Category: Uncategorized

From Brianna Brown:

A Gentle Prayer As You Hold Unknowns

Oh God of the universe, 

you alone orchestrate the movement of the stars, 

the birth of flowers blooming into beauty, 

and the life cycle of leaves forming and changing as seasons come and go. 

///

I sit here, in the bleakness of my questions,

holding unknowns in my life that feel insurmountable. 

Questions that rise from the depths of my soul fill my heart with yearning—

for answers, 

for peace, 

for hope, 

for a path forward, 

for courage to look back, 

for any sort of direction. 

I am walking alongside you, Jesus, on a path that my eyes can’t see—

where the fog is too thick, and my feet and heart feel confused. 

///

Oh God of the universe, remind me today, 

that you are working and weaving, 

molding and forming, 

designing and creating—

a beautiful journey. 

May I draw closer to the heartbeat of your breath today—

the rhythm of your steadfastness, 

the soothing of your knowing, 

the regulation of your love. 

///

Holy Spirit, remind me today that the answers to my questions are not the end all. 

The process of drawing nearer, 

doing my next right thing, 

noticing God’s goodness in the mundane, 

noticing the patterns of Love throughout my life—that is the journey through the unknown. 

May I hold the words of Mary, the sacred mother of Jesus, with open hands today—

May it be to me according to your word. 

Amen

Peace Be With You. – Paul

From author Jan Richardson:

BELOVED IS WHERE WE BEGIN

If you would enter

into the wilderness,

do not begin

without a blessing.

Do not leave

without hearing

who you are:

Beloved,

named by the One

who has traveled this path

before you.

Do not go

without letting it echo

in your ears,

and if you find

it is hard

to let it into your heart,

do not despair.

That is what

this journey is for.

I cannot promise

this blessing will free you

from danger,

from fear,

from hunger

or thirst,

from the scorching

of sun

or the fall

of the night.

But I can tell you

that on this path

there will be help.

I can tell you

that on this way

there will be rest.

I can tell you

that you will know

the strange graces

that come to our aid

only on a road

such as this,

that fly to meet us

bearing comfort

and strength,

that come alongside us

for no other cause

than to lean themselves

toward our ear

and with their

curious insistence

whisper our name:

Beloved.

Beloved.

Beloved.

—Jan Richardson

from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons

Image: “Desert of the Beloved”

© Jan Richardson

janrichardsonimages.com

Inspired by Luke 4:1-13.

Peace Be With You. – Paul

From Judson Memorial Church, New York.  

“If empathy is a sin, sin boldly.”

Peace Be With You. – Paul

A good quote from the Winnie The Pooh collection – courtesy of @positivethreadsonly:

“The things that make me different are the things that make me.”~ Piglet

Peace Be With You. – Paul

Here are the Prayers Of The People

From Mayfair Heights UMC Morning Worship

March 16, 2025

Prayers Of The People

Gracious God, 

Divine Love, 

Source of the universe,

Creator of planets, the elements, dinosaurs,

Creator of humanity, of goodness, love, joy, beauty, grace,

We thank you.

God of love, Hear our prayer. 

Just as you did not stay distant from us,

You ask us to be close to each other,

To lift each other up when needed,

To instill in our own hearts

Compassion, mercy, delight.

Teach us, O Holy One.

God of love, Hear our prayer. 

Holy One, you have taught us that where grace is not practiced,

Evil flourishes.

You have taught us that we are the stewards of your grace,

Caretakers of your light, love, mercy, justice.

Help us in our continual learning and yearning.

God of love, Hear our prayer. 

As we seek our own forgiveness, 

May we extend that forgiveness and mercy to others.

Just as your love has shown itself in our lives,

May we show it to others with our resources, our thoughts, our actions.

God of love, Hear our prayer.

For all in need this day, 

Whether known or unknown to us, 

May your love beckon us to their side.

May you rest in their spirits and work through us

that others may be healed, fed, honored. 

God of love, Hear our prayer. 

Speak to us in the tensions of our lives,

That we may breathe peace, hope, care. 

May we serve you in all we do and say,

God of love, Hear our prayer.  Amen. 

Peace Be With You. – Paul

— WORD FOR THE DAY — (grateful.org) If we knew just how powerfully our thoughts, words, and actions affected the hearts of those around us, we’d reach out and join hands again and again.

TARA BRACH

Peace Be With You. – Paul

You are held in the sheltering embrace of Love.

Peace Be With You. – Paul

What we sometimes call the Lord’s Prayer is known by many names, and there are many versions.  Today’s devotional is entitled “The Jesus Prayer” by enfleshed.

God of us all, 

who dwells within and beyond,

Sacred is your name.

May your holy vision for collective flourishing

come to fruition among us.

May your dreams of justice, love, compassion, 

and connection be enfleshed on earth. 

Provide us today with what we need to be nourished in body, soul and heart.

Forgive us for the harm we cause as we seek to forgive those who have harmed us.

Lead us away from everything that destroys

and liberate us from the hands of evil.

For you are the ultimate source of hope.

Your power-with exceeds all power-over.

Your presence incites eternal wonder.

All praise to you, our comfort and strength. Amen.

Peace Be With You. – Paul

From Divine Reverberations: 

God cannot be known by human reason, effort, achievement, spiritual mountain-climbing, or morality. God is not a sacred Object to be grasped if only we know which chalice to drink from. God is not an idea to be intellectually perceived or mastered with sufficient education. God cannot be attained, bought, coerced by rain dances (even Christian rain dances), or bargained with.

Rather, this God-Who-is-Not-an-Object is a radically other Subject. A Person. 

As such, God cannot be attained, but must be attended to. God cannot be achieved, but must be received. God cannot be grasped, but one must be grasped by God. 

I do not know God so much as I am known by God. The primary effort, work, labor, duty is not mine. God can only be known through revelation. There is no knowing God that begins with human effort. There is no commune with God that is primarily about human labor. It all derives from and is energized by the self-revealing God. 

Augustine notes this 1,800 years ago:

You were within, but I was without. You were with me, but I was not with you. So you called, you shouted, you broke through my deafness, you flared, blazed, and banished my blindness, you lavished your fragrance, and I gasped.

St. Augustine 

And herein lies the good news of Divine Reverberations: Because I cannot know God, grasp God, or attain God, then God is not waiting for me to climb the mountains of spiritual maturity before interacting with me. God does not need me to be a perfect, holy monk. 

For God has already decided to reveal God’s self to us in our imperfections (as our Communion liturgy at church says, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”). To reveal God’s self not as an object we can grasp, but as a Person who knows us and invites our responsive-knowing.

The call of the Christian life is not to know God so much as to be known by God and, then, respond to God’s prior knowing. More, it is a call not to, first, love God, but to be loved by God and then to respond to God’s prior loving with our own imperfect love. 

Divine Reverberations are first.

My response is always…well…a response

Peace Be With You. – Paul

Below are the Prayers Of The People 

from Mayfair Heights UMC Worship 

March 9, 2025

Prayers Of The People

Gracious God, 

you invite us deeper into your world, 

To be closer to all your people.

May we seek you in those we often ignore. 

God of love, Hear our prayer. 

During this Lenten season, let us focus on freedom and generosity, 

Let our hearts desire to serve you

And to serve those who need what we have to give.

God of love, Hear our prayer. 

This day, may we learn the holiness of

Food for the hungry,

Rest for the weary in soul and in body,

A place to be safe and warm.

God of love, Hear our prayer. 

Let us tune our hearts to sing your grace,

Our lives to express your love, 

And our actions to reflect your mercy,

God of love, Hear our prayer.

For all currently dwelling in pain and in hurt,

Let your love and our love be in their midst.

May we always be present in body or mind 

So that others are strengthened.

God of love, Hear our prayer. 

In the presence of beloved community, may your mercy be our way of life,

Your forgiveness the guide for our living with others,

Today, this week, this Lent, let us serve you.

God of love, Hear our prayer. 

Speak to us in times of turmoil and in times of peace,

Help us to be peace in times of upheaval,

Let us serve you in all we do and say,

God of love, Hear our prayer.  Amen. 

Peace Be With You. – Paul