Daily Prayers for January 5
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 “Come, Thou Fount”
Good Shepherd, we are yours : you know our every care.
Psalm 28:7 – 11
Blessed is the Lord! : for he has heard the voice of my prayer.
The Lord is my strength and my shield : my heart trusts in him, and I have been helped;
therefore my heart dances for joy : and in my song will I praise him.
The Lord is the strength of his -people : a safe refuge for his anointed.
Save your -people and bless your inheritance : shepherd them and carry them for ever.
Good Shepherd, we are yours : you know our every care.
Isaiah 66:18 – 23 John 14:6 – 14
Good Shepherd, we are yours : you know our every care.
In the sayings of the desert fathers, this story is recorded: “One day Abba Arsenius consulted an old Egyptian monk about his own thoughts. Someone noticed this and said to him, ‘Abba Arsenius, how is it that you with such good Latin and Greek education ask this peasant about your thoughts?’ He replied, ‘I have indeed been taught Latin and Greek, but I do not know even the alphabet of this peasant.’ ”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord God, keep us from mumbling on and on in our prayers when all we ought to say is, “Thank you, Lord.” 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 4
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 “It Is Well with My Soul”
When I walk in darkness : Lord, carry me through.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd : I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures : and leads me beside still waters.
He revives my soul : and guides me along right pathways for his name’s sake.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil : for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me : you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over.
Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life : and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
When I walk in darkness : Lord, carry me through.
Joshua 1:1 – 9 John 10:7 – 17
When I walk in darkness : Lord, carry me through.
Contemporary American author Frederick Buechner has written,
“A Christian is one who points at Christ and says, ‘I can’t prove a thing,
but there’s something about his eyes and his voice. There’s something
about the way he carries his head, his hands, the way he carries his cross —
the way he carries me.’ ”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
God, your word instructs us to be ready to give an answer for the faith that is within us. When that time comes, Lord, make us bold to proclaim that your love surpasses human knowledge. Let our answer be actions that mirror your love. 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 3
Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk and biblical scholar, wrote against the church’s use of indulgences and insisted that salvation is a free gift from God, not achieved through good works. Luther refused to recant his criticism of the church, saying, “Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise.” He was excommunicated by Pope Leo X on January 3, 1521, unwittingly becoming the leader of a movement that would later be named the Great Reformation.
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 Not Be Moved”
The Lord lives! Blessed is my Rock! : Exalted is the God of my salvation!
Psalm 18:29 – 32
You, O Lord, are my lamp : my God, you make my darkness bright.
With you I will break down an enclosure : with the help of my God I will scale any wall.
As for God, his ways are perfect; the words of the Lord are tried in the fire : he is a shield to all who trust in him.
For who is God, but the Lord? : who is the Rock, except our God?
The Lord lives! Blessed is my Rock! : Exalted is the God of my salvation!
Exodus 3:1 – 12 John 6:35 – 42, 48 – 51
The Lord lives! Blessed is my Rock! : Exalted is the God of my salvation!
Martin Luther wrote, “When it comes to faith, what a living, creative, active, powerful thing it is. It cannot do other than good at all times. It never waits to ask whether there is some good work to do, rather, before the question is raised, it has done the deed, and keeps on doing it.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, from Martin Luther in sixteenth-century Germany to Martin Luther King Jr. in twentieth-century Alabama, your disciples have witnessed to a law that is higher than the laws of human institutions. Make us such witnesses, Lord. 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 2
Basil of Caesarea (330 – 379)
Basil was born in modern-day Turkey. His grandfather was martyred, and his brother, Gregory of Nyssa, became a very influential bishop. In an age marked by doctrinal battles within the church, Basil was a tireless defender of orthodoxy. He is known as an early developer of Christian monasticism, and an incredible preacher and writer. Among his many writings are some of the church’s earliest prayers. Basil first left the world to join the monastery, but eventually brought the monastery to the world through the city of Basiliad, also called “The New City.” This was a giant community of monastic men and women working with doctors and other lay-people to provide food, clothing, shelter, and medical assistance to the poor of Caesarea. He later went on to become a priest and a bishop, but he always kept his vision of a monastic life not cut off from the world but embracing the pain and sorrow
of the world.
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 “Steal Away to -Jesus”
Lord, help us believe : that we might see you come.
Psalm 14:1 – 4
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” : All are corrupt and commit abominable acts; there is none who does any good.
The Lord looks down from heaven upon us all : to see if there is any who is wise, if there is one who seeks after God.
Every one has proved faithless; all alike have turned bad : there is none who does good; no, not one.
Have they no knowledge, all those evildoers : who eat up my -people like bread and do not call upon the Lord?
Lord, help us believe : that we might see you come.
Genesis 28:10 – 22 John 6:41 – 47
Lord, help us believe : that we might see you come.
Basil of Caesarea wrote, “When someone steals a person’s clothes, we call him a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat hanging unused in your closet belongs to those who need it; the shoes rotting in your closet to the one who has no shoes. The money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, you are always weaving the things of heaven with the things of earth. You dwell among us, above us, and within us. Make us expectant of angels tarrying to do your work. Form us into eager messengers, ready to speak peace in broken communities. 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 1
In 1788 Quakers in Pennsylvania freed their slaves, anticipating the emancipation of chattel slaves in the United States some seventy-five years later. Together with free blacks, abolitionist evangelicals, and slaves who were willing to risk their lives, Quakers led one of America’s most vibrant faith-based justice movements — the Underground Railroad. Committed to simplicity, religious freedom, and nonviolence, Quakers have contributed to movements for peace and justice throughout US history.
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 “This Little Light of Mine”
-Jesus, teach us not to shun : what is of God in everyone.
Psalm 7:7 – 12
Awake, O my God, decree justice : let the assembly of the -peoples gather round you.
Be seated on your lofty throne, O Most High : O Lord, judge the nations.
Give judgment for me according to my righteous-ness, O Lord : and according to my innocence, O Most High.
Let the malice of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous : for you test the mind and heart, O righteous God.
God is my shield and defense : he is the savior of the true in heart.
God is a righteous judge : God sits in judgment every day.
-Jesus, teach us not to shun : what is of God in everyone.
Genesis 12:1 – 7 John 16:23b – 30
-Jesus, teach us not to shun : what is of God in everyone.
George Fox, founder of the Religious Society of Friends, wrote, -“People must be led out of captivity up to God. Be patterns, be examples that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of -people, and to them. Then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, help us answer your call as readily as our father Abram, that we might extend your blessing throughout our community. Remind us that the places where we find you become altars in our world. 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 February 29
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 “Steal Away to -Jesus”
Whisper to us when we feel alone : sweet songs from around your throne.
Psalm 142:1 – 4
I cry to the Lord with my voice : to the Lord I make loud supplication.
I pour out my complaint before him : and tell him all my trouble.
When my spirit languishes within me, you know my path : in the way wherein I walk they have hidden a trap for me.
I look to my right hand and find no one who knows me : I have no place to flee to, and no one cares for me.
Whisper to us when we feel alone : sweet songs from around your throne.
Genesis 42:29 – 38 Hebrews 13:17 – 25
Whisper to us when we feel alone : sweet songs from around your throne.
Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche communities, has written, “Almost everyone finds their early days in a community ideal. It all seems perfect. They feel they are surrounded by saints, heroes, or at the least, most exceptional -people who are everything they want to be themselves. And then comes the let-down. The greater their idealization of the community at the start, the greater the disenchantment. If -people manage to get through this second period, they come to a third phase — that of realism and of true commitment. They no longer see other members of the community as saints or devils, but as -people — each with a mixture of good and bad, darkness and light, each growing and each with their own hope. The community is neither heaven nor hell, but planted firmly on earth, and they are ready to walk in it, and with it. They accept the community and the other members as they are; they are confident that together they can grow towards something more beautiful.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord -Jesus Christ, you alone are without sin. Grant us the grace to see ourselves and one another as you see us, stained but washed in your reconciling blood. Help us maintain concord and unity among ourselves so that your -people might be strengthened to go forth into the world. 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.
Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers: A Few Ideas
1. Mow your neighbor’s grass.
2. Create a directory of spiritual mentors and help folks find them.
3. Practice radical hospitality, which includes the willingness to be a guest. Next time you make a vacation or business trip, stay in homes instead of hotels.
4. Ask the next person who asks you for change to join you for dinner.
5. Invest money in a micro-lending bank.
