TUESDAY
Refrain
Guide my feet, while I run this race... For I don't want to run this race in vain!
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
(For I don't want to run this race in vain)
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, spoken or silent, 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
We praise You for the breath.
We praise You for the Spirit.
We praise You for the gift of life itself.
Prayers of the People
With gratitude for the bonds of friendship, in faithfulness to our calling as the beloved community, we pray now, for one another, for all our neighbors, and for sisters, brothers and friends near and far.
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.
For others we name here and now, for NAME and NAME, for NAME and NAME,
and for so many other friends, partners and antagonists,
that they too may know comfort and companionship among friends;
we pray for them 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.
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.
This, O God, is my intention...
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
“Jesu Tawapano” (Jesus, we are here for you.)
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.
And the God of our many ancestors, the God of the salty prophets and the simple saints, goes with you! So go in joy, and live generously on planet earth.
Until next time, my friends, in all things and in all ways, BE WELL AND LIVE INTO THE BLESSING OF YOUR LIFE!
