Is it right, O God, to be grateful for the bare minimum, for justice done once, when it has been abandoned so many other times? Can we give thanks for one day of something like justice, when there have been so many other empty days? We call out to you the name of George Floyd,… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
You are our shepherd, O God, and we call out for your tending, we long for your protection, seeking safety from the dangers that surround us. The wolves of racism, injustice, and economic insecurity, of stress, illness and pain are circling us, and within us. We shall not want…someday, yet today there is still so… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
Bright, surprising God, we are still rejoicing in the glory of Easter. the mystery of Jesus walking and talking and eating among us again, showing us his scars like a familiar friend, reminding us not to hold on to him. We never can, of course, and yet we would love to keep him fresh and… Read More
Friday Prayer
O God, our help in ages past…Our hope for years to come… What about now? Where are you now? Where is your saving power, Your eternal peace, Your outpouring of grace in our present? We are in need of you now. The Reverend Julia Seymour serves Big Timber Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Big Timber, MT.… Read More
Friday Prayer
For those who are out of words for praying- Those who stare off into the middle distance, too tired for sentences or sense. Those whose grief is too deep for anything but sobs and deafening silence. Those who have poured out for others with very little available to fill themselves.Those who have deconstructed lies they were told… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
This Lent, O God, our thoughts are muddled. We wander from grief to rage to distraction to hope, our thoughts moving as fast as our fingers move from app to app. Dare we hope that a brighter future is coming? Dare we believe that we will be able to live through our layers of grief? … Read More
Wednesday Prayer
God of ash and dust, our ashes fill the world this year. The ashes of loss are present all around us: grief and mourning fill our days. Lost lives, lost time, lost companionship, lost work. We are ready to tear our garments with grief. The ashes of bitterness are present here: political strife and injustice… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
Loving God, it’s pre-game time. As we plan services, put ashes in little containers, and fill Lent bags…for us, Lent is here already. So, we pray, quiet our fingers, and lead us back into the mystery. Stop us, so we can sit in your presence. Let the services, the music and the bags rest, as… Read More
Thursday Prayer
Dear God, for Ordinary Time’s chance to take a deep breath, we are grateful. Ordinary days reveal their common graces, and we thank you for the gift of the simple meals we so quickly forget, for the place we come to rest at night, and for the surrounding love of our friends. For the… 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