International Presbytery of the Church of Scotland
This prayer sheet is inspired by the May 2021 theme of the month, Holy, and the season of Pentecost.
The psalmist says,
I love the Lord because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy.
Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath!
(Psalm 116:1-2, NLT)
So let us pray …
For personal use or to share.
Annie Dillard, writer of Holy the Firm and other books of non-fiction and poetry, said in an interview with Philip Yancey:
I often think of God as a fireball – friendly – who rolls by. If you’re lucky you get a slight glimpse of him.
from Open Windows by Philip Yancey, 1985, p. 30
Lord God Almighty, may we revere and serve you, forsaking all other would-be gods.
Loving God, you hear our prayers: You live among us.
Holy Trinity, one God, you are so powerful that the highest heaven cannot contain you. Neither can our churches, our hearts or our world hold you fast. Nevertheless, hear our prayers and pleas this day, for your love is far greater than our needs.
Loving God, you hear our prayers: You live among us.
Holy Spirit, comfort the brokenhearted among us with your promise of redemption and resurrection, for we believe we shall live forever in the house of the Lord.
Loving God, you hear our prayers: You live among us.
Arm us with your might, Lord God, else we will be defeated by evil. May your truth, peace, faith and holy Word guard us, inspire us and embolden us to be your people.
Loving God, you hear our prayers: You live among us.
Lord Jesus Christ, help us take no offense from your difficult teachings. You are the Holy One of God, and the Heavenly Father bids us come to you in faith.
Loving God, you hear our prayers: You live among us.
Lord God Almighty, this world delights in producing weapons of war. Forgive us our fear of one another, teach us to trust your Son, and bring peace to the hearts of all people.
Loving God, you hear our prayers: You live among us.
Among us are many counting on your goodness and mercy for hope and healing. Hear us as we name them _____.
Loving God, you hear our prayers: You live among us.
The love of God has won.
The new life has begun.
Amen.
~ written by Paul Sauer, and posted on re:worship
[from the Prayer Stations handout]
From Ascension Thursday to Pentecost (13 to 23 May 2021) Christians all over the world are once again invited to join the annual global prayer movement called Thy Kingdom Come.
During the 11 days of Thy Kingdom Come, the hope is that all who take part will:
Prayer resources – catering for ages 5 to 105, suitable for churches, families and individuals – are available online.
Jesus, we believe in your kingdom coming. Even amid pain and despair, we believe that with each brave prophet – with each unknown disciple who stretches her arm as a bridge between a broken world and a holy kingdom – you are laying another brick for the New Jerusalem.
Amen.
from Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Enuma Okoro, p. 274
(Illustration: Irene Bom)
Let me introduce you to a recent addition to my growing collection of prayer books: Every Moment Holy: Volume One by Douglas Kane McKelvey. It features over 100 liturgies for the ordinary events of daily life, including liturgies “For Home Repairs”, “For Missing Someone” and “For the Hurried Preparation of a Meal”. A second volume with liturgies for seasons of dying and grieving has also been published.
Here is an excerpt from Volume One, used with the publisher’s permission.
[O Great Architect of These Intricate Heavens]
Tune our ears to hear the songs
of stars in their trillion-fold choruses,
bearing witness to your glory, your power.
Use these bright expressions of your extravagant
beauty to stroke our holy longings, whetting our
appetites afresh for all that is eternal and good.
You made this vastness, and by
your love you placed us in it,
fixed among the wonders.
So let us be stirred, O Lord, by night skies such as these,
lifting our thoughts to you, our Maker, and to the vast
and beautiful infinitude of your designs.
O Spirit of God, draw praise from us,
here in this cathedral of creation,
beneath this starry dome.
Awaken our adoration in this place
where we are so very small –
and yet so greatly loved.
Amen.
written by Douglas Kane McKelvey
from Every Moment Holy: Volume One (Pocket Edition), p. 80, 82
Used with permission
More
Interview with Douglas Kane McKelvey on The Habit Podcast
Every Moment Holy liturgies for download and liturgy videos