International Presbytery of the Church of Scotland
God of Pentecosts,
we have received from you an inheritance of fire, not of ashes.
You have breathed your Spirit into us and we have been born anew.
And now our raised hands look for your purpose.
Our feet look for your path.
We look to spend our inheritance as fools for your grace,
As fools in your grace.
As fools by your grace.
Amen.
~ written by lutheranjulia, and posted on RevGalBlogPals
John the Baptist:
“I baptize you with water.
But one who is more powerful than I will come,
the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
God of grace and glory,
you call us with your voice of flame
to be your people, faithful and courageous.
As your beloved Son
embraced his mission in the waters of baptism,
inspire us with the fire of your Spirit
to join in his transforming work.
We ask this in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.
~ from Revised Common Lectionary Prayers
From the blog
The Gift
a 12-part series of readings and prayer poems on the Holy Spirit originally published on the PRAYER MATTERS blog in the run-up to Pentecost in 2017
Psalm 51 is a classic prayer of confession.
Here are 3 prayers inspired by Psalm 51:10: “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me”. I’ve also included a link to Keith Green’s song, Create in me a clean heart, also a classic in my view.
Merciful God,
have mercy on our souls,
according to your unwavering love;
according to your abundant mercy
wipe away our sins and the guilt we have carried for so long.
Instead write on our hearts your love,
your boundaries for our lives,
your salvation that sets us free from our sins
to live the abundant life you have for each of us.
Lord we would see Jesus;
we would love Jesus;
we would follow Jesus;
we would serve Jesus.
Lord,
create in us clean hearts;
renew your spirit within us.
Do not turn us away from your presence,
do not take your Holy Spirit from us.
Restore to us the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in us a willing spirit.
Write on our hearts, your love O God,
Amen.
~ written by Rev. Abi, posted on re:worship
God of our Hearts,
not of our outer garments,
nor our church structures,
nor our programs and human plans,
you are the only one who can make us pure.
You are the only one who can wash us clean of all our sin and guilt.
You alone can save us from the terrible Day of the Lord.
You are the merciful and just God.
If we turn, we see you.
Help us to turn, O God of all hearts,
and find you here with us:
Emmanuel – the Christ-heart within us all.
We light our fires for you, to reflect your shining.
~ from Heart of the Matter: Service for Ash Wednesday, written by Rev. Marilyn K. Levine. Posted on the United Church of Christ website
May God create in you a clean heart,
a transformed heart,
a heart that knows and seeks and loves
the justice and mercy of the Lord.
May you accept the gift of salvation –
not your personal possession to be coveted,
but His work, accomplished in the destruction of sin
on the cross of Jesus Christ.
And may you humble yourself before the Lord,
coming before Him with a broken spirit,
a contrite heart,
receiving from His hand
great compassion
and unfailing love.
~ posted on Jeff’s Blog
I’ve also included the prayer inspired by his reflections on the disciples’ request in Luke 11:1, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’.
I
II
III
IV
(inspired by Luke 11:1-4)
Lord, teach us to pray
with the whole of our being,
bodies stilled and centred,
minds focused on your way,
hearts warmed by your grace.
Lord, teach us to pray
with the whole of your people,
connecting to your followers
of every time and place,
connecting to your Church in all its varied faces,
connecting to the world with all its joy and agony.
Lord, teach us to pray
in the power of your Spirit,
as children of one dear God,
as brothers and sisters in Christ
as sinners forgiven and forgiving.
Lord, teach us to pray
to you,
in you,
this moment,
this life,
this eternity.
~ by Terry Hinks,
from God’s Embrace: Praying with Luke, p. 91
From the blog
In the school of prayer with Angela Ashwin
In the school of prayer with the Celtic Saints
In the school of prayer with Eddie Askew
Keeping a low profile: Dandelion verging on the tram rail (Photo: Irene Bom)
Psalm 23 – a paraphrase
God,
You are enough for us;
you give us rest in soft fields
and beside whispering streams;
you restore and renew us,
and lead us into life-giving ways;
When death and evil come close to us,
you carry us through,
you protect and comfort us;
when others seek to do us harm,
your grace uplifts and provides for us
in public view;
you fill us with your strength
and we enjoy overflowing abundance;
We have confidence that your goodness and compassion
will fill our days,
and we will stay immersed in your life and presence
forever.
Amen.
~ written by John van de Laar, posted on sacradise.com
From the blog | More prayers by John van de Laar
In small ways
Theme: Still small voice [prayer sheet]
Theme: Good shepherd [prayer sheet]
(Photo: Irene Bom)
Gracious and Compassionate God,
As we journey through our time of Lent
Our time in deserts and low places
Our time on the mountains and high places
We continue to seek you.
We need you more than ever
in our busyness
our loneliness
our sadness
our depression
our anger
our happiness
our joy
our excitement
We need
your presence
your compassion
your grace
your comfort
your renewal
your healing
your peace
your joy
your love
your salvation
Lord, we are
reminded that
all this is embodied
in your son Jesus
in his life
his death
and his resurrection
and that all
this was freely given
that we may have
abundant life
eternal life
fullness of life
freed lives
loved lives
loving lives
grace giving lives
Come Lord
pour your mercy and grace and love and salvation over us
And for these gifts from you we are grateful.
Amen.
~ written by Rev. Abi,
posted on Rev. Abi’s Long and Winding Road blog.
From the blog
St Patrick’s Breastplate embodied
First steps
To keep our hearts in tune
Here are 3 brief prayers for courage to aid you in your prayers as you bring your hopes and fears before God.
Note: I’ve called this post 3 More prayers for courage as I already had a post entitled 3 Prayers for courage, posted in September 2020 when the theme of the month was “Threshold”.
“Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’
After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.” (John 20:19-20)
Living God,
You appeared to your disciples in their hour of fear,
and offered them your peace to still their hearts.
May we open our arms
to be living hope in the world today,
bringing peace to those living in fear.
Give us courage to be bold in sharing what we believe;
may we hold firm to your promise of life and hope,
and strive for a new world,
free from poverty, injustice and conflict.
~ from the Monthly Prayers page of the Christian Aid website,
posted on re:worship
Eternal God,
you call us to ventures
of which we cannot see the ending,
by paths as yet untrodden,
through perils unknown.
Give us faith
to go out with courage, not knowing
where we go but only that your hand
is leading us,
and your love supporting us.
~ written by Eric Milner White,
posted on Christine Jerrett’s blog
(inspired by Luke 24:13-35)
O God, you come to us in unexpected places:
in isolation, behind closed doors;
on dusty roads, as we go from place to place;
in video chats with friends and telephone conversations with loved ones.
You come bringing us peace, where there is no peace.
You come bringing us hope when everything seems hopeless.
You come bringing us courage when we are afraid.
Come and be among us now, in every place where we are.
Open our eyes to see you, open our hearts to know you.
In the name of the Risen Christ we pray.
Amen
~ submitted by Ann Harbridge,
posted on re:worship
From the blog
Wilderness encouragement
3 Prayers for refugees
Theme: Still small voice [prayer sheet]
A bold prayer for this first week in Lent.
Lord Jesus Christ,
who for our sake drew to yourself the world’s hate,
grant us the courage to be vulnerable,
grace to expose ourselves to the furies without
and the furies within;
and in our frailty send your holy angels
to minister to us.
~ written by Richard Harries
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #770
O God our Creator,
by whose mercy and might
the world turns safely into darkness
and returns again to light:
we give into your hands
our unfinished tasks,
our unsolved problems
and our unfulfilled hopes,
knowing that only those things which you bless
will prosper.To your great love and protection
we commit each other,
and all for whom we have prayed,
knowing that you alone are our sure defender;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Book of Common Worship, Church of South India (adapted)
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #672
More evening prayers
Evening prayer #1
Evening prayer #2
Evening prayer #3
Another New Year’s prayer, albeit a few days late, a prayer that beautifully connects to our current theme of the month: GROW.
Lord, as this new year dawns,
welcome.
Welcome into our world
and into our lives.
Sow light in our hearts.
Let it germinate and grow
and bring forth fruit.
Birth in us something new.
Let your peace take root.
Nurture it,
encourage it to flourish.
Let your love blossom
with the fragrance
of patience and compassion.
Let it strengthen
forgiveness and understanding.
Let your life emerge
in us, through us, around us,
bringing newness to all it touches.
~ written by Christine Sine, and posted on godspacelight.com.
From the blog
3 prayers for the New Year
3 Prayers for endings and beginnings
Big strong tree