Prayer 1260- Inspired by Matthew 23:13-26

Detail from Chagall's White Crucifixion, Art Institute of Chicago

Holy One, You are the author of all our hopes and the ground of our Being: we rise to give you thanks and praise. We thank you for this day to come: may we serve you in newness of heart with joy. 

May we offer You our talents, time, and treasure, transformed by the power of your love. 
May we work for justice and mercy, having faith in each other and in Your holy goodness and lovingkindness. 
May we strive to purify ourselves inwardly, to be worthy vessels for your gospel of peace and compassion. 

Live in us, Lord Christ, and make us wholly yours: take all that we are and renew it through your love. Send forth your Spirit to lead us into new life, that we may walk in the way of Jesus prayerfully, reverently, and mindfully. Heal us of our hypocrisy, and open our hearts to your truth and transformation as children of Light. Bless us and all those whose hope is in You, O God, especially those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer, day 1259- For Independence Day

My father's memorial flag flown at Floral Haven Cemetary, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

In peace, we pray to You, Lord, God: from our rising to our resting we give You thanks and praise for all your blessings. 

May we seek to form a more perfect union with You and with each other, loving our neighbors as ourselves. 

May we establish justice as our foundation, and work for an end to oppression, poverty, and prejudice. 

May we ensure tranquility by defending and protecting each other in compassion and mercy, that liberty may be a blessing for all. 

May we work for the welfare of others by giving of ourselves in gentleness and sacrifice, rooted in God's love. 

May we free ourselves from all that chains us- fear, want, suspicion, jealousy- and fully embrace and celebrate each other. 

Bless us and keep us, O God, that we may dwell in peace, equality, and security all our days.

Amen.
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Prayer 1258

A gate at Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis.

Lord Jesus, Redeemer and Companion, Love come down to live among us, we give you thanks and praise. 

May we stand before the altar of God to praise you and remember your sacrifice. May we offer ourselves, all that we have and all that we are, going forth to be not just fed but transformed. 

May we worship you in song and word but also in testifying with our lives at every moment to your saving love. May we overflow with a Spirit of Peace and Wisdom with each step that we take. 

Consecrate us to your service, O God, and shape our hearts into vessels of compassion and justice. Holy One, we lift up our hearts and our hopes to You: bless and keep those for whom we now pray.

Amen.

Prayer 1257

Holy One, we praise you: guide us as we seek to do your will today. Give us strength to carry your light into places of darkness. Give us hope for those who are in despair or sadness. Give us endurance for those who are ill and facing a long path to healing. Give us gentle compassion for those who are angry and hurting. Give us wisdom for those who are filled with rejection and denial. Help us to love God and each other in the way of Christ: fiercely, patiently, and completely. Consecrate the hands and minds of doctors and nurses as they seek to use the gifts given by you, O God, to bring healing to the hurting. Blessed Savior, shine the light of your countenance upon us, and bless especially those for whom we pray.

Amen.

Prayer 1256

Love Eternal, Blessed Redeemer, we give you thanks and praise for all your blessings upon us. Forgive us our failures to act for peace and and our actions against You and each other, we humbly pray. Guide us to true repentance, and set us upon paths of righteousness for your Name's sake. Uplift us by the power of your Holy Spirit, that we may be renewed and strengthened to worship and praise you in all our ways. Pour out your blessing on all who are anxious, sorrowing or troubled, Lord Christ, especially those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 1255- for DM

Lord, with outstretched hearts we lift up to You: 
we acclaim You and bless You, 
our God and Creator of all that is. 

Make of us mighty redwoods 
in the House of God; 
make us a dwelling place of beauty and holiness. 
Let your peace pour down upon us 
and sink into our very souls, 
refreshing us like a cool rain. 
Let our roots spread deeply 
into the wisdom and love of God, 
the Ground of Our Being. 

May our arms open wide 
to embrace all creation, 
reverencing and sustaining all life 
as your beautiful gift and blessing. 
May we reach toward 
the bluest firmament of your love, 
O Holy One, 
and provide a canopy of blessing to all we meet. 

May we remember 
our dependence upon each other, 
and rejoice in the fellowship of Christ 
that makes us one. 
At day's end, may we look out 
upon the time You have given us 
and be glad, 
and sing out your blessings with gratitude. 
May our whispered prayers be carried to you, 
gathered by the wind of your grace 
that dances about us. 

United within your steadfast faithfulness, O God, 
we lift our prayer to you, 
and ask your blessing upon us.

Amen.

Prayer 1254

Bridal Veil Falls and Rainbow, Yosemite.

Most Merciful God, we come before You to give You praise, and to bear your name into the world in love. 

We confess to You our wrongs upon our beds; we have pondered our wrongdoing through the deep of night. Forgive and strengthen us as the sun leads us through the day, Blessed Savior, that we may walk in wisdom and grace. 

We ask your protection from all snares and enemies: may we work to heal the wounds without and within. Let us never seek to help ourselves at the expense of others, but always seek to build the Beloved Community. 

Uplift us through your Spirit of peace and compassion, O Lord, that we may reflect your love into the world. Rest your favor, O Holy One, on all who suffer or seek relief, especially those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 1253

Almighty God, we lift our eyes to You, our Help and our Fortress, and place our trust in You with joyful thanksgiving. You have kept us under the cover of your right hand during the night: in your mercy, hear our prayer. Cast away our offenses and accept our repentant hearts; forgive our sins, we humbly pray. May our tongues sing out your marvelous ways, O Holy One, and our lives testify to your grace and mercy. Place your strengthening arm under the heads of the weary, Lord Christ, and your benediction upon all who call upon you.

Amen.

Prayer 1252

And we do.

Almighty, All-loving God, be with us this day, for night is past, and the fields ripen with grain, calling us to love and to work.

Make us lovers of your creation and all that is in it, filled with wonder at the stars and at every grain of sand. 
Make us lovers of all your children, saints and sinners, remembering that each of us has both within us. 
Make us lovers of your gospel, carrying it within our hearts and testifying to it with our acts. 

Envelop within your grace all those that suffer from any need or trouble, we pray, Lord Christ, that we may sing out your love. Help us to trust in your abounding faithfulness, O Holy One, and embody your promises of mercy and peace. Place the kiss of thy blessing and the peace of thy Spirit upon those whom we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 1251: Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Love heals, and always wins.

Most Merciful God, we gather around your altar, united in love to You and each other. 

With joy, let us turn our faces in anticipation of the coming of your kingdom, Lord Christ, and worship in the beauty of holiness. 
Let us walk in love and Christ loved us: and take up the road of peace and justice. 
Let us work as love and through love and by love in the world, remembering that we are made by God from God's own self. 
Let us always be led by the example of Jesus, held as a shining banner before us, singing praises and working healing in his name. 

Holy One, rest your Spirit of mercy and reconciliation upon us, and upon all whom we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 1250

Bless and keep us, Loving One, and hold us in the hollow of your hand. Give rest to the weary and justice to the oppressed, Lord Christ, using us as the instruments of your mercy. Make us strong in the ways of wisdom and peace, and help us to put aside our hurtful ways. Shield us from those who wish us ill, and help us live lives of authentic grace and compassion, immersed in your gospel of love. We ask that your Spirit of Healing and Comfort rest upon those we now name, and grant them peace.

Amen.

Prayer 1249

In Muir Woods.

Almighty and Ever-Loving God: we praise and bless You for all the wonders you reveal to us through your mighty hand. 

Lord, we confess to You our foolishness, our pettiness, our headstrong ways: forgive us for allowing them to lead us to sin. Lead us like children, Lord Jesus, and let us seek your embrace when we are tempted to wander from your side. 

Thank you, Holy One, for your tender care of us in joy and in anxiety: let us turn our faces to the light of your love. Merciful One, we lift before You our needs and concerns: and ask your blessing especially on these beloveds we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 1248- a prayer for healing

Window from Trinity Episcopal Church, Tulsa.

Almighty God, we give you thanks
for your abiding love and presence with us.
We ask your forgiveness
for any wrongs we have committed,
determined to rededicate ourselves to your holy path.
Through your Holy Spirit,
guide the minds and the hearts
of the doctors, nurses, and other healing hands
who seek to bring rest and comfort.

You, O God, are the Great Physician,
who has given us reason and skill
to use to help each other.
We ask that your blessing rest especially
on all who are ill, anxious, forsaken, or in pain.
May they continue to persevere,
and know always Your healing presence in their lives.

Resting in the assurance of Your divine mercy,
we ask a blessing in Jesus’s name on those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 1247

Most Merciful God, we lift our praises to You, the Source of All Life, and thank You for your care through the night.

Abide within our hearts and renew our spirits, Lord Jesus, that we testify to your grace and mercy in every breath. 
Comfort all those who watch, weep, or worry this day, that they may feel your Spirit rest upon and embrace them. 

Almighty Love, Holy Redeemer, give your blessing to us this day, and send your angels to watch over those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 1246

Come, let us sing a song of thanks and praise to the Creator of the Earth, who tenderly embraces us and love us! Uphold us with your loving hand, Lord Christ, and place us upon the path of wisdom and justice, that we may follow you always.  Inspire us, Holy Spirit and Advocate, that we catch fire with the love and charity of God, to work for the common good.

Holy One, you restore the hopes of the anxious and call home the lost: press the kiss of your blessing on those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 1245

Holy One, accept our prayers and praises we lay before You, and keep us within the bounds of your mercy forever. Awaken our hearts with the dawn, that we may worship You with our first thought, recalling the love and faithfulness of God. Fill our minds with deeper knowledge of you, Lord Christ, that we may walk your paths of peace and compassion. Send forth your comfort, O Spirit of Healing, upon all whose needs we now remember and lift before our God.

Amen.

Prayer, day 1244- For Father's Day

My Dad.

Prayer for fathers 

Loving God, we thank you for fathers. 

We thank you for biological fathers, adopted fathers, and fathers in spirit. We thank you for fathers who work hard every day to help fulfill the needs of their families, who fix broken things and teach us how to do it ourselves, who embrace us and guide us, who love us even when they don't understand us. We know they reflect and embody your love for us as our heavenly Father. 

Comfort those of us who miss our fathers this day, and strengthen and bless those fathers who work so hard to love, protect, and nurture their families this day and every day. 

Amen.

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Prayer 1243

Most Merciful God, who created us to love God and each other, we praise your for the gift of this day. Help us to live into our calling to love You and each other, that we may receive your truth into our hearts. Teach us to love and forgive without reservation, as You yourself love and forgive us. Abide with us this day, we pray, and unite us to each other by the power of your Holy Spirit, O God. Draw those we now name under the awning of your protection and blessing, Lord Christ.

Amen.

Prayer 1242: prayer for blessing

Almighty God, we raise our hearts to You in thanks and praise, and ask your blessing upon this day. 

Bless those who labor, that they may be blessed with rest and security after their toil for us all. 

Bless those who seek to heal: inspire their hands and minds; guide their skill and reason to bring comfort to the suffering. 

Bless those who doubt, who engage their faith and God-given reason to seek deeper knowledge of You. 

Bless those who take up their strength and power to determine to use it for the common good and love of neighbor. 

Bless those who mourn, and may those who can bring them peace be willing to act out of love and compassion. 

We pray to You, Lord Jesus, for the particular needs and cares of these thy children.

Amen.
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Prayer 1241

Reredos in evening light, Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis.

Blessed Jesus, we rise to give you thanks and praise, and kneel before you in gratitude for for your steadfast love. 

Set our feet upon the path of peace and wisdom, Lord, that we may bear your light into the world. 
Break the stubborn faithlessness with which we view the world, O Savior, and help us to see its abundant beauty. 
Inspire us to honor you, our Redeemer, by tending to the world and each other, that we may embody your grace and truth. 

O Holy One, throw your arms around all those who falter, suffer, or worry from lack of security or peace. Shield all those who work to heal the world and the wounded within it. Merciful God, we ask your encompassing blessing upon those we now name.

Amen.