Look upon us Lord.Let all the inner darkness vanish before the beams of your brightness.Fill us with holy love and open to us the treasures of your wisdom.Complete what you have begun and what your Spirit has awakened in us.We seek your face - turn your face unto us and show us your glory.Then shall our longing be satisfied and our peace shall be perfect.
Amen.
O God, Creator of the universe, who extends your paternal concern over every creature and guides the events of history to goals of salvation, we acknowledge your Fatherly love when you break the resistance of mankind and, in a world torn by strife and discord, you make us ready for reconciliation.
Renew for us the wonders of your MERCY; send forth your Spirit hat He may work in the intimacy of our hearts, that enemies may begin to dialogue, that adversaries may shake hands and peoples may encounter one another in harmony.
May all commit themselves to the sincere search for true peace which will extinguish all arguments, for charity which overcomes hatred, for pardon which disarms revenge.
God of Yesterday,
we knew you then: your promises; your words; your walking among us.
But yesterday is gone.
And so, today, we are in need of change.
Change
and change us.
Help us see life now
not through yesterday's stories but through today's.
Amen.
God of Endings,
What we thought would not end has ended.
And we find ourselves here wondering
where we are and how we got here
and where to go from here.
Be with us, here, at the end.
Help us place our feet on this ground,
help us lick our wounds,
help us look up and around.
Help us believe the story of today.
Because you know all
about the endings of today.
And you are not afraid.
Amen.
Dear Father,
Open my eyes to the ways that I need to change.
By the power of your Spirit, transform me.
Lead me on a path of discovery and challenge.
Give me the courage to make adjustments.
Fill me with love and compassion as I go.
Cause me to be a blessing to you and my friends.
I give you my heart afresh.
Help me to become more like you every day.
Amen.
Dear God,
Life has been hard and I have lost my way.
It is hard to understand how these things have happened.
I have experienced such pain and heartache.
It seems that you are not there and not with me.
Help me to find my way back to you.
Open my heart and my eyes that I might sense your presence.
Bring hope into my heart and loving people to my side.
I am needy. I need you. Come into my life God.
Amen.
~ It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.
~ It is in the shadow of each other that the people live.
We know that sometimes we are alone, and sometimes we are in community.
Sometimes we are in shadow,
and sometimes we are surrounded by shelter.
Sometimes we feel like exiles -
in our land, in our languages and in our bodies.
And sometimes we feel surrounded by welcome.
As we seek to be human together, may we share the things that do not fade:
generosity, truth-telling, silence, respect and love.
And may the power we share be for the good of all.
We honor God, the source of this rich life.
And we honor each other, story-full and lovely.
Whether in our shadow or in our shelter, may we live well and fully with each other.
Amen.
Lord,I believe in you: increase my faith.I trust in you: strengthen my trust.I love you: let me love you more and more.I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.I worship you as my first beginning,I long for you as my last end.Help me to conquer anger with gentleness and greed by generosity.Help me to forget myself and reach out toward others.Make me prudent in planning, courageous in taking risks.Make me patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity.Keep me attentive at prayer, temperate in food and drink.Help me to be diligent in my work, firm in my good intentions.Let my conscience be clear, my conduct without fault.Cause my speech to be blameless and my life well-ordered.Put me on guard against my human weaknesses.In your beautiful name I pray.Amen
I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go.And help us to be wise, in times when we don't know.I pray we'll find your light, and hold it in our hearts.
When stars go out each night, remind us where you are.Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way.Lead us to a place, guide us with your grace.To a place where we'll be safe.
Amen.
How many times have I set boundaries for myself and built walls between myself and sin! But my thoughts transgressed the boundaries and my will tore down the walls, for the boundaries were not secured by fear of God, and the walls were not founded on sincere repentance.
And again I knock at the door, that it may open for me. I do not cease to ask that I may receive what I request; and I know no shame in seeking Thy mercy, O Lord.
O Lord, my Savior! Why hast Thou forsaken me? Have mercy on me, O only Lover of mankind. Save me, a sinner, Thou only Sinless One.
Wrench me from the mire of my iniquities, that I may not be forever sullied by them. Deliver me from the jaws of the enemy, who roars as a lion and desires to swallow me up.
Rouse Thy strength and come, that Thou mightest save me. Beam Thy lightning and disperse his power, that he may be struck with fear and flee from Thy face, for he has not the strength to stand before Thee and before the face of those who love Thee. As soon as he perceives a sign of Thy grace, he is taken with fear of Thee and withdraws from such with shame.
And now, O Master, save me, for I flee to Thee!
Ephrem the Syrian. 2004. A Spiritual Psalter or Reflections on God. Translated by Isaac E. Lambertsen and Antonina Janda. Liberty, TN: The St. John of Kronstadt Press.
