Daily Prayers for October 12
In 1492, the indigenous -peoples of the Americas discovered Christopher Columbus.
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 “Come, Ye Sinners”
Born to sin, we inherit stolen land : heal us with justice from your hand.
Psalm 62:6 – 9
For God alone my soul in silence waits : truly, my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation : my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.
In God is my safety and my honor : God is my strong rock and my refuge.
Put your trust in him always, O -people : pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.
Born to sin, we inherit stolen land : heal us with justice from your hand.
Lamentations 2:8 – 15 2 Co-rin-thi-ans 1:23 – 2:17
Born to sin, we inherit stolen land : heal us with justice from your hand.
Lakota Sioux holy man Black Elk said, “A good nation I will make live.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, help us not to shy away from our own transgressions, neither to hold the sins of others against them, but to name sin with confidence that your forgiveness has the power to effect a just reconciliation 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.
Note for Columbus Day: We Need New Heroes
Many thoughtful authors have helped correct our revisionist history and our amnesia about the past. For instance, in his book Lies My Teacher Told Me, James W. Loewen points out that Columbus and the Spaniard conquerors approached the Native Americans and read aloud what came to be called “The Requirement,” which went like this: “I implore you to recognize the Church as a lady and in the name of the Pope take the King as lord of this land and obey his mandates. If you do not do it, I tell you that with the help of God I will enter powerfully against you all. I will make war everywhere and every way that I can. I will subject you to the yoke and obedience to the Church and to his majesty. I will take your women and children and make them slaves. . . . The deaths and injuries that you will recieve from here on will be your own fault and not that of his majesty nor of the gentlemen that accompany me.” Part of what we hope to do in this book, rather than read the Bible with imperial eyes, is to read the empire with biblical eyes.
In the church, we celebrate martyrs and saints, not warriors and conquistadors. The church has a rich history of celebrating particular -people. While the United States might celebrate Christopher Columbus, the church celebrates the lives of saints on feast days. We need to be about discovering lost relatives and forgotten ancestors.
History is filled with subversive “holy heroes,” such as Oskar Schindler and Harriet Tubman, and even Hollywood tells their stories in moving films like Schindler’s List and Hotel Rwanda. Sometimes we just have to discover the stories that we are in danger of losing, stories that don’t always make the news. Sure, it’s easier to build a memorial than to build a movement, and we’re always better at sculpting our saints than following them. But we have to remember the stories of -people who have lived and died well.
Who are your heroes? Take a few minutes to say their names out loud and thank God for them. For bonus points, sing “When the Saints Go Marching In” when you are finished.
Daily Prayers for October 11
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 “Come, Ye Sinners”
Rise up, O Lord, come and see : save us from the enemy.
Psalm 59:1 – 5
Rescue me from my enemies, O God : protect me from those who rise up against me.
Rescue me from evildoers : and save me from those who thirst for my blood.
See how they lie in wait for my life, how the mighty gather together against me : not for any offense or fault of mine, O Lord.
Not because of any guilt of mine : they run and prepare themselves for battle.
Rouse yourself, come to my side, and see : for you, Lord God of hosts, are Israel’s God.
Rise up, O Lord, come and see : save us from the enemy.
Lamentations 1:1 – 12 2 Co-rin-thi-ans 1:12 – 22
Rise up, O Lord, come and see : save us from the enemy.
Early church apologist Minucius Felix wrote, “What a beautiful sight it is for God when a Christian mocks at the clatter of the tools of death and the horror of the executioner; when he defends and upholds his liberty in the face of kings and princes, obeying God alone to whom he belongs. Among us, boys and frail women laugh to scorn torture and the gallows cross, the wild beasts and all the other horrors of execution!”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, we pray against fear of persecution and death, knowing we are always walking toward eternal life as we follow the path you have set for 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 October 10
In 1991, the Women in Black began their regular Wednesday vigil against war in Belgrade, Serbia.
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?”
To you we cry in anguish, Lord : listen to our plea and help us.
Psalm 55:17 – 19, 22 – 23
In the evening, in the morning, and at noonday, I will complain and lament : and he will hear my voice.
He will bring me safely back from the battle waged against me : for there are many who fight me.
God, who is enthroned of old, will hear me and bring them down : they never change; they do not fear God.
Cast your burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain you : he will never let the righteous stumble.
For you will bring the bloodthirsty and deceitful : down to the pit of destruction, O God.
They shall not live out half their days : but I will put my trust in you.
To you we cry in anguish, Lord : listen to our plea and help us.
Jeremiah 44:1 – 14 2 Corinthians 1:1 – 11
To you we cry in anguish, Lord : listen to our plea and help us.
English poet and cleric John Donne wrote, “There we leave you in that blessed dependency, to hang upon him that hangs upon the cross, there bathe in his tears, there suck at his wounds, and lie down in peace in his grave, till he vouchsafe you a resurrection, and an ascension into that Kingdom, which he has purchased for you with the inestimable price of his incorruptible blood.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Jesus, keep us near your cross, and reveal to us your glory. 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 October 9
Oskar Schindler (1908 – 1974)
Oskar Schindler was a German living in Czechoslovakia when he joined the Nazi party in 1939. When Germany invaded Poland later that same year, he moved to Krakow and took over two manufacturing companies and, like many other businessmen there, made his fortune using cheap labor — Jews from the Krakow ghetto. When he began to witness the Germans killing and deporting Jews in the ghetto, Oskar was moved to transfer the Jewish workers from his factory to a safe place. Later, he received permission from the Germans to move not only his workers but other Jews as well to his native land of Czechoslovakia. Over time, Schindler’s occupation changed, until ultimately the rescue of the Jews became his top priority. Using the factory as cover, he saved more and more Jews, putting his own life in danger to ensure the safety of those in his protection. At one point, when a train carrying more than one thousand Jews was on its way to a new factory site in Czechoslovakia, it was accidentally diverted to Auschwitz. Schindler offered the Nazis diamonds and gold to make sure those in his care reached safety. Ultimately, Schindler saved twelve hundred Jews from extermination, and today there are more than seven thousand descendants of the Schindler Jews living all over the world. Through his actions, Schindler was a living example of the reality of human decency, love, goodness, and compassion in the face of unspeakable horror. He has been called an unlikely hero, not only because nothing in his prior life suggested the extent of his heroic deeds but also because he was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things. His life is a testament to the fact that we are all called to put our faith into action, sometimes in the most unexpected, bold, and courageous ways.
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”
Overwhelm us with wonder, Lord : that our souls might rest in awe.
Psalm 46:9 – 12
Come now and look upon the works of the Lord : what awesome things he has done on earth.
It is he who makes war to cease in all the world : he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, and burns the shields with fire.
“Be still, then, and know that I am God : I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord of hosts is with us : the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Overwhelm us with wonder, Lord : that our souls might rest in awe.
Jeremiah 29:1, 4 – 14 James 5:13 – 20
Overwhelm us with wonder, Lord : that our souls might rest in awe.
Oskar Schindler said, “He who saves one life saves the entire world.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
God, you never fail to dazzle us with your grace and mercy. We pray for the boldness to await the fulfillment of life that you promise, through -Jesus Christ our 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 October 8
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 Will Trust in the Lord”
You are my helper and my deliverer : do not tarry, O my God.
Psalm 40:12 – 14
You are the Lord; do not withhold your compassion from me : let your love and your faithfulness keep me safe for ever,
for innumerable troubles have crowded upon me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see : they are more in number than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails me.
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me : O Lord, make haste to help me.
You are my helper and my deliverer : do not tarry, O my God.
2 Kings 25:8 – 12, 22 – 26 James 5:7 – 12
You are my helper and my deliverer : do not tarry, O my God.
Andy Raine of the Northumbria Community has written, “Do not hurry as you walk with grief; it does not help the journey. Walk slowly, pausing often: do not hurry as you walk with grief. Be not disturbed by memories that come unbidden. Swiftly forgive; and let Christ speak for you unspoken words. Unfinished conversation will be resolved in him. Be not disturbed. Be gentle with the one who walks with grief. If it is you, be gentle with yourself. Swiftly forgive; walk slowly, pausing often. Take time, be gentle as you walk with grief.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, as the seasons turn, creation teaches us of grief, patience, and renewal. Make us good students of these rhythms that we might not hurry the work of grief but receive the gift of your presence in our time of need. 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 October 7
In 2001, a US-led coalition began bombing Afghanistan in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks.
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 “Waters of Babylon”
You see the violence of the wicked, Lord : rise up and defend your children.
Psalm 35:17 – 23
O Lord, how long will you look on? : rescue me from the roaring beasts, and my life from the young lions.
I will give you thanks in the great congregation : I will praise you in the mighty throng.
Do not let my treacherous foes rejoice over me : nor let those who hate me without a cause wink at each other.
For they do not plan for peace : but invent deceitful schemes against the quiet in the land.
They opened their mouths at me and said : “Aha! we saw it with our own eyes.”
You saw it, O Lord; do not be silent : O Lord, be not far from me.
Awake, arise, to my cause! : to my defense, my God and my Lord!
You see the violence of the wicked, Lord : rise up and defend your children.
Jeremiah 38:14 – 28 James 4:13 – 5:6
You see the violence of the wicked, Lord : rise up and defend your children.
Origen of Alexandria wrote in the third century, “We will not raise arms against any other nation, we will not practice the art of war, because through -Jesus Christ we have become the children of peace.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
God of peace, dawn reminds us that your mercies are new every morning. You have been merciful to us despite our sin. Teach us such mercy. Open our eyes to see the violence we condone with our silences and with our consumption. We give thanks that repentance is the beginning of true conversion. 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 October 6
Fannie Lou Hamer (1917 – 1977)
Fannie Lou Hamer was born the daughter of sharecroppers in Mississippi, a poor black woman in the poorest region of America at the time. She rose up from obscurity to challenge the principalities and powers of her day. A fiery and eloquent voice for freedom, she helped to guide and inspire the struggle for freedom. In Hamer’s later years, her concerns grew beyond civil rights to include opposition to the Vietnam War and efforts to unite poor -people of all shades of skin in a movement to end poverty. She was known for her line, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
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 “Freedom Train”
Let your wondrous love be upon us : for in you alone have we put our trust.
Psalm 33:1 – 5
Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous : it is good for the just to sing praises.
Praise the Lord with the harp : play to him upon the psaltery and lyre.
Sing for him a new song : sound a fanfare with all your skill upon the trumpet.
For the word of the Lord is right : and all his works are sure.
He loves righteous-ness and justice : the loving-kindness of the Lord fills the whole earth.
Let your wondrous love be upon us : for in you alone have we put our trust.
Jeremiah 38:1 – 13 James 3:13 – 4:12
Let your wondrous love be upon us : for in you alone have we put our trust.
Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote, “Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Loving God, even in the midst of the world’s pain and sorrow, we can encounter your joy. Show us that such joy comes when we are caught up in works of mercy and find ourselves unable to distinguish between our blessings and those of our brothers and sisters. 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 October 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 bow down and bend the knee : let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Song “Nothin’ but the Blood”
Lord -Jesus Christ, Son of God : have mercy on me, a sinner.
Psalm 25:6 – 10
Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions : remember me according to your love and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.
Gracious and upright is the Lord : therefore he teaches sinners in his way.
He guides the humble in doing right : and teaches his way to the lowly.
All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness : to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
For your name’s sake, O Lord : forgive my sin, for it is great.
Lord -Jesus Christ, Son of God : have mercy on me, a sinner.
Jeremiah 37:3 – 21 James 3:1 – 12
Lord -Jesus Christ, Son of God : have mercy on me, a sinner.
In the anonymously authored Way of the Pilgrim, we find these words: “My whole desire was fixed upon one thing only — to say the Prayer of -Jesus, and as soon as I went on with it I was filled with joy and relief. It was as though my lips and my tongue pronounced the words entirely of themselves without any urging from me. I spent the whole day in a state of the greatest contentment. I lived as though in another world.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, teach us to pray without ceasing, even when words escape us, and to work toward your kingdom, even when we cannot see 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 October 4
Francis of Assisi (1182 – 1226)
Francis was born to a merchant family in the Italian city of Assisi. As a young man, he was attracted to adventure and moved by romantic tales of knights. When he himself became a knight, Francis met a leper while riding through the countryside. Overwhelmed by a divine impulse, Francis dismounted his horse, shared his coat with the leper, and kissed the man’s diseased face. Captivated by the experience, Francis began to re-imagine his life in light of the gospel, renouncing his selfish desires and his father’s wealth. A beggar for Christ’s sake, Francis inspired thousands to walk away from worldly success and join his movement of friars who sought to renew the church in their day.
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”
Take my voice and let me sing : always only for my king!
Psalm 22:26 – 30
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord : and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.
For kingship belongs to the Lord : he rules over the nations.
To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship : all who go down to the dust fall before him.
My soul shall live for him; my descendants shall serve him : they shall be known as the Lord’s for ever.
They shall come and make known to a -people yet unborn : the saving deeds that he has done.
Take my voice and let me sing : always only for my king!
Jeremiah 36:27 – 37:2 James 2:14 – 26
Take my voice and let me sing : always only for my king!
While praying before a crucifix in the dilapidated chapel of San Damiano, Francis of Assisi heard a voice speak to him: “Francis, repair my church, which has fallen into disrepair, as you can see.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, your church is such that when one member of the body fails, the whole body suffers. Help us encourage one another in faith so that working together we might become a unified body that goes forth into the world to proclaim good news. 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 October 3
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 “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”
Deliver us, Lord, from our troubles : and remake us in your image.
Psalm 17:13 – 16
Arise, O Lord; confront them and bring them down : deliver me from the wicked by your sword.
Deliver me, O Lord, by your hand : from those whose portion in life is this world;
whose bellies you fill with your treasure : who are well supplied with children and leave their wealth to their little ones.
But at my vindication I shall see your face : when I awake, I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.
Deliver us, Lord, from our troubles : and remake us in your image.
Jeremiah 36:11 – 26 James 2:1 – 13
Deliver us, Lord, from our troubles : and remake us in your image.
Church father Augustine of Hippo wrote, “ ‘The times are bad! The times are troublesome!’ This is what humans say. But we are our times. Let us live well and our times will be good. Such as we are, such are our times.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, grant that our actions hold a mirror to our prayers. 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.
