NIGHT PRAYER: Sunday 1/31

As January shivers into February,
open my eyes, Lord,
and open my mind and heart,
to your power in the weather,
your presence in the stillness,
your beauty all around me...

In this shortest month of the year, Lord,
help me find the peace you offer:
    when it's cold,
       wrap me in your mercy's warmth;
    in the snow,
       cover me with saving grace;
    in nature's dormant silence,
       help me find more time for prayer,
       time with you to grow in winter's quiet,
       in the mystery of your love for me...

As January morphs into February, Lord,

open all I am

to all you have to give 

and ready me for springtime

and the promise that it holds... 

 

Protect me, Lord, as I lie awake

and watch over me while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch withyou

and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

Dark of Winter


 

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JESUS: are we followers - or Sunday morning fans?

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Pause for Prayer: SUNDAY 1/31

Lord,
it's not difficult for me,
in hindsight,
to see how you walked with me,
how you guided and protected me
through many difficult times
I've known in my life...

But this morning
I pray for the grace
to see and know your presence,
your guiding hand and your protection
- not just after the trouble has passed -
but in the hard times,
on the cold and cloudy days,
through my restless nights,
in my rough patches,
in the midst of hurt and disappointment
and through my times of loss and grief...

I know you're always there for me, Lord,

but I pray you let me know and see and feel

your presence and your guidance,

your strength and your compassion,

right at the time

when I need you the most

and look to you for help...

Amen.


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NIGHT PRAYER: Saturday 1/30

 

I know so many folks who are losing hope, Lord,

finding it more and more difficult to trust

    that all is not lost,

    that things will turn around, 

    that better days are coming,

    that help is on the way,

    that you are at their side,

    that all is in your hands...

So for these friends, Lord, I'm posting this prayer.

I hope they'll make it their own 

and find in you 

the hope they need tonight...

Lord Jesus, give me hope for the dawn
    when I'm lost in the dark of night...

Give me hope for serenity

    even in the midst of my distress...

Give me hope for tomorrow
    when I feel locked in my past...

Lord Jesus, give me hope for joy

    when sadness overwhelms me...

Give me hope for understanding
    when I'm lost in my confusion...

Lord Jesus, give me hope for companionship
    when I'm feeling all alone...

Give me hope and trust in faith, Lord,
    when I'm lost in doubt and fear...

Give me hope for someone's helping hand
    when I fear there's no one there...

Give me hope for strength and courage
    when I'm at my weakest point...

 

Give me hope for peace around the world:

    an end to war and terror...

Give me the grace to hope for hope, Lord,
    when it seems there's no way out...

And when I feel most hopeless,
    help me find my hope in you, Lord,

         the source of all my hope...

 

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

and watch over me as I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

and asleep, rest in your peace...

 

Amen. 

 

Hymn of Peace - Hope for the World's Despair 

    Performed by Jonathan Veira 

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Pause for Prayer: SATURDAY 1/30

   Eternal Bond by Fred Mathews

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a mother comforts her child
so will I comfort you,
says the Lord...  
Isaiah 66:10

Lord, I know so many people
in need of comfort,  a mother's comfort
- and I know that you know who they are...

You promised to comfort us, Lord,

so I pray you'll reach out

and wrap your arms around these folks 

holding them, as a mother holds her child.

close to your breast...

I pray they'll feel your warmth,
as a child is warmed
in a mother's embrace...

Nourish them, Lord,
with the milk of your mercy,
calm their fears,
be their safe haven,
enfold them in your arms
'til your heart beats as one with theirs...

As a mother comforts her child, Lord,
comfort those who are alone and afraid,
confused and lost,
worried and anxious...

Comfort those who, like children,
need a mother's care
to hold them, soothe them, heal them
and bring them peace...

As a mother comforts her child, Lord,
comfort your children
who need your touch, your embrace,
your love...

Amen.

 

   Jesus Blesses The Children by Joe Cauchi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Friday 1/29

                         

                    Icy Moon: photo by Chuck Connell

 

You've heard me grouse about the weather, Lord,

and I hope you're more patient with me

than I am with the seasons...

 

January, February?

Not my favorite months on the calendar,

definitely down time -

but then you stop me in my tracks

with wintry grace and beauty:

the filigree of bare limbs etched against a sky,

backlit by the moon, full of midnight glory...

 

My friend's photo is a newfound psalm, Lord,

a silver-white epiphany inviting me

to find you at a time, in a season, in a way

I'd not expected...

 

Your beauty seduces by surprise, Lord,

and takes me when I'm vulnerable

and open to a chance, to any chance for hope

and the simple promise of something more

than the present moment offers...

Open me, Lord,

to all the ways you beckon me to find you

when and where I least expect you:

in the dark of night, in my enemy,

in hopelessness and in all, that for the moment,

I do not understand...

 

Shine and shimmer like an icy moon until,

through bare, wintry branches, I see you

and see that you've found me...

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

and watch over me while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch for you

and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

(Tonight's music is instrumental, not the usual genre,

but perhaps like an icy moon it might beckon you...)

 

Moon Hymn by Idris Muhammad

 

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Join us on Sunday morning when we ponder those times when it's hard to believe in Jesus...

 

 

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Pause for Prayer: FRIDAY 1/29

Lord, whether this is a day I've been dreading

    and tried to put off

or a day I've been looking forward to

    with great anticipation,

or just another day to which

    I've not given too much thought

I pray it's a day I'll look back on

   with gratitude, in peace...

So, help me live and spend the day ahead
    in peace with you, Lord,
        and with my neighbor
            and myself...

Amen. 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Thursday 1/28

 

O God, with such divine artistry 

did you fashion the human heart!

It's dimensions are quite defined

and yet my heart can hold what seems 

an infinite number of joys and sorrows, 

stories and memories,

wounds and healings, 

dreams and schemes,

disappointments and regrets,

tragic endings 

and hope-filled new beginnings...

 

On one day, Lord, this heart of mine

can bear the weight of burdens unimaginable

and one day later float and soar

- a feather on a summer breeze... 

My heart has no eyes, Lord, and yet 

it sees what can't be seen, 

what's hidden, mysterious and eternal...

My heart has no arms or hands 

and yet it reaches out, touches and embraces

more than I might ever hope to hold...

My heart has no ears and yet

it hears a word you whisper

and the truth you speak aloud...

 

And sometimes, Lord, my heart closes in,

struggling in vain to hide or keep you out

- but then comes grace -

and grace opens wide, inside my soul, a place

great enough, deep enough for you, my Lord and God, 

for you to come and make your home...

My small heart has room for you, Lord,

and for many others, more than I can count:

family, friends, strangers - brothers, sisters all -

knocking on my heart's door 

seeking a place to rest, to heal, to visit, 

a place to call their own for a while, for a day,

a lifetime - or forever...

O God, with such divine artistry 

did you fashion the human heart,

my heart, beating in my chest

and even deeper, in my soul,

in my heart of hearts 

where you, my Maker,

choose to make your home...

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

and watch over me when I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

and asleep, rest in your heart

and in your peace...

Amen.

 

Open The Eyes of My Heart by Paul Baloche

    performed by Keith Lancaster & The Acapella Company

 

 

Open the eyes of my heart Lord

Open the eyes of my heart

I want to see you

I want to see you

 

To see you high and lifted up 

Shining in the light of your glory

Pour out your power and love

As we sing holy, holy, holy

 

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Pause for Prayer: THURSDAY 1/28

Image source

Lord Jesus, 

you are here

now

as always

and only because 

you want me

and 

want to be with me...

Lord Jesus,

I am here 

now,

once again,

and only because I want you

and want to be with you...

Lord Jesus,

be with me

and stay by my side

to help me surrender

into your arms 

opening wide

to hold me 

always 

in your love...

Amen.

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NIGHT PRAYER: Wednesday 1/27

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's here again, Lord, this season, 

gray and charcoaled on the landscape of my heart, 

etched by the chill of long dark winter nights...

Every year there comes this time

between the holly and the palm:

    my wintry wait for ashes

    and Lent's deep purple shades,

this time between what's been and yet to be...

So much of life is in-between, Lord:
    between times gone by
        and all that lies ahead;
    between the old and new,
        hope and disappointment,
    between expectation and fulfillment,

        anticipation and conclusion...

 

I live between my ups and downs,

    my tears and smiles,

between my past achievements

     and all I've still to do;

between the life I know so well

    and the promise of tomorrow;

between the things I clutch and cling to

    and what I barely dare to dream... 

 

It seems I'm in-between, Lord,

    always somewhere in-between,

so make me mindful of the moment,

    help me keep it in today,

accepting things I cannot change

    and changing things I can,

finding wisdom in between,

    enough to live, to grow, to share:   

give me patience with my past, Lord,
    and hope for what's to come...

 

Be with me in this season

    gray and charcoaled in my heart,

be with me while I lie awake

    and when I fall asleep,

that awake, I might keep watch with you

    and asleep, rest in your peace,

between the dusk and  dawn, Lord,

    twixt your mercy and your love...

 

Amen. 

 

One Day At A Time  

     by Kris Kristofferson and Marijohn Wilkin

           performed by Lynda Randle

 

One day at a time, sweet Jesus

That's all I'm asking of you

Give me the strength to do everyday
What I have to do

Yesterday's gone, sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine

Help me today, show me the way
One day at a time

 

I'm only human, I'm just a woman
Help me believe in what I could be
And all that I am
Oh, show me the stairway that I have to climb
Lord, for my sake, teach me to take
One day at a time

 

Refrain

 

Oh, do you remember
When you walked among men
Well, Jesus, you know
If you're looking below
That it's worse now than then
Oh, there's pushing and shoving
And it's crowding my mind

So, Lord, for my sake, teach me to take
One day at a time

 

Refrain

 

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Something or someone orders your life: What or Who might that be?

 

 

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Pause for Prayer: WEDNESDAY 1/27

 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Tuesday 1/26

I've been studying Sunday's scriptures, Lord,

waiting and watching for a nudge from you

on where to go with my homily...

I know it will come: an intuition, an idea,

a push in a particular direction (maybe a shove!)

a hint of the word your Spirit is whispering

to shape my reflection for Sunday's prayer...

A delicate business it is, Lord,

and one I don't take lightly:

I trust, every week, as the Sabbath approaches,

you'll draw my heart to the bread of your word

to break open to nourish the people I serve...

An amazing grace this is, Lord -

your desire to speak to us

and for us to hear and share your word:

wisdom for our muddled minds, 

healing for our broken hearts,

nourishment for our hungry souls...

So it is in everything and so it is for all of us:

you never fail to speak your word, the very word

that each of us most needs to hear

in our minds, our hearts, our souls...

 

There's something you want to tell us, Lord,

a saving word we need to hear

for we don't live on bread alone

but on every word that comes 

from the heart of who you are...

 

Open this preacher's mind and heart,

and the minds and hearts of all, Lord:

to recognize your quiet voice,

to be nourished by your truth

and to live by your word of peace...

Speak to us, Lord, while we're awake

and through the night when we're asleep

that awake, we might keep watch with you

and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

 

Speak, Lord by Margaret Rizza

 

In the silence of the stars,
In the quiet of the hills,
In the heaving of the sea,
Speak, Lord.

In the stillness of this room,
In the calming of my mind,
In the longing of my heart,
Speak, Lord.

In the voice of a friend,
In the chatter of a child,
In the words of a stranger,
Speak, Lord.

In the opening of a book,
In the looking at a film,
In the listening to music,
Speak, Lord.

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