Daily Prayers for January 25
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 “Ubi Caritas”
Your love, O Lord, reaches to heaven : your faithfulness extends to the sky.
Psalm 119:73 – 76
Your hands have made me and fashioned me : give me understanding, that I may learn your commandments.
Those who fear you will be glad when they see me : because I trust in your word.
I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right : and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
Let your loving-kindness be my comfort : as you have promised to your servant.
Your love, O Lord, reaches to heaven : your faithfulness extends to the sky.
Genesis 17:15 – 27 Ephesians 3:14 – 21
Your love, O Lord, reaches to heaven : your faithfulness extends to the sky.
Twentieth-century Russian Georges Florovsky wrote, “Christianity entered history as a new social order, or rather a new social dimension. From the very beginning Christianity was not primarily a ‘doctrine,’ but exactly a ‘community.’ There was not only a ‘Message’ to be proclaimed and delivered, and ‘Good News’ to be declared. There was precisely a New Community, distinct and peculiar, in the process of growth and formation, to which members were called and recruited. Indeed, ‘fellowship’ (koinonia) was the basic category of Christian existence.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, when one of us hungers, make it our instinct to feed. When one of us is displaced, make it our instinct to share our home. When one of us is called illegal, make it our instinct to advocate for our sister’s rights. May we find our peace in the peace of the places to which you have called us. 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 January 24
On January 24, 1848, James Marshall discovered gold in the American River, setting off the California Gold Rush. Prior to the discovery of this precious metal, one hundred and fifty thousand Native Americans lived in California. White settlers in search of gold brought with them genocide through both disease and violence. In 1851, the government of California endorsed the extermination of Native -people. Offering five dollars per head in some places, they invested a total of a million dollars in the systematic murder of men, women, and children. By 1870, only an estimated thirty-one thousand California Natives had survived.
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 “I Want -Jesus to Walk with Me”
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening : give us life according to your word.
Psalm 119:25 – 28
My soul cleaves to the dust : give me life according to your word.
I have confessed my ways, and you answered me : instruct me in your statutes.
Make me understand the way of your commandments : that I may meditate on your marvelous works.
My soul melts away for sorrow : strengthen me according to your word.
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening : give us life according to your word.
Genesis 16:15 – 17:14 Ephesians 3:1 – 13
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening : give us life according to your word.
Seattle, chief of the Suquamish, said, “One thing we know, which the White Man may one day discover — our God is the same God. You may think that you own Him as you wish to own our land; but you cannot. He is the God of humanity, and his compassion is equal for the red man and the white. The earth is precious to him, and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its Creator. Even the white man cannot be exempt from the common destiny. We may be brothers after all. We shall see.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Thank you, Lord, that you do not claim to be God over just some -people but are the creator and redeemer of all creatures. Help us spread the good news that no one can claim ownership of you, because each of us belongs to 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 January 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 sing to the Lord : let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Song “All Creatures of Our God and King”
May our feet skip with the mountains : as we sing and dance your praise.
Psalm 114
Hallelujah! When Israel came out of Egypt : the house of Jacob from a -people of strange speech,
Judah became God’s sanctuary : and Israel his dominion.
The sea beheld it and fled : Jordan turned and went back.
The mountains skipped like rams : and the little hills like young sheep.
What ailed you, O sea, that you fled? : O Jordan, that you turned back?
You mountains, that you skipped like rams? : you little hills like young sheep?
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord : at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turned the hard rock into a pool of water : and flint stone into a flowing spring.
May our feet skip with the mountains : as we sing and dance your praise.
Genesis 16:1 – 14 Ephesians 2:11 – 22
May our feet skip with the mountains : as we sing and dance your praise.
William Law, an eighteenth-century English cleric, wrote, “All that is sweet, delightful, and amiable in this world, in the serenity of the air, the fineness of seasons, the joy of light, the melody of sounds, the beauty of colors, the fragrancy of smells, the splendor of precious stones, is nothing else but Heaven breaking through the veil of this world.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, it is fitting to rejoice in your beauty and to gaze upon your handiwork. While others may call this a waste of time, we recognize that unless we sit in adoration of you, we will forget whom we serve and for what purpose. Remind us why worship is always our first response to 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 January 22
On January 22, 1973, the US Supreme Court decided in Roe v. Wade that a mother has the legal right to end her pregnancy up until the point at which the fetus can live outside of her womb. We lament the death of each child lost to abortion. We pray for each parent who has chosen to terminate a pregnancy. And we commit to become a -people who welcome life in a culture of death.
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 “Take My Life and Let It Be”
Today you set before us life and death : in everything we do, may we choose life.
Psalm 107:33 – 38
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 settled the hungry there : and they founded a city to dwell in.
They sowed fields, and planted vineyards : and brought in a fruitful harvest.
He blessed them, so that they increased greatly : he did not let their herds decrease.
Today you set before us life and death : in everything we do, may we choose life.
Genesis 15:1 – 11, 17 – 21 Ephesians 2:1 – 10
Today you set before us life and death : in everything we do, may we choose life.
Cyprian of Carthage, a third-century North African bishop, wrote, “The world is going mad in mutual extermination, and murder, considered as a crime when committed individually, becomes a virtue when it is committed by large numbers. It is the multiplication of the frenzy that assures impunity to the assassins.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, we all suffer varying degrees of blindness. We are blind to love, to justice, to grace, and to life. Help us not to condemn one another in our blindness, but rather to work together to help one another see more clearly by 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.
Daily Prayers for January 21
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”
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good : his mercy endures forever.
Psalm 106:6 – 12
We have sinned as our forebears did : we have done wrong and dealt wickedly.
In Egypt they did not consider your marvelous works, nor remember the abundance of your love : they defied the Most High at the Red Sea.
But he saved them for his name’s sake : to make his power known.
He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up : and he led them through the deep as through a desert.
He saved them from the hand of those who hated them : and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
The waters covered their oppressors : not one of them was left.
Then they believed his words : and sang him songs of praise.
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good : his mercy endures forever.
Genesis 14:1 – 24 Ephesians 1:15 – 23
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good : his mercy endures forever.
Irish rock star Bono has said, “Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Enlighten the eyes of our hearts, O Lord, so we may not only see and receive your mercy but also notice the places in our world where you call us to extend mercy. 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 January 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 “All Creatures of Our God and King”
Bless the Lord, O my soul : how excellent is your greatness.
Psalm 104:2 – 6
You wrap yourself with light as with a cloak : and spread out the heavens like a curtain.
You lay the beams of your chambers in the waters above : you make the clouds your chariot; you ride on the wings of the wind.
You make the winds your messengers : and flames of fire your servants.
You have set the earth upon its foundations : so that it never shall move at any time.
You covered it with the Deep as with a mantle : the waters stood higher than the mountains.
Bless the Lord, O my soul : how excellent is your greatness.
Genesis 13:2 – 18 Ephesians 1:1 – 14
Bless the Lord, O my soul : how excellent is your greatness.
John Calvin, sixteenth-century theologian and reformer, wrote, “The creation is quite like a spacious and splendid house, provided and filled with the most exquisite and the most abundant furnishings. Everything in it tells us of God.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, wherever we look today, allow us to catch a glimpse of you. And whenever others look at us today, allow them to catch a glimpse of 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 January 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 “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”
Shout with joy to the Lord : lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing!
Psalm 98:1 – 4
Sing to the Lord a new song: for he has done marvelous things.
With his right hand and his holy arm : has he won for himself the victory.
The Lord has made known his victory : his righteous-ness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.
He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel : and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
Shout with joy to the Lord : lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing!
Genesis 12:9 – 13:1 Galatians 6:11 – 18
Shout with joy to the Lord : lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing!
Contemporary writer Madeleine L’Engle wrote, “We are all asked to do more than we can do. Every hero and heroine of the Bible does more than he would have thought it possible to do, from Gideon to Esther to Mary. Jacob, one of my favourite characters, certainly wasn’t qualified. He was a liar and a cheat; and yet he was given the extraordinary vision of angels and archangels ascending and descending a ladder which reached from earth to heaven.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, this is the day that you have made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it, even as we know it will bring more than we can do. 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 January 18
In 1893 Lorrin Thurston, the grandson of Christian missionaries, convinced US President Benjamin Harrison of the urgent need to annex Hawaii in order to protect American lives and property. When US troops arrived on Hawaiian soil, Queen Liliuokalani surrendered her throne to prevent bloodshed. One hundred years later, US President Bill Clinton apologized to Native Hawaiians, calling the overthrow of Hawaii’s monarchy an illegal act.
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, Have Mercy”
Judge your earth with mercy, Lord : and teach us to love justice.
Psalm 94:1 – 4
O Lord God of vengeance : O God of vengeance, show yourself.
Rise up, O Judge of the world : give the arrogant their just deserts.
How long shall the wicked, O Lord : how long shall the wicked triumph?
They bluster in their insolence : all evildoers are full of boasting.
Judge your earth with mercy, Lord : and teach us to love justice.
Genesis 11:27 – 12:8 Galatians 5:25 – 6:10
Judge your earth with mercy, Lord : and teach us to love justice.
Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, wrote, “We want no revolution; we want the brotherhood of men. We want men to love one another. We want all men to have what is sufficient for their needs. But when we meet -people who deny Christ in His poor, we feel, ‘Here are the atheists.’ They turned first from Christ crucified because He was a poor worker, buffeted and spat upon and beaten. And now — strange thought — the devil has so maneuvered that the -people turn from Him because those who profess Him are clothed in soft raiment and sit at well-spread tables and deny the poor.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Holy Spirit, guide us in the imprint of Christ’s footsteps to pursue justice, counting our neighbors’ welfare to be as important as our own. 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 January 17
Anthony of Egypt (251 – 356)
Anthony was born in Egypt in the middle of the third century and lost his parents at a young age, inheriting a fair amount of land and wealth. Soon after, when he heard a gospel reading in church prompting him to “go sell what you possess and give to the poor,” he did just that, vowing to dedicate his life thereafter to God. Anthony lived for a time in his native home, pursuing prayerful asceticism. After fifteen years, at the age of thirty-five, he withdrew to the solitude of the desert and began his monastic life of prayer, study, and work. After many years of living in the desert, Anthony remained whole and healthy, and he radiated compassion and joy. He lived to the age of 105 and is remembered as the father of the church’s first monastic movement.
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”
Keep our frailty before us, Lord : that we might set our hearts on you.
Psalm 89:47 – 52
Remember, Lord, how short life is : how frail you have made all flesh.
Who can live and not see death? : who can save himself from the power of the grave?
Where, Lord, are your loving-kindnesses of old : which you promised David in your faithfulness?
Remember, Lord, how your servant is mocked : how I carry in my bosom the taunts of many -peoples,
the taunts your enemies have hurled, O Lord : which they hurled at the heels of your anointed.
Blessed be the Lord for evermore! : Amen, I say, Amen.
Keep our frailty before us, Lord : that we might set our hearts on you.
Genesis 11:1 – 9 Galatians 5:16 – 24
Keep our frailty before us, Lord : that we might set our hearts on you.
Abba Anthony wrote, “From our neighbors is life and death. If we gain our brother, we gain God, but if we cause our brother to stumble, we sin against Christ.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, we know that to live by the flesh is death, but to live by the Spirit is life. Still, you have redeemed the flesh of the world through your incarnation. Teach us how to be in the world but not of it. 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 January 16
After twelve years of civil war and approximately seventy-five thousand deaths, El Salvador’s government and rebel leaders signed a peace treaty in Mexico City on January 16, 1992. Six government negotiators, five guerilla commanders, and five rebel negotiators signed the treaty one after another.
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 Are Marching in the Light of God”
Sustain us in the struggle, Lord : and raise us to your life.
Psalm 85:1 – 4
You have been gracious to your land, O Lord : you have restored the good fortune of Jacob.
You have forgiven the iniquity of your -people : and blotted out all their sins.
You have withdrawn all your fury : and turned yourself from your wrathful indignation.
Restore us then, O God our Savior : let your anger depart from us.
Sustain us in the struggle, Lord : and raise us to your life.
Genesis 9:18 – 29 Galatians 5:1 – 15
Sustain us in the struggle, Lord : and raise us to your life.
El Salvador’s Archbishop Oscar Romero said, “I have frequently been threatened with death. I must say that, as a Christian, I do not believe in death but in the resurrection. If they kill me, I shall rise again in the Salvadoran -people. Martyrdom is a great gift from God that I do not believe I have earned. But if God accepts the sacrifice of my life, then my blood will be like the seed of liberty, and a sign of the hope that will soon become a reality.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, as humans we are always moving closer to death. Each morning is a reminder that our lives are fleeting gifts. But as your children, we are also always moving toward life. May this morning remind us that we are one day closer to the life that lasts 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.
