Lenten Devotion for March 28

A Lenten Prayer

by Terri Pilarski 

God of all new things, God of
Spring, and fragrant flowers, and
unexpected snow. God of hope
and new life,
Bless us, we pray,
this day.

God of all things passing away, God
of old and yesterday, the One who is
with us in our despair and fear.
God who sighs and weeps, God
who wipes away
our tears.

Hear us when we pray. Incline
your ear to our words, silent
shouting cries, mournful whispers.

Be gentle with our hard
hearts. Be gentle. Be
gentle.

Anoint us with your touch
the softness of your love
breaks into our hardness
and opens us anew. A
new thing. A new life.
New sight.

Anoint us, Holy One and fill
us with you loving touch.
Fill us that we can touch
in your love and fill
others. Fill us gently.
Fill us.

In your name we pray. Amen.

Lenten Devotion for March 26

Lenten Prayer

by Melodee Kistner

It begins with ashes
and a fiery promise
to walk these forty days
with you, O Christ, as my companion.

As your journey of self discovery
began with Satan in the desert
so too am I tormented during this Lenten season
by my personal demons.

Help me to see why even you, O Christ,
had to face Satan’s temptations of
Power, Wealth, and Fame.

Did Luke leave out some of the details
of your struggles with Satan?
Were you really able to resist so easily, or is that why
Lent is a forty-day journey?

Worldliness beckons each day of my life
with fantasies that steal my vitality
leaving no energy for seeing the
Image of God within me.

As I wait for stone to be turned into bread
the world goes hungry
As I wait to be the one in power
evil prevails because I do nothing
As I wait to be rescued by angels
the miracles in the ordinary go unnoticed.

How patient you are Jesus
as I stumble along my journey
hesitating, instead of walking boldly on The Way.

O Christ,
may I learn to walk without fear
facing my own darkness.
Let my journey lead me
at last
to Easter.

Lenten Devotion for March 16

Wake Me
by Susan Daron

Wake me up God, from the dreamless sleep of complacency.
Wake me from the fitful slumber of worry and despair.

Wake me from the sleepwalking of needless gathering and greed.
Wake me from the nightmares of prejudice, hatred and fear.

Wake me to the daybreak of your Resurrection morning.
Wake me to the dawning of new life in You.
Wake me to the sunshine warmth of service and caring.
Wake me to a blessed day of purposeful living.

And after the sunset, let me find at last a peaceful slumber in Your Love.
Amen.

Lenten Devotion for March 14

Destroy Our Wisdom 
by Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Holy God, Outrageous Mystery, help us!
You who establish the earth and yet make it tremble,
grant us stability— and shake us up for the sake of love.
You who give your commandments,
make us obey— and replace all obedience with compassion.
You for whom we build our temples—
tear them down until only mercy remains.
We who think we know, who think we have enough to offer,
come before you with nothing,
and you receive us with grace.
O Holy One, foolishly crucified, powerless among us,
destroy our wisdom and knowledge and power,
with all their hidden faults,
that we may die with Christ,
and be raised up to new life
in the grace of your Spirit alone.
Amen.

Lenten Devotion for March 11

A Prayer for Lent

by Karl Streeter

O God of Love, Courage, Hope and Peace, we trust in Your presence even when we are too busy looking for You and fail to rest in Your presence. Help us let go of our desires, hopes and sometimes-unquestionable expectations. For You are with us always.

O God of Love, Courage, Hope and Peace, we trust in your presence even when we are more comfortable with the past or more eager to escape to an unfulfilled and imagined future. Help us let go of our fondness to fix, control, or even explain the beauty and ugliness of life. For You are with us always.

O God of Love, Courage, Hope and Peace, we trust in Your presence even when we close our hearts and minds to Your unfailing love and strength. Help us let go of our fears, anxiety, and obsessive need to protect our soul from the unknown and sometimes frighten realities of life. For You are with us always.

O God of Love, Courage, Hope and Peace, we trust in Your presence that we may fully embrace life in all its goodness and darkness with all of our heart, soul and mind. For You are with us always.

O God of Love, Courage, Hope and Peace, we trust in Your presence that we not only touch, taste, feel, and hear Your presence but we become agents of Your presence to others. For You are with us always.

O God of Love, Courage, Hope and Peace, we trust in Your presence that we may be the arms so You can hug, ears so You can listen, tear ducts so You can cry, mouth so You can laugh and may we rest in Your presence so we can be presence with each other. For You are with us always.

Amen.

Lenten Devotion for March 9

A Prayer for Lent
by Kathleen Stone

Like busy, busy bees
My mind and heart and womb are busy and without release.
I do not know what to do
Or who to see
Or what I want
Or what to do
Or when to do it
I only know everything seems in a beehive. Busy.
The season of reflection, depth, sorrow and suffering is all around me.
And I dwell in this other place.
What must I do and why?
Hold me and focus my hungers, O God of eternity.
Tell me of what you want from me.
Hold me like you’ve never held another before or maybe like you hold each of us every day, every minute, every second.
Without demand and with full understanding which leaves no room for such nonsense.
I know I have everything I need.
I know I do not want.

I only need to know how to live such a gift.

My Lord and my God, teach me your ways.

Amen.

Lenten Devotion for March 8

A Prayer for Lent 

by Henri Nouwen

The Lenten season begins. It is a time to be with you, Lord, in a special way, a time to pray, to fast, and thus to follow you on your way to Jerusalem, to Golgotha, and to the final victory over death.

I am still so divided. I truly want to follow you, but I also want to follow my own desires and lend an ear to the voices that speak about prestige, success, pleasure, power, and influence. Help me to become deaf to these voices and more attentive to your voice, which calls me to choose the narrow road to life.

I know that Lent is going to be a very hard time for me. The choice for your way has to be made every moment of my life. I have to choose thoughts that are your thoughts, words that are your words, and actions that are your actions. There are not times or places without choices. And I know how deeply I resist choosing you.

Please, Lord, be with me at every moment and in every place. Give me the strength and the courage to live this season faithfully, so that, when Easter comes, I will be able to taste with joy the new life that you have prepared for me.  Amen.

Lenten Devotion for February 26

A Lenten Prayer

by Augustine of Hippo

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.  Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.  Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy.  Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy.  Guard me, O Holy Spirit, that I myself may always be holy.

Lenten Devotion for February 24

A Prayer for Lent

Henri J. M. Nouwen

How often have I lived through these weeks without paying much attention to penance, fasting, and prayer? How often have I missed the spiritual fruits of the season without even being aware of it? But how can I ever really celebrate Easter without observing Lent? How can I rejoice fully in your Resurrection when I have avoided participating in your death?

Yes, Lord, I have to die--with you, through you, and in you--and thus become ready to recognize you when you appear to me in your Resurrection. There is so much in me that needs to die: false attachments, greed and anger, impatience and stinginess.... I see clearly now how little I have died with you, really gone your way and been faithful to it. O Lord, make this Lenten season different from the other ones. Let me find you again. Amen.