Reflection   “By perseverance, the snail reached the ark.” –Charles Spurgeon   Prayer   Patient redeemer,  You call every one of us, just as we are, to respond to your calling. You did not promise it would be easy to follow, yet you have

Prayer

Patient redeemer,

You call every one of us, just as we are, to respond to your calling. You did not promise it would be easy to follow, yet you have given us every reason to trust you and to believe beyond a doubt that you journey with us, every step of the way. However long it takes or however tortuous our path, you will not abandon us or leave us behind. Bless us, therefore, with a persevering obedience just to keep going steady, in the right direction, assured of our destination. Amen.

Holy Week 2023

Holy Week 2023

Prayer

Love of all loves,

This is a special week for us in the Christian faith, as we meditate upon the mystery of your suffering, death, and resurrection on Easter Sunday. Give us ample opportunity this week to reflect upon the depth of your great love for all of humanity. May we be filled each day more and more with that very same love, so that all people will come to experience the abundant life that you have won for us. Amen.

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday

Prayer

Reviving spirit,

We know there are colleagues among us who are weary and struggling to go on. Give us eyes to see them and tongues ready to speak a good word to them. A rousing word that can strengthen them from the inside out. As we continue to journey towards Easter, reflecting upon the depth of your love and sacrifice this week, inspire us to become an even more encouraging community of support for all who are weary. For our patients and families and each other, may we accompany the weary through suffering and trial, awaiting Easter’s light together. In faith, hope, and love, we pray. Amen.

     

 
    Reflection   “God’s gifts put [humanity’s] best dreams to shame.” –Elizabeth Barrett Browning   Prayer   Giving God,  We dream great dreams and harbor deep hopes, for ourselves and for others around us. Yet even our best dreams are nothi

Prayer

Giving God,

We dream great dreams and harbor deep hopes, for ourselves and for others around us. Yet even our best dreams are nothing compared with the gifts and the plans that you have for us. We thank you today for your gifts and ask you to open our hearts more and more to receive and embody them. By trust and perseverance, help us to freely share what you’ve given for the good of others, especially those who are most vulnerable and in need. Amen.

     

 
    Reflection   “The ultimate test of [a person’s] conscience may be their willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.” –Gaylord Nelson   Prayer   God of tomorrow,  We are confron

Prayer

God of tomorrow,

We are confronted more and more with the fallout from all the damage we’ve done to our environment. As we strive to respond, inspire us with a deeper sense of integrity, responsibility, and authentic commitment to the generations that will come after us. Bind us by conscience to them, that we might make sacrifices today for the sake of the world they will inherit. Even if we may never hear a word of their thanks, help us do what we can to leave them a rich and vibrant ecological inheritance. Amen.

     

 
    Reflection   “Writing down one thing you are grateful for each day is the cheapest possible therapy ever.”  –Kevin Kelly   Prayer   Gracious giver,  As we extend your compassionate ministry to others today, invigorate our hearts with gra

Prayer

Gracious giver,

As we extend your compassionate ministry to others today, invigorate our hearts with gratitude. Inspire our many acts of service—both big and small—with the joy of self-giving love. And rather than wait for an emotional swell to spring up, teach us the wisdom of a disciplined habit of gratitude. May we count our many blessings deliberately, reminding each other of the many gifts we have the privilege of possessing together. Presence and time, creativity and humor, a form of work that has purpose and brings healing to others. With gratitude for all these good gifts, may we choose to be a blessing to others today. Amen.

     

 
    Reflection   “Never think that God’s delays are God’s denials. Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius.”  –George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon   Prayer   Ever-patient God,  We are not very good at handling delays. Whether in our dail

Prayer

Ever-patient God,

We are not very good at handling delays. Whether in our daily routine or in the bigger decisions of life, we struggle to be patient and wait. And in our relationship with you we can often grow weary, waiting for a response to our prayers. For all of those who are right now struggling in what feels like a holding pattern, we ask you to strengthen them in their place of waiting. May they take heart and remember that your delays are not the same as denials. And may we all grow stronger by living into the virtue of patience. As a ministry united, we pray. Amen.