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
Thursday Prayer: the blessings we wish for
Dear God Sometimes I wish you were in the business of giving the kind of blessings that would protect us from the vulnerability of being human. No more painful emotions, no more suffering, no more conflict, no more prejudice. I hear your promise of salvation, that there will be no more crying, no more death,… Read More
Thursday Prayer: courage, perseverance and kindness
This is a prayer for all who wake needing courage this day:For the one whose landscape has been impactedby tragedy or disaster;For the one who has to say or do a hard thing;For the one who will show courage by walking away;For the one whose courage looks like trying a new thing. This is a… Read More
Thursday Prayer
May I restinto the larger Love;May I entrust myselfinto the most generous Grace;May I be easedby the most merciful Mercy;May I be supported bythe steadiest Presence;May I be with the One who is. Jemma Allen is a priest in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia and expresses that ministry as a researcher, counsellor… Read More
Thursday Prayer: things that do not exist yet
You are the God “who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” (Romans 4:17) We are locked down, we are sheltering in place, we are safeguarding our bubbles. We are trying to plan for all the contingencies, holding all the “if-thens” and the “but really it is… Read More
Thursday Prayer: Hiroshima Day
August 6 and August 9, 2020, are the 75th Anniversaries of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For the hibakusha, the survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki we pray: Peace, peace, peace! For all those affected by nuclear testing we pray: Peace, peace, peace! For our earth, and the places polluted by… Read More
Thursday Prayer: Your Kindom Come
Fire our imagination O Holy Spirit of Wisdom! Help us to see beyond what is, to a vision of your kindom. Inspire us, revive us, that we might let go of trying to fix what is, to edit, as if our structures and institutions are templates for a slightly better future if only we fix… Read More
Thursday Prayer
Dear God, The prophets cry No justice! No peace! Black Lives Matter! The systems of oppression, the practices of white supremacy are again being exposed. We pray for change. Sustain us in action. Fire our hearts with your love for the world. Amen. Jemma Allen is a priest of the Anglican Church in… Read More
