Prayer for the Week of 1/19

As promised, here is a copy of the prayer I read from this Sunday's service at Millbrook. 

Morning Prayer

1-19-2014

The Psalmist proclaims, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined me and heard my cry.  He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon the rock, making my steps secure.  He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” (Psalm 40:1-3, NRSV) 

Friends, let us also sing a song of praise to God.  Would you pray with me please?

God of goodness,

We know that you hear us, even on a cold, January morning.  And we know that wherever we go, we cannot escape your presence and your mercy and your love.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

And this morning, God, we place our trust in you, because now, more than ever, we need your help – we need secure footing.  For some reason, God, it all seems harder this month; 28 days would seem so much easier than 31. Gone are the pomp and circumstance of Christmas, and the warm breezes of summer.  Some of us feel a sense of melancholy – tasks to do, and homework again, and bills to pay, no sunshine on the drive home from work, no favorite team to watch this afternoon, and in a few weeks, no team to watch at all.   Some of us are lonely – the company of the holidays spoiled us.  There’s grief too – memories of loved ones who made past Januaries sparkle despite the winter darkness.  And a little despair among some of us – the N&O’s headlines remind us of so much brokenness in our community: homelessness, hunger, a drought of integrity, and so on and so on.  It is the winter of our discontent, and God, we ask this morning for the constant reminder that Spring awaits.

Fill us with that Easter hope, and with the steadfast resolve to bring about your kingdom, right here, right now.  Help us to sing a new song, your song, the song that says, “God’s light shines, even in darkness of winter.  It shines among God’s beloved.  It shines into this community!!!” And may we sing that song in the light of the one who loved so well, Jesus the Christ, the one who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”

Words of Assurance:

Martin Luther King once wrote: “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”

Hear this. God loves you this day and every day.  And from that starting point, the truth and love of God that King mentions, these things, are an ever-present reality! Thanks be to God!!!