The following prayers were written by Amy for the Wine Before Breakfast service on October 4, 2022. The image of God we were exploring was God as mother. As that can be a messy image for some, Amy was asked to pay special attention to gender in the prayer. Thus her prayer focuses less on the image of mother and more on parenting and children, and I hope it is welcoming to people for whom the images of God as father or mother can be complicated. God, Source of all life, you oversaw each of us being knitted into being, within that dark place of mystery. We are, only because You are. You oversaw us being stitched together from the very substance of our parents' bodies. You knew us when we were carried in secret, beneath the rhythm of a reassuring heartbeat. You provided us with what we needed for growth within that mysterious sanctum until we were birthed through great straining, and we drew our first breaths, and took our first taste of milk. Our bodies now separate from our mothers, at birth we became vulnerable, dependent on others for all our needs. In our dependency, we learn what it means to be loved and cared for. May ALL children experience loving care at home, in the church, at school, in society. May all little bodies get what they need. [Prayers, spoken and silent, for children, care-givers, and all those for whom childhood and parenting has been painful] God, Three-in-One, El, Creator, You transcend and encompass the genders you created us in, all to be Image-Bearers of your own being. Holy Source of all Life, you are Parent of us all. May we reflect you. May others see how we resemble or 'take after' you. May ALL people know, deeply, that they bear your image, regardless of sex or gender, or skin tone. May we each learn to seek to see this in one another. God, you are neither alone nor lonely, And you knew it was not good for people to be alone. Thank you for designing us to be in relationship, with yourself and others. May our human connections reflect your love, your compassion, your presence, your very essence. [Prayers, spoken and silent, for all our relationships: family, communities, companionship, and other partnerships.] God, Three-in-One, El, Creator, Teach us to love each other as you have loved us, like a mother with her nursing child. Teach us to forgive as you forgive, to create joyfully, and to be good stewards of Creation. Amen.
Prayers of the People – September 27 – Exodus 15
Prayers have been put together by Robert, this year's emerging leader, and contain language borrowed from Gathered and Scattered: Readings and Meditations from the Iona Community and Presbyterian Church in Canada Worship Resources. God of power, You speak to us words of challenge and comfort. You stand among us, calling us to acts of mercy. Even now, the Holy Spirit is moving in our midst, filling us with hope and inspiring us to faithfulness. And often we, in arrogance and insecurity, will play our part in preventing others from seeing your justice. When justice fails and no one heeds the cries of agony, You speak to us: “Be not afraid.” You ask us to walk with you on the path to Calvary And take the risk of showing that we’re not afraid to be. Compassionate God, you open your heart to those in need, and to your aching creation. We confess we often turn away so that we do not have to see pain, suffering or injustice, right before our eyes. We don’t like to feel uncomfortable or pressed into service. Forgive us and give us courage to love others as you love us and reach out with the care we have witnessed in Jesus. God of faithfulness and surprise, we look at ourselves and sometimes doubt we can make a difference or have an impact. Challenge us to recognize the kinds of power we do have: love and compassion, courage and commitment, laughter and friendship, generosity and mercy. In all these gifts we know your power. Through all these gifts, our lives have been changed. Using these gifts in our lives, bring Christ’s love and mercy to the world you love. [Prayers for this city, the University of Toronto, and this country.] “The Lord is our strength and salvation.” “In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.” [Exodus 15:2; 13] Help us to see you not as a partisan God, but a God who died on the cross out of love for the world. So Christ within and Christ without, Christ in whom all are one, Teach us not only how to be but also to become. Amen.
Prayers of Lament – 20 Sept 2022
The following were the prayers given at the Wine Before Breakfast service held on 20 September 2022.
At the inaugural service of Wine Before Breakfast in September 2001, we offered up a lament in response to the events of September 11. Each September at our first WBB of the season, we return to that lament and revise it in response to the world as we find it now.
How long, O Lord? How long? How long must we be held captive by our fears? You created us for glory, how long must we be architects of shame? God who sees us, you who look upon this world through tear-filled eyes, forgive our lack of trust in your abundance, restore humanity for glory and cover our shame. How long, O Lord? How long? How long must we be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus employed in the name of harm? How long must creation be destroyed? How long must the vulnerable be treated harshly? Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. How long, O Lord? How long? We are waiting, waiting for those whom you see and name, waiting for the students and professors anxiously returning, waiting for those still healing from the pandemic, overshadowed by power that is too often abused, among those devastated by drought and floods amid those mourning unmarked graves. They are waiting, O Lord, We are waiting. Lamenting lives lived in fear. Lamenting days that have been shortened. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. [silent and spoken prayers for all who mourn] How long, O Lord? How long until there is justice? How long until righteousness takes root and bears its good fruit in our lives? Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. How long, O Lord? How long must our hearts be afraid? How long will be captivated by fear and push away those who are different? Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. [silent and spoken prayers for justice and peace] How long must we mourn? how long must we wait? How long this hunger? Healer of our every ill, light of each tomorrow, give us peace beyond our fears and hope beyond our sorrows. How long must we lament? How long must we sing this song? How long must we wait for your Kingdom? And draw us near and bind us tight, all your children here in their rags of light; in our rags of light all dressed to kill; and end this night if it be your will. [Leonard Cohen, “If it be your will”] Give peace in our time, O Lord And mercifully see us when we call upon you. Amen.
Prayers for Luke 7:36-50
The following prayer was written by Deb Whalen-Blaize for the April 5 Wine Before Breakfast service in response to the text of Luke 7:36-50 where the outcast woman anoints Jesus.
Creator, Whole One, who formed us, whole, from clay and called us good; Knowing we are broken, knowing our ways are broken, we come to be reminded that we are still good. That we are loved Even when we are sick, when we are bankrupt, when we numb ourselves. In the face of a culture that expects us to perform, to deliver, and to compete, remind us again that you see us already good, still good, created good; Created to be loved even when we are overwhelmed, when we are fuming, when we are losing our sanity. We take this moment to let down our guard, to pause our hiding and posturing, to accept that you know exactly who and how we are in this moment, and to practice trusting that you love us - that you always have and you always will. (Moment of reflecting and opening ourselves to God) What wondrous love this is that you offer us, complete and full and rich and untainted. It saturates all the places where we are criticized and cracked until we are full to overflowing. When we are so full of this love we long to offer it back to you in a meaningful way But you are no longer a man travelling the desert whose feet are tired and worn. How do we demonstrate our passionate adoration? You have said that whatever we do to the least among us, we are doing it to you. We shall endeavor to seek out the least and love them, to give food to the hungry and water to the thirsty, to welcome the stranger and clothe the naked, to care for the sick and accompany the imprisoned. We lift to you the people and communities on our hearts whom we love because you first loved us, who are beloved regardless of their brokenness. (Prayers for people and communities in need) May each one be filled with the certainty of your love. May they find healing and wholeness, confident of your acceptance. We pray, too, for those in power, those the world sees as the greatest among us, but who you know are not without sin. They, too, are only redeemed by love. We ask that you persuade them, Lord, to wield their power, wealth, and status, not as weapons, but as tools to build your kin-dom. May they contribute to the healing and wholeness of your world. (prayers for those in power) May each of these, know your love deeply, be inspired to do your will, and to act and decree with loving kindness. Every day, God, we see our brokenness and the brokenness of others. If you marked our transgressions, Lord, who would stand? May your love fill us with such confidence that we can meet the transgressions of others with forgiveness and love, tending to a cycle of healing and breaking the cycle of brokenness. May we, restored and full of gladness, work towards the building of your kin-dom, conquering pain with compassion, overcoming fear with trust, knowing we are nurtured and protected by your love. Amen.
For more highlights on this text and others we’ve looked at this past semester, see our Instagram posts, other reflections, and the weekly emails.
Collect Prayer for Luke 20:9-19
The following prayer was written for the March 29 Wine Before Breakfast service in response to the text of Luke 20:9-19, the parable of the tenants.
Creator who sets free,
you give second and third chances
and punish those who are dishonorable.
Open our hearts to heed your word
so that the vulnerable receive care,
those who have done harm
are held accountable,
and we might welcome you with open arms.
Set us free, O Gracious God.
For more thoughts on the parable of the tenants, see our Instagram post and the weekly email on this text.\
Prayers of the people for Mark 11:12-25
The following prayers were written for the March 22 Wine Before Breakfast service in response to the text of Mark 11:12-25, which focuses on Jesus’ cursing the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple.
God of power,
Your word brings life and death,
shapes the world into being
and withers that which bears no fruit.
You invite us to put our trust in you,
To send our voices to you.
You invite us to believe that you hear,
And that the answer will come.
And so we pray for the world
and all who are suffering,
especially for those in Ukraine and Russia,
and for those negatively affected
by the new covid regulations.
[Prayers for the world and for our country]
God of power,
you entered Jerusalem on a colt
and with an army of peasants.
You entered the temple,
became angry and raised your voice
and overturned the tables of injustice.
Tear down the injustices in our churches,
the university and our workplaces.
Remove those who have abused their power,
bring to light antisemitism and able-ism.
Let exploitation and thievery to wither
so that restitution may grow in its place.
May your house once again
be a place of prayer for all peoples.
May the university and workplaces
be places where all may flourish.
[Prayers for the church and the university]
God of power, you have promised
that if we say to a mountain
‘Lift up and go into the sea,’
with hearts that believe and do not doubt,
then it will be done.
But, O God, we doubt.
Our world is filled with
mountains of oppression,
valleys of polarization we cannot cross.
We are weighed down by heavy burdens
placed on ourselves and one another.
What sea can hold these mountains?
How do we not also drown from our efforts?
Help us to imagine a different world,
a world where rulers humble themselves
and fight for the poor and oppressed.
Help us imagine a world
where we tear down mountains together
and where all creation flourishes.
We lift up ourselves and those close to us.
Help us to trust in you.
Help us to believe your promises.
[Prayers for those close to us]
God of power,
we believe you hear us.
May we trust in you.
As we wait for your answer,
give us courage as we fight for justice,
give us wisdom to rest in your presence,
and fill us with hope.
Amen.
Prayers of people from March 8, 2022 – based on the story of the Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7:24-30
Prayers adapted from those written by Luke T on this passage in November 2017.
Creator, Son, Spirit
Your Kingdom is for us
Your Kingdom is for all
God of all earth, all people, all relationships
We are hurting.
The earth is not as in heaven.
We keep power for ourselves, abusing it even.
We eat the bread and keep the scraps for ourselves.
The earth is not as in heaven.
Or we discard the scraps,
only giving away what we no longer want.
The earth is not as in heaven.
But we want to be inclusive
Included
Welcoming
Welcomed
We want to love
Be loved
Because your Kingdom is for us
Your Kingdom is for all
[Silent and spoken prayers for hospitality and inclusivity for the church and the world]
God of grace,
For the times we have excluded
The times we have withheld even the scraps
Withheld the warmth of hospitality
Withheld care and compassion
Equality and empathy,
When we have forgotten
Your Kingdom is for all
When we forget the outsider
The foreigner
The less equal
We confess our sin to You.
[Prayers of confession]
God of hope,
For the times we are included
The times we have been given so much
Felt the warmth of hospitality
The comfort and love of community
The times we have been empowered
And seen so clearly
Your Kingdom is for all
When we find your love
In likely and unlikely places
We give you thanks.
[Prayers of gratitude]
Creator, Son, Spirit
Draw us into Your divine love
Ever present
Ever welcoming
Ever submitting
Ever generous
Teach us Your love
Amen.