Good Evening Dear Ones!
Happy Tuesday or is it a Double Monday! As I was preparing this blog by constructing the skeleton first I found myself placing the wrong canticles in the vigil. My mind has been a tad bit muddled today and maybe it has to do with days seeming more alike than different. Today we had quite a selection of readings to choose from. We are using the readings from the Feast of Soren Kierkegaard this year and next year we will honor either The Blessed Virgin Mary or Nikolai Grundtvig. Today's Nehemiah work is to look up how they constructed walls during Nehemiah's time. Tonight we won't use Nehemiah quotes but will ponder a few from Soren Kierkegaard. So let us begin.
"There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true." ~ Soren Kierkegaard
"I found I had less and less to say, until finally, I became silent, and began to listen. I discovered in the silence, the voice of God" ~ Soren Kierkegaard
"Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Everyday, I walk myself into a state of well-being & walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. But by sitting still, & the more one sits still, the closer one comes to feeling ill. Thus if one just keeps on walking, everything will be all right." ~ Soren Kierkegaard
"Christ was crucified because he would have nothing to do with the crowd (even though he addressed himself to all). He did not want to form a party, an interest group, a mass movement, but wanted to be what he was, the truth, which is related to the single individual. Therefore everyone who will genuinely serve the truth is by that very fact a martyr. To win a crowd is no art; for that only untruth is needed, nonsense, and a little knowledge of human passions. But no witness to the truth dares to get involved with the crowd." ~ Soren Kierkegaard
"The most common form of despair is not being who you are." ~ Soren Kierkegaard
"The Bible is God's love letter to us" ~ Soren Kierkegaard
"Hope is passion for what is possible." ~ Soren Kierkegaard
"What labels me, negates me." ~ Soren Kierkegaard
Come let us worship!
Joseph Barth: A Grace
We give thanks for Being;
We give thanks for being here;
We give thanks for being here together.
The Angel Gabriel came to her and said, ‘Hail, O favoured one!’ Luke 1:28a
Blessed is she who believed that the Lord’s promise would be fulfilled. Luke 1:45
Mary said, ‘Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ Luke 1:38
We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon
your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. Psalm 75:1
Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for thse who abuse you. Do good and lend, expecting nothing in return; for God is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish.
Be merciful as your father is merciful. Judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and it will be given to you; for the measure you give will be the measure you receive. From Luke 6:27-38
You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but citizens together
with the saints and members of the household of God.
Ephesians 2:19
God is Spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and
in truth. John 4:24
And Mary said, ‘From this day all generations will call me blessed; for you O Most Mighty have done great things for me, and holy is your name.’ Luke 1:48–49 (adapted)
The Lord has lifted up the lowly and has filled the hungry with good things. Luke 1:52–53
Hail, O favoured one, the Lord is with you! The Holy Spirit will come upon you. Luke 1:28, 35
‘As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you, and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem,’ says the Lord. Isaiah 66:13
God we light our candles in thanksgiving and gratitude for all you have given us. We pray this night for the creation that sustains and enlivens our bodies, minds, and spirits. We pray and give thanks for diversity that reminds us that differences make our lives richer and more profound. We pray and give thanks for even the down times which remind us of the good things we have in our lives. We pray and give thanks for _____________________(Please add your gratitude list here) Help us O God to be ever grateful and not take the things we have in life for granted. God we lift up our thanksgivings prayerfully and with love to you. Amen.
Light of the World Phos hilaron
Light of the world, in grace and beauty,
Mirror of God’s eternal face,
Transparent flame of love’s free duty,
You bring salvation to our race.
Now, as we see the lights of evening,
We raise our voice in hymns of praise;
Worthy are you of endless blessing,
Sun of our night, lamp of our days.
Psalm 134 Ecce nunc
Behold now, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, *
you that stand by night in the house of the LORD.
Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the LORD; *
the LORD who made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion.
Psalm 141:1-3,8ab Domine, clamavi
O LORD, I call to you; come to me quickly; *
hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, *
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a watch before my mouth, O LORD,
and guard the door of my lips; *
let not my heart incline to any evil thing.
My eyes are turned to you, Lord GOD; *
in you I take refuge.
THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES
Lest we forget the great traditions of freedom and faith which are the heritage of humanity; lest we forget the pioneers, the statesmen, the bridge builders, the artists; and lest we forget You, the God of our fore bears who is our God also:
We light this candle of remembrance.
For the hope of a better world, in which righteousness and peace shall prevail among the people of the earth, and to create which is the task of the generations in which we stand, as well as for the courage and faith we shall need if we are to carry on this unfinished work:
We light this candle of consecration.
May the flame upon the altar of free faith shine in our hearts al ways, reminding us of the dark places to which we may carry light and strengthening us in every moment of doubt and discouragement with unwavering faith in You whom we serve and whose we are.
IN LAK’ECH
Tú eres mi otro yo.
You are my other me.
Si te hago daño a ti,
If I do harm to you,
Me hago daño a mi mismo.
I do harm to myself.
Si te amo y respeto,
If I love and respect you,
Me amo y respeto yo.
I love and respect myself.
Luis Valdez
Tonight I ask each of us to go deeper into prayer and find out why we matter to ourselves and to God. It won't be easy to do because it requires very intent listening and feeling God's loving presence almost as if we are on tip toe and in the quiet of our inner being! So let us travel to the center of our being with God to spend time with God and listen. Let us first begin with our breathing and mindfulness exercises.
Inhale the Holy Spirit.
Exhale Love.
Inhale the Holy Spirit
Exhale Love
Inhale the Holy Spirit
Exhale Love
Now repeat the following 3 times;
Be Still and Know That I am God.
Be Still and Know That I am.
Be Still and know.
Be Still.
Be.
Confession of Need
Let us confess our need for God’s healing grace.
Silence
Minister and People
Compassionate God,
we confess our weaknesses and our need for your
strengthening touch.
We confess that some illnesses stem from our own fault,
while others are beyond our control.
We turn to you, source of life,
and ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ
for the gifts of true healing and life in you. Amen.
Minister
May the God of love visit you in your times of trial and weakness,
and raise you to newness of life, through Jesus Christ, in the
power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Inhale the Holy Spirit.
Exhale Love.
Inhale the Holy Spirit
Exhale Love
Inhale the Holy Spirit
Exhale Love
Now repeat the following 3 times;
Be Still and Know That I am God.
Be Still and Know That I am.
Be Still and know.
Be Still.
Be.
Confession of Need
Let us confess our need for God’s healing grace.
Silence
Minister and People
Compassionate God,
we confess our weaknesses and our need for your
strengthening touch.
We confess that some illnesses stem from our own fault,
while others are beyond our control.
We turn to you, source of life,
and ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ
for the gifts of true healing and life in you. Amen.
Minister
May the God of love visit you in your times of trial and weakness,
and raise you to newness of life, through Jesus Christ, in the
power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A Smudging Prayer
Creator, our Father in heaven, we come to you as your children. We confess that we are weak and broken images of you. We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give in Jesus Christ. May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies. We pray that your Holy Spirit will help us to worship in spirit and truth. We pray in the name of Jesus, so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you. Amen.
Søren Kierkegaard:
FOR INWARD PEACE
Calm the waves of this heart, O God; calm its tempests.
Calm yourself, O my soul, so that God is able to rest in you, so that God’s peace may cover you.
Yes, You give us peace, O God, peace that the whole world can never take away.
CONFIDENCE IN YOU
Dear Deathless Power in each atom, amoeba, and galaxy;
And also within each teacher, parent, and child:
Our thought is turned toward You
As we seek You with the sureness of a homeward bound bird.
Our confidence in You would be no momentary leap,
No unproductive birth pangs nor waterless clouds;
But from the fullness of our hearts, our hopes arise toward You,
Quenching our thirst and giving life’s noblest satisfaction.
UNCHANGEABLE
Dear God who is unchangeable, unchangeable in love:
May we submit ourselves to the discipline of Your unchangeableness
Through our unconditional love of You,
Whereby we find rest and remain at rest in You.
O God who is unchangeable,
Yet who in infinite love is moved’
Even by the need of a sparrow ’
May there be wrought in us through prayer
Such changes as will bring our lives into unity with You,
O God who is unchangeable in love.
THE COURAGE TO HOPE
God, give me once more the courage to hope.
Fertilize my barren mind.
Let me hope again.
YOU HAVE LOVED US FIRST
Great Companion, You have loved us first.
May we never forget that You are love,
So that this sure conviction might triumph in our hearts
Over the whirling of the world,
Over the inquietude of the soul,
Over the anxiety for the future,
Over the fright of the past,
Over the distress of the moment.
May this conviction discipline our soul
So that our hearts might remain faithful and sincere
In the love which we bear to all those we love as ourselves.
YOU HEAR OUR CRY
Great is Your kingdom, O You who bears the weight of the stars and governs the forces of the world.
Numberless are those who have life through You, yet You hear the cry of all creatures. You hear the cry of all without confusing their voices and without playing favorites. You hear not only the voice of one who is responsible for many others. You hear not only the voice of one who prays for dear ones. No, You also hear the most miserable, the most abandoned, the most solitary person—in the desert, in the multitude.
If the forgotten one has become unknown in the crowd, having ceased to be anything more than a number on a list, You remember the person and the name. If in the thick shadows of dread, in the prey of terrible thoughts, we are abandoned, abandoned almost by the language we speak, still You would not have forgotten us. You would understand our language, You who hears the cry of all. You find a way to us which is prompter than light and more constant than the stars.
WORKS OF LOVE
How could anything rightly be said about love if You were forgotten,
O God,
You from whom all love comes;
You who holds back nothing but gives Yourself in love;
You who are love, so the lovers are only what they are through being
in You?
How could anything rightly be said about love if You were forgotten,
You who manifests what love is,
You who reminds us to love as we are loved;
You who are everywhere present and never without the works of love,
the acts of love?
How could anything rightly be said about love if You were forgotten,
O Love Eternal?
WE BELONG TO YOU
O God, when at times our strength is taken from us, when sorrow overcomes us like a kind of fog in which our vision is plunged as into a dark night; when our hearts do tremble with our loss: then teach us and strengthen the conviction in our hearts that in death, no less than in life, we belong to You.
YOU ARE NEAR
We are grateful that You are present everywhere, O God. You are near should anyone call upon You from a bed of sickness, or cry out in great need upon the sea. All are drawn to seek You, the Friend of the thankful, the Consolation of the weak, the Refuge of the anxious, the Confidante of the suffering as You count their tears, the Comfort of the dying. We are grateful that You give Your gifts to everyone who needs them.
Psalm 22:1-11
22 Deus, Deus meus
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? *
and are so far from my cry
and from the words of my distress?
2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; *
by night as well, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are the Holy One, *
enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
4 Our forefathers put their trust in you; *
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 They cried out to you and were delivered; *
they trusted in you and were not put to shame.
6 But as for me, I am a worm and no man, *
scorned by all and despised by the people.
7 All who see me laugh me to scorn; *
they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,
8 "He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him; *
let him rescue him, if he delights in him."
9 Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, *
and kept me safe upon my mother's breast.
10 I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; *
you were my God when I was still in my
mother's womb.
11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, *
and there is none to help.
A Song of Our Adoption
Ephesians 1:3-10
Blessed are you, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, *
for you have blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
Before the world was made, you chose us to be yours in Christ, *
that we should be holy and blameless before you.
You destined us for adoption as your children through Jesus Christ,
*
according to the good pleasure of your will,
To the praise of your glorious grace, *
that you have freely given us in the Beloved.
In you, we have redemption through the blood of Christ,
the forgiveness of our sins,
According to the riches of your grace *
which you have lavished upon us.
You have made known to us, in all wisdom and insight, *
the mystery of your will,
According to your good pleasure which you set forth in Christ, *
as a plan for the fullness of time,
To gather together all things in Christ, *
things in heaven and things on earth.
Exodus 33:14-23
14He said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ 15And he said to him, ‘If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. 16For how shall it be known that I have found favour in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.’
17 The Lord said to Moses, ‘I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favour in my sight, and I know you by name.’ 18Moses said, ‘Show me your glory, I pray.’ 19And he said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, “The Lord”;* and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20But’, he said, ‘you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.’ 21And the Lord continued, ‘See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; 22and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; 23then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.’
A Song of the Wilderness
Isaiah 35:1-7,10
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, *
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
It shall blossom abundantly, *
and rejoice with joy and singing.
They shall see the glory of the Lord, *
the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weary hands, *
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to the anxious, “Be strong, do not fear! *
Here is your God, coming with judgment to save you.”
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, *
and the ears of the deaf be unstopped.
Then shall the lame leap like a deer, *
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness *
and streams in the desert;
The burning sand shall become a pool *
and the thirsty ground, springs of water.
The ransomed of God shall return with singing, *
with everlasting joy upon their heads.
Joy and gladness shall be theirs, *
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
1 Timothy 1:12-17
Gratitude for Mercy
12 I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, 13even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. 16But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. 17To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever.* Amen.
A Song of the Spirit
Revelation 22:12-17
“Behold, I am coming soon,” says the Lord,
“and bringing my reward with me, *
to give to everyone according to their deeds.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, *
the beginning and the end.”
Blessed are those who do God’s commandments,
that they may have the right to the tree of life, *
and may enter the city through the gates.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to you, *
with this testimony for all the churches.
“I am the root and the offspring of David, *
I am the bright morning star.”
“Come!” say the Spirit and the Bride; *
“Come!” let each hearer reply!
Come forward, you who are thirsty, *
let those who desire take the water of life as a gift.
Matthew 9:20-22
20Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, 21for she said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.’ 22Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman was made well.
The Song of Mary Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in you, O God my Savior, *
for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,
and holy is your name.
You have mercy on those who fear you *
from generation to generation.
You have shown strength with your arm *
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
Casting down the mighty from their thrones *
and lifting up the lowly.
You have filled the hungry with good things *
and sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the help of your servant Israel, *
for you have remembered your promise of mercy,
The promise made to our forebears, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
The Lord’s Prayer or the alternative is said. From A New Zealand Prayer Book.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
Or
Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples
of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and for ever. Amen.
Assorted Collects for September 8. From the Book of Common Prayer and A New Zealand Prayer Book.
Father in heaven, by your grace the virgin mother of your incarnate Son was blessed in bearing him, but still more blessed in keeping your word: Grant us who honor the exaltation of her lowliness to follow the example of her devotion to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
God of grace,
grant that Mary’s obedience may inspire us
to obey your will
and receive Jesus Christ in our hearts as Lord;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit
one God for ever.
Amen.
Father of love,
through your most Holy Spirit,
Mary the Jewish girl conceived your Son;
may his beauty, his humanity,
his all-transforming grace be born in us,
and may we never despise the strange and stirring gentleness
of your almighty power.
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake.
Amen.
Jesus, your birth is wonderful
and your mother is the most beloved woman of all time.
Help all of us who believe in you
to honour each other equally,
whatever our gender,
whatever our ability,
whatever our social state may be;
to the honour of your holy name.
Amen.
Heavenly Father, whose beloved Son Jesus Christ felt sorrow and dread in the Garden of Gethsemane: Help us to remember that though we walk through the valley of the shadow, you are always with us, that with your philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, we may believe what we have not seen and trust where we cannot test, and so come at length to the eternal joy which you have prepared for those who love you; through the same Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Almighty God, you built your Church upon a rock: Help us remember, with your hymn writer Nikolai Grundtvig, that though steeples may fall and buildings made by hands may crumble, Jesus makes our bodies his temple through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Help us to recognize Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life, that we may join our voices to the eternal alleluia; through the same Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Collect of the Week
Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
We pray and give thanks for housing and pray for all of our family members who are lacking sufficient shelter. Help us to fight for affordable housing for our low-income family members and encourage those seeking election to do the same.
We pray and give thanks for the food that we eat and pray for our family members who are food insecure and hungry. Help us to gladly share our left over food and we pray for all the many organizations who provide needed food for our family members.
We pray and give thanks for clothing that we wear and pray that we may share the clothes that we no longer wear to those who do not have any. Help us to be aware of those who need not only clothes but towels, blankets, socks, shoes, and sleeping bags.
We pray and give thanks for all the many aid agencies that come to the aid of all the least of these when we can't. Help us to become volunteers and lift the burdens of these agencies from their shoulders.
We pray this night for all of our family members who are in need of safe places outdoors and especially places to go to the bathroom. Yes we pray for all of our family members who need to be able to respect their bodily functions and use facilities that are private and not out in the open.
We pray that the candidates who are seeking election may be listening with the ear of the heart and walk the walk that Jesus walked and serve the least of these. Amen.
The light of Christ in Me Recognizes the Light of Christ in You!
Dear God we come before you in the late night hours seeking rest for our bodies minds and spirits and that we may be able to let go of anything that troubles us.
God we pray for all who work in the late night hours that they may be safe in their places of work.
God keep watch over all who travel and our family members who find themselves out walking or driving in the dark.
God we pray for our family members who are refugees and who find themselves living in poverty.
God we pray for peace within ourselves and in the world. We pray that we may be united in love, mercy, joy, and justice.
God we pray for all who are transitioning from this life on into the next and our family members who have died.
God we celebrate with our family members who are adding another year to their lives and marriages and life's unexpected and joyful celebrations.
God we pray for all or our family members who are living with chronic illnesses, are hospitalized, and have run of the mill illnesses.
God we pray for all our family members who represent the least of these that they may find help, hope, and better living conditions and may be lifted up and not be seen as invisible.
God we pray for__________________________
God we pray these prayers in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
A Prayer attributed to St. Francis
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. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.
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. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.
The Beatitudes Matthew 5:3–12
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (5:3)
Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)
Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled. (5:6)
Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God. (5:8)
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God. (5:9)
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10)
The Prayers of Soren Kierkegaard
Nine prayers that reveal Kierkegaard's spiritual longing
(Kierkegaard Prayers)
prayer one: Move in Infinite Love
You who are unchangeable, whom nothing changes! You who are unchangeable in love, precisely for our welfare, not submitting to any change: may we too will our welfare, submitting ourselves to the discipline of Your unchangeableness, so that we may in unconditional obedience find our rest and remain at rest in Your unchangeableness. You are not like us; if we are to preserve only some degree of constancy, we must not permit ourselves too much to be moved, nor by too many things. You on the contrary are moved, and moved in infinite love, by all things. Even that which we humans beings call an insignificant trifle, and pass by unmoved, the need of a sparrow, even this moved You; and what we so often scarcely notice, a human sigh, this moves You, You who are unchangeable! You who in infinite love do submit to be moved, may this our prayer also move You to add Your blessing, in order that there may be brought about such a change in us who pray as to bring us into conformity with Your unchangeable will, You who are unchangeable!
prayer two: You Have Loved Us First
Father in Heaven! You have loved us first, help us never to forget that You are love so that this sure conviction might triumph in our hearts over the seduction of the world, over the inquietude of the soul, over the anxiety for the future, over the fright of the past, over the distress of the moment. But grant also that this conviction might discipline our soul so that our heart might remain faithful and sincere in the love which we bear to all those whom You have commanded us to love as we love ourselves.
You have loved us first, O God, alas! We speak of it in terms of history as if You have only loved us first but a single time, rather than that without ceasing You have loved us first many things and every day and our whole life through. When we wake up in the morning and turn our soul toward You - You are the first - You have loved us first; if I rise at dawn and at the same second turn my soul toward You in prayer, You are there ahead of me, You have loved me first. When I withdraw from the distractions of the day and turn my soul toward You, You are the first and thus forever. And yet we always speak ungratefully as if You have loved us first only once.
prayer three: Have Then a Little Patience
Father in Heaven! Show us a little patience for we often intend in all sincerity to commune with You and yet we speak in such a foolish fashion. Sometimes, when we judge that what has come to us is good, we do not have enough words to thank You; just as a mistaken child is thankful for having gotten his own way. Sometimes things go so badly that we call upon You; just as an unreasoning child fears what would do him good. Oh, but if we are so childish, how far from being Your true children You who are our true Father, ah, as if an animal would pretend to have a man as a
prayer four: Hold Us Up Against Our Sins
Father in Heaven! Hold not our sins up against us but hold us up against our sins so that the thought of You when it wakens in our soul, and each time it wakens, should not remind us of what we have committed but of what You did forgive, not of how we went astray but of how You did save us!
prayer five: The Promise and the Pain
Father in Heaven! We know indeed that seeking is never without its promise, how then could we fail to seek You, the author of all promises and the giver of all good gifts! We know well that the seeker does not always have to wander far afield since the more scared the object of his search, the nearer it is to him; and if he seeks You, O God, You are of all things most near!
But we know also that the seeking is never without its pains and temptations, how then would there not be fear in seeking You, who are mighty! Even he who trusts in thought to his kinship with You does not venture forth without fear upon those crucial decisions of thought where, through doubt, he seeks to trace Your presence in the wise order of existence or, through despair, he seeks to trace You in the obedience under providence of rebellious events. Those, whom You call Your friends, who walk in the light of Your countenance, they, too, not without trembling, seek the meeting of friendship with You who alone are mighty. People of prayer who love with their whole heart - it is not without anxiety that they venture into the conflict of prayer with their God. The dying man, for whom You shift the scene, does not relinquish the temporal without a shudder when You call him. Not even the child of woe, for whom the world has nothing but suffering, flee to You without fear, You who do not merely alleviate, but are all in all! How then should the sinner dare to seek You, O God of righteousness! But therefore he seeks You, not as these others do, but seeks You in the confession of sins.
Father in Heaven! To You the congregation often makes its petition for all who are sick and sorrowful, and when someone among us lies ill, alas, of mortal sickness, the congregation sometimes desires a special petition; grant that we may each one of us become in good time aware what sickness it is which is the sickness unto death and aware that we are all of us suffering from this sickness.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth to heal them that suffer from this sickness, form which, alas, we all suffer, but from which You are able to heal only those who are conscious they are sick in this way; help us in this sickness to hold fast to You, to the end that we may be healed of it.
O God the Holy Spirit, who comes to help us in this sickness if we honestly desire to be healed; remain with us so that for no single instance we may to our own destruction shun the Physician, but may remain with Him - delivered from sickness. For to be with Him is to be delivered from our sickness, and when we are with Him we are saved from all sickness.
prayer six:
The Sickness Unto Death
Father in Heaven! To You the congregation often makes its petition for all who are sick and sorrowful, and when someone among us lies ill, alas, of mortal sickness, the congregation sometimes desires a special petition; grant that we may each one of us become in good time aware what sickness it is which is the sickness unto death and aware that we are all of us suffering from this sickness.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth to heal them that suffer from this sickness, form which, alas, we all suffer, but from which You are able to heal only those who are conscious they are sick in this way; help us in this sickness to hold fast to You, to the end that we may be healed of it.
O God the Holy Spirit, who comes to help us in this sickness if we honestly desire to be healed; remain with us so that for no single instance we may to our own destruction shun the Physician, but may remain with Him - delivered from sickness. For to be with Him is to be delivered from our sickness, and when we are with Him we are saved from all sickness.
prayer seven: To Will One Thing
Father in Heaven! What are we without You! What is all that we know, vast accumulation though it be, but a chipped fragment if we do not know You! What is all our striving, could it ever encompass a world, but a half-finished work if we do not know You: You the One, who is one thing and who is all!
So may You give to the intellect, wisdom to comprehend that one thing; to the heart, sincerity to receive this understanding; to the will, purity that wills only one thing. In prosperity may You grant perseverance to will one thing; amid distractions, collectedness to will one thing; in suffering, patience to will one thing.
You that gives both the beginning and the completion, may You early, at the dawn of the day, give to the young the resolution to will one thing. As the day wanes, may You give to the old a renewed remembrance of their first resolution, that the first may be like the last, the last like the first, in possession of a life that has willed only one thing. Alas, but this has indeed not come to pass. Something has come in between. The separation of sin lies in between. Each day, and day after day something is being placed in between: delay, blockage, interruption, delusion, corruption. So in this time of repentance may You give the courage once again to will one thing.
True, it is an interruption of our ordinary tasks; we do lay down our work as though it were a day of rest when the penitent is alone before You in self-accusation. This is indeed an interruption. But it is an interruption that searches back into its very beginnings that it might bind up anew that which sin has separated, that in its grief it might atone for lost time, that in its anxiety it might bring to completion that which lies before it.
You that gives both the beginning and the completion, give Your victory in the day of need so that what neither our burning wish nor our determined resolution may attain to, may be granted unto us in the sorrowing of repentance: to will only one thing.
prayer eight: Each Morning Broken
Lord! Make our heart Your temple in which You live. Grant that every impure thought, every earthly desire might be like the idol Dagon - each morning broken at the feet of the Ark of the Covenant. Teach us to master flesh and blood and let this mastery of ourselves be our bloody sacrifice in order that we might be able to say with the Apostle: "I die every day."
prayer nine: Reflections
It is a wonderful thing to see a first-rate philosopher at prayer. Tough-minded thinking and tenderhearted reverence are friends, not enemies. We have for too long separated the head from the heart, and we are the lesser for it. We love God with the mind and we love God with the heart. In reality, we are descending with the mind into the heart and there standing before God in ceaseless wonder and endless praise. As the mind and the heart work in concert, a kind of "loving rationality" pervades all we say and do. This brings unity to us and glory to God.
+++
I am not here to pass judgement
or point the finger at anyone.
My name was written in the sand
as one who is forgiven.
Strengthened with hope, impervious to shame,
I will walk freely like the freshness
of the dry lands after rain.
Let light spill out of heaven
through my life,
dispelling mediocrity and silent blame.
Too many people, guilt-stricken, wounded,
walk in regret,
feeling bad about failing,
apologise even for breathing.
Raw belief, a passion for others
grows in me,
encircling each moment
with instinctive prayer.
I will carry the freshness
of the dry lands after rain.
Compassion lives in me again.
Andy Raine
Nine prayers that reveal Kierkegaard's spiritual longing
(Kierkegaard Prayers)
prayer one: Move in Infinite Love
You who are unchangeable, whom nothing changes! You who are unchangeable in love, precisely for our welfare, not submitting to any change: may we too will our welfare, submitting ourselves to the discipline of Your unchangeableness, so that we may in unconditional obedience find our rest and remain at rest in Your unchangeableness. You are not like us; if we are to preserve only some degree of constancy, we must not permit ourselves too much to be moved, nor by too many things. You on the contrary are moved, and moved in infinite love, by all things. Even that which we humans beings call an insignificant trifle, and pass by unmoved, the need of a sparrow, even this moved You; and what we so often scarcely notice, a human sigh, this moves You, You who are unchangeable! You who in infinite love do submit to be moved, may this our prayer also move You to add Your blessing, in order that there may be brought about such a change in us who pray as to bring us into conformity with Your unchangeable will, You who are unchangeable!
prayer two: You Have Loved Us First
Father in Heaven! You have loved us first, help us never to forget that You are love so that this sure conviction might triumph in our hearts over the seduction of the world, over the inquietude of the soul, over the anxiety for the future, over the fright of the past, over the distress of the moment. But grant also that this conviction might discipline our soul so that our heart might remain faithful and sincere in the love which we bear to all those whom You have commanded us to love as we love ourselves.
You have loved us first, O God, alas! We speak of it in terms of history as if You have only loved us first but a single time, rather than that without ceasing You have loved us first many things and every day and our whole life through. When we wake up in the morning and turn our soul toward You - You are the first - You have loved us first; if I rise at dawn and at the same second turn my soul toward You in prayer, You are there ahead of me, You have loved me first. When I withdraw from the distractions of the day and turn my soul toward You, You are the first and thus forever. And yet we always speak ungratefully as if You have loved us first only once.
prayer three: Have Then a Little Patience
Father in Heaven! Show us a little patience for we often intend in all sincerity to commune with You and yet we speak in such a foolish fashion. Sometimes, when we judge that what has come to us is good, we do not have enough words to thank You; just as a mistaken child is thankful for having gotten his own way. Sometimes things go so badly that we call upon You; just as an unreasoning child fears what would do him good. Oh, but if we are so childish, how far from being Your true children You who are our true Father, ah, as if an animal would pretend to have a man as a
prayer four: Hold Us Up Against Our Sins
Father in Heaven! Hold not our sins up against us but hold us up against our sins so that the thought of You when it wakens in our soul, and each time it wakens, should not remind us of what we have committed but of what You did forgive, not of how we went astray but of how You did save us!
prayer five: The Promise and the Pain
Father in Heaven! We know indeed that seeking is never without its promise, how then could we fail to seek You, the author of all promises and the giver of all good gifts! We know well that the seeker does not always have to wander far afield since the more scared the object of his search, the nearer it is to him; and if he seeks You, O God, You are of all things most near!
But we know also that the seeking is never without its pains and temptations, how then would there not be fear in seeking You, who are mighty! Even he who trusts in thought to his kinship with You does not venture forth without fear upon those crucial decisions of thought where, through doubt, he seeks to trace Your presence in the wise order of existence or, through despair, he seeks to trace You in the obedience under providence of rebellious events. Those, whom You call Your friends, who walk in the light of Your countenance, they, too, not without trembling, seek the meeting of friendship with You who alone are mighty. People of prayer who love with their whole heart - it is not without anxiety that they venture into the conflict of prayer with their God. The dying man, for whom You shift the scene, does not relinquish the temporal without a shudder when You call him. Not even the child of woe, for whom the world has nothing but suffering, flee to You without fear, You who do not merely alleviate, but are all in all! How then should the sinner dare to seek You, O God of righteousness! But therefore he seeks You, not as these others do, but seeks You in the confession of sins.
Father in Heaven! To You the congregation often makes its petition for all who are sick and sorrowful, and when someone among us lies ill, alas, of mortal sickness, the congregation sometimes desires a special petition; grant that we may each one of us become in good time aware what sickness it is which is the sickness unto death and aware that we are all of us suffering from this sickness.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth to heal them that suffer from this sickness, form which, alas, we all suffer, but from which You are able to heal only those who are conscious they are sick in this way; help us in this sickness to hold fast to You, to the end that we may be healed of it.
O God the Holy Spirit, who comes to help us in this sickness if we honestly desire to be healed; remain with us so that for no single instance we may to our own destruction shun the Physician, but may remain with Him - delivered from sickness. For to be with Him is to be delivered from our sickness, and when we are with Him we are saved from all sickness.
The Sickness Unto Death
Father in Heaven! To You the congregation often makes its petition for all who are sick and sorrowful, and when someone among us lies ill, alas, of mortal sickness, the congregation sometimes desires a special petition; grant that we may each one of us become in good time aware what sickness it is which is the sickness unto death and aware that we are all of us suffering from this sickness.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth to heal them that suffer from this sickness, form which, alas, we all suffer, but from which You are able to heal only those who are conscious they are sick in this way; help us in this sickness to hold fast to You, to the end that we may be healed of it.
O God the Holy Spirit, who comes to help us in this sickness if we honestly desire to be healed; remain with us so that for no single instance we may to our own destruction shun the Physician, but may remain with Him - delivered from sickness. For to be with Him is to be delivered from our sickness, and when we are with Him we are saved from all sickness.
prayer seven: To Will One Thing
Father in Heaven! What are we without You! What is all that we know, vast accumulation though it be, but a chipped fragment if we do not know You! What is all our striving, could it ever encompass a world, but a half-finished work if we do not know You: You the One, who is one thing and who is all!
So may You give to the intellect, wisdom to comprehend that one thing; to the heart, sincerity to receive this understanding; to the will, purity that wills only one thing. In prosperity may You grant perseverance to will one thing; amid distractions, collectedness to will one thing; in suffering, patience to will one thing.
You that gives both the beginning and the completion, may You early, at the dawn of the day, give to the young the resolution to will one thing. As the day wanes, may You give to the old a renewed remembrance of their first resolution, that the first may be like the last, the last like the first, in possession of a life that has willed only one thing. Alas, but this has indeed not come to pass. Something has come in between. The separation of sin lies in between. Each day, and day after day something is being placed in between: delay, blockage, interruption, delusion, corruption. So in this time of repentance may You give the courage once again to will one thing.
True, it is an interruption of our ordinary tasks; we do lay down our work as though it were a day of rest when the penitent is alone before You in self-accusation. This is indeed an interruption. But it is an interruption that searches back into its very beginnings that it might bind up anew that which sin has separated, that in its grief it might atone for lost time, that in its anxiety it might bring to completion that which lies before it.
You that gives both the beginning and the completion, give Your victory in the day of need so that what neither our burning wish nor our determined resolution may attain to, may be granted unto us in the sorrowing of repentance: to will only one thing.
prayer eight: Each Morning Broken
Lord! Make our heart Your temple in which You live. Grant that every impure thought, every earthly desire might be like the idol Dagon - each morning broken at the feet of the Ark of the Covenant. Teach us to master flesh and blood and let this mastery of ourselves be our bloody sacrifice in order that we might be able to say with the Apostle: "I die every day."
prayer nine: Reflections
It is a wonderful thing to see a first-rate philosopher at prayer. Tough-minded thinking and tenderhearted reverence are friends, not enemies. We have for too long separated the head from the heart, and we are the lesser for it. We love God with the mind and we love God with the heart. In reality, we are descending with the mind into the heart and there standing before God in ceaseless wonder and endless praise. As the mind and the heart work in concert, a kind of "loving rationality" pervades all we say and do. This brings unity to us and glory to God.
+++
I am not here to pass judgement
or point the finger at anyone.
My name was written in the sand
as one who is forgiven.
Strengthened with hope, impervious to shame,
I will walk freely like the freshness
of the dry lands after rain.
Let light spill out of heaven
through my life,
dispelling mediocrity and silent blame.
Too many people, guilt-stricken, wounded,
walk in regret,
feeling bad about failing,
apologise even for breathing.
Raw belief, a passion for others
grows in me,
encircling each moment
with instinctive prayer.
I will carry the freshness
of the dry lands after rain.
Compassion lives in me again.
Andy Raine
The Light and Love of Christ I hold out to you is my promise that we are family one to another this day and always. The Light of Christ in Me , Recognizes the Light of Christ in you. We lift up these our prayers in Jesus most holy name. Amen.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21
As we approach the 19th anniversary of 9/11 let us pray this litany this week:
September 12th National Moral Day of Action
Litany
Not for the feint of heart!
From MoralRevival.org
Not for the feint of heart!
From MoralRevival.org
Leader: We have heard the prophet's call to repair the breach and we know our Constitution's goal of a more perfect union.
People: We reach back to our sacred texts that affirm life, love, and justice. “This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood.” (Jeremiah 22:3)
Leader: We affirm the prophets and proclaim, “Doom to you who legislate evil, who make laws that make misery for the poor, that rob my destitute people of dignity, exploiting defenseless widows, taking advantage of homeless children.” (Isaiah 10:1-2)
People: We hear the cries of the people from the New Testament, “All the workers you’ve exploited and cheated cry out for judgment. The groans of the workers you used and abused are a roar in the ears of God.” (James 5:4)
Leader: We uphold dignity and respect for all from the Qu’ran, “The believers, both men and women, are responsible for one another: all enjoin the doing of what is right, and forbid the doing of what is wrong” (Qu’ran 9:71)
People: And we will not rest in our quest for freedom until it comes as is affirmed in the Bhagavad Gita, “For the protection of the virtuous, for the extirpation of the evil-doers, and for establishing Dharma, righteousness, on a firm footing, I am born from age to age.” (Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4: 7-8)
Leader: We believe this to be true: All people have inherent rights, and no one can take them away.
People: We have the right to life, to liberty and to the pursuit of happiness.
Leader: We believe that the power of our governments derives from us, the people
People: For the purpose of providing for the general welfare and protecting our human rights.
Leader: We believe in the values of democracy we were taught, so we cannot accept our democracy’s feeble state.
People: We cannot accept voter suppression and intimidation that target people of color and the poor.
Leader: We cannot accept demagoguery and fear-mongering that demonize and divide.
People: we cannot accept that 45 million are poor in the richest country in history, or that 1 in 5 children are food insecure.
Leader: We cannot accept wages that don’t provide for a decent life, or the suppression of workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively.
People: We cannot accept segregation and inequality in our public schools, or the attempts to privatize and profit-ize them.
Leader: We cannot accept that 29 million Americans don’t have health insurance, including more than 4 million denied Medicaid expansion by their state.
People: We cannot accept inaction in the face of climate change and its disproportionate impact on impoverished communities.
Leader: We cannot accept that 1 in 3 Black men born today can expect to spend time in prison, nor that our country holds one quarter of the world’s prisoners but only 1/20 its population.
People: We cannot accept endless war, which spends lives and resources only to destroy lives and resources.
Leader: We cannot accept attacks on our neighbors: immigrants, religious minorities, people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer folks, the disabled, or the poor.
People: We cannot accept the way things are because we have been given a moral vision of how things ought to be.
Leader: We are here to summon the better angels of our nature and press together toward higher ground.
All: Forward together, not one step back!
Song of Simeon Nunc Dimittis
Praise be to God, I have lived to see this day.
God’s promise is fulfilled, and my duty done.
At last you have given me peace,
for I have seen with my own eyes
the salvation you have prepared for all nations -
a light to the world in its darkness,
and the glory of your people Israel.
Glory be God, sustaining, redeeming, sanctifying,
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever.
Amen.
The Wisdom of God
the Love of God
and the Grace of God
strengthen you
to be Christ’s hands and heart in this world,
in the name of the Holy Trinity. Amen.
(source: Celtic)
+++
Good Night ! I love you ! May we rest gentle in God's arms !
Love and prayers united in compassion, acceptance, love and mercy,
Sara
Resources:
Nehemiah Prayer Vigil for Peace and Healing 2020
A Disciple's Prayer Book
A New Zealand Prayer Book
Book of Common Prayer
Enriching Our Worship 1 and 2
A Disciple's Prayer Book
A New Zealand Prayer Book
Book of Common Prayer
Enriching Our Worship 1 and 2
Prayers of Power
Lectionary Page
Lectionary Page
Satucket Lectionary Page for our Saints of the Day:
Walk With Me On Our Journey
Quote sites for quotes and prayer
Quote sites for quotes and prayer
Walk With Me On Our Journey:September 1's Blog-
Watch this space for this week's new readings in Nehemiah.
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