Reflection “Being at peace with yourself is a direct result of finding peace with God.” –Olin Miller Prayer Healing God, Many today are struggling with a lack of peace. We think of our patients and families, of our colleagues and

Prayer

Healing God,

Many today are struggling with a lack of peace. We think of our patients and families, of our colleagues and friends, of neighbors in our community and even ourselves. In different ways and for different reasons, we are all anxious to find and live in more peace. Deliver us today from harboring anxiety and worry, and from thinking it’s all up to us to solve all our problems. Remind us instead that you are the source of all comfort and, as we surrender our cares to you, you have promised to exchange them for peace. May it be so, humbly we pray. Amen.

Reflection “It only takes one good conversation to change your understanding of someone else’s world, your world, and the world at large.” –Celeste Headlee Prayer God of my neighbor, The diversity of your family is something at wh

Prayer

God of my neighbor,

The diversity of your family is something at which we should marvel and be glad! For through good conversation with people different than us we are able see how small and fragmentary our usual perspectives can be. Encounters with others invite us to deepen our respect for a family much bigger and richer than we ever knew we belonged to. Give us such good conversations today, that we might be changed and become all the more eager to contribute to a culture that is humble, hospitable, and inclusive. Amen.

First Sunday of Advent

First Sunday of Advent

Prayer

God of hope,

This first Sunday of Advent is a welcome opportunity for us to begin preparing ourselves for Christmas, renewing our sense of hope for your presence dwelling among us. For the gift of your son, Jesus, and the promise of your accompaniment, we are eternally thankful. And so in a spirit of gratitude we take time to pause and look inward, ensuring that nothing is keeping us from fully embracing every good gift you choose to pour down on us. In the advent hope of your light to come, Amen.

Reflection “All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.” –Croft M. Pentz Prayer God of tomorrow, Fill us with faith, hope, and love that we may continue the mission you have called us to extend. As a ministry,

Prayer

God of tomorrow,

Fill us with faith, hope, and love that we may continue the mission you have called us to extend. As a ministry, help us trust in your promise to bring our many works of service into fruition. We pray especially for those who are struggling in their labor, eager and anxious to see some signs of growth in their areas of ministry. Give them resilience and fortitude to keep going forward, and we ask you to renew them with visions of the beauty to come from seeds planted today. Amen.

Reflection “The global economic crises have made painfully obvious the detrimental effects of disregarding our common destiny, which cannot exclude those who come after us. We can no longer speak of sustainable development apart from i

Prayer

God of creation,

As we witness the effects of how we have mistreated your earth, we are inspired all the more to renew our commitment to one of the first commandment you gave us, to tend your garden and fill it with love and bring along others, so that the creation you gave us as a common home would flourish in concert with us. Heal us who have forgotten this call and deliver us all of short-sightedness. May we revive our cooperation to develop paths of sustainable development that can bridge generations and the whole human family. Indeed, the entire web of life upon which we depend. Amen.

Reflection “The path is made in the walking of it.” –Zhuangzi Prayer God of tomorrow, In times that feel so uncertain, we ask you to fill us with the kind of hope that empowers us to blaze trails, rather than dawdle about with rea

Prayer

God of tomorrow,

In times that feel so uncertain, we ask you to fill us with the kind of hope that empowers us to blaze trails, rather than dawdle about with ready-made answers. Give us a deeper awareness of your accompanying presence beside us, so we may boldly and faithfully innovate new ways to extend your ministry long into the future. For the sake of those waiting for the good help we can bring, give us courage to trust you and walk forward. And for the sake of those waiting right now, today, may each one of our associates be empowered to blaze our mission’s path forward—one hallway, one room, one step at a time. Amen.

Reflection “It is a mark of a superior mind to be able to disagree without being disagreeable.” –Ann Landers Prayer Spirit of unity, The world is wanting for healthier forms of dialogue and discourse. Even in our own families, it’

Prayer

Spirit of unity,

The world is wanting for healthier forms of dialogue and discourse. Even in our own families, it’s easy for disagreement to become hurtful. Heal us of this tendency, which we can see in ourselves as much as others, to undermine those who feel differently than us on matters we care about. Lead us instead to embrace a more courageous mode of conversation that can preserve the foundation of our unity, even when we disagree. Help us this day to speak our truth, always in love. Amen.