Lord God, my heart is stirred by a noble theme.
I recite these verses for you, my King;
make my tongue like the pen of a skillful writer.
You are the most excellent of kings,
and your lips are anointed with grace;
you are blessed forever, O Lord, O King of the Universe.
Gird your sword upon your side, O Mighty One;
clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
In your majesty ride forth victoriously
in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness;
let your right hand display your awesome deeds.
Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of your enemies;
let all peoples and races fall beneath your feet.
I praise you because your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice is the scepter of your kingdom.
I praise you because you love righteousness and hate wickedness;
you are exalted above all kingdoms and powers,
you are the anointed King of Kings.
I will reach out in prayer and worship to touch your robe,
all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia;
I will look to your glorious throne
and sing music to make you glad.
You bestow honor on your bride, the Church;
may you bedeck your royal bride as with gold of Ophir.
Let your Church consider and give ear:
Let us forget where we came from;
give us eyes only for you.
I will bring you my gift, Lord;
with my whole heart I will seek your favor.
This weekend, Lord, we break ground for The Loft;
glorify yourself in your church as we do this;
let this structure be like a gown of woven gold adorning your church.
Let it glorify you as our king;
and let all your church’s companions,
all our friends in the community,
all who see,
be brought closer to you.
Lead us in with joy and gladness,
and make this place a palace for our king,
and one that pleases you because of the willing servants
to be added to your kingdom within its walls.
Let this weekend be memorable for this and future generations,
for sons who will take the place of their fathers;
Let us perpetuate your memory through all generations;
that the nations may praise you for ever and ever.
A Prayer of Wendell Berry
Teach me work that honors Thy work,
the true economies of goods and words,
to make my arts compatible
with the songs of the local birds.
Teach me the patience beyond work
and, beyond patience, the blest
Sabbath of Thy unresting love
which lights all things and gives rest.
(by Wendell Berry, from Given (New Poems), 2005).
the true economies of goods and words,
to make my arts compatible
with the songs of the local birds.
Teach me the patience beyond work
and, beyond patience, the blest
Sabbath of Thy unresting love
which lights all things and gives rest.
(by Wendell Berry, from Given (New Poems), 2005).
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.
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.
A Prayer in Spring
(by Robert Frost, from A Boy's Will)
Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.
And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.
For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends he will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.
Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.
And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.
For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends he will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.
Steer Me
(A prayer of Basil of Caesarea)
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.
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.
Pastor's Prayer
Lord, why have you dealt ill with your servant?
And why have I not found favor in your sight,
that you lay the burden of all this people on me?
(Numbers 11:11, ESV).
And why have I not found favor in your sight,
that you lay the burden of all this people on me?
(Numbers 11:11, ESV).
My Psalm 44
Oh, I have heard with my ears, O God;
my parents told me from my earliest years
what you did in their days,
in long ago days.
I have heard: with your hand you kept my family alive
through dust storms and snow storms;
you provided jobs in times of want
and gave us work to do and food to eat.
It was not by their power or ingenuity that they made it through,
nor did they raise three boys alone;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved us all.
You are my King and my God,
who decrees victories for me as you once did for Jacob.
Through you and you alone can I hope to push back my Enemy;
through your name I will trample my Foe.
I do not trust in my brain,
my creativity does not bring me victory;
I do not trust in my church,
in my coworkers,
in my leadership team,
in my volunteers;
they do not bring victory;
but you give victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
In You I will make my boast all day long,
and I will praise your name forever.
You have brought us through a time of testing,
a stretch where you allowed confusion
and bickering
and misunderstanding
and division to beset us.
We were ripe for the picking, and exposed to the Enemy.
You could have made us a byword in our community,
a laughingstock.
Even still, we are just a foolish decision
or sinful step from shame.
But we have not forgotten you
or been false to your calling.
We will not be turned back;
I myself recommit to you and your path.
to my calling and your purpose for me and mine.
Even if I face death all day long;
if I am led like a sheep to be slaughtered,
I will cry out to you
until you spring into action once again.
Rise up and help us;
redeem us because of your unfailing love,
in Jesus’ name, amen.
my parents told me from my earliest years
what you did in their days,
in long ago days.
I have heard: with your hand you kept my family alive
through dust storms and snow storms;
you provided jobs in times of want
and gave us work to do and food to eat.
It was not by their power or ingenuity that they made it through,
nor did they raise three boys alone;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved us all.
You are my King and my God,
who decrees victories for me as you once did for Jacob.
Through you and you alone can I hope to push back my Enemy;
through your name I will trample my Foe.
I do not trust in my brain,
my creativity does not bring me victory;
I do not trust in my church,
in my coworkers,
in my leadership team,
in my volunteers;
they do not bring victory;
but you give victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
In You I will make my boast all day long,
and I will praise your name forever.
You have brought us through a time of testing,
a stretch where you allowed confusion
and bickering
and misunderstanding
and division to beset us.
We were ripe for the picking, and exposed to the Enemy.
You could have made us a byword in our community,
a laughingstock.
Even still, we are just a foolish decision
or sinful step from shame.
But we have not forgotten you
or been false to your calling.
We will not be turned back;
I myself recommit to you and your path.
to my calling and your purpose for me and mine.
Even if I face death all day long;
if I am led like a sheep to be slaughtered,
I will cry out to you
until you spring into action once again.
Rise up and help us;
redeem us because of your unfailing love,
in Jesus’ name, amen.
The Praise of Maimonides
Praise be to him who is such
that when our minds try to visualize his essence,
their power of apprehending becomes imbecility;
when they study the connection between his works and his will
their knowledge becomes ignorance;
and when our tongues desire
to declare his greatness by descriptive terms,
all eloquence becomes impotence and imbecility.
Amen.
that when our minds try to visualize his essence,
their power of apprehending becomes imbecility;
when they study the connection between his works and his will
their knowledge becomes ignorance;
and when our tongues desire
to declare his greatness by descriptive terms,
all eloquence becomes impotence and imbecility.
Amen.
A Prayer of St. Augustine
Lord Jesus, don't let me lie when I say that I love you...
and protect me today, for I could betray you.
and protect me today, for I could betray you.
Storehouses of Snow
Lord, you have entered
the storehouses of the snow;
you send ice on the earth
and give birth to the frost from the heavens.
At your command the waters harden like stone,
and the surface of the deep is frozen.
Even as I long for Spring,
I wonder at your winter.
I praise you for your glory
displayed in snow and ice,
cold and frost, amen.
Valentine
Bob Hostetler
Like summer snow
floating from a sun-filled sky,
draping airy-white on flowered fields,
Your love astonished me.
No frilly show,
no assorted-chocolate pledge,
no candy hearts or silver kisses
disclosed your care for me;
But unsparing,
cross-bearing, thorn-wearing love
that opened hands and feet and side
to spill your heart for me,
To recreate,
inundate my longing soul
with giving, holding, accepting,
enfolding love for me.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And being with you, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:25, 26).
Like summer snow
floating from a sun-filled sky,
draping airy-white on flowered fields,
Your love astonished me.
No frilly show,
no assorted-chocolate pledge,
no candy hearts or silver kisses
disclosed your care for me;
But unsparing,
cross-bearing, thorn-wearing love
that opened hands and feet and side
to spill your heart for me,
To recreate,
inundate my longing soul
with giving, holding, accepting,
enfolding love for me.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And being with you, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:25, 26).
From Silly Devotions
(A prayer of Teresa of Avila)
From silly devotions and sour-faced saints, spare us, O Lord.
From silly devotions and sour-faced saints, spare us, O Lord.
A Prayer of Brennan Manning
Grazie, Signore...
for judging me not by my shabby good deeds
but by Your love that is Your gift to me,
for Your unbearable forgiveness
and infinite patience with me,
for other people who have greater gifts than mine,
and for the honesty to acknowledge that I am a ragamuffin.
(Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 121).
for judging me not by my shabby good deeds
but by Your love that is Your gift to me,
for Your unbearable forgiveness
and infinite patience with me,
for other people who have greater gifts than mine,
and for the honesty to acknowledge that I am a ragamuffin.
(Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 121).
A Prayer of Austin Farrar
My God, I wish to give you the gift you so much desire;
I wish to commit myself to you once and for all,
so there shall be no taking back.
I cannot commit myself into your hands, O God,
I cannot do it;
but yet I can commit myself into your hands;
for though I cannot keep myselfthere,
your fingers can hold me there,
your strong, gentle fingers
always giving way and never letting go;
your wise subtle fingers,
wrestling so gently against my puny rebellions,
that I tire myself trying to climb out of your hands,
and come to rest at last in those wounded palms.
I wish to commit myself to you once and for all,
so there shall be no taking back.
I cannot commit myself into your hands, O God,
I cannot do it;
but yet I can commit myself into your hands;
for though I cannot keep myselfthere,
your fingers can hold me there,
your strong, gentle fingers
always giving way and never letting go;
your wise subtle fingers,
wrestling so gently against my puny rebellions,
that I tire myself trying to climb out of your hands,
and come to rest at last in those wounded palms.
A Prayer of Charles Foucald
Bob Hostetler
Abba, I abandon myself into your hands.
Do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you.
I am ready for all:
I accept all.
Let your will be done in me and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my spirit.
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord, and I give myself,
surrender myself into your hands without reserve,
with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.
Amen.
Abba, I abandon myself into your hands.
Do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you.
I am ready for all:
I accept all.
Let your will be done in me and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my spirit.
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord, and I give myself,
surrender myself into your hands without reserve,
with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.
Amen.
A Prayer While Reading Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl
Bob Hostetler
Lord God, I thank you that I am richer
even than King Henry VIII.
I am married to the love of my life,
the wife of my youth,
and she has no competitor and no equal.
I have no throne, but I have heirs,
a happy and healthy
daughter and son.
I need fear no kings or popes.
I have friends I can trust,
who will tell me the truth
even when I don't like hearing it.
I am warm on the coldest winter nights.
I drink coffee every morning.
I can eat fresh fruits or vegetables any time,
I can take hot baths or showers every day,
I can travel faster and farther than he could dream.
And I can lay my head on my pillow each night
clean in conscience,
grateful for blessing,
and safe among my own.
Lord God, I thank you that I am richer
even than King Henry VIII.
I am married to the love of my life,
the wife of my youth,
and she has no competitor and no equal.
I have no throne, but I have heirs,
a happy and healthy
daughter and son.
I need fear no kings or popes.
I have friends I can trust,
who will tell me the truth
even when I don't like hearing it.
I am warm on the coldest winter nights.
I drink coffee every morning.
I can eat fresh fruits or vegetables any time,
I can take hot baths or showers every day,
I can travel faster and farther than he could dream.
And I can lay my head on my pillow each night
clean in conscience,
grateful for blessing,
and safe among my own.
New Canticle
Bob Hostetler
Cold and wind chill, bless the Lord.
Snowflake and icicle, bless the Lord.
Frost and freeze, bless the Lord.
Firewood and flame, bless the Lord.
Cloud and clear sky, bless the Lord.
Cold and wind chill, bless the Lord.
Snowflake and icicle, bless the Lord.
Frost and freeze, bless the Lord.
Firewood and flame, bless the Lord.
Cloud and clear sky, bless the Lord.
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