I hope you'll freely 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. All are most welcome to pray with us! These prayers will most often be streamed on Facebook Live...and posted here after that.
Lauds: Monday, April 27, 2020
Opening Verse
Arrows of Light, come, pierce my soul...
Breath of the Bright Wind, make us one...
Peace, Salaam and Shalom to you, dear friends, as light dawns a new day, a day that is both sacred and strange, a day that is both gift and opportunity. Our Morning Prayers include five minutes of silence and meditation; prayers of compassion and intercession, and a blessing for your day. In this discipline, our Easter Faith becomes an Easter practice. So may our Morning Prayers together bring you courage and connect you to the beloved community of spirit that knows you and calls you friend.
Jesus' Prayer
Jesus' Prayer
Earth-maker, life-giver, pain-bearer,
Source of all that is and all that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God in whom is heaven:
May the hallowing of your name
May the hallowing of your name
echo through the universe!
May your heavenly will be done
by all creatures great and small!
And may your commonwealth
of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth!
With the bread we need this day, feed us.
For the hurt we inflict on one another, forgive us.
By your grace and mercy,
strengthen us through seasons of temptation,
and spare us from trials too great to endure.
Free us from bigotry and evil, for service and truth.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is Love. Amen.
People's Response
“Jesu Tawapano” (Jesus, we are here for you.)
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.
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.
Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison.
For those who are sick and ailing, for those who are anxious and frightened, that they may know the generous spirit of grace and have access to the best of care and counsel:
Kyrie…
For health professionals around the world, for first responders, and for public health servants who are working to provide clear guidance, effective testing and compassionate care:
Kyrie…
For others we name here and now, that they may know the calming touch of your peace and find comfort and companionship among friends:
Kyrie…
Psalm 139
And a strong cord of courage for your many peoples.
O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night’,
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end—I am still with you.
...
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.
See if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
May your Word, O God, be a lamp unto our feet,
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night’,
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end—I am still with you.
...
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.
See if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
May your Word, O God, be a lamp unto our feet,
And a strong cord of courage for your many peoples.
Response
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...
Blessing
May the Light of God’s Grace fall bright upon your face.
May the Hand of God’s Love be upon you, like a friend.
and
May the Communion of Friends and Church be a constant
presence in your heart, a source of courage today,
and a reminder of the joy and promise of everlasting life.
Amen.
Friend, you are a gift: to me, to God, to the great cosmos that lives and breathes around us! May you live by the light and wonder of that faith. And know that the God of our ancestors, the God of all the prophets and all the saints, goes with you. Have a holy, blessed and good day!
ARROWS OF LIGHT, COME, PIERCE MY SOUL!
ARROWS OF LIGHT, COME, PIERCE MY SOUL!
PIERCE MY SOUL, PIERCE MY SOUL,
MY SOUL, MY SOUL!
Friend, you are a gift: to me, to God, to the great cosmos that lives and breathes around us! May you live by the light and wonder of that faith. And know that the God of our ancestors, the God of all the prophets and all the saints, goes with you. Have a holy, blessed and good day!
ARROWS OF LIGHT, COME, PIERCE MY SOUL!
ARROWS OF LIGHT, COME, PIERCE MY SOUL!
PIERCE MY SOUL, PIERCE MY SOUL,
MY SOUL, MY SOUL!
