Daily Prayers for February 9

O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you

as the day rises to meet the sun.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Come, let us sing to the Lord : let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Song “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah”

We want to find our home in you, Lord : come and make your home with us.

Psalm 49:15 – 19

But God will ransom my life : he will snatch me from the grasp of death.

Do not be envious when some become rich : or when the grandeur of their house increases;

for they will carry nothing away at their death : nor will their grandeur follow them.

Though they thought highly of themselves while they lived : and were praised for their success,

they shall join the company of their forebears : who will never see the light again.

We want to find our home in you, Lord : come and make your home with us.

Genesis 27:30 – 45 John 15:12 – 27

We want to find our home in you, Lord : come and make your home with us.

Mississippi civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer said, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

Prayers for Others

Our Father

Lord, when we weary of the journey, strengthen us by your Spirit to imagine new heavens and a new earth. Amen.

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you;

may he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;

may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;

may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.

A Note on Lent

Lent is the forty-day season of reflection and preparation for the death and resurrection of -Jesus. (You’ll have to check for Ash Wednesday on a calendar to see when Lent starts this year.) It is a time of repentance, of considering Christ’s sufferings and rethinking how we are called to take up our own crosses. Some of us give up things like chocolate or television during this season as a sort of fasting, and others try to integrate something new into their lives, like visiting folks in prison, sewing clothes, exercising, or praying. It is a good season to rethink how we live and to let some things go, or maybe even to develop some new holy habits.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Traditionally, the palm branches from Palm Sunday of the previous year are burned and the ashes are placed on the foreheads of Christians as a sign of repentance.