photogrpahy, random thoughts, ramblings
May you approach God with an open spirit
not seeking to disguise your face,
or cover the nakedness of your soul.
May you know God
not as dispassionate object,
a thing to be mastered and controlled,
but as loving Father,
incarnate Son,
indwelling Spirit,
three persons,
one God.
And may your heart be opened
not only to Heaven,
but every person you meet,
each encounter a revelation,
new wisdom
new mystery
unending unveiling
face to face with the Eternal Thou.
Holy God, your word declares that you have taken away our iniquity, and that you remember our sin no more. But we confess that we focus so much on ourselves, and our failures, and our feelings and our merits that we choose to be consumed by our guilt and shame, and refuse the salvation you offer us freely through the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Forgive us when we forget the comfort of your love, our fellowship with your spirit, and the tenderness and compassion you have called us to show to a world in need. Forgive us when we care so much about ourselves and what we want that we forget to love our neighbor, and in so doing forget to love you.
Almighty Father, take from us all hatred and prejudice and discord. Remind us that there is but one Body and one Spirit, and one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, so that we may all truly be of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and that with one mind and one mouth we may glorify you, through Jesus Christ our Lord who reigns together with you and the Holy Spirit, in a Kingdom without end. Amen.
May wisdom guide your actions.
May peace guide your hands.
May love rule your heart.
And may Christ consume your life,
a new creation
blessed for blessing
His faithful servant
in a reign without end.
May you remember the words of Christ:
Blessed are the poor in spirit
the pure in heart
the peacemakers.
Don’t worry about tomorrow
today has enough worries for today.
Life is about more than food,
your body more than clothes.
Love your enemies.
Ask,
seek,
knock.
Do for others
as you would have them do for you.
And whatever you do
even for the least of these
you do for me.
May God create in you a clean heart,
a transformed heart,
a heart that knows and seeks and loves
the justice and mercy of the Lord.
May you accept the gift of salvation –
not your personal possession to be coveted,
but His work, accomplished in the destruction of Sin
on the cross of Jesus Christ.
And may you humble yourself before the Lord,
coming before Him with a broken spirit,
a contrite heart
receiving from His hand
great compassion
and unfailing love.
As you approach the throne of God,
may you open your heart to the Lord,
not thinking of yourself more highly than you ought,
not seeking to cover your transgressions
from the one who knows all things.
May you treat every person with grace
knowing at one time we all lived
under the dominion of sin.
And may you remember the Lord Jesus Christ,
born of the Virgin Mary,
who entered into the world of suffering,
whose death and resurrection declares to all creation
that suffering will not be the last word.
May you walk in the paths of righteousness,
may you stand in the truth of the Word,
may you dwell in the house of the Lord.
May you know God,
not by his title,
but by his name,
the I will be who I will be,
the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And may he also be your God
watching over your ways
as you walk in his footsteps.
Holy God, we come before your throne and admit that most of the time we are too busy singing and praying and feeling goood and feeling bad and feeling so-so to stop and listen for your tiny, little whispers. In your word you paint for us a picture of full and abundant life, life that can only be had by drinking your living water, knowing you not as a title, but intimately, a mystery, as a wife knows her husband.
We pray that our lives would be planted near you – that we would send our roots deep into your word and your life, that we would draw nourishment from you, and that with the life you give we would in turn provide shelter and comfort and blessing to whoever comes under our branches.
We pray that we would not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor abide in the house of hte scornful, but that our delight would be in you, in your truth, in your grace, now and forevermore.
May you live a life of integrity
careful to walk a blameless path
in the sight of God.
May you sing of God’s love and justice,
a messenger of the stories
of his deliverance in your life.
And may you search for faithful companions
as you journey through life
partners in joy and sorrow
blessings from God
for those who trust in Him.
May you trust in God’s promises to his people
peace
security
blessing
even when they are difficult to believe.
May you know that God’s news is good news,
nourishing
true
even when people tell you it is not.
And when you encounter doubt,
may you strengthen your belief
guiding you in his perfect wisdom and counsel.