Most days, if you’re like me, you pass the day wondering what living a day as the people of God is supposed to look like. Maybe, though, there is no ‘supposed to’. Instead, maybe every day looks different than the last. We move and walk and talk and breathe the best we can – and hope we can improve on that effort in the days to come. And all the while, the Spirit of God, full of grace, walks and talks and breathes among us.
Take comfort in that thought. Pray these (hopefully) centring words and ask for the strength to persist and persevere, to walk as many steps as possible with the one from whom we draw our being.
Morning Prayers
To the God of every age and era, every season and hour,
To the Father, the Son and the Spirit,
Be every thought and word and song of honour and blessing
Spoken and sung throughout creation.
Prayer of Time’s Passing
Lord, who has watched all times pass,
For some, who today rest in serene and joyful spaces,
Time is a friend, carrying them on its back,
And its slow passage is welcome.
For others, who today wrestle through trial and angst,
Time is a kind of enemy, one that persecutes, even –
And its slow passage is unwelcome.
May times of famine and trouble break quickly
Into times of peace and provision,
And may those times of quiet and harmony
Stretch unbroken for the days and months to come
For those we know and those we do not.
May all see your goodness in the land of the living.
Personal prayers for others
Readings:
As many of these scripture readings as you like can be read throughout the week. Since you won’t be tested on them, feel free to skip any if you prefer to read just a few or even one passage slowly and contemplatively.
Old Testament: Genesis 14
Psalms: Psalms 19 and 20
Gospel: Mark 6:7-29; 6:30-44
Epistle: Galatians 3:15-22
Prayer of the Breeze
Giver of life,
Present everywhere and filling all things,
Let us today savour the breeze,
Gliding softly past our faces,
One of countless moments
We too frequently ignore
In our race to arrive, to accomplish, to acquire.
Let us ourselves take space
To be present in today's moments,
To enjoy the slow transit of the hours;
As the breeze blows gently, gracefully, from place to place,
May we too move with grace,
And move in your grace,
Through the hours of this day.
Personal prayers for today
Our Father
Our Father in the heavens,
May your name be holy.
Let your kingdom come to the earth
So that your will is done, just as in heaven.
Give us today the food that we need,
And forgive us our failings,
As we forgive the failings of others,
And do not lead us into the test,
But rescue us from evil.
Evening Prayers
To the God of every age and era, every season and hour,
To the Father, the Son and the Spirit,
Be every thought and word and song of honour and blessing
Spoken and sung throughout creation.
Prayer at Moonrise
We have seen the sun sink into the distance,
And the rising moon
Floating through the evening sky,
Illuminating the darkness
And giving soft light to the earth.
And we praise you,
Father of lights, Son of glory, and radiant Spirit.
We acknowledge those who, tonight,
Look up at the same moon.
Whatever their stories, their circumstances,
Their assets, or their lack,
May they see the light of God
Shining upon them in the coming day.
Personal prayers for others
Prayer of the Hours
Our Creator and Father,
As the hands of the clock steadily turn
And mark the hours of this night and the coming day,
Let tonight's hours bring needed rest,
Rest from today's tasks and experiences,
And rest for tomorrow's.
And let tomorrow's hours bring awareness,
Awareness of your light and presence,
Awareness of your Spirit's movements,
Awareness of the needs of others,
Awareness of the service you would have us render
on their behalf,
Awareness of the labours you would have us undertake,
Awareness of the gratitude we should rightfully show,
Awareness of your ongoing love and grace
for the many hours we walk unaware.
Personal prayers for tomorrow
Our Father
Our Father in the heavens,
May your name be holy.
Let your kingdom come to the earth
So that your will is done, just as in heaven.
Give us today the food that we need,
And forgive us our failings,
As we forgive the failings of others,
And do not lead us into the test,
But rescue us from evil.
Benediction
The Spirit of God moves at all hours.
May that Spirit move in you
As you traverse the hours of the day.
Adam Lee Benner
A teacher and writer born and raised in New Jersey’s Philadelphia suburbs, Adam writes about his former life in American Christian nationalism and the Evangelical right – and (hopefully) better ways to be Christian. He lived for several years with his wife and best friend, Renée, as missionaries in Asia before relocating to her hometown of Melbourne, Australia with their two sons.
Leave a Reply