November 15, 2011

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 Welcome to Third Tuesdays Prayer.  Leader reads plain text, group responds in bold. 

Liturgy (Daily Prayers for November 15 modified; from http://commonprayer.net)

 Risen Lord, teach us to trust : the power of your cross. 

(Psalm 78:18-22)They tested God in their hearts : demanding food for their craving. 

They railed against God and said : “Can God set a table in the wilderness?

True, he struck the rock, the waters gushed out, and the gullies overflowed : but is he able to give bread or to provide meat for his people?”
When the Lord heard this, he was full of wrath : a fire was kindled against Jacob, and his anger mounted against Israel;
for they had no faith in God : nor did they put their trust in his saving power.
Risen Lord, teach us to trust : the power of your cross.

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Prayer of Thanksgiving

  Walter Rauschenbusch 

From Living God’s Justice: Reflections and Prayers, 

compiled by The Roundtable Association of Diocesan Social Action Directors

O God, we thank you for this earth, our home;
For the wide sky and the blessed sun,
For the salt sea and the running water,
For the everlasting hills
And the never-resting winds,
For trees and the common grass underfoot.
We thank you for our senses
By which we hear the songs of birds,
And see the splendor of the summer fields,
And taste of the autumn fruits,
And rejoice in the feel of the snow,
And smell the breath of the spring.
Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty;
And save our souls from being so blind
That we pass unseeing
When even the common thornbush
Is aflame with your glory,
O God our creator,
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Meditation

Please take the following moments to reflect on your personal thanksgivings to our Lord.

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Prayer for Others

Benediction

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you;
may he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;
may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;
may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.

October 18, 2011

painting by Mark Daniels

 Welcome to Third Tuesdays Prayer.

Litany: Leader reads plain text, group responds with bold. The following is an excerpt from A Place Apart  daily prayer cycle for Wednesday evening

Jesus
Emmanuel, God with us,
Keep us mindful that you are within all
Who come to our door.
We pray for the gift of hospitality.
We pray for a loving spirit,
For a teaching spirit.
May our life together be our primary teaching.

Help me to strive to be least among
My sisters and brothers,
To kneel at their feet with basin and towel,
As Christ washed the disciples feet,
And called us to do likewise.
Bless our humble cells,
Our dwelling places
For solitary retreat
For rest
For study
For prayer
For sleep.
As sister death comes to me
And I leave the earthly table,
My body returned to the clay
From which I was formed,
You, O ever living Christ
Welcome the essential
Eternal part of me
To your eternal table.

Holy God
Holy communion
Holy order
Holy hours
Holy days
Holy seasons
Bless my sisters
Bless my brothers
The rhythms of the day
The work of my hands
My study
My prayer
The stranger you send to my door
My wounds
The Lord’s Prayer
Holy God guide me
And those who are absent from me

Meditation 

Icon by:Rita Stynes Strow The Cosmic Christ

Prayer for others

 

Benediction

Now may the Lord lift up the light 

of His countenance upon you, 

and give you peace, 

in your going out and in your coming in; 

in your sitting down and your rising up; 

in your work and in your play; 

in your joy and in your sorrow, 

in your laughter and in your tears; 

until that day comes 

which is without dawn and without dark. Amen.

                    - Thomas Graham

Sept 20, 2011 Third Tuesday Prayer

http://dailyspiritualtools.blogspot.com

Litany
Leader reads plain text, group reads bold text.
The following prayer is adapted by Sherill Hostetter (EMM) from Praying Our Goodbyes by Joyce Rupp



These transition days, these passage ways,
are calling me to let go of old securities,
to give myself over into Your hands
for a new chapter in my life.

Like Jesus who struggled with the pain
I, too, fight the "let it all be done"
Loneliness, lostness, non-belonging,
All these strike out at me,
leaving me pained with this present goodbye.

I want to be more but I fight the growing.
I want to be new but I hang onto the old.
I want to live but I won't face the dying.
I want to be whole but I cannot bear 
to gather the pieces into one.

Is it that I refuse to be out of control,
to let the tears take their tumbling journey,
to allow my spirit to feel its depression,
to stay with the insecurity of "no home"?

Now is the time.  You call to me,
begging me to let you have my life,
inviting me to taste the darkness
so I can be filled with the light,
allowing me to lose my direction
so that I will find my way home to you.

Meditation

Keltic Designs by Jen Delyth http://www.kelticdesigns.com/

Prayer for others

Benediction

Fractal of the Day by Jim Muth 
http://www.nahee.com/FOTD/FotD_99-11-10.html

For the promise of harvest

contained within a seed
we thank you.
For the oak tree
within an acorn
The bread
within a grain
The apple
within a pip
The mystery of nature
gift wrapped
for us to sow
we thank you

Amen.

Read more at: http://www.faithandworship.com/Praying_through_the_Celtic_Year.htm#ixzz1YMJC5870
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

August 16, 2011

Welcome to Third Tuesdays prayer. Leader reads plain text, group reads the bold text.
Taken from the book of common prayers http://commonprayer.net.

O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you

as the day rises to meet the sun.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Come, let us sing to the Lord : let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Expose our broken systems, Lord : save us by the power of your cross.

Taken from Psalm 80:1 – 3

Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock : shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.

In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh : stir up your strength and come to help us.

Restore us, O God of hosts : show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

Expose our broken systems, Lord : save us by the power of your cross.

Meditation

A quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “The church’s task is not simply to bind the wounds of the victim beneath the wheel, but also to put a spoke in the wheel itself.”

In 1989, a Solidarity-led government was elected in Poland, marking the beginning of a nonviolent victory over communism in Eastern Europe.

Prayers for Others

Benediction

Our Father which art in heaven

Hallowed be thy name

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done

on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil

For thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory Forever.

Amen.

July 19, 2011

Taken from the common book of prayer, http://commonprayer.net

Leader reads plain text, group reads the bold text.

O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you

as the day rises to meet the sun.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Come, let us sing to the Lord : let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Sing and rejoice, O daughters of Zion : sing a new song of freedom.

(Psalm 98:6 – 10)

Sing to the Lord with the harp : with the harp and the voice of song.

With trumpets and the sound of the horn : shout with joy before the King, the Lord.

Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it : the lands and those who dwell therein.

Let the rivers clap their hands : and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord, when he comes to judge the earth.

In righteousness shall he judge the world : and the peoples with equity.

Sing and rejoice, O daughters of Zion : sing a new song of freedom.

Judges 16:15 – 31 Acts 22:17 – 29

Sing and rejoice, O daughters of Zion : sing a new song of freedom.

Meditation

On July 19, 1848, the first Women’s Rights Convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York, sparking a women’s movement that challenged both the church and the world with the good news that in -Jesus Christ, there is neither male nor female.

African-American abolitionist and women’s rights advocate Sojourner Truth said, “I have plowed and planted and gathered into barns, and no man could head me — ​and ain’t I a woman? I have born’d five childrun and seen ’em mos’ all sold off into slavery, and when I cried out with mother’s grief, none but -Jesus heard — ​and ain’t I a woman? . . . Den dat little man is back dar, he say women can’t have as much rights as man, ’cause Christ warn’t a woman. Whar did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with him!”

Prayers for Others

Prayer For ArtistsAttributed To: Rev. Karl Ryland

We praise Thee for all those, Thy servants, who have given their life in the service of the true, the pure, and the lovely; for all who work in form and color to increase the joy of life; for all who rejoice in their work and make things well. May life perpetual shine upon them.

Once more a new day lies before us, our Father. As we go out among others to do our work, touching the hands and lives of our fellows,

make us, we pray Thee, friends of all the world. Save us from blighting the fresh flower of any heart by the flare of the sudden anger or secret hate. May we not bruise the rightful self-respect of any by contempt or malice. Help us to cheer the suffering by our sympathy, to freshen the drooping by our hopefulness, and to strengthen in all the wholesome sense of worth and the joy of life. Save us from the deadly poison of class pride. Grant that we may look all in the face with the eyes of a sibling. If anyone needs us, make us ready to yield our help ungrudgingly, unless higher duties claim us, and may we rejoice that we have it in us to be helpful to our fellow travelers in this life.

Almighty God unto Whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from Whom no secrets are hid, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts with the inspiration of Thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love Thee, and worthily magnify Thy Holy Name.

Amen.

Benediction

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you;

may he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;

may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;

may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.

June 21, 2011 Prayer Call

The following is a sample from a “word release” prayer writing exercise from June 18, 2011, where the leader spoke out preselected words periodically for the writers to incorporate. Everyone was first instructed to write their favorite name for God at the top, and then begin their prayer. Used by permission.

Leader reads the plain text, group reads response in bold.

Jesus, my brother,

Sow across the sky like an airplane over boundless earth

Dropping potential like leaflets of peace indicate the end of wars.

Sow across mountain and beaches, deserts, jungles, tundra and prairies

Rolling your thunder into the earth like dough, rising with yeast

Becoming bread of life.

Rest upon the water, crushed of wars,

out of bloody streams you bring wine, sweet, new,

the tannins a jewel in the deltas and pearls in the gulfs,

restoring,

wash away decay and pollution,

restoring life in the marshes and bogs.

The swamps rise to meet you and glory in your name, brother,

as you pass over the whole earth in your living kindness.

Accept my prayer today.

I dream of a planet of art without propaganda and billboards of truth,

advertising nothing but connection with each other.

I dream of a river flushing selfishness to the seas, freezing into a berg and drifting to the unknown arctic never to be seen again.

I dream a king so powerful and humble that each servant grows like a spreading oak,

standing strong and growing to their full height.

I dream a church of wonder, surprise, waiting with suspended breath for creation renewed, for dances with stars, for the songs of the planets to reach the earth telling your greatness even afar, at such distance you’ve flown and sown and grown and been known.

Accept my prayer today.

Jesus my priest and king after the order of Melchizedek,

Dive now in your mighty flying craft and retake the world and make your dreams reality.

Come accept my prayer today.

Jesus my wisdom and shelter,

hold me in the palm of your hand.

My sailboat struggles against sky and wave and I know so little of sailing and of future. Brilliant sun, softer moon, and Northern star are only glimpses of your direction,

East and West, southern heat, alive with the scents of bougainvillea and curry, flour and corn tortillas,

draw and quarter me as I hang on to what’s called of me right at home.

Be my anchor, be my travel, be my sense of smell,

be my seven wonders of the world, and make me alive.

Accept my prayer today.

Over the fields of ripening corn and beans, mint, hops, orchards of apples and peaches, berry farms and even over tended golf courses your breath infuses the world.

Meditation

Prayer for others

Benediction

You are oxygen.

You are blood in the aorta

you are breath,

you are pulse

you are life abundant.

You are silent presence

you are all open spaces and endless vistas

all virility and all healing.

You are all barren landscapes pointing to the creator,

you are the lushness of all creation growing in the cracks of cities,

in the cracks of rocks, in the cracks of sidewalks, the cracks of deserts,

the cracks of dawn and dusk, growing.

Thank you! Accept my prayer today.

May 17, 2011: Prayer Reading for Third Tuesdays Call

The following is based on several versions of the book of common prayer, and A Place Apart readings compiled and altered for Third Tuesdays Prayer. Leaders read plain text, group reads response in bold.







O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you

as the day rises to meet the sun.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Come, let us bow down and bend the knee : let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

We who believe in freedom : cannot rest until it comes.

Psalm 86:6 – 10

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer : and attend to the voice of my supplications.

In the time of my trouble I will call upon you : for you will answer me.

Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord : nor anything like your works.

All nations you have made will come and worship you, O Lord : and glorify your name.

For you are great; you do wondrous things : and you alone are God.

We who believe in freedom : cannot rest until it comes.

Holy ever present God
Nothing can separate me from your love
I receive fully the giftedness of life
I enter into the great mystery of being
Unafraid
Engulfed in the happiness of being
Connected to all life
Loving
Living in the victory won in Christ Jesus

It all ends now.
We are just plain sick of it.
Sick of the lie
Sick of the game
Sick of the systems
Sick of ourselves
Sick of the maintenance
Sick of being afraid
The yearning
The longing
The aching
To be alive
Begins
To overpower
Fear.
I will begin here

I will no longer be afraid
Of being afraid
Now the healing begins
Now the curtain is torn
Now the veil is lifted
Holy Healing God
I open myself to your healing of my fear

Meditation

Prayer for Others

Loving God, into your healing presence we bring those who suffer physical pain and ill
health, with them we bring their families and friends and all who care for them…….
May they be held in the deep peace of Christ.
Loving God, into your healing presence we bring those who suffer emotional and mental
pain, who experience anxiety and depression, suffering in mind and spirit, and all those
who love and care for them……
May they be held in the deep peace of Christ.
Loving God, into your healing presence we bring the suffering people of the world, those
experiencing oppression, injustice, poverty, division, violence and war……
May they be held in the deep peace of Christ.
Loving God, into your healing presence we bring those struggling to overcome addiction
and those suffering from abuse, those who love them and all who support and work with
them……..
May they be held in the deep peace of Christ.
Loving God, into your healing presence we bring those facing loss through the physical
death of loved ones, and those who have experienced loss through broken
relationships…..
May they be held in the deep peace of Christ.
Loving God, into your healing presence we bring those whose names and needs are not
known to us, but are known to you.
We name in our hearts those who are close to us.
May they be held in the deep peace of Christ.

Benediction

God of Hope
Fill us with Joy
Fill us with Peace
Fill us with Love
Holy Healing God
Thank you. Amen.