Prayers for the Journey

The light of God shines through

Last week I did not have an opportunity to post my weekly list of prayers from facebook and twitter, so I thought that I would get a head start and post them early this week. Some of them are drawn from the liturgies that we used at the Celtic retreat so are a little longer than usual.

God awaken us to Jesus, give us his passion for prayer,

God awaken us to Jesus, give us his passion for people,

God awaken us to Jesus, give us new hearts and new spirits,

God awaken us, may our needs drive us to you and the needs of others drive us to them,

God awaken us, let zeal for your ways consume us.

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Father may we stand,

In the centre of your hope and promises.

Christ may we stand,

In the centre of your love and faithfulness.

Spirit may we stand,

In the centre of your sustaining presence.

One in Three, Three in One may we stand,

In the centre of your eternal purposes forever.

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Life of God be with you this day,

Love of the Creator fill your heart,

Light of the Saviour guide your steps,

Hope of the Sanctifier teach your minds,

Life of the Three sustain you,

Love of the One encircle you,

Now and always, this day and forever.

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Lord, let us walk into this day

Your light before us,

Your shield behind us,

Your friends beside us.

Lord, let us walk into this week

Your life before us,

Your strength behind us,

Your love around us.

Lord, let us walk from this place,

Your wisdom before us,

Your truth behind us,

Your breath within us.

Lord, let us walk into the world,

Gratitude in our hearts,

Thanksgiving on our lips,

Joy in our spirits.

Lord, let us walk into your loving presence,

In the name of the One who loves us,

In the name of the One who cares,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

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(The Rising – one of my favourite Celtic prayers)

Let us go forth,

In the goodness of our merciful Father,

In the gentleness of our brother Jesus,

In the radiance of the Holy Spirit,

In the faith of the apostles,

In the joyful praise of the angels,

In the holiness of the saints,

In the courage of the martyrs.

 

Let us go forth,

In the wisdom of our all-seeing Father,

In the patience of our all-loving brother,

In the truth of the all-knowing Spirit,

In the learning of the apostles

In the gracious guidance of the angels,

In the patience of the saints,

In the self control of the martyrs,

Such is the path for all servants of Christ,

The path from death to eternal life

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As this day begins Christ be with us,

Be in our hearts and in our minds,

Be in our souls and in our spirits,

Be in our thoughts and in our desires.

As the day begins Christ walk beside us,

Show us the love only you can give,

Show us the light only you can provide,

Show us the wholeness only you can reveal.

As the day begins, Christ surround us,

Circle us with your presence,

Protect and keep us,

Bring us the assurance of your love.

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Let us walk into this day

God’s light before us,

God’s shield behind us,

God’s friends beside us.

Let us be filled

With the music of God’s world,

With the wonder of God’s love,

With the glory of God’s presence.

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May the prayers of my heart be acceptable to you O God.

May they be rooted in the reality of your presence,

And grow in the security of your love.

May they blossom in the assurance of your faithfulness,

And bear kingdom fruit, abundant, pressed down,

Overflowing from my heart to others.

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Go into the world today knowing we are touched by the Triune God,

Let your life shine with the holiness of God,

Let your heart be transformed by the peace of Christ,

Let your ways be filled with the joy of the Spirit.

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Prayers for the Journey

Earth touches heaven – photo by Coe Hutchison

Here is my weekly round up of facebook prayers. I appreciate those of you who let me know when and how you use them in worship services and for your own daily prayers. Blessings and and enjoy!

Lord Jesus Christ may we come to you,

With grateful hearts and thankful spirits,

May we come willing to obey, to trust to serve,

Knowing you hold the whole world in your loving hands

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Lord Jesus Christ awaken us to who you are,

May we bathe ourselves in your redeeming power,

And sun ourselves in the glory of your radiance,

May we feast on the sweetness and the beauty of your love,

And see in you the revelation of God,

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God may we today keep your name holy in all we are and do,

May we trust you for provision without fret or worry,

May we be as concerned for the needs of others as for our own,

May we believe that in all things your ways are better than ours.

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God you have called us into freedom,

May we use it to follow you with our whole hearts,

May we use it to serve one another in love,

May we use it to grow your kingdom of peace and wholeness.

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Lord Jesus Christ may love of you bubble up from within us,

May gratitude overflow in ceaseless praise,

May our lives give thanks as a sacrifice that truly honours you.

May we follow this path and see the revelation of your salvation.

This prayer is inspired by Psalm 50: 23

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God you hide in our hearts,

Waiting for us to draw close.

May we seek you with teachable spirits,

Taking time for your quiet whispers,

Making space for your loving presence,

Giving thanks for your generous provision.

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Life is a gift from God,

Let us cherish it

Love is the language of God’s kingdom,

Let us practice it,

Jesus is the way to God’s heart,

Let us follow him.

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Prayers for the Journey

Once again we are at the end of the week and I am bringing together the prayers that I have posted on facebook each day.

God you are the everlasting one and I long for you
Jesus you are the ever caring one and I reach out for your embrace
Spirit you are the ever faithful one and my heart aches for your love

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Lord Jesus Christ may we sing for the wonder of your love

May we shout for the beauty of creation

May we exalt over your presence in all things

And never forget your faithfulness

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God may we today be unwavering in our calling,

May we serve you with our whole hearts gladly,

And willingly shape our stories to your story.

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May I today drink in the wonder of God

Awesome beauty in snow capped peaks

Tender love in whispered thoughts

Enduring faithfulness in growing trust

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Lord Jesus Christ who notices all things,

Notice our affliction today.

Lord Jesus Christ for whom all are searching,

Show yourself to us today.

Lord Jesus Christ, you who are a servant to all,

Raise us up to serve others today.

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God in powerlessness may we find your strength

God in our weariness may we be lifted on your wings

God in our faintness may we see your power revealed

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Prayers for the Journey

Today’s post is a little late in coming because it is such a beautiful day here in Seattle that I have been out in the garden all morning which inspired the first prayer here. However I have also included the other prayers I have posted on facebook during the week.

God may we look and see,

Each plant, each creature, each handful of dirt,

God breathed, God inspired, God created.

May we look and see the beauty,

And know that God says “It is very good”

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May we wrestle with God in the toughest places,

And not turn away from life’s challenges.

May we allow God to tear apart our self made strengths,

And in our vulnerable weakness meet God face to face.

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May we today see the face of God in all we meet,

May we today reveal the face of God to all we meet,

May we grow in love through every encounter,

Until our lives are transformed and radiate the glory of God.

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Jesus our companion and brother

Who shared flesh and blood with us

May we celebrate your presence

Merciful and faithful high priest

The One who gives life that is real life

May we delight in who you are

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“Jesus may your words lodge in my heart

May your paths take root in my spirit

May your purposes bear fruit in my life.”

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This Prayer is called Columba’s prayer. It is attributed to St Columba of Iona.

Sometimes in a lowly cell, in the presence of my God,

I stand and listen.

In the silence of my heart I can hear his will,

When I listen despairing people flock to me,

They expect that I can see the answers,

They ask my advice, they say I am wise.

I answer that nothing can deceive me,

If I stand alone and silently listen.

For I am but a servant who is guided by his king, when I listen.

Sometimes in a lowly cell in the presence of my God

I stand and listen.

Prayers for the Journey

This week’s prayers seem to have touched many hearts in special ways.  Thanks for the feedback.  And for those that missed them on Light for the Journey, here is the entire collection for the week

God may I listen more deeply to your wisdom

And let go of my own certainty and limited vision

May I willingly walk toward you into the unknown mystery of faith

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God may we sit secure in your presence

And know the wonder of your love

May we glory in your saving grace

And shout aloud your redemption story

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For the beauty of the earth we thank you O God

For the abundance of the garden we thank you O Christ

For the flourishing of the friendship we thank you O Spirit

We give thanks today to the three in One, the One in three

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God I sit and savour your presence

I thank you for the prayer you form in my heart

And each moment of time sanctified by your spirit

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May I be mindful of you today O God

Remembering the sacredness of every act, each object, each encounter

May I come to you in the wonder of this day

And find eternal life

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God may we yoke ourselves with you today

And learn to rest our souls

Help us to lay down our heavy loads

And see that your burden is light

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And here too is the prayer that I wrote for my Wild Goose festival post

God’s light shines in unexpected places

Where the veil between earth and heaven has thinned

We have seen it in the face of friend and stranger

We have seen it in the midst of darkness and light

We have heard it in the memories and song

We have heard it in the laughter and fun

May it make the spirit soar within you and take flight

May it guide you through the day and lead you through the night

May it shine for all to see and give us light

On LIne Community – Does It Work?

Yesterday I posted statistics on how social media is shaping our lives .  It is interesting to see the response to this and recognize the different ways in which we grapple with deluge of social media in relation to our faith.  There are lots of resources emerging to help us maintain a strong and vibrant faith in the midst of this.  I wanted to highlight a couple that I have found very useful

This interview of Mennonite Pastor and author of “Flickering Pixels“, Shane Hipps by Rob Bell is a great place to start.

For a more in depth interview you may like to check out this post on the Mustard Seed Associates blog

Lynne Baab’s latest book Friending: Real Relationships in a Virtual World is another great resource

Of course virtual communities are springing up all over too.  In light of that I thought that this post by Neal Locke was another interesting twist on the conversation:

Technology changes things.  But technology is a part of God’s Creation, and a gift:  We can use it for good, twist it to evil, or ignore it.  The last option, while always popular, has rarely been successful.  Gutenberg’s printing press changed the world, paving the way for the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution. Because it made possible the Reformation, it also brought drastic changes to the church, changing almost every visible aspect of Christian worship and theology in just a few generations.   In our generation, the internet and digital communication have already brought about drastic changes, and will continue to transform the church in sweeping and dramatic ways in a short span of time.

In the past few decades, church participation in our culture has been in steep decline.  And yet, as millions of people leave behind behind their communities of faith, millions more are finding community online, in places that a few years ago wouldn’t have even qualified as places.  Worshiping communities of Christians are also beginning to appear online, especially taking root in 3-dimensional synthetic interfaces known as Virtual Realities, or Virtual Worlds.  The writers of this confession are among them.  Read the entire post

And my question once again – What do you think?  Does social media and our interaction on the internet strengthen or weaken faith?  Are we deluding ourselves by thinking this is a God given medium or are we appropriately taking advantage of the cultural tools God has made available?

 

Internet Community – Is It Possible? post by Lynne Baab

This morning’s post comes from Lynne M. Baab. She is the author of numerous books, most recently Reaching Out in a Networked World, which considers the ways congregations can express their identity and values in an online world. She has also written several books and Bible study guides on spiritual disciplines, including Sabbath Keeping and Fasting, and lots of articles that are posted on her website, http://www.lynnebaab.com. She is a Presbyterian minister with a PhD in communication, and she teaches pastoral theology at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.

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I’m writing a chapter for an edited book, and my writing this past week has focused on the ways human sin is manifested on the internet. I wrote about different theologies of sin that help us understand the nasty things that can happen online: broken relationships, predation, exploitation, and aggressive and fradulent self promotion. The internet can nurture destructive practices like addiction to pornography and gambling. The internet can encourage us to objectify others and view precious human beings as commodities. My writing this week was not pleasant or encouraging.

Then yesterday I conducted an interview, for my upcoming book on friendship, with a man who has left Facebook. He talked about finding Facebook to be a time waster that promotes pseudo- community. He finds most Facebook status updates to be banal and uninteresting. He also has concerns about privacy and power. He was scathing in his expression of distaste for this medium.

I’ve had a busy week, so I’ve spent less time than usual on Facebook. I finally had time to log on last night. One of the first posts I saw was by a friend who had spent last week at the Special Olympics, where her son won two medals. She had written briefly about the profound challenge she experienced from meeting the athletes at the Special Olympics. Several people had commented warmly on her post, asking her to express their congratulations to her son and thanking her for her comments about the humility and perseverance she witnessed in the athletes.

Then I saw a post by a friend who just received her nursing certification. That would be a significant achievement for anyone, but for her it has special meaning. She had spent several years in Calcutta, living in a poor neighborhood with a team, trying to help their neighbors. She decided a specific skill like nursing would help her make a greater impact, so she returned to the United States to get training. Her graduation last month, and her certification this month, are steps toward her return to India to serve the poor.

Another friend had posted a photo of herself holding her tiny granddaughter for the first time since the baby’s birth almost three months ago. The baby was born many months premature and spent about 2 months in intensive care, with her grandmother looking on but unable to hold her. This landmark event, being held by her grandmother, signaled a level of weight gain and health that followed many weeks of intense prayer for my friend, her daughter, and the tiny baby. Many affirmations of that prayer support have been posted on Facebook over the past three months.

Last night, as I looked at Facebook, I also saw photos of kids and mountains, an invitation to sign a petition urging the development of sustainable energy sources, a link to an interview with the Dalai Lama about interfaith relationships, and updates about a missing child. I saw comments expressing support and care for people facing all sorts of challenges. I saw a couple of scripture verses, and I enjoyed pondering why each person had posted that particular verse. I saw love. I saw love for God and for God’s beautiful creation, and love for people.

I know the ways the internet can be destructive and addictive. I just spent a week writing about them. One of the things I’m arguing in the book chapter I’m writing is that the internet now functions like a place. And, like any place, it can be the locus of loving interaction or terrible exploitation, and everything in between.

Last night, reading those Facebook posts, I saw the Kingdom of God. I believe the Kingdom is present wherever people support and pray for each other, wherever people learn from God, wherever people show their commitment to serve and obey Jesus. Interactions facilitated by the internet cannot replace face-to-face interactions, but electronic forms of communication can help us to stay connected to people we love. They can provide a way for us to express care for them. They can help us show love, and anywhere that love is, God is (1 John 4:7, 8).