I said to my soul, Soul, we are here. We are here with the aches of the past. We are here with the promise of the future. The past has promise too. That someday there will be meaning and depth and story that we do not yet see. That promise fulfilled does not mean that… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
As the year ends, God, what shall we keep from this year? What blessings have we wrestled out of its kick to the stomach, its unrelenting grief and hollowing loneliness? And what, O God, shall we take up in the new year, as it brings its gift of newness to our weariness? May we hold… Read More
Friday Prayer
You already know, Love,How I sometimes kick prayer down the listUntil I have more time Or energyOr mental capacityOr something. In the moments before sleep, I mutter thatYou already know everything, so amen and amen. And sometimes I stare off into spaceWith the intention of focusBut my mind blanks out and when I shake myself… Read More
Friday Prayer: Note to Self from Psalm 103
Note to self: Bless the Lord. We’re in the middle of a marathon slog, but God has not abandoned us. Intermittent joys have sustained us beyond what we could have imagined. The Lord has stayed our hand from slapping the foolish and, sometimes, from typing the thing we cannot take back. Come on, soul. It… Read More
Friday Prayer
The day after the Ascension, Mary of Magdala thought she glimpsed Jesus, in the market. Out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn she saw the light tan of his robe, a flicker of movement that her heart recognized. When she turned to look more directly, all she saw were strangers all… Read More
Friday Prayer
I will enter your house with burnt offerings and will pay you my vows— those that I promised with my lips and spoke with my mouth when I was in trouble. – Psalm 66:13-14 To the Heavenly Accounting Department: I am checking in on the status of my account. I am have lost track of my number of… Read More
Friday Prayer
Holy God- Into your hands I commit the spirit of Ahmaud Arbery, that he may rest in peace and rise in power. Into your hands I commit the spirits of his family, his friends, his community, and all who knew him and loved him. Into your hands I commit the spirits of the people who… Read More
Friday Prayer
Look, Lord, I just don’t have it in me to put the words in order. I’ve got a prayer in me. If you could search it out and answer it, I would be grateful. Amen. The Reverend Julia Seymour serves Big Timber Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Big Timber, MT. She blogs at lutheranjulia.blogspot.com and readsallthethings.com. She contributed to There’s… Read More
Monday Prayer
Friends, today’s Monday Prayer is brought to you by mood swings! In the past few days my mood has swung back and forth. From excitement and energy to total lethargy and deep melancholy it feels like I have gone through a dictionary of emotions… Thus, my prayer today comes from this evening’s mood (it is… Read More
Friday Prayer
Out of the depths, I cry to you- The depths of my anxiety. The depths of my grief. The depths of my frustration. The depths of my pain. The depths of my fear. Out of the depths, I cry to you- For those who are exhausted. For those who are sick. For those who have… Read More