Prayer in a Time of Grief

Lord,

you know grief too.

At the news of the death of your friend Lazarus,

you wept.

Grief is a reality of living and loving. I heard a Bible scholar recently who shed new light on Jesus' beatitude, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Mourning, grieving does not feel like a blessing, yet our grief and our sadness come from the fact that we had significant relationships, which are now lost. So in that way, we are blessed because we loved and were loved in profound ways. Our grief is a product of that love now lost.

Wipe our tears, O God, wipe our tears.

Receive our grief, and listen to our cries,

for we have loved and been loved

and now we know loss.

So, come Holy Spirit, and comfort us

as only you can.

May our memories fill us with laughter and sadness,

even as our faith fills us with hope and the promise of joy.

Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

Don't short change our grief, but don't let it lead us to despair.

Remind us that no matter what, in living and in dying,

we belong to you, O Blessed Savior, Loving Redeemer, Living Lord.

Hear us as we pray for 

all who have experienced loss.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayers.

Amen.

Wings & Bible study

Yum.

Lord,

Tonight's my favorite meal:

Chicken wings and wing chips!

Eating wings reminds me of studying the Bible.

When I eat wings,

I savor every bite.

I pull the bones apart.

I use every bit of sauce:

Garlic Parmesan, Teriyaki, and Buffalo 

too name a few.

I especially like the buffalo heat, often saying,

"If I'm not sweating, I'm not eating."

I lick my fingers and make a mess of the napkin.

It's the reason wings come with a wet wipe!

Lord,

Thank you for chicken wings!

Lord,

You know I liken Bible study to eating wings.

Digging into the story 

paying attention to the details

and even noting what's left out.

I like to copy the words onto a separate page

and pull the words apart

looking at the original language

seeking to understand the wider meaning of the words.

Surrounding myself with lots of translations, looking for the differences.

"If I'm not challenged, I'm not studying."

My paper ends up covered in highlights,

connecting lines, and questions in the margins.

Like eating wings,

Bible study is best 

in community with others

with a variety of backgrounds and points of view.

It makes for a richer fuller

flavor and experience.

At the end, I lean back in my seat

filled, contented,

knowing what is meant by,

"Taste and see that the Lord is good!"

-Psalm 34:8a

Amen

Writing a Book

Lord, 

today I decided to do something I've been too afraid to do 

because I didn't want to fail.

I don't like failure;

I don't know many people who do.

Yet lately I've been reading more and more

that we learn more from failure than we do from success.

So today I am going to write a book.

Not a big book.

Not all at once.

It is a book that has been brewing 

since I first wrote these, "Almost Daily Prayers"

twelve years ago.

It is a devotional book:

30 days with Almost Daily Prayer.

It will be just like this blog has been:

an honest reflection on scripture and life

holding both together through prayer

in the presence of you, O God.

Who knows who might read it?!

That's not the point.

The point is in the writing, in the praying, 

in the reflecting on life and faith and you, O God.

It is time.

So let us begin:

Let us pray...

Rest Well, Dear One

Lord,

Her gentle snores

are a comforting sound.

I expect they are

the same sounds I heard in her womb.

Tonight my mother rests.

She has had a hard few days

with nausea, vomit, 

bowel obstruction, NG tube insertion twice,

Then surgery, and bowel resection.

Now she sleeps peacefully

in her hospital bed. 

Perhaps this is the first peace she's known

in days, weeks, or longer.

Her small snores

are a peaceful sound. 

Rest well, Dear One.

May God bless you and keep you 

this night and forever more. 

Amen