Monday, March 30, 2009

prayer for the agnostic

Divine Spirit, who goes by so many names.
Who hides yourself in so many forms,
Who disguises yourself with diverse theologies and a-theologies,
Who may be nothing more than our own best thoughts,
Who may be nothing more than our highest human aspirations,
Who may be far more than we can comprehend or imagine,
We feel your presence with us and around us, through and among the people in this room, from the center of our being to the unending expanses of all existence.

Your presence calms us, comforts us and inspires us.

We bring our sadness and anxiety to the altar of this congregation and take them up again transformed into compassion and hope.

We bring our joys and plans to the altar of this congregation and take them up again transformed into service to others, and deeper resolve to manifest our ideals.

Thank you for the gift of creativity that makes poets of us all, working the rough clay of our existence into lives of beauty.

Thank you for a saving sense of humor, that keeps us humble before life’s immensity, and keeps us delighted before life’s wonders.

We pledge ourselves today, to greater love, to larger community, and to freer expression of the holy people you created us to be.

Amen

Monday, March 23, 2009

prayer for community worship

O Divine Spirit of our yearnings and longings, who represents both the best of each of us, and the idea of the best that calls to us from far beyond ourselves.

We gather today in sadness.

Sadness for our own troubles, sadness for the troubles of our friends and loved ones, sadness for the troubles of our world.

We gather today in celebration.

For the many joys in our lives. For the joys of good people making better lives around the world.

We gather today in a gratitutde.

For the blessings of this church community. For the abundance available to us in this city and nation. For the gifts that come to us from the world we share.

And we gather today in purposeful resolve.

We pledge to take up the experiences of our lives and stretching out our hearts and hands as widely as we can, to use our own gifts and talents to heal the sadness of others, to celebrate the joys in life with others, to offer thanks to all who have so generously blessed us, and to strive faithfully to create a better future for us all.