O happy day.

I found this on several blogs this weekend. It's the creed of the Massai [an indiginous African tribe]. Absolutely beautiful.

We believe in one high God, who out of love created the beautiful world. We believe that God made good His promise by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, a man in the flesh, a Jew by tribe, born poor in a little village, who left His home and was always on safari doing good, curing people by the power of God, teaching about God and [humanity], and showing that the meaning of religion is love. He was rejected by His people, tortured and nailed hands and feet to a cross, and died. He was buried in the grave, but the hyenas did not touch Him, and on the third day He rose from the grave. He ascended to the skies. He is the Lord.

We believe that all our sins are forgiven through him. All who have faith in him must be sorry for their sins, be baptized in the Holy Spirit of God, live the rules of love, and share the bread together in love, to announce the good news to others until Jesus comes again. We are waiting for him. He is alive. He lives. This we believe. Amen.

Labels: prayer

A New Year's Prayer:

This year has ended, O God, and we seek a new beginning. Gracefully grant us the gift of careful reflection. Where we have harboured bitterness, give us the ability to put into words our deepest feelings. Where we have nursed grudges, give us the strength to let them go. Where we have lacked the courage of our convictions, give us the ability to stand up and be counted. Where we have failed to work with others in community, give us the sense of joy in a common cause. Where we have questioned our life of faith, give us the insight to turn doubts into fresh commitment.

Your grace is sufficient, O God. And as we look into this new year, gracefully grant us a new vision.

• A vision of friendships deepened.
  
• A vision of care, for ourselves and our relationships.
• A vision of renewed service with the faith community.
• A vision of a world where your realm is worked into reality.

Amen.

Labels: prayer, worship resources

Today I met with yet another pastor friend of mine who is on the verge of burning out, quitting, and losing faith in the church... and perhaps himself and his calling. He feels unsupported, alone, tired, over-worked, and under-appreciated.

High expectations. Big demands. Politics. Too many programs to run. Not enough support from within the church. Too many plates to spin. Too many committees... er, ah... I mean "teams" to be a part of.

Same old story, I guess.

On top of it all, he has some personal and family issues which in and of themselves are really hard to get through in the best of circumstances. Really hard.

Okay, I had a whole post written about this. But I don't want to say what I was going to say. Instead, let me just say that what my friend is going through really sucks. I don't want to paint the picture that being a pastor is tougher than any other job. I am sure it probably isn't. Enough said.

Please pray for my friend, if you're the praying type.

Labels: friends, leadership, prayer

My friend Bill [of "The Old Bill" fame] has a rant on is blog today about a prayer he heard on a religious radio program [and about annoying prayer in general], here's a snippet:

There's this strange evangelical prayer jargon where the word "Lord" or "Jesus" [or both] occurs at least once in every sentence, accompanied somehow by the word "just"... remarkably irritating. It's a wonder at times our prayers are not followed by a voice from heaven saying "Shut up for a minute". Prayer is simply conversation, right? So then if we followed the same format, a conversation over coffee might sound like this:

Bill, we’re just really thankful that you are here, Bill
that you are home, friend Bill,
that we can come to your home Bill
with thanksgiving sweet Bill,
that you welcome us, precious friend.
Oh yes, that we can share sweet conversation Bill,
And sweet percolation Bill.
For your precious precious coffee Bill,
And that we don't have to perc our coffee ourselves, sweet Bill,
but that you perc it for us,
We’re just really appreciative of the coffee Bill,
but also the cream, Bill, all the cream we could want Bill,
just there for us.
Oh yes and the sugar too Bill,
The sweet, sweet sugar...

Too funny. Often when I read Bill's blog, I think about the old guys in the balcony of The Muppet Show, I guess because he calls it like he sees it... and I love it.

Labels: prayer

Redeemer, open our hearts
to peace, reconciliation and healing between all people.

Father, open our hearts
to guide, love and care for those you have entrusted to us.

Creator, open our hearts
to respect the earth, and everything you have created.

Saviour, open our hearts
to end exclusion, violence, and fear among all.

Spirit, open our hearts
to rid ourselves of self-absorption, greed, and selfishness.

Jesus, open our hearts
that we might see the world as you do, and act accordingly.

Amen.

Labels: prayer, worship resources, writing

Jesus - the One who hears and understands:

Please rescue me from the need I have to be...

first
honoured
recognized
praised
thanked
right
approved
consulted
chosen
loved

Please rescue me from the fear I have of being...

humiliated
forgotten
wrong
ridiculed
vulnerable
suspected
sorry
despised
quiet
poor

Jesus, give me grace & humility. Rescue me from who I have been so that I can be more of who you want me to be.

Amen.

Labels: prayer, worship resources, writing

I do not thank you, Jesus
that I have food to eat, while others starve.
Neither do I thank you for work to do
while empty hands solicit your help.
I don't thank you for a strong body
while others lay flat on their back in sheer pain.
I give you no thanks for these things whatsoever.

But I am grateful today
because I can divide the food I have and share it.
I can use my skills and talents and time
to meet someone else's need.
I can use my strength
to steady one who is weary, and who faints.
For all of this, I give you thanks.

Give me a heart for sharing what I have.
Give me a desire to bear another's burdens.
Give me a will to live a life of Love.
Give me your eyes. Your ears. Your hands.
So that I might respond to those you love
as if it was you, yourself who responded.

Amen.

Labels: prayer, worship resources, writing

Our Father... who always stands with the weak, the powerless, the poor, the abandoned, the sick, the aged, the very young, the unborn, and those who by victim of circumstance, bear the heat of the day.

Who is in heaven... where everything will be reversed, where the first will be last and the last will be first, but where all will be well and every manner of thing will be well.

Holy be your name... may we always acknowledge your holiness, knowing that your ways are not our ways, your standards are not our standards. May our reverence for you pull us out of the selfishness that prevents us from seeing the pain of our neighbour.

Your kingdom come... help us to create a world where, beyond our own needs and hurts, we will do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with you and our neighbours. Teach us our own poverty... and to receive your kingdom as a gift by the power of your Spirit.

Your will be done... open our freedom to let you in, so that the complete mutuality that characterizes your life might flow through our veins and thus the life that we help generate may radiate your equal love for all and your special love for the poor. Teach us to partner with you as you renew and redeem creation.

Give us this day... give us life and love, teach us to receive your life so that we may in turn give it away. Give not just to our own but to everyone, including those who are very different than the narrow "us." Give us this day and not tomorrow. Do not let us push things off into some distant future so we can excuse our passivity or our apathy. Unveil to us the presence of your kingdom.

Our daily bread... so that each person in the world may have what they need, enough food, clean water, clean air, adequate health care, and access to education. So that we may learn how simple are our true needs, so that we may work for a sustainable world.

And forgive us our trespasses... forgive us our blindness toward our neighbour, our self-preoccupation, our racism, our sexism. Forgive us our capacity for blindness, for believing the lies about progress, for adopting a consumer lifestyle.

As we forgive those who trespass against us... help us to forgive those who take advantage of us. Help us to forgive imperfect parents, impersonal corporations and the systems that wounded them and us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil... amen.

Adapted from Ron Rolheiser in "The Holy Longing"
Via

Labels: justice, prayer