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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July 18, 2018

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

 

OPENING SENTENCE

We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 75:1)

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
Amos 9:11-15
Luke 7:31-35

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

CANTICLE: Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55, The Inclusive Bible translation) 

My soul proclaims your greatness, O God,
and my spirit rejoices in you, my Savior.
For you have looked with favor
upon your lowly servant,
and from this day forward
all generations will call me blessed.
For you, the Almighty, have done great things for me, and holy is your Name.
Your mercy reaches from age to age
for those who fear you.
You have shown strength with your arm;
you have scattered the proud in their conceit;
you have deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places.
You have filled the hungry with good things, while you have sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the aid of Israel your servant, mindful of your mercy –
the promise you made to our ancestors –
to Sarah and Abraham
and their descendants forever.

__________________________

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.

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.

July 11, 2018

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

OPENING SENTENCE

We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 75:1)

______________________

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.

______________________

SCRIPTURE READINGS AND CANTICLES

PSALM 119:81-88

My soul languishes for your salvation;
I hope in your word.
My eyes fail with watching for your promise;
I ask, “When will you comfort me?”
For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
yet I have not forgotten your statutes.
How long must your servant endure?
When will you judge those who persecute me?
The arrogant have dug pitfalls for me;
they flout your law.
All your commandments are enduring;
I am persecuted without cause; help me!
They have almost made an end of me on earth;
but I have not forsaken your precepts.
In your steadfast love spare my life,
so that I may keep the decrees of your mouth.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Jeremiah 16:14-21

John 7:1-9

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

CANTICLE: A Song of the Wilderness (Isaiah 35:1-7,10)

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
It shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weary hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to the anxious, “Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God, coming with judgment to save you.”
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened,
and the ears of the deaf be unstopped.
Then shall the lame leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert;
The burning sand shall become a pool
and the thirsty ground, springs of water.
The ransomed of God shall return with singing,
with everlasting joy upon their heads.
Joy and gladness shall be theirs,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

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.

~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.

July 7, 2018

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

 

OPENING SENTENCE

We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 75:1)

____________________

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

2 Samuel 3:1-12

2 Corinthians 10:7-11

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

CANTICLE: The Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-8)

My heart exults in you, O God;
my triumph song is lifted in you.
My mouth derides my enemies,
for I rejoice in your salvation.
There is none holy like you,
nor any rock to be compared to you, our God.
Do not heap up prideful words or speak in arrogance;
Only God is knowing and weighs all actions.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the weak are clothed in strength.
Those once full now labor for bread,
those who hungered now are well fed.
The childless woman has borne sevenfold,
while the mother of many is forlorn.
God destroys and brings to life, casts down and raises up;
gives wealth or takes it away, humbles and dignifies.
God raises the poor from the dust;
and lifts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with the rulers
and inherit a place of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are God’s
on which the whole earth is founded.

__________________________

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.

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.

June 15, 2018

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

 

OPENING SENTENCE

We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 75:1)

______________________

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.

______________________

SCRIPTURE READINGS AND CANTICLES

PSALM 20

The Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May God send you help from the sanctuary,
and give you support from Zion.
May God remember all your offerings,
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices.
May God grant you your heart’s desire,
and fulfill all your plans.
May we shout for joy over your victory,
and in the name of our God set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
Now I know that the Lord will help the anointed;
God will answer him from holy heaven
with mighty victories by the divine right hand.
Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.
They will collapse and fall,
but we shall rise and stand upright.
Give victory to the king, O Lord;
answer us when we call.

1 Samuel 10:1-8

Hebrews 11:4-7

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

CANTICLE: A Song of the Wilderness (Isaiah 35:1-7,10)

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
It shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weary hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to the anxious, “Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God, coming with judgment to save you.” Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened,
and the ears of the deaf be unstopped.
Then shall the lame leap like a deer, *
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert;
The burning sand shall become a pool
and the thirsty ground, springs of water.
The ransomed of God shall return with singing,
with everlasting joy upon their heads.
Joy and gladness shall be theirs,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

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.

June 13, 2018

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

 

OPENING SENTENCE

We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 75:1)

______________________

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.

______________________

SCRIPTURE READINGS AND CANTICLES

PSALM 108

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make melody.
 Awake, my soul!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn.
I will give thanks to you, O God, among the peoples,
and I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens,
and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and let your glory be over all the earth.
Give victory with your right hand, and answer me,
so that those whom you love may be rescued.
God has promised in the sanctuary:
“With exultation I will divide up Shechem,
and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my scepter.
Moab is my washbasin;
on Edom I hurl my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
O grant us help against the foe,
for human help is worthless.
With God we shall do valiantly;
it is God who will tread down our foes.

1 Samuel 9:1-14

Luke 11:14-28

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

CANTICLE 19: The Song of the Redeemed (Revelation 15:3-4) 

Mighty and wonderful are your works,
O God Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O Ruler of the nations!
Who would dare refuse your honor,
or the glory due your Name, O God?
Since you alone are holy,
all nations will come
and worship in your presence.
Your mighty deeds are clearly seen.

__________________________

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 Vocation (Gertrude of Helfta, Germany 1256- c. 1302)

Lord, in the presence of your love, I ask that you unite my work with your great work, and bring it to fulfillment. Just as a drop of water, poured into a river, becomes one with flowing waters, so may all I do become part of all that you do. So that those with whom I live and work may also be drawn to your love. 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.

June 8, 2018

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

OPENING SENTENCE

We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 75:1)

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.

______________________

SCRIPTURE READINGS AND CANTICLES

PSALM FOR THE DAY: 138

I give you thanks, O God, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.
On the day I called, you answered me,
you increased my strength of soul.
All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of your ways,
for great is your glory.
For though you are high, you regard the lowly;
but the haughty you perceive from far away.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.
You will fulfill your purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O God, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

OTHER SCRIPTURE READINGS

1 Samuel 5:1-1
2 Corinthians 5:1-5

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

CANTICLE: Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55, The Inclusive Bible translation)

My soul proclaims your greatness, O God,
and my spirit rejoices in you, my Savior.
For you have looked with favor
upon your lowly servant,
and from this day forward
all generations will call me blessed.
For you, the Almighty, have done great things for me, and holy is your Name.
Your mercy reaches from age to age
for those who fear you.
You have shown strength with your arm;
you have scattered the proud in their conceit;
you have deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places.
You have filled the hungry with good things, while you have sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the aid of Israel your servant, mindful of your mercy –
the promise you made to our ancestors –
to Sarah and Abraham
and their descendants forever.

__________________________

PRAYERS

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

Let us pray.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

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.

June 6, 2018

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

OPENING SENTENCE

We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 75:1)

______________________

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.

___________________

SCRIPTURE READINGS AND CANTICLES

PSALM 99

The Lord is sovereign; let the peoples tremble!
God sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
The Lord is great in Zion,
and exalted over all the peoples.
Let them praise your great and awesome name.
Holy is our God!
Mighty Ruler, lover of justice,
you have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
Extol the Lord our God;
worship at God’s footstool.
Holy is our God!
Moses and Aaron were among Yahweh’s priests,
Samuel also was among those who called on the divine name.
They cried to the Lord, and were answered.
God spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
they kept the divine decrees,
and the statutes that they were given.
O Lord our God, you answered them;
    you were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
Extol the Lord our God,
and worship at the holy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy.

OTHER SCRIPTURE READINGS

1 Samuel 2:22-36
John 5:1-18

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.

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.