UniversalistPrayers

Evening Prayer May 26, 2013

Attend, every heart, to the blessings of this earth, to our responsibilities to it and to all of life. Wherever we are, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, may we remember and stay mindful of this life that sustains us and blesses us, and our responsibilities to the present, the past, and the future. Wisdom give us courage to make difficult choices and changes, to draw upon the traditions and accumulated wisdom of ages when it can help and to seek, create, and share new wisdom to answer new persistent problems. Attend, every heart, to the blessings of this earth, to our responsibilities to it and to all of life. May we be ever mindful and ever active in nourishing the whole, in tending and sharing these blessings, in bearing up and on with love and care, now and all our days. Amen.

Morning Prayer May 26, 2013

Awake, every heart, to the blessings of this earth, to our care for it and for all upon it! Wake us into sharing with one another wisdom, news, and practices to nurture this earth and restore it to health. Awake, every heart, to the blessings of this earth, to our care for it and for all upon it! Wake us into acting together to make real differences, to make laws that help and heal, to hold corporations, communities and individuals true to the responsibilities we share by sharing this life together. Awake, every heart, to the blessings of this earth, to our care for it and for all upon it! Wake us to the life we share, to how we turn together to the great work of creating a better world today and for the future, to restore blessings and to add to them, day by day. Awake, every heart, to the blessings of this earth, to our care for it and for all upon it! Amen.

Evening Prayer May 25, 2013

Wisdom, we greet this evening with gladness, breathing in the sweetness of night descending, breathing with relief and with hope. In blessing of the night, may we take refuge and find peace, letting the swirl and hustle of the day drop into stillness, if even only for a few moments. In the setting of the sun, may we watch our anger and our disappointments fade, our sorrows ease, and find again the heart of love that we seek, nurture, share, and promise. In the welcoming night, may we find needed rest and equanimity, so that when morning dances into being, we are restored and ready for a new day. Wisdom, we greet this evening with gladness, relief and hope. May we return to the heart of love and live in wisdom all our nights and days. Amen.

Morning Prayer May 25, 2013

Wisdom, from little beginnings and great unknowing, we grow in understanding, in ability, and in hope each day. No matter what we know, may we care to learn more, keep asking questions, keep attending the ways we can learn from life, from the wisdom of ages past, from the wisdom breaking forth right in this present moment. No matter what we do not know, may we care to share what we do know, glad to teach as well as glad to learn. Though we may not know a very great deal - and, indeed, cannot know all we do not know -- Wisdom may we choose following you all our lives, glad to learn and share in learning to our final days. Amen.

Morning Prayer May 24, 2013

Life, how wondrous you are! What a gift and what a blessing! May we rejoice in the gift of each and every day. Especially in the days that are full of hurt and grief and bitterness, may we create cause for gladness that eases the hurt, that softens the grief, that turns the tide of bitterness back. Especially in the days of wondering what happens next or how we might carry on, may we aid and sustain one another in kindness and in love, in generosity, and in hopefulness, creating cause for gladness. Especially in the days of bleakness and desperation, may we be a flower of hope, a cup of mercy, a bearer of courage to one another, making way for gladness to spring again. May we wake again to the wonder of each day, to the gift and the blessing, sharing that with one and with all. Amen.

Evening Prayer May 24, 2013

Love, may we each create in our lives and out of our hearts a space that welcomes you. Love, may we each create in our lives the welcome space that makes way for the stranger to become a friend, and cultivate the way of kindness. Love, may we each create in our lives the welcome space that invites those who seem like enemies and discover joys we can create and share in common, and cultivate the way of peace. Love, may we each create in our lives the welcome space that makes us glad to keep learning, to be unfinished, to keep growing and changing all our lives, and cultivate the way of wisdom. Love, may we each create in our lives and out of our hearts a space that welcomes you, a space for hope to take root and blossom, a space for mercy to thrive, a space into which we can lean and live, faithfully and fully, night and day. Amen.

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.