And I am Your Reflection

Lord, you are my lover,
my longing,
my flowing stream,
my sun,
and I am
your reflection.

(a prayer of Mechtild of Magdeburg)

Owls

"I rejoice that there are owls," said Thoreau, 

and I must heartily agree. 

I rejoice that there are hawks and eagles, too,

those majestic circlers in the air. 

I rejoice in the robins that come with Spring, 

and cardinals that splash color on the canvas of winter. 

I rejoice in the chevron of red 

on the redwing blackbird's shoulder, 

and thrill at a rare glimpse of bluejay in the tree. 

I rejoice at the trill of a sparrow in the morning 

and the distant knock of a woodpecker.

I rejoice that there are herons

and hummingbirds, 

juncos 

and chickadees, 

in Jesus' name, amen.

(Image by Agto Nugroho via unsplash.com)

The Pride Which Leads

    The pride which leads me 

    to trust in myself 

    and not in you, 

    O Lord, forgive. Amen. 

    (based on a plaque in Coventry Cathedral)

With All of Who We Are

Heavenly Father, Creator of our bodies, grant that we may worship you with all of who we are. 

(today's prayer from Unveiling Mercy by Chad Bird)

Jesus, Be Near to Me

Speak

Each Morning Broken

Lord! Make my heart your temple in which you live. Grant that every impure thought, every earthly desire might be like the idol Dagon--each morning broken at the feet of the Ark of the Covenant. Teach me to master flesh and blood and let this mastery of myself be my bloody sacrifice in order that I might be able to say with the Apostle: "I die every day." 

Amen. 

(a prayer of Soren Kierkegaard, slightly revised; image by jclovesu via pixabay.com)

Afford a Spring to Me

Lord, afford a spring to me, 

Let me feel like what I see; 

Speak, and by your gracious voice, 

Make my drooping soul rejoice. 

On your garden deign to smile,

Raise the plants, enrich the soil;

Soon your presence will restore

Life to what seemed dead before.

(from a hymn by John Newton, slightly revised; image by @alpduran via unsplash.com)

Honor and Praise

 

Winds of March

Who shall rebuke the winds of March or calm the raging snow waters?

Who but Thee, O Lord, who slept in the hinder part of the ship and commanded us to be not fearful.

And told the storm: be still.

Give us that same great faith, O God, as we come into the new spring.

Bless our plows, and our harrows too.

Let our grass seed fall on good ground, rot naturally in the moist earth, and live again in the warmth of the sun.

Bless every suckling on this place, our Father.

Strengthen the mothers, and spread their tender spirit of love and sacrifice into the hearts of men the world around.

We saw the wild geese in echelon flying, O God, and we are thankful.

Amen.

(from the book, The Farmer Gives Thanks; photo via everystockphoto.com)

Spring

For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!

For blue of stream and blue of sky;
For pleasant shade of branches high;
For fragrant air and cooling breeze;
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!

(by Ralph Waldo Emerson; photo by ROverhate via pixabay.com)

God, I Look to You

Path and Guide

Holy Father, always be our path and guide,
our protection and shield,
our consolation and strength.

Set our feet, minds, and hearts onto your path of divine peace. Make your holy and divine Word, which you allow us to hear, vibrant and active in our hearts so we might please and serve you until the end of our lives. Amen.

(from the book Amish Prayers, compiled by Beverly Lewis)

On His Birthday

 

Oh, Lord, my God,

gone are the days  

when my little boy  

could climb into my lap 

and melt my heart with a smile. 

Gone are the nights 

when I could read him a book 

and smile with joy 

at his plea for more

or sing him a lullaby 

without knowing he could do it far better. 

But oh, what a son he still is today.

Oh, how you've blessed me,

not only with a boy,

but with such a son,

such a husband,

such a father,

and such a friend as he is.

And though I know it is selfish

to ask more when you have given so much already,

I ask.

Lord, I ask.

Please make his every dream

come true.

Please.

Continue making him like Enoch, who walked with you,

like Noah, who found grace in your sight,

like Abraham, who walked by faith,

like Joseph, a dreamer and doer,

like Moses, who walked on holy ground,

like his namesake Aaron, who led your people into your presence,

like Caleb and Joshua, who saw with eyes of faith,

like Elijah, who received food from your hand,

like Elisha, who was given a double portion,

like David, who danced before you, a man after your own heart,

like Jehoshaphat, who trusted in you,

like Hosea, who forgave largely,

like John, a beloved disciple,

like Barnabas, a mentor and encourager.

Make him more than anything, like Jesus, lover of souls.

Bless him, Lord, on his birthday,

and every day to come,

as you have so blessed me with him,

in Jesus' name, amen.

More Patricks

 

Sea of Love and Goodness

O Lord, sea of love and goodness, let me not fear too much the storms and winds of my daily life, and let me know that there is ebb and flow but that the sea remains the sea. Amen.

(A prayer of Henri J.M. Nouwen; photo by Joseph Barrientos via Unsplash.com)

    

 

Search

 

To Follow Your Path

 

How Great

Weak

Thank you, Lord,

that when I am weak,

you are strong.

Amen.

(photo by Schäferle via pixabay.com)

Harbor

Steer the ship of my life, O Lord,

to your quiet harbor,

where I can be safe from the storms

of sin and conflict.

Show me the course I should take.

Renew in me the gift of discernment,

so that I can always see the right direction

in which I should go.

And give me the strength and the courage

to choose the right course,

even when the sea is rough and the waves are high,

knowing that through enduring hardship and danger

in your name

we shall find comfort and peace. Amen.

(a prayer of Basil of Caesarea)

Mistakes

   Lord, please redeem, 

   even sanctify, 

   my mistakes,
   for I make a lot of them. 

   Amen.

   (photo detail by Timasu via pixabay.com)

First Speaker

First Speaker,

you whispered your love to me

in my mother's womb.

First Knower,

you knew me

long before I knew you.

First Finder,

you found me

before I looked for you.

First Lover,

you loved me

before I had the first chance to love you back.

And you are still speaking,

knowing,

finding,

and loving me

first,

every day,

every moment;

you are always

speaking,

knowing,

finding,

and loving

me first.

Thank you,

in Jesus' name, amen.

(photo by Calvin Craig via Unsplash.com)

Heart's Desire

 

(from the book David's Crown: Sounding the Psalms by Malcolm Guite)

Full Well

 

I am Met with a New Week

 

You Deserve the Glory

The Economics of Enough

Teach me God
the economics of enough.
If in greed 

I ask too much of you.
If in fear 

I ask too little.
Measure daily my bread.
Amen.

(from http://twitter.com/twitturgies; photo courtesy of everystockphoto.com)

Scatter

 

A Prayer for Peace

 

Our Ashen Way

On this Wednesday, we submit our ashen way to you —
you Easter parade of newness.
Before the sun sets, take our Wednesday and Easter us,
Easter us to joy and energy and courage and freedom;
Easter us that we may be fearless for your truth.
Come here and Easter our Wednesday with
mercy and justice and peace and generosity.

We pray as we wait for the Risen One who comes soon.

(excerpted from Prayers for a Privileged People by Walter Brueggemann; photo by Amplitudy via pixabay.com)

Lift Up

(a prayer from The Imitation of Christ (Classic Devotions in Today's Language, by Thomas à Kempis, compiled and edited by James N. Watkins)