TUESDAY LAUDS: "Liturgy and Prayers"

I hope you'll join me for Lauds, our morning prayers, as the Beloved Community greets each new day in peace and faith.  Let our hearts be opened wide to the invitation of Jesus: to love abundantly, to do justice bravely and to seek the peace of our cities, towns and nations.  Most often I'll stream these prayers on Facebook Live at 8 am, and then post them to the blog a little after that.

MORNING PRAYERS, SPRING 2021:

TUESDAY      

Refrain

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord

Every day in you is glory, every prayer a holy chord,

And we'll live to love each other, in your name, in your name,

And we'll live to love each other, in your name.

Invocation

        O Holy Light, O Wisdom, O Christ:

        Lift our spirits now, raise your servant church to life.

        As night turns to day, and dark welcomes dawn,

        Open our eyes that we may see your face

        In the joys, in the wonders, in the strange struggles

        That await us this new and sacred day.

        (And we'll live to love each other.  And we'll live to love each other.

         And we'll live to love each other in your name.)

Peace to you, dear friends!  When we pray together -- as we do here -- we lean into the grace of God, the mercy of God, and the beloved community that is our true hope and calling.  So welcome!  You'll find the text of these morning prayers on my blog, "Valley Rise Up."  In the gentle pauses that follow, I hope you'll add your own prayers, your own praise to our community's lauds.  We pray together.

Praise

        Creek Alleluya

        I praise You, God, for light and for dark, for seasons and for cycles. [ALLELUIA]

        I praise You, God, for the body's strength and the body's frailty. [ALLELUIA]

        I praise You, God, for the trails that make sense to me, 

        and for the paths that go nowhere at all. [ALLELUIA]

        With our own words, we praise You, God,

        for the graces and gifts in our particular lives...  

        (You're invited to offer your own praise, for all that is and all that you are.)

        Creek Alleluya

Devotion

         Let the mind of Jesus be in us and with us:

         That we might receive today's gifts with joy,

         That we might bear today's sorrow in faith,

         And that we might keep our eyes on the prize

         Of liberation, celebration and the beloved community

         Of all beings, all peoples, and all souls.   

         Amen and amen.

 

Five Minutes of Silence & Meditation

You’re invited to experience the active, generous presence of God—in your body, in your soul, in our ruah.  Remember that the Bible uses this one Hebrew word (ruah) for “spirit” and for “wind” and for “breath.”  As we sit quietly and breath mindfully, we are aware of the Spirit’s tender and resilient movement in our lives.

If your mind wanders, do not be harsh or judgmental.  Simply notice the wandering mind, and then return to your breath.  Return to the Spirit who is your companion in prayer.

The Bell Rings

        In our breathing, we rest in You.

        In our resting, we rejoice in You.

        In our rejoicing, we are One in You.

Prayers of the People

We are called to community and communion.

We are called to service and witness.

We are called to compasson and prayer.

So let us pray for one another, for our many neighbors and for the great and holy world we live in.

         Peace, Salaam, Shalom

For those who are sick and ailing today, for those who are anxious and frightened--that all may know the generous spirit of grace and peace:

         God, have mercy.  

For all who seek racial justice, and for those committed to systemic and consequential change on the path to nonviolent and just national renewal:

         God, have mercy.

For immigrants and refugees so far from home, that their hearts may be strengthened by faith and that their journeys to freedom be hastened by grace:

         God, have mercy.

For our friends incarcerated in institutions and jails, and for prisoners of conscience living for freedom, that holy hope rise in their hearts and mercy make them wise:

        God, have mercy.

And for so many other friends, partners and antagonists, 

that they too may know comfort and companionship among friends; 

we pray for them now by name:

(You're invited to offer into prayer the names of those you hold in love or gratitude today.)

         Peace, Salaam, Shalom

Our Intention
I invite you now to consider your own intention for the day to come: how you might face the opportunities, responsibilities and mysteries that stretch out across morning, afternoon and nightime.  In a quiet moment, offer this intention to God, and receive God's promise of companionship and blessing.       

Prayer for Serenity 

(as originally composed by Reinhold Niebuhr)   

   God, give us grace to accept with serenity

   the things that cannot be changed;

   Give us courage to change the things

   which should be changed;

   and give us the Wisdom to distinguish

   the one from the other.

   I will live one day at a time,

   I will enjoy one moment at a time,

   And I will accept hardship as a pathway to peace:

   Taking, as Jesus did,

   This broken world as it is,

   And not as I would have it;

   Trusting that You will make all things whole and right,

   If I surrender to Your will,

   And that I can be reasonably happy in this life,

   And supremely happy with You, in the life which knows no end.

   Amen and amen.

People's Response

         “Olam chesed yibaneh” (God will build this world from love...Psalm 89)

Blessing

        May God bless you and keep you,

        May God's countenance be lifted upon you, and may it shine in your life,

        And may the mercy of God bring peace to your heart, and peace to our world,

        This very day, and in all the days to come.

        Amen.

Until next time, my friends, in all things and in all ways, BE WELL AND LIVE INTO THE BLESSING OF YOUR LIFE!