God of justice,
God of love,
God of grace,
we thank you for the life of
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
We remember her service to our country,
her compassionate, caring heart,
her fierce devotion to fairness,
her persistence in pushing for equity,
her brilliant dissents,
her commitment to pursuing justice for
women, the LGBTQ community, and people pushed to the margins.
We marvel at the incredible courage and grace
she publicly displayed in the face of illness.
We are grateful that she
“used whatever talent she had
to do her work to the very best of her ability”
and that she helped
“to repair tears in her society,
to make things a little bettert
hrough the use of whatever ability she has.”
We give thanks for the life of
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
May her memory be a blessing.
Amen.
Note: the words in quotations are quotes from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Category Archives: Prayer
To remember, to motivate
Filed under Current Events, Human Rights, Prayer
A prayer from Fr. Mychal Judge
Lord, take me where You want me to go;
Let me meet who You want me to meet;
Tell me what You want me to say;
And keep me out of Your way.
FDNY Chaplain
5/11/33 — 9/11/01
Filed under Current Events, New York, Prayer
A prayer for awareness
God of all people,
none of us know fully
the challenges that another person faces
the burdens that another person carries
the troubles that weigh upon another person.
As we encounter one another,
inspire us to refrain from quick judgement and easy criticism,
to treat each person gently with grace and kindness and love,
and to seek to understand.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Filed under Prayer
A prayer for the Movement
A prayer for the Movement
The bad news, the sad news
kept coming through the day, O God.
The Rev. C.T. Vivian died in the morning.
Congressman John Lewis died in the evening.
Their deaths call to mind the death of
the Rev. Joseph Lowery but a few months ago
and the death of Emma Sanders last week.
Each worked for justice.
Each joined the struggle for civil rights, for human rights.
Each provided leadership to that effort.
We thank you for their lives,
their faith,
their courage,
their love,
their witness, and
their work.
We give thanks that they rest with you in peace and that they will rise in power.
Comfort their families and friends and all who grieve.
May their memories shine brightly
in our hearts, minds, and souls.
As we remember them,
may we also remember
the folk whose names are known to but a few,
but are written in your Book of Life.
The members of the Movement
for freedom,
for equity,
for justice.
As we remember,
may we be strengthened
to be outraged at injustice
wherever, however, it occurs
that we might take our place and do our part
in that Movement,
whenever, whatever that may be.
We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Note: the image of “folk whose names are known but to a few, but are written in your Book of Life” was first given to me by the Rev. Dr. Otis Turner.
Filed under Antiracism, Current Events, Human Rights, Prayer
A Prayer in the Age of COVID-19
Thanks to the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb for this prayer.
“O child of Bethlehem, Emmanuel, God with us, who in your eternal wisdom chose to incarnate in Bethlehem, Palestine, to take on our flesh, fragility, and vulnerability, we thank you for being near us wherever we are today.”
Heavenly Father, our creator, who breathed into us the breath of life, we ask you to give us the needed strength to continue our journey even when we feel a shortness in breath, fatigue, and suffocation under stifling pressures. Teach us the art of breathing, especially when we feel that the marathon is too long and the path too thorny. Help us to see your thoughts and plans for us.
O child of Bethlehem, Emmanuel, God with us, who in your eternal wisdom chose to incarnate in Bethlehem, Palestine, to take on our flesh, fragility, and vulnerability, we thank you for being near us wherever we are today. We thank you for being our healer, who went throughout Palestine healing the sick and lifting up those left behind. We thank you for all the healers of today, the doctors, nurses and caregivers who are working tirelessly risking their lives so…
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Filed under Current Events, Friends, Human Rights, Prayer
A prayer for food
A prayer for food
Nourishing God,
we thank you for food
good, safe food
that strengthens our bodies
for the living of these days.
Remind us that
not all your children
have the food they need to thrive.
Inspire us to share.
Guide us to remake economic systems
so people can provide for themselves
and everyone have enough
of the abundance you create.
In the name of the one
who became known to his followers
in the breaking of the bread.
Amen.
Filed under Current Events, Prayer
A prayer about being freed to love
God of our joyous laughter,
God of our ugly cries,
God of moments between and beyond,
we give you thanks that
Christ is risen.
And Christ reminds us of your love.
You love us.
You love us and nothing can change that.
By your grace in Jesus
We are freed to love:
to love you,
to love our family,
to love our friends,
to love our neighbors,
to love our enemies,
to love all people,
even to love ourselves.
When we are OK,
when we are not OK,
when we are between and beyond,
help us live in love
as you love us.
Amen
A prayer for Easter, 2020
God of the empty tomb,
God of the temporarily empty building,
God of our lives,
We thank you for
the resurrection of Jesus.
May this day remind us
that you will have the final word.
Always you will have the final word.
And your word will be a word of
hope and
grace and
faith and
love.
Christ is risen.
We thank you Christ is risen.
In his name we pray.
Amen.
The Rev. W. Mark Koenig
A prayer when we are not OK
Gracious God,
help us remember that it is OK not to be OK.
We grieve.
We worry.
We fear.
Help us remember that it is OK not to be OK.
Frustration,
anxiety,
disquiet
swirl within us.
Help us remember that it is OK not to be OK.
Loneliness,
restlessness,
unease
fill our days.
Help us remember that it is OK not to be OK.
We wonder.
We doubt.
We dread.
Help us remember that it is OK not to be OK.
And help us remember you love us
you love us just as we are.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
7 April 2020
The Rev. W. Mark Koenig
with thanks to the Rev. Yena K. Hwang
who used the image “It is OK not to be OK”
at the 2018 Montreat Youth Conference
A prayer of thanks
Dear God,
in times when I am frightened,
in days when I am discouraged,
in situations when I am unsettled,
even as I grieve for what is lost,
remind me to seek reasons to say
“thank you.”
Amen.
31 March 2020
Filed under Current Events, Prayer
