"with thankfulness in your hearts to God"

How do we live differently? How do we live as ones who “have put off the old self…and have put on the new self”? How do we live, not just better, but whole and holy different? Well, says the apostle Paul, we do those things we people of faith have come to expect: we treat others as God has treated us (Col. 3:12-14), and we let the words and way of Jesus be in our hearts and our lips (Col. 3:16).

Yet, there is one thing that seems to bind our attitudes and actions, that is most transformative for our nature and for the environments we create: “be thankful…with thankfulness in your hearts to God…giving thanks to God the Father through Jesus” (Col. 3:15, 16, 17).

It seems that when it comes to living whole and holy as men and women, wives and husbands, parents and children, employees and employers (Col. 3:18-22), that is, living differently is contingent upon our awareness and acknowlegement of grace. The word “thankful” in the Greek, is more literally translated as “grace-ful,” or one who is grateful for God’s grace.

So this week, let us be grace-ful, giving gratitude for the graces as a means of living differently. With grace-fulness in our hearts to God, we pray:

Father I thank you for ____________ (name five evidences of our Father’s grace in your life this week, whether they be people, circumstances, attitudes, revelations, presence, etc.).

Father, I thank you the grace of Jesus’ life—life given for me and life in which I live—which empowers me to live differently, in harmony with _____ (name your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, etc.). Father, where the harmony is off, let your grace abound in and through me until the “peace of Christ” is what we all know.

Father, in whatever I do, in word or deed, I do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, fully aware of your grace through Him. Amen.

A Confident Finish

And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

The apostle Paul’s confidence in and for the faith family of Philippi’s life in Jesus was not that they where sharp enough to figure out the riddles and rhythms of holiness nor determined enough to fulfill their vision of wholeness. Certainly Paul desired his sisters and brothers in Jesus to mature in their character and aptitude for holiness and wholeness, “to be pure and blameless” when the Kingdom was in unobstructed view (1:9-10). Still, Paul’s joyous certainty was not contingent on the ebbs and flows of his friends faith, but in the surety of the effective and eternal efforts which his friends where caught up in.

So this week, let us pray with a similar confidence for and with one another, partners in the gospel and fellow finishers because of Jesus.

Father, with joy I come before in remembering my sisters and brothers in Jesus, those in our faith family and beyond whose lives are joined to mine in our apprenticeship to our Master. What I am sure of, that Your good work in them, for them, and with them will be worked until they are fully the good You have made them to be, may such surety strengthen their hearts, steady their minds, and satisfy their souls.

Spirit, you are my witness, that I yearn for my faith family with the affection of Christ Jesus. And so I pray, Father, that your love may abound more and more in and through their daily cultivating of life that they may be ever maturing in knowledge of You and discernment of Your ways so that their labors may be participation in everything that is excellent, and so that they may be holy and whole in Your Kingdom come and will done on earth as it is in heaven.

May their lives, and mine, bear the fruit of ones who relate rightly to You, themselves, others, and earth; through Jesus Christ and to Your glory and praise.

This I pray, with confident joy. Amen.

Fear and Delight

Living in the whole and holy repeating rhythm of Sabbath and work helps us keep the Third Word, that is, not to take for granted the character and actions of God by which we live. A day of delighting in God (and the others whom He has made us to dwell among) so that we might, in everything that we do, work with “sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord” (Col. 3:22). That is, that we might live in the awe and wonder of God’s ever present shaping care. Today, let us pray as if we are ones in step with the Fourth Word, praying Psalm 34 on behalf of one another, neighbor, co-worker, or family that they too might experience what we have (and do) experience.

1 I bless God every chance I get;
my lungs expand with his praise.

2 I live and breathe God;
if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy:

3 Join me in spreading the news;
together let’s get the word out.

4 God met me more than halfway,
he freed me from my anxious fears.

5 Look at him; give him your warmest smile.
Never hide your feelings from him.

6 When I was desperate, I called out,
and God got me out of a tight spot.

7 God’s angel sets up a circle
of protection around us while we pray.

8 Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
    how good God is.
Blessed are you who run to him.

9 Worship God if you want the best;
worship opens doors to all his goodness.

10 Young lions on the prowl get hungry,
but God-seekers are full of God.

11 Come, children, listen closely;
I’ll give you a lesson in God worship.

12 Who out there has a lust for life?
Can’t wait each day to come upon beauty?

13 Guard your tongue from profanity,
and no more lying through your teeth.

14 Turn your back on sin; do something good.
Embrace peace—don’t let it get away!

15 God keeps an eye on his friends,
his ears pick up every moan and groan.

16 God won’t put up with rebels;
he’ll cull them from the pack.

17 Is anyone crying for help? God is listening,
ready to rescue you.

18 If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there;
if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.

19 Disciples so often get into trouble;
still, God is there every time.

20 He’s your bodyguard, shielding every bone;
not even a finger gets broken.

21 The wicked commit slow suicide;
they waste their lives hating the good.

22 God pays for each slave’s freedom;
no one who runs to him loses out.

One More Time

Somethings are just worth repeating!

“O LORD, you have searched me and known me!”

This is the cry of the Psalmist in Psalm 139:1, a declaration that precedes the process of self-discovery that follows. A discovery that “self” is known before it knows, and knows only in relation to the One who knew first and last and forever. It is from our place in the same process that we can pray the following prayer for ourselves and for our sisters and brothers today.

Lord, my God and my loving Father, you have made me to know you, to love you, to serve you, and thereby to find and to fulfill my deepest longings in the life you know. I know that you are in all things, and that every path can lead me to you. 

But of them all, there is one especially by which you want me to come to you. Since I will do what you want of me, I pray you, send your Holy Spirit to me: renew my mind, show me what know of me and know for me. In my heart and in my hands, give me the determination to do it, and to do it with all my soul to the end. Jesus, I trust in you and your steadfast love. Amen

From Known to Knowing

“O LORD, you have searched me and known me!”

This is the cry of the Psalmist in Psalm 139:1, a declaration that precedes the process of self-discovery that follows. A discovery that “self” is known before it knows, and knows only in relation to the One who knew first and last and forever. It is from our place in the same process that we can pray the following prayer for ourselves and for our sisters and brothers today.

Lord, my God and my loving Father, you have made me to know you, to love you, to serve you, and thereby to find and to fulfill my deepest longings in the life you know. I know that you are in all things, and that every path can lead me to you. 

But of them all, there is one especially by which you want me to come to you. Since I will do what you want of me, I pray you, send your Holy Spirit to me: renew my mind, show me what know of me and know for me. In my heart and in my hands, give me the determination to do it, and to do it with all my soul to the end. Jesus, I trust in you and your steadfast love. Amen

Worship Where You Are

The author of Hebrews ends the letter saying,

Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of ‘sacrifice’ — that place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets. (Hebrews 13:16)

And then, the author prays the prayer below for the faith families reading the exhortation to cherish the life they have in Jesus by living it to all that it was made to be in Him. Let’s join in praying this prayer for ourselves and for one another as we worship where we are today and in the days ahead.

May God, who puts all things together,

makes all things whole,

Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus,

the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant,

Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd,

up and alive from the dead,

Now put you together, provide you

with everything you need to please him,

Make us into what gives him most pleasure,

by means of the sacrifices of Jesus, the Messiah.

All glory to Jesus forever and always!

Oh, yes, yes, yes.

(Hebrews 13:20-21)

Not To Forget

Psalm 78 recounts the grace of God and God’s people’s forgetting. As much as we’d like to think we have advanced beyond our faith forefathers and mothers, the truth is, we are just as prone to “forget what God had done and the miracles that he had shown” us (78:11). And the problem with forgetting is that forgetting quickly gets us off rhythm “They did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to the law” (78:10).

So, this week, as we remember what God has done and continues to do, let us join in this prayer for ourselves and one another. Adapted from a prayer from Eugene Peterson.

Jesus, cure me, cure us, of our amnesia. Put my memory to work in reflecting on all the ways you have saved and blessed. Imprint these memories on our minds so that no trail or pain will arrive unaccompanied by the expectation that you will guard and guide us. Engrave upon my heart your ever-present grace, that we may see your kingdom come and will done in every season. Amen.

What's Next

We are not quite where we want to be, yet. We are certainly on the way there together, but sometimes, if we are honest, knowing we are not yet where we want to be makes the gap between feel daunting. So, when we feel the draw of the future and the drag of the present, what are we to do? Perhaps, we can let such emotions lead us to the source of our fulfillment. Rather than praying for the future, the thing that’s next, we seek communion with the One who’s already where we are going (see Ps. 34).

Will you pray as one feeling the weight of what is next, or as one sharing the burden of your fellow siblings—both are welcomed and needed!

Father, You meet me more than halfway! Where I am going, that's where You've come from!

What have I to fear? Why am I so anxious, so restless, in such a hurry?! It's certainly not because I haven't tasted and seen Your goodness. Oh, how good You are!

So, search me, Father who knows me and loves me. See clearly my heart and its longing for more of You, and lead me along the Way to tomorrow in You.

Through Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Praying Amid Grace

“Cultivate thankfulness,” or more accurately, “acknowledge that God’s grace works well.” That’s Paul exhortation to those who long to bring together the work of Jesus for them and their daily work with Him. Paul’s encouragement is not merely to express gratitude, but to be people who see themselves, their lives, and God as they truly are, and therefore cannot help thankfulness from springing into full bloom.

So today, and in the week that follows, let us pray for and with eyes to see life with God as it really is, full of grace upon grace. Pray with me these words adapted from Eugene Peterson,

Father, help us to see the meaning of our lives, not in the size of our paychecks nor in the list of things we accomplish nor in affirmations of others, but in the enteral purposes you have set for us in Jesus Christ. Father, as our days and years add up, Spirit help us to grow in gratitude for life lived in Your affection. As we grow older day by day, entering again and again the rhythm of life’s long journey, give us a good memory of your acts of guidance and deliverance and ready tongues for witness and praise. Let us close our eyes each evening, and see clearly the good work of Your grace in our daily living. Through Jesus we pray, amen.

Entering Through Gratitude

“Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in rhythm with God. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness, acknowledge God’s grace works well.” (Colossians 3:15)

We enter the Sabbath through the gate of gratitude, through the acknowledgment of the effective work of God’s grace toward us and all. As your week concludes and your Sabbath begins, let us join in this prayer, adapted from Michael Adams.

Heavenly Father, 
You are not a stranger to turmoil;
You are not a stranger to pain;
You are not a stranger to suffering;
You are not a stranger to the emotions or experiences that we have here on this earth.

We thank you for sending Jesus-- 
for the gift of salvation and deliverance.
We thank you for Jesus coming to save our souls
Taking on the pains and the suffering of flesh for our sake

We are in awe that he was bruised, battered, blasphemed, 
assaulted, and abused
all that we might have fellowship with you, Father.
And access to your throne with both humility and boldness

You are not a stranger, and you know our every need.
And so we give your praise for your gifts
The Great Comforter to embrace us when pain is present.
The Helper, who comes when grief is too much to overcome.
The Counselor, who gives us the peace that passes all understanding.

Thank you for your continued presence which reminds us
of your compassion, your love, your grace, and your mercy toward us.

Thank you for loving us. And thank you for making a rest and the Way into your rest through Jesus.

Amen

Praying In The Work

Colossians 3:1-25, as we discussed on Sunday, is an exhortation to live an after-Easter life in our work, the daily labors of living with God and others. Read Colossians 3, and then let this prayer adapted from Tom Nelson, be our prayer in the work of living today and in the week ahead.

Heavenly Father, in your divine and gracious providence you have presently placed us in our workplaces, in our homes, relationships, and offices. It is our hearts’ desire that we glorify you in and through our work today. May we do our work well, from our souls. And may our minds be renewed and our hearts singularly focused as we meditate on the truths and Truth of your words and the Word. Draw us near to you. Lord Jesus, let our places of labor be places of discipleship where we learn from you as we work with you. As we walk in the power and counsel of the Holy Spirit, may the character of Christ be increasingly evident in our lives, as our love holds everything in harmony. Father, use our lives and our work of living to further your redemptive purposes in the world and to enhance the good and very good of all of your creation. Wholly submitted to Jesus we pray, Amen.

On Last Time

Creation’s cadence is simple enough: Sabbath into work…work into Sabbath…and back again. Yet the beat of our divined whole and holy rhythm of ordinary life is not so easy to keep amid the cacophony of rhymes and siren’s song that seem to never cease. So, one last time, lets pray the rhythm into our hearts.

This week, as we pray again an adaption of Ruth Ann Schuringa’s prayer, let the exhortation of Hebrews 4 be invitation to be united in faith in our prayer and practice of whole and holy living.

Therefore, while the promise of entering God’s rest still stands, let us fear lest any of us should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to those first set free into new life, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they it did not meet with faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter God’s rest… (Hebrews 4:1-3)

Father, when is enough, enough?

When can we rest in knowing we have done enough?

Ever?

The endless striving and busyness are never done!

Good Shepherd, teach us how to rest.

Jesus, we need a different way forward.

We long for gentle rest, for sabbath,

for your presence of peace.

Abba Father, teach us to slow down.

Forgive us our pride,

our certainty that more is better,

our insistence that we are indispensable,

our striving for that which does not ultimately satisfy.

Good Shepherd, teach us how to rest.

Father, help us live into the gift of your beautiful, never-ending grace.

Holy Spirit, help us see that in you we are enough,

formed and fashioned in your good design for your good destiny.

Wonderful are your works; may our souls know it very well!

May our work be a beautiful, generous offering of love to you, Jesus.

May it spill over to the people and the world you made.

May we flourish in our work, because we are always resting in you.

Good Shepherd, teach us how to rest. Amen.

A Couple More Turns

Creation’s cadence is simple enough: Sabbath into work…work into Sabbath…and back again. Yet the beat of our divined whole and holy rhythm of ordinary life is not so easy to keep amid the cacophony of rhymes and siren’s song that seem to never cease. So, perhaps we need a couple more turns praying the rhythm into our hearts.

This week, we pray together again an adaption of Ruth Ann Schuringa’s prayer for our hearts to beat in sync with the Creator’s.

Father, when is enough, enough?

When can we rest in knowing we have done enough?

Ever?

The endless striving and busyness are never done!

Good Shepherd, teach us how to rest.

Jesus, we need a different way forward.

We long for gentle rest, for sabbath,

for your presence of peace.

Abba Father, teach us to slow down.

Forgive us our pride,

our certainty that more is better,

our insistence that we are indispensable,

our striving for that which does not ultimately satisfy.

Good Shepherd, teach us how to rest.

Father, help us live into the gift of your beautiful, never-ending grace.

Holy Spirit, help us see that in you we are enough,

formed and fashioned in your good design for your good destiny.

Wonderful are your works; may our souls know it very well!

May our work be a beautiful, generous offering of love to you, Jesus.

May it spill over to the people and the world you made.

May we flourish in our work, because we are always resting in you.

Good Shepherd, teach us how to rest Amen.

Rest & Work

Entering into a rhythm where we move from rest to work to rest to work and back again, is no necessarily as easy as it reads. Throughout our faith history, and even still today, those who long to live whole and holy lives have written and prayed for our hearts and hands to match the beat of our Creator’s rhymes.

This week, we pray together this prayer written by Ruth Ann Schuringa,

God, when is enough, enough?

When can we rest in knowing we have done enough?

Ever?

The endless striving and busyness are never done!

Good Shepherd, teach us how to rest.

God, we need a different way forward.

We long for gentle rest, for sabbath,

for your presence of peace.

Abba Father, teach us to slow down.

Forgive us our pride,

our certainty that more is better,

our insistence that we are indispensable,

our striving for that which does not ultimately satisfy.

Good Shepherd, teach us how to rest.

God, help us live into the gift of your beautiful, never-ending grace.

God, help us see that in you we are enough,

just as we are.

May our work be a beautiful, generous offering of love to you, God.

May it spill over to the people and the world you made.

May we flourish in our work, because we are always resting in you.

Good Shepherd, teach us how to rest Amen.

A Work Place Prayer

Resting with God in His finished work allows us (sanctifies us) to enter into our good work with Him. So today, and in the next week of work days, take a moment to pray the “Prayers for a Workplace” adapted from Common Prayer: a liturgy of ordinary radicals. Whether your place of work be in an office building, a coffee shop, your kitchen table, and whether your work be for pay or for joyful duty, may the pasture to which your led to labor, be a place of peace.

Sitting down at your desk or standing in your laundry room, pray:

May God give a blessing to this place.

God bless it form roof to floor,

from wall to wall, from end to end,

from its foundation and in its covering.

In the strong name of the triune God:

all evil be banished,

all distrubance cease,

captive spirits freed.

God’s Spirit alone

dwell within these walls.

We call upon Father, Son & Spirit

to save, shield, and surround

this house, this building, this place of garden cultivating

this day, this night, and every night.

Peace be here in the name of the King of life;

the peace of Jesus above all peace,

the LORD’s blessing over all.

May God the Father

be guardian of this place

and bring His peace.

May God’s love be shared here,

may God’s will be found here,

and my there be peace between all people who work/live here.

Christ, in our coming

and in our leaving, be the Door and the Keeper

of us

and for all who work/live within this place,

this day and every day,

forever and always.

Amen.

A Sabbath Prayer

Waking up in a post-Easter morning, is waking up in a world where “It is finished.” The “It” being the work of overcoming all those adversaries of our souls (Psalm 143:12). A work completed once and for all that marks the end of all that takes life actually being our end. A work that allows us to rest in the words that come after the completed work “Peace be with you” (Jn. 20:19,21,26).

So, this morning, as well as the next several mornings at least, let us pray together a prayer to rest in God’s work. Will you join me in a Sabbath Prayer adapted from, Common Prayer: a liturgy for ordinary radicals .

Lord of Creation,

create in us a new rhythm of life

composed of hours that sustain rather than stress,

of days that deliver rather than destroy,

of time that tickles rather than tackles.

Lord of Liberation,

by the rhythm of your truth, set us free

from the bondage and baggage that break us,

from the Pharahos and fellows who fail us,

from the plans and pursuits that prey upon us.

Lord of Resurrection,

may we be raised into the rhythm of your new life,

dead to deceitful calendars,

dead to fleeting friend requests,

dead to the empty peace of accomplishments.

To our packed-full planners, we bid, ‘Peace!’

To our over-caffeinated consciences, we say, ‘Cease!’

To our suffocating selves, Lord, great release.

The righteous flourish…planted in the house of the LORD

By your ever-restful grace,

allow us to enter your Sabbath rest

as your Sabbath rest enters into us.

In the name of our Creator, our Liberator,

our Resurrection and Life, we pray.

Amen

A Springtime Prayer

As we noted some forty or so days ago, the Latin word lent means “length” and is a term used to denote the arrival of the Spring season. A season in which the world is filled with newness, from buds to berries, blossoms to babies, the greening of grass to the lengthening of sunlight’s gaze on each days life; in Spring, the whole world seems reborn!

It’s fitting then, that as we approach the sure scheduled destination of our Lenten journey, that we take a moment to reflect on the fact that Easter marks the beginning of our “Christian calendar.” Each Easter we reminder the rebirth of life with God through Jesus, and that post-Easter morning, we live in a world bursting with newness. That means each morning waking in the place the apostle Paul dubbed, “the new country of grace” (Rom. 6:2).

Though today marks a day of darkness, what makes it “Good Friday,” is the possibility of all the life after death that it brings, and continues to bring anew into our world each and every day. So let’s join together in a Springtime Prayer.

Wonderful Savior, please help us to use this newly revived springtime season to revive a newness in our hearts, a freshness of your Spirit in our homes and in our lives. Help us to respond to life with mercy, meekness, consideration and love; as Jesus did.

As we live day by day, remind us of the beauty of spring, and what new beginnings mean within us and in the lives of those around us. Place those in our path that need help to see and experience the springing of your life in them. Present us with situations where we can support one another, teach us to pray with prophetic, transformative empathy on behalf of friend, family and enemy. And give us the wisdom and the hope to live with courage coupled with compassion.

Because Jesus lives, and we live with him. Amen.

Strengthening His Grip

Last week we entered “the” Lenten prayer of the Orthodox Church, reflecting on the ‘negative’ side of repentance. Praying specifically for a weakened grip upon those characteristics that keep us from the life God has (re) created for us in Jesus.

Here at the edge of the homestretch of our pilgrimage, we will use this short petition to help us keep our aim in focus once more. But today, we’ll focus on the positive, on those characteristics which mark new life. Pray this prayer four times. Focus on one of the emboldened words each time you pray. Let yourself long deeply for the life God has freed you form death to live, and the character to experience it in full. To help, I’ve provided a brief descriptor of the ’positive’ words below. Read them over, see in them what you desire to hold to, to be a part of your life in the light, and then let the Spirit strengthen His grip on our lives.

chastity | the word is better translated for our modern times as ‘whole-mindedness.’ If the spirit of sloth has distorted our vision and energy to see life as it truly is in God, then whole-mindedness is the ability to see Him and life in him clearly.

humility | “the victory of truth in us, the elimination of all lies in which we usually live…accepting things as they are…God’s majesty and goodness and love in everything”

patience | the opposite of evaluating everything in terms of “me”; my needs, my ideas, my desires, my judgments; because we are open to God and able to see our life in His life and Kingdom.

love | “the gift which is the goal of all spiritual preparation and practice”

O Lord and Master of my life!

Take from me the spirit of sloth,

faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity,

humility, patience, and love to Thy servant.

Yea, O Lord and King!

Grant me to see my own errors

and not to judge my sisters and brothers;

For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages.

Amen.

Focusing on the Negative

Last week we entered “the” Lenten prayer of the Orthodox Church. This little prayer which plays such a prominent role in the Eastern Church’s Lenten habits, spells out rather succinctly, in a unique way, “all the negative and positive elements of repentance and constitutes…a ‘check list’ for our individual Lenten effort.” And our “Lenten effort” has been nothing less than giving up all those things that keep us from seeing Jesus with us and others in our place of need.

Here on the home stretch of our pilgrimage, we will use this short petition to help us keep our aim in focus. This week, we’ll focus on the negative, on giving up. Pray this prayer four times. Focus on one of the emboldened words each time you pray. Let yourself be honest with God, acknowledging what you need to let go of in this season. To help, I’ve provided a brief descriptor of the “negative” words below. Read them over, see the ways you are holding on to them, and then let the Spirit lead you to give up your grip.

sloth | the laziness and passivity that cultivates an apathy towards the “change(s)” of a new life being worth the effort

faint-heartedness | the result of sloth which is the loss of hope and courage that anything good and positive can be experienced

lust of power | what feels our hearts when the aim of new life—life in God—is lost, an attitude toward life that evaluates everything in terms of “me”; my needs, my ideas, my desires, my judgments

ideal talk | words—written, spoken, heard, or seen—which enforce sloth, faint-heartedness, and the lust of power; words that are not Truth, which make life into the absence of Truth (i.e., “hell”).

O Lord and Master of my life!

Take from me the spirit of sloth,

faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity,

humility, patience, and love to Thy servant.

Yea, O Lord and King!

Grant me to see my own errors

and not to judge my sisters and brothers;

For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages.

Amen.

"The" Lenten Prayer

In the Orthodox Church, there is a simple prayer that occupies significant importance within their weekly liturgy. Every Monday through Friday during the weeks of Lent, this short prayer is prayed twice daily. After the first reading, the worshiping participants bow prostrate, falling on their knees and faces, at each petition for God to “take” and “give.” Continuing the physicality of the prayer, the church family bows twelve times in humble act of hope saying “O God, cleanse me a sinner.” And then the prayer is prayed for the second time and all fall again in silence.

While the motion and repetition might feel strange and a bit perplexing to most of us, the reason the Orthodox tradition places this little prayer so prominently in their Lenten habits is that it spells out rather succinctly, in a unique way, “all the negative and positive elements of repentance and constitutes…a ‘check list’ for our individual lenten effort.” After all, through the season of Lent, our aim has been to fall, to give up on all those things that keep us from truly living so that we might rise into the life of God which is offered to us.

So for the next several weeks, we’ll continue incorporating this prayer into our Lenten traditions. Today, and throughout this week, let this prayer conclude your daily time with our Father. Whatever else you are doing, listening to, reading, or talking with God about; let the repetition of this prayer keep our aim in focus.

Pray with me,

O Lord and Master of my life!

Take from me the spirit of sloth,

faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity,

humility, patience, and love to Thy servant.

Yea, O Lord and King!

Grant me to see my own errors

and not to judge my sisters and brothers;

For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages.

Amen.