What can I say to you, my God?

June 17, 2022June 16, 2022 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

_{Holy Trinity, Lawrence OP, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0}

What can I say to you, my God?

Shall I collect together all the words
that praise your holy Name?

Shall I give you all the names of this world
—you, the Unnameable?

Shall I call you
“God of my life,
meaning of my existence,
hallowing of my acts,
my journey’s end,
bitterness of my bitter hours,
home of my loneliness,
you my most treasured happiness”?

Shall I say:
“Creator, Sustainer, Pardoner,
Near One, Distant One, Incomprehensible One,
God both of flowers and stars,
God of the gentle wind and of terrible battles,
Wisdom, Power, Loyalty, and Truthfulness,
Eternity and Infinity, you the All-merciful,
you the Just One,
you – Love itself?”

Karl Rahner, 1904 – 1984, German Jesuit Priest

Concord Pastor

__________________________

Exodus 3:13

Then Moses said to God,

“If I come to the people of Israel and say to them,

‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’

and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’

what shall I say to them?

Continue reading →

send us, come with us, empower us

June 25, 2021June 24, 2021 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

_{Great Commission icon / Ted / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0}

God the Sender, send us.

God the Sent, come with us.

God the Strengthener of those who go, empower us,

that we may go with you

and find those who will call you

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Welsh prayer

A Procession of Prayers

__________________________

Matthew 28:18-19

And Jesus came and said to them,

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,

baptizing them

in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

Continue reading →

Guide us to your will

June 11, 2021June 10, 2021 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

_{Photo by Paul Zoetemeijer on Unsplash}

Almighty Lord God,

your glory cannot be approached,

your compassion knows no bounds,

and your love for all mankind

is beyond human expression;

in your mercy look on us and all your people:

do not leave us to our sins

but deal with us according to your goodness.

Guide us to the haven of your will

and make us truly obedient to your commands,

that we many not feel ashamed

when we come before your Messiah’s

dread judgement seat.

For you, O God,

are good and ever-loving,

and we glorify you,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

now and for ever,

to the ages of ages. Amen.

from The Barberini Codex, 8th Century document of Byzantine prayers

Praying with the Orthodox Tradition

___________________________

2 Peter 1:3-4

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.

We have received all of this by coming to know him,

the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

And because of his glory and excellence,

he has given us great and precious promises.

These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature

and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

Continue reading →

Glory to the Trinity

June 2, 2021June 1, 2021 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

_{Trinity image / Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain}

Grant, O God, of your mercy, that we may come to everlasting life,

and there beholding your glory as it is, may equally say:

Glory to the Father who created us,

Glory to the Son who redeemed us,

Glory to the Holy Spirit who sanctified us.

Glory to the most high and undivided Trinity,

whose works are inseparable,

whose kingdom without end abides,

from age to age forever.

Amen.

St. Augustine of Hippo, 354 – 430

Ancient Christian Devotional A Year of Weekly Readings

__________________________

2 Corinthians 13:14

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

and the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Continue reading →

Pentecost prayer

May 24, 2021May 23, 2021 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Holy Spirit, almighty God,
proceeding from the Father and the Son;
Jesus the eternal Son, our Redeemer,
has promised that you will kindle in us the true knowledge and love of God.
Stir up in our hearts, we pray true fear, true faith,
that we may acknowledge the mercy
which the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ hast promised
unto us for his sake.
Be our comforter in all difficulties and dangers,
and kindle divine love in our hearts,
so that by true obedience,
we may offer perpetual praise to you
and to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and to his blessed Son, our Saviour and Redeemer.
Amen.

Philipp Melanchthon, 1497 – 1560, German reformer with Martin Luther

2000 Years of Prayer

________________________

John 14:26

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,

will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Continue reading →