Friday, August 29, 2008

Anna Waring - Hymn 1

Anna Waring (1820-1910):

Father, I know that all my life

Is portioned out for me,

And the changes that are sure to come,

I do not fear to see;

But I ask Thee for a present mind

Intent on pleasing Thee.

continued

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Bishop Andrews - morning Matins

From the Devotions of Bishop Andrews:

GLORY be to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee.
Glory to Thee who gives me sleep
to recruit my weakness,
and to remit the toils
of this fretful flesh.
To this day and all days,
a perfect, holy, peaceful, healthy,
sinless course,

Vouchsafe O Lord.

continued

Eucharistic prayer from the Didache

From the Didache:

We thank you, our Father, for the life and knowledge which you have revealed through Jesus, your child. To you be glory forever.

continued / about

Anselm - on believing to understand

Anselm:

Grant to me that I may look upon your light, though from far off, though out of the deep. I will seek you, with longing after you. I will long after you in seeking you, I will find you by loving you, I will love you in finding you. I confess to you, O Lord, and I give thanks to you, because you have created in me this your image, that I may remember you, think upon you, love you: but so darkened is your image in me by the smoke of my sins that it cannot do that the way it was created to do, unless you renew it and create it again. I seek not, O Lord, to search out your depth, but I desire in some measure to understand your truth, which my heart believes and loves. Nor do I seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe that I may understand. For this too I believe, that unless I first believe, I shall not understand.

continued

Prayer of the Trinity by N.T. Wright

quoted here with link:

Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth:
Set up your kingdom in our midst.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God:
Have mercy on me, a sinner.

Holy Spirit, breath of the living God:
Renew me and all the world.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Blessing before Meals - "for the knowledge, faithfulness and eternal life..."

From FFOZ:

We thank You, our holy Father, for Your holy name that You have caused to dwell in our hearts, and for the knowledge, faithfulness and eternal life that You have made known to us through Your servant Jesus. Yours is the glory forever.

(First doxology of the grace after meals from the Didache as translated for First Fruit's of Zion's We Thank You.)

Brueggemann: "On Reading Psalm 1"

One of my favorite prayers by Walter Brueggemann—this one the opening prayer in his collection Inscribing the Text:

Monday, August 18, 2008

Iona: 'If need be, despite us'

One of my favorite prayers of all time—especially for that last list of prepositional phrases:

Reshape us, good Lord,
until, in generosity, in faith,
and in expectation that the best is yet to come,
we are truly Christ-like.

Make us passionate followers of Jesus
rather than passive supporters.

Make our churches cells of radical disciple
and signposts to heaven.
Then, in us, through us,
and—if need be—despite us,
let your kingdom come.
Amen.