Saturday,
April 24, 2021
See my hands and feet,” said Jesus,
love arisen from the grave.
“Be my hands and feet,” said Jesus,
“live as ones I came to save.”
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked,
visit ones in need of care,
give the homeless warmth and shelter:
Christ will find a welcome there.
Love and serve without distinction
all earth's people, first and least.
Know within each act of kindness
hope and wholeness are increased.
Text: Refrain and verses 2 & 3 from “Touch That Soothes and Heals” by Mary Louise Bringle © 2002 GIA Publications, Inc., One License #700246. From the new ELCA worship supplement hymnal, “All Creation Sings” #939. To listen to all the verses of this Easter hymn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5vDgtd3aJM
Friday,
April 23, 2021
We give thanks and glory to God
for the blessings and mysteries
of creation,
entrusted to us
to sustain and enrich all generations.
We pray that God will make us wise,
generous and responsible stewards
of nature and Earth’s resources
for the glory of our Creator
and the well-being of our neighbor.
Amen.
Prayer: ELCA Prayer Ventures ~ April 2021; this resource may be copied and shared among members and friends of the congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Earth Day,
April 22, 2021
God of rain and sun, of land and sea: we praise you for the most generous gifts of life.
In the crunch of leaves underfoot in fall, in the smallest bulb which bursts through the soil in spring: on these days, our offering of praise comes easily.
In the trying moments, when the shivering cold bites in winter, when the scorching sun burns in the summer, we pray that we may still offer you praise for your goodness.
Let our praise and thanksgiving be unceasing. Let our praise move us to action. God of all, grant us the courage and strength to engage in the necessary hard work of change and care for our earth, for our brothers, sisters and siblings and for your name’s sake.
Amen.
Prayers:Adapted from https://www.chausa.org/.../2021-earth-day-prayer-service
Wednesday,
April 21, 2021
What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 NRSV)
Lord,
grant us the ability
to think with your mind,
to hear with your eyes,
to speak with your mouth,
to walk with your feet,
to love with your heart.
We ask this
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals by Clairborne, Wilson-Hartgrove & Okoro © 2010 Zondervan, page 361.
Tuesday,
April 20, 2021
Healer of our ev'ry ill,
light of each tomorrow,
give us peace
beyond our fear,
and hope beyond our sorrow.
You who know
our fears and sadness,
grace us
with your peace and gladness;
Spirit of all comfort:
fill our hearts.
You who know
each thought and feeling,
teach us all
your way of healing;
Spirit of compassion:
fill each heart.
Amen.
Prayer: from “Healer of Our Ev’ry Ill”, refrain and verses 1 & 4, Marty Haugen © 1987 GIA Publications, Inc., One License A-700246, (ELW #612).
Monday,
April 19, 2021
Come, Lord Jesus,
bring your everlasting serenity,
not like the world gives,
but as you give,
into our hearts, our homes,
our neighborhoods,
and to the ends of the earth
today and everyday.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from a prayer by Melissa R. Meyers (“Alive Now” November/December 2013, p. 48.)
Sunday,
April 18, 2021
Lord of every pilgrim heart,
you are beside me
and before me on the way,
surprising me
through your Spirit
at every turning in the path.
Yet, like your disciples
on the Emmaus road,
I often fail
to recognize my companion.
In this morning hour,
and in whatever the day may hold,
open my eyes
to see your presence,
that I may celebrate with you
the gift of the morning,
O Lord of the unexpected.
Amen.
Prayer: from An IONA Prayer Book compiled by Peter W. Millar, Canterbury Press, p. 59.
Saturday,
April 17, 2021
Touch that soothes
and heals the hurting,
hands that break a loaf of bread;
steps that walk beside the weary,
bearing burdens in their stead:
Refrain:
"See my hands and feet,"
said Jesus,
love arisen from the grave.
"Be my hands and feet,"
said Jesus,
"live as ones I died to save."
Love and serve without distinction
all earth's people, first and least.
Know within each act of kindness
hope and wholeness are increased.
Hands that beckon little children,
bind a wound, prepare a meal,
feet that rush to share good tidings,
Christ arisen, still reveal.
(This hymn text refrain brings to life the Gospel reading from last Sunday, John 20:19-31 and tomorrow’s Gospel reading, Luke 24:36b-48 when Jesus makes himself known to the disciples after the resurrection.)
Text: Verses 1, 3 & 4 and refrain from the hymn “Touch That Soothes and Heals” by Mary Louise Bringle © 2002 GIA Publications, Inc., One License #700246. (All Creation Sings Worship Supplement #939)
Friday,
April 16, 2021
So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. (Romans 14:19 NASB)
As we wake today
with news of more violence and death,
we continue to pray
for your peace in our broken world.
Let us be instruments of peace,
compassionate and loving God,
and empower us with strength
to be your agents of change.
Through Christ we pray,
Amen.
Prayer: Judy Smith
Thursday,
April 15, 2021
Gracious God,
by water and the Word
you made us living members
of the living Christ.
You broke death’s fearful hold
and raised us to Easter life.
Continue to strengthen us
with your Holy Spirit,
and daily increase in us
your gifts of grace until,
in the blazing joy
of your presence,
we live with you,
God the Three in One,
forever.
Amen.
Prayer: “Hymns of Community” by Susan Briehl, from Sing the Faith series © 2003 Augsburg Fortress, p. 8.
Wednesday,
April 14, 2021
Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." (John 20:19b-21 NRSV)
Longing for peace,
our world is troubled.
Longing for hope,
many despair.
Your word alone
has power to save us.
Make us your living voice.
Amen.
Prayer: ELW #715, Verse 2 of the hymn “Christ, Be Our Light” © 1993 Bernadette Farrell, OCP Publications, One License #A-700246.
Tuesday,
April 13, 2021
Christ of the cross
and of the empty tomb,
strengthen us
to bear the burdens of the day,
to seek you
amid the hurts and questions,
and to trust you for mercy
enough for this day.
Amen.
Loving God,
teach us to order
the desires of our hearts
according to the call
to do justice,
love kindness,
and walk humbly with you.
Amen.
Prayers: Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals © 2010 Zondavan, pages 251 and 250.
Monday,
April 12, 2021
O God,
you form all humanity
to bear your divine image,
and you intend for everyone
to live together
in harmonious dignity.
We pray for all people,
whether ourselves or others,
who suffer the cruelties
of racial or ethnic prejudice.
Grant your Spirit of power
to all who are oppressed.
Give healing to victims of violence,
protection to the vulnerable and abused,
better housing and worthy employment
to the mistreated,
courage to the fearful,
a remedy for rage,
strength to parents and caregivers,
and hope to children and youth.
Purge the privileged
of their sense of superiority,
and lead church and society
to foster communities
of equity and diversity;
through Jesus Christ,
our loving Savior.
Amen.
Prayer: All Creation Sings Worship Supplement, (Prayers, Thanksgivings and Laments section) © 2020 Augsburg Fortress, p. 50. Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS006505.
Sunday,
April 11, 2021
Christ,
who stood among the disciples,
showing them your hands and feet
to take away their doubts,
we welcome you.
Christ,
who spoke to the disciples,
opening their minds
to reveal God’s promise,
we welcome you.
You,
who stand among us,
meet with us, speak to us,
have mercy on us.
Amen.
For more prayers, scripture readings, music with a song offered by Andie & Rich Carroll (Calumet alums), and a thought for this day, please go to our worship blog at: https://www.calumet.org/about/sundaymoments
Prayer: Francis Brienen from An IONA Prayer Book compiled by Peter W. Millar, Canterbury Press, p. 12.
Saturday,
April 10, 2021
When the path is simple,
peace.
When the way is complicated,
peace.
May Christ not only show you
the way
but also be the way you travel:
way of blessing, way of peace.
Amen.
Prayer: Jan L. Richardson, "In the Sanctuary of Women: A Companion for Reflection and Prayer" © 2010. (Alive Now Nov/Dec 2013, p. 24.)
Friday,
April 9, 2021
We give you thanks, great God,
for the hope we have in Jesus,
who died
but is risen and rules over all.
We praise you
for his presence with us.
Because he lives,
we look for eternal life,
knowing that nothing past,
present, or yet to come
can separate us
from your great love
made known in Jesus Christ,
our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Reprinted by permission from “The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd Edition” © 2013 Faith Alive Christian Resources, p. 636.
Thursday,
April 8, 2021
Risen Lord Jesus,
give us your blessing:
Help us to bring peace
in our world’s strife.
Death has been conquered-
you are the victor!
Come and transform us-
give us new life.
Amen.
(May be sung to “Bunessan”, the tune for Morning Has Broken.)
Prayer: Jan Chamberlin, from the book “Gifts in Open Hands by Marne Tirabassi and Kathy Wonson Eddy, © 2011 The Pilgrim Press, p. 87.
Wednesday,
April 7, 2021
God of openness and new life,
in this Easter season,
remove me from the tombs
of doubt and despair,
turn me from dead ends
and shattered dreams,
and lead me to new hope
and a bright tomorrow.
Walk with me
down uncharted roads
and ordinary paths,
always leading me to a deeper trust
and more faithful service.
I open my heart to your Easter joy.
Amen.
Prayer: Rev. Larry J. Peacock, Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Sages, Psalms and Prayer Practices, 2nd Edition, © 2014, Skylight Paths, p. 95.
Tuesday,
April 6, 2021
Jesus,
you are the King of Glory
and the King of Creation.
Teach us to recognize
the ways of your kingdom
that we might participate
as faithful and devout residents
in the space between a broken world
and the coming kingdom of God.
Amen.
Prayer: Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals © 2010 by the Simple Way and School for Conversion, p. 228.
Monday,
April 5, 2021
Everlasting God,
the whole universe
sings a song of praise:
the rivers clap their hands,
the hills ring out for joy.
As you have raised us
to new life in Christ,
give us voices
ready to cry out for justice
and proclaim resurrection joy
wherever your Spirit leads us.
In Jesus’ name we boldly pray.
Amen.
Prayer: Sundays and Seasons, Cycle B, 2009, p. 172, Augsburg Fortress Liturgies License SAS006505.
Easter Sunday,
April 4, 2021
Now all the vault of heaven responds
in praise of love that still abounds:
“Christ has triumphed!
He is living!”
Sing, choirs of angels loud and clear!
Repeat their song of glory here:
“Christ has triumphed!
He is living!”
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Hymn text: Paul Z. Strodach, 1876-1947, © 1958 Service Book and Hymnal, Augsburg Fortress Liturgies License SAS006505; ELW #367.
Holy Saturday,
April 3, 2021
O God, creator of heaven and earth:
grant that,
as the crucified body of your dear Son
was laid in the tomb
and rested on this holy Sabbath,
so we await with him
the coming of the third day,
and rise with him to newness of life;
and who now lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
God, our help and comfort,
accompany our nation
in these days of violence and loss of life
yesterday in our nation’s capitol
and last night in North Carolina.
Assure us of your unfailing presence
and guide us by your wisdom.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayers: 1. The Book of Common Prayer, p. 283, Sundays & Seasons Year B 2009, p. 150. 2. Adapted from Prayers for Civic Distress, All Creation Sings, p. 49. Augsburg Fortress Liturgies License SAS006505.
Look for a Calumet Easter Vigil Video for Saturday Night to be posted this afternoon on our Facebook Page. This Easter Vigil Service Video may be found now on our Calumet YouTube Channel BoomChickaTube. Folks from all across Calumet Nation participated in this evening service of light, music, stories and prayers to begin the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Good Friday,
April 2, 2021
Were you there
when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there
when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me
to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there
when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there
when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there
when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me
to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there
when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there
when they pierced him in the side?
Were you there
when they pierced him in the side?
Oh, sometimes it causes me
to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there
when they pierced him in the side?
Were you there
when the sun refused to shine?
Were you there
when the sun refused to shine?
Oh, sometimes it causes me
to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there
when the sun refused to shine?
Were you there
when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there
when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me
to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there
when they laid him in the tomb?
Text: African American spiritual, a song of sorrow, ELW #353.
Maundy THursday,
April 1, 2021
Christ at table there with friends
sharing bread and wine, and then
speaking words of mystery:
Thus remember me,
thus remember me.”
In the garden Jesus bows.
Harsh the cry that rises now:
“Father, some way let it be!
Take this cup from me,
take this cup from me!”
“Yet, your will. Not mine, be done.
For this purpose I am come.
Thus to make all people new
I take this cup from you,
I take this cup from you.”
At our table Jesus stands,
Word of God with nail-scarred hands.
“Come, receive the mystery.
Take this cup from me,
take this cup from me.”
Anabel Miller, born in China of American missionary parents, wrote this poem during Lent in 1982. Ten years later, she shared it with composer Emma Lou Diemer, who served as organist at her Presbyterian church in California. Diemer recognized its potential as a hymn text, and supplied the musical setting.
New Century Hymnal #227: Words ©1994 Anabel Schlosser Miller and Music ©1994 Emma Lou Diemer
Wednesday in Holy Week,
March 31, 2021
What wondrous love is this,
O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this,
O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this
that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul,
for my soul,
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul.
When I was sinking down,
sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down,
sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down
beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul,
for my soul,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul.
And when from death I’m free,
I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
and when from death I’m free,
I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
and when from death I’m free,
I’ll sing God’s love for me,
and through eternity I’ll sing on,
I’ll sing on;
and through eternity I’ll sing on.
Text: This anonymous North American folk hymn has appeared in many versions. The melody WONDROUS LOVE was included in one of the most important 19th century American tune books called Southern Harmony compiled by William Walker in 1835.
Tuesday in Holy Week,
March 30, 2021
As we continue to plead for justice and ask for healing, let us pray,
Lord Jesus,
you have called us to follow you.
Grant that our love may not grow cold
in your service,
and that we may not fail or deny you
in the time of trial,
for you live and reign
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Prayer: Prayer for Tuesday in Holy Week, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 30, Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505.
Monday in Holy Week,
March 29, 2021
Holy Week Blessing for Monday, March 29, 2021:
And so it begins,
we walk through this week
from palms now to passion,
it’s Jesus we seek.
Each moment we walk
through these days now with Jesus,
is time to see people,
the way Jesus…sees us.
To watch for the ones,
who need hope, who need kindness.
Seeking the light,
not the darkness that blinds us.
As you walk through these days,
may the love you now know
be spread to each person
you meet on the go.
And may God who now blesses
and keeps you in love;
Whose face shines upon you
with grace from above;
Who looks on you
with such joy and such favor,
This God, three in One (+)
gives you peace - life to savor.
Amen!
Prayer: First Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minnesota http://www.eastsidefirst.com/.../a-palm-sunday-blessing...
Palm Sunday,
March 28, 2021
All glory, laud, and honor
to you, redeemer, king,
to whom the lips of children
made sweet hosannas ring.
You are the king of Israel
and David's royal Son,
now in the Lord's name coming,
our King and Blessed One.
The multitude of pilgrims
with palms before you went;
our praise and prayer and anthems
before you we present.
To you, before your passion,
they sang their hymns of praise.
To you, now high exalted,
our melody we raise.
Their praises you accepted;
accept the prayers we bring,
great author of all goodness,
O good and gracious King.
Amen.
Text: ELW #344, a Palm Sunday hymn, based on Matthew 21:1–11 marking the occasion of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem; Latin hymn written in 820 by Theodulph of Orleans, 760-821, Bishop of Orléans under Charlemagne; English translation by John Mason Neale, 1818-1866, an Anglican Churchman.
Saturday,
March 27, 2021
Lord of all life,
when we cannot see
the beauty of your creation,
open our eyes,
that all living things thrive and grow.
When we neglect the poor,
the sick, and the grieving,
open our hands
to do your work in the world.
When we ignore the cries of injustice
in our midst,
open our ears,
that all will know your love.
When we are hardened
against our neighbor,
open our hearts
and heal our resentment.
When we are closed
to the grace you long to give us,
open our lives
and turn us to follow
in the way of the cross.
Amen.
Prayer: “Midweek Lenten Series: Open My Life, Lord” Week 5, Sundays and Seasons © 2021 Augsburg Fortress, Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505.
Friday,
March 26, 2021
Almighty and ever living God,
we pray for the communities
recovering from destructive storms
in our Southeastern states.
We pray for those who have suffered
injury, damage or loss
and ask that you would comfort them
with your healing love.
Guard those who yet remain
in harm's way today.
Help us always to place our hope,
our fears, and our trust in you,
for in you alone is life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from Prayer Book for the Hurricane & Tornado Seasons: Litanies, Liturgies & Prayers by The Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel. http://www.liturgybytlw.com/OccChs/Hurrican.html
Thursday,
March 25, 2021
Open our ears, Lord,
to heed your will for our lives.
Help us not only to hear,
but to listen and understand
with our hearts.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
As children, we hear:
Don’t touch! Slow down!
As teenagers, we hear:
Your curfew begins in an hour.
As adults, we hear:
Cash or credit?
In the water and the word, we hear:
You are loved, my precious child.
Prayer & Dialogue: “Midweek Lenten Series: Open My Life, Lord” Week 3, Sundays and Seasons © 2021 Augsburg Fortress, Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505.
Wednesday,
March 24, 2021
Open our hands, Lord,
to reach out to a world in need.
May our arms enfold those who sorrow,
our palms bear mercy and grace,
and our fingers point to your love.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
We use our hands to pick up a child, to serve a meal, to play an instrument, to wipe away a tear. Jesus used his hands for healing and for deeds of great power. Give thanks for the many hands of your own community who open their hands in service to others.
Prayer: “Midweek Lenten Series: Open My Life, Lord” Week 2, Sundays and Seasons © 2021 Augsburg Fortress, Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505.
Tuesday,
March 23, 2021
Gracious God,
the news of this day from Colorado,
less than a week
after the violence in Georgia,
has ripped our hearts and torn our souls.
In the depths of pain and anger,
we pray to you,
O God, our rock and our refuge.
You are our only comfort.
You are our only hope.
Merciful God, be with these families
as they begun to mourn.
Continue to comfort all families
mourning the loss of loved ones.
And let there be peace on earth.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior,
we pray.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted greatly from the opening prayer in “Service after a Violent Event,” All Creation Sings Worship Supplement © 2021 Augsburg Fortress, page 64. All rights reserved. Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505.
Monday,
March 22, 2021
Open our eyes, Lord,
to perceive your desire
for the world.
Remove those things
that block our vision
and widen our gaze
to encompass all
you would have us see.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
As individuals and communities, what do we have difficulty seeing? How does our perspective change when we view the world through the eyes of Christ?
Prayer: “Midweek Lenten Series: Open My Life, Lord”, Week 1, Sundays and Seasons © 2021 Augsburg Fortress, Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505.
Sunday,
March 21, 2021
O God of all,
with wonderful diversity
of languages and cultures
you created all people in your own image.
Free us from prejudice and fear,
that we may see your face
in the faces of our Asian siblings
and people around the world,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: ELCA Facebook page, March 19, 2021. Adapted from ELW Occasional Services, page 398.
Saturday,
March 20, 2021
As frozen ground thaws,
gentle God,
also soften my hard attitudes
and melt my cold heart.
Ready me for new life.
Tender my soul
for the arrival of spring.
Let Easter happen in me
and all around me.
Warm my expectations
and make me ready
for what you have prepared
as I deepen my prayer
and my walk with you.
Amen.
Prayer: Rev. Larry J. Peacock, “Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Sages, Psalms and Prayer Practices, © 2014 Skylight Publishing, page 63.
Friday,
March 19, 2021
As we continue to remember those who are victims of racial violence and for those affected by the pandemic in so many ways, we pray:
Eternal God,
amid all the turmoil
and changes of the world
your love is steadfast
and your strength never fails.
In this time of danger and trouble
be to us a sure guardian
and rock of defense.
Guide the leaders of our nation
with your wisdom,
comfort those in distress,
and grant us courage and hope
to face the future;
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 76, Augsburg Fortress Liturgies License SAS006505.
Thursday,
March 18, 2021
Merciful Lord,
protect those in the path of danger.
Grant peace and reassurance
to all those affected
by storms and tornadoes.
May your comfort ease their anxiety
and give them strength.
Amen.
Prayer: Lutheran Disaster Relief, www.elca.org/LDR
Wednesday,
March 17, 2021
Gracious God, by day and night
we pour out our prayer to you.
We are crying out for justice,
yearning for what is right,
longing for your peace.
We weep for the shooting victims
in Georgia last night.
We pray for an end
to racial hate crimes.
Come quickly to help us, O God;
save those who call upon your name.
Amen.
(Adapted from All Creation Sings, Prayer for Lament, p. 61, Augsburg Fortress Liturgies License SAS006505.)
Christ be with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise.
Amen.
( St Patrick’s Breastplate, is an Old Irish prayer of protection of the "lorica" type attributed to Saint Patrick.)
Today is the commemoration of Patrick, bishop, missionary to Ireland, who died 461. A native of Britain, Patrick was kidnapped by pirates at age sixteen and sold into slavery in Ireland. After a few years, he escaped, returned home, and entered the ministry. Returning to Ireland, he successfully served as a bishop and missionary there. (Sundays and Seasons)
Tuesday,
March 16, 2021
God of all seasons,
in your pattern of things
there is a time for keeping
and a time for losing,
a time for building up
and a time for pulling down.
In this season of Lent
as we journey to the cross,
help us to discern in our lives
what we must lay down
and what we must take up,
what we must end
and what we must begin.
Give us grace
to lead a disciplined life,
in glad faithfulness
and with the joy that comes
with a closer walk with Christ.
Amen.
Prayer: The Book of Common Order for the Church of Scotland, Saint Andrew Press © 1994, Panel on Worship of the Church of Scotland, p. 431-432.
Monday,
March 15, 2021
Dear Lord Jesus,
your family on earth
knew the life of refugees
when they fled Egypt.
Bless all who seek refuge on this earth.
Meet their needs for safety and for home.
Move the hearts of your people
to show them welcome.
Cause wars to cease
and bring justice to the nations
In your great mercy, we pray.
Amen.
Prayer: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, www.lirs.org/prayers-immigrants-refugees
Sunday,
March 14, 2021
As the sun with longer journey
melts the winter’s snow and ice,
with its slowly growing radiance
warms the seed beneath the earth,
may the sun of Christ’s uprising
gently bring our hearts to life.
Through the days of waiting, watching,
in the desert of our sin,
searching on the far horizon
for a sign of cloud or wind,
we await the healing waters
of our Savior’s victory.
Praise be given to the maker
of the seasons’ yearly round:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit –
Source, Sustainer, Lord of life,
as the ever turning ages
roll to their eternal rest.
Prayer: Lenten hymn ELW #329, “As the Sun with Longer Journey” by John Patrick Earls © 1981 Order of Saint Benedict, Liturgical Press, One License A-700246.
Saturday,
March 13. 2021
Lord Jesus,
you shall be my song as I journey;
I’ll tell everybody about you
wherever I go:
You alone are our life
and our peace and our love.
Lord Jesus,
you shall be my song as I journey.
Lord Jesus,
I’ll praise you as long as I journey;
May all of my joy
be a faithful reflection of you.
May the earth and the sea and the sky
join my song.
Lord Jesus,
I’ll praise you as long as I journey.
Amen.
Prayer: Text by Les Petites Soeurs de Jesus and L’Arche Community © 1970 translation by Stephen Somervile; ELW #808, verses 1 & 2, used with permission, One License #A-700246.
Friday,
March 12, 2021
Lord,
help us to see that our well-being
is inextricably bound
to the well-being of our neighbor.
Our sorrows are shared.
Our longings are shared.
Our fears are shared.
Enable us to share compassion,
patience, and courage today.
Amen.
Prayer: Zondervan: Claiborne, Wilson-Hartgrove & Okoro, Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), p. 252.
Thursday,
March 11, 2021
God,
you are with us all the time.
All the time you are with us.
Today we remember.
We remember
how things used to be.
We remember how many things
we have gone through.
We remember things we missed
and people we lost.
Today we hope.
We hope for healing.
We hope for vaccines.
We hope for wisdom.
Today we share.
We share smiles with one another.
We share our joys and our sorrows.
We share our dreams for the future.
Amen.
Prayer: “A Prayer Marking One Year of Pandemic Life for All Ages” by Traci Smith, used by permission www.traci-smith.com
Photo: Late winter view of snow covered Ossipee Lake & the Boathouse, mid-afternoon, March 7, 2021 by JHS.
Wednesday,
March 10, 2021
O God of justice, miracles, and mighty deeds, we lift up to you those who have been silenced by hardship, affliction, and injustice. Forgive us for not speaking up for the least among us. We confess that we have not exercised our influence and position to change things. Grant us the courage to be agents of change and instruments of justice. Empower us with the will and the desire to see your kingdom manifest on earth as it is already done in heaven. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
Prayer: Junius Dotson, The Africana Worship Book, For Year B, Valerie Bridgeman Davis, PhD and Safiyah Fosua, eds., (Discipleship Resources, 2007), 156.
Photo: GC12, Naomi, GIrls' Senior End Cabin, March 7, 2021 by JHS.
Commemoration Day, March 10:
Harriet Tubman, died 1913;
Sojourner Truth, died 1883;
renewers of society
Harriet Tubman, born into slavery, helped about 300 others to escape slavery until the institution was abolished. Sojourner Truth, whose birth name was Isabella, was freed after slavery was abolished, and discerned a call to be a preacher. Taking the name Sojourner Truth, she set out on an evangelistic journey, where people found her testimony to be deeply moving. (sundaysandseasons.com)
Tuesday,
March 9, 2021
Mender of division,
you sent Christ to heal the world
and to gather those on the margins.
Bring your healing power to us.
May we extend
your power and grace
to those separated
from their communities
and those longing
for a tangible sign of your love.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Prayer: “Created for Community: A Midweek Service for Lent”, sundaysandseasons.com, Augsburg Fortress Liturgies License SAS006505.
Photo: Conference Center Dining Room “I am the Light of the World” Quilt based on designs by Angela Madden & Judy Mathieson and made by Maureen Anderson and Cyndi Meaney, 1999.
Monday,
March 8, 2021
Creator God,
we celebrate this month
the women in our lives and histories.
Thank you for our mothers, daughters,
siblings, friends, neighbors and leaders.
May women across the globe
be empowered by your great love.
Amen.
May we, inspired by God’s grace
and the faithful women in our lives,
go forth into the world,
ready to serve,
ready to listen,
ready to answer God’s call.
Amen.
Prayers: Adapted from https://www.xavier.edu/jes.../online-resources/prayer-index/ and
https://www.faithward.org/worship-resources-celebrating.../
Photos: Winter Views of Girls’ Senior End cabins and Girls’ Junior End cabins, March 7, 2021 by JHS.
Sunday,
March 7, 2021
Confession and Words of Assurance
Fountain of living water,
pour out your mercy over us.
Our sin is heavy,
and we long to be free.
Rebuild what we have ruined
and mend what we have torn.
Wash us in your cleansing flood.
Make us alive in the Spirit
to follow in the way of Jesus,
as healers and restorers
of the world you so love.
Amen.
Beloved,
God’s word never fails.
The promise rests on grace:
by the saving love of Jesus Christ,
the wisdom and power of God,
your sins are ☩ forgiven,
and God remembers them no more.
Journey in the way of Jesus.
Amen.
Prayer: Sundays and Seasons worship texts for Sunday, March 7, 2021, Augsburg Fortress Liturgies License SAS006505.
Photo: March 3, 2021 view of Ossipee Lake with summer sign, “Swimming Section is Located at Family Camping Beach Only. Thank You” and winter warning sign, “Please Stay of the Ice”. Photo courtesy of John Junkins.
Saturday,
March 6, 2021
You have come down to the lakeshore
seeking neither
the wise nor the wealthy,
but only asking for me to follow.
You need my hands, my exhaustion,
working love
for the rest of the weary:
a love that’s willing to go on loving.
Sweet Lord,
you have looked into my eyes;
kindly smiling
you’ve called out my name.
On the sand
I have abandoned my small boat;
now with you,
I will seek other seas.
Amen.
Text: ELW #817, “You Have Come Down to the Lakeshore”, verses 1 & 3, by Cesareo Gabarain © 1979 OCP Publications, One License #A-700246.
Photo: All season lifeboat on the Johnson Hall porch on Ossipee Lake, Winter 2021. Photo courtesy of Adrien Groleau.
Hymn background:
Monseñor Cesáreo Gabaráin (1936-1991) was one of the best-known composers of Spanish liturgical music following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). He was inspired by the feelings and actions of the humble people he met during his ministry.
“Pescador de Hombres” (“Fisher of Men”), the original Spanish title, is one of his most popular hymns. Written in 1979, “Tú has venido a la orilla” (the Spanish opening line) is based on the parallel passages found in the synoptic gospels on Jesus’ calling of his first disciples (Matthew 4:18-20; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11).
This hymn was used in the 1993 movie Alive, based on a book about the survivors of the Andes plane crash in 1972.
(Adapted from Discipleship MInistries/History of Hymns.)
Friday,
March 5, 202
Neighbor to all people,
you call us into human communities
to serve and be served by one another.
Open our hearts
to the needs of all our neighbors,
and teach us to recognize the gifts
you have given each of us
to use in service to others.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Prayer: “Created for Community, A Midweek Lenten Service” sundaysandseasons.com, Augsburg Liturgies License #SAS006505.
Photo: Flashback Friday photo of the “Red Bus” with Sara J. Anderson & Tom Schauer, February 2009, photo courtesy of Frank Cichon.
Thursday,
March 4, 2021
You calm and quiet us, eternal God,
as a mother holds her children close;
all people have refuge
in the shadow of your wings.
Spread over us
the shelter of your peace.
Hold before us
the wisdom of your cross,
where we are drawn to you
not by might or power,
but by your boundless love
and forgiveness in Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Prayer for Peace, All Creation Sings worship supplement © 2020 Augsburg Fortress, page 48, Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505.
Wednesday,
March 3, 2021
Calm to the waves.
Calm to the wind.
Jesus whispers,
“Peace be still.”
Balm to our hearts.
Fears at an end.
In stillness,
hear his voice.
Text: “Calm to the Waves” ELW #794 by Mary Louise Bringle © 2002 GIA Publications, Inc. Used with permission. One License A-700246.
Tuesday,
March 2, 2021
Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and king,
the triumphs of God’s grace!
The name of Jesus charms our fears
and bids our sorrows cease,
sings music in the sinner’s ear,
brings life and health and peace.
To God all glory, praise and love
be now and ever given
by saints below and saints above,
the church in earth and heav’n.
Amen.
Hymn Text: ELW #886, “Oh, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing”, verses 1, 3 & 5, by Charles Wesley.
Commemoration Day, March 2, 2021: John Wesley, died 1791 and Charles Wesley, died 1788; These brothers led a revival originally intended to remain within the Church of England, one that involved frequent communion, fasting and advocacy for the poor. Except for a brief time as missionaries in the colony of Georgia, they worked in England. Following a conversion experience while reading Luther’s “Preface to the Epistle to the Romans”, John was perhaps the greatest force in 18th century revival. After their deaths, their work led to the formation of the Methodist Church. (From Sundays and Seasons, Year B, 2009, p. 118)
Charles wrote over 600 hymn texts including these hymns in the ELW: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; Jesus Christ is Risen Today; Christ the Lord is Risen Today; Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.
Monday,
March 1, 2021
I want Jesus to walk with me;
I want Jesus to walk with me;
all along my pilgrim journey,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
In my trials, Lord, walk with me;
In my trials, Lord, walk with me;
when my heart is almost breaking,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
When I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me;
When I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me;
when my head is bowed in sorrow,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
Amen.
Prayer: “I Want Jesus to walk with Me”, ELW #325, African American spiritual.
Sunday,
February 28, 2021
Merciful God,
accompany our journey
through this Lenten season.
Renew us in the gift of baptism,
that we may provide
for those who are poor,
pray for those in need,
fast from self-indulgence,
and above all that we may find
our treasure in the life of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Prayer: ELCA Worship Blog, Worship in the Home: February 28, 2021.
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Saturday,
February 27, 2021
Gracious Creator,
you fashioned us in your image
in the midst of a world
beyond our knowledge
and understanding.
Continue to weave us together
in community
with all created things,
and deepen our awareness
of the ways you connect us
to the earth.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Prayer: from “Created for Community: A Midweek Lenten Series,” sundaysandseasons.com. © 2021 Augsburg Fortress.
Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505.
.
Friday,
February 26, 2021
Loving Spirit,
throughout this day
enliven our minds,
inspire our conversation,
inform our decisions,
and protect those we love.
And should today bring
what we neither anticipate or desire,
increase our faith
and decrease our pride until we know
that when we face the unexpected,
we do not stand alone.
Through Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
Prayer: Daytime Liturgy B, A Wee Worship Book, Fourth Incarnation, GIA Publications, Inc., p. 52.
Thursday,
February 25, 2021
“I love to think of nature as unlimited broadcasting stations, through which God speaks to us every day, every hour. “
(George Washington Carver)
O God,
you are the tree of life,
offering shelter to the world.
Graft us into yourself
and nuture our growth,
that we may bear your truth
and love to those in need,
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 39, Augsburg Liturgies License #SAS006505.
Wednesday,
February 24, 2021
Almighty God,
how many are the stars
that fill the eternal night?
Yet you walk among them,
knowing them each from time to time
when you created them.
O Fullness of Wisdom,
how many worlds have you counted?
Each race, lifting its voice
to magnify your greatness,
lives age to age in you.
Eternal Spirit,
how great is your creation!
In the fullness of time,
bring all to that place
where all are one
and no shadows fall.
Amen.
Douglas R. Briggs, from Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams edited by Malcolm Boyd and Chester L. Talton (Morehouse Publishing, 2003), 191.
Tuesday,
February 23, 2021
Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy and immortal,
have mercy on us.
O God,
we remember
with thanksgiving
those who have loved
and served you on earth,
who now rest from their labors,
especially lives lost to coronavirus.
Keep us in union with all your saints,
and bring us with them
to the joyous feast of heaven;
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayers: Adapted from Occasional Services for the Assembly, sundaysandseasons.com © 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505.
Monday,
February 22, 2021
A Blessing for the Week
You are what God made you to be:
created in Christ Jesus
for good works,
chosen as holy and beloved,
freed to serve your neighbor.
God bless you ☩
that you may be a blessing,
in the name of the holy
and life-giving Trinity.
Amen.
Blessing: sundaysandseasons.com. © 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505.
Sunday,
February 21, 2021
"I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9:13
God of the covenant,
you are ever faithful.
Your love never ends.
Teach us your ways.
And guide us in your paths
of love and forgiveness,
that we may witness
to your grace and salvation.
Amen.
Prayer: https://www.ministrymatters.com/.../worship-elements...
Saturday,
February 20, 2021:
God of all hope,
we pray today so deeply aware
of the world’s grief and pain-
especially in Texas-
and of our own.
Comfort us, we pray,
with the sure knowledge
that our Lenten journey
culminates in Easter joy.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd Ed., Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, © 2013 Faith Alive Christian Resources, page 563.
Friday,
February 19, 2021
The season of Lent has begun again,
as with so many times before,
we find that we are not really ready
for this journey of discipleship.
So many things claim our lives
and prevent us from being ready
to take the steps in faith.
As we look
at our barrier of readiness,
help us to remember
that Christ is with us,
every step of the way.
We are not alone.
Christ will help lift
our hearts and spirits
and direct our paths.
Enable us, loving Savior,
to take this journey of faith
to new life with you.
Amen.
Prayer: https://www.ministrymatters.com/.../worship-connection...
Thursday,
February 18, 2021
Open our eyes, Lord,
to perceive your desire
for the world.
Remove those things
that block our vision
and widen our gaze
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Prayer: Midweek Lenten Series: Open My Life, Lord, from sundaysandseasons.com. © 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505.
Ash Wednesday,
February 17, 2021
A Prayer and a Blessing for Ash Wednesday,
Gracious God, we pray today for the residents of Texas who are dealing with power outages which is turn is causing the lack of heat, food storage and safe food preparation. Be with those repairing and working through this crisis to restore electricity safely and soon. We also keep in our prayers all our neighbors in the South who are dealing with unusual freezing temperatures, snow and ice. Bring solace and reassurance in the midst of their fears. In Christ, we pray. Amen.
Blessing the Dust
A Blessing for Ash Wednesday
All those days
you felt like dust,
like dirt,
as if all you had to do
was turn your face
toward the wind
and be scattered
to the four corners
or swept away
by the smallest breath
as insubstantial—
Did you not know
what the Holy One
can do with dust?
This is the day
we freely say
we are scorched.
This is the hour
we are marked
by what has made it
through the burning.
This is the moment
we ask for the blessing
that lives within
the ancient ashes,
that makes its home
inside the soil of
this sacred earth.
So let us be marked
not for sorrow.
And let us be marked
not for shame.
Let us be marked
not for false humility
or for thinking
we are less
than we are
but for claiming
what God can do
within the dust,
within the dirt,
within the stuff
of which the world
is made,
and the stars that blaze
in our bones,
and the galaxies that spiral
inside the smudge
we bear.
Prayer for Texas: jhs;
Ash Wednesday Blessing: by Jan Richardson, http://paintedprayerbook.com/.../ash-wednesday-the.../
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Tuesday,
February 16, 2021
God of infinite mercy,
grant that we who know
your compassion
may rejoice in your forgiveness
and gladly forgive others
for the sake of Jesus Christ,
our Savior,
who is alive with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God now and for ever.
Amen.
Prayer: https://liturgy.co.nz/shrove-tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is held on the day preceding Ash Wednesday. It signals the end of Epiphany and the beginning of Lent (a time of penance and renewal prior to Easter) in the liturgical calendar of many Christian traditions. Its name is derived from the term 'shrive', which refers to the ritual of confession for sins leading into the penitential season of Lent. Traditionally Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday was the day that households would use up all their fatty and rich foods like milk, eggs and butter before the Lenten fast began. Before this pandemic, churches often held pancake suppers as an ongoing practice of being a community in both feasting and fasting times, and to sustain each other, and the whole world, in body, soul, and spirit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras
https://members.sundaysandseasons.com/Library
Monday,
February 15, 2021
The darkness of winter
has been our companion, Lord.
Now the days are lengthening.
Bring your light to us,
that we might see your glory
and may work for you,
offering hope and peace
to this world.
We ask this, in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Prayer: Nancy Townley, https://www.ministrymatters.com/.../worship-connection...
Photo: The days are getting longer as this glimpse of snow covered Ossipee Lake beyond Johnson Hall/Lakeside Dining Hall around 4:30pm on February 4, 2021 shows us. Photo by JHS.
Sunday,
February 14, 2021:
Shine, Jesus, shine,
fill this land
with the Father's glory.
Blaze, Spirit, blaze,
set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow,
flood the nations
with grace and mercy.
Send forth your word
Lord, and let there be light.
As we gaze on your kingly brightness.
So our faces display your likeness.
Ever changing from glory to glory,
mirrored here
may our lives tell your story.
Shine on me,
shine on me.
Amen.
Today’s prayer: “Shine, Jesus, Shine” chorus and verse 2, Graham Kendrick © 1987 Make Way Music, CCLI #383771, ELW #671.
Saturday,
February 13, 2021
God,
help us hear
with the ears
of our hearts
the whisperings
of your Spirit.
Amen.
Prayer: Marjorie J. Thompson, Alive Now! J/F ‘92 issue, back cover.
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Friday,
February 12, 2021
From the very beginning,
God has blessed you
and planted within your spirit
the words:
"I can do all things
through God
who strengthens me".
Do not fear the task
God sets before you.
Rejoice, for God is with you
every moment and God’s love
washes over you always,
healing and nourishing your life.
Amen.
From: Words of Assurance by Nancy C. Townley,
https://www.ministrymatters.com/.../worship-connection...
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Thursday,
February 11, 2021
Gracious God,
pour out your Spirit
upon our divided nation and world.
As we are led by your Spirit,
may we work to bind
and to heal the divide
and bring unity and peace
to our country and all nations.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from a prayer by Rev. Phil Tom, Executive Director, International Council of Community Churches
https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/topics/weekly/
Wednesday,
February 10, 2021
Open unto me,
light for my darkness.
Open unto me,
courage for my fear.
Open unto me,
hope for my despair.
Open unto me,
peace for my turmoil.
Open unto me,
joy for my sorrow.
Open unto me,
strength for my weakness.
Open unto me,
wisdom for my confusion.
Open unto me,
forgiveness for my sins.
Open unto me,
tenderness for my toughness.
Open unto me,
love for my hates.
Open unto me,
Thy Self for myself.
Lord, Lord, open unto me!
Amen.
Prayer: Lord, Lord, Open Unto Me - Howard Thurman, from "Meditations of the Heart."
Thurman who was born in 1899 and raised in the segregated South. He is recognized as one of the great spiritual leaders of the 20th century renowned for his reflections on humanity and our relationship with God. Thurman was a prolific author (writing at least 20 books); perhaps the most famous is Jesus and the Disinherited (1949), which deeply influenced Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. Thurman served as dean of Rankin Chapel at Howard University from 1932 to 1944 and as dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University from 1953 to 1965. In 1944, he co-founded, along with Alfred Fisk, the first major interracial, interdenominational church in the United States.
https://www.xavier.edu/.../prayers-for-black-history...
Tuesday,
February 9, 2021
Holy God,
out of your great love for the world,
your Word became flesh
to live among us
and to reconcile us to you
and to one another.
Rekindle among us the gift of your Spirit
so that we seek to live in unity
with all people,
breaking down the walls that divide,
ending the hostility among us,
and proclaiming peace
to those who are near
and to those who are far away;
through Christ Jesus,
in whom we all have access
in the one Spirit to you,
both now and forever.
Amen.
Prayer: All Creation Sings © 2020 Augsburg Fortress, p. 48. Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505.
Monday,
February 8, 2021
Come. Lord Jesus, be our guest,
and let these gifts to us be blessed.
Blessed be God, who is our bread;
may all the world be clothed and fed.
Amen.
Table Grace: Two verses (from many variations) from the Common Table Prayer. Author unknown, but often attributed to Martin Luther.
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Sunday,
February 7, 2021
Go into God’s world,
aware of God’s call in your life.
Follow our Lord Jesus Christ
who will lead you
in paths of service and hope.
Lean on the power of the Holy Spirit
to give you courage and strength.
May peace, joy and love
flow through you to others,
in God’s name.
Amen.
Benediction/Commission: Nancy C. Townley,
https://www.ministrymatters.com/.../worship-connection...
Saturday,
February 6, 2021
Today, may we be awe struck
by your marvelous works, O God,
in each and every human
we encounter.
So much so,
that we are forever transformed
by the light, love, and hope
present in each being
unapologetically created
in your image,
moving us closer
into right relationship
with one another,
ourselves and you, Creator God.
Amen.
Prayer: Rev. Dr. Marilyn Pagán-Banks, Senior Pastor of San Lucas United Church of Christ and Executive Director of A Just Harvest, in Chicago, IL.
https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/topics/weekly/
Friday,
February 5, 2021
God, our creator,
the resurrection of your Son
offers life to all the peoples
of the earth.
By your Holy Spirit,
kindle in us the fire of your love,
empowering our lives for service
and our tongues for praise,
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 36, Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505.
Thursday,
February 4, 2021
Holy God,
our strength and our redeemer,
by your Spirit hold us forever,
that through your grace
we may worship you
and faithfully serve you,
follow you and joyfully find you,
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 22,
Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505.
Wednesday,
February 3, 2021
Creator God,
you desire your people
to live in peace and harmony
with one another.
While we await
the Peaceable Kingdom,
we live in hope!
Hope for an equitable dispersal
of the vaccine,
hope for peace in our country,
and hope for the end
of” every “ism”
that separates all your people.
Shalom! Amen!
Prayer: The Rev. Gerry Rickel, retired ELCA pastor,
https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/topics/weekly/
Tuesday,
February 2, 2021
Earth and all stars!
Loud rushing planets!
Sing to the Lord a new song!
Hail, wind, and rain!
Loud blowing snowstorm!
Sing to the Lord a new song!
God has done marvelous things.
I too sing praises with a new song!
Amen.
As we clean up from the snow storm that hit the East Coast, we remember Herbert Brokering (1926-2009), a Lutheran pastor, writer, poet, playwright, and popular speaker. He wrote this text for the ninetieth anniversary of St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, in 1964. "Earth and All Stars" invites us to join with a whole host of natural and cultural phenomena to "sing to the Lord a new song!" The text alludes to Psalm 96:1 in each stanza and to Psalm 98:1 in the refrain. (www.hymnary.org)
Prayer: Earth and All Stars, verse 1, Herbert F. Brokering © 1968 Augsburg Publishing House, ELW #731, One License.net A-700246.
Monday,
February 1, 2021
Lift ev'ry voice and sing
till earth and heaven ring,
ring with the harmonies of liberty.
Let our rejoicing rise
high as the list'ning skies,
let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith
that the dark past has taught us;
sing a song full of the hope
that the present has brought us;
facing the rising sun
of our new day begun,
let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod,
bitter the chast'ning rod,
felt in the days
when hope unborn had died;
yet with a steady beat,
have not our weary feet
come to the place
for which our parents sighed?
We have come over a way
that with tears has been watered;
we have come,
treading our path
through the blood
of the slaughtered,
out from the gloomy past,
till now we stand at last
where the white gleam
of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
thou who hast brought us thus far
on the way;
thou who hast by thy might
led us into the light,
keep us forever in the path,
we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places,
our God, where we met thee;
lest, our hearts drunk
with the wine of the world,
we forget thee;
shadowed beneath thy hand
may we forever stand,
true to our God,
true to our native land.
Amen.
Hymn background: Lift Every Voice and Sing – often called “The Black National Anthem” – was written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) and then set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954) in 1899. It was first performed in public in the Johnsons’ hometown of Jacksonville, Florida as part of a celebration of Lincoln’s Birthday on February 12, 1900 by a choir of 500 schoolchildren at the segregated Stanton School, where James Weldon Johnson was principal. (https://www.naacp.org/naacp-history-lift-evry-voice-and.../)
Sunday,
January 31, 2021
Quiet your hearts,
beloved of God,
for God is speaking to you
with love.
Rest your spirits,
struggling ones,
for God will surround you
with peace.
Open your lives
to God’s power and presence
and do not be afraid.
God is with us,
now and for all time.
Amen.
Words of Assurance: ministrymatters.com, Worship Connection for January 31, 2021;
Saturday,
January 30, 2021
Give us your eyes, O Lord.
Help us see clearly as you do.
Grant us your perspective
that we may act in you.
May your wisdom rule our minds.
Let your words your truth impart.
Come, O Holy Spirit.
Bring healing to our hearts.
Your ways are higher;
Your thoughts are not our own;
Free us from our fear.
Help us draw near
and let your will be known.
Open our eyes, O Lord.
We long to hear your voice anew.
Come, O Holy Spirit.
We want to follow you.
Amen.
Prayer: Prayer for Guidance © 2010 Gloria Flanery, ALIVE NOW May/June 2010 issue, page 30-31.
Friday,
January 29, 2021
God,
you have bound us together
in a common life.
Help us,
in the midst of our struggles
for justice and truth,
to confront one another
without hatred or bitterness,
and to work together
with mutual mercy, respect,
and love.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from the Book of Common Prayer, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 1/28/21.
Thursday,
January 28, 2021
Good and gracious God,
you invite us to recognize
and reverence your divine image
and likeness in our neighbor.
Enable us to see
the reality of racism
and free us to challenge
and uproot it from our society,
our world, and ourselves.
Amen.
Prayer: from Society & Justice, All Creation Sings ©2020 Augsburg Fortress, page 50, Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505
Wednesday,
January 27, 2021
Lord,
mold us and form us
into the kind of people
you want us to be.
Be patient with us
when we fall short
of what love demands of us.
And give us patience with ourselves.
Catch us in the arms of your grace.
Amen.
Prayer: Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, © 2010 by The Simple Way and School for Conversion, Zondervan, page 198.
Tuesday,
January 26, 2021
God, our refuge and strength,
we thank you for the compassion
you infuse in your people,
especially those who care for
the physical and emotional
needs of friends, family,
and strangers.
Strengthen all caregivers
in body and spirit.
Refresh them when weary;
console them when anxious;
comfort them in grief;
and hearten them
in discouragement.
Giver of peace,
enlarge our patience
and enable us
to embrace
all those
who live with difficulties
we may one day share;
in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Prayer: Prayer for Caregivers from All Creation Sings ©2020 Augsburg Fortress, page 54, Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505
Monday,
January 25, 2021
As the disciples walked
with Christ so long ago,
walk with Christ
in your hearts and spirits.
Feel the power
of the Holy Spirit
guiding your path.
Know the love of God
which is poured out
for you and rejoice.
Go in peace
and may God’s peace
go with you.
Amen.
Benediction: https://www.ministrymatters.com/.../worship-connection...
Sunday,
January 24, 2021
Thrice-holy God,
we thank you
for having created and loved us.
We thank you for your presence
in us and in creation.
May we learn
to look upon the world
as you look upon it, with love.
In the hope of this vision,
may we be able to work for a world
where justice and peace flourish,
for the glory of your name.
Amen.
Prayer: Monastic Community of Grandchamp, https://www.oikoumene.org/.../worship-and-background...
Saturday,
January 23, 2021
Words of Assurance:
Do not be afraid.
God is with you!
That is good news.
You do not have to go
through life alone,
wondering if anyone cares
about you or knows your heart.
God knows and God loves you.
Rejoice for thus it is,
has always been,
and will continue to be.
God’s love for you is eternal.
Amen.
Prayer: Nancy C. Townley,
https://www.ministrymatters.com/.../worship-connection...
Friday,
January 22, 2021
Blessed Lord,
we ask your loving care
and protection for those
who are sick
in body, mind, or spirit
and who desire our prayers.
Take from them all fears
and help them put their trust in you,
that they may feel
your strong arms around them.
Touch them
with your renewing love,
that they may know
wholeness in you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: From Service of the Word for Healing, sundaysandseasons.com.
© 2021 Augsburg Fortress. Augsburg Fortress Liturgies License SAS006505
Thursday,
January 21, 2021
Gracious God,
we pray for our public servants
especially our nation’s
new president and vice president,
that they do their work
in a spirit of wisdom,
charity, and justice.
Inspire them to use their authority
to serve faithfully
and to promote our common life.
Guide our leaders
to govern in such a way
that all people enjoy
a peaceful and just society.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Prayer: All Creation Sings, "Civic Life, Government, and Nations Prayers",
sundaysandseasons.com, Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505
Wednesday,
January 20, 2021
“Love one another as I have loved you.”
(John 15:12b)
God,
you reveal to us your love
through Christ and through
our brothers, sisters and siblings.
Open our hearts so that
we may welcome each other
with our differences
and live in forgiveness.
Grant us to live united in one body,
so that the gift
that is each person
comes to light.
May all of us together
be a reflection of the living Christ.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from Day 3 of Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2021, Monastic Community of Grandchamp, , https://www.oikoumene.org/.../worship-and-background...
Tuesday,
January 19, 2021
“Abide in me as I abide in you.”
(John 15:4a)
Holy Spirit,
May we receive in our hearts
the presence of Christ,
and may we cherish his love.
Nourish our prayer,
enlighten our reading of Scripture,
act through us,
so that the fruits of your gifts
can patiently grow in us.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from Day 2 of Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2021, Monastic Community of Grandchamp, https://www.oikoumene.org/.../worship-and-background...
Monday,
January 18, 2021
Words from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:
“Love is the most durable power in the world. This creative force, so beautifully exemplified in the life of our Christ, is the most potent instrument available in mankind’s quest for peace and security.”
(From: Strength to Love, pages 50-51 © 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. © 2010 Fortress Press edition.)
Jesus Christ,
you seek us,
you wish to offer us your friendship
and lead us to a life
that is ever more complete.
Grant us the confidence
to answer your call
so that we may be transformed
and become witnesses
of your tenderness for the world.
Amen.
Prayer: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ~ Day 1, Monastic Community of Grandchamp, https://www.oikoumene.org/.../worship-and-background...
Sunday,
January 17, 2021
Faithful God,
surround us
with your everlasting arms.
Hear our cries of despair,
heed our calls for justice,
and do not let us lose hope,
in the name of Jesus Christ,
our Savior, we pray.
Amen.
Prayer: All Creation Sings (new ELCA Worship Resource),
sundaysandseasons.com, Augsburg Fortress Liturgies License SAS006505
.
Saturday,
January 16, 2021
A Meditation on Psalm 46:10
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
Prayer for Friday,
January 15, 2021
God, we thank you
for the inspiration of Jesus.
Grant that we will love you
with all our hearts, souls, and minds,
and love our neighbors
as we love ourselves,
even our enemy neighbors.
And we ask you, God,
in these days of emotional tension,
when the problems of the world
are gigantic in extent
and chaotic in detail,
to be with us in our going out
and our coming in,
in our rising up
and in our lying down,
in our moments of joy
and in our moments of sorrow,
until the day when there shall be
no sunset and no dawn.
Amen.
Adapted from "Thou, Dear God": Prayers That Open Hearts and Spirits, The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., edited by Lewis V. Baldwin (Beacon Press, 2014).
Today is the Commemoration Day for Martin Luther King Jr., renewer of society & martyr. An American prophet of justice among races and nations, King was an eloquent preacher, a leader of the nonviolent resistance to race-segregated society, and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Born on this date, he was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
https://members.sundaysandseasons.com/.../TextsAndResourc...
Photo: Mid-morning vIew of Ossipee Lake and campfire benches, January 12, 2021 by JHS.
Prayer for Thursday,
January 14, 2021
Where there is cruelty,
may I model your kindness.
Where there is despair,
may I model your hope.
Where there is anxiety,
may I model your comfort.
Where there is loneliness,
may I model your presence.
And where there is strife,
may I model your peace.
Amen.
Prayer: Alydia Smith, from Parables, Prayers, and Promises (UCPH),
https://www.united-church.ca/prayers/prayer-hospitality
Prayer for Wednesday,
January 13, 2021
Gracious God,
you sustain your people
through seasons
of change and challenge.
Breathe into us your Spirit,
drive us from our waiting places
and into the world
to be part of the promise
you proclaim.
Inspire us with hope and courage
to confront our needs —
for justice, for health,
for liberation,
for one another and for you —
and restore our relationships
with one another
and with all of creation.
In the name of your Son,
Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Prayer: From “God With Us” ELCA World Hunger Advent Study 2020, Week 1.
.
Prayer for Tuesday,
January 12, 2021
Loving God,
journey with us this year
so that we may feel your presence,
abide in your forgiveness,
grow in your strength,
and dwell in your love.
Give us open hearts,
open minds,
and open eyes
so that we may sing your praise
and follow your path always
and everywhere.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from “January” from Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Sages, Psalms and Prayer Practices, 2nd Edition by Rev. Larry J. Peacock © 2014, p. 1.
Prayer for Monday,
January 11, 2021
Gracious God,
keep us working and praying
for the day when your justice
will roll down like waters,
and your righteousness
like an ever-flowing stream.
Replenish our strength
and stir up our hope
as we look for signs
of your coming reign.
And fill us with the peace
that passes understanding—
the deep peace of
Jesus Christ our Savior,
in whose holy name we pray.
Amen.
Prayer: Prayer of Lament from “All Creation Sings”
© 2020 Augsburg Fortress, Augsburg Liturgies License SAS006505
Prayer for Sunday,
January 10, 2021
Bless us, O God,
with the presence of your Holy Spirit
hovering over the deep waters
of our journey,
wrapping us with light,
scattering our night with day!
Don’t abandon us to our own chaos---
spiritless, formless, and empty.
Bless us, O God,
with the presence
of your creating Spirit,
filling our empty hearts with love,
bringing sunrise to our troubled night.
Let there be morning.
Let there be day.
Amen.
Prayer: Invocations and Benedictions for the Revised Common Lectionary, edited by John M. Drescher, © 1998 Abingdon Press, p. 62.
Prayer for Saturday,
January 9, 2021
Almighty and merciful God,
you are the only source
of health and healing;
you alone can bring
calmness and peace.
Grant to us, your children,
an awareness of your presence
and a strong confidence in you.
In our pain, our weariness,
and our anxiety,
surround us with your care,
protect us by your loving might,
and permit us once more
to enjoy health and strength
and peace;
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: From Healing Prayers, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 85.
Prayer for Friday,
January 8, 2021
O God,
you made us in your own image
and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son.
Look with compassion
on the whole human family;
take away
the arrogance and hatred
that infect our hearts;
break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and,
through our struggle and confusion,
work to accomplish
your purposes on earth;
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: adapted from Social Ministry prayers on the human family, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 79.
.
Prayer for Thursday,
January 7, 2021
Eternal God,
amid all the turmoil
and changes of the world
your love is steadfast
and your strength never fails.
In this time of danger and trouble,
be to us a sure guardian
and rock of defense.
Guide the leaders of our nation
with your wisdom,
comfort those in distress,
and grant us courage and hope
to face the future;
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 76.
Prayer for Epiphany,
January 6, 2021
Almighty and ever-living God,
you revealed
the incarnation of your Son
by the brilliant shining of a star.
Shine the light of your justice
always in our hearts
and over all lands,
and accept our lives
as the treasure we offer
in your praise and for your service,
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Prayer: Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 21.
Prayer for Tuesday,
January 5, 2021
Lord, the light of your love is shining,
in the midst of the darkness shining;
Jesus, Light of the world,
shine upon us.
Set us free by the truth
you now bring us.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine,
fill this land
with the Father's glory.
Blaze, Spirit, blaze,
set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow,
flood the nations
with grace and mercy.
Send forth your word, Lord,
and let there be light!
Amen.
Prayer: Graham Kendrick © 1987 Make Way Music, CCLI License # 383771
Prayer for Monday,
January 4, 2021
Holy Child within the manger,
long ago yet ever near;
come as friend to ev’ry stranger,
come as hope for ev’ry fear.
As you lived to heal the broken,
greet the outcast, free the bound,
as you taught us love unspoken,
teach us now where you are found.
Holy Child within the manger,
lead us ever in your way,
so we see in ev’ry stranger
how you come to us today.
In our lives and in our living
give us strength to live as you,
that our hearts might be forgiving
and our spirits strong and true.
Amen.
Prayer: "Holy Child Within the Manger (Carol at the Manger)" verses 1 & 3 by Marty Haugen, With One Voice #638, © 1987 GIA Publications, Inc. One License #A-700246.
Blessing for Sunday,
January 3, 2021
Beloved children of God,
what came into being in Christ was life,
and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not overcome it.
May the light of Christ shine on you
with grace and mercy
and fill you with joy and peace.
Amen.
Prayer: Based on John 1:1, 3-5, from "We Too Have A Star to Guide Us" service, from sundaysandseasons.com © 2020, License SAS006505.
Prayer for Saturday,
January 2, 2021
It may seem naive,
in a world of grief,
to choose to live in joy;
It may seem foolish,
in a world where solemnity
is power,
to sing and dance
to a different tune;
It may seem cruel,
in a world of suffering
and injustice,
to speak of light
and celebration;
But you have come, Jesus,
to bring joy into our grief,
light into our darkness,
singing into our mourning;
and it is an act of healing
and proclamation
to believe and embrace
the joy you offer.
Joy to the world!
The Lord is come!
Hallelujah!
Amen.
Prayer: Joy to the World, Copyright © 2010 John van de Laar, on his website Sacredise.com
.
Prayer for Friday,
January 1, 2021
God of the New Year,
as we stand on the morning
of this New Year
fill us with peace and hope.
Give us open eyes
to see the possibilities
you offer to us.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from Alive Now, Jan/Feb 2009 issue, p.54.
.
Prayer for Thursday,
December 31, 2020
At the turn of the year we meditate on endings and beginnings, knowing that all the world’s time begins and ends in God. We watch and keep vigil for the coming of God’s justice as we continue to hold in our prayers all those who are ill.
Eternal God,
you have placed us
in a world of space and time,
and through the events of our lives
you bless us with your love.
Grant that in the new year
we may know your presence,
see your love at work,
and live in the light of the event
that gives us joy forever—
the coming of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Prayer: ELW page 63; https://members.sundaysandseasons.com/.../TextsAndResourc...
Prayer for Wednesday,
December 30, 2020
God of Glory,
your splendor shines
from a manger in Bethlehem
into the darkness of human night.
Open our eyes to Christ’s presence
in the shadows of our world
so that we, like him,
may become beacons of your justice
and defenders of all
for whom there is no room.
Amen.
Prayer: The Worship Sourcebook, Second Edition © 2011,
Faith Alive Christian Resources, p. 475.
Prayer for Tuesday,
December 29, 2020
God,
as we near the end of a difficult year,
may we look to your love
to bring restoration
to this nation and to this world.
Amen.
Prayer: Verse & Voice 12.28.20
from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Charge for Monday,
December 28, 2020
Go now into the world,
carrying Christmas with you
into everyday life.
Open the inn within you
and make room for that Gift of gifts,
even our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Prayer: from Reaching for Rainbows by Ann Weems (p. 90), © 1980 Ann Barr Weems, Westminster John Knox Press; http://www.reformedworship.org/.../o-come-let-us-adore-him
.
Prayer for Sunday,
December 27, 2020
Gracious God,
we pray for all in need.
Come to all the hungry,
the homeless, the war-torn.
Guide us in and through
this fearsome pandemic.
Visit those sick with COVID-19.
Comfort all who live
with depression or fear.
Abide with all
for whom the holiday season
is overwhelmed by sorrow.
Lighten all hearts
with your living hope.
Amen.
Prayer: Prayer petition from ELCA Worship Blog
for December 27, 2020 at https://blogs.elca.org/worship/3214/
.
Prayer for Saturday,
December 26, 2020
Blessed are you, Prince of peace.
You rule the earth
with truth and justice.
Send your gift of peace
to all nations and cities of the world
especially the Nashville community.
Blessed are you, Son of Mary.
You share our humanity.
Have mercy on the sick, the dying,
and all who suffer this day.
Blessed are you, Son of God.
You dwell among us
as the Word made flesh.
Reveal yourself
that we may bear your light
to all the world.
Amen.
Prayer: Responsive Prayer with adaptations, Lessons & Carols 2, sundaysandseasons.com, © 2020 Augsburg Fortress, License SAS006505
Prayer for Friday,
December 25, 2020
Gracious God of heaven and earth,
you have thrown a lifeline to us
in our darkness—
a beam of light
that shines through Jesus.
Though born in a manger,
he is the firstborn of all creation.
Though crucified on a cross,
he is the Lord of life.
Fill us with the wonder and joy
of his presence in the world
and in our hearts.
Amen.
Prayer: Lessons and Carols for Christmas,
from sundaysandseasons.com
© 2020 Augsburg Fortress, License SAS006505.
Prayer for Thursday,
December 24, 2020
O holy child of Bethlehem,
descend to us we pray,
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
the great glad tidings tell.
O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel.
Amen.
Prayer: Verse 4, O Little Town of Bethlehem by Phillips Brooks, minister of Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia. Written after a visit to Bethlehem, Brooks wrote this hymn for his Sunday School's Christmas service.
Prayer for Wednesday,
December 23, 2020
Holy God,
we are preparing for your Son,
our Joy to the World to come.
Help every heart prepare room
and let heaven and nature sing!
Remember those who are sick
and be with those who grieve losses.
Take away sin and sorrow
and make your blessings flow
for all people.
We give thanks
that you rule the world
with truth and grace.
May we all live in your peace
and the wonders of your love.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted by Judy Smith from Isaac Watts’ Advent hymn,
Joy to the World, based on Psalm 98:4-7, 10.
Prayer for Tuesday,
December 22, 2020
All earth is hopeful,
the Savior comes at last!
Furrows lie open
for God's creative task:
this, the labor of people
who struggle to see
how God's truth and justice
set ev'rybody free.
People of Israel,
you heard the prophet tell:
"A virgin mother will bear Emmanuel";
she conceived him, "God with us,"
our brother, whose birth
restores hope and courage
to children of this earth.
Mountains and valleys
will have to be prepared;
new highways opened,
new protocols declared.
Almost here! God is nearing,
in beauty and grace!
All clear ev'ry gateway,
in haste, come out in haste!
Amen.
Text: Advent hymn, v. 1-3, ELW #266,
text by Alberto Taule, translated by Madeline Forell Marshall,
© 1993 & © 1995,
OCP Publications, One License #A-700246
Prayers for Monday,
December 21, 2020
From Sundays and Seasons: In the Northern Hemisphere, December 21 is the longest night, the winter solstice. It marks the shortest day of the year, the official start of winter. Tradition says that nature and all her creatures stop and hold their breath to see if the sun will turn back from its wanderings, if the days will lengthen and the earth will once again feel the sun’s warmth. On this darkest day of the year, we come with our honest yearnings seeking the return of light and hope.
While Advent is a season of hope and Christmas is a season of joy, not everyone feels hopeful or like celebrating. Grief, illness, aging, depression, loneliness, unemployment, and loss are magnified. Even those who are not struggling with losses may feel the stress of preparations and expectations around Christmas time.
Take these prayers & hymns with you today as comfort.
Lord God,
our light and our salvation,
grant that your servants
who seek your face in times of trouble
may see your goodness
in the land of the living,
and that we may be set safely
on the rock of our faith,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Come and fill our hearts
with your peace.
You alone, O Lord, are holy.
Come and fill our hearts
with your peace. Alleluia!
Amen.
Deep peace
of the running waves to you,
Deep peace
of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace
of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace
of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace
of the gentle night to you.
Deep peace of Christ,
of Christ the light of the world to you.
Deep peace of Christ to you.
Amen.
Prayers: © 2020 Augsburg Fortress SAS006505;
Psalm 136:1; Taize Community, GIA Publications,
One License A-700246;
Gaelic blessing;
Prayer for Sunday,
December 20, 2020
Holy God,
we praise you
for the coming of Jesus our Lord,
who lifts up the lowly,
heals the suffering world,
and proclaims your way
of mercy and truth.
For your Word who is Christ,
we magnify you, O God.
Amen.
Prayer: https://blogs.elca.org/worship/3148/
Prayer for Saturday,
December 19, 2020
Lord,
during this Advent season we pray
that we would embrace the freedom
to celebrate your expected arrival
and acknowledge the pain
of this difficult year,
knowing that you are present
in both joy and pain.
Amen.
Prayer: From Verse & Voice 12-17-20, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Prayer for Friday,
December 18, 2020
Ever-present God,
through sickness, violence,
discord and injustice
we have yearned
for the fulfillment of your promise.
Make us, your church,
a sign of the day to come,
that we may reflect this hope to others.
Knit us together with one another
and with our neighbors,
that none may feel alone or isolated
from your life-giving love.
In your holy name, we pray.
Amen.
Prayer: ELCA World Hunger Advent Study, https://blogs.elca.org/.../advent-2020-week-two-study-guide/
Prayer for Thursday,
December 17, 2020
As we wake up to snow all over New England and pray for safety for those clearing our roads and sidewalks, we also pray:
God of Israel,
with expectant hearts
we, your people, await Christ’s coming.
As once he came in humility,
so now may he come in glory,
that he may make all things perfect
in your everlasting kingdom.
For he is Lord forever and ever.
Amem.
Prayer: https://worship.calvin.edu/.../healer-of-our-every-ill-2020
.
Prayer for Wednesday,
December 16, 2020
Come now, O Prince of peace,
make us one body.
Come, O Lord Jesus,
reconcile your people.
Come now, O God of love,
make us one body.
Come, O Lord Jesus,
reconcile your people.
Come now and set us free,
O God, our Savior.
Come, O Lord Jesus,
reconcile all nations.
Come, Hope of unity,
make us one body.
Come, O Lord Jesus,
reconcile all nations.
Amen.
Text: (ELW #247) Geon-yong Lee, b. 1947; tr. Marion Pope
© 1991 Geonyong Lee,
admin. GIA Publications, Inc.
One License A700246
Prayer for Tuesday,
December 15, 2020
Almighty God,
as you have sent your Word
to be the light of the world,
let that light shine in our hearts
that we may be filled with
the joy and peace
that you alone can provide.
Amen.
Prayer: From The New Century Hymnal (C) 1995 The Pilgrim Press, p. 60.
A blessing for Monday,
December 14, 2020
The Creator of the stars
bless our Advent waiting,
the long-expected Savior
fill us with love,
the unexpected Spirit
guide our journey,
+ now and forever.
Amen.
Blessing: Advent Day Texts, www.sundaysandseasons.com,
Annual License SAS006505
Prayer for Sunday,
December 13, 2020
Lord of hope,
as night workers long for the sunrise,
we long for the coming of Christ.
Today we yearn for your Spirit
to give us a glimpse of your glory,
that one day we will see in full,
when all will be made new,
through Christ, our Lord, our Light.
Amen.
Prayer: The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd Ed., Calvin Institute of Christian Worship © 2013 Faith Alive, p. 437. Used with permission.
Prayer for Saturday,
December 12, 2020
As we give thanks
for approved vaccines
we continue to ask you to
keep watch, dear Lord,
with those who work
or watch or weep,
and give your angels charge
over those who sleep.
Tend the sick,
give rest to the weary,
bless the dying,
soothe the suffering,
comfort the afflicted,
shield the joyous;
and all for your love’s sake.
Amen.
Prayer: Evangelical Lutheran Worship © 2006 Augsburg Fortress, pages 74 and 326.
Photo: Girls Junior End, December 7, 2020 by JHS.
Prayer for Friday,
December 11, 2020
Covenant God,
you heard your people
yearning for a Savior.
Thank you
for sending your Son so long ago.
We now rehearse your promise
that Christ will come again,
that death and suffering will end
and every tear will be wiped away.
Come, Lord Jesus, come.
As you fulfilled
Israel’s hopes long ago,
so we long for these promises
to be fulfilled.
Amen.
Prayer: The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd Ed., Calvin Institute Christian Worship
© 2013 Faith Alive, p. 434. Used with permission.
Prayer for Thursday,
December 10, 2020
O Christ, the healer, we have come
to pray for health, to plead for friends.
How can we fail to be restored
when reached by love that never ends?
From ev’ry ailment flesh endures
our bodies clamor to be freed;
yet in our hearts we would confess
that wholeness is our deepest need.
In conflicts that destroy our health
we recognize the world’s disease;
our common life declares our ills.
Is there no cure, O Christ, for these?
Grant that we all, made one in faith,
in your community may find
the wholeness that, enriching us,
shall reach the whole of humankind.
Amen.
Prayer: ELW hymn #610 by Fred Pratt Green
© 1969 Hope Publishing Co., CCLI License #383771
Prayer for Wednesday,
December 9, 2020
Almighty and everlasting God,
comfort of the sad
and strength to those who suffer:
Let the prayers of your children
who are in any trouble rise to you.
To everyone in distress
grant mercy,
grant relief,
grant refreshment;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Service of Word for Healing, sundaysandseasons.com, 2020 Augsburg Fortress, Liturgies Annual License #SAS006505
Prayer for Tuesday,
December 8, 2020
God of the covenant,
we hear the voice of John the Baptist
breaking into our world:
The kingdom is near!
Prepare the way!
Come and dwell
in the pathways of our hearts,
that we may be ready
for the Messiah’s birth,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: “Prepare the Royal Highway” Midweek Advent Service, sundaysandseasons.com © 2020 Augsburg Fortress, Liturgies Annual License: SAS006505
.
Prayer for Monday,
December 7, 2020
Stir up our hearts, O Lord,
to prepare the way
for the coming of your Son.
Give us courage and faith
to proclaim, in word and deed,
the good news of your coming,
even as we wait in patience
for that day
when Christ will come again.
Amen.
Prayer: From Watch, Wait, Wonder and Worship Advent Service, sundaysandseasons.com © 2020 Augsburg Fortress,
Liturgies Annual License: SAS006505
Prayer for the second Sunday in Advent,
December 6, 2020
Stir up our hearts, O Lord,
to prepare the way for your only Son.
By his coming give us strength
in our conflicts
and shed light on our path
through the darkness of this world.
Amen.
Prayer: Lutheran Book of Worship, Augsburg Publishing House, 1978, p. 13.
Prayer for Saturday,
December 5, 2020
(Little is known about Nicholas according to sundaysandseasons.com, except that he was a bishop in present-day Turkey. According to legend, he was famous for his giving to the poor, and so has become a symbol of anonymous gift-giving. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, died around 342. The church commemorates this saint tomorrow, December 6.)
Loving God,
we thank you for the example
of St. Nicholas,
who fed the hungry,
brought hope to the Imprisoned,
gave comfort to the lost,
and taught the truth to all.
May we strive to imitate him
by putting you first in all we do.
Give us the courage,
love and strength
of St. Nicholas, so that,
like him, we may serve
you through loving
our brothers, sisters and siblings.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from “The Example of St. Nicolas” by Amy Welborn, http://www.xavier.edu/.../prayer-index/st-nicholas-prayers
In this time when we are worshiping at home, it is very fitting to find ways to mark St. Nicholas Day at home. Here are some ideas from the ELCA Worship Blog blogs.elca.org/worship/3121/:
St. Nicholas Eve. On the eve of St. Nicholas Day (December 5), have children place a shoe or boot outside their bedroom door. Parents or caregivers can fill the shoe with little gifts, much as you would a Christmas stocking. Gold coins are the traditional gift, associated with the legend of St. Nicholas providing dowries in the form of bags of gold to three impoverished young girls, to save them from prostitution.
Act of kindness. Have each family member draw another family member’s name from a hat. Perform a secret act of kindness for the person whose name you have drawn.
Surprise your neighbors. You can leave a small gift such as a tin of cookies on a neighbor’s doorstep. You could include a simple note, mentioning a little about St. Nicholas and his generosity.
Keep Advent. St. Nicholas Day might be a way to gradually introduce Christmas decorating while still observing Advent. Perhaps you hang Christmas stockings on St. Nicholas Day or make your plans for giving to others in need this season.
Prayers for Friday,
December 4, 2020
The Spirit and the church cry out:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
All those who await
his appearance pray:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The whole creation pleads:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
We continue to pray for those suffering from Covid-19. We lift up healthcare workers including first responders, hospital staffs, local physician office staffs, nursing home staffs, home care support personnel, family caregivers and all providing love and support to those who are ill.
We also lift up emergency workers especially fire service personnel who are dealing with new life-threatening forest fires in Southern California.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Prayer: Opening dialogue from "The Great O Antiphons: A Service for Advent" sundaysandseasons.com © 2020 Augsburg Fortress, Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License SAS006505
Prayers for Thursday,
December 3, 2020
During these weeks
of waiting and expecting,
where people live in fear of the unknown,
we pray for peace.
Where people are confused
about your will for their lives
or for the world,
we pray for clarity.
Where people doubt
your presence and your word,
we pray for trust.
Where people are curious,
and await the future
with hopeful anticipation,
we pray for wonder.
Most of all,
when the world longs for you,
we pray you help us respond
with glad tidings of comfort and joy.
We pray all this in the name of Jesus,
our long-expected Savior.
Amen.
Prayers: From Sundays and Seasons Advent service: "Tidings of Comfort and Joy"
© 2020 Augsburg Fortress, Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License SAS006505.
Prayer for Wednesday,
December 2, 2020
Slow us down, O God,
as we journey to Bethlehem.
As we breathe in
the calming presence of Christ,
open our hearts to ways
that make peace.
Help us bring peace
to the dinner table,
to harried salespeople,
to the work place,
to school,
to online meetings,
to anxious friends and family members
and to our troubled hearts.
As we journey
this Advent season and beyond,
let us diligently follow in the footsteps
of the greatest peacemaker
the world has ever known,
Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted for 2020 from “An Advent Prayer of Peace” by Melanie Silva,
ALIVE NOW November/December 2013 issue, p, 30.
Prayer for Tuesday,
December 1, 2020
Awake! Awake,
and greet the new morn,
for angels herald its dawning.
Sing out your joy,
for soon he is born,
behold! the Child of our longing.
Come as a baby weak and poor,
to bring all hearts together,
he opens wide the heav'nly door
and lives now inside us forever.
Rejoice, rejoice,
take heart in the night,
though dark the winter and cheerless,
the rising sun
shall crown you with light,
be strong and loving and fearless.
Love be our song
and love our prayer
and love our endless story;
may God fill ev'ry day we share
and bring us at last into glory.
In 1983 liturgical composer Marty Haugen wrote both words & music for this popular Advent hymn. His purpose was to provide an easy congregational chorale using the images from Isaiah 12:6, 26:9, 35:6 and Matthew 11:5.
Prayer: Verse 1 & 4 from “Awake! Awake, and Greet the New Morn” by Marty Haugen,
© 1983 GIA Publications, Inc., One License #A700246
Prayer for Monday,
November 30, 2020
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come.
As darkness falls,
may we watch for your light.
Keep us awake and alert to your coming
and strengthen us to the end,
that we may be blameless
on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Prayer: From Watch, Wait, Wonder and Worship Advent Service, sundaysandseasons.com © 2020 Augsburg Fortress, Liturgies Annual License: SAS006505
Prayer for the first Sunday in Advent,
November 29, 2020
Blessed are you, O God.
Wake us up
so that we are ready
to greet our Lord Jesus
when he comes,
and prepare us
to welcome him
into our hearts and homes.
Amen.
Prayer: From ELCA Worship, Worship in the Home Resources, https://blogs.elca.org/worship/3067/
Prayer for Saturday,
November 28, 2020
Lord,
just as your love knows no bounds
and finds endless ways to reveal itself,
so help us to express a gratitude
too deep for words.
Help us to learn
to reveal our thanksgiving
in the countless ways there are
to love others,
to provide for those in need,
to serve where service is rare.
Amen.
Prayer: Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, © 2010 Zondervan, p. 535.
Prayer for Friday,
November 27, 2020
O God,
in you we live and move
and have our being.
Guide and govern us in this day
by your Holy Spirit,
that in all the cares
and occupations of our life
we may not forget you,
but remember that always
we are walking in your sight;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Daily Prayer: Responsive Prayer, ELW,
Augsburg Fortress, p. 330.
Prayers for Thursday,
November 26, 2020
Great and generous God,
visit our homes on Thanksgiving Day.
When we are separated
from loved ones,
embrace us with your care.
Keep gatherings safe.
Even in our reduced celebrations,
give us voices to offer thanks to you
for your perpetual blessings.
A brief silence.
Great and healing God,
we beg for an end
to the earth’s pandemic.
Bring healing to the millions
who are suffering from the coronavirus:
any who are sick, dying,
despairing, isolated, unemployed,
and all exhausted medical workers.
We give thanks for the researchers
tirelessly working on vaccines
and ask for guidance in the delivery
of these vaccines to all your people.
A brief silence.
Great and gracious God,
show your loving power to all
who are in need.
Equip us to feed the hungry,
to provide clean water for the thirsty,
to welcome the stranger,
to clothe the naked,
to care for the sick,
to visit the prisoners.
A brief silence.
These petitions we ask
through your Son, Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from “Worship in the Home: November 22, 2020,” www.blogs.elca.org
Prayer for Wednesday,
November 25, 2020
Gracious and merciful God,
slow to anger, rich in love,
we bless your name
and give you thanks.
In our need,
you make haste to help us.
You plant us
beside streams of your wisdom,
teach us in pastures
greening with truth,
and guide us
on the path of your promise.
By your Spirit awaken our faith,
that, feasting on your Word,
we may love you more fully
and serve our neighbor more faithfully;
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Service of the Word: Supplemental Materials,
Updated 11/5/2020
© 2020 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Prayer for Tuesday,
November 24, 2020
Merciful God,
nothing can separate us from you.
When the distance between you and us
seems unbearable,
help us to move closer to you,
knowing that by your mercy
you are never beyond our reach.
Amen.
Prayer: Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals,
© 2010 by Zondervan, p. 281.
Prayer for Monday,
November 23, 2020
God of the changing seasons,
the winter trees stand naked,
graceful against a cold, crisp sky,
lines etched like lace,
full of promise.
God of the changing seasons,
let me see the beauty in simple things
and hold me as I disencumber myself,
striving for simplicity
that is graceful, joyous
and full of promise.
Open me to the wisdom
that comes from maturity.
Amen.
Prayer: Rev. Larry J. Peacock, “Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Sages, Psalms and Prayer Practices, 2nd Ed., © 2014 SkyLight Paths Publishing, p. 319.
Prayer for
November 22, 2020,
Christ the King Sunday:
Beautiful Savior,
King of creation,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I'd love thee,
truly I'd serve thee,
light of my soul,
my joy, my crown.
Beautiful Savior,
Lord of the nations,
Son of God
and Son of Man!
Glory and honor,
praise, adoration,
now and forevermore
be thine!
Amen.
Prayer: Beautiful Savior, Gesangbuch, Münster, 1677;
tr. Joseph A. Seiss, 1823-1904.
Prayer for Saturday,
November 21, 2020
O Lord,
your word is a lamp
unto our feet
and a light for our pathways.
Stay with us today
as we walk in your word
and in your world.
Amen.
Prayer: Based on Psalm 119:105 by JHS.
Prayer for Friday,
November 20, 2020
O God of many names,
lover of all peoples:
We pray for peace
in our hearts and homes,
in our nations and in our world;
the peace of your will,
the peace of our need.
Amen.
Prayer: From Midday Prayer, A New Zealand Prayer Book,
Harper Collins, p. 161.
Prayer for Thursday,
November 19, 2020
Loving God,
help us
to focus on what we have,
not on what is removed or changed.
Strengthen us
when we feel discouraged
or overwhelmed.
Embrace us
so that us we know your loving presence
within us and among us.
Walk with us
as we bring your love,
and carry your light,
into our world.
Amen.
Prayer: Sandra Lucas, MDiv. BCC, “Prayers During the Coronavirus Pandemic”, https://www.xavier.edu/.../prayer-index/coronavirus-prayers
Prayer for Wednesday,
November 18, 2020
Joyous Light…
You who made the heaven's splendor,
ev'ry dancing star of night,
make us shine with gentle justice,
let us each reflect your light.
Mighty God of all creation,
gentle Christ who lights our way,
loving Spirit of salvation,
lead us on to endless day.
Amen.
Text: Joyous Light of Heavenly Glory, Greek hymn, 3rd century, verse 3,
paraphrased by Marty Haugen,
© 1987 GIA Publications, Inc.,
One License.net A-700246.
.
Prayer for Tuesday,
November 17, 2020
Joyous Light...
In the stars that grace the darkness,
in the blazing sun of dawn,
in the light of peace and wisdom,
we can hear your quiet song.
Love that fills the night with wonder,
love that warms the weary soul,
love that bursts all chains asunder,
set us free and make us whole.
Amen.
Prayer: Joyous Light of Heavenly Glory, Greek hymn, 3rd century, verse 2,
paraphrased by Marty Haugen,
© 1987 GIA Publications, Inc.,
One License.net A-700246.
Prayer for Monday,
November 16, 2020
Joyous light of heav'nly glory,
loving glow of God's own face,
you who sing creation's story,
shine on ev'ry land and race.
Now as evening falls around us,
we shall raise our songs to you.
God of daybreak,
God of shadows,
come and light our hearts anew.
Amen.
Prayer: Joyous Light of Heavenly Glory, Greek hymn, verse 1, 3rd century,
paraphrased by Marty Haugen,
© 1987 GIA Publications, Inc.,
One License.net A-700246.
Prayer for Sunday,
November 15, 2020
Almighty God,
your sovereign purpose
brings salvation to birth.
Give us faith to be steadfast
amid the tumults of this world,
trusting that your kingdom comes
and your will is done;
through your Son, Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 53.
Prayer for Saturday,
November 14, 2020
Lord God,
You have declared
that your kingdom is among us.
Open our eyes to see it,
our ears to hear it,
our hearts to hold it,
our hands to serve it.
This we pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Prayer: The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd Edition, © 2013,
Faith Alive Christian Resources, p. 143.
.
Prayer for Friday,
November 13, 2020
Gracious God,
Your word of peace stills the storms
that rage in our world.
Bring hope to places
including North Carolina
that know devastation from flooding
as a result of Hurricane Eta.
Bring comfort to those who grieve
the loss of loved ones and property.
Let your love be known through those
who work to bring order in the chaos.
Help us to shoulder
the burden of suffering
and make us bearers of the hope
that can be found in you.
Through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship: Occasional Services for the Assembly, page 394.
Prayer for Thursday,
November 12, 2020
God before me,
God behind me,
God above me,
God beneath me.
I on your path, O God.
You, O God, on my way.
in the twisting of the road,
in the currents of the river.
Be with me by day,
be with me by night,
be with me by day and by night.
Prayer: Celtic Prayers from IONA edited by J. Philip Newell, Paulist Press, 1997, p. 28.
Prayer for Wednesday,
November 11, 2020
Almighty God,
we commend
to your gracious care and keeping
all the men and women
of our armed forces
at home and abroad.
Defend them day by day
with your heavenly grace;
strengthen them
in their trials and temptations;
give them courage
to face the perils that surround them;
and grant them a sense
of your abiding presence
wherever they may be;
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 77.
Prayer for Tuesday,
November 10, 2020
God of Mercy and Grace,
We come to you trusting that you are our refuge and our strength, our very present help in trouble.
We continue to pray for people who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and for the family and medical staff who surround them in care.
We pray for those who are most vulnerable to this disease, whether from underlying health conditions or other contributing factors. May they rest in your peace and protection.
We pray for healthcare workers and people on the front lines of this disease. Keep them healthy; keep them safe.
It is in the strong name of Jesus that we do pray.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from Bread for the World,
https://www.bread.org/blog/prayer-healing-covid-19
Prayer for Monday,
November 9, 2020
O Holy One of wisdom,
throughout human history
and today among us here,
you call us to walk
the paths of justice and peace.
We praise you, O God of truth,
for your precious words.
Grant that sheltered
under their richness
as under the tree of life,
we live in gratitude
and faithfulness,
through Jesus Christ,
your Word and our Wisdom,
now and forever.
Amen.
Prayer: Based on Prov. 3:13-18; 8:1-21 from General Use prayers
in “Service of the Word, Supplemental Materials for Thanksgiving”
© 2020 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
.
Prayer for Sunday,
November 8, 2020
Sovereign God,
your Son Jesus
lived within the structures of society
even as he spoke truth
to those in power
and challenged systems
of oppression.
Empower us to be
courageous disciples
and responsible citizens.
Grant that our life in the public realm
be grounded
in the love for our neighbors,
care for the most vulnerable
in our midst
and respect for the common life
we share,
following the example of
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: From ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s Election Message,
November 4, 2020, https://elca.org/News-and-Events/8077
Prayer for Saturday,
November 7, 2020
Guide and Friend
of every seeking heart,
you take upon yourself
all that burdens our lives:
our days of doubt,
our divided hearts,
our physical weaknesses
and that fear of the future
which is often our companion.
And you transfigure them,
freeing us of all
that weighs us down.
Lord of the perplexed,
enable us today to rediscover
your amazing truth -
that in your strength
we truly can begin to walk anew
with lightened steps
and clearer vision,
moving from the shadows
into the clear, flowing waters
of your healing, gentle grace.
Amen.
Prayer: An IONA Prayer Book, Peter Millar, Canterbury Press, (C) 1998, p. 53.
Prayer for Friday,
November 6, 2020
O Jesus,
be the canoe that holds me up
in the sea of life;
Be the rudder that keeps me
in a straight road;
Be the outrigger that supports me
in times of temptation.
Let your Spirit be my sail
that carries me through each day.
Keep my body strong,
so that I may paddle steadfastly
on the voyage of life.
Amen.
Prayer: # 876, An Islander's prayer from Melanesia, (c) 1995, The New Century Hymnal, The Pilgrim Press, Cleveland, Ohio.
Prayer for Thursday,
November 5, 2020
O God,
grant us your peace,
comfort, and patience
in this time of uncertainty.
Help us to wait well;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Verse & Voice 11-4-20, Sojourners Prayer of the Day,
(C) 2020, www.sojo.net
Prayer for Wednesday,
November 4, 2020
God, our refuge and strength,
you have bound us together
in a common life.
In all our conflicts,
help us to confront one another
without hatred or bitterness,
to listen for your voice
amid competing claims,
and to work together
with mutual forbearance
and respect;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 76.
Prayer for Tuesday,
November 3, 2020
May there be peace on earth.
May the hearts of all people
be open to themselves
and to each other.
May all people awaken
to the divine light deep within.
May all creation be blessed
and be a blessing to all that is.
Amen.
Prayer: "Praying for the Earth" prayer from Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Psalms, and Prayers © 2003 by Larry James Peacock.
Prayer for Monday,
November 2, 2020
O God, you crafted the universe as a divine tapestry in which the well-being of the entire cosmos is forever intertwined. In this election season, give us hearts and minds focused on nurturing all that you have made. Forgive us when we are unjust or accept unjust behavior in our leaders. Remind us of your call to not withdraw from the world, but to be in the world as your very own broken and beloved people. Ignite in us a passion for the welfare of those who are most vulnerable, and empower us to lead with a love that reflects your love revealed in Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Prayer: Worship Resources for a National Election, Worship Resources, www.elca.org
Prayer for Sunday,
November 1, 2020
Lord,
your saints come
from every nation and every tribe.
Such is the beauty of your kingdom,
where every race and people
are honored and recognized
as being made in your image.
Help us live lives
of peace and reconciliation
that pay homage to the diversity
of your great cloud of witnesses.
Amen.
Prayer: Common Prayer~A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, p. 505.
Prayers of Intercession,
Reformation Day,
Saturday, October 31, 2020
Living in the gift of baptismal grace, let us pray for the church, the world, and all who long to experience God's compassionate love.
Continue to reform and renew your church, O God, that it may be a beacon of hope, a sign of grace, a voice of prophetic truth, and a worker of justice.
God of steadfast love,
hear our prayer.
Our broken world longs for peace, economic opportunity, and healthy living conditions. Pour your blessing upon all nations and peoples, that all may share in the goodness you intend for your creation.
God of steadfast love,
hear our prayer.
Gracious God, you call us into freedom, and yet we continually choose the bondage of sin. Draw us ever more powerfully into the truth of Jesus Christ who died and rose again to free us from the slavery of sin.
God of steadfast love,
hear our prayer.
O Holy One, our refuge and strength, be a very present help to all who suffer in any way in spirit, mind, or body epecially those suffering from the coronavirus, racial injustice, wildfires, hurricanes, tropical storms and election anxieties.
God of steadfast love,
hear our prayer.
As we recall those who have raised faithful and courageous voices on behalf of your church, we now give thanks for all who serve faithfully in your church today.
God of steadfast love,
hear our prayer.
Accept our thanks for the witness of all who have blazed the path of faith ahead of us, and keep us true to that way.
God of steadfast love,
hear our prayer.
Listen as we call on you, O God, and enfold in your loving arms all for whom we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from Sundays & Seasons, 2005 edition, Annual License #SAS006505.
Prayer for Friday,
October 30, 2020
Lord God,
our hands are open to you.
Our ears are listening to you.
Our eyes are watching you.
Our hearts are trying
to beat with yours.
Live in us
and love others
through us today.
Amen.
Prayer : Common Prayer~A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, p. 370.
Prayer for Thursday,
October 29, 2020
Gracious God,
bring peace and aid
to those in need today.
We remember those recovering
from Tropical Storm Zeta
in Louisiana and surrounding states.
Be present in our cities
all over the world
especially Philadelphia and Nice, France.
Comfort and heal all who suffer from
violence, grief, sickness
and the loss of family members.
Gather us under your wings
and fulfill your promise
to be with us in trouble.
Through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Inspired by prayers from the Gulf Coast Synod Disaster Prep & Recovery webpage.
Prayer for Wednesday,
October 28, 2020
Sweet Lord,
save us.
Heal all that is broken
in our lives,
in our streets,
and in our world.
Amen.
Prayer: Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, Zondervan, 2010, p. 420.
Prayer for Tuesday,
October 27, 2020
Ever-living God,
author of creation,
we give you thanks
for your gift of water
that brings life
and refreshes the earth.
Send your Holy Spirit today,
that we may be renewed
by your loving promise to us,
to those who are near and far,
and to all creation.
Amen.
Prayer: From "Rejoice Now All the Earth" liturgy,
www.lutheranworld.org
Photo: Ossipee Lake view from the boathouse, October 26, 2020.
Blessing for Monday,
October 26, 2020
God be your comfort,
your strength;
God be your hope
and support;
God be your light
and your way;
and the blessing of God,
Creator, Redeemer
and Giver of life,
remain with you now
and forever.
Amen.
Prayer: A New Zealand Prayer Book, Harper Collins, 1989, p. 745.
Prayer for Sunday,
October 25, 2020
O God of justice and love,
draw us ever closer
into your community
that we may love one another
and work with one another
in ways that mirror your care
and unending love.
Amen.
Prayer: Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, p. 499.
Prayer for Saturday,
October 24, 2020
O Holy One of wisdom,
throughout human history
you call us to walk the paths
of justice and peace.
We praise you, O God of truth,
for your precious words.
Grant that sheltered
under their richness
as under the tree of life,
we live in gratitude and faithfulness,
through Jesus Christ,
your Word and our Wisdom,
now and forever.
Amen.
Prayer: Based on Prov. 3:13-18; 8:1-21,
Supplemental Materials for Service of the Word,
https://elca.org/Resources/Worship#Liturgy
Prayer for Friday,
October 23, 2020
O God, our refuge and strength,
we continue to pray
for those places, people, and animals
affected by wildfires
in the western states.
We are mindful of those
in the wake of raging wildfires
especially our sister camp,
Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp
in northern Colorado.
Grant safety
in the midst of chaos and fear;
grant strength
to those affected
as they recover and rebuild;
grant courage and hope
to face the future;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from Northwest Washington Synod website.
.
Prayer for Thursday,
October 22, 2020
God,
our peace and our strength,
we pray for our nation
and the world
as we continue to face
the coronavirus.
Protect the most vulnerable
among us,
especially all who are currently
sick or in isolation.
Grant wisdom, patience,
and clarity to health care workers,
especially as their work
caring for others
puts them at great risk.
Give us courage to face these days
not with fear but with compassion,
concern, and acts of service,
trusting that you abide with us always;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from Prayers for Times of Public Health Concern: COVID-19/Coronavirus, www.elca.org
Prayer for Wednesday,
October 21, 2020
Sovereign God,
your Son Jesus lived
within the structures of society
even as he spoke truth
to those in power
and challenged
systems of oppression.
Empower us
to be courageous disciples
and responsible citizens.
Grant that our life
in the public realm
be grounded in love
for our neighbors,
care for the most vulnerable
in our midst,
and respect for the common life
we share,
following the example
of Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: From forthcoming worship book "All Creation Sings" Augsburg Fortress, 2020.
Prayer for Tuesday,
October 20, 2020
We give you thanks, O God,
that through water and the Holy Spirit
you give us new birth,
cleanse us from sin,
and raise us to eternal life.
Stir up in your people
the gift of your Holy Spirit:
the spirit of wisdom
and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge
and the fear of the Lord,
the spirit of joy in your presence
both now and forever.
Amen.
Prayer: From Affirmation of Baptism, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 237.
Prayer for Monday,
October 19, 2020
Gracious God,
We pray for all ministries of healing:
that hospitals and clinics
receive adequate resources;
that medical care be improved
in neighborhoods of poverty,
in prisons, and in refugee camps;
that physicians and nurses be upheld;
that kindly hospice care
be available to the dying;
and that that all health care providers
working with coronavirus patients
are strengthened, encouraged and safe;
through Jesus Christ, your Son,
our healer.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from ELCA Worship Blog, remembering Luke, Physician & Evangelist, October 18, 2020.
Prayer for Sunday,
October 18, 2020
God of love,
Where there is cruelty,
may we model your kindness.
Where there is despair,
may we model your hope.
Where there is anxiety,
may we model your comfort.
Where there is loneliness,
may we model your presence.
And where there is strife,
may we model your peace;
through your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from Alydia Smith, from Parables, Prayers, and Promises, www.united-church.ca/prayers/prayer-hospitality
Prayer for Saturday,
October 17, 2020
God of compassion,
you have given us Jesus Christ,
the great physician,
who made the broken whole
and healed the sick.
Touch our wounds,
relieve our hurts,
and restore us to wholeness of life,
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Book of Common Prayer
© 2018 Westminster John Knox Press.
Prayer for Friday,
October 16, 2020
In times of difference
and division,
save us from rancor
and meanness, O God.
Help us focus ourselves on things
that are excellent and worthy.
Make us witnesses
to your way of justice
and righteousness.
Transform us and
transform the world,
we pray.
Amen.
Prayer: Hans Holznagel, inspired by Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23
and Philippians 4:1-19, www.ministrymatters.com
Prayer for Thursday,
October 15, 2020
Lord,
Open unto me –
light for my darkness.
Open unto me –
courage for my fear.
Open unto me –
hope for my despair.
Open unto me –
peace for my turmoil.
Open unto me –
joy for my sorrow.
Open unto me -
strength for my weakness.
Open unto me –
wisdom for my confusion
Open unto me –
forgiveness for my sins.
Open unto me –
love for my hates.
Open unto me –
thy Self for my self.
Lord, Lord, open unto me!
Amen.
Prayer: by Howard Thurman, https://urbansimplicity.net/.../five-or-seven-quotes-and...
Prayer for Wednesday,
October 14, 2020
Lord,
grant us the ability
to think with your mind,
to hear with your ears,
to see with your eyes,
to speak with your mouth,
to walk with your feet,
to love with your heart.
We ask this through
Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Common Prayer ~
A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals,
page 361.
Prayer for Tuesday,
October 13, 2020
Lord of every mountain top,
thank you for the beauty
and mystery of creation
and for all new horizons.
Amen.
Prayer: An Iona Prayer Book,
edited by Peter Millar, page 100.
Prayer for Monday,
October 12, 2020
Triune God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
we come before you
as many parts of a single body.
people drawn from every tribe,
every nation, every language;
some indigenous—
peoples of the land;
some refugees, immigrants, pilgrims—
people on the move;
some hosts, some guests,
some both hosts and guests;
all of us searching
for an eternal place
where we can belong.
Creator, forgive us.
The earth is yours
and everything that is in it.
But we forget.
In our arrogance
we think we own it.
In our greed
we think we can steal it.
In our ignorance
we worship it.
In our thoughtlessness
we destroy it.
We forget
that you created the earth
to bring praise and joy to you.
That you gave it as a gift,
for us to steward,
for us to enjoy,
for us to see more clearly
your beauty and your majesty.
Jesus, save us.
We wait for your kingdom.
We long for your throne.
We hunger for your reconciliation,
for that day where people
from every tribe and every tongue
will gather around you
and sing your praises.
Holy Spirit, teach us.
Help us to remember
that the body is made up
of many parts,
each one unique
and every one necessary.
Teach us to embrace the discomfort
that comes from our diversity
and to celebrate the fact
that we are unified,
not through our sameness,
but through the blood
of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ.
Triune God, we love you.
Your creation is beautiful.
Your salvation is merciful.
And your wisdom is beyond compare.
We pray all this in Jesus’s name.
Amen.
Prayer: Mark Charles,
www.findingsolace.org;
Prayer for Sunday,
October 11, 2020
Lord God,
time and again you provide for us
with your near, ready, and sure love.
Give us eyes to recognize
that all goodness and joy
are from your hand,
that we may praise you
with our lives,
forever and ever.
Amen.
Prayer: "Common Prayer ~
A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals" p. 344.
Prayer for Saturday,
October 10, 2020
Guide us, O God,
by your Word and Spirit,
that in your light
we may see light,
in your truth
find freedom,
and in your will
discover peace,
through Jesus Christ,
our Lord. Amen.
Prayer: The Worship Sourcebook,
Faith Alive Christian Resources,
p. 141.
Prayer for Friday,
October 9, 2020
Gracious God,
you are our refuge and strength,
a very present help
in time of trouble.
As Hurricane Delta arrives
to those still recovering
from Hurricane Laura in Louisiana
& surrounding communities,
reveal your presence
so that all may know
your healing, hope, and love.
As one community on earth
bound together by your grace,
inspire us to pray, serve,
and help all those who suffer;
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from
"ELCA Worship Resources:
In TImes of Need";
Prayer for Thursday,
October 8, 2020
As you boldly go out in the world today either in person or virtually,
remember that God goes before us and the Holy Spirit leads us.
Take these words from the hymn “Let Us Enter In” with you today.
Let us enter in to the song
of thanksgiving and freedom.
Let us enter in to the long line
of people in need.
Let us enter in to the strong mind
that God is still living.
Healing, forgiving–Let us enter in.
Let us enter in to the place
where our God has preceded.
Let us enter in to the face
of the fear and the pain.
Let us enter in to the grace
of the love when it’s needed.
Death is defeated!
Let us enter in.
Let us enter in to the heart
of a world that is broken.
Let us enter in to the start
of a hope we can share.
Let us enter in to the part
where we call one another
sister and brother.
Let us enter in.
Prayer: Text © 1983 Ray Makeever,
admin. Augsburg Fortress,
One License A-700246;
https://blogs.elca.org/worship/2577/
Prayer for Wednesday,
October 7, 2020
God, our refuge and strength,
we pray for the communities
that lie in the paths of wildfires
in the western United States,
especially Sky Ranch,
a Lutheran Outdoor Ministry
site in northern Colorado.
May your healing presence
give them peace and hope
in their time of need.
We ask for your comfort
to those who mourn
and strength
to those working diligently
to contain the fires
and care for affected communities;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from ELCA
Lutheran Disaster Response
webpage.
To learn more about our sister camp in Colorado and the Cameron Peak Fire go to https://www.skyranchcolorado.org
Prayer for Tuesday,
October 6, 2020
O Christ of the road
of the wounded,
O Christ of the tears
of the broken:
in us and with us
the needs of the world,
grant us our prayers
of loving and hoping;
grant us our prayers
of yearning and healing.
Amen.
Prayer: Celtic Prayers from IONA,
edited J. Philip Newell, page 27.
Prayer for Monday,
October 5, 2020
Almighty God,
your word
bursts forth into our lives
like a glorious sunrise.
You speak,
and our hearts rejoice.
You command,
and our eyes are opened.
The sound of your voice
brings revival to our souls.
Your words are purer
than the finest gold.
True and righteous one,
living Word, light our way.
As we listen to your Spirit this week,
may the words of our mouths
and the thoughts of our hearts
be accepted in your sight, O Lord,
our strength and our redeemer.
Amen.
Prayer: Based on Psalm 19,
by Bill Hoppe,
Ministry Matters,
October 4, 2020.
Prayer for Sunday,
October 4, 2020
Lord,
make us instruments
of your peace.
Where there is hatred,
let us sow love;
where there is injury,
pardon;
where there is discord,
union;
where there is doubt,
faith;
where there is despair,
hope;
where there is darkness,
light;
where there is sadness,
joy.
Amen.
Prayer: Attributed to Francis of Assisi.
Francis had a spirit of gratitude
for all of God's creation.
Prayer for Saturday,
October 3, 2020
Gracious and merciful God,
slow to anger, rich in love,
we bless your name
and give you thanks.
In our need,
you make haste to help us.
You plant us beside streams
of your wisdom,
teach us in pastures
greening with truth,
and guide us
on the path of your promise.
By your Spirit awaken our faith,
that, feasting on your Word,
we may love you more fully
and serve our neighbor
more faithfully;
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: ELCA Worship Blog, October 4, 2020.
Prayer for Friday,
October 2, 2020
God of mercy,
source of all healing,
we give you thanks
for your gifts of strength and life,
and especially for the gift
of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Today we lift up all
who are suffering
from COVID-19
including our country's president
and first lady.
We pray for recoveries
for everyone infected,
all over the world.
Help us all by your Holy Spirit
to feel your power in our lives
and to know your eternal love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Liturgy of Healing
(with insertions),
from Sundays and Seasons,
2004 Augsburg Fortress.
Prayer for Thursday,
October 1, 2020
A Prayer for Racial Justice
Save us, O God,
from ourselves,
from racism often cloaked
in pious words,
from the machinations
of white supremacy
hidden in calls for civility,
from micro aggressions
thinly veiled in arrogance,
from apologies
when they don’t give way
to action,
from forgiveness
without facing the truth,
from reconciliation
without reparation.
Deliver us, O God,
from expecting siblings of color
to continue to bear
this emotional work,
which is not theirs to do.
Grateful for the long arc
that bends toward justice,
we pray:
Grant us wisdom,
and give us courage
for the facing of these days,
by the power of the Spirit,
all for the sake of the kin-dom
that we share in Christ Jesus.
Amen.
Prayer: Commemoration of the Emanuel Nine
© 2020 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Prayer for Wednesday,
September 30, 2020
Lord, in these times
when we fear we are losing hope
or feel our efforts are futile,
let us see in our hearts and minds
the image of your resurrection,
and let that be the source
of courage and strength.
With that,
and in your company,
help us face challenges
and struggles against
all that is born of injustice.
Amen.
Prayer: From the Philippines, An IONA Prayer Book, edited by Peter Millar, p. 26.
Prayer for Tuesday,
September 29, 2020
You are always at work
within us, Lord our God,
drawing us into the unity
of the Spirit;
guide our hearts
so that we may be open
in love,
to our brothers,
our sisters,
our siblings,
while always remaining
closely united in you,
through Jesus Christ,
our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: Adapted from A Celtic Primer
compiled by Brendan O'Malley, p. 65.
Charge to the People
for Monday, September 28, 2020
Go out into the world in peace;
have courage;
hold on to what is good;
return no one evil for evil;
strengthen the fainthearted;
support the weak,
and help the suffering;
honor all people;
love and serve the Lord,
rejoicing in the power
of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Traditional Benediction based on
"Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good." - Romans 12:9-21
Prayer for Sunday,
September 27, 2020
O Lord,
summer and winter
and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon, and stars
in their courses above
join with all nature
in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness,
mercy, and love.
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning
new mercies I see;
all I have needed
thy hand hath provided;
great is thy faithfulness,
Lord, unto me!
Amen.
Prayer: Thomas O. Chisholm, 1866-1960
© 1923, 1951 Hope Publishing Co.
One License.net A-700246
Prayer for Saturday,
September 26, 2020
Lord,
let us weep
with those who weep
and refuse to be consoled.
May our tears mix with yours
in a river of justice,
flowing down
like mighty waters,
transforming the world
that is into the one
that ought to be.
Amen.
Prayer: Common Prayer~A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, p. 443.
Prayer for Friday,
September 25, 2020
God,
our refuge and strength,
you have bound us together
in a common life.
In all our conflicts,
help us to confront one another
without hatred or bitterness,
to listen for your voice
amid competing claims,
and to work together
with mutual forbearance
and respect;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer: ELW Pastoral Care, page 386.
Prayer for Thursday,
September 24, 2020
O God,
where hearts are fearful
and constricted,
grant courage and hope.
Where anxiety is infectious
and widening,
grant peace and reassurance.
Where impossibilities
close every door and window,
grant imagination and resistance.
Where distrust twists our thinking,
grant healing and illumination.
Where spirits are daunted
and weakened,
grant soaring wings
and strengthened dreams.
All these things we ask
in the name of Jesus Christ,
our Savior.
Amen.
Prayer: Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 76.
Prayer for Wednesday,
September 23, 2020
Lord,
we bring to you our vulnerability,
our wounds, our pain,
and our growth.
By the power
of your forgiving love,
help us also
to become wounded healers.
Amen.
Prayer: "Common Prayer ~ A Litany for Ordinary Radicals" p. 450.
Prayer for Tuesday,
September 22, 2020
Autumn God,
the planet turns
and the earth signals a change.
Open me to transitions
I need to face in my own life.
Be with me in the letting go,
the saying good-bye
to habits, relationships, and plans
that stand in the way of growing.
Deepen my trust as I let go,
like falling leaves,
I will always fall into your embrace.
Amen.
Prayer: Rev. Larry J. Peacock, "Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Sages, Psalms and Prayer Practices", p.287.
.
Prayer for Monday,
September 21, 2020
Loving God,
sometimes we need to know
you are with us.
Sometimes we are lonely,
afraid and in pain.
Give us the grace
to know your presence
in the lonely and difficult moments.
Give us the courage
to help those in need
and the grace
to love all people.
May we love our neighbors
as we love ourselves
and be there for them
as you are here for us.
Grant this through
Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer : Mark Bozzuti-Jones, Sing the Faith: Spirituals, Augsburg Fortress, 2002.
Blessing for Sunday,
September 20, 2020
May God give you grace
never to sell yourself short,
grace to risk something big
for something good,
and grace to remember
that the world is too dangerous
for anything but truth
and too small for anything
but love.
The Blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son + and Holy Spirit
be with us now and
remain with us this day and always.
Amen.
Prayer: William Sloane Coffin, 1924-2006, attributed to Credo © 2004 by Westminster John Knox Press (Service of Prayer and Lament, elca.org)
Blessing for Saturday,
September 19, 2020:
May the peace of the Lord Christ
go with you,
wherever he may send you;
may he guide you
through the wilderness,
protect you through the storm;
may he bring you home rejoicing
at the wonders he has shown you;
may he bring you home rejoicing
once again into our doors.
Amen.
May the peace of the Lord be with you always today, Calumet Nation, and may peace be with our runners, walkers, crew and broadcasters this morning as we finish up Reach the Beach 2.0 today!
Prayer: by Peter Sutcliffe, Northumbria Community, from Common Prayer ~ A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals.
>
A Prayer for Friday,
September 18, 2020:
Run by my side, Lord-
live in my heartbeat,
give strength to my steps.
As the cold whirls around me,
as the wind pushes me,
I know you surround me.
As the sun warms me,
as the rain cleanses me,
I know you are touching me,
challenging me, loving me.
And so I give you this run.
Thank you, God,
for matching my stride.
Amen.
Prayers for all our Calumet runners today and tomorrow as they participate in Reach the Beach 2.0 from their hometown streets and roads.
Prayer: From 2015 Calumet RTB photos.
.
Prayer for Thursday,
September 17, 2020
Lord Jesus,
you are like a burning light.
Shine in the darkness
and open my eyes
to the surprises
and possibilities
you spread before me.
Amen.
Prayer: Alive Now (Jan/Feb 2008 issue), p. 61.