We must — at some point along our Lenten journey — be candid about death. Lent begins with the reminder of our mortality, with the ashes from which we are knit together, and the season reaches its climax in the crucifixion of Jesus… Even Jesus, praying at Gethsemane before his death, asked his friends to…
Prayers from under a blanket
Today’s prompt begins with verse 6 of the familiar Psalm 139 (NRSV): “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.” Look up today. Let the high places catch your eye and your imagination. Be full of wonder as you pick up your pen to pray. Holy God,…
Prayers from the ego
Jesus and the devil have a contest of wills in the desert (Luke 4:1-13). At one point, “the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority.’” (4:5-6, NRSV) … the…
Prayers from a child's love
Holy One, You often turn my understanding upside-down. Just as I catch a glimpse of you in the chaos, you become a calm breeze. When I am just getting to know you in the dirt and the garden, I am stretched to meet you in the hospital or the city street. Yesterday, you surprised me…
Prayers from the silence
Psalm 62:1 & 5 (NRSV): “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.” After waiting on God, write a prayer that arises from the silence. God, I’m trying to wait for you. I’m trying to focus…
Prayers from the wreckage
I’ve been following the Lenten prayer prompts from Faith and Water for these forty days. I’m a bit late and doing some catch-up, but the spirit is there. Isaiah 10:21 (NRSV): “A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.” Life breaks us into pieces. To those seasons of our lives, Isaiah…
Prayers from the dust
On my knees Laid low I am nothing I am but dust and ashes I am the stuff of the earth And yet somewhere in me there is a spark. A spark that dares A spark that yearns When Abraham dared to seek You, Oh Lord God Almighty was he really humble Or did he…
I Am dust and ashes
Landon Whitsitt had a thoughtful post about how we engage with Lenten disciplines today: Giving up chocolate and beer for Lent is not what Jesus had in mind. In it, he reminds us about the basics of spiritual practices surrounding Lent: prayer, fasting, almsgiving. He reminds us that it is not about us at all.…