A moment of contemplation for yourself or on behalf of others on everything from the life-altering to the mundane.


Prayer: A conversation with The Higher Other who lives within each of us. An invitation to vent, to re-think, to ask, and to rest.

Monday, December 30, 2013

Prayer for a New Year's Resolution

              That well-known Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr asks for the "Serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference." 
              The 13th century poet Rumi says "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself." 
              Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban say in a song from the show A Chorus Line, "Kiss today goodbye, the sweetness and the sorrow...[and] point me toward tomorrow." 
               My prayer for a New Year's Resolution is:

Dear Lord, help me with all of the above
and let all that I do be in Your name and with Your love. 
Amen.
Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space.
You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com
 All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

The Prayers of the People ~ 1st Sunday after Christmas

These more formal prayers have been composed for Liturgical (Worship) in a Sunday service.  I hope that you will find them useful for
personal prayer or small group meditation or in your congregation.  Feel free to use and share with attribution.
If you have any questions, see the end of this page for more information.


             We're tired but still celebrating.  The "Reason for the Season" has arrived and we are still shouting out our joy and excitement.  But as with much of life, the subtle change in tone that we see in the Gospel of Matthew gives a hint of the future, and, we just may not see it until we look back. 
 
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE – First Sunday after Christmas Day 
Readings:  Isaiah 63:7-9; Ps 148:1-14; Hebrews 2:10-18; Matthew 2:13-23
 
~ Holy Sanctifier, You have come to us and call us Your sisters and brothers.  You come to help all children of Abraham.
 
Jesus our Brother, Jesus our Savior, we praise your holy name.  We praise you, Lord from the Heavens!

~ Holy Sanctifier, You are incarnated from the abundance of God’s steadfast love.  You become like us through God’s mercy to destroy the power and fear of death. 

Jesus our Brother, Jesus our Savior, we praise your holy name.  We praise you, Lord from the Heavens!

~ Holy Sanctifier, our merciful and faithful High Priest, guide those who govern in this world in the ways of Justice, Mercy, and Freedom from wars among all peoples.  We pray especially for our local and national representatives: (add your own petitions here)

Jesus our Brother, Jesus our Savior, we praise your holy name.  We praise you, and serve you, Lord from the Heavens!

~ Holy Sanctifier, lay Your healing hands on all who are ill and their caregivers.  Give us, your sisters and brothers, hope in our distress and the release from pain, fear, and sadness.  We pray especially for: (add your own petitions here)
 
Jesus our Brother, Jesus our Savior, we praise your holy name.  We praise you, and beseech you, Lord from the Heavens!
 
~ Holy Sanctifier, we, with Rachel, weep for those who have left this earthly plane to live in eternal love and glory.  Hold us close in our grief and save us in this time of trial.  We pray especially for: (add your own petitions here)

Jesus our Brother, Jesus our Savior, we praise your holy name.  We praise you, our Consoler from the Heavens!

~ Holy Sanctifier, bestow Your Grace-filled Wisdom on the leaders of Your Church as they work together and with us, the People of Your Church, as we go out to do the work You have given us to do.  We pray especially for: (add your own petitions here)

Jesus our Brother, Jesus our Savior, we praise your holy name.  We praise you, we serve you, we glorify you, Lord from the Heavens!

 
The Celebrant adds:  Lord Jesus our Christ, You are the Word of God made Flesh for our Redemption. Your Holy Light glows again in our hearts and calls us to be new prophets in this world. Let us commit ourselves to new life in Your service, to the Glory of God with the Holy Spirit.   Amen.

 

 









Feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space.
You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com 
 All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution
as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Prayer for Not Praying

It's late.  I'm tired.  The end of a busy week.  I don't have any useful words.  But You know me.  I feel the prayer but I can't quite pray just now.  But, You know me....  amen.






Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space.
 You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com 
 All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Prayer for the Day After

            The planning, the budgeting, the buying, the change of mind, the organizing, the inviting, the forgetting, the remembering - too late? - the anxiety - too much? too little? - too early? - the countdown - the week before, two days, the Eve of, it's HERE!  And now, it's OVER... it was great, well, except for....could've, should've, ought've....

            Dear Holy and Constant Presence, the memories of yesterday have been made for better or not, for remembering or rehashing. Some are already distant and fading fast.  Help me savor this moment with You, free from self-reproach, free from judgment of others, free of the need to dissect every one of the 84,600 seconds of yesterday.  Let me live in Your Peace for today and remember that most of all. Maybe tomorrow I'll think about the Resolution for next time and yet be reminded that You are always in my Today.       Amen!












Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space.
You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com 
All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution
as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. Requestors will remain anonymous.
 
 

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Prayers of and for All People ~ Christmas

 
     Holy Creator, the time is here!  We each carry the fertile seed, the Divine Spark within us ~ Male, Female, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jew, Atheist, Agnostic, Oblivious, Naughty, or Nice.  We tend, nurture, anticipate or ignore, abuse, deny that innermost part of ourselves. Yet the time is NOW to push into the unknown ~ painfully, frighteningly, but with great excitement to have the experience of our own birth as a New Creation.  What was is gone.  As with infants, we move into new light, new sound, uncertainty, anxiety, and new opportunities.  We are also called as part of the Good Tidings of Great Joy that is Christ the Lord! Let the Joy and Peace of now begin with me and let me, with you, carry it forward into this Day, into our lives, into all the Earth. Hallelujah!
 

Prayers of the People – Year A
Christmas Eve Readings:  Is 9:2-7, Ps 96, Titus 2:11-14, Lk 2:1-14 (15-20)
Christmas Day Readings: Is 52:7-10, Ps 98, Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12), John 1:1-14
 
Leader:  O God of Light, at last Your Child is born for us, our Messiah who is Christ the Lord!

 
Response: ~ Glory to God in the highest heaven, and Peace on Earth to us all.
 
O God of Light, Your Promise is fulfilled, Your Word is made Flesh – our Good News of Great Joy is among us!
 
 
~ Glory to God in the highest heaven, and Peace on Earth to us all.
 
O God of Light, we, Your people have walked in darkness and now we see the Great Light of Christ!
 
~ Glory to God in the highest heaven, and Peace on Earth to us all.

 
O God of Light, You have assured us that our Messiah will judge the world with righteousness and we, His peoples, with His truth. Help us to choose leaders of our government who will do the same. Give us the courage to be proactive and stand up for those who live under oppressive regimes.  We pray in earnest for all of those who govern in our names.

 
~ Glory to God in the highest heaven, and Peace on Earth to us all.
 
O God of Light, You give us One named Wonderful Counselor this night and we ask Him for the grace of healing for those among us who are ill, and for those who give them care. 

 
 ~ Glory to God in the highest heaven, and Peace on Earth to us all.

 
O God of Light, in the midst of our joy at the birth of our long-awaited Messiah, we mourn and miss our precious loved ones who have passed through this life to live again in Your everlasting Peace.  

 
~ Glory to God in the highest heaven, and Peace on Earth to us all.
 
O God of Light, our eyes are wide and sparkling with the excitement of the New Birth which is also new birth for ourselves.  Enchant the leaders of Your Church, Your Shepherds in the fields, with renewed wide-eyed wonder of the miracle of Your Love and remind them of their role in guiding us as Co-Creators with You. 
 
 
~ Glory to God in the highest heaven, and Peace on Earth to us all.
 
The Celebrant adds:  Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, welcome to our lives and to Your world. Let us each experience the depth of the pangs and the height of the joy of Your birth in our souls.   Anoint us with the oil of gladness in our hearts so that our lives reflect the imprint of Your Being in every thought, prayer, and action.  AMEN.
  
 

 
 
Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space.
You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com 
 All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution
as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Prayer for Enough

          
Aging Baby Boomers still rock out with gusto on"I Can't Get No Satisfaction."  The world anesthetizes itself with MORE. We're always chasing after satisfying every possible known desire and those soon-to-be discovered through the next advertisement. And yet,  More is never Enough.

               A modern interpretation of the 13th century Persian poet Hafiz says - "Being so preoccupied as we are with needing to be satisfied, it seems we would be better at it by now."  Wow, that was 10 centuries ago and we still haven't found it?! 

              Dear God of Real Life, whether it's Christmas or Tuesday I must stop my head rant of: did I buy enough, cook enough, impress enough and physically exhaust myself enough to prove everything I'm supposed to and why doesn't anyone give me what I want...??

             Ok, I'm taking a breath here...my real prayer is:  Please help me stop thinking of "wanting" as "needing."  Let me find the true gift of being in the ordinary, the routine, the everyday. A simple smiley face in a text or email feels as good to give as to get to say "I'm thinking of you." On those "special" holidays and holy days, I want and need to remember that less really is more.

            Oh, yes, and Thank You, Lord, sometimes I just need a place to stop, rest, and think about what life can be all about if I just give it a try. You are always there waiting for me to remember.  I'm working on it. And at least in terms of being the Great Listener, You're the best! I really don't have to explain or make excuses.  Even when I don't get what I (think) I want, with You in my heart there is always ENOUGH and always:

AMEN!

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Prayer for Grieving at Christmas


For All Who Worry, Mourn, Feel Angry, or Lost at Christmas




Silent Morn, Holy Morn
Sometimes I wonder
Why I was born.
I wake in the darkness and
can't see the light.
All I want is the end of the night.
Take this grief from me, Lord
Please take this grief from me, Lord.

Silent Noon, Holy Noon
All songs I sing,
are out of tune.
I’ve been looking for right words to pray
Nothing I’ve found yet, has shown me the way.
Help me find my voice, Lord
Please, help me find my voice.

Silent Day, Holy Day,
All's not calm, on my way.
In my life,
so much does not seem,
to be close to what I once dreamed.
Help me trust in Your Peace, Lord.
Please, help me trust in Your Peace.

Silent Night, Holy Night
Finally calm, finally bright
With Your love so vast and yet mild
Now I can rest as I’m also Your child
I found some peace in this night, Lord,
Heaven-sent Peace in this night.



Feel free to share with attribution
© 2013 Christina Brennan Lee






 All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution
as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For questions or comments, contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com 
 

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Prayers for Advent Week 4 ~ Sign's A-Wastin'

Formal Prayers of the People are used in Liturgical (Worship) Services in various Christian denominations.  By request, I have been composing them for the four weeks of the Season of Advent and posting them with brief commentary on my other blog.  They are being used in several congregations and posted on several Facebook pages.  They were the impetus for this blog.

Beginning with Christmas Eve 2013, they will be posted here in addition to the usual fare of People's Prayers.  For this Sunday I invite you to visit

http://leeosophy.blogspot.com/2013/12/advent-4-signs-wastin.html

for a bit of commentary and to pray as in community for the last hours of waiting for our Messiah's joyous birth.  This week, it's "Signs A-Wastin.'" While you're there, scroll back and see what the other weeks have been about!  Blessings... more People's Prayers to come, stay tuned!  And don't forget, if you have any ideas, topics, or concerns you'd like prayers for, just let me know!


Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com  All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.  Requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayer for Getting My Ducks in a Row

           Dear Leader of the Flock - I spoke to You yesterday, it just wasn't in this particular space. Some of those conversations will show up in the next day or two here and in a couple of other places. The day before yesterday, though, I was here marveling at one of your amazing creations, geese.  Now today, I seem still to be in a fowl sort of mood and so I turn to You.

                Life is short, and time is of the essence always. It is important to me to slow down and pay attention to how my words and actions connect. These times are troubling - our tongues wag ahead of our thoughts; our fingers hit the keyboards so fast with reactionary comments we cannot take back once they hit the ether. Suddenly the "Us" vs "Them" camps are dividing friends and families.   Help me, please, before I speak, before I write a post for Facebook or Twitter, even before I think a thought impulsively, to remember and live into the prescient and life-giving words of Your servant Paul:

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 
13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of people or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.      AMEN!

 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Prayer for a Silly Goose

   Why do we call geese silly?    I guess they are a bit ungainly in their gait on the ground and certainly noisy in their discussions, but aren't we all!?  This morning was cold and frosty, clear and sunny and there they were winging across the sky honking encouragement to each other.  The V-formation is beautiful in its symmetry and purpose.  Instinctive, normal, practical. Geese travel together and when one can't go or falls from the formation because of illness or injury, two stay behind to help, to care, to be there until the downed bird can fly again or dies. Then the trio or pair join another passing
formation. The leader leads for a time flying just above the others to increase lift and reduce the effort of the flock. Then the leader moves to the back of the formation and another leads for a time and moves to the back of the formation, and so on until the destination is reached. Everyone takes a turn to lead.  Everyone works together for the good of the entire flock. 

     Dear Lord, help me be a reliable part of the flock I'm in, taking my turns to lead and to fall back. Give me extra grace to be thankful for those who stop to care for me and to be even more willing to stay on the ground to help another. Geese make me look silly - they are a model of Your vision for the rest of us.  My prayer is for the awareness of the lessons of interconnectedness and interdependence that You provide in each and every part of Your Creation.  Amen.


Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com  All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.  Requestors will remain anonymous.



Prayer in a Discouraging World

Creator God,

It's true, we really do "love our neighbors as we love ourselves" although not in the way you intend.  The world is such a discouraging place. Everyone I know has their own personal laundry list of the frustrations, disappointments, trials, and tragedies in their everyday lives and then there's the "news" from around the globe.  It serves to push many of us into de-sensitizing, self-medicating and sometimes self-destructive behaviors. At the very least we avoid and deny.

Let me feel Your breath in my soul, my Lord.  Surround me with Your presence and whisper to my heart.  Call me out of my hesitation to spend a little time with you each day. Kick me out of my whining and self-absorption and draw me closer.  Only by consciously, deliberately, and willingly loving You, can I begin to love myself.  Then, I can consciously, deliberately, and willingly, love my neighbor and discover what positive differences I am to make in Your world. 

Call me, definitely.     Amen.



     

Monday, December 16, 2013

Prayer to Find and Renew My Faith

  
   O You of the Great Beyond, are You really "up there" or "down here" or both?   I know people who have no doubt in Your presence, in Your whereabouts, in Your intervention and grace.  What's wrong with me

     I used to know with certainty that You were in charge of the Universe.  All According to Your Will. And then -  right after that day - I had a question.  My question led to wonder.  My wonder led to doubt.  I haven't always been the best person I could be - does that make my Grace Account smaller?  I wandered away.  And now, I miss having You in my life.  I go through the motions but I miss knowing You, even feeling that I'm part of Your Creation.  But recently I became aware that I am certain of one thing, I want to find my way back.  I know I won't get all the answers, and there is much I won't understand.  But I know I will have something more in my life if I can get back to You. 

      Please, help me, Great One, I want to find and renew my faith in You.  How do I begin?  Let me try by borrowing from another and ask:  Please lift my spirit to Your presence where I can be still and know that You are my God, with Your Son our Savior Jesus Christ and with Your Spirit Who will lift my veil of doubt.  Amen.


Sunday, December 15, 2013

Prayer for a New Week

 
 
Dear God,
 
       The week is beginning and there's so much to do.  How do I find me in the midst of what everyone else wants, demands, requires.  I know I should make You the focus of my life.  Drop everything, follow, and all that, but I don't really know how to do that.  I keep hearing that if I were a better Christian I would work in a shelter, volunteer as a driver, give more money to the church and the charities and the panhandlers and the social justice centers, speak up on behalf of all the brutality and injustice in the world, spend more time at the church, read the Bible everyday, pray, pray, pray... I'm tired just thinking about it all. SO, for now, here's my prayer:  Thank you, I know You're there, I will give my time, talent, and treasure as I am able if only in taking care of myself and those that need me, and mostly, I will try to remember to say hello to You every day and thank You for being with me.  Maybe, with Your help, I will find ways to do more.
 
With love from, Me  
 
 
 
 
 
 

.
Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com  All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.  Requestors will remain anonymous.

 
 
 
 


Prayer for Our Relationship

 
Where are we going?  Where have we been?  Where are we now?  Who are WE?  
 
Dear God, I’m feeling lost again in the midst of what is a loving relationship.  I’m confused about our commitment to each other – IF we are committed to each other, if we are committed to the same things and at the same level.  Some days are better than others but there are always those nagging questions in the background about what we should do next, what plans we should make, are we moving forward?  That all creates anxiety and conflict between us.
 
Life is too short and I am spending so much time and energy on worry and doubt.  Please Lord, help me to relax, breathe, and enjoy what is now. Be present with us as we move through the small moments of each day. Help us to rest in You and wait patiently.  Your Time will find us when the questions will be answered and the decisions made.  And, if you don’t mind, would you sprinkle a little extra blessing on us so we recognize and acknowledge our moments of joy?!
 
Thank you, Amen.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com  All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.  Requestors will remain anonymous.
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Prayer for Social Media Depression



          Dear Ruler of the Universe, I'm stuck in cyberspace and no one is paying attention.  Why doesn't anyone "Like" my postings on Facebook, or make a comment when it's particularly obvious that I want one?  GMA has never broadcasted any of my tweets even though I'm #best-fan-ever-209125683. Channel 6 didn't show my "snow-tograph" and it was 'way better than some of the ones they had.  The last time I got an email on Sunday was to tell me I'd won the East Nowhereia Lottery (but I'm not sure it was real).

          Well, Lord, maybe it is true, as some of my so-called friends have said, that I'm swimming in isolation and drowning in self-pity.  I look for personal validation through my online connections and if they don't respond, I freak out and feel like I'm not pleasing them.  Help me want to find help to move me away from depending on disembodied clicks on a web site to give me inner peace.  What is past is past, what is coming is coming.  Help me be in the NOW and love myself first.  Only when I can "like" myself will I be able to accept what others do or do not do, with and for me. I know that it will not be easy but with You beside me, I can find a way.  The second step is taken when I realize that I do need help from outside of myself to get started.  The first step is in turning toward YOU.

Amen.  
 
         
 
 


Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com  All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.  Requestors will remain anonymous.
 

 
 


Friday, December 13, 2013

Prayer for a Diagnosis and Healing

 
           God of Healing, Guide your physicians, nurses, and healers to discover the cause of my illness. Help me stay calm in the face of fear and keep a positive mind and spirit in the face of uncertainty. Also, Lord, I ask your help to feel your strength within me but not to be so strong that I cannot tell those who love me when I really need them close. 

          All this I ask in the name of Jesus, Amen.









Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com  All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.  Requestors will remain anonymous.
 

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

I Am a Unique Creation

Welcome to People's Prayers

A blog designed to offer a moment of prayer, meditation, or contemplation
for yourself or on behalf of others
on anything from the Random to the Life Altering to the Mundane
and all that is in between

Dear God of us all, 
       I am a unique creation in Your Image and in Your Image I am marvelously made.  I am a perfect person in Your sight and my presence in this life gives opportunities for so many others.  Some want to learn more about how I am made in order to help others.  Some have discovered and developed gifts they might never have known they had without me showing them the way. Those who know and love me have found new and creative ways to express that love and, by example, inspire and teach others.  

      Today I ask Your special blessings for those difficult moments when I find it hard just to be me. And, please, let those who care for me feel the healing comfort of Your Presence.  I ask especially for You to awaken those who have yet to learn how to be with me without looking past me; that they may also see themselves as unique creations in Your Image. Please help each of us to see Your Light in ourselves and in each other.  Amen.


 
       Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com  All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.  Requestors will remain anonymous.