Liturgies from Passion Equip

You’re tired, friend. Physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally. No matter how much sleep you get, your soul yearns for rest. True rest. This liturgy is for you and yours, seeking a place to lay your head amid chaos and disruption. God, my heart aches for you. I long for your steady, constant, and peaceful presence.   When I notice destruction on all sides, I look to you for refuge. When the voices around me sound increasingly overwhelming, I search for your voice to be heard above all else. When feelings of anguish, loss, and turmoil consume me, I pray that you will fill me with your joy and peace that surpass all understanding.   You make me lie down in green pastures and lead me beside quiet waters, refreshing my soul. So, I am requesting that you refresh my soul today, God.    Whether I’m making a home out of a hospital room, or the responsibilities of life are crushing me, or I’m mourning the loss of a relationship, or I’m staring into the face of debt and financial deficit, or I just cannot seem to catch my breath in the busyness, I trust You.   In the darkest night of affliction, I find rest in You and You alone because You are Emmanuel, God with us, and You’ve never left or forsaken me.   Help me stop and remember that your goodness and love will follow me all my life. Give me the comfort of your promise that I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

For the land we live on, we thank you, Jesus. For the time we live in, we thank you, Jesus.  For the past we learn from, we thank you, Jesus.  For the future we hope for, we thank you, Jesus. For those who’ve gone before us, we thank you, Jesus.  For those who will come after us, we thank you, Jesus.   In the days you’ve given us to steward, be with us, Jesus. In the communities you’ve purposed us within, be with us, Jesus.     In our moments of unity, be with us, Jesus. In our moments of discord, be with us, Jesus.  In our hour of celebration, be with us, Jesus.  In our hour of grief, be with us, Jesus.    In the hearts of the poor and downtrodden, be comfort and peace, Jesus. In the hearts of the proud and prosperous, be kindness and generosity, Jesus.    In the prayers of the meek, be courage and steadfastness, Jesus. In the prayers of the mighty, be grace and mercy, Jesus. In the plight of the truly persecuted, be blessing and steadfastness, Jesus. In the pride of the haughty, be humility and correction, Jesus.    For a spirit of wisdom in troubling times, we ask of you, Jesus.  For a spirit of discernment for our leaders at every level, we ask of you, Jesus. For a spirit of repentance where we have sinned against one another, we ask of you, Jesus. For a spirit of forgiveness towards those who have wronged us, we ask of you, Jesus.  For a spirit of civility between created sons and daughters of God, we ask of you, Jesus.  For a spirit of peace when all around us declares war, we ask of you, Jesus.    Amen

Oh, God who makes,  who spent six days at work, who carved and sculpted the earth, who refined and appraised and saw: See me, too, as I ready my hands, As I make my plans, As I set my alarm and blink away weariness in the quiet morning. See me as my list grows, as my responsibilities deepen, as my obligations expand. See me not as the sum of what I can produce but as the person I am: as a being with fears and dreams, as a child of the King.   Oh, King who came as a carpenter, who did not give himself the comfort of easy living, who knew the value of a job done perfectly: Know me, too, as I do my very best As I finish what is set before me, As I learn how to begin well  and follow through and finish honorably Just as you do.    Oh, Lord of the harvest, remind me whose ravens bring the bread And remind me that sometimes they bring opportunity instead. May I waste neither, And may I find rest knowing You have created me to find joy in my labor.   Amen.

Jesus, you are the Lord of everything, The heir to the cattle on a thousand hills, and yet, when you broke five loaves and two fish, the first thing you did was give thanks.  Teach me how to thank the Father as you did.   Everything won’t always go my way. My plans won’t always pan out, my ideas won’t always win, my efforts will not always succeed, but I know yours will, so teach me how to thank you and trust that your way is better.    When I am anxious, may I thank you for my breath. When I am tired, may I thank you for my rest. When I do not like myself, may I thank you for how you made me. When I do not love my neighbor, may I thank you for how you made them.   Whatever I do,  may I glorify you. Whatever I say,  may I honor you. Wherever I go, may I tell others of you.   May the overflow of my gratitude lead me to make more of you.   Whether I am surrounded by family or I am alone, teach me how to love the people you’ve given me to love, how to be grateful for you giving them to me, how to wear my gratitude like a blanket I can give to those who need the warmth.   May my thanks be immediate and lavish– generously given and never expected in return– may it be the light by which those people who look at me see you.   Amen.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13   You are the God of hope.   In a world often downhearted and filled with despair, You remind me that hope is never scarce.  When I look at my circumstances with weary hesitation, I remember that hope in You is offered in abundance.   You are Living Hope—  hope personified.   Even when it seems as if darkness is winning, or when I stumble or fall, or when I am facing suffering, pain, trials, or persecution, I must never give up on You.    No matter how bleak my things may seem, I must cling to the fabric of your garment.   Because You are a sun and shield; You bestow favor and honor; and no good thing do You withhold from those whose walk is blameless.   So, I pray that I will rejoice in hope,  be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer.   I choose to believe that when You say You will do something, it will surely come.  Not because of anything I have done but because of how good You are.   I trade in my cynicism for the highest expectations, trusting that You can do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine, according to Your power that is at work within me.