; send your Spirit of healing and peace to those whose names we raise to you.

Amen.

Epiphany Prayer 9 (Day 358)

Camp fire from Camp Phoenix, summer 2013

Lord Jesus, we come before you, the Light of the world, as dawn stakes its claim on the eastern sky. After a long night, we thirst for a deeper knowledge of You: make us worthy to walk beside You this day. 

All that we are, we offer to You: make of us a living prayer. Let us be bold witnesses of your saving power that binds us together regardless of differences, united in fellowship. Make us mindful of your presence in those we meet, attuning our hearts to those who are in need. Help us order our lives according to your wisdom, being for others in all we do, that we might humbly serve God. Let us sing the new song you have given us, that all the world may know Your love. 

Send out your Light, O God, into the shadows of anxiety that fall among us, and rest your hand upon those we now name.

Amen.

Epiphany Prayer 8 (Day 357)

Almighty God, we praise your guiding hand upon us, and your tender care for us as we prepare for this day. Set our minds and hearts ablaze with the knowledge of your love. 

Let us be guided by hearts of faith and obedience to your Word, whom you sent to us that we should know You more fully. May we be true and faithful companions to Christ, walking the paths of righteousness to be a blessing to all your children. Make of us disciples whose wills are set to building your kingdom. Let us be joyful in all our work, and let it find favor in your sight. 

Make us mindful of all who suffer, and determined to work for the benefit of all, sowing justice and compassion in our wake. May we be ministering hands to those who are in any need, in mind, body, or spirit. May we build up each other in love, bearing with each other in all things. We ask your blessing upon those in need, that they feel your saving presence and are renewed in strength.

Amen.