Category Archives: Prayer

April 7, 2026 · 6:52 pm

Pray for peace

I apologize for the lateness of this.
My friend, and former colleague, the Rev. Greg Allen Pickett posted on Facebook that he will be praying for peace tonight at 7pm Central Time at a park in Hastings, NE where he serves as a pastor. Greg noted that, “Anyone is welcome to join me.”
I can’t make it to Hastings but I can pray in Albuquerque at 6:00pm Mountain Time.

I invite you to join Greg and me if you are so inclined at 8:00pm Eastern Time or the equivalent time where you are. If you see this after that time and you are so inclined, you are invited to say a prayer or two or ten whenever you are able and wherever you are. Unity in prayer transcends all space and time.

Thank you, Greg, for this idea and for providingthis prayer to use.

Gracious and merciful God,

You are the source of all peace, the One who brings order out of chaos, light out of darkness, and hope out of despair. We come before you today with heavy hearts, lifting up the people of Iran and all who live in regions marked by tension, uncertainty, and fear.

God of every nation and every people, we pray for those whose daily lives are shaped by instability: families longing for safety, children yearning for a future free from violence, communities seeking dignity and justice. Surround them with your protection. Strengthen their spirits. Let your peace take root even in the most fragile places.

We also pray for leaders around the world whose words and actions carry great weight. In a time when messages can travel instantly and inflame quickly, grant wisdom, restraint, and humility. Soften hearts where there is anger. Temper speech where there is division. Guide all leaders to seek not power or posturing, but the well-being of all people and the preservation of peace.

Holy Spirit, move among us. Move across borders, across ideologies, across every line that divides. Where there is misunderstanding, bring clarity. Where there is fear, bring courage. Where there is hostility, plant seeds of reconciliation.

Make us instruments of your peace in our own lives as well: quick to listen, slow to speak, and always grounded in love. Remind us that every person, in Iran and beyond, is created in your image and held in your care.

We long for the day when swords are beaten into plowshares, when nations learn war no more, and when your peace reigns in every corner of creation.

Until that day, O God, hold us fast in your grace.

In the name of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, we pray.

Amen.

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February 28, 2026 · 7:42 pm

A reflection and a rewritten hymn verse on a day when bombs fall and missiles fly

This happened today:

Family members, friends from St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, Ghost Ranch, Rio Grande Food Project, the Presbytery of Santa Fe, and life its own self, gathered at St. Andrew to celebrate the life and faith and witness of the Rev. Carl Soderbergh today.

The streets around the church were parked full when I arrived, a few minutes late. I found a spot in the parking lot.

I stepped out of the car and, for no reason I could understand at the time,  a hymn came to my mind. “Eternal Father, Strong to Save“. Those first words need some work, but the overall theme of God’s protection is profound. One of many themes appropriate for a memorial service.

The words played in my mind as long as I could remember them. When memory failed, I hummed the tune.

Alex greeted me and observed that the sanctuary was full and the service had started. He showed me to a seat in the narthex.

The first thing I heard was the pastor, son Eric, telling the congregation that a team from the Coast Guard would present honors in recognition of Carl’s service. Neither I nor the people sitting with me, knew that Carl had served. The hymn I “heard and hummed” on my way into church seemed appropriate for this particular memorial service.

The closing hymn? “Eternal Father, Strong to Save. Straining to see the screen where the words were projected, I mumbled and hummed along.

On my way home, the hymn remained an earworm. I quickly went to the computer and pulled up the lyrics

And I rewrote the hymn’s fourth verse into a prayer for Iran, Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudia Arabia, Iraq, the United States, and any other countries affected by the madness of this armed conflict – which may be most of the countries of the world.

O Trinity of love and pow’r,
All people shield in danger’s hour;
From bomb and missile, death and woe,
Protect all where-soe’er they go;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on land, in air, on sea.

Amen.

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January 23, 2026 · 11:53 am

A prayer in the time of ICE

God of justice,
God for all people,
after my daily calls are made,
and my morning emails sent,
I pause to give thanks
for all in Minnesota,
and Albuquerque,
and Maine,
and places I do not know
who
mourn and weep,
pray and meditate,
organize and strategize,
march and walk,
cogitate and agitate,
disrupt and interrupt,
blow whistles and whistleblow,
boycott and purchase,
stand up and speak out,
demonstrate and advocate,
write and illustrate,
knit and paint,
draw and create,
sing and play,
resist and act in ways
beyond my limited understanding
and pale imagination
for a society, a country, a world
where everyone is welcome,
everyone is included,
everyone is loved,
diversity is cherished,
equity is achieved,
and justice flows
for each person.
Keep them safe.
Grant them strength.
Guide their feet.
Bless their efforts.
I pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen

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November 26, 2025 · 11:20 pm

A prayer to find home

On this day
and every day,
may each heart,
may every heart,
find some place,
find some people,
to call home.
Amen.

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November 6, 2025 · 8:40 pm

A prayer for those impacted by Typhoon Kalmaegi

God of the seas,
God of the wind,
we pray for the people of
the Philippines, Vietnam,
and all places impacted
by Typhoon Kalmaegi.
Comfort all who mourn
the death of loved ones.
Work healing in all
who were injured.
Guide first responders,
medical care providers,
rescue workers, and all
who respond to the
damage caused by the typhoon.
Draw communities closer together
to care for one another.
inspire the international community
to respond in helpful ways.
Lead all people around the world
to consider how our living
might impact typhoons and other storms
and to make changes that might
lessen our impact.
As another storm may be forming,
we ask you
to calm the sea and
to still the wind.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

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November 5, 2025 · 4:34 pm

A prayer for Louisville

You may or may not know, that I lived in Louisville for 14 years, Tricia for 7 years. When I said I lived in Louisville, people in other places would respond, “There’s a horse race, right?” or maybe “Kentucky Derby!”. Some thought of bourbon. But the largest employer in Louisville is the UPS Worldport with about 25,000 people directly employed and many others employed in other places because of its presence.

As my friend the Rev. Gradye Parsons, former Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA), says, “this is a city family tragedy.”

Please continue to pray for Louisville and its people.
Gracious God,
we pray for your beloved children
killed or injured in the plane crash in Louisville.
We pray for those who work
at UPS, at the Muhammed Ali airport,
at the businesses where the crash occurred
and the fire raged.
We pray for the people of
the city and the metro area
impacted by the crash –
because they heard or felt the explosion,
because they saw, live or in images,
the fireball and the smoke cloud;
because they had to shelter in place;
because they worried about
family and friends who were near the crash;
because they are community and
what affects one of your beloved children
affects all of your beloved children.
Bring peace and comfort to grieving families and friends.
Grant strength to first responders
who experienced up close the crash’s horror.
Guide those who continue to work at the crash site.
Work healing in the injured In body, mind, or spirit.
Lead medical personnel who provided, and continue to provide,
to join in your healing care.
May your Holy Spirit surround the greater Louisville community
with Your light and love in this moment of sorrow.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

inspired by a prayer from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

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October 31, 2025 · 10:45 am

A prayer for hunger #1

God of abundance,
gve us today, our daily bread.
Amen.

Matthew 6:11, emphasis added

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October 31, 2025 · 2:49 am

A prayer for hunger #3

God who loves us all,
you create us for each other.
Each child is our child.
Every person is our sibling.
We are connected in the web of life.
Help us live accordingly,
working to ensure
that everyone has enough.
Amen.

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October 31, 2025 · 12:46 am

A prayer for hunger #2

Creator,
to those who have hunger,
give bread,
to those who have bread,
give the hunger for justice.
Amen.

this prayer appears in several variations; it has been cited as the “Latin American Bread Prayer” and as coming from the Benedictine order

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September 16, 2025 · 6:03 pm

On the Feast of San Augustinito at the Pueblo of Isleta, September 3, 2025

The drums beat,
the people continue.

The rattles shake,
the people continue.

The bells jingle,
the people continue.

The dancers move,
the people continue.

The singers chant,
the people continue.

Out of the past,
the people continue.

In the present,
the people continue.

Into the future,
the people continue.

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