Autumn (1)
Prayer
Gentle Words In A Raging Storm
Prayers for all occasions
Great God of autumn splendor, flashing color, and
howling winds, we stand in awe at the power and majesty
of your creation.
It makes us wonder how such a great and mighty God,
creator of all humankind, could care personally for
each of us!
How grateful we are to worship a loving God who is
accessible to our prayers, the ache
in our hearts, the dreams in our minds, the yearning
in our souls.
Hear our prayers, O Lord!
Hear the pure prayer of the child spoken with unguarded
honesty.
Hear the painful prayer of the sick and dying that
testifies to your suffering love and constant concern.
Hear the lonely prayer of the imprisoned,
the shut-in, the very old.
Hear the doubting prayer of the worrier, the defeated, the depressed.
Hear the angry prayer of the victims of injustice,
the unemployed, the crime victims, the handicapped.
Hear, O Lord, the grateful prayers of those who have
found themselves, discovered new life, embraced new
hope, discarded an ugly habit, or heard your answer.
And hear the prayer without words that is spoken in
silence by those who keep the faith, help the weak,
strengthen the faint-hearted, and strive for peace.
O hear the prayer of all your children who you taught
to pray together. Amen.
Autumn (2)
O God,
of falling leaves and brisk breezes,
we tend to think of autumn as a time of dying and decay.
But to you, it must seem more like a season of rest,
a sustained Sabbath of burnished brown,
radiant red, and glittering gold.
For the colors of fall sing your praises!
And all creation finds its rest and refreshment
in you.
As we stroll down streets with a canopy of trees
and brush by piles of leaves,
we pause to lift our hearts in prayer.
We pray our gratitude for the rhythm of life:
the times of work and times of play,
the times of engagement with others and the times of solitude with you,
the times of challenge and times of comfort,
the times of testing and times of resting.
For you walk with us in our work
and in our worship,
and you whisper to our hearts
your word of hope, peace, and love. Amen.
howling winds, we stand in awe at the power and majesty
of your creation.
It makes us wonder how such a great and mighty God,
creator of all humankind, could care personally for
each of us!
How grateful we are to worship a loving God who is
accessible to our prayers, the ache
in our hearts, the dreams in our minds, the yearning
in our souls.
Hear our prayers, O Lord!
Hear the pure prayer of the child spoken with unguarded
honesty.
Hear the painful prayer of the sick and dying that
testifies to your suffering love and constant concern.
Hear the lonely prayer of the imprisoned,
the shut-in, the very old.
Hear the doubting prayer of the worrier, the defeated, the depressed.
Hear the angry prayer of the victims of injustice,
the unemployed, the crime victims, the handicapped.
Hear, O Lord, the grateful prayers of those who have
found themselves, discovered new life, embraced new
hope, discarded an ugly habit, or heard your answer.
And hear the prayer without words that is spoken in
silence by those who keep the faith, help the weak,
strengthen the faint-hearted, and strive for peace.
O hear the prayer of all your children who you taught
to pray together. Amen.
Autumn (2)
O God,
of falling leaves and brisk breezes,
we tend to think of autumn as a time of dying and decay.
But to you, it must seem more like a season of rest,
a sustained Sabbath of burnished brown,
radiant red, and glittering gold.
For the colors of fall sing your praises!
And all creation finds its rest and refreshment
in you.
As we stroll down streets with a canopy of trees
and brush by piles of leaves,
we pause to lift our hearts in prayer.
We pray our gratitude for the rhythm of life:
the times of work and times of play,
the times of engagement with others and the times of solitude with you,
the times of challenge and times of comfort,
the times of testing and times of resting.
For you walk with us in our work
and in our worship,
and you whisper to our hearts
your word of hope, peace, and love. Amen.
