Forgive them all, O Lord:
Our sins of omission and our sins of commission;
The sins of our youth and the sins of our riper years;
The sins of our souls and the sins of our bodies;
Our secret and our more open sins;
Our sins of ignorance and surprise,
And our more deliberate and presumptuous sin;
The sins we have done to please ourselves
And the sins we have done to please others;
The sins we know and remember,
And the sins we have forgotten;
The sins we have striven to hide from others
And the sins by which we have made others offend;
Forgive them, O Lord, forgive them all for his sake,
Who died for our sins and rose for our justification,
And now stands at thy right hand to make intercession for us,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
John Wesley (1703 – 1791)
O my God, since Thou art with me,
and I must now, in obedience to Thy commands,
apply my mind to these outward things,
I beseech Thee to grant me the grace to continue in Thy presence;
and to this end do Thou prosper me with Thy assistance,
receive all my works, and possess all my affections.’
‘Lord of all pots and pans and things … Make me a saint by getting meals
And washing up the plates!’ Amen.
Brother Lawrence (1605-1691)
A prayer by Jeremy Taylor (1613– 1667) He was a clergyman in the Church of England who achieved fame as an author during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell.
Only when we are weak, O Lord, are we strong.
As we pass through this vale of suffering
grant us the gift of your safety and peace,
the gentleness of your Spirit
and the assurance of your mercy and love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty, eternal, and merciful God,
whose Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path,
open and illuminate our minds,
that we may pourely and perfectly understand thy Word
and that our lives may be conformed to what we have rightly understood,
that in nothing we may be displeasing to thy majesty,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The prayer with which Ulrich Zwingli began his Bible lectures in Zurich each day.
The ‘Serenity Prayer’ from Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971):
God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time,
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
taking, as Jesus did,
this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it,
trusting that You will make all things right,
if I surrender to Your will,
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.
O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in Thee.
Let Thy mighty calmness reign in me;
Rule me, O King of gentleness, king of peace.
Give me control, great power of self-control,
Control over my words, thoughts and actions.
From all irritability, want of meekness, want of gentleness, dear Lord, deliver me.
By Thine own deep patience, give me patience.
Make me in this and all things more and more like Thee.
St. John of the Cross (1542 – 1591)
O Lord Jesus Christ,
take us to thyself,
draw us with cords to the foot of thy cross;
for we have no strength to come,
and we know not the way.
Thou art mighty to save, and none can separate us from thy love.
Bring us home to thyself, for we are gone astray.
We have wandered: do thou seek us.
Under the shadow of thy cross let us live all the rest of our lives,
and there we shall be safe. AMEN
A prayer of Frederick Temple (1821-1902)
Into thy hands, O Lord, we commend ourselves this day.
Let thy presence be with us to its close.
Strengthen us to remember that in whatsoever good work we do we are serving thee.
Give us a diligent and watchful spirit,
that we may seek in all things to know thy will,
and knowing it, gladly to perform it;
to the honour of thy name. Amen.
Source unknown
Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labour and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I do your will. Amen
St. Ignatius of Loyola
To you, O Lord, let us direct our eyes.
To you let us offer our hands.
To you let us bow the knee.
To you let us sacrifice our life.
To you let us come at last
and in you let us rest forever. Amen.
Attributed to Sir Walter Raleigh (1552 – 1618) – the Renaissance poet, explorer, historian and one of Queen Elizabeth’s favourite courtiers.
Another day, another hour, another minute.
O God, how hard it is for me to get through this time.
Another day, another hour, another minute.
What a gift, gracious God, how shall I fill them?
Help me to see time as a gift from you.
May I look forward to each returning day, full of hope and anticipation.
And when I feel weary, and life is tough, and time drags,
may I remember that each moment is precious; that once it has gone it cannot be relived.
And at the end of each day, may I rejoice in all it has brought.
Each day, each hour, each moment, lived in your presence. Amen
Copyright: Prayer by the Revd Anne Brown, Bedfordshire, Essex & Hertfordshire – Methodist District – Chair
God of the day and of the night,
in me there is darkness, but with you there is light.
I am alone, but you will not leave me.
I am weak, but you will come to my help.
I am restless, but you are my peace.
I am in haste, but you are the God of infinite patience.
I am confused and lost, but you are eternal wisdom and you direct my path; now and for ever. Amen
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906-1945
As the rain hides the stars,
as the autumn mist
hides the hills,
as the clouds veil
the blue of the sky, so
the dark happenings of my lot
hide the shining of thy face from me.
Yet, if I may hold thy hand in the darkness,
it is enough, since I know,
that though I may stumble in my going,
Thou dost not fall.
Traditional – Scottish Gaelic
Lord, before ever you made us, you loved us. Nor has your love ever slackened, nor ever shall. In love all your works have begun, and in love they continue. In this love our life is everlasting, and in this love we shall see you and be glad forever. Amen
Julian of Norwich, 1342-1416
Remember to pray for the general Election and ensure you vote.
Please find below a prayer that can be found on the Church of England web site:
Loving God
Thank you for caring about how our country is run, and that we have the right to vote for our politicians and government.
But in the run-up to this general election there are so many policies to understand, and so many different points of view to consider - sometimes I wonder whether there’s any point in voting, whether anyone cares what I think.
As I choose who I am going to vote for,
help me not to be cynical about politics and politicians,
help me to remember that my vote can make a difference,
and help me vote for those people who will protect the poor and vulnerable, and do all they can to make our nation a place of fairness and peace.
Because you call us to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with you, our God.
Amen.
Further prayers can be found at:
CHURCH OF ENGLAND
CARE
LIVE SIMPLY – Why Bother?
CHRISTIANS IN POLITICS (p. 13-14)
