Tag Archives: grace

September 13, 2025 · 9:18 am

A prayer to keep on going

Gracious God,
As we live,
help us keep on going.
As we pursue our life goals,
whatever those goals may be,
help us keep on going.
When our progress slows or stalls,
help us keep on going.
When disappointments arise,
help us keep on going.
When we need to change our plans,
help us keep on going.
When life happens and brings change,
help us keep on going.
When challenges appear,
help us keep on going.
When directions become unanticipated
and our way is unforeseen,
help us keep on going.
In all times and every circumstance,
help us keep on going.
And when we can’t,
grant us the grace and strength
to be gentle with ourselves,
take the rest we need,
and try again.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

inspired by the Rev. Jerrod Lowry

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July 15, 2023 · 2:52 pm

A prayer for planting trees

Grant us wisdom, God,

grant us vision.

Grant us courage, God,

grant us faith.

Grant us hope, God,

grant us love.

Grant us persistence,

grant us grace.

Grant us all these things

that we may plant shade trees

knowing we will never sit under them ourselves

but that they will provide care to future generations.

We pray in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

inspired by Lamont Colins, founder of the Roots 101 African American Museum in Louisville

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May 5, 2023 · 8:38 am

A prayer to bear one another’s burdens

God who bears the hurt of the world,

we pray for the grace, courage, and wisdom

to bear one another’s burdens,

to sit in silence with your children

who are in pain,

who grieve,

who endure heartbreak beyond our imagining;

to sit in silence

until a place of love is reached.

Amen.

inspired by a sermon preached by Elder Madison McKinney (Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota Oyate and a descendent of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) for National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit People (May 5), a part of the May 1-7 National Week of Action for MMIWG2S

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April 9, 2023 · 7:33 pm

And yet

Much like any morning
garbage dumped
coffee made
coffee consumed
dishwasher runs
dryer spins

and yet

with the dawn
comes anew the awareness that
grace abides
hope abounds
love lives
mercy multiplies
justice beckons

for Christ is risen,
risen indeed,
making this day,
and every day,
holy.
Alleluia.

8:45 AM, 9 April 2023
There is poetic license at work here. The closest I came to seeing dawn this Easter day is in some photos of the sunrise service at Second Presbyterian Church in Baltimore that my son Eric took. One of those photos appears in this post.

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February 5, 2023 · 1:44 pm

A prayer for us all

Remind me, God,

that I am your Beloved Child.

When I fall short,

I am your Beloved Child.

When I go astray,

I am your Beloved Child.
When I make mistakes,

I am your Beloved Child.

When I embarrass myself,

I am your Beloved Child.

When I act with kindness and grace,

I am your Beloved Child.

When I work for justice,

I am your Beloved Child.

When I walk humbly with you,

I am your Beloved Child.

When I am loved and when I love,

I am your Beloved Child.

In all things,

I am your Beloved Child.

In all circumstances,

I am your Beloved Child.

Today, tomorrow, and forever,

remind me, God,

that I am, and always will be,

your Beloved Child.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen.

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November 30, 2022 · 9:13 pm

A prayer for patience and grace

God of infinite patience,

God of unquenchable grace,

help my impatience,

touch my ungraciousness,

When I become frustrated with,

or angered by,

or annoyed at,

another person,

remind me that person

is your beloved child,

made in your image.

Strengthen my patience;

renew my grace,

that I might find ways,

beyond what I perceive as my capacities,

to act in kindness and

to demonstrate love

that we might walk together humbly with you

and work for justice.

I pray in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

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September 24, 2022 · 9:25 am

A prayer for this day, a prayer for every day

Creator God,

thank you for this day.

Help us trust that

you will give us

the grace and strength

and whatever we need

to face what this day brings

We pray in the name of

Creator Sets Free [Jesus].

Amen.

inspired by “Gift from Creator Tells the Good Story 6:33-34” in the First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament

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September 11, 2021 · 11:33 am

A prayer, September 11, 2021

Gracious God,
twenty years on
we remember.

We remember
your precious children killed in
New York
Washington, DC,
Shanksville.

We remember
your precious children killed in
Afghanistan
Iraq
and around the world.

We remember
death
wounded bodies
wounded spirits
wounded souls.

We remember
acts of terror
acts of valor
acts of violence
acts of peace.

We remember
fear
anger
hate
prejudice.

We remember
kindness
courage
grace
generosity.

We remember
people coming together to
reach out
weep
sing
embrace
care.

We remember
songs ended
songs gone
songs created
songs begun
songs lived
songs shared.

Remembering,
may we take bold, faith-filled, hopeful steps
to unlearn the ways of war and
turn to ways that might make peace between people;
to overcome fear of one another
and recognize the dignity and value of every person;
to seek understanding of suffering
and nurture the empathy needed to work to alleviate it; and
to walk the paths of love
that leads to peace and justice.

Remembering Jesus,
in response to your Holy Spirit,
we pray. Amen.

with thanks to Shannan Vance-Ocampo, Chris Shelton, leaders of the United Church of Christ and Come from Away

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June 4, 2021 · 9:22 pm

15 months

You could never have imagined these past fifteen months.
You could not have planned for them.
But you faced them.
You adapted,
you improvised,
you learned,
you wept,
you laughed,
you cursed,
you resisted,
you persisted.
You found strength and love
and grace and hope undreamed of.
You made it this far
and you, awesome you,
will keep on going.

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March 30, 2021 · 12:57 pm

Swamp oaks

Bare now,
soon to be leafed,
the four hundred
raise their branches
to remember
horror and hope
fear and courage
destruction and grace
and, in a place of death,
to proclaim love and life.

30 March 2021
Louisville, Kentucky

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