3 Prayers to our Father


Golden hour
 

Our Father … yours is the …. glory …
Yes. Yes. Yes.

 

This is Eugene Peterson’s version of the Lord’s Prayer, from The Message:

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
      as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
      Yes. Yes. Yes.

 
 

Here are three more prayers to “Our Father”, directly inspired by the prayer Jesus taught his disciples.

 

#1

Father in heaven,
in your goodness
you pour out on your people all that they need,
and satisfy those who persist in prayer.
Make us bold in asking,
thankful in receiving,
tireless in seeking,
and joyful in finding,
that we may always proclaim your coming kingdom
and do your will on earth as in heaven.
Amen.

 
~ from Revised Common Lectionary Prayers
 

#2

Our father who dwells in the heavens and on the earth, you are holy.

May heaven be a greater present reality here on earth, and may we choose to join you in making that happen.

Provide us today with the things that you think we need, and may we not take for granted that which you have already provided.

Forgive us when we don’t live as you intend, and may we be ready to forgive others when they don’t live as we intend.

Guide us in your wisdom away from the things that would distort us, and restore the parts in us that are already distorted.

You are goodness, beauty and truth.
May your love always rule. 
Amen.

 
~ written by Rebekah Long, sourced from re:worship
 

#3

Abba, our God, whom the heavens disclose,
may your name be held holy,
your authority come.
May your longing be fulfilled as in heaven,
so on earth.
Give us today the bread of tomorrow,
and cancel our debts
as we have already forgiven our debtors.
Do not draw us in to sinful enticement,
but set us free from the grip of evil;
for authority and power and glory
are yours alone, forever.
Amen.

 
~ from the Alternative Service Book (1980), Church of England,
sourced from re:worship.

 

 
From the blog
Check the index for more prayers in the “3 Prayers” series, and much more besides.
 

Time together


Swans foraging for their evening meal
 

Opening Prayer

(based on Psalm 145:15-16, Isaiah 55:1-3, John 6:35)

Lord,
the eyes of all look to You in hope;
and You give them what they need.
You open Your hand
and satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.

We, too, turn to You again, longing to be filled —
to eat of the Bread of Life,
to drink from Your life-giving streams,
to taste Your goodness and live.

May the time we spend together in Your presence
nourish our hearts and minds;
may it strengthen our relationship with You,
and renew our commitment to live in this world
      as Your faithful disciples.

For You alone are God,
the Source and Sustainer of life.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 
~ written by Christine Longhurst, re:worship
 

Pilgrims together


Members of Pilgrims rehearsing a dance to “Jehovah Jireh” in the late 1990s.

 
I am a founding member of Pilgrims, a mid-week Bible Study group connected to the Scots International Church Rotterdam, on and off, since the mid-1990s.

The latest hiatus was due to Covid, but we’re starting up again. I’m so looking forward to spending time as pilgrims together, studying the Bible and deepening our relationships with one another and with the Living God.

May you too find joy and encouragement in the company of pilgrims where you are.
 

P.S.
It appears I’ve chosen “Together” as theme of the month before – in October 2017, exactly five years ago. Well, why not? It’s a good theme, worth a revisit.
 

A prayer

Lord God, we thank you
for calling us into the company
of those who trust in Christ
and seek to obey his will.
May your Spirit guide and strengthen us
in mission and service to your world,
for we are strangers no longer
but pilgrims together on the way to your Kingdom.

Prayer of the Inter-Church Process (The Swanwick Declaration)
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #529
 

From the blog
Grow to maturity
History matters
How good, how pleasant
 

Come together


Have a seat.  Spotted in Budapest during our Presbytery weekend

 

For wherever two or three people come together in my name, I am there, right among you!
(Matt 18:20, J.B. Phillips New Testament)

 
 
The Presbytery of International Charges of the Church of Scotland gathered in Budapest this past weekend, hosted by the congregation there. I testify that Jesus was with us – in our worship, in our meetings and in the informal gatherings, as we strengthened our bounds and offered one another support and encouragement.

It is my prayer that our respective congregations will benefit too, as we return with wisdom, inspiration and hope for the months and years ahead.
 

Closing commission

We have sung, we have prayed,
we have worshiped together.
Now we go back out into the world.
We came together to build relationships,
relationships with each other,
and our relationship with Jesus.
We go out as people who are strengthened by our connections,
ready to love and to serve;
ready to carry God’s love to the world.
As you journey through the ups and the downs of the coming week,
let us remember that God,
who has invited us into relationship,
is always with us.
Go with God, as the people of God.
So be it! Amen

 
~ posted by Rev Gord on worshipofferings.blogspot.com,
sourced from re:worship
 

Thank you. For making me me


Mural by Joy Yamusangie (Artist in residence), London St Pancras

 

A follow-up to yesterday’s post …

 

Litany

(inspired by Genesis 1)

In the beginning God created all things
and God saw that they were good.

At our beginning, God created us
unique and irreplaceable
loved by God and wanted by God
known to God and treasured by God
even before he created us.

In all our new beginnings, God creates something new.
So we will seek God
in the freshness of morning
in the laughter of friends
in the colours of creation
and in the warmth of spring-time sunshine.

Lord God, King of Creation,
open our eyes to see your presence
our souls to sense your presence
and our hearts to love your presence
ever here in your creation
and ever beyond it in eternity.
Amen

 
source: wellsprings.org.uk
 

Thank you. For making me

As I was working on this post I discovered that a webpage featuring the lyrics to my song, “Thank you, thank you”, had some curious typos. Also, the verse I wanted to spotlight (“Thank you, Lord, for making me”) isn’t included in the recording.

Please overlook the oversight, and join in this simple song of thanks to the God who made us, loves us, saved us and blesses us in countless ways. Perhaps make it personal and add some verses of your own.
 

A prayer

O my God teach my heart where and how to seek you,
where and how to find you …

You are my God and you are my All
and I have never seen you.

You have made me and remade me,
You have bestowed on me all the good things I possess,
Still I do not know you …

I have not yet done that for which I was made …
Teach me to seek you …

I cannot seek you unless you teach me
or find you unless you show yourself to me.

Let me seek you in my desire,
let me desire you in my seeking.
Let me find you by loving you,
let me love you when I find you.

 
~ written by Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), posted on re:worship
 

From the blog
Theme: God makes all things new  [prayer sheet]
First steps
I hear you
 

Making, making, making

 

Back story

I shared a version of this poem during the Away Day I led at the Scots Kirk, Lausanne earlier this month. It was so well received the group decided to include it in our presentation during Sunday worship the following day.

I’ve since made contact with the author, Wendy Videlock, and got permission to share it with you too. (Thanks, Erica, for giving me the idea.)

You can hear Wendy Videlock reading the poem on Emerging Form Podcast #51 (from 13:30).
 

Poem

 
On Hearing Yet Another Someone Say
they Haven’t Got a Creative Bone in their Body

And yet you’ve spent your entire life
creating — you’ve spent your life
                 making —
making dinner, making drinks,
making fire, making
the cut, making amends,
making fun,
making the team,
making money, making
lemonade

of lemons, yes — we spend
our whole lives making —
making decisions,
making peace,
making war,
making mistakes,
making a call, making some
       kind
               of sense of it all —

we can’t help but spend our lives making,
       making music, making choices,
making strides, making up

for lost time,
making hay, making haste,
making promises and progress,
making love, making
history, making
predictions, making
productions, making
light

of the situation,

we make space,
we make friends,
we make magic, we make trouble,
we make mountains

out of molehills,

we make tea,
we make tracks,
we make use, we make do,
we make way, we make curds,
we make words, we make waves
we make meaning —
       we are born

into this world and are made

(when we’re not humans being)

for making, making, making.

 
~ from Wise to the West by Wendy Videlock, used with permission

 

Maker of heaven and earth


Hopscotch between heaven and earth (hemel en aarde)
 

I lift up my eyes to the mountains –
      where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
      the Maker of heaven and earth.

(Psalm 121:1-2)
 
 
A big thank you to the Scots Kirk Lausanne who summoned me to the mountains last weekend to conduct a workshop on the Psalms: Prayer book, Songbook and God’s Word, with a special focus on Psalm 121.
 
Wherever you are – whether there are mountains in sight or not – may you experience the Lord’s nearness; know that “the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore”. (Psalm 121:8)
 

Prayer: Thanks Be to the Lord

(inspired by Psalm 121)

For those who have watched over me,
for those that have protected me,
for those that have shielded me,
thanks be to the Lord,
maker of heaven and earth.

For the roof that shades me from the sun,
for the walls that shield me from the storm,
for the bed that warms me in the night,
thanks be to the Lord,
maker of heaven and earth.

To the one who keeps me from evil,
to the one who preserves my life,
to the one who watches over my coming and going,
thanks be to the Lord,
maker of heaven and earth.

~ originally from the Christian Aid website, sourced from re:worship
 

What we know


 
 

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

We know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you. (1 Thessalonians 1:4)

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)

 

Intergenerational Call to Worship

(based on Psalm 13)

We’ve come to worship,
to sing and pray and hear God’s Word, because:
God’s love lasts forever!

Even when God seems far away, we know:
God’s love lasts forever!

Even when nothing is going right,
and we’re ready to give up, we know:
God’s love lasts forever!

When people treat us badly, we know:
God’s love lasts forever!

When we’re all alone,
and we feel like no one loves us, we know:
God’s love lasts forever!

Let’s worship God together!

 
~ Christine Longhurst, re:Worship