The Sacredness of the Ordinary

"Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God... Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you are serving is Christ."(Colossians 3:23-24, The Message)

The Sacredness of the Ordinary

Most of what I do, O Lord, seems so ordinary.
I have a job, like most people.
I have household responsibilities.
I am a husband, a father, a son, a brother.
I run errands, do yard work.
I do things for fun, as well.
It all seems so ordinary.

But when I realize that I am living for you, O Lord,
then the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
When I am living for you, 
  everything becomes a sacred privilege.
With you, there is holiness in the ordinary.
With you, nothing is meaningless.

So here's what I'm going to do, 
today and every day, with your help:
I'm going to take my everyday, ordinary life -- 
my sleeping, eating, going-to-work and walking-around life --
and I'm going to place it before you as an offering.*

Thank you, O Lord, for making my life something special.
Thank you, for transforming my ordinary, everyday living,
  and making it sacred, holy.


* This sentence is an adaptation of Romans 12:1, as found in The Message, by Eugene Peterson

Open Our Eyes

Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don't have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!”—if you don't give them the necessities of life?(James 2:15-16)

Note: My continuing education class in Pittsburgh, PA, was told to walk around the surrounding neighborhood and "read the context" to help discern ways for a church to minister to its own community. This prayer comes out of that experience.

Open Our Eyes

Open our eyes, Lord.
As we come to church on Sunday morning,
as we leave church that same day,
as we drive through the neighborhood
  during the week,
as we walk the streets -- 
Open our eyes.

Open our eyes to the strangers in our midst:
  the school children waiting for the bus,
  the men sitting at the bus stop,
  the woman paying for groceries with food stamps,
  the clusters of teenagers hanging around
    in the parking lots,
  "those people" of different race,
  the man with the "will work for food, God bless"
    sign made of old cardboard,
  the fast-food worker walking to her job,
    with another mile yet to go.
Open our eyes. Open our hearts.

Open our eyes to the signs that cry out for hope:
  empty storefronts downtown,
  dilapidated houses just around the corner,
  closed-down factory outside of town,
  drug paraphernalia scattered along the alleyways,
  payday and title loan shops on every corner.
Open our eyes. Open our hearts.

Open our eyes,
for when we see the lonely,
  the sick,
  the drunk,
  the single teenage mother,
  the poor and the homeless,
  the drug addict,
  the foreigner,
  the black, and the "white trash" -- 
when we see any that might qualify as
  "The Least of These"
we see you.

Open our eyes. Open our hearts.
Help us to see you. And to love you.
Help us to love you through our neighbor.
  

This Day Is a Gift

This is the day that the Lord has made;              let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

This Day Is a Gift

This day is a gift, O God.
It is a gift you have given to me.
This day is a clean slate, a blank canvas,
  nothing but opportunity ahead of me,
  abundant blessings waiting to be received.
I look forward to the encounters with your grace,
  your mercy,
    your steadfast love.
I expect your goodness, because that's who you are.
This day is a gift, O God.
Thank you.

This day is a gift, O God.
It is a gift that I offer to you. 
I dedicate myself today to your service:
  to be an instrument of your grace,
  to offer help to your people in need,
  to manifest your loving kindness,
  to speak words of hope and encouragement,
  to chip away at divisions and barriers that separate,
  to welcome the stranger,
  to extend your comforting presence to the lonely.
I will use the clean slate 
  and the blank canvas you have given to me,
  to make something beautiful for you.
That is my prayer, for I love you.

This day is my gift to you, O God.