NIGHT PRAYER: Tuesday 3/11

 

Night Prayer is longer than usual this evening, making time early in Lent to acknowledge our need for God's mercy...

 

Have mercy on me, O God,

for you are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness 

to all who call upon you...

- Psalm 86

I know you forgive sinners, Lord,
and I know how slow I can be 

to admit to my sins,

to acknowledge that I'm a sinner,

a sinner in need of your mercy and pardon...

And I know you're a judge, Lord, 

a just judge,
a merciful judge, a kind judge,

an insightful, wise and loving judge 

- but a judge nonetheless...

And I know that all I say and do

and all I fail to say and do
- that all these -

are subject to your judgment,

your merciful, wise, kind loving

- and just judgment...

 

Have mercy on me, O God,

for you are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness 

to all who call upon you...

And I know, Lord, how I minimize my sins: 

I make them smaller than they are
until they seem to disappear 

or count as nothing worth the counting...

And I know I often blame 

the folks I've hurt, the ones I've failed to love,
by pointing to their weaknesses and faults 

- while ignoring my own...

And I know I how I find ways to think 

- and then believe  -

that for some reason, Lord,
your laws simply don't apply to me  

and so I give myself a pass:

And I know I sometimes convince myself 

that why I do a wrong thing
somehow makes a wrong thing right 

and justifies my misdeed...

Have mercy on me, O God,

for you are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness 

to all who call upon you...

And I often presume upon your mercy, Lord,

assuming that it's there for me 

without my ever even having said

- I'm sorry -
without my taking time 

to count the times 

I've failed to love,

failed to listen to your word,

failed to do what you call me to do,

failed to turn away 

from anything and everything

that turns my heart from you...
 

And I so easily absolve myself of my failings
by comparing them to the greater sins of others,
forgetting that you judge me 

- not in comparison with my neighbor -

but only by the measure of your word:
    that I love you above all things
    and love my neighbor as myself...

In making light of my own faults, 

in pardoning myself,
I forget that you're my judge, Lord, 

that my every word and deed
are subject to your word, your law 

and your call that I live as who I am:

your beloved...

Have mercy on me, O God,

for you are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness 

to all who call upon you...

I know you forgive sinners, Lord,

but how will I know your mercy
if I don't name my need for it,

if I don't pray you look kindly on one like me
whose sins and pride cry out 

for your mercy and your pardon?

Let me not presume upon your gift, 

your pardon, Lord,
a gift I don't deserve, 

a gift I cannot merit
- yet a gift I so much need...

Have mercy on me, O God, 

for you have promised to be good and kind 

to all who call upon you...

Hear my prayer:

help me face and name my sins

and open wide my heart 

to the healing of your mercy
- and in finding it - 

turn from all the ways
I've offended you, my God, 

and my sisters and my brothers,

my neighbors, near and far...

 

Have mercy on me, O God,

for you are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness 

to all who call upon you...
 

Lord, in the quiet of my prayer tonight,

give me strength to brave the light,
that shines upon my sins...

In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,

give me the courage I need
to acknowledge my faults and failings...

In the quiet of my prayer, Lord, 

help me call upon your name

for the grace of your mercy

and your pardon of my sins...

In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,

in your abounding kindness, 

wash away my sins

and bathe me in your peace...

Have mercy on me, O God,

for you are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness 

to all who call upon you...

 

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

    and watch over me while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

    and asleep, rest in your peace...

 

Create In Me by Graham Kendrick

 

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Pause for Prayer: TUESDAY 3/11

May yesterday's disappointment
    not darken this day's joy...

May today's trials and troubles
    not diminish this day's peace...

May my worry about tomorrow
    not eclipse today's contentment...

Help me keep it in the moment, Lord,
    the day that you have made...

 

Help me keep it in the present,

    in the here and in the now, 

in the day that you've created

    and entrusted to my care... 

Help me keep it in today, Lord,
    the only time that's mine
to meet you in the moments

    of your presence and your peace...

Amen.

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NIGHT PRAYER: Monday 3/10

Tonight, Lord, I want to thank you 

    for the folks in my life who share my interests;

    who care about things that ignite my passions; 

    who understand what makes me tick;

    whose hearts are warmed by your Spirit's fire; 

    whose souls are moved by what moves mine;

    who lean on your mercy for pardon and peace;

    whose faith and belief are their strength and hope;

        and who find their joy in you in their lives...

 

Tonight, Lord, I want to thank you

    for my sisters and brothers in praise and prayer

        who follow your gospel's wisdom and way;

    who share in the work of your word and will;

    who walk by my side and have my back

        in good times and bad, through thick and thin,

    trusting in you, our shade and our shield,

        our shepherd who leads us safe to your home...

 

Tonight, Lord I want to thank you 

    for those whose presence mirrors your own,

    for those whose lives are a blessing in mine,

    for those whose love is a holy gift,

    for those whose spirit is one with mine, 

        in you, the God of our nights and days...

Protect us, Lord while we're awake

    and watch over us while we sleep

that awake, we might keep watch with you

    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

 

God of Day and God of Darkness

    by Marty Haugen

 

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God of day and God of darkness,
Now we stand before the night;
As the shadows stretch and deepen,
Come and make our darkness bright.
All creation still is groaning
For the dawning of your might,
When the Sun of peace and justice
Fills the earth with radiant light.

Still the nations curse the darkness,
Still the rich oppress the poor;
Still the earth is bruised and broken
By the ones who still want more.
Come and wake us from our sleeping,
So our hearts cannot ignore
All your people lost and broken,
All your children at our door.

Show us Christ in one another,
Make us servants strong and true.
Give us all your love of justice
So we do what you would do.
Let us call all people holy,
Let us pledge our lives anew,
Make us one with all the lowly,
Let us all be one in you.

You shall be the path that guides us,
You the light that in us burns;
Shining deep within all people,
Yours the love that we must learn,
For our hearts shall wander restless
'Til they safe to you return;
Finding you in one another,
We shall all your face discern.

Praise to you in day and darkness,
You our source and you our end;
Praise to you who love and nurture us
As a father, mother, friend.
Grant us all a peaceful resting,
Let each mind and body mend,
So we rise refreshed tomorrow,
Hearts renewed to Kingdom tend.

 

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Monday Morning Offering: 3/11

Morning Coffee by George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

 

My first MMO for this year's Lent

so I'm venturing out on a limb, Lord:

this morning I want offer you:

a trinket or toy that I don't really need 

    but very much want and desire...

    

some distraction that eats up lots of my time

    and keeps me from prayer and from you... 

 

some cash I'll probably spend on myself

    that could better be used helping others...

 

a worry or fear that consumes my soul

    and keeps me from trusting you...

 

a grudge or resentment that hardens my heart

    and keeps me from being at peace...

 

anything, Lord, that keeps me from growing

    in grace and in faith, in hope and in love...

 

I've a storehouse of all I've mentioned above,

    you can choose, Lord, from all that I've offered;

just give me the strength to let go and surrender

    myself to your mercy, this Lent...

Amen.

 

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The two con artists involved in every temptation you've ever faced...

Here's the video of my homily for the First Sunday of Lent.

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NIGHT PRAYER: Sunday 3/10

On Sundays, Night Prayer takes its lead from some element of the day's liturgy.  Today's psalm at mass (Psalm 91) is this evening's musical offering: Be With Me, Lord...

 

We need you, Lord!

We need you now, Lord:

    in the chaos of war in Ukraine and Gaza...

 

We need you now, Lord:

    to salvage the truth from among all the lies...

 
We need you now, Lord:

    in the ashes of California's wildfires...

 

We need you now, Lord:

    to melt our hearts to welcome the stranger...

We need you now, Lord:

    in the darkest hours of personal grief...

 

We need you now, Lord:

    to cleanse our minds of prejudice and bias...

We need you now, Lord:

    when sadness can be overwhelming...

 

We need you now, Lord:

    let your wisdom shame our foolish ways...

We need you now, Lord:

    in many more ways that we can count,

    to help us achieve what we've failed to do,

    to be our strength when ours is gone,

    our hope when we have none...

We need you now, Lord:

    not yesterday, in times gone by,

    not tomorrow, sometime down the road,

    not in theory or empty rhetoric

    but here and now, in flesh and bone,

    in real time, soon, before it's too late...

We need you, Lord,

    and we need you now...

Protect us, Lord, while we're awake

    and watch over us as we sleep

that awake, we might keep watch with you

    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

Psalm 91 by Marty Haugen

 

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Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble,
     be with me, Lord, I pray!

You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord most high,
who abide in the shadow of our God,
say to the Lord,  "My refuge and fortress,
the God in whom I trust!"

Be with me, Lord...

No evil shall befall you, no pain come near,
for the angels stand close by your side
guarding you always and bearing you gently,
watching over your life.

Be with me, Lord...

Those who cling to the Lord live secure in God's love
lifted high those who trust in God's name
Call on your Lord who will never forsake you,
God will bring you salvation and joy.

Be with me, Lord...

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Pause for Prayer: SUNDAY 3/10

Weaving by Astrid Monique

(Today: a poem by William Stafford followed by my reflection designed to help us pause for prayer...)

The Way It Is
There's a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn't change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can't get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time's unfolding.
You don't ever let go of the thread.

- by William Stafford

Lent is a time for naming
the "thread you follow..."

Most of us lead lives of many threads.
Some are stronger than others,
some are of our own making,
some are woven into the fabric of our being
with or without our permission...

With or without our permission
the Spirit weaves
the thread of God's grace and design
into the cloth of our being, our lives...

God's thread in our lives does not change:
it's pliable yet strong, it hems and mends,
it tucks and tailors, it stitches and sutures...

Lent is a time, a season,
for naming the thread we follow
the thread God sews into our souls...

Lent is a time for finding again
or perhaps discovering for the first time
the thread of God within,
the thread we must hold fast...

The Way It Is
There's a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn't change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can't get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time's unfolding.
You don't ever let go of the thread.

Lent 2010

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NIGHT PRAYER: Saturday 3/9

I wrote this prayer a few years ago but have spent a fair amount of time reworking it for this evening.  Let's pray, then, on the night we move our clocks ahead for Daylight Saving Time...

 

Salvador Dali: The Persistence of Memory 

 

Like Dali's melting watches 

losing power to mark the time

or measure with precision

the passing nights and days 

so my watch, Lord, tick-tocks

a snail's pace 

- or races with abandon 

past my reach

‘til I lose sense 

of what the hour or day may be 

and wonder, as I often do

when my time will be done...

But memories, Lord, persist:

recapturing time, 

reminding me

of all that’s been

and will not be again...  

 

It's in memories, Lord, 

that time stands still 

just long enough 

for me to see

my graced and gifted past... 

And it's memories, Lord, 

that feed my hope of years to come, 

of time to spend, 

to share, 

to live, 

to love... 

 

Be the keeper of my time, Lord:

save my time from foolish wasting;

make more time for me to pray;

use your time to heal my wounds;

tell me when it's time to change;

keep my step in time with yours;

time after time, forgive my sins;

and as time is passing by

please let me see how precious 

is the time you've given me...

 

Be the keeper of my time, Lord,

every minute, hour and day,

'til I pass beyond life's ticking watch

to timelessness with you...

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake,

and watch over me while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

and asleep, rest in your peace...

 

Amen.

Tonight's song is Day By Day - but NOT the one

you know - give a listen to this new musical setting

of the familiar lyrics...

 

Day By Day by Victor Johnson

 

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Day by day, day by day, day by day

 

Oh, dear Lord, three things I pray:

    to see thee more clearly,

    love thee more dearly,

    follow thee more nearly, day by day 

    (2X)

 

Day by day, day by day, 

Oh, dear Lord, three things I pray...

 

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Pause for Prayer: SATURDAY 3/8

    Photo by Chrissy Macon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My poem, a starting point for prayer

- with a nod to E.M. Forster.... 

Under dark clouds
the sun sets
over cold waters,

 

a life preserver
rests,
poised to rescue

 

one who waits

a lifeline,

tossed

by One 

who stands 

on deck

 

in vigil,

there

to save...

 

only connect! 

 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Friday 3/7

The truth...

 

These days, Lord, 

    the truth is such a precious, rare commodity.

 Oh, knock-offs are for sale on every corner,

    but the real truth - it's so very hard to find...

 

And there's the problem, Lord:

    the truth is up for sale! 

It's advertised on line;

    it's traded down on Wall Street;

        it's SOLD! to the highest bidder...

     

We search for truth:

    we excavate and drill and mine

        to find its priceless gold.

We seek that vein of truth 

    that runs so deep 

        and true and sure...

   

We hunger for the truth,

    we thirst for its pure waters;

we long to taste its fullness,

    to feed upon its wisdom,

    its prudence and its virtue,

    it's common sense and reason... 

So, help us find the truth, Lord:

    help us know it when we meet it,

        when it stares us in the face...

 

Help us welcome the truth, Lord:

    especially when its word is hard,

        demanding, tough to follow...

 

Feed us with the truth, Lord:

    let no other food suffice

or satisfy our hunger

    for what's good and pure and just...

 

Help us find your truth, Lord:

    the truth that's only yours to speak,

        to disclose and to reveal,

    the only truth that shapes our lives

        as you would have us live...

 

Be our truth, Lord,

    lest we perish in our lies,

be our truth, Lord,

    that we live our lives in you...  

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

    and watch over me while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

 

My Truth by Jonathan McReynolds

 

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Everyone has a God 

Whether they notice it or not 

Something to glue their beliefs to 

As for me, that's something's You 

 

For better or for worse 

We all have a life we must preserve 

And everyone is on key to their own melody 

I just feel Your song was made for me 

 

And everybody has their point of view 

And everyone lives like life taught them to 

But I'm just gonna keep my eyes stayed on You 

'cause You are my truth 

 

Everyone won't agree 

And I don't always live You perfectly 

But that doesn't change the strength of Your name 

We've got history that can't be erased 

 

Just 'cause everybody has their point of view 

And everybody lives like life taught them to 

I'm just gonna keep my eyes stayed on You 

'cause You are my truth 

Oh, You are my truth 

 

We were helpless when You arrived 

And You flipped the game on its side 

Then You took the blame and You died 

Just so I can have life everlasting 

 

Everybody has their point of view 

And everybody lives like life taught them to 

But I'm just gonna keep my eyes stayed on You 

'cause You are my truth 

 

Whoa, this world will prepare 

A pulpit for theirs 

But You 

You are my truth

 

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