Holy One, Our Only Home (alternative Lord's Prayer)

   

Holy One, our only Home,

hallowed by your name.
May your day dawn,
your will be done,
here, as in heaven.
Feed us today, and forgive us
as we forgive each other.
Do not forsake us at the test,
but deliver us from evil.
For the glory, the power,
and the mercy are yours,
now and forever. Amen.

-- Mother Thunder Mission

Night Blessing

(Night time is beautiful; a bedtime prayer for children)


The moon and stars dance overhead
To let us know it’s time for bed.
Night holds us in a safe embrace,
So we may rest in this soft place.

Thank you, dear God, for this past day
With time to learn and time to play.
Thank you for friends, and family too,
God bless them all, and bless us too!

God, guide our dreams, for your love’s sake,
Bless all with peace until we wake.
Jesus, stay near, with angels bright,
And guard us through this blessed Night.



-- Leslie Scoopmire, written August 4, 2023. This was first published at Episcopal Journal and Cafe's Speaking to the Soul on August 10, 2023.

This was written when I searched for hours and could not find prayers that did not need adaptation because they mentioned death, and/or only imagined children living in a two-parent household, and/or used exclusive masculine terms for God. It is also meant to reassure kids that the night is not frightening.

A Prayer for Spiritual Illumination

Hear us,
never-fading Light, Lord our God,
our only Light, Fountain of light,
Light of your angels,
thrones, dominions, principalities, powers,
and of all intelligent beings.

You created the light of your saints.

May our souls be your lamps,
kindled and enlightened by you.

May they shine and burn with the truth,
and never go out in darkness and ashes.

May we be your house,
shining from you, shining in you.

May we shine without fail.
May we ever worship you.

In you may we be kindled and not be extinguished.

Being filled with the splendor
of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
may we shine forth inwardly.
May the gloom of sins be cleared away,
and the light of constant faith abide within us.

--adapted from the Mozarabic Sacramentary, 7th Century Spain/Portugal

The Lord's Prayer, modern ANZPB

Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain Bearer, Life-Giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be.
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For your reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever. 

Amen.

-- The Rev. Jim Cotter (1942-2014), Anglican priest, prayer writer, and poet, whose work was featured in the prayer book used in Aoteoroa, New Zealand, and Polynesia. This prayer is included in that volume.

Image: The Lord's Prayer in Catalan, from the rear wall of La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona.

Benediction: May the Source of life hold you in faith

May the Source of life hold you in the faith;
the Word of life speak clearly in truth around you;
and Breath of life, of grace, of wisdom,
sing in your inmost being this day and all your days. Amen.

--The Rev. Jeff Shrowder, The Billabong

Dismissal: Go now to follow the way of Jesus

Go now to follow the way of Jesus:
see others as he did;
dare to give freely as he did;
and to love unconditionally as he did.
Go, embraced by the Source of life, love and hope;
in the company of the Word of life;
encouraged by the Breath of life. Amen

--The Rev. Jeff Shrowder, The Billabong

Psalm 4 (NZPB version)

Answer me when I call, O God,
      for you are the God of justice.
   You set me free when I was hard-pressed:
      be gracious to me now and hear my prayers.

Men and women, 
      how long will you turn my glory to my shame?
   How long will you love what is worthless and run after lies?

Know that God has shown me such wonderful kindness:
   when I call out in prayer, God hears me.

Tremble, admit defeat, and sin no more.
   Look deep into your heart before you sleep and be still.

Bring your gifts, just as you are, and put your trust in God.
   Many are asking, Who can make us content?

The light of your countenance has gone from us, O God.
   Yet you have given my heart more gladness
      than those whose corn and wine and oil increase.

I lie down in peace and sleep comes at once,
   for in you alone, O God, do I dwell unafraid.

-- from Night Prayer, A New Zealand Prayer Book | He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa, p. 169

Advent Benedictions

Advent 1 Benediction
Be people of hope. 
Let hope live in your heart and share the hope of Christ with all you meet. 
Share hope by noticing someone else’s humanity. 
Share hope by listening to someone’s story. 
Share hope by praying for our world. 
In this Advent season, we need to see, feel, and share hope. 
As you go out into the wonder of God’s creations, share hope with those you meet. 

And the blessing of God Almighty, 
The Source of Our Being, 
The Light in Our Darkness,
Spirit of Wisdom in Our Seeking, 
rest upon you and remain within you, always.
Amen. 

Advent 2 Benediction
Be people of peace.
Let peace live in your heart and share the peace of Christ with all you meet.
Share peace by acting out of compassion and not fear.
Share peace by listening to all sides of the story.
Share peace by praying for our world.
In this Advent season, we need to see, feel, and share peace.
As you go out into the wonder of God’s creations, share peace and hope with those you meet. 

And the blessing of God Almighty, 
The Source of Our Being, 
The Light in Our Darkness,
Spirit of Wisdom in Our Seeking, 
rest upon you and remain within you, always.
Amen. 

Advent 3 Benediction
Be people of joy.
Let joy live in your heart and share the joy of Christ with all you meet.
Share joy by seeing the good in each other.
Share joy by remembering good times and hoping for good times to come.
Share joy by praying for our world.
In this Advent season, we need to see, feel, and share joy.
As you go out into the wonder of God’s creations, share joy, peace, and hope with those you meet.

And the blessing of God Almighty, 
The Source of Our Being, 
The Light in Our Darkness,
Spirit of Wisdom in Our Seeking, 
rest upon you and remain within you, always.
Amen. 

Advent 4 Benediction
Be people of love.
Let love live in your heart and share the love of Christ with all you meet.
Share love by loving those you see regularly.
Start by loving your community.
Share love by loving those you do not know.
How do your actions affect the rest of God’s creation?
Share love by praying for our world.
In this Advent season, we need to see, feel, and share love.
As you go out into the wonder of God’s creations, share love, joy, peace, and hope with those you meet. 

And the blessing of God Almighty, 
The Source of Our Being, 
The Light in Our Darkness,
Spirit of Wisdom in Our Seeking, 
rest upon you and remain within you, always.
Amen. 

Christmas Eve Benediction
Tonight, as we celebrate God is with us in the birth of Jesus, let us continue to live lives of hope, peace, joy, and love. Share God’s love with the shepherds you meet on the hillside. Let the communion of the Holy Spirit fill your heart with glad tidings like the angels. And the Prince of Peace born again tonight, may He live in your heart to comfort and challenge you as you seek to live as one of his disciples.

And the blessing of God Almighty, 
The Source of Our Being, 
The Light in Our Darkness,
Spirit of Wisdom in Our Seeking, 
rest upon you and remain within you, always.
Amen. 

--The Rev. Susannah DeBenedetto, from LiturgyLink.

Most compassionate Life-giver (alternative Lord's Prayer)

Most Compassionate Life-giver,

may we honour and praise you:

may we work with you

to establish your new order

of justice, peace and love.

Give us what we need for growth,

and help us,

through forgiving others,

to accept forgiveness.

Strengthen us

in the time of testing,

that we may resist all evil.

For all the tenderness,

strength and love are yours,

now and forever.

Amen.

--Bill Wallace (1933- ), retired Methodist minister and poet. You can read about this poem/prayer here: https://www.40words.dioceseofnorwich.org/40days/sun-3

Beloved, Our Father and Mother (alternative Lord's Prayer)

Beloved,
our Father and Mother,
in whom is heaven,
hallowed be your name,
followed be your royal way,
done be your will and rule,
throughout the whole creation.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
Now and forever.
Amen.

--from Human Rites, compiled by Ward and Wild

Breath of Life (alternative Lord's Prayer)

Breath of Life,
   In whom we live and move and have our being,
   Your presence fills all of Creation.
May justice and mercy reign,
   In our lives and in our world.
Today may our bellies be full,
   Our hearts warm,
   And our fellowship open.
May we reconcile with the people we’ve hurt,
   Just as we reconcile with the people who’ve hurt us.
Lead us not into a time of trial,
   But deliver us from evil.
For wherever grace and community abide,
   There you are with us;
   W e are not alone.

Blessed be.

-- Chance Hunter (Qohelet) at Times and Seasons.

Affirmation

As children of God, we affirm:
That God, who is Love, created all and called it good,
that God is present with all creation,
and that,
in darkness and in light,
God is faithful;
therefore we, too, seek to be faithful.

That Jesus came to show us Love with a human face,
that he taught justice and reconciliation
and suffered on our behalf,
and that through his faithful example,
he embodies hope;
therefore we, too, seek to be people
of justice, reconciliation, and hope.

That the Holy Spirit guides and accompanies us,
that this same Spirit offers wisdom and discernment,
and that, when we are open,
the Spirit can always find a way;
therefore we seek to be people filled with God's Spirit:
discerning, loving and transforming our world.

Amen.

-- from Daily Prayer For All Seasons, from Forward Movement

Love That is Creating, Healing, and Sustaining

May the love that is creating us,

and the love that is healing us,

and the love that is sustaining us

be in you and with you and through you,

for your healing and the healing of the world.

Amen.

--The Rev. Alice Fulton Haugen,  Episcopal priest

We Adore You

We adore You, Framer of the Universe;
Governor, Disposer, Keeper;
You on whom all things depend;
Mind of the world;
You from whom all things spring;
You by whose spirit we live;
the Divine Spirit diffused through all;
God supremely powerful,
always present,
above all other powers:
we adore you.

-- Seneca (4 BCE-65 CE), Roman Stoic philosopher, political leader, and playwright

Affirmation

We believe in God, Creator of all:
    The two-legged, the four-legged,
    the winged ones, and those that crawl upon
        the earth
    and swim in the waters.

We believe in God, One Who Walked with us:
    Our Brother Jesus born in humility,
    who lived and died for us and
    who will come again to bring us to glory.

We believe in God, Spirit with us:
    Ever present and ever guiding, upholding us and
    showing us the principles to live by.
    We hear God’s voice through the prophets.

Creator, One Who Walked with us, Spirit with us, Holy One:
We are named in the waters of baptism as your own,
all of us related, all of us your children.
We watch for signs of your homecoming
and thank you for this sacred circle of life.
Amen.

-- from Daily Prayer for All Seasons, authorized by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, 2014, p. 4

The Lord's Prayer (expansive language)

Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and testing, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and for ever.
Amen.

--from A New Zealand Prayer Book