Morning Prayers
May 19-25, 2024
Rule of Life focus for this Week is WORK.
Sunday
Rest as a Rule of Life
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, in The Sabbath, writes, “The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week
we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath
we try to become attuned to the holiness in time.”
Silence
Let us be still and absorb the goodness of God.
Prayers of Gratitude
Gracious God, we give you thanks for this very special day as we celebrate
the coming of your Holy Spirit – the completion of the Trinity. Your spirit is
our constant companion guiding us on your path of love and filling us with
gratitude for the goodness in our lives.
The Lord’s Prayer
A Reading
Romans 8:22–27
Reflect on how we can patiently and confidently wait of God’s answers.
Intercessions
O Holy God, on this special day we bring to you our prayers for peace and
healing within ourselves, our families, our friends, our nation and indeed, for the stranger. We pray with the knowledge that you hear spoken and
unspoken requests, and that you act with love and compassion for all.
Sending Forth
In 2 Corinthians 13:14, the Apostle Paul referenced this three-in-one God
when he wrote, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” May we go forth in
His Spirit, working to improve the lives of all we meet along the way.
Sunday, May 19, 2024: Day of Pentecost: Acts 2:1-21 or Ezekiel 37:1-14 • Psalm 104:24-34, 35b • Romans 8:22-27 or Acts 2:1-21 • John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
Monday, May 19, 2024
Rule of Life focus for this Week is WORK.
“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in us the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created,
and you shall renew the face of the earth.
O God, who have taught the hearts of the faithful
by the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise
and ever rejoice in his consolation.
Through Christ our Lord.” Amen.
Silence
Let us be still and allow the Holy Spirit to move within us.
Prayers of Gratitude
Loving God, as your children, we give thanks for the gift of your Holy Spirit.
We now remember and celebrate in the many blessings bestowed upon us,
The Lord’s Prayer
A Reading
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Reflect on how God works through the Holy Spirit in each of us
as a vehicle for His kin-dom.
Intercessions
God of all creation, we give you thanks for the opportunity to intercede on behalf of our brothers and sisters. Remind us to faithfully turn to you, and we pray our prayers become the vessel by which your mercy is poured out among people close to us and among those far away.
Sending Forth
Send us forth, O God, with
every breath a thanksgiving,
every thought wrapped in compassion,
every word filled with kindness, and
every deed a channel of Love.
Through your grace may our lives become a prayer.
Amen.
Linda Douty
Praying in the Messiness of Life
Monday, May 20, 2024: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; Joel 2:18-29; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Rule of Life focus for this Week is WORK.
Loving, gracious and almighty God, we come to you this day
thanking you for your gift of the Holy Spirit
who instructs, guides, teaches and comforts us.
Silence
Let us be still and feel the power of the Holy Spirit.
Prayers of Gratitude
Thank you, Lord, for the many blessings in our lives.
We give thanks for those gathered here
who share in our lives, our joys and our sorrows.
The Lord’s Prayer
A Reading
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
We rejoice in being a part of the body of Christ along
with our brothers and sisters.
Intercessions
Amazing God, we know that you are adequate for our every need
and acknowledge that you hear our every prayer.
We are thankful for your love.
Amen.
Sending Forth
As we depart in peace, and in love and charity with all of our neighbors, near and far, may we be joined together in the common goal
of sharing the love of our God.
Tuesday, May 21, 2024: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; Genesis 11:1-9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Rule of Life focus for this Week is WORK.
As we start this day, we welcome You, Holy Spirit, into our presence.
We are grateful that You are our Counselor of Truth, our help in need,
and the One who fills us with the Spirit of God.
Holy Spirit, we pray for your presence to lead us
into greater communion with our loving God.
Silence
Let us silence our thoughts, letting go of distractions.
And, as the silence unsettles our spirits,
let the waves of God’s peace and presence wash over us.
Prayers of Gratitude
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise:
be thankful unto Him and bless His name.
For the Lord is good, and His love endures forever.”
The Lord’s Prayer
A Reading
John 20:19-23
Explore how receiving the Holy Spirit has changed you and works with you every day.
Intercessions
Lord, it saddens our hearts to see the suffering of your children both near and far. We ask for your healing of situations that are physical, mental, and emotional in nature. Come breathe with your Holy Spirit to bring your great love, hope and joy to all those afflicted. Guide us to minister in the strength of your spirit and to always work in unity with others.
Sending Forth
Before the creation of the world, each of us was engraved in God’s heart.
Ignite within us a holy passion and fire that cannot be extinguished.
May the light and love of God’s truth illuminate our paths as we go forth.
Wednesday, May 22, 2024: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; Ezekiel 37:1-14; John 20:19-23
Thursday, May 23, 2024
Rule of Life focus for this Week is WORK.
As we gather on this day, Lord, we welcome You into our midst and rejoice in the gift of life that you have poured out upon us. Help us to work towards the good of all. We ask that you open our ears so that we may hear your voice and open our minds so that we may receive your grace and wisdom.
Silence
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
Richard Rohr
Prayers of Gratitude
Lord, as we strive to live in radical humility and gratitude,
we recognize that we are but your instruments.
We live in extreme gratitude for the innumerable blessings
you bestow upon us each and every day.
The Lord’s Prayer
A Reading
Romans 8:1-8
Reflect on the ease and/or difficulties we encounter when trying to follow the Holy Spirit.
Intercessions
Lord of all, we recognize that you are the ultimate lover of life.
We thank you for the opportunity to lift a prayer,
whether for ourselves or for others whether near or far.
We know that each prayer, spoken or unspoken, is enough.
Sending Forth
Go forth with the strength and the conviction to stand for love, for healing, for the good, and for the diverse unity of the body of our loving Christ and all of God’s creation.
Thursday, May 23, 2024: Psalm 29; Isaiah 1:1-4, 16-20; Romans 8:1-8
Friday, May 24, 2024
Rule of Life focus for this Week is WORK.
This morning, we come before God and each other just as we are,
not as we often pretend to be, allowing both to see through us in all our emptiness and brokenness. Let us gather strength and insight from one another as we begin this day – indeed a gift from the King of Love.
Silence
“The truth is that stillness is teeming with spiritual activity.”
Gretchen Rodriguez
Prayers of Gratitude
Praise God, from who all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye Heavenly Hosts;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
(Doxology)
The Lord’s Prayer
A Reading
Romans 8:9-11
Reflect on how we experience life on God’s terms because of the Holy Spirit.
Intercessions
Loving Lord of all creation, we bring before you the needs of those who require your healing touch today. We ask that you heal hearts, minds, souls, and bodies, and grant your peace, your wisdom, and your strength. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.
Sending Forth
Teach us, Good Lord,
to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek to rest;
to labor and not to ask for any reward;
except that of knowing that we do your will;
through Christ Jesus our Lord. AMEN
Prayer of Ignatius of Loyola – UMH #570
Friday, May 24, 2024: Psalm 29; Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 8:9-11
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Rule of Life focus for this Week is WORK.
Just as we welcome the dawning of this day, we welcome God into our space, our hearts, and our lives.
Silence
Silence allows us to know ourselves and
allows the person who God created us to be to emerge.
Prayers of Gratitude
Lord of all goodness, we dwell in the knowledge that all things good come from You. We give thanks for your presence and influence in our lives.
The Lord’s Prayer
A Reading
Psalm 29
Let us resonate in the assurance that God gives us strength, compassion and wisdom through the Holy Spirit in order to bring peace to all of His creation.
Intercessions
Loving God, we are thankful for your direction and guidance in our lives and the lives of others. We come before you today to offer prayers for ourselves and others.
Sending Forth
Christ has no body now but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which he looks with compassion on the world.
Yours are the feet through he walks about doing good.
Yours are the hands with which he blesses people now.
St Teresa of Avila
Saturday, May 25, 2024: Psalm 29; Isaiah 5:15-24; John 15:18-20, 26-27
Peace be with you.
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