Opening Prayer: Psalm 130

Here’s an opening prayer based on Psalm 130 from Rev. Nancy J.

Opening Prayer

(based on Psalm 130)

Holy God, Creator of Life,
you call us out of our dark places,

offering us the grace of new life.
When we see nothing but hopelessness,

you surprise us with the breath of your spirit.
Call us out of our complacency and routines,
set us free from our self-imposed bonds,
and fill us with your spirit of life, compassion, and peace,
In the name of Jesus, your anointed one, we pray. Amen.

~ written by Rev. Nancy J., and posted on her wonderings through life and other such nonsense. http://ruminari.wordpress.com/

Lenten Prayer: A prayer for new life

Here’s a prayer for Lent from Pamela C. Hawkins.  It comes from the Prayers and Creeds website.

Prayer for Lent

O God, who makes all things new,
new stars, new dust, new life;
take my heart,
every hardened edge and measured beat,
and create something new in me.

I need your newness, God,
the rough parts of me made smooth;
the stagnant, stirred;
the stuck, freed;
the unkind, forgiven.

And then, by the power of your Spirit,

I need to be turned toward Love again. Amen.

~ by Pamela C. Hawkins, in The Awkward Season: Prayers for Lent (Nashville, TN: Upper Room Books, 2009), 30. Posted on Prayer and Creeds, https://prayersandcreeds.wordpress.com/

Prayer for Illumination: Psalm 99

Here is a prayer for illumination, a prayer traditionally spoken before the reading and preaching of the Word in worship. It was written by Amy Loving, and posted on The Worship Cloud.

Prayer of Illumination

(inspired by Exodus 13-16, Psalm 99)

Mighty God,

you spoke to your people in the pillar of cloud

as they walked together in the wilderness.

Speak to us through your Word today,

that we may hear you calling us

out of the wilderness places in our lives

and into new places you have promised to show us.

In the name of Christ, we pray.  Amen.

~ written by Amy Loving, and posted on The Worship Closet. http://worshipcloset.com/words-for-worship-18th-sunday-after-pentecost/

Lenten Benediction

Here’s a Lenten benediction from Joanna Harader’s Spacious Faith blog.

Benediction for Lent

Whatever wilderness the Spirit has brought you to:
walk in boldness, as a beloved child of God
walk in peace, under the shelter of the Most High
walk in faith, knowing Christ walks with you. Amen.

~ written by Joanna Harader, and posted on her Spacious Faith blog. http://spaciousfaith.com/

Prayer for the Start of Lent

God of revelation, 
unveil your Kingdom in our midst. 
Show us who we truly are in you: 
expose the illusions that distort our vision, 
deliver us from temptations that contort our living, 
open our eyes in this time of trial – 
that resistance may be the secret of our joy 
and our joy a sign of your shalom. Amen.

 

~ posted on the Monthly Prayers page of the Christian Aid website. http://www.christianaid.org.uk/

Lent: Closing Prayer

Here’s a closing prayer for the season of Lent from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogsdenberg website.

Closing Prayer for Lent

God of mystery,

we journey with Jesus during this Lenten season

with the certain hope that you will recreate our world

so that all people will live in peace and justice. 

Call us out of the wilderness of apathy

and help us to reach out to those who do not know hope or love. 

Hear the longings of our hearts

and the cries of those who yearn to live in peace and justice.  

Let Easter burst into a world waiting to be re-created.  Amen.

~ from Lenten Prayer Service: The Spirit of Almsgiving, posted on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogsdenburg website. http://dioogdensburg.org/Lent/