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April 12 – Easter
Raised
“He not here. He has been raised.”
—Matthew 28.6
Christ is risen. Alleluia.
Loving God, may Christ rise in my heart.
All my doubts and self-doubts,
my wounds and worries,
all my sin and sorrow—
all has been borne by Jesus
into the grave
as a seed sown in dark soil.
Now he rises, new life budding forth.
Death no longer has dominion.
May I dare to be flowering, fruiting vine
growing out of the seed of Christ
buried in me, dead and raised to new life.
Amen.
_____________________________________
April 11
Rest
The women followed, and they saw the tomb
and how his body was laid.
Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments.
On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
—Luke 23.55-56
in grief, or in anticipation of grief.
Even hope in the coming of Easter
can set one to anxious pacing.
Holy One, give me the gift of rest,
the peace of your Spirit
to quiet my soul and wait,
to trust you are at work even now,
and lay my burdens down.
God of love, you are my peace.
May I rest and be still
while you quietly work your grace.
Amen.
April 10
Good Friday
Abba, forgive them;
for they do not know what they are doing
—Luke 23.34
Gracious God,
in Christ you receive the worst of my evil,
yet return only love and forgiveness.
You suffer the deepest of my pain,
and offer me grace.
I pray at the foot of the cross
for your forgiveness,
for the healing of my brokenness,
and for the courage to trust
your deep love for me,
that you wold die,
and from inside my death
embrace me as you begin already
to rise.
________________________________
April 9
Wash me
“Unless I wash you,
you have no share with me.”
—John 13.8
Beloved, you wash my feet as a servant.
Wash my heart, that I may submit to you,
who submit to me.
Scrub me clean of my sin;
sanitize me of the evil I bear.
Bathe me in your humble grace,
baptize me in your death
and anoint me for burial,
that dying with you
I may be raised with you
to newness of life.
Wash my feet, Beloved. Wash my feet.
_____________________________
April 8
Suffering
A man of suffering
and acquainted with grief.
—Isaiah 53.3
Jesus, you enter into our suffering.
You bear our cross. You know our grief.
From within our wounds and weaknesses
grant us your strength and courage.
Give us patience and hope to endure.
Let even the ragged edges of our anguish
be blessed by the gentle touch of your love,
that we too may be gentle in the face of evil,
and steadfast in the face of fear,
for the sake of your will.
Amen.
______________________________
April 7
Fragrance
Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard,
anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair.
The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
—John 12.3
God of grace,
as Jesus faced death Mary gave him a gift
of love and beauty.
The fragrance of her offering fills my heart,
like the sweet aroma of Jesus’ love.
Bless me that by your grace in me
I may offer in word and prayer and deed
fragrant love and mercy
to all who suffer or are afraid.
May the fragrance of your grace
fill all I do and bless the way
of those who struggle.
Amen.
______________________
April 6
Seed
Unless a seed falls into the earth and dies,
it remains just a single grain;
but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
—John 12.24
God of love,
I surrender my life to you,
for like a seed I am not truly alive
until I have died.
I let go of the small self-enclosed life I cling to,
to die and be buried in you.
In the gracious soil of your love
may I be broken open,
and your infinite love in me emerge
and grow in life-giving grace.
May I be a seed of you,
dying and rising in your love,
your eternal life.
Amen.
__________________________________
April 5
King
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey.
—Matthew 21.5
Holy Mystery, Eternal One,
may Christ, the king of love,
be sovereign in my heart.
May love rule all;
may mercy be my only law.
I submit my mind and heart to Love,
my flesh and will to serve.
O Christ, dethrone my fears and wants,
and by your mercy conquer and rule over
my desires. I pledge allegiance to you
and you alone, O Love, my God,
my Sovereign, and my only hope.
__________________________________
April 4
Judgment
It is God who helps me;
who will declare me guilty?
—Isaiah 50.9
Merciful One,
the opinions and judgments of others weigh upon me.
Voices tell me I’m inadequate,
guilty of sins I can’t name but feel.
But you do not declare me guilty.
Your judgment is mercy.
Give me faith to trust your judgment alone:
your love and delight in me.
I am your beloved, in whom you are pleased.
Give me faith to trust.
Amen.
________________________________
April 3
Save us
Save us, we beseech you, O God!
O God, we beseech you, give us success!
—Psalm 118.2.5
Save us O God!
Rescue us from our despair,
and plant within us living hope.
Deliver us from greed of grace,
from desire to fare better than others.
Protect us from our own foolishness.
Spend your mercy’s store on us,
and pour out your blessings on your people.
Heal our fear and gentle our rage;
give us wisdom, patience and courage.
Guard and guide those who serve;
sustain the disrupted and those at risk,
and comfort the bereaved.
Have mercy, O god, and save us!
_____________________________
April 2
Donkey
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey.
—Matthew 21.5
God of grace,
open my eyes to seek you
not only in grand sunsets
and miraculous events
but in small, humble places.
Open my eyes to see you
in the simple, the plain,
the ordinary. Help me see
love wherever it comes,
riding a humble donkey
into my life.
__________________________
April 1
This is the day
This is the day that God is making;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
—Psalm 118.24
Creating God, when I am afraid,
when I want to lament,
release me from my fear of the future
and bring me into the present moment.
Remind me: you are not a retired creator,
but creating even now,
creating this day moment by moment.
This is the day you are making.
It is unfolding about me.
Your creating presence embraces me
in this day.
Your resurrecting power is at work here
in this day.
Bring me into the present moment,
where you are, and where therefore
I rejoice.
______________________________________
Mar. 31
Salvation
I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
—Psalm 118.21
O God, my life, my my breath, my hope,
have mercy on me.
I am trying to stay out of the shadow of fear,
to stay ahead of my dread.
I lay myself in your arms,
not imagining you will save me from all harm,
but trusting you will save me from despair.
I am your beloved, and I am in you.
Even in uncertain times I am certain of your love,
certain of your presence with me and for me.
Give me courage to trust
that even if my body should fail
my being is in you.
Amen.
__________________________________
Mar. 30
Humility
Christ Jesus, you did not grasp at equality with God
but in complete self-emptying
took the form of a slave
and humbled yourself even to death on a cross.
—from Philippians 2.5-8
Loving One,
you who serve us humbly,
who suffer and die for us,
grant me the humility of Christ,
the confidence in your grace
to humbly take the lowest place,
to serve others with love and courage.
There on my knees
may I find my gentle Christ beside me,
serving with love and delight,
enfolding me in your blessing.
Amen.
____________________________________
Mar. 29
Weep
Jesus wept.
—John 11.35
Mysterious Love,
even though Jesus believed in resurrection,
though he was confident in the victory of life,
still he wept at Lazarus’ tomb.
He wept with Mary and Martha’s grief.
God of love, you weep with me now.
I am mourning what is coming upon us—
what feels already lost, already broken—
and you weep with my sorrow.
You weep with my fear and my despair.
You stand with me in the heaviness,
the loss, the dread, the not knowing.
You weep, and from that place of deep sorrow,
entering into our pain,
you call forth life.
Grant that I may hear the call.
Grant that I may hear you weeping.
Tender One, let your tears fall upon me.
Baptize me in your broken heart,
your heart broken open like a buried seed,
even in the darkness, swelling forth with life.
Amen.
____________________________________
Mar. 28
Wait
My soul waits for the Holy One
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
—Psalm 130.6
God, I am waiting.
I am waiting to see what happens,
waiting for the bad news to flood in.
I am waiting for the unknown,
attending upon the uncertain.
My waiting feels a lot like worrying.
“Do not worry about tomorrow,” Jesus says,
“for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.
Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Instead of waiting on my fears,
move me, God, to wait for you instead.
I turn my attention to you.
I let your gentle mercy fill my vision.
I open my heart to your presence.
I yearn for your love.
I am still, and I wait for you.
_____________________________________
Mar. 27
Lazarus heart
“Lazarus, come out!”
—John 11.43
God, call out what has died in me,
what has withered and become dry bones.
Call to what has lost the flow of life,
what has lost its strength in me,
what can’t stand on its own any more.
Let your voice ring in my hope’s dark tomb,
your life-giving Word pierce
my grave-wrappings of despair.
Creator God, you who breathe life into the dust
and it lives, resurrecting God who opens graves:
roll away the stone of me,
breathe life into my dust
and make me alive again.
Name my Lazarus heart and call it out
into the light of life, the fresh air of your love.
Living Jesus, call me into life.
Amen.
___________________________________
Mar. 26
Mortal body
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead
dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also
through their Spirit that dwells in you.
—Romans 8.11
Holy Mystery,
you give life to my mortal body
that I am so fearful for these days—
and life to my spirit.
Grant that I may trust my mortal body
not controlled by the desires of the body
for its own comfort and security alone.
Grant me to live by the Spirit, the Spirit of love,
of hope, courage and generosity.
Grant that in love I may give of my life—
that I may die in the Spirit,
and in the Spirit be raised to new life,
the life of love that does not die.
Give strength and health to my mortal body
so I may love in the Spirit of Christ.
Amen.
____________________________________
Mar. 25
Mar. 24
Bones
“Can these bones live?”
—Ezekiel 37.3
Holy One, Source of Life,
I see a valley of dry bones.
Hopes dried out,
confidence withered,
the skeletons of plans
lying bare and dead.
And I see your beloved bewildered,
still and silent in grief,
emptied out.
Can our hope revive?
Will easy movement return?
Can these bones live?
O Mystery, bid us be still,
and listen for you,
breathing
in us.
____________________________
Mar. 23
Depths
Out of the depths I cry to you, O God.
―Palm 130.1
God, you who hear my prayer before I do,
I want to pray lofty prayers to you…
but beneath my wrangled words,
out of my secret depths,
is my unspeakable true prayer:
my dread and despair,
my terror, my fury, my hate,
my cynicism, my weariness.
You hear from the basement of my soul
the closing of my door.
But you are inside! You hear!
And in my most mangled prayer
you hear your own voice.
Help me trust
even the prayer I don’t know I have
you hear. And you bless. And you heal.
I thank you. Amen.
____________________________
Mar. 22
Enemies
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies
—Psalm 23.5
God, I come to the table of your grace,
and there you have invited my enemies.
I am together at your table with them,
one in your love with them.
I trust that in your grace they will not destroy me.
In the spirit of Jesus,
who died forgiving his enemies,
I pray for both myself and them: heal all our hurts
and forgive all our hurtfulness.
Bless me that even if I oppose them in seeking justice
I will do so with love.
God of mercy, prepare a table of grace for us both,
for we belong to your One Love.
Amen.
_____________________________________
Mar. 21.
Worry
Do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.
Today’s trouble is enough for today.
—Matthew 6.34
God, I do worry.
So I give you my worry.
I lay my anxiety in your hands.
And with it I lay myself in your hands.
I let go of tomorrow
and the fears and desires that live there.
You are here with me today.
I notice my breathing, my heartbeat:
they are gifts from you.
I notice what is beautiful around me.
I give thanks for my loved ones.
Help me not lose the gifts of today
for fear of tomorrow.
Help me to see, to be grateful,
and to be in the present moment.
God have mercy, and grant me your peace.
Amen.
_______________
Mar. 20
Seeing
“Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?”
Some were saying, “It is he.”
Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.”
He kept saying, “I am the man.”
—John 9.8-9
The blind man could see now,
but the seeing ones couldn’t:
they couldn’t see who he was.
God, open the eyes of my heart
to see who people really are,
not blinded by my judgments and assumptions.
Help me to see your glory in all people,
including the ones I discount or despise.
Give me eyes to see your grace,
to notice your beauty
God of healing ad wholeness,
open the eyes of my heart.
Amen.
_______________
Mar. 19
Valley
Even though I walk through valley of the shadow of death
I fear no evil; for you are with me;
your rod and your staff— they comfort me.
—Psalm 23.4
In this valley of anxiety and uncertainty
you walk with me, Holy Love,
through the darkness of my fear,
the dimness of my uncertainty.
I am hemmed in not by danger
but by your will for life.
My end is not death, but your arms.
In the dimness I cannot see the road ahead;
I cannot see you plainly;
I only sense your hand upon me,
and that I trust.
Loving shepherd, I give myself to your leading.
Walk ahead of me and I will follow.
_______________
Mar. 18
Light
We must work the works of the one who sent me while it is day;
night is coming when no one can work.
—John 9.4
Sometimes it seems, good God,
that darkness descends.
Keep me full of your light,
that even in the night
I may act with love and courage,
that I may spread hope amid despair
and healing amid hurt.
You who are the light of love,
by your undying grace
shine in me to lighten this darkness.
Amen.
_____________________________
Mar. 17
Shepherd
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
—Psalm 23.1
God, you are all I truly want.
Free me from my lesser desires,
my fears and anxieties,
my burdensome needs,
my complicated requirements
for happiness.
Let me be satisfied in you,
trusting of your care,
grateful for your grace.
Transform my desires
that I may seek you, and you alone
in everything.
Amen.
______________________________
Mar. 16
Sown
The realm of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground,
and would sleep and rise night and day,
and the seed would sprout and grow, the sower does not know how….
—Mark 4.26-27
God, give me faith to die and rise, night and day,
to be a seed sown in this world.
I need not know how your grace works in me,
I only want to let myself die in the soil of you,
sown in the need of this world,
and be raised by the mystery of your will,
that I may bear the fruit you have ordained for me.
Amen.
_______________
Mar. 15
Witness
Many Samaritans from that city believed in him
because of the woman’s testimony,
—John 4.39
Holy One, stir up your love in me
that it might touch all I meet.
Give me grace to bear witness to you,
not in speech or argument
but in overflowing love,
in joy and generosity,
in humble trust of your grace.
By your Spirit in me
may my presence sow seeds of grace.
Amen.
______________
Mar. 14
One
“How is it that you, a Jew,
ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?”
(Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)
—John 4.9
God of love,
there are so many divisions between us,
judgments of who is worthy,
who is “one of us” and “one of them.”
Open my eyes to see my own judgments,
my pride, my racism, my suspicions, my fears.
I repent of my sin.
Help me see everyone as “one of us,”
every human as a whole and beloved person.
We are One, God: the stranger and I,
the enemy and I, You and I.
Everyone is part of me, my own completion.
Help me truly love my neighbor
as myself.
Amen.
_______________________________
Mar. 13
Nourish
The disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about. …
My food is to do the will of the One who sent me
and to complete that work.”
—John 4.31-32
Jesus was nourished by his conversation
with the woman at the well. She fed his soul.
God, I confess I fear
acts of compassion will drain me.
Help me find nourishment
in connecting with your beloved,
including those in need, those who are different,
those I’m tempted to see as “beneath” me.
Save me from the illusion of superiority:
I need them. They’re my siblings.
I too am poor. They feed my soul.
Feed me by leading me into your work.
May I feast on your grace,
and drink deep of the water
of the well of your love.
Amen.
______________
Mar. 12
Jar
The woman left her water jar
and went back to the city.
—John 4.28
She left it because she wasn’t so thirsty any more.
—Jesus, you slake the thirst of my soul.
She left it because she knew she was coming back,
but first she had some work to do.
—Jesus, use me to spread your Word.
She left it because for the living water of life
she didn’t need a jar: she was the jar.
— Jesus, may I be a vessel of your love.
Amen.
_________________________.
Mar. 11
Spring
The water that I will give will become in you
a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.
—John 4.14
Holy Mystery,
you have placed a miracle in me,
a gushing spring, the water of your grace,
flowing with your spirit:
life-giving and clear,
from deep within,
never ceasing or diminishing.
Every moment I breath in
I return to the spring.
I thank you.
And I drink.
______________
Mar. 10
Dark
Unless a seed falls into the earth and dies
it remains a single seed.
But if it dies, it bears much fruit.
—John 12.24
O God, help me trust this mystery:
that in dark places, tight places,
I am deep in the soil of you.
When I feel I am breaking apart
I am a seed, opening to life;
even my brokenness is a gift of grace.
You are a mysterious power in me,
bringing life out of death, hope out of darkness,
fruitfulness out of brokenness,
growing out of te dark
into your marvelous light.
I give thanks.
I fall into your earth.
______________
Mar. 9
A drink
“How is it that you, a Jew,
ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?”
—John 4.9
Jesus, I know I need you.
But you awaken me with the unexpected:
you need me!
You believe I have something to offer,
something valuable and beautiful.
I have the capacity to delight your soul.
You ask me to share my gifts.
Thank you for the gift of your receptiveness.
Today let me remember:
I carry gifts you desire.
May I be generous.
____________________________
Mar. 8
Lead me
God said to Abram, “Go from your country
and your kindred and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you.”
So Abram went.
—Genesis 12.1, 3
Love, give me courage to walk on
without knowing the road ahead.
I know your presence;
that is enough for me.
Give me wisdom to follow
wherever your Spirit leads.
You go before me; that is enough for me.
I confess my fear of the road unknown.
I release my control and understanding.
I entrust myself to your loving guidance.
Holy Mystery, lead me, and I will follow.
Amen.
____________________________
Mar. 7
Love
God so loves the world
as to give the Only Begotten,
so that everyone who trusts in the Given One
may not perish but may have eternal life.
—John 3.16
God, I marvel at this gift,
that who I am is, by your grace, eternal.
You give me life that cannot be taken from me
whatever my fault, whatever my sin,
whatever my trouble, or pain or persecution.
My life depends not on my goodness but your love.
Give me faith to receive your perfect love,
that your self-giving may live in me.
God, help me so love the world.
Amen.
_________________________________
Mar. 6
Wind
The wind blows where it chooses,
and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know
where it comes from or where it goes.
So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
—John 3.8
God, I am accustomed to making my choices,
being in control.
But your breath of life blows through me,
beyond my control;
your Spirit blows by your will, not mine.
Give me faith to be carried by your wind,
to be led by your grace,
to let your Spirit take me where it will.
I surrender my will to you.
I attend to you, a little weather vane
sensitive to your blowing,
a leaf blown on the breeze of your love.
Amen.
______________________________
Mar.5
Spirit and flesh
What is born of the flesh is flesh,
and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
—John 3.6
God, I am both flesh and spirit;
both are your sacred gifts.
I give thanks for my body
without reservation,
regardless of society’s judgments.
And I give thanks for your Spirit,
giving me life and beauty.
Help me honor the two together,
neglecting neither for the other.
May I live as a blessed and holy vessel
of your Spirit, your love alive in me.
In all I do may I make your word flesh
and embody your love.
___________________________
Mar. 4
Born Again
You must be born again from above.
—John 3.7
Mother God, birth me anew.
You who hold all life
in the womb of your heart,
who feed me life from within you,
whose umbilical love
gives life to all Creation,
by your labor and love
birth me into new life.
Let me leave behind my old self
in the tomb of the womb of your grace
and emerge new,
free from all but your love,
free to live by your Spirit alone.
Give me life— moment by moment,
breath by breath,
new, and free, and yours.
_________________________
Mar. 3
Shadow
Nicodemus came to Jesus by night.
—John 3.2
I veil myself in darkness, I hide
so people won’t see my shadow side—
so even I won’t see it.
But you see.
You see what I’m ashamed of,
what frightens me about myself,
what I’ve learned to discount,
even lovely things I can’t bear to show.
But Love, even in my night
you do not shame me. You receive me.
You bless all of me, even the shadows.
Give me the grace to see myself
as you see me, with love and respect.
Give me courage to come into the light.
_________________________
Mar. 2
Seed
Unless a seed dies and is buried
it remains a single seed.
But if it dies it bears much fruit.
—John 12.24
God I am a seed of you.
I fall into you.
The husk of me dies.
I will break open.
New life, your life,
will sprout out of me.
Welcome me down
into the womb,
the life-giving,
the soil of you.
Welcome me open,
ready for you to move in me…
but first, in the dark of you
I die.
________________________
Mar. 1
People pleasing
“All these I will give you,
if you will fall down and worship me.”
—Matthew 4.9
God, I want to belong, to be liked.
I habitually say whatever will make people like me.
I bow down to all sorts of demonic things
just to fit in.
But I belong to you.
I can trust your grace.
May your mercy transform my habits,
your love set me free
to speak your truth in love.
Give me faith to worship you alone,
and to serve with love and humility and trust.
Amen.
_________________________
Feb. 29
Leap
“Throw yourself down; for it is written,
‘God will command angels concerning you.’”
—Matthew 4.6
Oh, to live and not get hurt,
to love without risk—
how I wish!
God, give me courage to love
and bear the loss,
to do justice and endure the cost.
Give me faith to bear suffering
for the sake of mercy.
Give me courage to leap
into your arms alone,
and then live without fear.
__________________________
2.28
Stones
“If you are the Son of God,
command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
—Matthew 4.3
God, I confess I want power.
And I stand with this truth:
I do not have the power
to make the world what I want,
to change people,
to control my life.
I waste life wishing it were that
and not this.
I give energy to resentment,
desire, false expectations
and attempts to control.
Give me grace to let stones be stones.
Give me grace to see what is,
and let it be what it is, accepting this life
with gratitude and humility.
God, you alone are my power.
Love is the only power you give me.
Help me trust
what a mighty power it is.
_________________________
2.27
Wash me
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
—Psalm 51.2
Ah, God, my sin is deep, I know,
like a poison in the bones of my soul—
but—amazing!—you wash it away.
With your clear flowing grace
you flush away the poison in me.
You wash it away and I am free to start over,
free to live by your Spirit from this moment forward.
I hold myself in the stream of your grace:
wash me, Beloved, wash me clean.
_______________________
2.26
Ash Wednesday
God formed a human from the dust of the ground,
and breathed into their nostrils the breath of life;
and they became a living being
—Genesis 2.7
God, when I think I am immortal,
remind me of my dust.
When I treat myself like dirt,
remind me of your breath in me,
your shining presence,
your life itself.
By your grace may I honor your breath,
honor my dust,
and open myself to your Spirit.
Breathe, Holy One, into me,
now and always.
Amen.