Welcome to Morning Prayer

Welcome! Consider this your invitation to join our on-line morning prayer group. We gather every Wednesday and Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. Central Time.

If you would like to join us, simply  go to our Zoom hangout at the appropriate time. We are currently praying with Christena Cleveland’s “God Our Mother: An Inclusive Morning Prayer Liturgy.”

See below for the “Inclusive Liturgy” adapted for our morning prayers. The prayer liturgies below that are ones we have used previously and you are welcome to use them in your own context. These earlier prayers are not date specific except in terms of following the international prayer calendar from the World Council of Churches.

For more information about me, please see my primary blog, Spacious Faith.

Thanks for stopping by,
Joanna

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May 18, 2018

Morning prayer liturgy adapted from “God Our Mother: An Inclusive Morning Prayer Liturgy” by Christena Cleveland.

 

OPENING SENTENCE

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17, NRSV)

______________________

PRAISE

O God, let our mouth proclaim your praise.
And your glory all the day long.

Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Holy One is in our midst.
O come let us worship.

__________________________________________

PSALM FOR THE DAY

Happy is the nation whose God is Yahweh,
the people whom God has chosen as divine heritage.
God looks down from heaven and sees all humankind.
Yahweh sits enthroned and watches all the inhabitants of the earth—
God who fashions the hearts of them all,
and observes all their deeds.
Rulers are not saved by their great armies;
warriors are not delivered by their great strength.
The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.
Truly the eye of Yahweh is on those who fear God,
on those who hope in God’s steadfast love,
to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for God who is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in God,
because we trust in the holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Yahweh, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Job 37:1-13
1 Corinthians 15:50-57

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

CANTICLE: A Song of Christ’s Humility (Philippians 2:6-11)

Though in the form of God, Christ Jesus did not cling to equality with God,
But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and was born in human likeness.
Being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.
Therefore, God has highly exalted him and given him the name above every name,
That at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God.

__________________________

PRAYERS

Hear our cry, O God.
And listen to our prayer.
Let us pray.

THE LORD’S PRAYER By Parker Palmer

Heavenly Father, heavenly Mother,
Holy and blessed is your true name.
We pray for your reign of peace to come,
We pray that your good will be done,
Let heaven and earth become one.
Give us this day the bread we need,
Give it to those who have none.
Let forgiveness flow like a river between us,
From each one to each one.
Lead us to holy innocence
Beyond the evil of our days —
Come swiftly Mother, Father, come.
For yours is the power and the glory and the mercy:
Forever your name is All in One.

PRAYER FOR RENEWAL (Medical Mission Sisters)

God our Mother, Living Water, River of Mercy, Source of Life, in whom we live and move and have our being, who quenches our thirst, refreshes our weariness, bathes and washes and cleanses our wounds, be for us always a fountain of life, and for all the world a river of hope springing up in the midst of the deserts of despair. Honor and blessing, glory and praise to You forever. Amen.

PEOPLE OFFER THEIR OWN PRAYERS, SILENTLY OR ALOUD.

~Conclude spoken prayer with: God, in your mercy,
~We will respond: Hear our prayer.

CONCLUDING PRAYER:

Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service
and live this day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.

May 16, 2018

Morning prayer liturgy adapted from “God Our Mother: An Inclusive Morning Prayer Liturgy” by Christena Cleveland.

OPENING SENTENCE

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17, NRSV)

______________________

PRAISE

O God, let our mouth proclaim your praise.
And your glory all the day long.

Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Holy One is in our midst.
O come let us worship.

______________________

PSALM FOR THE DAY: Psalm 115

Not to us, O God, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.
Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
Our God is in the heavens, and does whatever God pleases.
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk;
they make no sound in their throats.
Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them.
O Israel, trust in the Lord who is your help and your shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord, who is your help and your shield.
You who fear God, trust in the Lord, who is your help and your shield.
God has been mindful of us and will bless us;
God will bless the house of Israel and the house of Aaron;
God will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great.
May God give you increase, both you and your children.
May you be blessed by God, who made heaven and earth.
The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth has been given to human beings.
The dead do not praise God, nor do any that go down into silence.
But we will bless God from this time on and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!

OLD TESTAMENT, AND GOSPEL READING

Ezra 9:5-15
John 16:16-24

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

Canticle: A Song of Christ’s Goodness (Anselm of Canterbury)

Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to you;
you are gentle with us as a mother with her children.
Often you weep over our sins and our pride,
tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgment.
You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds,
in sickness you nurse us and with pure milk you feed us.
Jesus, by your dying, we are born to new life;
by your anguish and labor we come forth in joy.
Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness;
through your gentleness, we find comfort in fear.
Your warmth gives life to the dead,
your touch makes sinners righteous.
Lord Jesus, in your mercy, heal us;
in your love and tenderness, remake us.
In your compassion, bring grace and forgiveness,
for the beauty of heaven, may your love prepare us.

__________________________

PRAYERS

Hear our cry, O God.
And listen to our prayer.
Let us pray.

A FEMINIST LORD’S PRAYER 

Our Father, Mother, who are in the world and surpass the world,
Blessed be your presence,
in us, in animals and flowers, in still air and wind.
May justice and peace dwell among us, as you come to us.
Your will be our will;
You will that we be sisters and brothers, as bread is bread, water is itself,
For our hunger, for quenching of thirst. Forgive us.
We walk crookedly in the world,
are perverse, and fail of our promise. But we would be human,
if only you consent to stir up our hearts. Amen.

COLLECT: Prayer of Reliance (I Arise Today, Brigid of Kildare Abbey, Ireland, c.450-523)

I arise today through a mighty strength: God’s power to guide me, God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to teach me, God’s eyes to watch over me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to give me speech, God’s hand to guard me, God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to shelter me, God’s host to secure me. Amen.

PEOPLE OFFER THEIR OWN PRAYERS, SILENTLY OR ALOUD.
~Conclude spoken prayer with: God, in your mercy,
~We will respond: Hear our prayer.

CONCLUDING PRAYER:

Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service
and live this day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.

May 9, 2018

Morning prayer liturgy adapted from “God Our Mother: An Inclusive Morning Prayer Liturgy” by Christena Cleveland.

OPENING SENTENCE

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17, NRSV)

______________________

PRAISE

O God, let our mouth proclaim your praise.
And your glory all the day long.

Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Holy One is in our midst.
O come let us worship.

______________________

VENITE (Psalm 95:1-7, The Inclusive Bible translation)

Come, let us sing joyfully to God!
Raise a shout to our rock, our deliverance!
Let us come into God’s presence with thanksgiving, and sing our praises with joy.

For YHWH is a great God,
The great Ruler, above all gods.
O God, in your hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks are yours.
Yours is the sea, for you made it,
The dry land as well, for your hands formed it.

Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before YHWH, our Maker.

For you are our God,
And we are the people you shepherd, the flock under your care.

______________________

SCRIPTURE READINGS AND CANTICLES

PSALM 93

Yahweh is the great ruler, robed in majesty;
robed in majesty and girded with strength.
God has established the world; it shall never be moved;
     your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.
 The floods have lifted up,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,
more majestic than the waves of the sea,
majestic on high are you, O God!
Your decrees are very sure;
holiness befits your house forevermore.

SCRIPTURE READINGS:
Isaiah 42:5-9
Acts 10:34-43

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

CANTICLE: A Song of God’s Love (1 John 4:7-11; The Inclusive Bible translation) 

“Beloved, let us love one another
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten of God and has knowledge of God.
Those who do not love have known nothing of God, for God is love.
God’s love was revealed in our midst in this way:
by sending the Only Begotten into the world,
that we might have faith through the Anointed One.
Love, then, consists in this:
not that we have loved God,
but that God has loved us
and has sent the Only Begotten
to be an offering for our sins.
Beloved,
if God has loved us so, we must have the same love for one another.”

PRAYERS

Hear our cry, O God.
And listen to our prayer.
Let us pray.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (By Parker Palmer)

Heavenly Father, heavenly Mother,
Holy and blessed is your true name.
We pray for your reign of peace to come,
We pray that your good will be done,
Let heaven and earth become one.
Give us this day the bread we need,
Give it to those who have none.
Let forgiveness flow like a river between us,
From each one to each one.
Lead us to holy innocence
Beyond the evil of our days —
Come swiftly Mother, Father, come.
For yours is the power and the glory and the mercy:
Forever your name is All in One.

COLLECT:  Prayer for Renewal (Medical Mission Sisters)

God our Mother, Living Water, River of Mercy, Source of Life, in whom we live and move and have our being, who quenches our thirst, refreshes our weariness, bathes and washes and cleanses our wounds, be for us always a fountain of life, and for all the world a river of hope springing up in the midst of the deserts of despair. Honor and blessing, glory and praise to You forever. Amen.

PEOPLE OFFER THEIR OWN PRAYERS, SILENTLY OR ALOUD.

~Conclude spoken prayer with: God, in your mercy,
~We will respond: Hear our prayer.

CONCLUDING PRAYER:

Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service
and live this day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.

May 4, 2018

Morning prayer liturgy adapted from “God Our Mother: An Inclusive Morning Prayer Liturgy” by Christena Cleveland.

 

OPENING SENTENCE

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17, NRSV)

______________________

PRAISE

O God, let our mouth proclaim your praise.
And your glory all the day long.

Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Holy One is in our midst.
O come let us worship.

______________________

Jubilate (Psalm 100, The Inclusive Bible translation)

Acclaim YHWH with joy, all the earth! Serve YHWH with gladness!
Enter into God’s presence with a joyful song! Know that YHWH is God!
YHWH made us, and we belong to the Creator;
We are God’s people and the sheep of God’s pasture.
Enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and the courts with praise!
Give thanks for God! Bless God’s Name!
For YHWH is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever,
And God’s faithfulness to all generations.

______________________

SCRIPTURE READINGS AND CANTICLES

PSALM FOR THE DAY: Psalm 98

O sing to God a new song, for God has done marvelous things.
The divine hand and holy arm have achieved victory.
God has made known this victory;
and has revealed vindication in the sight of the nations.
God has remembered steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to God with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the Sovereign, our God.

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who live in it.
Let the floods clap their hands;
let the hills sing together for joy
at the presence of God, who is coming to judge the earth.
God will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Isaiah 42:5-9

Acts 10:34-43

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

CANTICLE: A Song of Our True Nature (Julian of Norwich)

Christ revealed our frailty and our falling, our trespasses and our humiliations.
Christ also revealed his blessed power, his blessed wisdom and love.
He protects us as tenderly and as sweetly when we are in greatest need;
he raises us in spirit and turns everything to glory and joy without ending.
God is the ground and the substance, the very essence of nature;
God is the true father and mother of natures.
We are all bound to God by nature, and we are all bound to God by grace.
And this grace is for all the world, because it is our precious mother, Christ.
For this fair nature was prepared by Christ for the honor and nobility of all,
and for the joy and bliss of salvation.

__________________________

PRAYERS

Hear our cry, O God.
And listen to our prayer.
Let us pray.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (New Zealand Anglican Prayer Book)

Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us. From the grip of all that is evil, free us. For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever.
Amen.

EPISCOPAL SUFFRAGE

Help us, O God our Savior;
Deliver us and forgive us our sins.
Look upon your congregation;
Give to your people the blessing of peace.
Declare your glory among the nations;
And your wonders among all peoples.
Do not let the oppressed be shamed and turned away;
Never forget the lives of your poor.
Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you;
And your favor to those who are true of heart.
Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning;
So shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.

PEOPLE OFFER THEIR OWN PRAYERS, SILENTLY OR ALOUD.

~Conclude spoken prayer with: God, in your mercy,
~We will respond: Hear our prayer.

CONCLUDING PRAYER:

Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service
and live this day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.

May 2, 2018

Morning prayer liturgy adapted from “God Our Mother: An Inclusive Morning Prayer Liturgy” by Christena Cleveland.

 

OPENING SENTENCE

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17, NRSV)

______________________

PRAISE

O God, let our mouth proclaim your praise.
And your glory all the day long.

Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Holy One is in our midst.
O come let us worship.

______________________

JUBILATE (Psalm 100, The Inclusive Bible translation)

Acclaim YHWH with joy, all the earth! Serve YHWH with gladness!
Enter into God’s presence with a joyful song! Know that YHWH is God!
YHWH made us, and we belong to the Creator;
We are God’s people and the sheep of God’s pasture.
Enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and the courts with praise!
Give thanks for God! Bless God’s Name!
For YHWH is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever,
And God’s faithfulness to all generations.

______________________

SCRIPTURE READINGS AND CANTICLE

PSALM FOR THE DAY: Psalm 80

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might, and come to save us!
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
our enemies laugh among themselves.
Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches;
it sent out its branches to the sea,
and its shoots to the River.
Why then have you broken down its walls,
so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
The boar from the forest ravages it,
and all that move in the field feed on it.
 Turn again, O God of hosts;
look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
the stock that your right hand planted.
They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down;
may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance.
But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,
the one whom you made strong for yourself.
Then we will never turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call on your name.
Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Isaiah 65:17-25

John 14:18-31

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

CANTICLE 17: The Song of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32)
Now, O God, you can dismiss your servant in peace, just as you promised;
because my eyes have seen the salvation
which you prepared for all the peoples to see –
a light of revelation to the Gentiles
and the glory of your people Israel.

__________________________

PRAYERS

Hear our cry, O God.
And listen to our prayer.

Let us pray.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

PEOPLE OFFER THEIR OWN PRAYERS, SILENTLY OR ALOUD.

CONCLUDING PRAYER:

Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service
and live this day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.

April 27, 2018

Morning prayer liturgy adapted from “God Our Mother: An Inclusive Morning Prayer Liturgy” by Christena Cleveland.

 

OPENING SENTENCE

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 2 Corinthians 5:17, NRSV

______________________

PRAISE

O God, let our mouth proclaim your praise.
And your glory all the day long.

Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Holy One is in our midst.
O come let us worship.

VENITE (Psalm 95:1-7, The Inclusive Bible translation)

Come, let us sing joyfully to God!
Raise a shout to our rock, our deliverance!
Let us come into God’s presence with thanksgiving, and sing our praises with joy.
For YHWH is a great God,
The great Ruler, above all gods.
O God, in your hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks are yours.
Yours is the sea, for you made it,
The dry land as well, for your hands formed it.
Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before YHWH, our Maker.
For you are our God,
And we are the people you shepherd, the flock under your care.

______________________

SCRIPTURE READINGS AND CANTICLES

PSALM FOR THE DAY

Psalm 22:25-31

From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will pay before those who fear God.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
 those who seek God shall give praise.
May your hearts live forever!
 All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the God;
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before the Holy One.
For dominion belongs to God,
who rules over the nations.
To God, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
all shall bow who go down to the dust,
and I shall live for God.
Posterity will serve Yahweh;
future generations will be told about our God,
and proclaim Divine deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that God has done it.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Amos 8:11-13
Acts 8:9-25

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

CANTICLE: A Song of Judith (Judith 16:13-16)

I will sing a new song to my God,
for you are great and glorious, wonderful in strength, invincible.
Let the whole creation serve you,
for you spoke and all things came into being.
You sent your breath and it formed them,
no one is able to resist your voice.
Mountains and seas are stirred to their depths,
rocks melt like wax at your presence.
But to those who fear you,
you continue to show mercy.
No sacrifice, however fragrant, can please you,
but whoever fears the Lord shall stand in your sight for ever.

__________________________

PRAYERS

Hear our cry, O God.
And listen to our prayer.

Let us pray.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (New Zealand Anglican Prayer Book)

Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all,

Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.

In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.

From trials too great to endure, spare us. From the grip of all that is evil, free us. For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever.

Amen.

PRAYER OF RELIANCE (I Arise Today, Brigid of Kildare Abbey, Ireland, c.450-523)

I arise today through a mighty strength: God’s power to guide me, God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to teach me, God’s eyes to watch over me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to give me speech, God’s hand to guard me, God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to shelter me, God’s host to secure me. Amen.

PEOPLE OFFER THEIR OWN PRAYERS, SILENTLY OR ALOUD.

CONCLUDING PRAYER:

Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service
and live this day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.

April 25, 2018

Morning prayer liturgy adapted from “God Our Mother: An Inclusive Morning Prayer Liturgy” by Christena Cleveland.

OPENING SENTENCE

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17, NRSV)

______________________

PRAISE

O God, let our mouth proclaim your praise.
And your glory all the day long.

Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Holy One is in our midst
O come let us worship.

______________________

PASCHA NOSTRUM (Christ our Passover; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8; Romans 6:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22, The Inclusive Bible translation)

Alleluia.
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed. So let us celebrate the feast –
not with old yeast, the yeast of corruption and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again:
death is now powerless over our Savior.
When Christ died, Christ died to sin, once for all, so that the life Christ lives is now life in God.
In this way, you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin –
but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through one human being,
in the same way the resurrection of the dead has come through one human being.
Just as in the first human all die,
so in Christ all will come to life again.

______________________

SCRIPTURE READINGS AND CANTICLES

PSALM 95

O come, let us sing to God;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into the Divine presence with thanksgiving;
and make a joyful noise with songs of praise!
For Yahweh is a great God,
and a great ruler above all gods.
In God’s hand are the depths of the earth;
also the heights of the mountains.
The sea is God’s, for God made it,
and the dry land, which God’s hands have formed.
O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before God, our Maker!
For Yahweh is our God,
and we are the people of the divine pasture,
and the sheep of God’s hand.
O that today you would listen to God’s voice!
Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your ancestors tested me,
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they do not regard my ways.”
Therefore in my anger I swore,
“They shall not enter my rest.”

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Micah 7:8-20

Mark 14:26-31

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

CANTICLE G: A Song of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36:24-28)

I will take you from among all nations;
and gather you from all lands to bring you home.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you;
and purify you from false gods and uncleanness.
A new heart I will give you
and a new spirit put within you.
I will take the stone heart from your chest
and give you a heart of flesh.
I will help you walk in my laws
and cherish my commandments and do them.
You shall be my people, and I will be your God.

PRAYERS

Hear our cry, O God.
And listen to our prayer.
Let us pray.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (version by Parker Palmer)

Heavenly Father, heavenly Mother,
Holy and blessed is your true name.
We pray for your reign of peace to come,
We pray that your good will be done,
Let heaven and earth become one.
Give us this day the bread we need,
Give it to those who have none.
Let forgiveness flow like a river between us,
From each one to each one.
Lead us to holy innocence
Beyond the evil of our days —
Come swiftly Mother, Father, come.
For yours is the power and the glory and the mercy:
Forever your name is All in One.

COLLECT: Prayer for Beauty (Changing Woman, Navajo)
Watch over us, your hand before us, protect us, heal us, make us well. As you speak to us, we speak to you: May it be beautiful before us, may it be beautiful behind us, may it be beautiful below us, may it be beautiful above us, may it be beautiful everywhere. Restore us in beauty. Restore us in beauty. Amen.

PEOPLE OFFER THEIR OWN PRAYERS, SILENTLY OR ALOUD.

CONCLUDING PRAYER:

Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service
and live this day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.