A Litany of Generosity

Gracious God, with grateful hearts we ask you to help us be more generous.

Gracious God, give us a generous heart
so we may fully appreciate all your many gifts to us.

Gracious God, give us a generous heart
so we may give without counting the cost.

Gracious God, give us a generous heart
so we may share without expecting something in return.

Gracious God, give us a generous heart
so we may know the joy that comes from helping others.

Gracious God, give us a generous heart
so we may hold all our treasures in an open hand.

Gracious God, give us a generous heart
so we may recognize the many blessings in each new day.

Gracious God, give us a generous heart
so we may learn the difference between what we need and what we want.

Gracious God, give us a generous heart
so we may ever thank you and serve you.

Holy God, we ask all this, knowing that you will always give us all that we need. Bless the work we do for you today and always, all in your Holy Name.

Amen.

A Litany of Gratitude

Generous God, for the abundance of your blessings to us
day by day and year by year,
We give you our thanks.

For the simple pleasures of life: for garden harvests,
coffee conversation, and familiar surroundings,
For health and strength to appreciate the wonder of life,
For needs met and desires fulfilled,
We give you our thanks.

For foods distributed to nourish body and spirit,
For homes which supply shelter, which nurture
order and beauty, and offer hospitality,
We give you our thanks.

With hearts that forgive as freely as you have forgiven,
With enthusiasm of spirit for the gift of life,
With music which declares your everlasting goodness,
With prayers for mutual understanding and peace,
We worship you with joy.

With creative pursuits which contribute our God-given talents,
With words which honor you as Creator, Redeemer, and Holy Spirit,
With time volunteered and dedicated to service in church and community,
With years committed to extending the love of Jesus Christ,
We worship you with joy.

With gifts of money which reach farther than we can manage ourselves,
With deeds done in service of neighbor and stranger,
With holy days set apart to celebrate your goodness and grace,
With family and friends distant and nearby,
We worship you, God, with grateful hearts and joyful spirit.

Alleluia. Amen.

-Rev. Kathy Jo Blaske

A Litany of Forgiveness

For those who have betrayed us;
for those who have let us down;
for those who have been indifferent to us;
for those who have crippled our lives;
for those who have doubted us;
for those who have accused us;
for those who have preferred others to us;
for family members who have hurt us;
for those who have denied us;
for those who have walked away from us.;
We ask the power of your forgiveness, the gift of change and the grace of hope.
Hear our prayer, hear our prayer,
God of mercy, hear our prayer.

For my own self pity;
for my lukewarmness;
for my times of despair and distrust;
for my refusals to be hugged;
for my disbelief in your love;
for my searching everywhere but in your heart;
for apologies frozen on my lips;
We ask the power of your forgiveness, the gift of change, and the grace of hope.
Hear our prayer, hear our prayer,
God of mercy, hear our prayer.

For my words of love unspoken;
for greetings and embraces ungiven;
for compliments never offered;
for a heart closed in self-centeredness;
for my own unforgiving postures;
for not believing in your forgiveness;
We ask the power of your forgiveness, the gift of change and the grace of hope.
Hear our prayer, hear our prayer,
God of mercy hear our prayer.

AMEN.

A Quote from Julian of Norwich

He showed me a very lofty spiritual delight in my soul, and in it I was completely filled with everlasting certitude, firmly sustained, without any painful dread. This feeling was so glad and so spiritual that I was entirely at peace, at ease and at rest, so that there was nothing on earth that could have disturbed me.

This lasted only for a while. Then I was transformed and left to myself in depression, weary of my life and irked with myself, so that I kept the patience to go on living only with difficulty. There was no comfort and no ease for me, except faith, hope, and charity, and these I had in reality, though I had very little feeling of them.

And immediately after this our Lord again gave me comfort and rest of soul in delight and certitude, so blessed and so mighty that no dread, no sorrow, no bodily or spiritual pain that could be suffered should have caused me distress.

And then the pain returned to my feelings, again followed by the joy and delight-first the one and then the other, at, I suppose, about twenty different times. In the time of joy I could have said with Saint Paul, "Nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ." And in the pain I could have said, "Lord, save me! I perish!"

This vision was showed to me to teach my understanding that it is profitable for some souls to experience these alterations of mood-sometimes to be comforted and sometimes to fail and to be left to themselves. God wills that we know that he keeps us ever equally safe, in woe as in well-being.

When she was 30 years old, Julian of Norwich was intensely sick and came close to death. At that time she had a number of visions of Christ on the cross. She recovered and lived many more years, writing down what she had seen and learned from her visions. The themes which run most strongly through her writings are the motherhood of God and God’s mercy towards weak humankind. “So Jesus is our true Mother in nature by our first creation, and He is our true Mother in grace by His taking our created nature.”

Readings for Sunday December 13, 2009 (Year C Advent 3)

These are our readings for Sunday December 13, 2009.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Saint John the Baptist
17th Century Bulgarian Icon

A Quote from Brother Lawrence

From Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life

It is not necessary for being with GOD to be always at church; we may make an oratory of our heart, wherein to retire from time to time, to converse with Him in meekness, humility, and love. Every one is capable of such familiar conversation with GOD, some more, some less: He knows what we can do. Let us begin then; perhaps He expects but one generous resolution on our part. Have courage.

Use yourself then by degrees thus to worship Him, to beg His grace, to offer Him your heart from time to time, in the midst of your business, even every moment if you can. Do not always scrupulously confine yourself to certain rules, or particular forms of devotion; but act with a general confidence in GOD, with love and humility.

You can read more of this work here.

Brother Lawrence

Readings for Sunday November 29, 2009 (Year C Advent 1)

These are our readings for Sunday November 29, 2009.

A prayer for Advent from today's Psalm

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
Who are they that fear the Lord? He will teach them the way that they should choose.
They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land.
The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them.
My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress.
Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
O guard my life, and deliver me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
Redeem Israel, O God, out of all its troubles.