I lift my eyes to the heavens
Kadisha Valley, Lebanon via Wikimedia Commons
Juneteenth prayer
image by Devin Avery via unsplash
Today, we commemorate the end of slavery in America.
This day partially reminds us of the progress made.
This day also partially reminds us of the progress we have not made.
We celebrate the freedom of black lives in our nation.
We grieve that we have not correctly reconciled racism in our nation.
You created each person in Your image.
The two greatest commandments call us to love You with all our heart, souls, and minds;
Then, to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Your love for us motivates us to love each other.
If we do not love each other, then ultimately, we have not experienced Your love.
As much as we commemorate and celebrate Juneteenth, we grieve this day.
We mourn that our black brothers and sisters have not been loved as our neighbors.
We mourn that our black brothers and sisters have been treated less than created in Your image throughout history.
So, Lord, we confess our sins and repent.
The healing and reconciliation we desire comes from the gospel.
On Juneteenth this year, we ask You to guide our nation.
May the good news of the gospel motivate us to love each other.
May the ideals of our words match the practices of our lives.
May a fresh empowerment of Your Spirit unite us together.
Give us eyes to see and ears to hear Your will and leading.
Peter Englert, discipleship pastor in upstate New York
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He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
Remind us that we are your children
Let the Little Children Come unto Jesus, Carl Bloch, via Wikimedia Commons
O Lord, help us to ponder it
a thousand times more
than as yet we have pondered it:
That you have regenerated us,
made us a new creation in Christ,
and made us your very own children.
Not merely calling us, but making us.
That you give us spiritual life, heavenly life.
This is the wondrous grace we should ponder.
This is the kind of love the Father has given to us.
O Lord, help us by the power of your Holy Spirit to lay it to heart
a thousand times more
than as yet we have laid it to heart.
And grant that, by considering it, praying over it,
and laying it far more abundantly to heart,
our hearts may be filled with love towards you.
Make us then grateful, more than ever.
George Müller, 1805 – 1898, evangelist and orphanage director
Joy of Heaven Prayers of the Revivals
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1 John 3:1-2
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children,
and that is what we are!
But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize
that we are God’s children
because they don’t know him.
Dear friends, we are already God’s children,
but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears.
But we do know that we will be like him,
for we will see him as he really is
Holy Spirit, Come!
A depiction of the Holy Spirit, by David Bumgardner via Unsplash
Holy Spirit, you are worthy of all worship.
In the almighty Trinity you proceed from the Father and the Son,
and you are equal to either of them.
Holy Spirit, you are worthy of all worship
In the almighty Trinity you proceed from the Father and the Son,
and you are equal to either of them.
With your holy breath you cleanse our minds.
You comfort us in sorrow and cheer us with pure gladness.
You lead us into all truth, and you kindle the fire of love in us.
You knit us together with the glue of peace,
and you enrich us with gifts by which we profess the name of the Lord Jesus—
by whose working all things live,
and whose delight is to live in our hearts.
I ask now that you would maintain your gifts in me,
and increase them daily,
so that by your governance
the desires of the flesh may die more and more in me,
and the desire for the heavenly life would come alive and increase.
Let me pass through the misty desert of this world,
with your light leading me on.
May I not be defiled by Satan’s vices.
And may I not be entangled with errors that disagree with your truth
—delivered by the true church under your guidance.
You live and reign with the Father and the Son, amen.
Book of Christian Prayers of 1578
Grace from Heaven, Prayers of the Reformation
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Acts 4:31
And when they had prayed,
the place in which they were gathered together was shaken,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
the Way, Truth, and Life
image via pickpik
Lord Jesus Christ,
you said that you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Help us not to stray from you,
for you are the Way;
nor to distrust you,
nor to distrust you,
for you are the Truth;
nor to rest on any other than you,
nor to rest on any other than you,
as you are the Life.
You have taught us what to believe, what to do, what to hope,
and where to take our rest.
Grant us grace
Grant us grace
to follow you, the Way,
to learn from you, the Truth,
and to live in you, the Life.
Desiderius Erasmus,1467-1536, Dutch Renaissance humanist & Catholic priest
Desiderius Erasmus,1467-1536, Dutch Renaissance humanist & Catholic priest
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Jesus answered,
“I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”
witnesses to your resurrection
Birth, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Christ triptych, Hans Memling, 1510 via Wikimedia Commons
Lord Jesus Christ, by your glorious resurrection,
in which you appeared alive and immortal
to your disciples and faithful followers,
by your forty days abiding and sweet converse,
in which by many infallible proofs,
speaking of things pertaining to the Kingdom of God,
you comforted them and assured them of your actual resurrection,
removing all doubt from their hearts;
grant that we may be numbered
among those appointed to be witnesses to your resurrection,
not only by the words of our mouths,
but by the evidence of our good works;
to your honor and glory,
for you are alive and reign,
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen.
Ludolph of Saxony, c.1295 – 1378, German Carthusian & Catholic theologian
2000 Years of Prayer
in which you appeared alive and immortal
to your disciples and faithful followers,
by your forty days abiding and sweet converse,
in which by many infallible proofs,
speaking of things pertaining to the Kingdom of God,
you comforted them and assured them of your actual resurrection,
removing all doubt from their hearts;
grant that we may be numbered
among those appointed to be witnesses to your resurrection,
not only by the words of our mouths,
but by the evidence of our good works;
to your honor and glory,
for you are alive and reign,
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen.
Ludolph of Saxony, c.1295 – 1378, German Carthusian & Catholic theologian
2000 Years of Prayer
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During the forty days after he suffered and died,
he appeared to the apostles from time to time,
and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive.
And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
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Question
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Question
In what way can you be a witness to Jesus’ resurrection before people who do not believe?
growing into your likeness
CompositeJesus via Wikimedia Commons
Spirit of Truth, direct our attention to the life of Jesus
so that we might see what you would have us be.
Make us, like him, teachers of your good law.
Make us, like him, performers of miraculous cures.
Make us, like him, proclaimers of your kingdom.
Make us, like him, loving the poor, the outcast, the children.
Make us, like him, silent when the world tempts us
to respond in the world’s terms.
Make us, like him, ready to suffer.
We know we cannot be like Jesus
except as Jesus was unlike us, being your Son.
Make us cherish that unlikeness,
that we may grow into the likeness
made possible by Jesus’ resurrection.
Amen
Stanley Hauerwas, 1940- , American ethicist and theologian
so that we might see what you would have us be.
Make us, like him, teachers of your good law.
Make us, like him, performers of miraculous cures.
Make us, like him, proclaimers of your kingdom.
Make us, like him, loving the poor, the outcast, the children.
Make us, like him, silent when the world tempts us
to respond in the world’s terms.
Make us, like him, ready to suffer.
We know we cannot be like Jesus
except as Jesus was unlike us, being your Son.
Make us cherish that unlikeness,
that we may grow into the likeness
made possible by Jesus’ resurrection.
Amen
Stanley Hauerwas, 1940- , American ethicist and theologian
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and he chose them to become like his Son,
so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
And having chosen them, he called them to come to him.
And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself.
And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
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Questions
In which of the ways mentioned have you become more like Jesus?
Which of the ways presents the biggest challenge in becoming more like Jesus?
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Questions
In which of the ways mentioned have you become more like Jesus?
Which of the ways presents the biggest challenge in becoming more like Jesus?
but not held
The Resurrection, El Greco via Wikimedia Commons
Christ is Risen!
We watch this Jeremiah mired down in mud, in cistern,
in fear and hostility
all around him,
finally extricated by watching friends who have done your work.
We watch this Jesus, set deep in the grip of death . . . but not held!
held overnight,
but not held;
held two nights,
but not held;
because the power of death could not hold him.
We know ourselves to be held,
over night, for two nights, too long,
held by fear and anxiety,
held by grudge and resentment,
held by doubt and fatigue,
held by too much stuff,
by all manner of the forces of death.
Held powerless . . but turned toward you.
You in your risenness, make Sundays even for us,
even among us,
even here,
even now,
no longer held. Amen.
Walter Brueggemann, 1933 – 2025, American Protestant Old Testament theologian
We watch this Jeremiah mired down in mud, in cistern,
in fear and hostility
all around him,
finally extricated by watching friends who have done your work.
We watch this Jesus, set deep in the grip of death . . . but not held!
held overnight,
but not held;
held two nights,
but not held;
because the power of death could not hold him.
We know ourselves to be held,
over night, for two nights, too long,
held by fear and anxiety,
held by grudge and resentment,
held by doubt and fatigue,
held by too much stuff,
by all manner of the forces of death.
Held powerless . . but turned toward you.
You in your risenness, make Sundays even for us,
even among us,
even here,
even now,
no longer held. Amen.
Walter Brueggemann, 1933 – 2025, American Protestant Old Testament theologian
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Jeremiah 37:6-11
So the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. It belonged to Malkijah, a member of the royal family. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it.
But Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, an important court official, heard that Jeremiah was in the cistern. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate, so Ebed-melech rushed from the palace to speak with him. “My lord the king,” he said, “these men have done a very evil thing in putting Jeremiah the prophet into the cistern. He will soon die of hunger, for almost all the bread in the city is gone.”
So the king told Ebed-melech, “Take thirty of my men with you, and pull Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies.” So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to a room in the palace beneath the treasury, where he found some old rags and discarded clothing. He carried these to the cistern and lowered them to Jeremiah on a rope. Ebed-melech called down to Jeremiah, “Put these rags under your armpits to protect you from the ropes.” Then when Jeremiah was ready, they pulled him out.
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Questions
How can each day be Sunday for you,
where Jesus can pull you up out of the struggles that hold you down?
I long for a firsthand touch
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, Caravaggio via Wikimedia Commons
How easily, O Christ,
do I long for a firsthand touch
from you, my friend and savior,
risen and glorious, victorious over death,
radiant with luminous life.
O, how easily does my yearning arise
to have been one of those in the upper room
when you returned in resurrected form.
I know that my faith would be strong
if, like Mary in the garden,
I had reached out to hug your living presence
on Easter morning.
I do not doubt the quality of my zeal
had I broken bread with you
at the sunset inn on Emmaus road.
It’s not easy to be among the living faithful
fed by second-hand accounts
of your resurrection visits,
even though they have been passed on with loving care
for millennia mouth-to-mouth.
But I take hope today, in this Easter season,
that I too can taste and feel
your fulfilled promise:
“I am with you always; even to the end.”
Every time I break bread with friends or strangers
or encounter kindness on my daily byroads,
when I am visited by you
even though my inner doors are locked in fear,
let my heart be as open as the horizon
for the feast of an Easter visit
from you, my Risen Savior.
Edward Hayes, 1931 – 2016, Catholic Priest, Kansas City
do I long for a firsthand touch
from you, my friend and savior,
risen and glorious, victorious over death,
radiant with luminous life.
O, how easily does my yearning arise
to have been one of those in the upper room
when you returned in resurrected form.
I know that my faith would be strong
if, like Mary in the garden,
I had reached out to hug your living presence
on Easter morning.
I do not doubt the quality of my zeal
had I broken bread with you
at the sunset inn on Emmaus road.
It’s not easy to be among the living faithful
fed by second-hand accounts
of your resurrection visits,
even though they have been passed on with loving care
for millennia mouth-to-mouth.
But I take hope today, in this Easter season,
that I too can taste and feel
your fulfilled promise:
“I am with you always; even to the end.”
Every time I break bread with friends or strangers
or encounter kindness on my daily byroads,
when I am visited by you
even though my inner doors are locked in fear,
let my heart be as open as the horizon
for the feast of an Easter visit
from you, my Risen Savior.
Edward Hayes, 1931 – 2016, Catholic Priest, Kansas City
he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.
And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.
And he vanished from their sight.
They said to each other,
“Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road,
while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
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Questions
Do you ever hope for an intimate, Emmaus road kind of encounter with Jesus
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Questions
Do you ever hope for an intimate, Emmaus road kind of encounter with Jesus
when you participate in worship services?
During what parts of a worship service do you feel God’s presence most prevalently?
During what parts of a worship service do you feel God’s presence most prevalently?
Stay with us Lord
The Pilgrims of Emmaus on the Road, James Tissot, via Wikimedia Commons
_-_James_Tissot.jpg){kind=link}
Stay with us, Lord
for the day is far spent
and we have not yet recognized your face
in each of our brothers and sisters.
Stay with us, Lord
for the day is far spent
and we have not yet shared your bread
in grace with our brothers and sisters.
Stay with us, Lord
for the day is far spent
and we have not yet listened to your Word
on the lips of our brothers and sisters.
Stay with us, Lord
because our very night becomes day
when you are there.
prayer from Korea
for the day is far spent
and we have not yet recognized your face
in each of our brothers and sisters.
Stay with us, Lord
for the day is far spent
and we have not yet shared your bread
in grace with our brothers and sisters.
Stay with us, Lord
for the day is far spent
and we have not yet listened to your Word
on the lips of our brothers and sisters.
Stay with us, Lord
because our very night becomes day
when you are there.
prayer from Korea
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Luke 24:28-29
So they drew near to the village to which they were going.
He acted as if he were going farther,
but they urged him strongly, saying,
“Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.”
So he went in to stay with them.
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Question
Luke 24:28-29
So they drew near to the village to which they were going.
He acted as if he were going farther,
but they urged him strongly, saying,
“Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.”
So he went in to stay with them.
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Question
Have you ever felt the presence of God intimately
and echoed the request of the Emmaus disciples,
asking Jesus to stay with you for a while longer?