First Foot Foward

One of the most difficult parts of a journey is the first step. Lacking momentum, generally content and comfortable where we find ourselves, the prospects of a journey may be alluring, but the energy needed to begin has a host of hindrances. This is especially true for a journey like the one we are on through the Lenten season—a pilgrimage with Jesus through the valley of shadows and deaths.

While we know what awaits us on the other side, it still takes courage and faith to confess what keeps us from resurrected life today. So this week, let’s take the first step together, knowing that what we are confessing is being confessed by our sisters and brothers too. And that together, we make our confession within the relational truth that “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” (Ps. 32:1)

We’ll once again pray a portion of the “Litany of Penitence,” but this time, as we pray get specific. Let yourself dwell long enough in the “general” confession (emboldened) until there are specifics for you to share with our gracious Father. Then, pray the remainder of the prayer as one who is already “Blessed…whom the LORD counts no iniquity” because of Jesus.

Most holy and merciful Father:
We confess to you and with one another,
that we have sinned.

We have not loved you with our whole heart, nor mind, nor strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
Have mercy on us, gracious Father.

We turn to you, Father, acknowledging our divided, wounded, and self-absorbed hearts.

Restore us, good Father,
Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.

Bring to maturity the fruit of your salvation,
That we may show forth your glory in the world.

By the cross and passion of your Son our King and Friend,
Bring us with all your saints into the complete joy of Jesus’ resurrection.

Amen.

Dying to Live

The Lenten season (for most of) the Church is upon us. A season that is a journey, a movement through the confines and shadows of death’s valley to the bright and spacious pastures of resurrection life. We are, of course, setting out in Lent to arrive at Easter. And we cannot forget that. For in Lent we are not challenged merely to mourn but to hope, not merely to confess but to live. As the Orthodox priest and theologian Alexander Schmemann notes, “We are challenged,” through the Lenten journey, “with a vision, a goal, a way of life that is so much above our possibilities!” And our prayer this week, and over the next several, is prayer to accept the challenge, to let die all that is the “old self” and live in every detail all that is “new life" in Jesus.

So, let us pray together the “Litany of Penitence,” in the distant but everyday brighter light of Easter’s dawn. Dying that we might live.

Most holy and merciful Father:
We confess to you and to another,
and to the whole communion of saints
in heaven and on earth,
that we have sinned by our own fault
in thought, word, and deed;
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart, nor mind, nor strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
Have mercy on us, gracious Father.

We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Jesus served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on us, compassionate Father.

We confess to you, Father, all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives.
We confess to you, humble Father.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people,
We confess to you, self-giving Father.

Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,
We confess to you, generous Father.

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,
We confess to you, just Father.

Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,
We confess to you, patient Father.

We turn to you, Father, and away from the wrongs we have done: acknowledging our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty,
We hold fast to you, always-present Father.

Acknowledging false judgments, uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and prejudice and contempt toward those who are different from us,
We turn to you, ever-chasing Father.

Acknowledging our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us,
We hold fast to you, never-changing Father.

Restore us, good Father, and let your anger depart from us;
Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.

Bring to maturity the fruit of your salvation,
That we may show forth your glory in the world.

By the cross and passion of your Son our King and Friend,
Bring us with all your saints into the complete joy of his resurrection.

Amen.

Taking Seriously...

This week we conclude our month of praying the plain and personal expectations of God for us and our neighbors from Micah 6:6-8. Having confessed our poor assumptions of what God desires, and expressed our need for the strength to live simply, we now come to the prayer’s final imperative: “don’t take yourself too seriously…take God with you seriously.”

We’ve prayed these words over and over again this month, but this week, let us make time for them to sink down deep into our hearts, minds, and souls. For, our prayer goes against what is most natural to us: for us to be the center, even of our relationship to God. What we are praying for, for ourselves and one another, is that our attention would be less focused upon ourselves (even us trying to get things “right”) and more attuned to the gracious truth of God with us. When we live aware of His always presence, we will live in the joy, courage, and freedom He desires for us.

So this week, pray God’s Word through Micah three more times. As you read the emboldened texts, take a deep, slow breath. Allow your lungs to fill with not just with oxygen, but with the Spirit of God with you, God for you, God in you. Sit in the words and silence of the fullness of God long enough to finish the prayer with the energy of our Father’s heart for and through you.

Father, how can we stand before YOU

and show proper respect to our GOD of gods?

Do You desire us to bring an armload of offerings

topped off with our finest possessions?

Would You, Father, be impressed with if we emptied our bank accounts,

poured out to You buckets and barrels of all that we can produce?

Father, would You be moved if we sacrificed our firstborn, the precious fruit of our body for the sin of our soul?

No?! That’s not what You require. You’ve already made it plain how to live, what to do,

what You, Father, are looking for in humanity, in us.

It’s quite simple, and personal You say:

Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,

be compassionate and loyal in your love,

And don’t take yourselves too seriously—

take You and You with us, seriously.

That’s it! And if we know what is good for us, we’ll listen.

Plain But Not Easy

We’ll continue praying the plain and personal expectations of God for us and our neighbors from Micah 6:6-8 again this week. But our focus will shift from our poor assumptions of God’s desire, to what he has “made plain..”

While God’s Word to us is straightforward, it is not easy Doing justice, what is fair and good to others; all while loving kindness, being compassionate and consistent in our affections, takes more strength than we often feel is ours.

So this week, pray God’s Word through Micah three times. As you read the emboldened texts, confess your desire what is plain and simple, but not easy. Allow yourself to be strengthened by the power of the Spirit in your inner being so that you might be able to live the way Jesus lives in you. Sit in the words and silence long enough to finish the prayer with the energy of our Father’s heart for and through you.

Father, how can we stand before YOU

and show proper respect to our GOD of gods?

Do You desire us to bring an armload of offerings

topped off with our finest possessions?

Would You, Father, be impressed with if we emptied our bank accounts,

poured out to You buckets and barrels of all that we can produce?

Father, would You be moved if we sacrificed our firstborn, the precious fruit of our body for the sin of our soul?

No?! That’s not what You require. You’ve already made it plain how to live, what to do,

what You, Father, are looking for in humanity, in us.

It’s quite simple, and personal You say:

Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,

be compassionate and loyal in your love,

And don’t take yourselves too seriously—

take You and You with us, seriously.

That’s it! And if we know what is good for us, we’ll listen.

Praying for the "Not This"

Last week we began praying the plain and personal expectations of God for us and our neighbors. This week, we continue to pray ourselves and neighbors into God’s Word from Micah 6:6-8. We’ll do so by focusing on the “not this” portion of God’s desires.

Often we—and those most in need, most desperate for God’s favor, clarity, and interceeding—offer to God what he doesn’t want. We think if we give him what we assume he desires, we’ll receive what we desire. Micah helps us pray through these wrong assumptions, giving us the opportunity to let us hear anew what God actually requires.

So this week, pray God’s Word through Micah three times. As you read the emboldened texts, let your heart confess where/how you are assuming good offerings, and wondering why they aren’t paying off. Sit in the silence and words long enough to consider what your neighbor, co-worker, or friend might be offering to God and finding only frustration as well. Confess that for him/her, then finish the prayer for you both.

Father, how can we stand before YOU

and show proper respect to our GOD of gods?

Do You desire us to bring an armload of offerings

topped off with our finest possessions?

Would You, Father, be impressed with if we emptied our bank accounts,

poured out to You buckets and barrels of all that we can produce?

Father, would You be moved if we sacrificed our firstborn, the precious fruit of our body for the sin of our soul?

No?! That’s not what You require. You’ve already made it plain how to live, what to do,

what You, Father, are looking for in humanity, in us.

It’s quite simple, and personal You say:

Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,

be compassionate and loyal in your love,

And don’t take yourselves too seriously—

take You and You with us, seriously.

That’s it! And if we know what is good for us, we’ll listen.

Plain and Personal

Last month we took Jesus at his word, praying with him for our Father’s kingdom to come and will done in our city as it is in heaven. This month we’ll continue the theme of taking God at this word, praying for the manifestation of what He said is a good life, for us and for our neighbors.

This week, we’re going to familiarize ourselves with His word, praying Micah 6:6-8 three times through. When you’ve finished, give yourself a minute or two to sit in the silence, breathing in the truth of the plain and personal expectations God has for you in life with Him.

Father, how can we stand before YOU

and show proper respect to our GOD of gods?

Do You desire us to bring an armload of offerings

topped off with our finest possessions?

Would You, Father, be impressed with if we emptied our bank accounts,

poured out to You buckets and barrels of all that we can produce?

Father, would You be moved if we sacrificed our firstborn, the precious fruit of our body for the sin of our soul?

No?! That’s not what You require. You’ve already made it plain how to live, what to do,

what You, Father, are looking for in humanity, in us.

It’s quite simple, and personal You say:

Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,

be compassionate and loyal in your love,

And don’t take yourselves too seriously—

take You and You with us, seriously.

That’s it! And if we know what is good for us, we’ll listen.

Galvanize Our Days

This week we conclude our exercise in particularizing Jesus’ instruction to pray for our Father’s kingdom to come and will to be done in our time and place as it is in heaven.

Adapting Ernest Campbell’s “A City-Dweller’s Prayer” we’ll focus our attention on the final stanza (embolden below). When you get to this part of the prayer, slow down. Let the words sink into your heart, and let the Spirit lead you to express the specifics on which they light: the maze of opportunities, of could be’s and what if’s which suffocate hope, and the heart of Jesus which grants us power and clarity to live the Way as people new. Confess and express these things, for yourself and as a part of our social collective, in the presence of the One for whom nothing is hidden. Then conclude within a shared “Amen”.

Come back to these words and insights throughout the week ahead, allowing the heart and life of Jesus to galvanize our way forward together.

Pray with your faith family…

Father, our God of every time and place,

prevail among us too;

within the city that we live

among the people whose streets we share

and whose souls we learn to love,

your promise to renew.

Our people move with downcast eyes,

tight, sullen, and afraid;

Surprise us with your joy divine,

for we would be remade.

O Father whose will we can resist,

but cannot overcome,

Forgive our harsh and strident ways,

the harm that we have done.

Like Babel’s builders long ago

we raise our lofty towers,

And like them, too, our words divide,

and pride lays waste our powers.

Behind the masks that we maintain

to shut our sadness in,

There lurks the hope, however dim,

to live once more as your design.

Let wrong embolden us to fight,

and need excite our care;

If not us, who? If not now, when?

If not here, Father, then where?

Our forebears stayed their minds on you

in village, farm, and plain;

Help us, their crowded, harried kin,

no less your peace to claim.

Give us to know that you do love

each soul that you have made;

That size does not diminish grace,

nor concrete hide your gaze.

Grant us, Father, those who labor here

within this throbbing maze,

A forward-looking, saving hope

to galvanize our days.

Let Jesus, who loved Jerusalem,

and wept its sin to mourn,

Make just our laws and pure our hearts;

so shall we be reborn!

In, Through, and To Jesus we pray, Amen.

To Live Once More

We’ll continue to make particular Jesus’ instruction to pray for our Father’s kingdom to come and will to be done in our time and place as it is in heaven.

Adapting Ernest Campbell’s “A City-Dweller’s Prayer” we’ll focus our attention this week on the third stanza (embolden below). When you get to this part of the prayer, slow down. Let the words sink into your heart, and let the Spirit lead you to express the specifics on which they light: the masks we and neighbors wear as protection, the longings and pursuits to be who we are truly created to be (and all the false selfs sold and bought in our society), the timidity that keeps us from “issues” and the courage to know our place in salvation's story here and now. Confess and express these things, for yourself and as a part of our social collective, in the presence of the One for whom nothing is hidden. Then finish the prayer.

Come back to these words and insights throughout the week ahead, seeing through what divides to what and who unites, and trusting that He is working in and through you for those around you even now.

Pray with your faith family…

Father, our God of every time and place,

prevail among us too;

within the city that we live

among the people whose streets we share

and whose souls we learn to love,

your promise to renew.

Our people move with downcast eyes,

tight, sullen, and afraid;

Surprise us with your joy divine,

for we would be remade.

O Father whose will we can resist,

but cannot overcome,

Forgive our harsh and strident ways,

the harm that we have done.

Like Babel’s builders long ago

we raise our lofty towers,

And like them, too, our words divide,

and pride lays waste our powers.

Behind the masks that we maintain

to shut our sadness in,

There lurks the hope, however dim,

to live once more as your design.

Let wrong embolden us to fight,

and need excite our care;

If not us, who? If not now, when?

If not here, Father, then where?

Our forebears stayed their minds on you

in village, farm, and plain;

Help us, their crowded, harried kin,

no less your peace to claim.

Give us to know that you do love

each soul that you have made;

That size does not diminish grace,

nor concrete hide your gaze.

Grant us, Father, those who labor here

within this throbbing maze,

A forward-looking, saving hope

to galvanize our days.

Let Jesus, who loved Jerusalem,

and wept its sin to mourn,

Make just our laws and pure our hearts;

so shall we be reborn!

We Can Resist...But Cannot Overcome

Last week we began praying a prayer as a particularized expression of the way Jesus taught us to pray:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

We’ll continue the adaptation of Ernest Campbell’s “A City-Dweller’s Prayer” this week, focussing our attention on the second stanza (embolden below). When you get to this part of the prayer, slow down. Let the words sink into your heart, and let the Spirit lead you to express the specifics on which they light: your and our ways of resisting, that are harsh, divisive, and prideful. Confess them, for yourself and as a part of our social collective, and then finish the prayer.

Come back to these words and insights throughout the week ahead, confessing, repenting, and receiving the grace of the One through whom you are reborn, whose will cannot be overcome.

Pray with your faith family…

Father, our God of every time and place,

prevail among us too;

within the city that we live

among the people whose streets we share

and whose souls we learn to love,

your promise to renew.

Our people move with downcast eyes,

tight, sullen, and afraid;

Surprise us with your joy divine,

for we would be remade.

O Father whose will we can resist,

but cannot overcome,

Forgive our harsh and strident ways,

the harm that we have done.

Like Babel’s builders long ago

we raise our lofty towers,

And like them, too, our words divide,

and pride lays waste our powers.

Behind the masks that we maintain

to shut our sadness in,

There lurks the hope, however dim,

to live once more as your design.

Let wrong embolden us to fight,

and need excite our care;

If not us, who? If not now, when?

If not here, Father, then where?

Our forebears stayed their minds on you

in village, farm, and plain;

Help us, their crowded, harried kin,

no less your peace to claim.

Give us to know that you do love

each soul that you have made;

That size does not diminish grace,

nor concrete hide your gaze.

Grant us, Father, those who labor here

within this throbbing maze,

A forward-looking, saving hope

to galvanize our days.

Let Jesus, who loved Jerusalem,

and wept its sin to mourn,

Make just our laws and pure our hearts;

so shall we be reborn!

God of Every Time and Place

When asked by his apprentices how to pray, Jesus gave them a rather straightforward model to get them started. “The Lord’s Prayer” as we call it, begins with the declarative invocation “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” All at once, Jesus proclaims the majestic truth of intimacy and breadth of God‘s rule and humbly summons that authority over the details of daily life.

This month, we are going to pray a prayer together that is learned from Jesus’ prayer. A prayer for our Father’s kingdom to come and his will to be done in our time and place in His-story. In each of the following weeks, we’ll draw out a particular part of this prayer to give us focus. This week though, let’s simply familiarize with the prayer, letting the Spirit lead us to invite the “God of every time and place,” to be the Father whose care and wisdom takes active shape in us, through us, and for our neighbors.

Let us pray together an adaption of Ernest Campbell’s “A City-Dweller’s Prayer.”

Father, our God of every time and place,

prevail among us too;

within the city that we live

among the people whose streets we share

and whose souls we learn to love,

your promise to renew.

Our people move with downcast eyes,

tight, sullen, and afraid;

Surprise us with your joy divine,

for we would be remade.

O Father whose will we can resist,

but cannot overcome,

Forgive our harsh and strident ways,

the harm that we have done.

Like Babel’s builders long ago

we raise our lofty towers,

And like them, too, our words divide,

and pride lays waste our powers.

Behind the masks that we maintain

to shut our sadness in,

There lurks the hope, however dim,

to live once more as your design.

Let wrong embolden us to fight,

and need excite our care;

If not us, who? If not now, when?

If not here, Father, then where?

Our forebears stayed their minds on you

in village, farm, and plain;

Help us, their crowded, harried kin,

no less your peace to claim.

Give us to know that you do love

each soul that you have made;

That size does not diminish grace,

nor concrete hide your gaze.

Grant us, Father, those who labor here

within this throbbing maze,

A forward-looking, saving hope

to galvanize our days.

Let Jesus, who loved Jerusalem,

and wept its sin to mourn,

Make just our laws and pure our hearts;

so shall we be reborn!

December 17th | O Wisdom

This is the first of our seven O Antiphons. Prayers that have been sung by our faith family for centuries. Sung so that the quickening pace of Christmas is not just all the things on our calendars but the longing in our hearts.

In case you are interested, the tune which I sing them is from (appropriately!) O Come O Come Emmanuel. Let us rejoice in praying together:

O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other mightily,
and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.

Eastern Advent Prayers Two

Let us again join with our Orthodox family of faith in asking for a “stirring up” of the Spirit in and amongst us this Advent season.

Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to joy.
Lift up our heads from the dust
and adorn us with your righteousness,
that we may rejoice
and testify that our Lord has come;
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.

Stir up your power, O Lord Jesus, and come.
Help us by your great might,
that whatever is hindered by our sins
may be speedily accomplished for your glory;
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.

Eastern Advent Prayers One

In the Orthodox tradition, the “stir up prayers” are spoken one each Sunday of Advent. Let us join with our sisters and brothers around the globe and pray these prayers for our faith family today, and in the week to come. Let us stir up one another by seeking the Spirit’s movement…

Stir up your power, O Lord Jesus, and come.
Rescue and protect us
from the threatening perils of our sins by your might;
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.

Stir up our hearts, O Lord,
to make ready the way of your only Son,
so that by his coming we may worship you with pure minds;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.

May Everything Remind You of Our Lord

For the last couple of weeks we’ve been praying to and from the final image Peter gave us in his second letter. A picture to settle our minds and hearts upon which was nothing less than heaven and earth meet once more and yet anew.

This week, in the LIGHT of our Father’s new creation, a light of life given for our growth and delight, we continue our prayers for and with one another. Praying from the still place that our lives might reflect where we are.

Our prayer comes from yet another adaptation of a Malcolm Guite poem. This poem “Exaudiat te Dominus” is based on Psalm 20. May the mystery of God with us and for us draw us on to seeing His kingdom come, his will done on earth as it is in heaven.

Let’s pray together.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world”

the True light

All given for our growth, and our delight

All flowering for us from his sanctuary.

Even before we enter in, his light

Is blessing us. Now may his mystery

Still draw us on, arouse our hearts’ desire,

And may each glimpse of Jesus become an epiphany

of life live well.

May evne the briefest sparks blaze into a holy fire

within and through our lives

As light and warmth illuminate our minds.

And may some scent and sense of heav’n inspire

Our thoughts and words. May everything remind

Us of our Lord, that we may put our trust

Entirely in his name, not in the blind

Dependence of this world, whose weapons rust

Into the soul and kill it from within.

But may we find in Jesus Christ, riches and rest.

For from him and through him and to him

are all things.

To him be the glory forever.

Amen.