September 1, 2020
Let this day be filled with prayer. May my actions be prayerful. Let me understand that everything I do is a response to all you have done for me O God. Everything I have, every person I meet, all that I experience should reflect how grateful I am that you were willing to die for all of us that we may live free from the guilt that can overwhelm us. May I live into the freedom that sacrifice gave me. Let me be as forgiving of others as you are of me. All this I ask in your name. Amen
September 2 2020
Lord be with those who are charged to protect us. Help them to make the right decisions in times of great stress. Let them feel your presence this day and every day. May they be kept from danger. We thank them for the courage and commitment they show in their service to us. Be with the Public Safety Officers, Fire and EMT Personnel as they follow the high calling to which they have committed their lives. May they return home at the end of this shift and every shift safely. All this we ask in your name. Amen
September 3 2020
Lord Christ, when asked about the man born blind and whether sin caused it you responded saying that he was born blind so that in him the Glory of God might be revealed. Help us to recognize that everyone of your creation has the opportunity to reveal your Glory. Let us not look down on others but instead find ways to lift people up. May we look more than with our eyes. It is only by letting our preconceived notions, prejudices and fear go that we can truly see all of your creation to its fullest. Help us today along our journey to see you more and more fully each day. All this we ask in your name. Amen.
September 4 2020
Today is a day for listening. Let me hear the song that you have made for me this day. Fill my ears with the sounds of your creation. Enable me to more deeply understand what those I am with want and need. May I not be distracted from what you would have me hear. May I cherish the silence when it comes and learn from that as well. I look forward to the symphony that is before me. All this I ask in the name of God. Amen
September 5, 2020
Lord God, let this day be one where I accomplish the projects I have been avoiding. I know that I will feel better if they are finally done, and I also know I am easily distracted. Let me keep my focus long enough to be able to see the list of things undone shrink today. All this I ask in your name. Amen.
September 6 2020
Lord God, you reminded us that when two or three are gathered in your name you will be in the midst of us. As we redefine what gathering means, help us to feel your presence. May we see you in new ways as being always present. May our recognition of you in all that we do translate into us being more open to seeing you and responding to what you would have us do. May this day be one where we gather as best we can to recognize that we are not alone and recharge our batteries for the ministry to which you are calling us. Amen.
September 7 2020
O Lord our God, a favored prayer begins with “Keep watch with those who work or watch or weep this night…”. Help us to recognize those who work hard each day to make our lives better. Let us celebrate the labors of those who do the work many of would never consider but is necessary to our common life. May we recognize the efforts of those who make our lives better, more comfortable and safe. All this I ask in the name of God. Amen.
September 8 2020
Lord God, fifty years ago my twin brother Gregory died in a drowning accident. Be with those who have lost children. The mothers and fathers who struggle to explain it to the remaining children while trying to live on need your guidance. The siblings and friends who aren’t equipped to respond to what has happened need your presence. Help all of them to find ways to celebrate the gift that those children who died too early for us more than we mourn their loss. Help us feel your presence as we deal with these losses for the rest of our lives. All this we ask in your name. Amen
September 9 2020
I have a fresh start to a new day filled with opportunities. Let me live this day looking for you O God in all the people I meet. When I am frustrated in traffic which is likely, help me to not get too tense. Let me instead see it as an chance for me to see what I drive by so often without actually seeing what is there. When I am tempted to skip ahead or ignore the world around me, may I be patient enough to hear what is going on around me. May I enjoy the aromas of the world around me, whether it is the flowers I pass, or cut grass, or the incredible smell by some of our many restaurants. In other words, let me live this day as fully as possible. All this I ask in your name. Amen
September 10 2020
Lord God, there are so many people who struggle with depression and other anxieties. More often than not people are afraid to even say they need help and we see weakness in people who are struggling just starting their day. Help them to find the support they need. May we recognize when they need us to be there for them. May they find the support they need spiritually, mentally and medically. Let us all realize that we do no know the burdens that others carry. These issues are know no boundaries and affect our whole society. May we become much more supportive of ways to eliminate the stigmatism that affects people struggling in this way. All this we ask in your name. Amen
September 11 2020
This day O God is loaded with so many memories. This was a day for Americans that will be forever remembered. It was a day where love of our neighbor was not only challenged it was hit with a major punch. We have since that day struggled to look at each other with the love and compassion that you would have us. We have been tempted by the evil message of distrust and hate to be fearful. Now is the time O God for you to remind us that the world you created was meant to learn the message of Love, forgiveness and redemption. Let us look at the world this day with a new lens. May we see it as a world filled with people forgiven, healed, redeemed and ready to start anew. Let us release our anger, our hate, our predetermined expectations, our prejudice and anything that keeps us from seeing everyone in the world around us a beloved child of God. If we can begin to see each other as a beloved child of God, then perhaps we can do better from this day on. All this we ask in a God that wants us to love one another. Amen
September 12 2020
O Lord God, creator of the universe, this is one of those days that many of us remember as a day after. Our world was turned upside down and we came together for a short time and realized we were all one people. This day we were still shocked wondering what to do. For the most part we looked out for each other and were much better people. Help us to find that spirit of unity again without having a day like that yesterday. Instead, let us remember what it was like and determine to never let hate grow so strong as to have events like that anywhere. Let us find new ways to lift up least among us. Help us to listen where we have become deaf, to see where we have become blind, and to care where we have become numb. Let this day be a day where Love permeates all that we do. Amen.
September 13 2020
O Lord our God, today I am thankful for all the young people who have been a part of our lives. Were it not for a passion for youth work, I would have never been on the train that my wife was riding to go to the same national youth event that I was attending. Young people figuring out what was their next adventure have always been a part of our lives and wow it that a daunting and empowering place to be. Helping form them into people ready to face an ever changing world is a gift. Being a part of their journey to more than adulthood and onto truly amazing adults is perhaps the greatest honor a teacher, youth minister and mentor can obtain. Thank you for all the lives for which we have been a part. They truly were more a gift to us, than we to them. Bless them in their future endeavors and help them to feel your presence surround them. Amen
September 14 2020
O Lord God, yesterday’s Gospel called us to remember that when we expect to be forgiven, we must also be willing to forgive. May we find ways to be more forgiving each day. Help us to release the hurt that has happened to us by others. May we become so forgiving that the pain and fear of it happening again disappears, so that we can more easily feel the freedom of the forgiveness for our own sins that we desire. Let us be willing to take the risk of being hurt again in order that we may know the joy and wonder of being free from the guilts we carry. All this we ask in the name of a God who forgives, heals and redeems. Amen.
September 15 2020
God of abundance, help us to recognize our own abundance and be willing to give to those who are suffered greatly. May we use our time, talent and treasures to serve others. May we work to make this world better each day. Give us strength to meet the days to come knowing that we are in a very perilous time. May love overshadow all of our decisions. All this we ask in your name. Amen.
September 16 2020
Lord God, help me to be patient today. May I take the time to listen fully to everyone. Help me when I want to “lay on the horn” (literally and figuratively) to be calm. Let me find a peace that seems impossible when I want time to move faster or for someone to not say the same thing three times more than it has already been said. May I, instead, recognize that just because I am decided does not mean everyone else has come to the conclusion I have. May I treat those times as opportunities to be still and listen for you, O God. All this I ask in your name. Amen.
September 17 2020
Lord God, we have fires, storms, civil unrest and a pandemic happening all at once. Help us to find peace and safety. May you protect those who are affected by the storms swirling around us. May we be willing to make the necessary changes in how we live our lives to make those things happen which will limit the damage we create. May we love each other enough to make the sacrifices we need to protect our environment, those who are suffering from the pandemic, those who are suffering from long term poverty, and injustice. May we find an end to reacting based on fear and let your love for us shine through and guide our actions. All this I ask in the name of a loving God. Amen
September 18 2020
Lord God, we live in an imperfect world as imperfect beings. Help us to be comfortable enough to admit when we are wrong, or need help today. May we be able to release any anger or tension in a healthy way. Let us instead strive to find that perfection that only comes from unconditional love. May we strive for that, knowing it will take effort and forgiveness. Let us give others the benefit of the doubt that we want from them. Make us acutely aware of how our actions and words may be perceived and make both of those acts of love and kindness. It is in your name we pray. Amen
September 19 2020
Lord God, you have provided us with people of high integrity to be judges. People who are called to be just and help us through the times when there are complex issues to be determined. We remember this day especially Ruth Bader Ginsberg. She was a pioneer who was able do something we struggle to do today. She could disagree vehemently with people of differing opinion and still be truly friends with them. May our country continue to have judges of high moral character like Ruth Bader Ginsberg and her friend Antonin Scalia. We need more people like them as our judges. I pray for her family and friends. I pray for those who will decide her replacement. All this I ask in the name of God. Amen.
September 20 2020
O Lord God, this is a new day. May I see all the opportunities before me and act upon them. May I also look for the beauty of the world around me. Let me find ways to celebrate the gift that this day is. I know I will only live this day once so let it be a day where I treat it with the respect and wonder it deserves. If I have struggles help me to remember that you want my joy to be complete. May this new day be filled with your presence. Amen
September 21 2020
O Lord God, this morning seems to have come so quickly. The days are running together, and I feel like I am not fully prepared for this day or even this week. Sometimes it seems as if I am responding to what is immediately before me, and have no time to actually plan. May I recognize those times when I am not focused today and utilize those times to prepare for what is ahead of me. I am gifted at being distracted, so help me to stay attentive to what is happening around me and give me the ability to get all that needs to be done today and to prepared for the rest of the week. All this I ask in your name. Amen.
September 22 2020
Jeita Grotto, outside of Beirut, Lebanon was said to have been discovered in 1836 by an American missionary. It is protected and is one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life. The depth of its beauty was hidden from light and took millions of years to create. When I saw it, I realized what Cathedral Builders were attempting. They were trying to create something as awe inspiring as what God created in nature.
Lord God I am thinking of the Cathedral that is the world you created. From the glorious mountains, forests, lakes, rivers and oceans to those things that have been hidden from us until we discover them. I am grateful for having been fortunate enough to see many of the wonders of your creation. May we all come to recognize the wonder and beauty of your world and work hard to keep that beauty available for generations to come. May we make decisions that protect your creation and may we discover new and wonderful cathedrals of your making. All this I ask in the name of the Creator God. Amen
September 23 2020
Loving God, be with those who are struggling today. We have so many people for whom life seems to be overwhelming. Help them to feel your presence and bring them peace. May you put people in their path today that help them feel loved and supported. Give us the presence of mind to notice when others around us need to be appreciated and supported. May we go out of our way to greet the people we see with a smile. Let us see you O God in them. Make us mindful of and responsive to the chance we have to share the love that you have for us with others through our direct and indirect actions. And your blessing be upon us all today. Amen.
September 24 2020
O Lord our God, we are blessed with great artists. Pictures paint a thousand year, and words create infinite pictures. Thank you for the artists in our would, the folks who would see so much more in their minds. The architect who sees the possibility of structures, the musician whose sounds bring us to laughter and tears, the sculpted who sees the beauty in stone waiting for its glory. May we always celebrate those who have gifts of creativity that help us not only to innovate, but to see the future. Let us encourage those people who dream about what great things might happen and not diminish the flame of their dreams. All this I ask in the name of a God who revels in our imagination. Amen
September 25 2020
Blessed God, there is nothing like the beginning of a new day. As someone who sees children begin their day at school, carline is both exciting and tenuous. There are small children who are so excited by the possibilities that their fear overwhelms them. Others bounce out of the cars as if we were waiting for them. Every parent is anxious that their child has a fantastic day. Knowing that we, at our school Mead Hall, have that great responsibility, give us the strength and compassion to make our children experience not only you O Lord, but the incredible passion for learning that we hope for them. Amen
September 26 2020
O God, you have given me the blessing of having many friends over the years. Some have been there for decades and continue to be there. Others have been there at a time when I needed the presence of the Holy Spirit most. And there are others who I didn’t recognize as so important to my life until years later. Thank you for giving them to me when I needed them. Please let them know, in some way, that they were not only the person I needed then and how much the gift of who they were helped me be where I am today. May I be that presence for others in my life this day and every day. Thank you for your Holy Spirit. Amen.
September 27 2020
Lord God, our world needs to feel your presence deeply. Anger, Hate and Anxiety seem to be attacking us on all sides. Help us to combat the evil one and learn again to look at each other with the love that surpasses all understanding. May we be empowered by your spirit to overcome the despair that wants to overwhelm us. May we look for the good in the world around us and become a people of love and compassion. Let us build upon individual acts of caring and change the narrative that seems to be the norm today. All this I ask in your name. Amen.
September 28 2020
This is the start of a new week. May it be filled with opportunity. Let me support the work of others around me. Help me to lift up and not tear down. May I encourage the people I meet and with whom I work. Allow us to do things that will make people know we care about them and that our ministry to them is one of unconditional love. As the week goes on, help me to not get discouraged when I am faced with challenges. Instead may I see those challenges as chances to learn. And as always may I see and feel your presence in the week that is ahead of me. All this I ask in the name of God. Amen
September 29 2020
O Lord our God, we live in a cloud of unknowing, where we find our selves responding to a world that right now seems to lack compassion, direction and love. We have become a people who forget the virtues that are who you call us to be. We forget that chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility are virtues to which to aspire. Instead we often find ourselves looking at people who do the opposite as somehow worthy of some honor because they have some short lived success. Help us to remember that those people often end humiliated and broken. Let us focus on those things that honor you and express the love that is required to live into those virtues. Amen.
September 30 2020
For some reason I am thinking about adoption. I was blessed to be adopted by my father Philip Marshall Wiseman. I also am thankful for hearing the stories of adoption of friends like the Rev. Tom Jones and many others. Then I think of how many of our families adopted people who were already adults but became so much a part of our families. I am thankful for The Rev Canon David McCallum and William Francis Lynch who adopted us as much as we adopted them.
Lord God, in letting Joseph raise your Son, you showed the world the spirit of adoption. Joseph raised Jesus as his son, giving unconditional love of a father. I thank you for those people who have adopted children and made them their own. As a child who has been chosen in that way, I honor not only those who adopt, but the children who recognized just what that meant. I also celebrate how we adopt people into our families that become so much a part of our lives that everyone recognizes them as family. May you bless us as we celebrate the family you have given us an the family we have chosen. All this we ask in the name of an adopted child of God. Amen.
Prayers for Challenging Times 