Daily Prayers for August 23
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 bow down and the bend the knee : let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Song “Magnificat”
You lift the lowly and humble the proud : to feed us together at your table.
Psalm 113:4 – 7
The Lord is high above all nations : and his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned on high : but stoops to behold the heavens and the earth?
He takes up the weak out of the dust : and lifts up the poor from the ashes.
He sets them with the princes : with the princes of his -people.
You lift the lowly and humble the proud : to feed us together at your table.
2 Sam-uel 7:1 – 17 Romans 8:31 – 39
You lift the lowly and humble the proud : to feed us together at your table.
Mother Teresa said, “We are called to be contemplatives in the heart of the world — by seeking the face of God in everything, everyone, everywhere, all the time, and his hand in every happening; seeing and adoring the presence of -Jesus, especially in the lowly appearance of bread, and in the distressing disguise of the poor.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
God of mercy, you cast the mighty from their thrones and lift up the lowly. Free us from the ghettoes of poverty and the ghettoes of wealth that we might meet on the level ground at the foot of the cross. 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.
Confession
The Scriptures have much to say about not coming to the altar if we are holding something against a sister or brother. We are told that we will be forgiven inasmuch as we forgive. The early church was known for its public confessions of sins. Many traditions of Christianity have practiced public confession, and many great revivals have been sparked by folks beating their breasts and confessing sins to one another.
Consider ways of creating a space for confession to happen. We have built in some space for confession in each evening prayer office, but there may be other community rituals you want to practice. One practice used in some communities is “prouds and sorries,” where each person is given the space to share something they are proud of and something they are sorry about. Just as we confess things that are wrong, we also need to be reminded that we are better than the worst things we do. Reconciliation is one of the fruits of confession, and it is worth thinking about ways of speaking into each other’s lives as we hope to restore whatever may have been broken or lost. (Some communities respond to confessions by saying together, “We proclaim to you God’s forgiveness and ours.”)
Confessional prayer assumes that our worship takes place in a deeply flawed community. The church has always been a worrisome and dysfunctional place. But by grace we can take small steps to restore trust. Maybe it is writing a note to someone we have offended or calling up someone we have murmured to (or about) and asking for their forgiveness. Maybe it means each week choosing to do something nice for someone it’s hard for you to like. Sometimes we call this “doing penance.” It’s not that we have to do an act of penance to earn God’s grace; it’s the opposite — because we have experienced God’s grace, we can’t help but do some act of grace toward another person.
Daily Prayers for August 22
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 “O Mary, Don’t You Weep”
Let your justice flow down like waters, Lord : and shower us with your mercy.
Psalm 107:33 – 35, 41 – 43
The Lord changed rivers into deserts : and water springs into thirsty ground,
a fruitful land into salt flats : because of the wickedness of those who dwell there.
He changed deserts into pools of water : and dry land into water springs.
He lifted up the poor out of misery : and multiplied their families like flocks of sheep.
The upright will see this and rejoice : but all wickedness will shut its mouth.
Whoever is wise will ponder these things : and consider well the mercies of the Lord.
Let your justice flow down like waters, Lord : and shower us with your mercy.
2 Sam-uel 5:1 – 12 Romans 8:26 – 30
Let your justice flow down like waters, Lord : and shower us with your mercy.
Hear these words from the desert fathers: “A brother came to Abba Theodore and began to converse with him about things which he had never put into practice. So the old man said to him, ‘You have not yet found a ship nor put your cargo aboard it and before you have sailed, you have already arrived at the city. Do the work first; then you will have the speed you are making now.’ ”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
O God our deliverer, we thank you that you have not left us alone. Thank you for the Spirit who intercedes for us. Give us wisdom beyond ourselves that we might see the path you have set before us. Grant us words that bring life to the broken, the suffering, the addicted, the lonely, and those who long for the fulfillment of your kingdom. 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.
Daily Prayers for August 21
In 1831, Nat Turner led a slave revolt in Southhampton County, Virginia, killing fifty-five whites on his march to the county seat of Jerusalem, where he declared that the “great day of judgment” was at hand.
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 bow down and bend the knee : let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Song “We Shall Not Be Moved”
Judge us in your mercy, Lord : that we may live together in peace.
Psalm 105:3 – 7
Glory in his holy name : let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Search for the Lord and his strength : continually seek his face.
Remember the marvels he has done : his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,
O offspring of Abraham his servant : O children of Jacob his chosen.
He is the Lord our God : his judgments prevail in all the world.
Judge us in your mercy, Lord : that we may live together in peace.
2 Sam-uel 2:1 – 11 Romans 8:12 – 25
Judge us in your mercy, Lord : that we may live together in peace.
Martin Luther King Jr. said this: “There was a time when the church was very powerful. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them for being ‘disturbers of the peace’ and ‘outside agitators.’ But they went on with the conviction that they were ‘a colony of heaven,’ and had to obey God rather than man. They were small in number but big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be ‘astronomically intimidated.’ They brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contest.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord God, help us to live out your gospel in the world. We pray for those who do not know your love, that they would be wooed by your goodness and seduced by your beauty. Form us into a family that runs deeper than biology or nationality or ethnicity, a family that is born again in you. May we be creators of holy mischief and agitators of comfort . . . -people who do not accept the world as it is but insist on its becoming what you want it to be. Let us groan as in the pains of childbirth for your kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. Help us to be midwives of that kingdom. 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.
Daily Prayers for August 20
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 “Vamos Todos al Banquete”
O Lord, you stretched out the heavens : make room for us at your banquet table.
Psalm 102:25 – 28
“In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth : and the heavens are the work of your hands;
they shall perish, but you will endure; they all shall wear out like a garment : as clothing you will change them, and they shall be changed;
but you are always the same : and your years will never end.
The children of your servants shall continue : and their offspring shall stand fast in your sight.”
O Lord, you stretched out the heavens : make room for us at your banquet table.
2 Sam-uel 1:1 – 16 Romans 8:1 – 11
O Lord, you stretched out the heavens : make room for us at your banquet table.
Contemporary writer and ragamuffin Brennan Manning has said, “The outstretched arms of -Jesus exclude no one, not the drunk in the doorway, the panhandler on the street, gays and lesbians in their isolation, the most selfish and ungrateful in their cocoons, the most unjust of employers and the most overweening of snobs. The love of Christ embraces all without exception.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Holy God, there is always room for one more at your banquet table. We pray to live in such a way that each person we meet knows they are welcome among your -people. We welcome you as we welcome others this day. 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.
Daily Prayers for August 19
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 “Sing, O Sky (Gaao Re)”
You are exalted, Lord Most High : Christ, be exalted in this humble place.
Psalm 97:5 – 9
The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord : at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
The heavens declare his righteous-ness : and all the -peoples see his glory.
Confounded be all who worship carved images and delight in false gods! : Bow down before him, all you gods.
Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice : because of your judgments, O Lord.
For you are the Lord, most high over all the earth : you are exalted far above all gods.
You are exalted, Lord Most High : Christ, be exalted in this humble place.
1 Sam-uel 31:1 – 13 Matthew 28:11 – 20
You are exalted, Lord Most High : Christ, be exalted in this humble place.
Gregory the Great, the sixth-century monk-become-pope, said, “The dawn intimates that the night is over, but it does not yet proclaim the full light of day. Are not all of us who follow the truth in this life both daybreak and dawn? We do some things which already belong to the light, but we are not free from the remnants of darkness. It will be fully day for the church when she is no longer darkened by the shadow of sin. It will be fully day for her when she shines with the perfect brilliance of interior light. This dawn is an ongoing process. When the dawn has come, the day will retain nothing belonging to the darkness of night.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Thank you, Lord, for working through us despite our sinfulness. By the power of your glorious resurrection, give us grace to love sinners like ourselves. We ask this in the name of our Lord -Jesus, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. 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.
Daily Prayers for August 18
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 “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”
Root us in your word, O Lord : in the good soil of your field.
Psalm 92:5 – 8
Lord, how great are your works! : your thoughts are very deep.
The dullard does not know, nor does the fool understand : that though the wicked grow like weeds, and all the workers of iniquity flourish,
they flourish only to be destroyed for ever : but you, O Lord, are exalted for evermore.
For lo, your enemies, O Lord, lo, your enemies shall perish : and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
Root us in your word, O Lord : in the good soil of your field.
1 Sam-uel 28:3 – 20 Matthew 28:1 – 10
Root us in your word, O Lord : in the good soil of your field.
Ambrose, bishop of Milan and a doctor of the church, said this in the fourth century: “Death comes to every person. You must keep facing it with perseverance. Death is a passover from corruption to incorruption, from mortality to immortality, from rough seas to a calm harbor. The word ‘death’ must not trouble us; the blessings that come from a safe journey should bring us joy. What is death, but the burial of sin and the resurrection of goodness? Scripture says: Let my soul die among the souls of the just; that is, let me be buried with the just, so that I may cast off my sins and put on the grace of the just, of those who bear the death of Christ with them, in their bodies and in their souls.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, you have conquered death and triumphed over evil. There is nothing left for us to fear. Put us to work on this earth, striving for the kingdom in everything we do. Let us die to ourselves each day that we might find ourselves made new in you. 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.
Daily Prayers for August 17
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 bow down and bend the knee : let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Song “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”
As for me, O Lord, I cry to you for help : in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Psalm 88:1 – 6
O Lord, my God, my Savior, : by day and night I cry to you.
Let my prayer enter into your presence : incline your ear to my lamentation.
For I am full of trouble : my life is at the brink of the grave.
I am counted among those who go down to the Pit : I have become like one who has no strength;
lost among the dead : like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more : for they are cut off from your hand.
As for me, O Lord, I cry to you for help : in the morning my prayer comes before you.
1 Sam-uel 25:23 – 44 Matthew 27:55 – 66
As for me, O Lord, I cry to you for help : in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Ignatius of Lyon said this in the second century: “Christianity is not a matter of persuasive words. It is a matter of true greatness as long as it is hated by the world.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
God of the living and the dead, let our lives sing your praise. Make us the fragrance of your love. Rise in us, and awaken us from our slumber that we might live in your light. 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.
Offering a Sacrifice of Praise
There is an old saying many Christians use: “Offer the Lord a sacrifice of praise,” referring to Hebrews 13:15. In many circles this notion of a “sacrifice of praise” almost becomes cliché. (Perhaps because worship does not often come at much cost, especially compared with the sacrifices of saints who’ve gone before us.) But when we worship with folks of various traditions, there are times when we may hear a prayer that uses language we might not naturally use or sing a song that isn’t really our style. That is part of what it means to be a member of a community as diverse as the church is. And perhaps that also helps shed some light on why it might require some sacrifice for us to give up ourselves.
When a song isn’t working for you, consider praising God, because that probably means it is working for someone else who is very different from you. Offer your worship as a sacrifice rather than requiring others to sacrifice for your pleasure or contentment. There is something to the notion of becoming one as God is one; it doesn’t mean that we are the same; it just means that we are united by one Spirit. After all, we can become one only if there are many of us to begin with.
Liturgy puts a brake on narcissism. Certainly, there is something beautiful about contemporary worship, where we can take old things and add a little spice to them, like singing hymns to rock tunes or reciting creeds as spoken word rhymes. But liturgy protects us from simply making worship into a self-pleasing act. So if a song or prayer doesn’t quite work for you, be thankful that it is probably really resonating with someone who is different from you, and offer a sacrifice of praise.
Daily Prayers for August 16
In 1940, despite the spread of war in Europe, Roger Schütz crossed the border from Switzerland into France to pursue a community life characterized by simplicity and the fellowship described in the gospels. From early on in his life, Brother Roger knew that such a life together could be a sign of reconciliation for Christians from different denominations.
After settling in a French village called Taizé, Brother Roger was caught for hiding Jewish refugees and had to leave France after two years. When he returned after World War II had ended, he was accompanied by a few men who became the first brothers of the Taize community, which grew into an ecumenical community with brothers on all continents, bearing witness to what brother Roger came to talk about as a “parable of community.”
On August 16 2005, during evening prayer in the Church of reconciliation at Taizé, Brother Roger was stabbed to death by a mentally ill woman.
Also…
In 1989, a Solidarity-led government was elected in Poland, marking the beginning of a nonviolent victory over communism in Eastern Europe.
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 “We Shall Overcome”
Expose our broken systems, Lord : save us by the power of your cross.
Psalm 80:1 – 3
Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock : shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.
In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh : stir up your strength and come to help us.
Restore us, O God of hosts : show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
Expose our broken systems, Lord : save us by the power of your cross.
1 Sam-uel 25:1 – 22 Matthew 27:45 – 54
Expose our broken systems, Lord : save us by the power of your cross.
A quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “The church’s task is not simply to bind the wounds of the victim beneath the wheel, but also to put a spoke in the wheel itself.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, use us to heal the broken systems. Equip us with wisdom and foresight. May our lives interrupt injustice with your grace. 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.
Daily Prayers for August 15
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 bow down and bend the knee : let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Song “Were You There?”
Hear us when we cannot cry : troubled, trembling before your cross.
Psalm 77:1 – 4
I will cry aloud to God : I will cry aloud, and he will hear me.
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord : my hands were stretched out by night and did not tire; I refused to be comforted.
I think of God, I am restless : I ponder, and my spirit faints.
You will not let my eyelids close : I am troubled and I cannot speak.
Hear us when we cannot cry : troubled, trembling before your cross.
1 Sam-uel 24:1 – 22 Matthew 27:32 – 44
Hear us when we cannot cry : troubled, trembling before your cross.
Francis of Assisi said, “We have no right to glory in ourselves because of any extraordinary gifts, since these do not belong to us but to God. But we may glory in crosses, afflictions and tribulations, because these are our own.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Give us the courage to follow the way of your cross, and to trust that though it confounds the logic of the world, your way interrupts the patterns of sin and death, both now and forever. 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.
Daily Prayers for August 14
Maximilian Kolbe (1894 – 1941)
Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish priest who provided shelter for thousands of Jews in his friary and was an active voice against the Nazi violence. He was arrested by the German Gestapo and imprisoned at Auschwitz. When a fellow prisoner escaped from the camp, the Nazis selected ten other prisoners to be killed in reprisal. As they were lined up to die, one of the ten began to cry, “My wife! My children! I will never see them again!” At this, Maximilian stepped forward and asked to die in his place. His request was granted, and he led the other men in song and prayer as they awaited their deaths. Maximilian had also lived in Japan and founded a monastery on the outskirts of Nagasaki. Four years after his martyrdom, on August 9, 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, but his monastery miraculously survived. Maximilian’s feast day, when Christians around the world celebrate his life and sainthood as a hero of the church, falls one week after Nagasaki Day. Each year, we spend the week reflecting on the best and the worst that human beings are capable of.
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 bow down and bend the knee : let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Song “O Lord, Hear My Prayer”
In you, O God, have we taken refuge : let us never be put to shame.
Psalm 71:4 – 8
Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked : from the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor.
For you are my hope, O Lord God : my confidence since I was young.
I have been sustained by you ever since I was born; from my mother’s womb you have been my strength : my praise shall be always of you.
I have become a portent to many : but you are my refuge and my strength.
Let my mouth be full of your praise : and your glory all the day long.
In you, O God, have we taken refuge : let us never be put to shame.
1 Sam-uel 20:24 – 42 Matthew 27:24 – 31
In you, O God, have we taken refuge : let us never be put to shame.
Maximilian Kolbe had this to say: “These Nazis will not kill our souls, since we prisoners certainly distinguish ourselves quite definitely from our tormentors; they will not be able to deprive us of the dignity of our Catholic belief. We will not give up. And when we die, then we die pure and peaceful, resigned to God in our hearts.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, we know that you often answer our prayers in mysterious and stunning ways. Make us sensitive to your Spirit that we might recognize your gentle nudge. And help us cultivate lives that are always ready to respond to your call. Form us into -people who are truly ready to become the change we want to see. 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.
