Pause for Prayer: THURSDAY 1/15

Owe nothing to anyone, 

   except to love one another; 

for the one who loves another 

   has fulfilled the law.

-Romans 13

 

Help me, Lord, today:

   to do no wrong to my family,

   to do no wrong to my neighbors,

   to do no wrong  to my friends,

   to do no wrong to my classmates,  

   to do no wrong to my enemies,

   to do no wrong to my coworkers, 

   to do no wrong to strangers,

   to do no wrong to the poor,

   to do no wrong to creation,

   to do no wrong to myself... 

 

Help me, Lord, to love you today 

   before and above all others

      - and to love my neighbor as myself...

 

Amen. 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Wednesday 1/14

A little background on today's Night Prayer... As you may know, I have a relationship with a prayer group of inmates at the Clear Creek County Jail in Georgetown, CO.  When I'm in Colorado I join the group in person and when I'm back in Massachusetts, I join them virtually every week through my recording a prayer from the archives of my blog and a short reflection.  This week, however, because a number of men in the group are waiting to receive their sentences, I wrote a prayer especially for them - which I'm sharing with you tonight.  Actually, it's a prayer for anyone waiting for news - and hoping and praying the news will be good. For the men in the prayer group, good news is usually relative and proportional to how bad the news might possibly be - and that's true for many of us... With all that in mind, I ask you to pray for my brothers in Clear Creek County Jail and for all who might need this prayer tonight... 

When I'm waiting for some news, Lord, 

    and it takes its time in coming,

make me patient, even hopeful,

    for the word I pray to hear...

 

When I'm counting years 

   and months and weeks

      until that news arrives,

take away my fear and worry,

    help me trust I'm in your care...

 

Help me stay within the moment,

    help me keep it in today, 

help me put my past behind me

    and the future in your hands...

 

And should the news be good, Lord,

   make me grateful for your gift

and give me grace to live it out

   with humble prayer and praise…

 

Let me take it not for granted

   but as mercy undeserved,

ever mindful of your kindness

   and the debt of thanks I owe…

 

But should the news arrive, Lord,

    and it's bad or sad or grim,

give me strength to take it in

    and not be broken by its weight...

 

Help me shoulder my new burden,

    help me lean on you, my friend,

let me know I'm not alone, Lord,

    that you're there, right by my side...

 

I do not, cannot know your plan,

    I only know my part:

not only how I've failed you, Lord,

    but what I now can do...

 

I can, with your grace, turn my heart

    to you, your word, your will;

I can, with your help, live in peace,

    just one day at a time...

 

I can, if I would lean on you,

    stand straight and tall and strong,

set free to be the person

    you created me to be...

 

I can, with your help, grow in grace

    if I would just surrender

my stubborn ways, my will and pride

    to you, my Lord and God...

 

I know it won't be easy, Lord,

    won't be a bed of roses,

it never is for anyone

    in any situation...

 

So when the news is bad, Lord,

   help me find you in my sorrow,

for I know and trust that you’ll find me

   with mercy and your peace…    

 

I know you'll walk beside me

    wherever my path leads

and that's good news for me, Lord, 

    the news I need to hear…

 

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. 

 

Your Love Defends Me 

   by Matt Maher by Unspoken

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You are my joy You are my song 

You are the well The One I’m drawing from 

You are my refuge My whole life long 

Where else would I go 

 

Surely my God is The strength of my soul 

Your love defends me Your love defends me 

And when I feel like I’m all alone 

Your love defends me Your love defends me 

 

Day after day Night after night 

I will remember You’re with me in this fight 

Although the battle It rages on 

The war is already won 

I know the war is already won 

 

Surely my God is The strength of my soul 

Your love defends me Your love defends me 

And when I feel like I’m all alone 

Your love defends me Your love defends me 

 

We sing Halleluiah 

You’re my portion My salvation 

Halleluiah 

 

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Pause for Prayer: WEDNESDAY 1/14

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NIGHT PRAYER: Tuesday 1/13

Our vision, Lord, is seriously impaired...

We're near-sighted,

   focused on what's at hand,

   failing to see the larger picture...

With minds clouded by fear and doubt

   we fail to see clearly, we miss boundaries,

   we trip over our own feet...

 

We are color blind, failing to see

   the shades, the depths and the beauty

   in every color, hue and tone...

We turn away from, we ignore, we deny

   we blind ourselves to difference and diversity,

   to new ideas and other points of view...

We close our eyes to the truth 

    staring us in the face,

to wisdom's unrelenting glow, 

    and to you, Lord:

       the light no darkness overcomes...

 

I'm frightened by the riots and violence, Lord,

    but even more by our vision,

        so seriously impaired... 

As the saying goes:

  there are none so blind

   as those who will not see...

 

If we cannot see, 

if we don't see clearly,

if we refuse to seek and see the truth

if we close our eyes to your light, Lord,

- then we doom ourselves to a darkness 

    overwhelming and consuming...

Open our eyes that we might see, Lord:

open our eyes to peer into 

    the depths of your wisdom and truth; 

open our eyes to see beyond

   our needs, our want and desires;

open our eyes to see you 

   in the faces of all we meet and know;

sharpen our vision

   to help us see as you see, Lord;

clear our vision 

    of all worry, doubts and fears;

correct our vision

   when we refuse to see

      and accept what's right before us;

help us see the depth and beauty                                                                                                    of every color and shade;
open our eyes to your glory, 

   around us, among us and within us...

Protect us, Lord, 

   in the dark of night and the light of day

that awake, we might keep watch for you

    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

Be Thou My Vision

   performed by The Martins 

 

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Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart

naught be all else to me, save that thou art

Thou my best thought by day or by night

waking or sleeping, thy presence my light

 

Be thou my vision and thou my true word

I ever with thee and thou with me Lord

Thou and thou only, first in my heart

great God of heaven, my treasure thou art

 

Great God of heaven, my victory won,

may I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Son

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall

still be my vision, O Ruler of all

still be my vision, O Ruler of all

 

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Pause for Prayer: TUESDAY 1/13

 Silence... 

    in the winter, in my heart, in my soul, in my prayer...

Lord,
let me come to know your silence,
your deep and awesome silence,
as a grace, a gift, a blessing...

Let me come into your silence
and wait there in the stillness,
in the quiet,
for your peace...

Help me find within your silence
not your absence but the fullness

of your presence at my side,

all around and deep within... 

 

Help me trust that in your silence

I will find you and we'll meet

where every sound is hushed

and where love's the only word...

In your silence I'll discover
who I'm truly made to be
for only in your silence
am I truly seen and known...

Help me find you in the silence, Lord,

and know you in the stillness,

in the quiet of your presence

where I am

just who 

I am...

Amen.

In The Silence (Heaven's Gift) 

    by InsideOut A Cappella 

        from the album Reverence 

 

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In the silence all I hear, is the burning of the candles
In the darkness all I see, are the shadows of the shadows

And yet it feels so bright, and time stands still
Today becomes tomorrow as morning breaks the night
And turns a world of heartfelt sorrow into joy
And darkness into light

When I consider heaven's gift and yet my soul so undeserving
A fount of love that never ends and a spirit ever serving

And then it feels so bright, and time stands still
Today becomes tomorrow as morning breaks the night
And turns a world of heartfelt sorrow into joy
And darkness into light

In the silence all I hear, In the darkness all I see,
A fount of love that never ends, for my soul so undeserving

As you're kneeling by my side and you lift your heart to heaven,
My spirit's eyes are opened wide and my soul can see forever

And then it feels so bright, and time stands still
Today becomes tomorrow as morning breaks the night
And turns a world of heartfelt sorrow into joy
And darkness into light

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NIGHT PRAYER: Monday 1/12

 

Still thinking, Lord,

     about yesterday's homily:

how you call me to love 

    as you love me;

how your love overflows 

    with mercy and kindness;

how you always forgive me,

    again and again;

how you call me to love, Lord,

    as you love me...

 

I was just thinking, Lord.

    how you bathe me in kindness,

        a gift of pure grace;

    how your mercy stands ready

        before I have sinned;

    how you never refuse

        my prayer for your pardon;

    how you call me to love, Lord,

        as you love me...

 

I was just thinking,

    how you offer me, always,

        a fresh, clean slate;

    how you never hold on

        to a grudge or resentment;

    how you welcome me back,

        time after time;    

    how you call me to love, Lord, 

        as you love me...

 

And so I pray tonight, Lord:

    help me love my neighbor 

        with generous kindness;

    help me forgive others, 

        again and again;

    help me pardon readily, 

        fully and freely;

    help me love all

        - as you love me...

     

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. 

 

Where Charity and Love Prevail

   - performed by WLP Choir

 

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Where charity and love prevail,
there God is ever found;
Brought here together by Christ’s love,
by love are we thus bound.

With grateful joy and holy fear
His charity we learn;
Let us with heart and mind and soul
now love him in return.

Forgive we now each other’s faults
as we our faults confess;
And let us love each other well
in Christian holiness.

Let strife among us be unknown,
let all contention cease;
Be his the glory that we seek,
be ours his holy peace.

Let us recall that in our midst
dwells God’s begotten Son;
As members of his body joined,
we are in Christ made one.

No race or creed can love exclude,
if honored be God’s name;
Our family embraces all
whose Father is the same.

 

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