Pause for Prayer: SUNDAY 9/6

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This Labor Day weekend, Lord,
I'm grateful for the world you created
and that I, too, am the work of your hands:
    you formed my inmost being, 
    you knit me in my mother's womb...  Psalm 139 

 

How can it be 

that you took the time,
    before time was,
to imagine my being,
to consider for even a moment
that I should exist:
    to conceive of me
    so long before I was conceived?

 

And then from my parents' love
you fashioned and made me

    in their image, yes,  

        but first in yours,
and gave me a soul 

    you'd given no other
and breathed in me the Spirit's gift,

    the breath of your own life...

 

How great are your works, O Lord, my God,

and how grateful am I 

that this life of mine
is truly the work of your hands...

 

And who am I, Lord, 

that you should ever be mindful of me
that you should ever care for me,

that you should eternally love me?

 
Yet you've crowned me 

with glory and honor:
    your love, my crown,
    your mercy, my glory,
    your grace, my unmerited honor...

 

Without you, Lord, 

    I am nothing;
without you,
    I am not...

 

You created me, Lord,
    and so it is now that I,  

        the work of your hands,
offer to you
    the work of my hands,
knowing that all that I have to give,f

    from the first was your gift to me...

 

Every good thought of mine, O God,
    and every imagined word, 
    every possible plan I dream,
    and every gift I offer
is first the work 

    of your Spirit within me 

and yet you're pleased when I lift as gift
    what was your gift to me

        to begin with...

 

On this Labor Day weekend

I offer you, Lord, 

    all the work I've ever done, 

        and all that's yet mine to do

and I pray you accept it,

    knowing I'm humbled 

that I have a share in the work you do
    and you have a share in mine...

 

And I pray for those who have no work
    and for those whose work 

        is too much to bear:
lift up the unemployed, O Lord 
    and lighten the load of the weary...

 

I praise you, O God

    for the work you've begun

        in me, in my neighbor and all the world: 

bring all of your work to completion, O Lord,

    Creator of all that is good... 

Amen.
 

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Night Prayer: SATURDAY 9/5

 

Praying on Labor Day weekend...

 

O God, creator of the world,

the sun, the moon and the stars,
you chose to fashion us as your own, 

your handiwork of love...

Indeed, we are your hands’ own work
but into our careless hands,
you've placed the care
of every living thing...

In more ways, Lord, 

than we can count, 
our work builds up - or tears apart -
what came as gift from you to us...

 

Lest we harm the smallest part 

of all anything you've made,

keep us faithful in preserving
all you’ve given to our care...

Give us good and honest work to do
and rest at each day’s end;
let a fair and good day’s wage be paid
for a good day’s work well done...

Give us work to nurture and sustain
the ones who serve and those they serve

let those who labor work in peace,

in freedom, without fear...

 

Give those in need a job to do
and to the tired - well earned rest;

let all our work and toil, Lord,
give glory to your name....

 

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.

Before praying with tonight's song, take some time to name the work that's yours, that has been yours...  In what "fields and vineyards" have you been called to "sow, plant and reap?"  What are you "building" at home, at work, at school? in your marriage, in your family and friendships? in your neighborhood and community? Whatever shape or form your labor takes, that's the labor we sing in the lyrics of this song...

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Your Labor Is Not In Vain 

    by Wendell Kimbrough

       performed by Sojourner Music

 

Your labor is not in vain 

Though the ground underneath you is cursed and stained 

Your planting and reaping are never the same 

But your labor is not in vain 

 

Your labor is not unknown 

Though the rocks they cry out and the sea it may groan 

The place of your toil may not seem like a home 

But your labor is not unknown 

 

    I am with you, I am with you 

    I am with you, I am with you 

    For I have called, called you by name 

    Your labor is not in vain 

 

The vineyards you plant will bear fruit 

The fields will sing out and rejoice with the truth 

For all that is old will at last be made new 

The vineyards you plant will bear fruit 

 

The houses you labor to build 

Will finally with laughter and joy be filled 

The serpent that hurts and destroys will be killed 

And all that is broken be healed   

  

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Pause for Prayer: SATURDAY 9/5

Sometimes, Lord...

 

Sometimes I find I worry

   - for nothing -
for nothing is all that worry can do...

And sometimes I find that yesterday's fears
   - were tamed -
while I slept through the night...

And sometimes I find I've somehow
   - survived -
last week's unsolvable problem...

Far too often I fail to trust 

    - you are with me -

through all of my sorrows and joys...

 

So, help me, Lord, to always remember

    - that all shall be well - 

that all manner of things

    in your good time shall be well,

        shall be well, shall be well... 

Amen.

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The view from my window

The lighthouse above is off the coast of Maine.  My sister and bro-in-law are taking me on a ten day cruise to the maritime provinces and the Saint Lawrence Seaway, ending in Quebec!  I'll be back in Boston on September 13! 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Friday 9/4

 

What an amazing gift, Lord!

What an unexpected blessing,

    a mercy undeserved: 

        you never tire of me!

 

You never tire of

    my persistent laziness,

    my unrelenting apathy,

    my purposeful indifference,

    my prejudiced opinions,

    my selfish lack of charity, 

    my altering the truth,

    my often foolish choices,

    my well-rehearsed bad habits,

    my reliable uncertainty;

    my knack for judging rashly,

    my unjust words and deeds, 

    my eagerness to criticize.

    my skills for self-indulgence,

    and my flair for mediocrity...

 

Your patience with me, Lord, is inexhaustible;

    your restraint, beyond compare;

    your forbearance, never-ending;

    your kindness, more than lavish, 

    your understanding, unfathomable, 

    your leniency, benevolent 

    and your mercy, wider, deeper

        than any I deserve...

 

All this because you, Lord, never tire

    of washing my slate clean,

    of giving me a second chance,

        (or third or fourth or more!)

    another opportunity 

        to try again to follow

            your wisdom, word and way.  

 

Wake me to your tireless love

    and let me not grow weary, Lord, 

of taking time each day

    to praise and bless your holy name

        by which I'm saved and freed.. 

 

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 couldn't be any simpler or more true - you may want to listen a couple of times..

 

The Steadfast Love of the Lord by Dave Hunt

 

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The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,

his mercies never come to an end,

they are new every morning, new every morning,

great is thy faithfulness, O Lord...

 

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Pause for Prayer: FRIDAY 9/4

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What an amazing grace, Lord,

that I sit here with you

- you who dwell in the heavens -

and that you should choose to sit with me, 

as friends do

and that I should speak with you 

who shape the hearts of all...

 

You made my heart, Lord:

you knew its depths and chambers 

long before my birth...

In my mother's womb

you began to shape 

the heart that would be mine

'til its last beat 

and my last breath...

 

As clay in your sculpting hands

you've never ceased to shape my heart,

molding it carefully, 

to be more and more 

like yours...

 

You've shaped my heart 

to be filled with the mercy,

with the pardon and the peace 

you offer me every day...

 

You've kneaded my heart 

to make it strong

for work that's mine to do

and for the burdens I must carry...

 

You've mended my heart 

and healed its wounds

when sin and disappointment 

pierced the soul of who I am...

 

You've touched my heart with grace 

and blessed my heart with all it needs

to face each night and day...

 

You shape the hearts of all, Lord

- and mine no less than any;
you've considered all my deeds, 

the good and bad alike,

and called my heart to faithfulness,

compassion, truth and love...

 

How will you shape my heart today, Lord?

How will your fingers mold my heart

for this day's peace, this day's sorrow,

this day's tears and fears and joys?

 

And what word, Lord,

what word will you speak to my heart today?
What word do I need to hear? 
A word of truth? of insight?

a word of comfort or of challenge?  
a word of healing? a word of counsel?

 

Whatever word I need to hear, Lord:

open my heart 

to the whisper of your voice

in the quiet, in my mind, 

in my prayer, in my heart

and in all the world around me...

 

Oh, what an amazing grace Lord,

that I sit here with you,

that you should choose to sit with me

as friends do;

and that I should speak with you 

who shape the hearts of all...

Amen.

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Pause for Prayer: THURSDAY 9/3

Photo: John McGinty, Both Sides Now

Lord, help me find a quiet spot,
   a place of silent grace
where I can clear my troubled thoughts
   and you can soothe my soul...

Help me find a place to sit
   alone with you,
a place free of distractions,
   save for nature's beauty...

Help me find a place
   for us to meet,
where I can open up my heart
   and speak to you in prayer...

Lord, help me find the place
   where you already wait
for me to come and find the peace
   that only you can give...

Amen. 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Wednesday 9/2

Some folks pray and some folks don't pray.  Prayer is many different things for me - I can't imagine life without prayer.  I've post a similar prayer several times before, each time adding new images, as I have this evening...

Lord, I thank you 

    for the gift of prayer in my life

and for all the ways it nourishes me,

    refreshes and sustains me...

 

Prayer is 

    a chapel of your presence, Lord,

    a home that waits to welcome me,

    a storehouse of encouragement,

    a window to good choices,

    an easychair for grieving,

    a refuge from adversity,

    a table set to feed my soul, 

    a word to break the silence, 

    a hearth of warmth and comfort,

    a harbor safe and calm,

    a library of truth, 

    a wellspring of pure grace,

    a secluded, private beach, 

    a hand upon my shoulder, 

    a mending kit for brokenness,

    a fruit tree ripe for picking, 

    a nap beneath the Spirit's wings, 

    a cove of quiet beauty, 

    a meadow for discernment, 

    a still point in my chaos,

    a treasure chest of wisdom,

    an ocean of forgiveness,   

    a warm embrace to hold me close, 

    a ladder to the heavens, 

    a cup of grace to quench my thirst, 

    a hideaway for weeping,

    a secret source of prudence, 

    a beacon in the darkness,

    a garden of tranquility,

    a respite in my weariness, 

    a mountaintop for dreaming,

    a path to just decisions,

    a clearing in my forest,

    a haven of deep peace, 

    a stream to soak my feet in,

    a coffee break with Jesus, 

    an atlas for my journey,

    a lifeboat in the tempest, 

    a river of compassion,

    an oasis of serenity, 

    a fortress when I'm fearful,

    a shower, soft and cleansing, 

    an offering of prudence, 

    a retreat from life's absurdity,

    an open field of freedom,

    an intermission in life's drama,

    a court of tender mercy,

    a safe house to protect me,

    a source of unknown strength,

    a valley of contentment,

    a shelter in the storm,

    a font of consolation,

    a mooring for my drifting soul... 

 

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 a contemporary setting of some 19th century lyrics that have survived the years quite well... 

 

Prayer Is the Soul's Sincere Desire

    lyrics by James Montgomery 

       composed by Sally Deford

 

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Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
unuttered or expressed,
the motion of a hidden fire
that trembles in the breast.

Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
the falling of a tear,
the upward glancing of an eye,
when none but God is near.

Prayer is the simplest form of speech
that infant lips can try;
prayer the sublimest strains that reach
the Majesty on high.

Prayer is the contrite sinners' voice,
returning from their way,
while angels in their songs rejoice
and cry, "Behold, they pray!"

Prayer is the Christians' vital breath,
the Christians' native air;
their watchword at the gates of death;
they enter heav'n with prayer.

O Thou, by whom we come to God,
the Life, the Truth, the Way;
the path of prayer Thyself hast trod:
Lord, teach us how to pray!

  

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