A PRAYER FOR THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Luke 9

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus[c] said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Jesus says, "Follow me."

Do you know what that means?

Leave everything

Leave everyone

Just get up and go

Jesus says, "Follow me."

Do you know what this will cost?

We have to give it all up

Our dreams of riches

Our future of success

Jesus says, "Follow me."

Now?

Now when we're just getting it together

Now when we have our lives in order

Now?

Jesus says, "Follow me."

We have responsibilities

Children to raise

Parents to care for

Friends to mourn

No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.

Lead on, Jesus

We will follow

When you call

We will be ready

Ready to serve

Ready to give

Ready to love

Lead on, Jesus

We will follow

Through all the good times

and bad

Through war and peace

Through life and death

Lead on, Jesus

We will follow

Your way will be our way

Your vision will be our vision

Your Kingdom will be our Kingdom

Lead on, Jesus

We will follow

Amen

TRINITY SUNDAY

Psalm 8

1 Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory

in the heavens.

2 Through the praise of children and infants

you have established a stronghold against your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in pllce,

4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?[c]

5 You have made them[d] a little lower than the angels[e]

and crowned them[f] with glory and honor.

It is all so great

and we are so small

We are silenced by the splendor of the star filled sky

We are muted by the pink beginning of the day

Snow capped mountains piercing the heavens leave us with no words to express their beauty

The roaring of the waves that break upon the shores are anthems we cannot match

The splendor of your creation is so immense,

so boundless

that we feel ourselves shrinking in its presence.

We feel lost in the vastness of the cosmos

We wander aimlessly in the pageantry

of the dance of the stars and the march of time

We ask:

Where do we fit?

What is our role?

Is there a place for us, a part to play in what you, O God have created?

Do we who are but a blip in the history of your unfolding creation 

have any relevance or meaning?

You have made them[d] a little lower than the angels[e]

and crowned them[f] with glory and honor.

We are humbled top be your creation

We don't see ourselves as angelis

rather a little devlish

But you O God have more faith in us

than we have in ourselves

You have called us from apathy to action

to be wounded healers

to preach Good News to the poor

to breal swords into ploughshares

and lety justice and righteousness

flow like everlasting streams

We pray O God

that you as Creator continue

to nurture and sustain us

We pray, Lord Jesus

that you will walk beside us

thru every bright day and dark night

We pray, Holy Spirit

carry us into new moment and new possibilities

for living and ministry

Amen

PENTECOST SUNDAY

Romans 8:12-25

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[a] And by him we cry, “Abba,[b] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Come Holy Spirit

Make us children of the Living God

We see a world in pain

Brother afraid of brother

Sister turning on sister

Renew our hearts, Loving Spirit

Push out the hate and fear

Remove the prejudice within us

and the indifference that cripples our relationships

Make us truly brothers and sisters again

Come Holy Spirit

Make us children of the Living God

We see a planet that is scarred

Her waters fouled

Her skies filled with blankets of smog

Her landscapes torn asunder

Refresh our hands, Creating Spirit

that we may be stewards not abusers

of this precious gift of planet Earth

Renew our efforts to be its caretakers

so that its waters are pure

its skies bright blue

and it's lands fresh and green

Come Holy Spirit

Make us children of the Living God

Our churches have become empty shells

filled with noise and chatter and conflict

Songs out of tune and hollow fellowship

Restore our commitment, Loving Spirit

to preach the Good News to the poor

give sight to the blind

hope to the forsaken

Spread the Word

that our God reigns

and God's Kingdom is among us

Come Holy Spirit

Make us children of the Living God

Renew our hearts

Refresh our hands

Renew our commitment

Amen

EASTER 6

Revelation 21:10-22:5

10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

Come down, Holy City,

so we may walk in the light of your streets

Our cities are dark and foreboding

dangers lurk in the shadows

fear seeps from the sidewalks

We walk with heads down

eyes averted

frowns adorning our countenance

Come down, Holy City,

so we may walk in the light of your streets

Our cities are filled with hungers and scarcity

Lonely figures

huddling on doorsteps

sitting on the corners

crowding the panties and the shelters

hoping some crumbs might be thrown their way

Come down, Holy City,

so we may walk in the light of your streets

Our cities are cold and cheerless

love has been abandoned

being connected substitutes for communicating

We share nothing but a zip code

Strangers when we meet

retreating behind closed doors and shuttered hearts

Come down, Holy City,

so we may walk in the light of your streets

We hope for that light that will shine

upon our steps

We pray for the Spirit to fill us

with joy and peace

We long for the Shepherd

to protect us

We hope for the light that will shine

upon the poor and needy

We long for the day when the lame shall leap

the blind shall see

the dead shall be raised

and all will feast at the banquet of the Lamb

We hope for the light to shine

and bring us peace

We pray for the day when violence will end

when the guns will go silent

and all hatred shall cease

and the Shalom of The Lord

will reign forevermore

Come down, Holy City,

so we may walk in the light of your streets

Amen

EASTER 7

John 17

25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you[a] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”


The world does not know you
God of all creation

We are busy making your creation our home
that we bend and twist and carve it to our liking
If a forest is in our way, we chop it down
If we need oil or coal, we plow or dig or tear away
We get what we want
and take what we need

The world does not know you
God of all people

There are a lot of these people we don't like
They mess things up
They are always needy
have their hands out
always hungry or sick or lost
Crowding our cities and streets

The world does not know you
God of peace and justice

We want to dominate the world
Force our way of life, our religion, our justice
on everyone else
make them do what we want, give us what we want
And if they don't
we will bomb and defeat and conquer them

Forgive us, O God
for we do know you

We know you to be the true creator
of the skies and the seas and the land
You entrust this earth to us
to be its stewards and caretakers

 Forgive us, O God
for we do know you

We know you to be the shepherd
of every person, every race, every nation
You call us to love and pray for them
and be brothers and sisters to all

Forgive us, O God
for we do know you

We know you to be the author of shalom
the one who rules the nations and makes them obey
You call us to preach the Good News
and work for your Kingdom of justice and righteousness

We know you
God of creation
God of all people
God of justice and peace

We know you
We love you
We follow you
Now and always

Amen

A PRAYER FOR THE VICTIMS AND FAMILIES AND FIRST RESPONDERS IN BOSTON

Lamentations 1

4 The roads to Zion mourn,

    for no one comes to her appointed festivals.

All her gateways are desolate,

    her priests groan,

her young women grieve,

    and she is in bitter anguish.

We have stopped running Lord

We are tired and weary

afraid and scarred

It is too much right now

We have stopped running Lord

We need a place of safety

Safe from the bombs and fear

It is too much right now

We have stopped running Lord

We need our families

To hold and caress and love

It is too much right now

We have stopped running Lord

We wonder if we can run again

We want to feel the joy of life

and the freedom of the streets

It is too much right now

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength,

    an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

We will run again Lord

for we know that you are here

running by our side

We will run again Lord

though the earth trembles

we will be guided by your strength

We will run again Lord

with broken hearts and tear stains

that you will heal

We will run again Lord

and shout our joy

for life

for living

for the moment you give us

for the love that sustains us

every step along the race

We will run again

Hallelujah

Amen

A PRAYER FOR EASTER 5

Based on Psalm 39:4-7

You have made my days a mere handbreadth

It is gone too soon

vanishing like a whisper in the night

Heard one moment

Forgotten the next

the span of my years is as nothing before you.

We are as flowers in the field

brightly shining on a Spring day

then blown away with the leaves of Fall

and buried under winter's snow

in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth

    without knowing whose it will finally be

We build our fortresses of money and power

seeking shelter from the fates of time

putting our thumb in the dykes of illness and aging

frightened of losing control

But now, Lord, what do I look for?

    My hope is in you.

Our life is, was, and always is blessed by

Your strength that protects us

Your grace that saves us

Your spirit that guides us

and Your love that sustains us

today, tomorrow, and forever more

Amen