Author: cmkenlin

Our Lives are Messy (Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32)

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A Messy Life

We make choices in our lives.
Sometimes we choose wisely and
sometimes our choices land us in the muck,
maybe not literally rolling in the mud with the pigs,
but we can get pretty messy, Lord.

Remind us that we can find you in the messiness of life.
As children, we learned about the world you gave us by getting dirty.
We jumped in puddles, rolled in the autumn leaves
and picked dandelion bouquets we gave to our mothers.
Sometimes we played together nicely and
sometimes we refused to share our toys.
You were with us during those times of exploration.

Teenagers, Lord, can be really messy creatures.
As teenagers, we struggled to find our place in the world
and to understand the messiness of adult responsibilities and relationships.
As parents of teenagers, we struggled to find the words
to connect with our children in ways that brought them closer
and didn’t push them away.
The teenage years were full of exploration and angst.
We may not have had dirty clothes, but we were often deep in the muck.
You were still with us, Lord, during those years.

And then we became adults, Lord, perhaps with children of our own.
And even then, our lives were messy and we knew that we were not always in control.
Families are really, really messy, Lord, no matter how old we are.
We hurt each others’ feelings. We borrow things that don’t belong to us.
We think our family members should know what we want and what we need.
We expect things from our family that we would never ask a stranger to do.
Our children may not have the same dreams we want for them.
Our parents lose their independence and we find our roles suddenly changing.
Remind us, Lord, that we find you with us in the messiness,
and the joy, of family life.

Jesus, you taught us the value of forgiveness and acceptance.
Help us to see these truths in the messiness of our lives.
Open our eyes to the barriers we may be placing between ourselves and others.
Open our hearts to forgive when we feel unappreciated or less valued.
Use our hands to support each other and
to celebrate each other’s gifts and talents.
Remind us of the joy of childhood and help us find in our lives today.
You taught us the value of community and family.
We know that you are with us always, even in the muck,
and we ask that you especially be with __.

As your family, as your loving children,
we use the words Jesus taught us, by saying,
“Our Father…”

Abundant Patience (Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18)

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We can be an impatient people, Lord.
We want things to happen on our timeline,
when we want it.
Remind us that all things work together,
in a dance of influence and reaction,
creating and building a new reality
in a timeline that is determined
by more than ourselves.

We can also be people of little faith, Lord.
Sometimes it can be hard for us to trust in you,
to trust in your teachings.
Remind us that you are always there for us, Father.
When we turn our backs on you,
you circle around and approach us from the front.
When we make plans that don’t include you,
you wait patiently for us to invite you into our lives.
When we try to change the rules of the game and
make things happen on our own,
you help us see that it would be better
to follow your teachings and your suggested rules.
You never give up on us and we thank you for that.

You gave us free will, Lord.
You gave us a living world,
a world full of universes and galaxies that appear
to us as stars in the night skies.
A free will sometimes encourages us to think we are in control.
But a living world is ever changing, ever growing,
and change can lead to earthquakes and melting ice caps.
We soon realize that we are not in control.
As we gaze at the stars in the sky and feel the vastness of that space,
remind us that your patience with us is as infinite as the space above us,
remind us that your love for us is also infinite,
remind us that the gifts of this earth are infinitely abundant if we use them wisely.

We know that you are with us, Lord, even when we turn our faces away from you.
We ask that you be with those among us who need your healing grace and strength,
naming __.
As a sign of your love and your patience, you gave the gift of your son to us.
We use the words he taught us as we say,
“Our Father….”

sky-sunset-night-space

Prayers Based on Inscription of Hope Lyrics

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Song based on text scrawled on the wall of a Cologne concentration camp

http://peaceglobes.blogspot.com/2009/05/inscription-of-hope-i-believe-in-sun.html

Inscription of Hope

“I believe in the sun
even when it is not shining
And I believe in love,
even when there’s no one there.
And I believe in God,
even when he is silent.

I believe through any trial,
there is always a way
But sometimes in this suffering
and hopeless despair
My heart cries for shelter,
to know someone’s there
But a voice rises within me, saying hold on
my child, I’ll give you strength,
I’ll give you hope. Just stay a little while.

I believe in the sun
even when it is not shining
And I believe in love
even when there’s no one there
But I believe in God
even when he is silent
I believe through any trial
there is always a way.

May there someday be sunshine
May there someday be happiness
May there someday be love
May there someday be peace….”

– Unknown

I Believe in Hope

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The words of Luke could describe today’s world.
There is great distress among nations.
Economies are crumbling.
Nations are at war, internally, and against each other.
Our earth has given us tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanos, hurricanes,
droughts and floods.
Where do we turn, Lord? Where is our justice, our security, our protection?

Luke tells us there will be fear and foreboding.
People will be afraid, very afraid.
We are afraid, Lord. How should we react to today’s world?
Throughout the ages, the end of the world has been predicted and prepared for.
But we are still here, Lord.
The end of the world is not yet here nor has the Son of Man returned to us. Not yet, Lord.

We choose to live our lives according to your teaching.
We do not cower in fear or give up in despair.
We know that the days are coming, the days when You will fulfill Your promise.
By your words and deeds, you have shown us we must create a world of justice
and righteousness here on earth.
We are still here, Lord. We know that we can place our hope and trust in You.
We choose to live our lives according to your teaching.
We remind ourselves that you are with us, now and always,
and we are not afraid, Lord.
You are our Hope, our Teacher and our Protector.
You have shown us a new world, Lord,
a world that is up to us to create here on earth.

We are still here, Lord.
We wait for your return,
but are confident in your love and with your teachings.
You are our Hope, our Teacher, and our Protector.

I Believe in Love

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I believe in love
even when no one is there.

I have felt love as a child and
when I have looked at my own child.
I have felt love as a parent and
when I have looked at my own parents.

I have loved people who have not loved me in return.
People, who I did not love, have loved me.

There have been times in my life when I have felt completely loved and accepted.
There have been times in my life that I have not felt loveable
and have felt alone, even when surrounded by others.

I believe in love
even when no one is there.

I believe in Your love, God.
With my heart and my soul, I believe in Your love, God.
With my heart and my soul, I am one with Your love.

Your love fills me and restores me. In your love, I know completeness.
As You have loved me, I need to love others.

In sharing Your love, we will become one.
We are Your children, Lord.
We believe in Your love, Lord.
With our hearts and our souls, we believe in Your love.
With our hearts and our souls, we are one with Your love.

In this Advent time, we will seek to love one another as a parent loves and nurtures a child.
We will accept each other despite our differences.
We will seek to love one another, even when we are not loveable.
We will be united with each other, as Your children, even when we disagree.
We are your children, Lord.

We believe in love
even when no one is there.

I Believe in Peace

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Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Do not worry. Lord, it is hard not to worry.
So much is going wrong in our world.
We can feel powerless to make effective changes in our world.
And during the Advent season, when we should be focused on you,
we spend our time worrying about Christmas decorations and family traditions,
getting the right presents for those on our list,
and fulfilling our own and others expectations.
But our expectations can be so unrealistic during the holiday season.

Do not worry.
Lift up our concerns in prayer and let our requests be known to you.
Lord, it is hard not to worry.
No matter how much we believe in you,
we don’t want to give up our worries, our fears, to you.
We pray to you and ask for your help, for your healing and your grace.
But yet, we still worry. We cling tightly to our fears and concerns.

Calm our minds, Lord. Open our hearts to your peace and healing.
Relax our tension-filled bodies and remind us to breathe deeply.
Your peace, Lord, reminds us that when we worry,
we change our focus to what is not important.
If we worry about a Christmas tradition or
meeting someone’s expectations of the holiday,
we are not focusing on the reason for the holiday – the gift of Your Son.
When we worry about the future, we are missing out on the present.

Remind us, Lord, that it is Your will that should and will be done.
Give us the peace to accept the here and now, to live in the here and now,
and to let the future take care of itself.
We lift our concerns to you, Lord,
and know that all of our requests and worries can be lifted up to you.
When we are lost, we can trust that in You, we will be found.
We have found peace in your teachings and
in your love and acceptance.
When we doubt, remind us that Mary, a pregnant teenager
who could have faced public ridicule and scorn,
accepted the news of her virgin birth and the long trip to Bethlehem with peace
and acceptance.
She did not give in her fears and worries, but instead felt joy and peace.

We will not worry, Lord.
We lift up our prayers to you, giving you our fears and pain.
We open our hearts and our minds to your peace.
We accept and celebrate the here and now, and trust in the future,
in your future.

I Believe in Joy

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I believe in God even when he is silent.

My days can be very busy, Lord.
The noise of today’s world is loud and chaotic.
The demands on my attention drown out my own thoughts, much less your voice.
I confess, Lord, that I may not be listening to you and
I don’t always notice the silence.

I believe in God even when he is silent.

When things in my life are going well, Father,
I may not seek you out as often as I should.
But in the dark of night, when my fears are the loudest,
I am mindful of the silence.
When illness or injury strikes,
I am reminded of my weakness and the fragileness of life.
The news reminds me there is evil in the world.
When tragedy strikes, we ask why.
Where were you, Father?
How could you permit such terrible things to happen to innocent people?

I believe in God even when he is silent.

The silence can be deafening at times.
Mother God, we plead with you at these times.
Make our loved ones well again.
Give us one more chance to make amends,
one more time to make a relationship work.
We bargain with you and offer up promises and sacrifices if you will only,
just this time, give us what we are asking for.

We believe in God even when he is silent.

It is only later, Lord, that we realize that you were not silent at all.
It was us, all along. We could not hear you or see you.
During tragic times, we see later that you were there with us.
You were there in the form of a community who came together
to mourn with the fallen.
You were there with the strangers, the friends,
and the family who gave us strength to make it through our challenges.
You were there in the form of the unanswered prayers that in the end
were the best answer we could have been given.

You were there, Lord. You have always been there.
We know that you will always be there.

We believe in God.

I Believe in Salvation

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Lord, as children, we were brought to your church and learned your ways.
As parents, we have brought our own children to your church
and taught them your ways.

We are still your children, Lord, and each of us have much yet to learn.
You have given us your Son, Lord,
a child born to a destiny that was unimaginable to Mary and Joseph.
But can any child live up to the dreams and hopes of their parents?
Have we lived up to your dreams and hopes?

We are still your children, Lord, and each of us have much yet to learn.
We ask for your grace and for your wisdom.
Open our eyes to your dreams and hopes for each of us.
Show us our destiny, the plan that you have designed for each of us.
We ask for your strength so that we can live up to your dreams and hopes.

We are still your children, Lord, and each of us have much yet to learn.
All too often we still act like children.
We squabble with each other and refuse to share the gifts
you have given so freely to us.
Remind us, Lord, of the hopes and dreams that surround the birth of a child; the anticipation of a new beginning.
We lift our lives up to you, Lord.
Like Jesus, Lord, help us to grow, to become strong.
Fill us with wisdom and grant us your grace.

I Believe in Grace

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The mystery of God’s Grace, the mystery of Christ.
The mystery of the Christmas story, the gift of God’s Son, .

Our world is full of mystery and wonder.
We marvel at the world you have provided for your children.
Sometimes we think we have the answers,
but all too often, we are asking you, “Why?”

The mystery of God’s Grace, the mystery of Christ.
It was not a secret that the Jewish world was waiting for a Messiah.
The mystery that was revealed to us in Christ is the
joining of the Gentiles and the Jews
into one body, the body of Christ.
The mystery that was revealed to us in Christ is the boundless riches
of the gifts You have given us,
the gift of Your grace and
the gift of Your Son who allows us
to approach You Father
with the confidence of a child who knows their parents love them.

The mystery of God’s Grace, the mystery of Christ.
We are your children, Lord.
Together we are the body of Christ, members together of one body.
We share in the promise of Christ Jesus
equally without favoritism, without division.

As the Magi provided gifts to Jesus, remind us Lord,
to share our gifts with others.
Together we are the body of Christ, members together of one body.
Remind us to strive to work together
to share your love and your grace with others.
Remind us of those among us who are hurting and in need of comfort or healing.
Remind us to celebrate often and to have fun in your world,
to laugh with each other
and to lift each other up in spirit and in prayer.

We are your children, Lord.

A Place to Call Home (Deuteronomy 26:1-11)

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Each of us longs for a place to call home,
a place that we are safe and cherished.
Home is a place where when we walk through the door,
we can drop our public face and become who we truly are.

Lord, we ask you to be with those in this world who have no home,
no safe place to live, who may not feel welcome,
and who feel alone and helpless.
We ask that you open our eyes to the needs
of those who live in war zones,
of those who live in underdeveloped countries,
and those who live in poverty within our own country.
Remind us that our public policies and our private choices
have contributed to their situations.
Remind us how fortunate we have been to be born
in this place and in this time,
how fortunate we are
to have the opportunity to improve ourselves and our situations.

Each of us longs for a place to call home,
a place that we are safe and cherished.
As we come here each week to this sacred place,
we feel your presence and we know that we are cherished.
This place, this home, is always here for us even as our lives change.
Your teachings and your grace are always here for us
even as the world changes around us.
No matter where we travel in this world, no matter where our home may be,
you are with us always.
We know that you walk with us on our journey and
we ask that you make your will known to us.
We ask that you be with those among us
who especially need your healing touch, and we name ___.
As the world changes too quickly for us to comprehend,
we ask that you be with us and fill us with your peace.

Lord, there are far too many people in this world
who have no place to call their home.
There is too much violence, too much economic uncertainty,
and too much political upheaval for any of us to feel comfortable.
Remind us that we are your children.
Remind us that as your children,
each of us is deeply loved and uniquely cherished.
Remind us that as your children,
as your followers, we are to support one another.
Remind us to help each other find their home, their safe place.
Remind us to share our fortune with others,
and especially to share the good news of your love and your teachings.

Each of us longs for a place to call home,
a place that we are safe and cherished.
If we cannot find our home in the earthly world,
we know we have a home with you.
We know that we can be ourselves with you
because we are your children.
You know us completely and you love and accept us.
In this sacred place, in this home, we use the words that your Son taught us,
“Our Father…”