peace

prayer to live in happiness and peace

/ Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

image by Agnes Leung via Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

 
O God, our Father, 
we know that the issues of life and death are in your hands, 
    and we know that you are loving us with an everlasting love.  
If it is your will, grant to us to live in happiness and in peace.
 
In all our undertakings,
    Grant us prosperity and good success.
In all our friendships,
    Grant us to find our friends faithful and true.
In all our bodily things,
    Make us fit and healthy,
        Able for the work of the day.
In all the things of the mind,
    Make us calm and serene,
        Free from anxiety and worry.
In material things,
    Save us from poverty and from want.
In spiritual things,
    Save us from doubt and from distrust.
Grant us 
    In our work satisfaction;
    In our study true wisdom;
    In our pleasure gladness;
    In our love loyalty.
 
And if misfortune does come to us, 
    grant that any trial may only bring us closer to one another and closer to you; 
    and grant that nothing may shake our certainty that you work all things together for good,
    and that a Father’s hand will never cause his child a needless tear. 
Hear this our prayer, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
William Barclay, 1907-1978, minister in the Church of Scotland
 
___________________________
 
 
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
    whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
    that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
    for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
    for it does not cease to bear fruit.
 

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Open unto me

/ Eric Mathews / Leave a comment
 
 
Open unto me, light for my darkness
Open unto me, courage for my fear
Open unto me, hope for my despair
Open unto me, peace for my turmoil
Open unto me, joy for my sorrow
Open unto me, strength for my weakness
Open unto me, wisdom for my confusion
Open unto me, forgiveness for my sins
Open unto me, tenderness for my toughness
Open unto me, love for my hates
Open unto me, Thy Self for myself
Lord, Lord, open unto me!

Howard Thurman, 1899-1981, American author, educator and civil rights leader
___________________________________
 
 
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
   the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
    he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
 

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challenging the powers

/ Eric Mathews / Leave a comment
Christ Preaching, called La Petite Tombe, Rembrandt, via Wikimedia commons
 
 
Vulnerable God,
    you challenge the powers that rule this world
    through the needy, the compassionate,
    and those who are filled with longing.
 
Make us hunger and thirst to see right prevail,
    and single-minded in seeking peace;
    that we may see your face
    and be satisfied with you,
  through Jesus Christ.
 
Janet Morely British author, poet, and Christian feminist
 
___________________________
 
 
Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
    for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
    when they exclude you and insult you
    and reject your name as evil,
        because of the Son of Man.

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Come gentle rain of Advent-tide

/ Eric Mathews / Leave a comment
Hawaii lava flower
 
Isaiah of old prayed,
    “Let the earth open wide her mouth;
    as justice descends, O heavens, 
    like the dew from above,
    like gentle showers,
    let salvation fall from the skies;
    let justice spring up
    and salvation bud forth.”
Come gentle rain of Advent-tide,
    soak deep into my heart,
    calling forth signs of an early spring.
Make buds appear on my heart’s barren rosebush
    and blooms on its dried flower stalks.
Come showers of silence and wet my soul;
    soak deeply with your fertile fingers, dripping heaven’s dew.
May I come forth from my times of prayer
    as from a bath:
    dripping wet from a sacred soaking, 
    refreshed, renewed, revitalized.
Advent prayer of December stillness,
    dampen my dry soul,
    coax forth green leaves of the Spirit 
    and bring forth buds of bright flowers 
    as green trees flicker with magic lights 
    and green wreath circles
    whirl on front doors,
    red-bowed in festive joy.
May soggy souls ooze out awesome gifts,
    for Emmanuel, God-among-us,
    is awakened from a yearlong slumber 
    by gentle mists of Advent longing 
    and is eager to give gifts of love, 
    presents of your presence.
Radiant Rain God,
    make me your brimful cloud,
    ready to shower down Emmanuel’s justice and peace 
    upon all I meet. 
 
Edward Hayes, 1931 – 2016, Catholic Priest, Kansas City
 
____________________________
 
 
Shower, O heavens, from above,
    and let the clouds rain down righteousness;
let the earth open,
    that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;
    let the earth cause them both to sprout;
    I the Lord have created it.
 

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wholeness of mind

/ Eric Mathews / Leave a comment
image by Elyas Pasban via Unsplash
 
 
Lord Jesus Christ,
you healed those who suffered
in mind as well as body.
Look in your compassion 
on people among us who are mentally ill.
 
We pray for all
    who are driven by depression to the depths of despair
    who attempt to end their own lives
    who are victims of obsession
    who are persecuted by the voices they hear
    who live in a world of their own
    who are violent or withdrawn
    who are plagued by religious delusions.
 
Take from them all unreality.
Help them to know that in the depths
    you search for them
  and that in your presence
    you hold them secure.
Grant to them wholeness of mind
so that they may be at peace,
    at one with themselves
    and at one with you.
We ask this for your name’s sake.
 
Neville Smith
 
________________________
 
 
Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, 
    teaching in the synagogues 
    and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. 
And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 
News about him spread as far as Syria, 
    and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. 
And whatever their sickness or disease, 
    or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—
    he healed them all.

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plowshares beat into swords

/ Eric Mathews / Leave a comment
image via Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED
 
 
And now their plowshares are beat into swords—as are ours,
    now their pruning hooks are beat into spears—as are ours.
        Not only swords and spears,
        but bullets, and bombs, and missiles,
            of steel on flesh,
            of power against bodies …
And you, in your indignation sound your mantra,
    “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

We dare to believe they are the aggressor,
    and we are the peacemaker.
Yet in sober night dream, we glance otherwise
    and think we may be aggressor,
    as we vision rubbled homes,
        murdered civilians
        and charred babies.
And you, in our sadness, sound your mantra,
    “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

We do not love war,
we yearn for peace,
    but we have lost much will for peace
    even while we dream of order.
And you, in your hope, sound your mantra,
    “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

Deliver us from excessive certitude about ourselves.
Hold us in the deep ambiguity where we find ourselves,
Show us yet again the gaping space
    between your will and our feeble imagination.
Sound your mantra with more authority,
    with more indignation,
    through sadness,
    in hope … “Blessed be the peacemakers.”

Only peacemakers are blessed.
            We find ourselves well short of blessed.
Give us freedom for your deep otherwise,
finally to be blessed,
    in the name of the Peacemaker
    who gave and did not take. Amen.
 
Walter Brueggemann, 1933 -,  American Old Testament theologian
Awed to Heaven, Rooted to Earth
 
___________________________
 

Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations
    and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war anymore.

Come, descendants of Jacob,
    let us walk in the light of the Lord.

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Father we pray for Your peace on earth

/ Eric Mathews / Leave a comment
 
 
Father Almighty, we pray for your peace on earth.
    For peace that is life-giving;
    for peace that is love-bearing;
    for peace that is true freedom;
    for peace that is purposeful;
    for peace that is prevailing.
Father, we pray for children in time of war;
    they are so defenseless.
We pray for the old;
  they are unable to escape danger quickly.
We pray for those with physical disabilities;
    they are at the mercy of others.
We pray for women;
    they are so vulnerable to abuse.
We pray for the innocent;
    they suffer for the unjust desires of others.
We pray for those whose lives will be changed by war:
    those who are blinded;
    those who are burned;
    those who lose limbs;
    those who lose reason;
    those who lose their peace of mind;
    those who lose their health and strength for ever,
Father, above all we pray for those in anguish;
    those whose lives will never be the same again;
    those who have lost their loved ones;
    those who have lost their lives.
Father, deepen our desire for peace;
    restore our resolve for peace;
    increase our intent to work for peace.
Will for us your peace, perfect and prevailing,
    for your Son, our Savior Christ’s sake.
 
Pamela Wilding, English missionary to Kenya from 1967 to 2003 
 
__________________________
 
 
He shall judge between the nations,
    and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
    neither shall they learn war anymore.

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Drive me deep to face myself

/ Eric Mathews / Leave a comment
image by Ümit Bulut umit, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
 
 
Lord, grant me your peace,
    for I have made peace
        with what does not give peace,
            and I am afraid.
Drive me deep, now,
    to face myself so I may see
that what I truly need to fear is
    my capacity to deceive
        and willingness to be deceived,
    my loving of things
        and using of people,
    my struggle for power
        and shrinking of soul,
    my addiction to comfort
        and sedation of conscience,
    my readiness to criticize 
        and reluctance to create,
    my clamor for privilege
        and silence at injustice,
    my seeking for security
        and forsaking the kingdom.
Lord, grant me your peace.
Instill in me such fear of you
    as will begin to make me wise,
and such quiet courage
    as will enable me to begin to make
        hope visible,
            forgiving delightful,
        loving contagious,
            faith liberating,
        peace making joyful
            and myself open and present
            to other people
            and your kingdom.
 
Ted Loder, born 1930, American Methodist minister
 
______________________________
 
 
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. 
Not as the world gives do I give to you. 
Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

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against the threat of malignant powers

/ Eric Mathews / Leave a comment
Nebuchadnezzar, William Blake, Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0
 
Lord, we pray this day mindful of the sorry confusion of our world. 
Look with mercy upon this generation of your children
    so steeped in misery of their own contriving, 
    so far strayed from your ways 
    and so blinded by passions. 
We pray for the victims of tyranny, 
    that they may resist oppression with courage. 
We pray for wicked and cruel men, 
    whose arrogance reveals to us 
    what the sin of our own hearts is like 
    when it has conceived and brought forth its final fruit.

We pray for ourselves who live in peace and quietness, 

    that we may not regard our good fortune as proof of our virtue, 
    or rest content to have our ease 
    at the price of other men’s sorrow and tribulation.

We pray for all who have some vision of your will, 

    despite the confusions and betrayals of human sin, 
  that they may humbly and resolutely plan for and fashion 
    the foundations of a just peace between men, 
    even while they seek to preserve what is fair and just among us 
    against the threat of malignant powers.
 
Reinhold Niebuhr, 1892-1971, American theologian and professor
The Complete Book of Christian Prayer
 
__________________________
 
 
“That same hour the judgment was fulfilled, 
    and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society.
 He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. 
He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles’ feathers 
    and his nails were like birds’ claws.
 
“After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. 
My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High 
    and honored the one who lives forever.

His rule is everlasting,
    and his kingdom is eternal.
All the people of the earth
    are nothing compared to him.
He does as he pleases
    among the angels of heaven
    and among the people of the earth.
No one can stop him or say to him,
    ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’

“When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. 

My advisers and nobles sought me out, 
    and I was restored as head of my kingdom, 
    with even greater honor than before.

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. 

All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.”

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Glory be to God on high

/ Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

image / Lawrence OP / Flickr
 
 
Glory be to God on high,
and on earth peace,
peace among those of good will.
We praise you, we bless you,
we give thanks for your great glory,
holy God, tender God, God our beloved creator.
 
Christ our desire 
only embodiment of God,
bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh,
foolishness of God, greater than human wisdom,
emptiness of God, full of redemption,
bearing away the sin of the world,
have mercy on us.
Holy one, bearing away the sin of the world,
have mercy on us.
Beloved one, bearing away the sin of the world,
receive our prayer.
 
For you alone are holy,
you alone our desire.
You alone, O Christ,
with the comforter of fire,
are radiant with the grace and glory of God most high.
 
Janet Morely, British poet and theologian
 
_________________________________
 
 
For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
 

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