Morning Prayer for Monday, 27 July 2020

P.S. I Love You

By Anyah

You say I love you right before you leave
You act so kind then leave me to grieve
You let me stand there in disbelief
Thinking that it will give me some kind of relief
That you end our conversation, letter, relationship with
“I love you”

Why don’t you give me some time to enjoy
The love that can be received
To be happy that I am loved by you and you loved by me
But you wait to see
If we can be
In a circle of love
With all love to show
Making sure and always letting me know
That in the beginning and in the end
Your love will always transcend

But maybe you think that if you say it now
It will Make up for later
Or maybe it gives you of how
To see me later
Or maybe its because right before soldiers went to war
They grabbed their wives hugged them tight and said,
“I love you”
Or maybe because when she broke up with him he said,
“I love you” to change her mind
But what ever the reason
The size of the grieving
The words unbelieving
The eyes to be tearing
Will always be less
More time to caress
my soul
If only you let me know
How great of your love
Before you go.

P.S. I Love you

Good morning and welcome to morning prayer

The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;
let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.

Amen.

Breathe in

Breathe out

Be still…

Spirit of Truth
who reveals to us the things of God
we praise your name.
Spirit of Wisdom
who inspires the words we ought to speak
we praise your name.

Spirit of Power
who grants the courage we need to act
we praise your name.
Spirit of Love
who knows our nature and loves us still
we praise your name.

Presence

God is with me, but more, God is within me.
Let me dwell for a moment on God’s life-giving presence
in my body, in my mind, in my heart,
as I am here, right now.

Freedom

Thank you God for my freedom
May I use this gift to do what I can
for those who are oppressed or burdened.

Consciousness

As I spend this time with you, Lord,
I am aware of how blessed I truly am.
I think of the love and laughter in my life,
And I feel grateful.

The Word of God

Matthew 13:31-35

He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.  Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.’

He told them still another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about thirty kilograms of flour until it worked all through the dough.’

Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.  So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

‘I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.’

Words of wisdom

We’re all like localized vibrations of the infinite goodness of God’s presence.   So love is our very nature. Love is our first, middle, and last name.  Love is all; not [love as] sentimentality, but love that is self-forgetful and free of self-interest.

This is also marvellously exemplified in Gandhi’s life and work.  He never tried to win anything.  He just tried to show love; and that’s what ahimsa [the Hindu principle of nonviolence out of respect for all living things] really means.  It’s not just a negative.  Nonviolence doesn’t capture its meaning.  It means to show love tirelessly, no matter what happens.  That’s the meaning of turning the other cheek [Matthew 5:39].  Once in a while you have to defend somebody, but it means you’re always willing to suffer first for the cause — that is to say, for communion with your enemies.  If you overcome your enemies [through force and violence], you’ve failed.  If you make your enemies your partners, God has succeeded.

Br Thomas Keating

Prayers and intercessions

We pray for the world…

Lord in your mercy/ hear our prayers

We pray for the universal church of Christ…

Lord in your mercy/hear our prayers

We pray for one another and all those known to us…

Lord in your mercy/hear our prayers

The Lord’s prayer

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.

Amen.

Be still..

May God the provider
of green pastures
and quiet waters
be the peace in our hearts today

May Jesus our guide
on mountain top
and valley deep
be the hope in our hearts today

May the Spirit of truth
and knowledge
comforter and friend
be the strength in our hearts today

Amen

The blessing

May the beauty of God
be reflected in your eyes,
the love of God
be reflected in your hands,
the wisdom of God
be reflected in your words,
and the knowledge of God
flow from your heart,
that all might see,
and seeing,  believe

Amen

Thank you for join us…may the good Lord bless your day!

Revd. Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga