Dear God, I want to write lofty prayers,aspirations of laying down and picking up(worry/trust; judgment/compassionoverfunctioning/boundaries.) I want to be fullof the spirit of the season. I want to be creativeand prayerfuland have meaningful things to say. I want to be good at it.At Lent.At liturgy.At loving. But this is the season of fasting.Of letting go… Read More
Thursday Prayer: to see and to seek
Dear God, Your friend Julian* says that you desire to be seen, to be sought, to be expected, to be trusted. I am so grateful that the gifts you give are to the whole people of God. That I, on my own, don’t have to muster all the seeing, seeking, expecting and trusting. That we… Read More
Thursday Prayer: New Year’s Eve
This is a prayer for anyone who is not readyfor the New Year yet.Who is not readyto move on yet.Who doesn’t have energy for “New Year New You”. Who is still in the grief of it all,who isn’t ready to be gratefulfor it right now,or to turn all hard times into “growth”. This is a prayerfor anyone… Read More
Thursday Prayer: Christ is born
Even if the liturgy is glitchy,or there is a tech fault,Christ is born, Christ is born among us. Even if the fudge crumbles when you cut it,or the pastry is not your best,Christ is born in our midst. Even if the news is full of doom,and people are behaving terribly,Christ, the Prince of Peace, is… Read More
Thursday Prayer: following the star
We are setting out, O God, following the star (at least we hope we are). We are hoping to find you, Jesus, hoping to have our worlds changed, hoping to have our selves changed. (We need all the change you’re bringing). It is easy to lose sight of the star, for it to be obscured… Read More
Thursday Prayer: rest
God rested on the seventh day from all the work God had done (Genesis 2:2) It is a busy time of year, God, and there might not be time for resting. Jesus said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6: 31) It just isn’t very… Read More
Thursday Prayer: Hope
Every daywe move the solstice sunone day along our Advent spiraland this weekwe name our hopes. We hope for reform of the welfare system,for an end to cisheteropatriarchy,for the smashing of white supremacyand other, smaller hopes:for a good writing day,for peaceful sleep,for a friend to be comforted,and so we pray. God, our hopes are wildand… Read More
Thursday Prayer: a prayer of showing up, together
Dear God.I have written prayersfor others to praywith carefully crafted wordsand evocative imagery. I have written prayersabout having no words,the prayers of feet pacing hallways,the prayers of our tears. I have outlined a box in my journalempty of words or images.A space marking a prayer. I have danced my prayersknitted my prayersdrawn my prayers. And… Read More
Thursday Prayer: all the things
Dear God,All the things…all the things to doall the things that could be saidall the things to worry aboutall the things to rage aboutall the things… I would like to finish this prayerby saying that I will entrust them,all of them,to you. But we both know that I don’t have that capacity. It would make… Read More
Thursday Prayer: lessons from a small white dog
Dear God, I sometimes wonder if I look to you like a small dog determinedly lying at an odd angle on an awkward pile of pillows when I have a perfectly good bed with a heating pad in it (and actually many other comfortable spots) in which to lie. I suspect that the determined streak… Read More
