Prayers from worship services
A random selection of prayers from Sunday morning worship services.
Sunday, November 27, 2005 (first Sunday of Advent), New Bedford, Mass.:
Let us join our hearts together in the spirit of meditation and prayer.
In this season between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we take the time to think of Americans and other foreign troops who are serving in Iraq, and we wish for them safety and security. We hope that peace on earth may extend to that war-ravaged country. We hope for peace for all the people in all the places around the world that are ravaged by war and violence.
In this season between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we take the time to think of all those who are still uprooted by Hurricane Katrina and the other hurricanes this season. We hope for all of them a safe and stable place this winter.
We think of those people in our land who have lost their jobs, who lack economic security, who live in poverty or on the edge of poverty. We think of all those who face injustice and prejudice, all those who suffer under unnecessary oppressions. In this season, may we stand in solidarity with all persons.
In this season, may we find joy: joy in the sparkling lights that help dispell a little of the dreary darkness; joy in the sight and smell of evergreens which remind us that life is tenacious and spring will come again; joy in the pleasure that children get from this season.
The days grow shorter, the nights grow longer, but we know that can't last forever. We know we'll pass the shortest day, and the sun will begin its annual return, bringing with it light and life and renewed warmth. And so we seek out life and beauty and joy wherever it is to be found.
Introduction to a time of prayer for an intergenerational worship service, November 20, 2005:
This is an intergenerational worship service, which means the children are invited to stay here for the entire worship service. Therefore, this seems like a good time to review how we Unitarian Universalists do public prayer and meditation. First of all, there’s only one firm rule for us Unitarian Universalists: you don’t have to pray or meditate if you don’t want to, but you do have to be calm and quiet so you don’t disturb other people.
Now in most religious traditions, when you pray or meditate you are supposed do something with your body. Many Christians kneel to pray in church, most Muslims have a routine for bowing and kneeling for their daily prayer, some Buddhists sit cross-legged to pray. What we Unitarian Universalists do, is we sit quietly and comfortably when it's time to pray or meditate. So let's try that. Sit so you're comfortable and relaxed, just like Emma [Mitchell, Director of Religious Education] is doing, maybe with your hands in your lap. If you're sitting next to someone you love, it's fine to lean up against that person. Some Unitarian Universalists might bow their heads and close their eyes so they can concentrate better; but in my Unitarian Universalist family, we were taught to keep our heads up and our eyes open; either way is fine.
We Unitarian Universalists like to talk and we like to listen to talk; so when it's time to pray and meditate, we usually listen to some words spoken by a minister or a member of the congregation. This morning, as we enter into the spirit of prayer and meditation, we'll hear some spoken words, have some music, hear more spoken words, have a time of silence, and end with music....
Sunday, November 14, 2005, New Bedford, Mass.:
On this Sunday closest to Veterans Day, we hold in our hearts all those who have served our country in the armed services. We remember all those who have died while serving in the armed forces. And we think of those who have been injured during military service, especially those for whom a full recovery was impossible. And we think of those whose military service left them troubled in mind or spirit. May our love uphold all veterans, and all those currently serving in the armed forces.
On this Sunday closest to Veterans Day, we hold in our hearts all those who have been touched by war: all the soldiers, all the non-combatants who have lived in war zones, all the families of soldiers who have died, and all those who have been touched in one way or another by war.
On this Sunday, we also remember that Veterans Day commemorates the Armistice between the Allies and Germany which put an end to World War I. In a time of war, we commemorate the end of war, and we hope for a good and lasting peace.
May peace come sooner rather than later; may we soon be blessed with a time of true peace and true justice where all peoples might live in harmony.
October 2, 2005, New Bedford, Mass.:
We join our hearts together in the spirit of meditation and prayer.
We live in worrying times: conflict in Iraq continues, and it seems our soldiers will have to remain there far longer than we had hoped; conflict continues in Darfur in the Sudan, and in other places around the world. We dream of true peace, but so far it remains but a dream.
We live in troubling times: people who are poor and hungry seem to grow more numerous rather than less; we hear rumors of global warming and other environmental disasters. We dream of true justice, but so far it has eluded our grasp.
But hope will come in the strength we draw from each other. We hold someone's hand and life is easier to bear. We stand shoulder to shoulder with other good souls and we find we can transform and heal the world.
And hope comes, as it always does, in the rising and the setting of the sun, in the regular turning of the seasons:
The trees remain green but after a few chill nights, and along with the rapidly shortening days, a few scattered swamp maples have been touched with red; a few yellow and brown leaves appear on the car’s windshield after high wind and heavy rain. Autumn comes, and the year turns.