Christ Be With Me – St. Patrick
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Christ.
May your salvation, Lord, be ever with us.
Prayer of Thomas Merton
My Lord God I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever near me and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Amen.
Hannah’s Prayer of Praise
Then Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me.
No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
1 Sam 2:1-3 [NLT]
Prayer for Hope After a Difficult Year
Dear God,
hank you for helping us to make it through this difficult year.
Thank you that you’ve carried us through the uncertainty of deep waters, through the flames of trials, and through the pain of hard losses.
We are constantly aware of how much we need you, your grace, your strength, your power working through even the toughest days.
Fill us with your joy and the peace of your Spirit. Direct our hearts and minds towards you.
Thank you for your reminder that both in seasons of celebration and in seasons of brokenness, you’re still with us.
For you never leave us.
Thank you for your daily powerful Presence in our lives, that we can be assured your heart is towards us, your eyes are over us, and your ears are open to our prayers.
Thank you for surrounding us with favor and a shield, and we are safe in your care.
We choose to press in close to you today and keep you first in our hearts and lives.
Without You, we would surely fail, but with you, there is great hope.
Thank you for your healing power, thank you for bringing us into this new season up ahead.
We look forward to all that You still have in store.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
New Year's Prayer - Prayer for a Renewed Heart
O Lord, you have mercy on all.
Take away my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of your Holy Spirit.
Take away my heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore you, a heart to delight in you, to follow and to enjoy you, for Christ’s sake.
Amen.
Source: Ambrose, d. 397
Advent Prayer Poem Advent Credo by Allan Boesak
It is not true that creation and the human family are doomed to destruction and loss—
This is true: For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life;
It is not true that we must accept inhumanity and discrimination, hunger and poverty, death and destruction—
This is true: I have come that they may have life, and that abundantly.
It is not true that violence and hatred should have the last word, and that war and destruction rule forever—
This is true: Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, his name shall be called wonderful councilor, mighty God, the Everlasting, the Prince of peace.
It is not true that we are simply victims of the powers of evil who seek to rule the world—
This is true: To me is given authority in heaven and on earth, and lo I am with you, even until the end of the world.
It is not true that we have to wait for those who are specially gifted, who are the prophets of the Church before we can be peacemakers—
This is true: I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions and your old men shall have dreams.
It is not true that our hopes for liberation of humankind, of justice, of human dignity of peace are not meant for this earth and for this history—
This is true: The hour comes, and it is now, that the true worshipers shall worship God in spirit and in truth.
So let us enter Advent in hope, even hope against hope.
Let us see visions of love and peace and justice.
Let us affirm with humility, with joy, with faith, with courage:
Jesus Christ—the life of the world.
The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
Trusting that He will make all things right If I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him Forever and ever in the next.
Amen.
Gracious and loving God, the cross of Christ is the sign of your desire for justice and peace for all.
Open our minds to your vision as we remember all who suffered through Australia and New Zealand’s involvement in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.
Grant all servicepersons who sacrificed health and life for the good of all, the gift of your deep peace.
May we who inherit the freedom for which they fought become instruments of your peace in our homes, workplaces and world.
We ask this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen
Prayer for peace in Ukraine
Holy and Gracious God
We pray for the people of Ukraine and the people of Russia; for their countries and their leaders.
We pray for all those who are afraid; that your everlasting arms hold them in this time of great fear.
We pray for all those who have the power over life and death; that they will choose for all people life, and life in all its fullness.
We pray for those who choose war; that they will remember that you direct your people to turn our swords into ploughshares and seek for peace.
We pray for leaders on the world stage; that they are inspired by the wisdom and courage of Christ. Above all, Lord, today we pray for peace for Ukraine.
And we ask this in the name of your blessed Son.
Lord have mercy. Amen