#MorningPrayer
As we celebrate the Holy Family,
Lord, remind us that we are called
to be a holy family in you:
one body with many members,
the bonds of your love
transcending divisions
of gender, ethnicity,
background, status, ...
May we know you
in the love that binds us
as one.
#MorningPrayer
Hold before us, Lord,
your pre-eminence in all things;
for you are the Word,
who spoke light and life into being.
In your love,
you became one with us,
that we might be one in you.
May we rejoice to be your body,
united in you as our head,
living your love
for all.
#MorningPrayer
Fill us Lord,
with the hope of the gospel,
the promise of your kingdom,
the assurance of your love,
the joy of new life;
give us the strength and courage
to stand for your way
of peace, justice, mercy and truth,
and to speak that truth to power
for the good of all.
#MorningPrayer
As we remember
the Holy Innocents, Lord,
massacred on the whim
of a jealous and fearful despot,
consumed by lust
for power and position,
turn our hearts
from the service of self
to the service of all;
from the thinness
of the ego,
to the expansiveness
of your love.
#MorningPrayer
Remind us, Lord,
of the law of your kingdom:
not an endless list
of dos and don’ts,
not a schedule
of sins to avoid
that we might attain purity,
but a commandment to love.
As we seek to follow you
this and every day,
may we live out the love
with which you love us.
#MorningPrayer
Lord,
give us a measure
of the wisdom and faith
that your young church
saw in Stephen;
give us the discernment
and understanding
that helped your people
through division
and disagreement
to unity of purpose.
Give us the same passion
for your love to be lived
in us.
#MorningPrayer
Lord,
you chose
to empty yourself,
to take flesh as a baby,
dependent on others,
opting in to
the harsh realities of our life,
that you might bring to bear
the greater reality of your love.
May that love,
stronger even than death,
ever be the hallmark
of our lives.
#MorningPrayer
Give us each day, Lord,
a desire to know you
more fully and more deeply,
and an easy ability
to speak of your love to others,
with our words, our lives,
our attitudes and actions.
May we be ready
to welcome your coming to us,
and to herald your coming
to the world.
#MorningPrayer
Lord,
keep us aware of,
and keep us thankful for,
the great mercy and love
in which you hold us,
and through which
you release us into new life.
Nurture in us
that same love and mercy
towards our neighbour,
that we may model
your kindness and care
in our own lives.
#MorningPrayer
Remind us Lord,
that true greatness
in your sight
lies in how we
serve one another,
not ourselves;
in how we honour
your image
in those whom
the world sees
as the least
or the lost.
Give us joy
in doing what we can
for neighbours
near and far,
for we do it
for you.
#MorningPrayer
Be with us, Lord,
such that we
know and feel
your presence,
in both the joyful
and the painful
times of life.
Let us not forget you
when we rejoice;
let us know
that you remember us
when we struggle.
Be with us all this day,
whatever it holds;
keep us in your love.
#MorningPrayer
Fill up our faith, Lord;
give us a yearning
for the things of your kingdom:
for your peace,
so that we work
to build peace in our world;
for your light,
so that we work
to bring light in dark times;
for your wholeness,
so that we honour your image
in every person.
#MorningPrayer
Open the eyes
of our hearts, Lord,
that we may perceive
the signs
of your activity,
your presence,
all around us.
Inspire our understanding
that we may recognise
the ways in which
you prepare the ground
of your kingdom
in us and among us;
so help us
live your love.
#MorningPrayer
You asked the disciples, Lord,
“who do you say that I am?”
You ask us the same question.
May we answer
not just with words,
but with lives that shine with love,
that you are the Christ.
Give us the joy, strength,
hope and courage,
that speak
of your kingdom
to all.
#MorningPrayer
Wisdom of God,
infuse, inspire
and inform
our minds,
our souls,
our lives,
that we may
both hear and receive
your word to us,
both trust and follow
your call upon us.
Enable, enthuse,
and empower us
to embrace your promises,
espouse your hope,
and embody your love.
#MorningPrayer
Infuse our being, Lord,
our thoughts and our actions,
our words and our choices,
with the yeast of your kingdom,
the spores of new life.
May our lives bear witness
to your love,
and bear the fruit of that love
for neighbours near and far,
for the blessing of all.
#MorningPrayer
Give us a share, Lord,
in your perspective
on the world;
help us overcome
the narrative of scarcity
our limited vision gives,
that we may
see and share
the abundance
of your love,
your kingdom;
not just as a hope
for a distant future,
but as a reality
among us now.
#MorningPrayer
Lord,
instil in us,
grow in us,
develop in us,
a faith that is big enough
to begin perceiving
the depth and breadth
of your love for us;
may we challenge and overcome
the boundaries and obstacles
that we place in the way of your love,
that all may see and know you.
#MorningPrayer
Align our hearts
with yours, Lord,
that we may focus
on what is
essential, eternal.
Help us look
not only on
the external
images or actions
of those we encounter,
but also on the inner reality,
the truth of each person,
to find your image
and draw it out
with love.
#MorningPrayer
Be near us, Lord,
in those times
when the joys of love
are overtaken
by the pains of loss,
when the blessings
of relationship
are broken
by the wound
of grief.
Reassure us
in the storms,
that you are with us,
that you hold us
in your love,
stronger even
than death.
#MorningPrayer
Save us, Lord,
from the power
and pride
of the ego,
whether our own
or that of others.
Save us from
its temptations
to save face
ahead of
standing firm
for your kingdom
or showing love
to our neighbour;
save us from
focusing in
on ourselves
rather than
on your way.
#MorningPrayer
Increase our
faith and trust
in you, Lord;
help us to hear
both your message,
“do not be afraid”,
and your call
to participate
in the sharing
of your life,
the showing
of your love,
and the shining
of your light.
May we know
the revealing
of your kingdom
among us.
#MorningPrayer
Instil in us Lord,
a desire for your kingdom,
for the treasure
of the new life you bring us;
infuse our hearts and lives
with the joy of your love,
and the peace that
only you can bring.
As we await your coming
with justice and mercy,
light our way
and guide us on.
#MorningPrayer
Lord,
despite all the ways
in which we fail
one another
and fail you,
enable in us
the forbearance
and forgiveness
that you show us,
that we may allow
room and time
for the seeds
of your kingdom
to grow,
for the yeast
of your love
to produce its fruit
in our lives.
#MorningPrayer
Tend our hearts, Lord,
nurture our souls,
that our lives
may offer good soil
for the growth
of your kingdom.
Cultivate in us
such a depth of faith
and openness to you,
that the seeds of your love
may take root,
may blossom and flourish,
yielding blessings for all.
#MorningPrayer
Remind us Lord,
that despite all our
deficiencies and
disagreements,
all our failings
and fallings-out,
we are one family in you,
sisters and brothers
in your household.
So inspire us
that our life together
may be for the world
a sign of your kingdom,
of your love.
#MorningPrayer
Give us, Lord,
the vision and the voice
that stems from your love,
that we may work
for relationship
and reconciliation,
for the renewal
of our hearts and minds,
our communities and societies,
bringing to bear
the fruit of your spirit,
and the life of your kingdom.
#MorningPrayer
Keep us alert, Lord,
to your call upon us
to do the right thing,
to seek the blessing
of another,
to meet the needs
we encounter,
even when
custom, rule
or tradition
say we should
turn away.
Give us
clarity of vision,
depth of wisdom,
and the strength
of your love.
#MorningPrayer
Keep us ever watchful
and wakeful, Lord;
let the lamp of your love
shine brightly in our hearts,
and from our lives,
that the new life
of your kingdom
may be seen in us,
and through us.
Forgive and heal us
when we obscure your light;
renew your love and life in us.
#MorningPrayer
Draw us
to yourself, Lord,
that we may find you
taking from us
the heavy burdens we carry,
the cares and anxieties,
the guilt and shame,
the pains and problems;
not to delete them,
but to bear them
with us and for us;
to heal us in your love,
and bring us to peace.
#MorningPrayer
Equip us, Lord,
empower and
enthuse us,
to prepare the way
of your kingdom
in the lives of
those around us,
near and far.
But work first
on our own hearts;
clear the way
of all we get wrong,
of the ways we detract
from your love,
of all that masks
your image
in us.