UniversalistPrayers

Morning Prayer May 23, 2013

Awake, my heart, to how Love calls me today. Like the rose welcoming the songbirds fleeing the hawk, may I make refuge and way for those seeking safety and love. Like the songbirds, after fear may I carry on singing and living fully. Awake, my heart, to how Mercy calls me today. Like the quiet, cool waters that quench thirst and revivify, may I be ready to help when needed, however I can. Like the cup that bears the needed waters, may I stay steadfast and true to mercy, bearing it and sharing it. Awake, my heart, to how Peace calls me today. Like the mourning dove greeting the sunrise and the sunset, may I be glad for each hour of this day, grateful to be present and part of it. My heart, my whole self, may I be awake today to how Love, Mercy, and Peace call me in every moment. Amen.

Evening Prayer May 23, 2013

Beloved, help me hold onto the courage I have, nurture it, and follow it through for love, for mercy, for goodness' sake. When I have had to scurry away, flee, or retreat, may I have the courage to go forward again, with a heart of love and hope leading me back into relationship. When I am at a loss for which way to go or how to carry on, may I find my friends and family at my side. When others are in need, may I have the courage and gladness of heart to be with them through to better times. And when courage is most needed, may I draw upon it and share it generously. Beloved, may we all live with the courage to be vulnerable, to need one another and to be needed, to love boldly and generously, to live mercifully all our nights and all our days. Amen.

Morning Prayer May 22, 2013

Blessed is the morning and the new day, the bearers of peace and the creators of peace! Lover of Life, may I touch the peace at the center of Abiding Love today, and bear that peace wherever I go, however I am challenged to share my gifts, to persevere for goodness' sake, to serve mercy, and to love more boldly than I imagine possible. Blessed is the morning and the new day, the bearers of peace and the creators of peace! Lover of Life, when I am in the midst of chaos may I begin cultivating a vibrant garden of peace, breath by breath, risk by risk, act by act. Blessed is the morning and the new day, the bearers of peace and the creators of peace! Lover of Life, when I am riled up and full of discord or discourage, may I remember the song of the morning and the morning's blessing to find love's wholeness again. Blessed is the morning and the new day, the bearers of peace and the creators of peace! Lover of Life, wherever I go, in whatever circumstances I find myself, may I be a bearer of peace, a creator of peace, a cultivator of peace out of every moment. Amen.

Evening Prayer May 22, 2013

Blessed is the evening and the new night, the bearers of mercy and the creators of kindness! Lover of Life, may I live in mercy and for mercy, kinder than I find easy or even than I always want to be, more generous than seems prudent, more hopeful than bitterness thinks wise. Blessed is the evening and the new night, the bearers of mercy and the creators of kindness! Lover of Life, may I give thanks for healing, for survival marked by scars and wisdom gleaned out of times of trouble. Blessed is the evening and the new night, the bearers of mercy and the creators of kindness! Lover of Life, may I know well the blessings of the night, of rest for the weary, of friends or family gathering together, of the night mercies we offer and we receive. Blessed is the evening and the new night, the bearers of mercy and the creators of kindness! Lover of Life, wherever I go, in whatever circumstances I find myself, may I be a bearer of mercy and a creator of kindness, adding to the blessing of this world. Amen.

Morning Prayer May 21, 2013

Good Morning, Wisdom! On our way today, may we be steadfast to the principles that guide us, to the promises we have made, to how goodness calls us to create, to aid mercy, to live generously all our days. When we would be turned aside or are set back, may we turn ourselves back to how we are called, to living our promises, to loving mercy and wisdom so much we persist. Good Morning, Wisdom! May we remember the lessons we have already learned in how to find the way of kindness and the way of love where none seems to exist. May we have the courage to ask for the help we need and to offer assistance to others in their struggles. All our days we have challenges and we have the way of mercy and wisdom to make real in our world. May we be ready for what challenges today will bring and ready to rejoice when love and peace prevail. Amen.

Evening Prayer May 21, 2013

In the garden of life, may we cultivate Wisdom, that wonderful flower with sharp lessons as well as soft and gentle ones. In the garden of life, may we care for and nourish the wholeness of life, attentive to what is needful and just. In the garden of life, may we turn over old troubles and grief with kindness and compassion until those troubles decay and what is left nourishes the whole. In the garden of life, may we share generously, nourished and cared for by one another, nourishing and caring for strangers, neighbors, enemies, and kin. In the garden of life, may we weed out what is not needful, easing sorrow and pain of others, preventing trouble before it may take root. In the garden of life, may we dwell in Wisdom, and keep giving thanks for what is good, keep learning throughout our lives, and keep steadfast to love night by night and day by day. Amen.

Morning Prayer May 20, 2013

Love, you sustain me when I change for the better and when I am less than how I am called. Hear my thanks. Help me reach to keep changing for the better, to answer your calling and my promises and faithful hopes. Hear my thanks, especially for those who help me reach to keep changing, to keep answering, to live into my promises. Love, you sustain me when I am foolish and when I am wise. Hear my thanks. Aid me in learning from my foolishness and let me show my gratefulness for wisdom by sharing what little I know. Hear my thanks, especially for those who stay by me when I am foolish and when I am wise and show me by their daily examples what true heart wisdom is. Love, you sustain me every day and every night. Hear my thanks for such a blessing! Amen.

Evening Prayer May 20, 2013

Mercy, you call me to change when I am stony-hearted and you call me to change this world when it is fraught with pain and misunderstanding, cruelty and greed. Hear my worries about answering that call, and my gladness for meeting others who know that call themselves and are engaged in the work, night and day. Hear our thankfulness for the mercy of faithful companions, of teachers along the way, of moments of respite and joy, of changes that take and bear wonderful fruit. Mercy, you call me though I may forget myself and may struggle to answer. Aid me in that struggle and help me be more hopeful than seems prudent, more generous than is called fair, more loving than seems wise, that I may truly be a fool for Mercy and a fool for peace. Mercy, you call me every night and every day. Hear my thanks for such a blessing! Amen.

Morning Prayer May 19, 2013

Wisdom bless us with and in our humility, that we may be glad in the gifts that others have, the blessings that others know, and the dependence we all have not only upon each other but upon this amazing earth. Wisdom guide us with and in our humility, that we know we do not know quite a lot, even when we have learned a lifetime, and that knowing how to keep learning and keeping the courage to do so are skills that lead to further blessings. Wisdom attend our gratitude, for the ordinary extraordinary gift of being in this day. Amen.

Evening Prayer May 19, 2013

Breath of Life, open our lungs and our hearts to the spirit of goodness that grows lush wherever it is shared, the spirit that invites us to be generous and stay the course with love and good humor, the spirit that wakens us to dreams worth living each night before each day. Breath of Life, let us follow you everywhere, finding and treasuring our connections to all of life, to the splendors of this earth, to the stories we seek, tell, and live. Breath of Life, may we be ever grateful for the gift of living and be bold in love, in peace, and in kindness all our nights and days. Amen.