Creator, Christ, Spirit

12 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Prayers, Worship Liturgy

Tags

Christ, Creator God, discipleship, Gospel, grace, gratitude, Holy Spirit, hope, Invocation, praise, salvation, Savior, Trinity, worship

A prayer for worship on Trinity Sunday:

Creator God,
in you all of nature sings of heaven.
In this sacred time and space
may our hearts join the chorus of praise
that already resounds in the rocks and trees,
the skies and seas of this amazing world.

Christ our Savior,
in you our eternal inheritance is secure.
In this sacred time and space
may our souls stir with the joy of salvation,
as we surrender to the holy love
at the center of your gospel.

Gentle and powerful Spirit,
you carry us on the generous winds of grace.
In this sacred time and space
may we fully embrace the freedom
that meets us on paths of discipleship
and invites us into faithful and whole lives.

Fill us with hope and gratitude this day,
knowing that wherever we go
there you are with us. Amen.

Pentecost Sunday Liturgy

03 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Prayers, Worship Liturgy

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Tags

Affirmation of faith, Call to Worship, grace, Holy Spirit, loving God, peace, Pentecost, risen Christ, Worship liturgy

Here is some liturgy I’ve written that we will use in worship on Pentecost Sunday this week. Feel free to use or adapt the words below.

CALL TO WORSHIP

Today we worship in the love of God,
a love that will not let us go,
a love that touches the deepest parts of our lives,
a love that sends us into the world.

Today we worship in the grace of Jesus Christ,
a grace that saves us and sets us free,
a grace that relieves our fears and worries,
a grace that leads us home to God.

Today we worship in the peace of the Spirit,
a peace that the world cannot give,
a peace that assures us we are not alone,
a peace that goes with us where we live and serve.

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (unison)

We believe in a loving God,
who is life’s breath for all of earth’s creatures,
who is the ground in which our lives flourish,
who is the mystery toward which we are drawn.

We believe in the risen Christ,
whose life is the way we see God made real,
whose death bears witness to the power of love,
whose presence nourishes our spirits each day.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
who flows as a refreshing spring of life,
who comes as divine fire to energize the faithful,
who creates communities of joy and justice.

(Permission is granted to use or adapt these words in worship with credit noted)

God’s Indiscriminate Grace

01 Thursday May 2014

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Peace with justice, Prayers, Worship Liturgy

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Tags

Blessings, Community, Easter faith, eternal banquet, Eucharist, God's kingdom, grace, Holy Communion, hope, justice, prayer of thanksgiving, promise, reconciliation, risen Christ, spirit

Easter Flower Cross 2014 (painted)

The following is a Prayer of Thanksgiving for Eucharist or Holy Communion on the Third Sunday of Easter this coming weekend.

Holy and Wise God,
whose presence is made known in light and darkness,
whose promises are made complete in reconciling love,
whose power is made perfect in weakness,
whose possibilities are made tangible in new signs of life,
we gather around this table in thanksgiving and praise.

We thank you for the beauty of this earth,
for the gifts of communion and community
for the bonds of love among friends and family,
for the blessings of this one precious and holy life.
We praise you that in Jesus Christ
we are able to see and experience life in its fullness.

Jesus walked this life with his friends along many paths.
Jesus talked with people who didn’t attend synagogue;
yet he considered them good candidates for the kingdom.
Jesus ate with sinners, met with troubled people,
and didn’t bother checking with those self-appointed
to uphold what is good and right and holy.
Jesus was a rabble-rouser, a loose cannon, a troublemaker;
in his worldview God’s Realm of indiscriminate grace
was far more important than any human institution.

Jesus took simple bread and declared it to be holy.
Jesus told us we would do well to eat this meal in solidarity
with all who hunger and don’t have enough to eat.
Jesus said hunger is not God’s plan for humanity,
unless it is hunger for the kingdom, hunger to be whole.
And he said, those who truly know God
open their eyes to the troubles others endure;
they hunger and thirst for just relationships with all.

So this is a symbolic meal, even though it is more.
The suffering of Jesus is laid before us in his body and blood.
The hope of Christ is spread before us in symbols
of the eternal banquet where all are welcome,
all are blessed,
and all receive the saving grace of an extravagant God.

Thanks be to God for these wonderful gifts
that draw us into the presence of the risen Christ,
whose Spirit is alive and working in the midst of this community,
whose power is felt in the sharing of this amazing grace.

A Prayer for the New Year

04 Saturday Jan 2014

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Prayers

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

beauty, Divine grace, forgiveness, Goodness, gratitude, Inner life, kindness, New Year, prayer

A Prayer for the New Year

“Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life” ~ Ps. 23:6a

Step bravely into a new year.
Release the hurts others have done to you.
Break free of those who consistently cause you harm.
Unburden yourself of grievances you have been unable to forgive.

Give yourself wholly to the pursuit of living your life, not someone else’s.
Sink your feet into the ground of all being, where it is enough to simply be you.
Be profoundly grateful at the sheer miracle of being alive.
Taste the sweetness of divine grace that accepts you exactly as you are.

Play no one’s fool.
Seek wisdom humbly and persistently.
Refuse to placate people just to avoid conflict.
Never surrender your joy without a fight.

Run, don’t walk, toward real beauty, wherever you discover it.
Listen deeply for the still, small voice that resonates within you.
Pay attention to your feelings – they are indicators of your wellbeing.
Trust that there is an inner guide in each of us.

Sin boldly.
Forge ahead knowing you will make lots of mistakes.
Learn from them.
Throw yourself with utter abandon in the adventure of living.

Remember – goodness and kindness are following you.

Prayer for the World’s Children

14 Saturday Dec 2013

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Prayers, Worship Liturgy

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3rd Sunday of Advent, Advent, Bethlehem, children, Christmas story, grace and truth, humanity, incarnation, Jesus, Mary, Mary's Song, peace, prayers for victims of violence, sacred worth, the poor

God who lifts up the lowly and humbles the lofty,
God who bends down to be with us in our humanity,
we pray in the name of the Child of Bethlehem
for all of the children of this vast and beautiful world.

We pray for immigrant children, street children,
neglected and abused children, at-risk children,
and children in good, stable, loving homes.

We pray for safe environments where children can be children,
with the freedom to explore their common identity
without the shadows of fear and danger hanging over them.

We pray for the safety and security of people living in places
where deep divisions exist and turmoil has taken hold.

We admit to feelings of despair and anxious thoughts
as we consider the violence on our own city streets.

We confess to a sense of helplessness and uncertainty
as we question how things will ever change for the better.

In the midst of our prayers and concerns this holy season
we come to listen anew to the wondrous story
of how you become known to us in fragile flesh,
how you enter into the very places we most fear and bring peace,
how your goodness overcomes evil and your life overcomes death.

Jesus, born in a stable under the boot of imperial rule,
lives a life in the fullness of divine grace and truth
that challenges the oppressive violence of his time.

Jesus, born to a young girl living below the poverty line,
lives a life of radical trust, deep compassion and abundant mercy.

In this holy season may we also begin to trust you more fully.

May we also resist the violent ways of the world and seek paths of peace.

May we also challenge the systems that marginalize the poor and vulnerable.

May we do more than offer charity and hand-outs.

Rather let us stretch our limited consciousness
and begin to believe in the sacred worth of each person we meet.

Let us, like Mary, seek the favor of God.

May our souls also magnify the Lord and rejoice in God our Savior.

May we do our best to walk in the way of Jesus,
who is our life and our hope, now and always.

Thanksgiving Eve Prayer

27 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Prayers, Uncategorized, Worship Liturgy

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Tags

blessing, Christ, creation, forgiveness, grace, gratitude, Psalm, source of life, thanksgiving

First United Methodist Church, Santa Maria, CA, USA

I will be sharing this Opening Prayer I wrote for our 13th Annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve Service in Santa Maria, California this evening. We are the host church for this annual event involving about ten congregations. If you wish to adapt this prayer for your own use in worship, please feel welcome to do so. ~ Mark

God of all creation and Source of all life,
tonight we offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Psalm 50:14
We bring ourselves, humble and broken though we may be,
to the altar of your blessing and grace.
We bring our voices, frail and hesitant though they may be,
in joyous praise to the One who gives us a new song to sing. Psalm 40:3
We bring our gifts to the One who is awesome,
who inspires fear in the rulers of the earth. Psalm 76:11-12
We thank you for these moments we have together
to pause from the busy pace and endless noise of our lives
and simply rest in a spirit of gratitude for all you are to us.
We thank you that as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is your steadfast love toward us,
and that as far as the east is from the west,
so far do you remove our transgressions from us.                                    Psalm 103:11-12
We thank you for your deep compassion over your creation,
and the ways in which you constantly call us back to you.
Most of all, we thank you for your Son Jesus,
who came that we might have life and have it abundantly.   John 10:10
Christ is the morning star who rises in our hearts,                                    2 Peter 1:19
the true light which enlightens everyone. John 1:9
Christ instructs us in your holy way of love,
and invites us into that perfect love that casts out fear. 1 John 4:18
We pray this day for people and nations the world over
who need to be blessed by the bounty of your grace.
May our thanksgiving bring others closer to you,
O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Psalm 19:14
There is no other rock besides you, O Lord,   Isaiah 44:8
our fortress in whom we take refuge. Psalm 18:2
So we join the multitude from every nation,
from all tribes and peoples and languages,
and all the angels standing around the throne
worshipping you and singing,
“Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 7:12

Prayers you won’t hear on the lips of people following Jesus

25 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Prayers, Reflections

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Tags

bullying, exclusive Christian claims, faith, love of neighbor, neglect, politics, prayer, religious traditions, stress

Prayers you won’t hear on the lips of people following Jesus

(If you do hear any of them, I guess you know what that means)

Lord, shield me from the needs of people I meet today so that I don’t feel responsible to do anything to meet their needs;

Lord, defeat the (insert other political party name here), so that your kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven;

Lord, help me to keep the ordinary activities and choices of this day separate from the private spiritual journey I’m on;

Lord, help me to look beyond the pained expressions on the faces of bullied teenagers, stressed-out parents, and neglected elders, to see your glory;

Lord, keep others from interrupting my day with their personal worries or fears that have nothing to do with the good I hope to accomplish today;

Lord, prevent others from asking me about my faith in you (let my actions speak for themselves);

Lord, remove my guilt when I have more pressing things to do than stop and help a neighbor;

Lord, give me a pure heart, unstained by the sins of this world (by keeping me at a safe distance from those whose morality doesn’t look like mine);

Lord, help me to appreciate the exclusive claims of Christianity and its superiority over other religious traditions;

Lord, make me great in your coming kingdom;

Lord, I believe, and there is no unbelief in me;

Lord, I thank you that I am not full of myself like other people!

Words (c) Mark Lloyd Richardson

Resting in God

10 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Centering Prayer, Prayers, Reflections

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Tags

Centering Prayer, contemplative prayer, Divine presence, gratitude, Plumeria, prayer, sacred mystery, spirit, spirituality, the Holy, Thomas Keating, Trinity

Photo credit: Debbie Gara

While living in Hawaii, the scent of Plumeria flowers permeated our yard and infused the air with a kind of lingering sweetness that stirred up within me a sense of gratitude for the gift of life. It also serves as a metaphor to me for the permeating presence of the Divine (or the Sacred or Holy) in all human experience.

My spirituality is rooted in the practice of contemplative prayer, and specifically a prayer method known as Centering Prayer, because this is the spiritual practice that I have found to be most nourishing to my soul. Like other people of faith, I naturally also say many other quick prayers throughout each day – prayers of intercession for the needs of people with whom I have some relationship, as well as prayers for the common good of society and our world. Yet I return again and again to the simple practice of “resting in God” that is the essence of Centering Prayer. I think I am drawn to this form of prayer communication because it is the most reassuring and restorative for me. It is less about my own process of thinking or feeling, and more about simply trusting in the sweetness of this life that is imbued with holiness and beauty because it is born within God!

Recently I was touched by something Father Thomas Keating wrote about the theological basis for Centering Prayer in his book Intimacy with God:

“Where does Centering Prayer come from? Its source is the Trinity dwelling within us. It is rooted in God’s life within us. I don’t think that we reflect about this truth nearly enough. With baptism comes the entire uncreated presence of the most holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We participate as human beings in God’s life just by being alive, but much more through grace…. This stream of divine love that is constantly renewed in the life of the Trinity is infused into us through grace. We know this by our desire for God. That desire, however it may be battered by the forces of daily life, manifests itself in the effort that we make to develop a life of prayer and a life of action that is penetrated by prayer.” ~ Thomas Keating

It is important to say that Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other forms of prayer. Rather it casts them in a new light and reminds us of the need to listen for the movement of the Spirit within us and around us. It recasts our actions into prayerful actions.

Here is a simple outline for a period (20 to 40 minutes) of Centering Prayer:

Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.
Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word.
When engaged with thoughts, gently return to the sacred word.
At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

May God bless you as you seek to be present to the Sacred amidst the ordinary!

Photo credit: Debbie Gara

Making Our Hearts Sing

24 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Prayers, Worship Liturgy

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

grace, gratitude, Music, peace, Prayer for the Day, Religion and Spirituality, singing

Sunset in Oceano, California, August 2013

Loving God,
it is you who makes our hearts sing.

With the dawn of each new morning,
it is your melodies of love that fill the air.

In the midst of our busy days,
it is your notes of grace that sustain us.

As we lie down to sleep at night,
it is your song that whispers near our beating hearts.

Grant us this day the peace and strength
that comes with listening to your music
and singing the melodies of your love. Amen.

Something Beautiful

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Peace with justice, Prayers, Worship Liturgy

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

body, Common good, Community, healing of land, Healing Prayers, healthy relationships, holistic health, justice, mind, peace, spirit

The following Prayers for Healing are suitable for congregational worship, personal devotion, or a healing worship service conducted at a time other than Sunday morning.

Prayers for the healing of persons in body, mind, and spirit

God of mercy and strength,
Hear us as we pray for those who suffer this day.
You desire that we be whole people —
healthy in body, mind, and spirit.
You desire that our relationships with one another
be healthy and marked by wholeness.
We pray for any who are experiencing illness or disease.
We pray for any who are troubled in mind or spirit.
Pour out your Spirit upon all in need,
touch the deepest parts of our beings
with your healing mercies and strength.
Make something beautiful of our lives….

Song “Something Beautiful”

Prayers for the healing of nations and societies

God of power and love,
Hear us as we pray for the nations of this world.
For societies scarred by consumerism,
we pray for a growing appreciation
for values consistent with your message of grace.
For environments scarred by human carelessness and greed,
we pray for healing of the land and of all your creatures.
For nations such as ours, experiencing deep divisions,
we pray for the renewal of community and the common good.
Make something beautiful of our country….

Song “Something Beautiful”

Prayers for peace with justice, and the healing of the world

God of justice and peace,
Hear us as we pray for peace with justice for all people,
and for the healing of the world.
For war-torn lands, we pray for lasting and secure peace.
For corners of our world marked by corruption and callousness,
we pray for the strength to stand up in opposition.
In any place where the poor, the alien, or the needy are trampled,
we pray for the courage to work for justice.
Make us into instruments of your peace.
Make something beautiful of our world….

Song “Something Beautiful”

dreamprayact

~ Reflections of a preacher, poet, and contemplative activist

Category Archives: Prayers

Creator, Christ, Spirit

Pentecost Sunday Liturgy

God’s Indiscriminate Grace

A Prayer for the New Year

Prayer for the World’s Children

Thanksgiving Eve Prayer

Prayers you won’t hear on the lips of people following Jesus

Resting in God

Making Our Hearts Sing

Something Beautiful