We Are Bearers of Light
We remember that holiness has never belonged only to the mighty or the certain, but to the vulnerable, the weary, the seekers, and to all who dare to love in difficult times.
A Grace for the Earth
Golden leaves and harvest cheer, We gather close as frost draws near. But whispers rise from warming seas; A planet pleads beneath the trees…
Prayer in Response to Political Violence
When political violence is no longer a rhetorically-based thing but rather happening in front of our very own eyes, it can be hard to know what to do next.
To Sit in the Unknowing
O God of many names, the personal and mysterious, We have come to a quiet time, an interior place, a place for the deepening of spirit, the enrichment of soul. We seek to know ourselves by knowing you....
The Courage to Lay Ourselves Bare
In our reckless yearning to be safe, we turn again and again away from the blessed security of having nowhere left to hide. Give us the courage to lay ourselves bare. Amen.
Prayer Celebrating Choice
Spirit of Love and Power, we are gathered today in beloved community that we might manifest in our lives the values and truths that we hold dear. Let us rejoice that we are together for this time is holy time, the transformation we seek is holy work, and the bonds that hold us together are sacred.
Here Is the Place to Be Forgiven
Spirit of Life, Spirit of Love, Spirit of Generosity, As we draw near to that quiet essential side of ourselves, may we open enough to consider the sacred choices we make each minute, each hour, each day that add up to a lifetime. Let us become aware that here is the place to be forgiven, and to...
Prayer for Veteran's Day
Today, we bow our heads in recognition of the great service and sacrifice some have been asked to make. Living through the horror that is war, facing death or physical harm as a spectre looming around any corner, we say “thank you,” and know it will never be enough. Help us to embrace those we...
A Prayer for Syrian Refugees
Spirit of Hope, God of Many Names, Source of Love, We gather, hearts heavy with grief for our neighbors in Paris, in Beirut, in Baghdad; all cities victimized by terrorists. We pray for the victims, for the families, for the communities marred by chaos and hatred. May they have the resources they...
We cannot be saved by anyone, or anything, but each other
Source of all, This is my third attempt at a prayer. The first two revealed to me that I am angry, which I didn’t realize until I just couldn’t bend those prayers into what I thought they should be. What is wrong with us, how can we be so depraved and cruel, how is it we do not learn, how can we...
Prayer after Terror
Spirit of Life and Love, Shaken by sorrow We wonder why We wonder how Humans can find it within themselves To destroy life That exists also within them. Together we grieve the injustice Of lives cut short by hate Of survivors touched by terror And we stand firm in life Knowing that only love can...
Teach us to look for you
This prayer was written to accompany the Advent hymn "People, Look East," #226 in Singing the Living Tradition. Spirit of the Living God, turn our faces to the East to look for your presence. Turn our faces in any and every direction from which you draw near to us....
With Hearts Broken
Spirit of Life, Source of all, to this beautiful place to this hallowed time and in the midst of this kindred company we bring hearts broken yet again by senseless violence....
I am not alone. There is a Love holding me.
May I move gently through this cloudy, murky, gray day. May I remember that this is just one day, and that showing up is at least half of what is asked of me. May I set aside my underlying anxiety that I will not get to everything and put my trust and faith onto the riverbank of human community —...
What Can We Learn from Spring's Power?
Spirit of spring and new life, spirit of decay and death, We turn to your wisdom and strength as we seek to live lives of meaning and love. The cycle of life is powerful. Everything that lives, dies. Everything that dies has lived. There is no escaping this cycle. What then, can we learn from its...
Born Again
From night into day, From chill into warmth, From sleep into awakening, We open our hearts to the wonder of life, Born again.
For All Our Losses
For those we miss. For things long gone. For those who or what we last held in our arms, in our hands and in our hearts — we pray. We pray for memories to stay strong Memories of words and warmth, of actions and stillness. We pray for Love shared and lived, Love to remain with us and with them,...
Prayer of Thanks...
Prayer of Thanks for Hoes & Scythes & Spatulas & Toothbrushes & Binoculars & the Myriad Other Tools & Instruments That Fit Our Hands So Gracefully & Allow Us to Work with a Semblance of Deftitude Lovely little inventions, just right for the job at hand—a lawn edger, for example, or an arrow, or...
Prayer for Living in Tension
If we have any hope of transforming the world and changing ourselves, we must be bold enough to step into our discomfort, brave enough to be clumsy there, loving enough to forgive ourselves and others. May we, as a people of faith, be granted the strength to be so bold, so brave, and so loving.
In Honor and Praise to Black Rage
Deep in the shadow of night, down near the crossroads and cemetery gates, with bitter liquor and cigar smoke wafting, I greet you. Clad in white, upon the floor before shrines, following the names of the Ancestors being uttered, I greet you. You are the sacred and righteous rage of my people.
Shakti, la Madre, Mother of Us All
How do I leave behind the pain, the disappointment, the anger, at what has been? The unconscious cruelty, the negating, the selfish harm I have walked through, knowing the possibility always exists that it could happen again…
Prayer for All Ages
We pray that all people can have what they need and know how much they are loved.
Third Step Prayer
I trust your love to heal my wounds. I trust your love is flowing through me, and from me to those around me.
Blessed, Just by Being
Dear humans, the ones with senses that witness and hearts that break; the ones with brokenness and bruises, seen and unseen: Know you are blessed just by being.
Prayer for Creation in Climate Crisis
Help us stretch beyond the human-worn patterns of movement, and to notice more fully the path of the ravens overhead, the bob of the coyotes through the brush.
The Queer Beatitudes
Blessed are we, the whole queer family, for love is our birthright, and joy is our inheritance.
I Believe in Miracles
Spirit of Life and Love, may we offer our humble, if not sometimes begrudging, gratitude for the miracle of moments taken for granted— for minutes that feel like hours, for the miracle of mountain tops and coral reefs, the miracle of survival and ancient olive trees…
A Prayer for Healing
May we know that love can heal us, all of us, if we act with compassion, if we offer grace.
A Blessing for Planned Parenthood
God of many names and mystery beyond all our naming, Our time together today is a precious gift. We gather in the name of justice in love and service to a higher good. We gather in hope for a world where oppression of any kind is challenged. We gather to spark the fire of commitment lit in every...
Re-Creation
Spirit of Life, God of Love, who are we to know how you moved over the waters when all was new? We were not there when you parted them and formed dry land. We didn't hear you cry with joy when earth gave birth to life, or when love began to grow in the human heart....
History's Road
The road of history is long, full of both hope and disappointment. In times past, there have been wars and rumors of wars, violence and exploitation, hunger and homelessness, and destruction of this earth, your creation....
Lamentation (Lamentación)
Today we gather with determination and commitment that is grounded in a profound sense of sorrow for those who have suffered and will suffer in the future because of climate change. As always, those who suffer most are the poor and marginalized....
Prayer in Winter
Oh spirit of life and love, We pause for a moment on this snowy day to reflect on the changes one week can make in our lives. We celebrate the feast of Imbolc, the pagan holiday that heralds the coming of spring. Our hearts stir with the thought that lambs are being born, that the light is...
Entwined
Spirit of Life, God of Love, I am entwined in your delicate web of mutuality. The life energy that makes me reach for the sun also moves me to become wrapped, like the strong bittersweet vine and the delicate sweet pea, around those I meet and love. Here in the tangle of my daily life I feel your...
Prayer for Standing Rock
Spirit of Life, We hold in our hearts the peaceful protestors of all tribes and faiths who are gathered at Standing Rock, protecting sacred water and land. They ask for respect, they ask for our government to help protect their sacred lands and the water that sustains their lives....
Spirit and Body Joined Together
Take a moment to breathe into the silence. Our breath is always with us. We can always come back to the breath, our anchor, our grounding, our freedom. Spirit of life and love, we are here not just minds and hearts, but bodies too. We human beings, spirit and body joined together. On this day we...
Prayer for Women Who Endured Abortions
Sisters, I stand before you without homily or lecture or opinion. I stand here naked on the page. I stand here with my hands extended in helpless prayer. I will never know your pain. I will never know your agony of spirit. I will never know the dark nights of your souls. I will never know the...
Prayer for a Complicated Father's Day
Holidays are complicated, especially the ones named after roles. Human relationships are messy, including relationships with people who are honored by holidays. For a lot of people, Father’s Day brings up feelings of grief for fathers who were lost, or who couldn’t be there, or who chose not to...
Prayer of Co-Creation
Creative spirit, source of life and love: We give thanks for the beauty of this day and for the company of those assembled here. Thank you for the breezes of change, clearing our heads and bringing fresh ideas. May they cleanse our minds of the oppressions and isms that divide us....
A Web of Holy Relationships
Spirit of Life, Who draws us together in a web of holy relationships, Make your presence known with us and in us and among us. Remind us that we are not alone in history, Ignite us with the courage of the living tradition. Remind us that we are not alone in entering the future, Anchor us with...
Open to the Blessed Darkness
Here in the quiet, may we lift up our hearts in gratitude for the gifts of our lives, pausing in thanksgiving.
The Spirit of Life Is Here
We come together in this quiet moment to unify our hearts again towards the clarion call of our time: May justice and equity guide us to great connection, a greater truth.
The Richness of Our Differences
Let our hearts be welcoming of multiple truths, not holding hard or fast to closed mindedness or judgmental thinking. What can we learn from each other in the richness of our differences?
A Prayer for 8th Grade Boys
Spirit of the divine masculine, grant us the strength to nurture in ourselves, and in every young person we have the privilege to know, the gifts of patience, curiosity, and compassion.
Our Lifelong Work of Liberation
Our faith also gives us hope. A faith that knows that transformation is a holy and sacred task, that affirms that the democratic process is a faithful act, that brings a generous heart and a lens of justice and liberation to all that we do, that values equality and equity and is centered in love.
Toward the Promise
Oh Spirit of Life and Love, fortify us with the wisdom and tenacity of our ancestors to continue toward the promise in the founding documents of our nation: a nation where all of us are created as equals and are endowed with the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Nourished and Transformed
Ours is the work of creation. Ours is the work of inviting people into an irresistible movement, rooted in our belief that a new world is possible. And the center of our work is love, and joy, and the spirit of abundance.
Let Love Lead
Lead us to the love that holds us all and is with us always; the love that can help us through the messy and necessary life-altering work of building movements across beliefs, across difference, for change that can endure.