Prayer and Meditation
In prayer, we confess that we are human, alive and dying,
in need and want and grateful all at once…
-Rev. Megan
in need and want and grateful all at once…
-Rev. Megan
I love the language of prayer. One of my most treasured possessions is a dogeared little book of prayers entitled "The Language of the Heart" written by the Rev. A. Powell Davies, Minister Emeritus at All Souls Unitarian, Washington D.C. My husband and I regularly turn to Davies’s words to begin and end our days. I truly believe that prayer is the heart's first language.
I relish the form and the regular practice of expressing the hopes and fears, joys and sorrows of a community in prayer.
The congregation’s theology is diverse, but prayers are traditionally addressed to God.
Every congregation and every gathering is different, and I am always sensitive to the theological differences among individuals and communities and adapt my style depending on the congregation
or community with whom I am praying or leading meditation.
I relish the form and the regular practice of expressing the hopes and fears, joys and sorrows of a community in prayer.
The congregation’s theology is diverse, but prayers are traditionally addressed to God.
Every congregation and every gathering is different, and I am always sensitive to the theological differences among individuals and communities and adapt my style depending on the congregation
or community with whom I am praying or leading meditation.
Be the Change
Spirit of Life and of Love,
We are thankful for this time together
to worship, to reflect, to pause.
We give thanks for the joy of our lives:
the celebrations, the gifts, the blessings,
And we grieve that which causes us pain:
our sadnesses, our losses, our discomforts.
We marvel these days at creation:
Watching buds unfurl,
All shades of green creep across the landscape,
Trees displaying the most majestic of blossoms,
Birds singing songs of praise.
We give thanks for the sweetness of rain
And the warmth of the sun on our faces,
For the fruit that sun and rain will bring together.
We give thanks for the radical, wild growth
That is happening every moment, all around us.
Our world can be a challenging place,
And it is a magical place.
Grant us the patience to slow ourselves down
Long enough to humbly offer gratitude,
Long enough to stand in awe,
Long enough to understand that we are connected to all that lives.
And create in us the courage, the wisdom and the perseverance
to live, to act, and to learn with love as our guide,
that we may be the change we wish to see in our world.
Blessed Be and Amen
Spirit of Life and of Love,
We are thankful for this time together
to worship, to reflect, to pause.
We give thanks for the joy of our lives:
the celebrations, the gifts, the blessings,
And we grieve that which causes us pain:
our sadnesses, our losses, our discomforts.
We marvel these days at creation:
Watching buds unfurl,
All shades of green creep across the landscape,
Trees displaying the most majestic of blossoms,
Birds singing songs of praise.
We give thanks for the sweetness of rain
And the warmth of the sun on our faces,
For the fruit that sun and rain will bring together.
We give thanks for the radical, wild growth
That is happening every moment, all around us.
Our world can be a challenging place,
And it is a magical place.
Grant us the patience to slow ourselves down
Long enough to humbly offer gratitude,
Long enough to stand in awe,
Long enough to understand that we are connected to all that lives.
And create in us the courage, the wisdom and the perseverance
to live, to act, and to learn with love as our guide,
that we may be the change we wish to see in our world.
Blessed Be and Amen
A Prayer for Stillness
Holy One,
Be still, you said.
Be still and know.
So, let us be still.
Let us be still and listen
To that still small voice within that tells us
Not only, who you are,
But who we are.
We give thanks for the journey
Thanks for the companions along our way
Thanks for the gifts that come in the most unexpected of packages.
We give thanks and, in doing so,
We lay down the burdens we carry,
the burdens of our shortcomings, our regrets
We embrace ourselves again in the fullness of our humanity
and we embrace our fellow travelers,
Grateful for their companionship along this soul-growing way.
Give peace to our hearts this day.
May we live today, and each day of our lives
With compassion for ourselves and others,
knowing that grace abounds
and love is abundant.
Amen
Holy One,
Be still, you said.
Be still and know.
So, let us be still.
Let us be still and listen
To that still small voice within that tells us
Not only, who you are,
But who we are.
We give thanks for the journey
Thanks for the companions along our way
Thanks for the gifts that come in the most unexpected of packages.
We give thanks and, in doing so,
We lay down the burdens we carry,
the burdens of our shortcomings, our regrets
We embrace ourselves again in the fullness of our humanity
and we embrace our fellow travelers,
Grateful for their companionship along this soul-growing way.
Give peace to our hearts this day.
May we live today, and each day of our lives
With compassion for ourselves and others,
knowing that grace abounds
and love is abundant.
Amen
A Mothers Day Prayer
As spring rains wash our beloved earth,
May we too be washed anew.
Spirit of Life,
Sometimes, in the haste of our lives,
We forget to turn toward you,
You who are always turning toward us.
Parent of all things new,
May our hearts be opened
May we see that we are called to love each other,
As you have loved us,
That we are called to love this earth,
As you have loved us,
That we are called to love ourselves,
As you have loved us.
Help us to hold each other in loving care this Mothers Day:
The parenting mothers among us,
And those who knew they would never hold a child of their own.
Help us to remember those of us who have made peace with decisions and realities and losses that today especially might come to mind.
Help us to remember the many men who care and love children,
their own and others, with unending devotion.
Help us to remember the women who were born with a man’s body.
Help us to remember those who loved our mothers and knew that our mothers loved us,
And Help us to remember those whose memory of mothering is more like a scar, or even a fresh wound.
Help us remember those who care for others selflessly, and help us to see that the way we mother ourselves is important to.
On this day, help us to love courageously, boldly,
For our time demands it of us.
Help us to cradle our hurts, and to step forward.
Help us to cast out our fears,
Knowing that you stand with us,
Nurturing, loving, lifting up, reminding, encouraging, guiding, companioning.
God, hear our prayers.
Amen
As spring rains wash our beloved earth,
May we too be washed anew.
Spirit of Life,
Sometimes, in the haste of our lives,
We forget to turn toward you,
You who are always turning toward us.
Parent of all things new,
May our hearts be opened
May we see that we are called to love each other,
As you have loved us,
That we are called to love this earth,
As you have loved us,
That we are called to love ourselves,
As you have loved us.
Help us to hold each other in loving care this Mothers Day:
The parenting mothers among us,
And those who knew they would never hold a child of their own.
Help us to remember those of us who have made peace with decisions and realities and losses that today especially might come to mind.
Help us to remember the many men who care and love children,
their own and others, with unending devotion.
Help us to remember the women who were born with a man’s body.
Help us to remember those who loved our mothers and knew that our mothers loved us,
And Help us to remember those whose memory of mothering is more like a scar, or even a fresh wound.
Help us remember those who care for others selflessly, and help us to see that the way we mother ourselves is important to.
On this day, help us to love courageously, boldly,
For our time demands it of us.
Help us to cradle our hurts, and to step forward.
Help us to cast out our fears,
Knowing that you stand with us,
Nurturing, loving, lifting up, reminding, encouraging, guiding, companioning.
God, hear our prayers.
Amen