Looking for Harvest Prayers – Try these

Lots of people are looking for resources for harvest festivals and worship services. Here are some I have found recently that might be of use.

1. I have just discovered this excellent list of harvest resources from Christian Concern for One World and thought that some of you might be interested. The organization is based in the UK so the resources all come from there but It gives some great suggestions for us to consider no matter where in the world we are.

2. Lord’s Prayer has some good resources from both Catholic and Anglican traditions as well as some prayers and craft suggestions for children.

3. My friend John Birch at Faith and Worship has this resource list as well as this great Harvest Thanksgiving liturgy. 

4. This resource is from 2007 but I still think it has great relevance

Or perhaps you might like to use this beautiful prayer of Gerald Manley Hopkins

SUMMER ends now; now, barbarous in beauty, the stooks arise
Around; up above, what wind-walks! what lovely behaviour
Of silk-sack clouds! has wilder, wilful-wavier
Meal-drift moulded ever and melted across skies?

I walk, I lift up, I lift up heart, eyes,
Down all that glory in the heavens to glean our Saviour;
And, éyes, heárt, what looks, what lips yet gave you a
Rapturous love’s greeting of realer, of rounder replies?

And the azurous hung hills are his world-wielding shoulder
Majestic—as a stallion stalwart, very-violet-sweet!
These things, these things were here and but the beholder
Wanting; which two when they once meet,
The heart rears wings bold and bolder
And hurls for him, O half hurls earth for him off under his feet.

–Gerard Manley Hopkins

 

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Prayers for the journey

I have already posted many of this weeks Light for the Journey prayers as blog posts, but I know some of you like to share these with friends and having them in one post helps. I have reposted the prayer from yesterday because of its popularity
Enjoy!

God may I enter this day with joy.
May I search for your ways,
And follow your paths.
May I look for your presence,
And uncover your dreams.
May I commit all I am and all I do
Into your care.
Amen

Christine Sine https://godspace.wordpress.com/

There are confusing voices
distracting us from your Word,
persuasive voices
demanding to be heard,
drowning out the still small voice
we have listened to before,
bringing a new philosophy
that has no place for you.
Forgive us
when we doubt your Word,
forgive us
when we are led astray.
Grant us a faith that is strong,
and wisdom to distinguish
between Truth
…..and that which is not.

(http://www.facebook.com/faithandworship?ref=hl)

This is the day that God has made,
May we work hard
and share God’s gifts
with friends and neighbours
with colleagues and foes.
This is the day that God has made,
may we work hard
and we share with Jesus
in the poor and the oppressed
in the rejected and abandoned.
This is the day that God has made,
May we work hard
and share with gratitude
God’s gifts generously given
Full measure overflowing like manna,
Not for us alone but for the renewal of all creation.

Christine Sine http://godspace.wordpress/,com

God I breathe in your life,
And find your strength
Made perfect in weakness.
Christ I breathe in your love,
And inhale your fragrance
Interwoven through all creation.
Spirit I breathe in your peace,
And am engulfed by your presence
Surrounding me on every side.
God who is One,
God who is three,
I breathe in you.

Christine Sine https://godspace.wordpress.com/

When faith is tested to the limit
and we stumble,
forgive us.
When feet stray from the path
and we wander,
forgive us.
When our neighbour is in need
and we walk by,
forgive us.
When the voices of this world
drown out your whisper,
forgive us.
When love draws us to your feet
in repentance,
forgive us.

http:faithandworship.com

Lord Jesus Christ
let us breathe in your love
In all its wonder and beauty.
Lord Jesus Christ
Let us drink in your mercy
In all its grace and patience.
Lord Jesus Christ
Let us stand in your presence
In all its glory and majesty.
Lord or earth and heaven,
Let all that we are and all that we do
Draw us closer towards you.

Christine Sine https://godspace.wordpress.com/

May we dream of a world made new,
Where together we shout for justice,
And as one we fight against oppression.
May we dream of a world made new,
Where together we seek God’s righteousness
And as one we sing God’s praise.
May we dream of a world made new,
Where together we climb God’s mountain,
And as one we enter the promised land.
May we dream of a world made new,
Where together we proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom,
And as one we enjoy its peace, and abundance and love.

Celtic Retreat – Morning Liturgy

CELTIC RETREAT MORNING GATHERING

[Three Readers are needed for this liturgy.]

A Vision of the New : Revelation 21v1-5

ONE: Then I saw

a new heaven and a new earth;

for the first “heaven” and the first “earth” had passed away,

and the “sea” was no more.

TWO: And I saw

the holy city, the new Jerusalem,

coming down out of heaven from God,

prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

THREE: And I heard

a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, the home of God is among mortals.

He will dwell with them;

they will be his peoples,

and God himself will be with them;

he will wipe every tear from their eyes.

Death will be no more;

mourning and crying and pain will be no more,

for the first things have passed away.”

ONE: And the one who was seated on the throne said,

“See, I am making all things new.”

Call to Worship – Peruvian Gloria

Invocation

ONE: The Maker of Heaven and Earth is with us

Glory to the Maker of Heaven and Earth

TWO: The Son of Mary is with us

Glory to the Son of Mary

THREE: The wild and wonderful Spirit is with us

Glory to the wild and wonderful Spirit

ONE/TWO/THREE: We gather in the name of the Holy Three

Amen!

Introduction

ONE: When author Paulo Coehlo wrote, “a ship is safest in port, but that’s not what ships were made for”, he wasn’t the first to say it, and he definitely wasn’t the first to feel it, because deep down we all know that we were made for more than simply a lifetime of playing it safe. Deep down we all know that we were made for a lifetime of adventure and mission and the invigorating, yet terrifying risk of the open and unknown sea of God’s new future.

TWO: And this brings us to this weekend’s patron saint.  Brendan was a 6th century Irish monk.  He is probably best known for his heroic voyage to find the mythic Isle of the Blessed. The stories about his sail across the uncharted Atlantic Ocean in a small wooden craft with 14 other monks became some of the most popular and enduring medieval legends.  In modern terms, St. Brendan was likely clinically disturbed in his obsession with finding this new thing to which God was calling him.  He was willing to risk everything.

THREE: Certainly God is doing something new here on this land that is so pregnant with possibility.  After years of dreaming and hoping, we can finally see posts rising out of the ground; a framework growing into what’s to come.  Certainly God is doing something new within you.  In the words of the prophet, “God is about to do something.  Something you’ve never seen, heard or thought of before.  Can you see it yet?”  Or do you need to be disturbed first?

Prayer of Sir Francis Drake

ONE: Let us pray with the words of English sea captain Sir Francis Drake:

Disturb us, Lord,

When we are too well pleased with ourselves,

When our dreams have come true

Because we have dreamed too little,

When we arrived safely

Because we sailed too close to the shore.

TWO: Disturb us, Lord, when

With the abundance of things we possess

We have lost our thirst

For the waters of life;

Having fallen in love with life,

We have ceased to dream of eternity

And in our efforts to build a new earth,

We have allowed our vision

Of the new Heaven to dim.

THREE: Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,

To venture on wider seas

Where storms will show your mastery;

Where losing sight of land,

We shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back

The horizons of our hopes;

And to push into the future

In strength, courage, hope, and love.

Amen.

Chant : All Things New

 

The Prophetic Voice : Isaiah 42v5-9

TWO: This is what God says, the Lord,

who created the heavens and stretched them out,

who spread out the earth and what comes from it,

who gives breath to the people upon it

and spirit to those who walk in it:

“I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,

I have taken you by the hand and kept you;

I have given you as a covenant to the people,

a light to the nations,

to open the eyes that are blind,

to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

from the prison those who sit in darkness.

I am the Lord, that is my name;

my glory I give to no other,

nor my praise to idols.

See, the former things have come to pass,

and new things I now declare;

before they spring forth,

I tell you of them.”

Listening SIlence

THREE: In this nature sanctuary let us take time to listen for the still soft voice of God.  [2 minutes silence]

Dressing the Altar

THREE: What is the new direction, undiscovered future, the holy voyage that God is calling you to? – Think of all the things you might leave behind for this new land? – Think of all the risks that might be involved in setting sail? – Think of those who might be in the same boat with you.

– Think of the calling that wont stop calling you.

Keep these questions within you as you walk.  Search for an object in nature that might be a symbol of your setting sail.  Bring it back to set on the altar as we begin our day (10 minutes to walk and find an object.

 

Song: Be Thou My Vision

 

An invitation to Lectio Divina.

 

God something new is emerging,

Something new is being birthed,

In our lives, in our world and through our faith.

God may we journey with patience and hope towards your newness,

Willing to walk on paths unknown,

That you have marked out with loving care.

May we wait in trust and not fear for your new world,

For the justice and peace and freedom that has been promised,

For those things hoped for and not yet seen.

Knowing that the journey belongs to you

And our future is in your hands.

 

Chant : All Things New

Prayers for the Journey

The light of God shines through

Most of this week’s prayers on Light for the Journey have been borrowed from other inspirational writers. It seemed very appropriate considering the discussion said prayers are dead prayers this week.

A Weekend Reflective Prayer

A Reflective Prayer for this weekend.

You are our shelter, O Lord,
A shield in the battle
A protection from the evil one.

You are our shelter, O Lord,
A haven from the high wave,
a harbour in the storm.

You are our shelter, O Lord,
A cover from the heat,
A guard against the icy blast.

You are our shelter, O Lord,
A light upon our path,
A presence in our darkness.

You are our shelter, O Lord,
A companion in our travels,
There at the journey’s end.

You ARE our shelter, O Lord.

David Adam, ‘A Sure Shelter’.

Posted by The Contemplative network

Glory to God who gives us life,
Glory to God who shows us love,
Glory to God who transforms death into life,
Glory to God who makes all things new.

Christine Sine http://godspace.wordpress/,com

Another beautiful prayer by Micahel Leunig
Dear God,

We pray for another way of being:
another way of knowing.

Across the difficult terrain of our existence
we have attempted to build a highway
and in so doing have lost our footpath.
God lead us to our footpath:
Lead us there where in simplicity
we made move at the speed of natural creatures
and feel the earth’s love beneath our feet.
Lead us there where step-by-step we may feel
the movement of creation in our hearts.
And lead us there where side-by-side
we may feel the embrace of the common soul.
Nothing can be loved at speed.

God lead us to the slow path; to the joyous insights
of the pilgrim; another way of knowing: another way of being.

Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ
Let us see your love,
Let us know your life,
Let us trust your faithfulness.
Hold us close and never let us go.
Amen

Christine Sine https://godspace.wordpress.com/

Your love,
flowing within us,
living water
purifying
in that cleansing flow;
and our worship,
in sweet harmony
echoing
through the air as birdsong
at the dawning of this day.
Stream meets stream
and river flows,
emptying into Ocean’s store.

Your grace,
offering to us
forgiveness,
liberty
from all that binds us;
and our prayers,
joining together,
rising
as a fragrant offering
to the heart of the divine.
Stream meets stream
and river flows,
emptying into Ocean’s store.

Your call,
whispering to us,
offering
encouragement
on our journeying;
and our service,
the only response
we can give,
a willing sacrifice
to the Godhead, Three in One.
Stream meets stream
and river flows,
emptying into Ocean’s store.

(www.faithandworship.com)

Occupy my heart with your tremendous Life.

Let my eyes see nothing in the world but Your glory, and let my hands touch nothing that is not for your service.

Let my tongue taste no bread that does not strengthen me to praise Your great mercy.

I will hear Your voice and I will hear all harmonies You have created, singing Your hymns.

Sheep’s wool and cotton from the field shall warm me enough that I may live in your service; I will give the rest to Your poor.

Let me use all things for one sole reason: to find my joy in giving You glory.

-Thomas Merton

Said Prayers are Dead Prayers

Why do you write and use written prayers I was asked at a recent workshop? Aren’t said prayers dead prayers? Aren’t spontaneous prayers the only living prayers? Isn’t the Bibe the only acceptable written word to be studied, memorized and quoted?

These are important questions that all of us need to think about as we shape our prayer life. I grew up thinking that spontaneous prayers were the only acceptable form of prayer. After a while I noticed that some of these prayers were rambling, unfocused and a little like the babbling of a child – without real meaning or purpose. At first it didn’t seem to matter. Speaking in tongues reinforced this. Praying without understanding was seen as a mark of deep spirituality, but it wasn’t always satisfying. 

Praying the psalms helped, but I realized there are other prayers that can be just as relevant and enriching. I slowly started adding written prayers and liturgies, some of them hundreds of years old, to my prayers. Their meaning resonated in my heart and my prayer life took on new meaning. Then I started adapting these to better meet my own needs and finally I started writing my own.

I love the times when spontaneous prayers bubble up from within me. I still love to speak in tongues, but there are times when prayers written by others are more powerful than anything my mind can produce. This is particularly true when I am grappling with pain and suffering, disaster and disease. The pain in my heart seems to incapacitate my mind. Grasping for the words that others have written is the only appropriate offering to God.

There are other times when writing and reciting my own prayers is even more enriching. Especially when I want to establish a new habit, I find that writing prayers I then recite to remind me of that habit helps move it into my heart. Like this prayer I wrote a couple of years ago when I was trying to establish boundaries in my life:

God may I live within limits,

Of my body, my mind, my spirit.

God may I live within limits,

Of my calling ,my community, my capacity.

God may I live within limits,

Of who I am, and who you call me to be.

Said prayers and spontaneous prayers can both be dead prayers and they can both be living prayers. It is how we use them that breathes life into the words we say and personally I think that variety is the spice of life – a spontaneous prayer here, a written liturgy there, an ancient prayer somewhere else. All have their place and I encourage you to experiment.

Prayers for the Journey

This week’s collection of prayers on the Light for the Journey Facebook page.

God my heart has heard you say:
Come and talk with me.
And my heart responds: Lord I am coming.
Be my light for the journey,
Lead me along the right path,
Show me your love,
Teach how to live.

(inspired by Psalm 27).
Christine Sine https://godspace.wordpress.com/

Breathe in all that is of God,
Love, joy peace, compassion.
Breathe out all that is not of God,
Fear, anxiety, worry, greed.
Breathe in all that is of God,
Mercy, justice, righteousness,humility,
Breathe out all that is not of God,
Selfishness, injustice, indifference, acquisitiveness.
Sit quietly before your God and breathe in life.

Christine Sine https://godspace.wordpress.com/

May I love what you love O Lord,
And wrap my heart around your purposes.
May I turn my work towards justice,
And practice mercy in all I do.
May I set free those I have bound,
And seek to heal those who are broken.
May my spirit ache with compassion,
And soul desire your righteousness.
May your glory shine through all I am and do,
That others may see and respond to the God who is love.

Christine Sine https://godspace.wordpress.com/

The blesséd in your eyes
are not those who have everything
but those who consider
without you
they have nothing.
Not the rich in earning,
but the rich in spending
who give their lives for you.
Your ordinary saints,
being your hands
and words
in their ordinary lives,
doing extraordinary things
with all that you have given them.
The blesséd in your eyes
are not those who desire honour,
but those who seek to serve.
Thank you for the servants in your kingdom.

(www.faithandworship.com)

 

 

Prayers for the Journey

Life is full of sacred moments
waiting to be explored.
Whispers of love,
Spaces of solitude,
Fragrance breathing prayer.
May we uncover them,
rejoice in them,
walk in their life giving light.
And find in them the glory of God,
which shines over all the earth.

Christine Sine https://godspace.wordpress.com/

I sometimes wonder if it’s easier to write prayers of adoration when the sun is shining, and those of confession when the clouds gather. No guesses as to the weather forecast in Wales for today!

For the love that you have shown us
since the moment of our birth
and the path you open for us
as your servants here on earth.
For the footsteps that we follow,
and your words that we shall say
as seed that we shall scatter
as we walk this chosen way.
For the harvest you shall gather
on that great and glorious day,
O Lord to you we offer
this our sacrifice of praise

http://faithandworship.com

We celebrate the God of light,
who is the source of all warmth, direction and hope
We have been embraced in Your love,
restored in Your grace,
and welcomed into the fellowship of Your people.
You are the One in whom there is no shadow of turning;
Who walks with us through moments of uncertainty,
aiding our steps, and reassuring us of Your promise.

Read the entire prayer:
http://the-eighth-day.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/out-of-shadows.html

Forgive us, Lord,
when we forget,
struggling in darkness,
searching for answers,
relying on our own strength
and falling down again.
Remind us, Lord,
you are the strength
on whom we can call,
the power to endure,
the answer we seek,
the one in whose arms
we can safely rest.
Forgive us, Lord
when we forget.

(http://www.facebook.com/faithandworship?ref=hl)

 

 

Columba’s Prayer

Giving a talk on Celtic spirituality this morning and so thought I would post this prayer from St Columba – the photo in the background is of Iona.

Prayers for the Journey

Yesterday I posted one of the prayers from the daily prayers posted on Light for the Journey. Its popularity made me realize that I do need to keep posting these each week when possible. Enjoy.

Prayer of St Columba

Be a bright flame before me, O God
a guiding star above me.
Be a smooth path below me,
a kindly shepherd behind me
today, tonight, and for ever.
Alone with none but you, my God
I journey on my way;
what need I fear when you are near,
O Lord of night and day?
More secure am I within your hand
than if a multitude did round me stand.
Amen.

posted by the Contemplative Network. 

—————————-

Lord may we sit in the serenity of the moment,
An breathe in the wonder of your presence.
May we let go of our fears and anxieties,
And soak in your grace and love.
May we throw off our distractedness,
Embraced by the place where you draw close.
May we give thanks for your goodness,
And know the intimacy of your tender touch.

Christine Sine https://godspace.wordpress.com/

————-

God may we accept the gift of Christ,
The one who asks us to love our enemies,
Forgive and not judge others,
Give generously from our hearts.
May we follow him,
May our roots grow down into him,
May our lives be built on him,
So that our faith may be strengthened,
And our lives opened to receive,
God’s full measure,
Pressed down, shaken together, running over,
Overflowing with thankfulness,
For the One in whom the fullness of God dwells.

Christine Sine https://godspace.wordpress.com

———————

I think Jesus asks this quite often; ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ (Mark 8:27-30)

To some you are
words that bring comfort
in times of sorrow or need,
to some you are
simply a teacher,
who died for what he believed,
to some you are
prophet or preacher
bringing healing to the sick,
to some you are
fraud or conjuror,
purveyor of magic tricks.
To us you are
the one this world needs,
Messiah, who sets us free,
to us you are
at the heart of God
Father, Son and Spirit, Three.

(http://www.facebook.com/faithandworship)

———————–

Creator God, we give you thanks for all you give to us.
Within the sacred circle of your creation,
Through which all life is connected,
You place Jesus and the gospel at the centre.
May we remember
The centre of all things is Christ,
The way of all things is Christ,
The truth of all things is Christ.
Behind, before, within, without,
The life of all things is Christ.

Christine Sine https://godspace.wordpress.com/

————————–

Forgive us when we fail to see
your handiwork in the beauty of this world
and your love in the comforting words
of a friend or stranger.
Forgive us when we fail to hear
your whisper cut through the clutter of this world,
or listen as you speak through quietness
in the depth of our hearts.
Open these eyes of faith,
enable these ears to hear,
and may the words we utter
and the meditation of our hearts
be always pleasing in your sight,
our Rock and our Redeemer.

(http://www.facebook.com/faithandworship)

Prayers for the Journey

It is a long time since I have posted prayers from the Light for the journey Facebook page. There always seems to be something else to write about. So this morning I thought I would post some of the most popular from the last few weeks. These prayers are posted daily from a variety of sources with regular contributions not only from my own prayers, but also from Faith and Worship, The Contemplative Network and In His Footsteps.

This prayer was written for the Inhabit conference which Tom and I are attending this weekend:

God breathe on us,
Fill us with your living presence.
Christ breathe in us,
Restore our joy in your salvation.
Spirit breathe through us,
Renew our compassion and our mercy.
Three in one, one in three,
Breathe with us,
Fill us, restore us, renew us,
Through your love,
Make all things new.

—————–

God gift us today with eyes that see,
What you are doing in our world,
May we stand in awe of your creativity,
And delight in the beauty of spring flowers.
May we embrace the wonder of your love,
And reach out with hugs and tender touches.
May we glimpse your hurting heart,
And respond with acts of compassion.
May we see the mighty deeds you do each day,
And join in wherever we can.

——————-

Gracious Father, in our walk with you
we often stumble and fall,
needing your steady hand
to raise us to our feet
and set us upon the path once more.
Forgive the unsteadiness of our faith
which wanders from your word
and stumbles into sin,
raise us to greater things
and complete obedience to you.

(http://www.facebook.com/faithandworship)

———————-

We are blessed indeed,
who have put our trust in you,
live to serve
and in our walk of faith
go where you might lead us.

We are blessed indeed,
who have found our strength in you,
seek your face
and hear that quiet whisper
as you encourage us.

We are blessed indeed
who bow down to worship you,
and go out
in faith to do the tasks
you have prepared for us.

(www.faithandworship.com)

————————