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| Morning Coffee by George Mendoza |
Sometimes, Lord, I've nothing to offer you,
well, nothing more than my needs,
the longings of my heart and soul...
It's just such a day this morning, Lord:
I've little to offer except my need
for the comfort I know is yours to give...
Our world is often hard and crass,
with little by way of comfort to offer:
comfort me Lord, comfort us all
with the peace that only comes from you...
Comfort me, Lord:
comfort my soul,
comfort my mind and heart...
Comfort me in my worries and fears,
in my memories and dreams
and in the hopes I hold so dear...
Speak comfortably, Lord, to my family,
to my friends and neighbors,
my colleagues at work
- and to people in every place...
Speak comfortably to the young and the old,
in the lives of the lonely and brokenhearted,
in the brokenness of lives undone, unhinged, unloved...
Speak a word of comfort
to those who are confused and confounded,
to those who struggle to accept
the challenges and problems that burden them...
Speak a word of comfort, Lord,
to those who find it hard to hope,
to those who flirt with despair...
Speak a word of comfort
to those who need a sign from you and from others,
a sign to kindle the fire of hope within their hearts...
Speak a word of comfort
to those who live with depression
and to those who love them:
help them be patient with one another
in giving and receiving care and concern...
Speak a word of comfort, Lord,
to those in harm's way,
to those on the front lines,
to all who protect and defend us...
Speak a word of comfort
to those who live in fear in this world,
in this nation, this city
and even in their own homes...
Speak a word of comfort to those who need work
and who live in fear of not finding it...
Speak a word of comfort to the lonely,
to free their hearts to welcome
the company of those around them...
Speak a word of comfort to the sick, Lord,
to those in pain in mind and limb:
be the kind Physician of their souls
to encourage and heal them with your Spirit...
Speak a word of comfort to the dying
and refresh their trust and hope in you
and in your promise of life for ever...
Speak a word of comfort to those who grieve,
whose sunny days are dark with loss,
whose hearts ache at others' joy...
Speak a word of comfort to those abandoned
by society and government, by family and friends,
by colleagues and neighbors
- and by me...
Speak a word of comfort
to those who feel abandoned by the church
and welcome them back to the comfort of faith...
Let your word of comfort
heal, console, challenge and strengthen
all left out and cast away:
let them find a welcome in our hearts
and by our side...
Speak comfortably to your people, Lord,
may your voice and words:
make low the mountains of trouble and fear,
make straight the paths of those who are lost,
and make smooth the rough and tumble places
where we all often stumble and fall...
Speak a word of comfort in my prayer, Lord,
and help me hear and trust it:
and taking it to heart,
let me speak a word of comfort
to all I know and all I meet
today and through the week ahead...
Amen.
Comfort, Ye my people
and speak comfortably to Jereusalem...
- from Handel's Messiah
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