Prayers for a Whole Life : The Amen.

"let the Amen sound from His people again!"


bless the season
of prayers we have uplifted, O Lord,
and bless this day of celebration:
He is risen!
Amen!

bless this and every
Resurrection Day, O Lord,
and bless our renewal in the risen Christ:
He is risen!
Amen!

bless the sunrise,
the Light of the World,
and let us be a blessing as he shines through us:
He is risen!
Amen!

bless our songs;
receive our praise! Joy to the World!
and bless our testimony as we run to tell:
He is risen indeed!
Amen!

Prayers for a Whole Life : Day 46

prayer for the vigil

though the sun shone--
still this day was halted in darkness.

though all these thousands of years later
we go about our business:
live, laugh, eat, play,
run errands, check off the honey-do's--
still we walk the day in shadow.

still we wait.

today you are silent, God.

but we trust that you are there,
that you have not forgotten your Servant.
we believe that the story is not yet told,
and we hold our breaths
until your Word resumes.

comfort us in our heartbreak;
reassure our fear at being left alone.
break through the dark
as you always do.
bring us once again
to sunrise.

Prayers for a Whole Life : Day 45

a prayer for the good
on Good Friday


on the way to the cross,
following my Lord,
let me say
     it is good

while I watch the crowds jeering,
when his suffering breaks my heart,
let me say
     it is good

when the sun you set in the sky
goes dark,
let me say
     it is good


when the veil comes down,
when the Holy of Holies is here before us,
let me say
     it is good


when it is finished,
even when he is gone,
let me say
     it is good


let me say "it is good."
let me try to convince myself once again
that this is not the end,
that you have a way
to redeem this tragedy.
let me say "it is good,"
because the more times I say it,
the more likely I am to believe it,
to trust that he
may still
bring
new
life

Prayers for a Whole Life : Day 44

a servant's prayer, for Maundy Thursday
inspired by Philippians 2:5-11


Jesus,
teach us to serve.

You did it because
you knew exactly who you were:
beloved of the Father, and
God's own best Way to reach his children,
to meet their needs,
to feed and heal and love them.

equal with God,
but unwilling to exploit your position,
you
took the shape of a servant,
of one
whose back is bent,
whose hands are chafed,
whose joints ache,
whose to-do list never ends,
for
always
the children need to be fed,
to be washed, their wounds tended.

so you
took your towel and basin,
and there, with your head bent over
their worn feet,
you showed them
     (and you show us, still)
your Way
to save the world.

Prayers for a Whole Life : Day 43

a storyteller's prayer


God of beginnings
and endings,
let me tell your wondrous story well.

From the "once upon a time"
to the "happily ever after"
that is to come,
let me
bring to life
your cast of characters
(and your own Character),
your plotline with its twists and turns
(and its surprise endings)
your heros and villains
(and all your regular folk too).

Let me
grasp the imaginations
of all who would listen.
Let me
show them how our stories
are part of your story,
never separate from you.
Let me
show them how the narrative
embraces us all,
how we may
choose our own adventures
even when we have always been
indelibly printed
in your Book.

Let us all hear your story anew,
from every bard you've called to speak it,
sing it, write it, rhyme it, paint it,
sculpt it, preach it.
Give us ears to hear
and eyes to see.

And give us voices to speak.
Make narrators of us all,
tellers of your wonder
and of your love.

Prayers for a Whole Life : Day 42

a prayer for the labyrinth


Lord, guide our feet today.

Let us carry the images and the words
of your story
with us as we go.
Give us confidence in
you, the Pathmaker,
even as we embark
on the unfamiliar journey.
Remind us as often as we need it
that the path under our feet
is as real as
the path that stretches out ahead.

When we lose sight of the Center,
keep us calm.
When the turns and twists are
uncomfortable,
teach us to live with discomfort.
When we feel like we've been
down the road before,
remind us that we are always
new.

Guide us
as we walk home to your heart;
then guide us
as we bring your heart
back to our home in the world.

Prayer for a Whole Life : Day 41

a prayer for Holy Weeks


every Sunday
is Resurrection Day

so every week
is Holy

teach us to
journey with You
every week of our lives
(not waiting for Lent to
induce our pilgrimage,
not expecting one Holy
week
a year
to keep us
near the cross)

fill every set
of seven days
with Your Story:
with hosannahs,
with servanthood,
with table talk and
blessing,
with remembrance,
with peace in chaos
and calm in trial,
with willingness,
with forgiveness,
and even with
weeping--
so every week,
all year,
our calendars will
be also full of
sunrise,
celebration,
joy for the world!