Prayer, Praise
and Thanksgiving

Praise for Color

Praise the living Lord on high
for the bright blue of the sky;
for the tender green of leaves,
yellow sunlight in the trees;
for the dawn all robed in scarlet,
for the violet of sunset;
for the beauty and the wonder
of the miracle of color.

Wildflowers

Rolling vales and meadows of green,
clothed in purple and scarlet flame;
hills ablaze with golden poppies
swaying in the summer breeze:
Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like these.

Thanks for Beauty

Thank you for the beauty of this morning,
for the sky's unbroken blue,
for the gentle breeze, the warmth of the sunlight,
for swaying bough and laughing leaf,
for snow upon the distant peaks,
for the glassy calm of this creek,
for spreading ducksplash-ripples
and the swirling of white gull-wings
in the circle of the sun...
For all of this Creation,
we give thanks.

Praise Him

Praise him, purple columbine,
Praise him, scarlet trumpet vine;
Praise him, iris, pansy, clover,
Praise him, every blooming flower!

Praise him, rippled waters calm,
Praise him, every swaying palm;
Praise him, eucalyptus tall,
Praise him, praise him, one and all!

Praise him, sparrow, finch, and dove,
Praise him, hawk which soars above;
Praise him, raven, hummingbird,
Praise him, all you living world!

Praise him, blue and dappled sky,
Praise him, every cloud on high;
Praise him where the eagle soars;
Praise him, praise him evermore!

Praise him, every leafing tree,
Praise him, flower, bud, and bee;
Praise him, every singing bird;
Let all Creation praise the Lord!

Fountain of Life

We are dust without
the breath of your Spirit;
Unless we are born of you
every moment…
Every breath we breathe
is from you;
Every dream that we dream
comes from you;
Every hope that we have
lies in you;
All of our fountains
are in you.
Father of lights,
Fountain of life,
Wellspring of dreams,
we are your children.
We will sing your song
to all of Creation;
We will dance your dance,
lifting up praises;
We will dream your dream,
the presence of Heaven;
We will put our hope
in your salvation.

Prayer for Transmutation

Take these thoughts and heart's meditations,
memories wrought of sense-impression,
of taste and smell, hearing and seeing,
all born of encounter with true Being,
and transmute them by divine alchemy
to that which will last for eternity.

Take up this rhythmic prayer and chanting,
and make of it song invoking the Spirit,
the essence within the heart of each moment…
Take these hands and let them flow healing,
their intimate touch a direct impartation
of that which is life and health and salvation.
Take these arms and their every gesture,
and let them express the heart's intentions
to have and to hold, to nurture and cherish.

For without remembrance, without invocation,
without the warmth of touch and its healing,
there is no food for body or spirit.
Without the love, the indwelling substance
of very Emmanuel, given for us,
there is nothing to give; noone can live.

Yes, He has heard me:

The light that bathes my head in the morning,
the beauty that washes over my seeing,
the music of life so vibrant around me,
any real thing which forms into memory,
all of these things become food to me
according to His mystic alchemy.

And surely the Son of heaven and earth
is there in the midst of these from the first,
embodying, dying, rising again
unto eternity, world without end,
Amen.

Stream Walk

May I always walk
beside this flashing stream;
May its rippled currents
flow through all my veins.

Wash away the falsehood,
take away the lies;
Shred the fear-illusions
covering these eyes.

Break the walls of rage
encasing my perception;
Open up my heart
to receive your inspiration.

Let me love the living
beautiful around me;
Help me live the vision
you have placed within me.

May my thoughts reflect
the ripples of this stream
Flowing ever-onward
into eternity.

A Poet's Prayer

Teach me to chant
what my heart sees;
the life all around me,
what lives within me,
everything
in every moment.

Teach me to speak
the right names of things,
to utter their fiber,
color, and texture
with every breath of my mouth,
with every beat of my heart,
with every prayer.

And as I lift them
to your remembrance,
let them be as bread to me,
let them be as prophecy,
sacred Word,
Body of Christ,
Blood of the Covenant.

I would touch in everything
the Mystery that heals.

Poet's Prayer II

May I come to understand
the secret soul-affinity
connecting all the living.

Teach me of your covenant,
write its law upon my heart,
my constant meditation.

May I better speak, impart
such joy and comfort of the heart
as I have received;

The near and joyful presence,
the death-surviving essence,
the life of you in me;

The very soul of beauty.

Blessing

Peace of the forest to you,
wet green grass to you,
life-giving rain to you,
soft brown earth to you,
fragrance of spring to you,
songs of the birds to you,
radiance of sun to you,
colors of the rainbow to you.

May the wind blow over you,
may the promise come to you,
may God's love surround you,
may his wings cover you,
may his truth keep you,
may his Spirit guide you
into the place of healing,
life, joy, and freedom.

A Human Prayer

My prayer is for this world to continue,
and we along with it, becoming more full
of what we are; of stuff of God,
of life and love, of the light above;
the Virgin mild, the holy Child,
and all things fresh and free and wild.

And that our children will go on
just as our kind has always done;
that they will still be human beings,
whatever radical changes come;
that what they are will still contain
what we have been and known and loved.

May they and we together live on,
passing the living torch along
from generation to generation,
until the whole work on earth is done.
And when the great work is at an end,
may we also enjoy its fruits with them.

Prayer in Time of Grief

Thanks to thee for faithful shepherds
who carry the lambs upon their shoulders,
gently leading those with young.
For quiet green meadow pastures
beside calm, still running waters
'neath a warming yellow sun.

For the chance to go and cry
hidden from the public eye
and the press of staring faces;
for those secret wooded places
fragrant with sweet eucalyptus,
offering the balm of rest.

For that deep-recurring song
which makes the hours flow along
like a rippled mountain stream.
For the flash of sparrow's wings
and their choruses in spring,
bringing back bright heaven's glory.

For the gold at long day's end,
for the presence of a friend
who doesn't need an explanation,
but allows a wide, free margin,
room to breathe, a space to be…
For hearts that hear and eyes that see,
Father, we give thanks to thee.

Prayer for the Earth

Father, Mother, and Creator,
may your glory fill the earth.
May all Creation be redeemed and restored,
joined to heaven and filled with your presence.

Deliver the earth and mankind from all evil.
May the shroud which covers all the nations
be destroyed upon your holy mountain;
may the knowledge of you cover the earth
as the waters do the sea.

Show us your covenant,
write it on our hearts.
May the world be made one
as you are one;
as we come to see ourselves
and all things in you.

May the innocence and beauty
of all things be restored
as upon the first morning.

May we and our children live to see it,
and come to know the beauty
of every living soul
and every wondrous creature
who has ever lived and loved here
beneath the shining sun.

New Creation Prayer

May _____ come to know and enter into
their everlasting inheritance.

Show them the Love that never dies,
and that raises up and will raise up
both them and all that's dear to them.

Restore the years which the locust has eaten.
Restore innocence, faith, hope, trust,
childlikeness,
and the capacity to see beauty.
Add to all these, wisdom.

Give them a renewed sense of awe,
of wonder and reverence
for you and all that you have made;
even their whole being.

Give them grace to walk accordingly,
with steadfastness and consistency,
even as you show them
your own faithfulness
to renew and restore all things.

Prayer for a Friend

May you lead her on from here;
take away the blinding fear;
show her her true heart's desire,
where her home and calling lie.

May the story of my journey,
contained within this poetry,
be as a sign along the way,
the road to Zion's holy place
within that special time and place
where she goes to seek your face,
and in those hours spent alone,
reaching for some hand to hold,
for someone to understand her;
for a heart after her own.

Grant protection and provision;
bring forth the beauty and the vision
which I know that you've put in her,
and in me no less than her.
And may we two journey on,
sharing every dream in common
until we receive at last
our common dream-inheritance.

Prayer for Friends in Sickness and Prison

God be with my brothers and sisters
who are imprisoned in body, mind, or spirit.
Give them rest and sleep tonight,
and show them mercies new in the morning
and every morning.
Show them a sunrise and beauty in the skies;
speak to them in dreams, in words and in poetry.

May these days pass swiftly and in hope;
may they be fruitful for repentence
and for the advancement of your kingdom.
Redeem them unto eternity
according to your good purpose.

Indwell each with your presence,
the peace, joy, and comfort of your Spirit.
Let them know they're loved and thought of.
May they have that hope within them,
even now.

Open the inner door of their hearts
and they eyes of their hearts
upon the real and living Kingdom of Heaven.
May they enter in and walk there
in increasing freedom, power, grace, and beauty,
as you created them to do.

May they walk hand in hand,
heart and heart with me and you
in those wide, free open spaces of the Spirit,
drawing closer to each other
and to you.

Protect them in body, mind, and spirit
even in the midst of where they are.
May they walk as one set apart and beloved,
knowing themselves to be.
Keep them from temptation,
free them from bondages, addictions
and the underlying causes of their illness;
fill the empty spaces inside.

Cleanse their heart and mind,
and free them from all guilt
and condemnation of the past.
Banish the voices of accusation.
May they enter into the knowledge
of your love, mercy, and forgiveness,
and find these living witnesses of you
ever-growing in their hearts,
May they come to extend these
to themselves and to others.
May they know themselves a new creation,
and be given grace to live accordingly.