MONDAY LAUDS: "Morning Prayers"

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 13, 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 

   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

   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…

Contemporary Psalm (Wendell Berry in Manifesto: Mad Farmer Liberation Front)

May the words of the poet bring hope to our hearts,
Unsettling our settled certainties, and opening us the new life.

        So, friends, every day do something 
        that won't compute.  Love the Lord.
        Love the world.  Work for nothing.
        Take all that you have and be poor.
        Love someone who does not deserve it.
        Denounce the government and embrace
        the flag.  Hope to live in that free
        republic for which it stands.
        Give your approval to all you cannot
        understand...

        Ask the questions that have no answers.
        Invest in the millennium.  Plant sequoias.
        Say that your main crop is the forest
        that you did not plant,
        that you will not live to harvest.
        Say that the leaves are harvested
        when they have rotted into the mold.
        Call that profit.  Prophesy such returns...

        Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
        Laughter is immeasurable.  Be joyful
        though you have considered all the facts.
        So long as women do not go cheap
        for power, please women more than men.
        Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
        a woman satisfied to bear a child?
        Will this disturb the sleep
        of a woman near to giving birth...?

        Swear allegiance 
        to what is nighest your thoughts.
        As soon as the generals and the politicos
        can predict the motions of your mind,
        lose it.  Leave it as a sign
        to mark the false trail, the way
        you didn't go.  Be like the fox
        who makes more tracks than necessary,
        some in the wrong direction.

        Practice resurrection.

May the words of the poet bring hope to our hearts,
Unsettling our settled certainties, and opening us the new life.

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!