Category: prayer

A Prayer for Earth Day Resurrection

by Steve Harsh, posted in climate change, hope, prayer

O Holy, Mysterious God, You are so much more than we can comprehend.  We are in awe of the power of resurrection around and within us.  As we celebrate Earth Day tomorrow the birds and buds and blooms are bursting forth with every color in the rainbow all around us.  Even in the midst of powerful storms that frighten us you manage to water the earth and bring forth new life.

We pray that your words of hope spoken and sung on this fourth Sunday of Easter will nourish new seeds of hope and faith in each of us as well.  We have marveled this month at the miracle of a total solar eclipse and the orderly progression of your cosmos that made it possible to predict that heavenly event years in advance down to the second in every exact location.  We are so humbled by the majesty and mystery of your creative power.

And yet we are called to repentance when we ponder the ways we have failed to be good stewards of this planet we call home.  We are reaping the whirlwinds of our sin against creation.  Extreme weather events and deadly wars cause so much suffering for your children.  Fear and hatred infect personal and international relationships, and we despair at the seeming hopelessness of the human condition.  Remind us again, O creator God, that what is impossible for us is possible for you if we trust in the power of your love and grace.

We pray for your resurrecting Holy Spirit to flow through the delegates at our United Methodist Conference meeting this week, and into the halls of Congress, and over the war torn landscapes of Ukraine and Gaza.  Blow your holy wind into the hearts of political enemies all over the world so that a new resurrection of peace and good will can blossom forth in the deserts and wilderness places in our world.

And we pray too for all those carrying a heavy burden of personal grief in our congregation and beyond.  May hope and peace be resurrected in those who have lost loved ones, homes, jobs, or purpose for their lives.  We dare to believe in resurrection because you have showed us, O Holy One, that you can bring life out of death in so many ways, and it is in the name of our risen, living Lord, Jesus Christ that we offer our lives and our prayers, saying together the prayer he taught us to pray. 

Northwest UMC, April 21, 2024

A Blues Prayer

by Steve Harsh, posted in prayer

Hi God, it’s me again.  I am so bummed.  The whole mess in D.C. and Gaza/Israel is just sapping so much energy from me.   I’m a pastor and writer, but I’m not sure even what can be said.  The forces of violence and vengeance are so much in control of the world as usual that innocent suffering doesn’t matter. I have to tell you, Lord, the ways of peace seem so puny and weak against drones and bombs dropped on refugee camps.  How can those in power be so unmoved by the suffering and death of thousands?  Are they so insulated and hardened by years of power madness that the pain doesn’t reach their hearts?  It is so terribly sad and discouraging since it has been this way from the beginning of time.  It seems so irresponsible on my part to try and live life as usual – but then we have two good friends in nursing homes and their suffering and that of their family and friends on a different level, but still quite real.  Combine that with the cold dreary weather and my own health concerns and life sucks big time.  Woe is me.  I’m turned in on myself and too much focused on the half empty glass.  I know that, but what to do about it?  I just started my 78th trip around the sun this week and should be smarter by now.  Where is the wisdom that is supposed to come with age when I need it? O God, please give me patience and courage for the living of these days.  Amen

A Prayer for Peace in a World Gone Mad

by Steve Harsh, posted in prayer

Dear Holy One, my soul is weary from the weight of suffering and war hanging over the world since October 7.  My mind cannot comprehend the depth of the hate that drives people to inflict such cruelty on other humans.  The centuries-old hatred between Palestinians and Jews is so horrific it defies human understanding.  I want to offer even a tiny bit of wisdom or hope, but the well of inspiration is dry.  There simply seem to be no good solutions.  When our own members of Congress cannot overcome their differences to elect a leader what hope is there for peace in the Middle East?  Anger and hate veto any desire to make peace or even to limit the wrath of retribution to just one eye for an eye or one life for a life.  To turn the other cheek to the evil represented by Hamas or Putin is almost laughable at worst or hopelessly naïve at best.  We all live in glass houses and none dare cast stones because we are none of us without sin.  My own nation’s history of genocide and racism is a log in our eyes that disqualify us from passing judgment on anyone else. 

Human history is one horror saga after another full of wars, bloodshed, and tears.  Out of the depths we cry peace, peace, but there is no peace.  Widows in Ramah are still weeping for their children while it takes excruciating days to even open a gate to deliver food and water to starving masses in Gaza.  I want to turn my mind and eyes away from the atrocities, but my heart yearns to know the awful news, even though I feel hopeless to respond.  The ties of sisterhood and brotherhood that bind me to my siblings in Ukraine, Gaza, and Israel are too strong for me to just escape into apathy or hopelessness.  My prayer is that when we hit the bottom of our grief we will surrender to the reality that peace is beyond our human reach.  For it is only in surrender to our weakness that you can fill us with courage and strength for the living of these days.  Fill my weary spirit with your eternal peace and love, O Ground of all Being, and let me be a flicker of light in the darkness.    Amen

How Long, O God?

by Steve Harsh, posted in Christian Discipleship, Faith and Politics, Government Reform, gun violence, prayer

Oh My God, how can you stand the insanity of gun violence in this country. If you are truly omniscient and know everything then you already know about the headlines I just read detailing four separate mass shootings in four different states this weekend, and my wife told me about another that I haven’t even seen on my news feeds yet. That makes over 470 mass shootings in this country so far in less than 8 months of 2023!! That’s about two every day! It’s so common all this bloodshed doesn’t even make the news most of the time.

I know you want us to love our enemies, Lord, but I have to tell you I am having a hard time with the gun lobby folks who refuse to consider any common sense gun control legislation. They hide their greed behind the second amendment like it is some sacred edict when in fact it was produced over 200 years ago by frightened white men who feared their enslaved persons would rebel like their sisters and brothers did in Haiti a few years earlier.

Why can’t anyone see that we live in a totally different time when all the wrong people can easily get military style assault weapons. And yet we are hamstrung by a law adopted when guns were single shot muzzle loaders. And the only people who could change our antiquated laws are blinded by greed for the campaign contributions for which they have sold their souls. How can they not see the carnage their lust for power is causing?

Please, dear God, break through the denial and ignorance that are killing innocent people at parades, retail stores, and high school football games. Where can anyone go that is safe from an argument or road rage turning into a gun battle? What more can we do to raise this issue above the clamor of the political circus and the genuine tragedies of climate crisis everywhere?

Dear God, we know common sense gun laws work. They have worked here in the past, and they continue to work almost everywhere else in the world. How can we end America’s love affair with fire arms? Are we so frightened that we need deadly weapons to feel secure? If that’s the problem how can we create a just society where there is no need to feel threatened by others? I am in despair, Lord, that such a dream is even possible in our bitterly divided and broken country.

Scripture tells us that with you, Holy One, all things are possible. I want to believe that, God, I really do. Please raise up for us new leaders with the vision and courage to bind up our nation’s wounds and unite us in creating a culture of compassion where fear is no longer the driving force in our lives.

Please call and empower a new generation of visionary leaders who still believe that we can beat our AR-15’s into wind turbines, and turn our disagreements and fear into communities of collaboration. In the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, please, oh please hear our prayer. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

by Steve Harsh, posted in prayer, purpose

Oh dear gracious God, you know every thought we have, both good and bad.  You know the number of every hair on our heads, and every joy and sorrow of our hearts.  There is no need for us to recite the litany of all that’s wrong in our world or in our lives.  We know your big, loving heart must be breaking when you witness what humankind is doing to each other and to mother earth.  So in this sacred moment help us repent of our own complicity in the materialism of our time.  No matter how small or large our worship of the things of this world may be, we ask your forgiveness for all the times we  pursue the idols of stuff  that promise happiness but leave us hungering and thirsting for more.

Holy One, you know that Amazon Prime days and Power Ball billions will not satisfy the desire of our souls for the peace that passes human understanding.  The Barbie movie, or a front row seat at a Super Bowl, or a Taylor Swift concert may be joyful experiences, but they are temporary, not the eternal peace that comes when we accept your invitation to share in the joy of your reign.  That invitation comes with no price tag, but is a gift of grace, freely given.  And yet it is so precious that it is worth giving up all that we are and all that we have.

We want to accept your gracious gift of eternal life, O God.  We want it more than anything, but letting go of what we can see and touch for a spiritual kingdom that is unlike anything we have ever experienced is really hard.  We want to trust you, God, we really do, but surrendering control of our lives to you requires a leap of faith that is scary.  Remind us again today, dear Lord, of that great cloud of witnesses who have walked this way before us.  Show us again we are not alone in this search for peace in the midst of the madness of a world marching to the loud beat of a drum that leads not toward your kingdom but in the opposite direction. As we ponder and pray for the childlike trust to take the hand of Jesus who is the way to eternal life, we offer heartfelt thanks for those kingdom people among us who live and breathe your Holy Spirit into those around them.  They are Christ among us, and we renew our own commitment to be more like them and offer again a resounding “yes” to Jesus’ invitation to follow him. Amen

-Northwest United Methodist Church, July 23, 2023

Pentecost/Memorial Day Prayer

by Steve Harsh, posted in Faith and Values, prayer

O Holy Spirit of wind and flame, here we are to worship on this intersection of Pentecost and Memorial Day weekend.  As always our prayer is for your Holy Spirit to breathe life into all we do. As we set aside time this weekend to honor the memories of fallen heroines and heroes we give thanks for our inalienable freedoms, even as we also engage in the continuous work of preserving and extending basic human rights to all of your children.  On this holiday when we ponder the awful cost of wars past and present, we pray for your vision of peace and justice to become at last a reality in this broken world.

For many of us this weekend is also a time to remember loved ones who are in the great cloud of witnesses that surround us.  Memories are like the wind that blows where it will, sometimes when least expected a word or song triggers a recollection that tugs at our hearts or brings a warm glow to our souls or a tear to our eye.  Other times we get smacked by regrets of things undone or questions we failed to ask of those who can no longer share their experience and wisdom.

We give thanks for time this weekend with family and friends, for cookouts and re-creation, for new memories made and traditions passed from one generation to the next.  We are grateful for technology that can bridge miles of separation and for those moments of quiet reflection that span the divide between this life and the next.  

For many this is a time of transition as a school year ends and the more relaxed season of summer begins.  We give you heartfelt thanks for those who educate our children.  May this summer season be for all of us a time of renewal and refreshment, a time for the inner child in all of us to play, to star gaze and enjoy the beauty of nature, a time for more being and less doing; a time of Sabbath rest and meditation upon those people and values too precious for any price.  

And God, some of us are anxious about the possibility of economic trouble looming in our nation’s capital.  Please guide the leaders of both parties that they may reach an agreement that is fair and just for all, especially for those who can least afford a financial crisis.  

Bless our time of worship, O Gracious One. May it be a time of sharing in your Kingdom where we recognize that we dwell in you and you in us; that the circle of life is unbroken when we surrender all we have and all we are in service to our Lord and Savior, your beloved Son who taught us the prayer we share with one voice…..

Northwest UMC, Columbus, OH, May 28, 2023

On Mortality and Life Expectancy

by Steve Harsh, posted in Lenten devotion, prayer

I am officially in the season of my life when my friends are reminding me of our shared mortality.  No matter how hard we try to not be like our elders have been at our age, whenever we folks now  in our 70’s get together in person or on zoom, sharing of health concerns tends to dominate or at least infect our conversations.  I have for years had a dread of the time when one of my close friends dies, wondering when that may happen; and being grateful that I have been fortunate to reach 76 years without that experience.  But now I know it is not a question of if that will occur, but when. 

A year ago we lost a good friend who my wife had known for 40 plus years.  I had only shared that friendship with her for 8 or 9 years.  This year a good friend we’ve both known for 20 years is dying of lung cancer, and also two very good friends of mine whom I have known for over 50 years are facing possible life-threatening issues.  Given all that the familiar warning of John Donne to not “ask for whom the bell tolls” takes on a whole new existential meaning.

I was researching another topic the other day and came across some curious biblical passages that address but add no clarity to the familiar quandary we all wrestle with—how long can I expect to live.  On that topic Genesis 6:3 has God saying, “My spirit shall not abide in mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred twenty years.”  That could be both good news and bad.  But only a chapter later we are told “Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth.” (Genesis 7:6)  And to further muddy the waters (no pun intended)  Psalm 90:10 says, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.”

If we want certainty about how long we can expect to live those verses certainly don’t help.  They were written by different authors in very different contexts; but here’s what they are saying to me.  No one really knows how long they will walk on this earth.  We can let that uncertainty drive us crazy, or we can make peace with it and live in the only time we really ever have – Today.  Some days it is easier to do that than others of course, but finding that peace that passes all human understanding always depends on how well we can surrender our doubts and fears to the very source of our life. 

Surrender is hard for us competitive type humans.  It sounds like defeat or loss, and most of us really hate losing.  But this kind of surrender is just the opposite.  It is victory at the deepest level to find relief from things we cannot conquer on our own but need to offer up to a higher power.  Prayer can take a multitude of forms, but it is the best way we have to connect with that higher power and simply trust in the goodness and mercy only God can give. 

As I was writing this, the words to an old hymn I have not sung for many years, but the lyrics to “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” by Joseph Scriven are still in my memory bank, and they really sum up this whole matter and many other mysteries of life very well.  Those lyrics in part say,

“O what peace we often forfeit,
 O what needless pain we bear,

 All because we do not carry
 Everything to God in prayer!”

Prayer to Heal Our Addiction to Violence!

by Steve Harsh, posted in Christian Discipleship, Faith and Politics, prayer

Late tonight (Monday), when I should have been going to bed, I heard about yet another mass shooting in California. Not the one Saturday, but a new one on Monday, at least the fourth in the U.S. in three days. I don’t know what to do with my frustration and anger about this uniquely American problem; so I let my heart pour out to God:

Dear God, as you know the bad news of hate and killing just keeps crashing in on us like a tsunami. Monterrey Park, Baton Rouge, Des Moines, Half Moon Bay-all names added to the shameful litany of American gun violence in just the last 3 days. We humans are violent. We’ve known that since Cain killed Abel, but Cain couldn’t reload and kill dozens of people in a matter of seconds. We are tired of the “guns or people kill people argument.” People with guns kill people, and people with access to weapons of war can kill indiscriminately.

Why, O Lord, do we Americans have more guns than any other nation in the world? Yes, we confess our nation was born in violent revolution, oppression of black humans, and genocide of Native Americans. Gun ownership was carved into our Constitution because Southern slave owners feared their human property would rebel against their cruelty. Give us courage, dear God, to face those harsh truths or we will never stem the red tide of innocent blood that stains our collective soul.

Holy One, the fratricide at Gettysburg, Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Chattanooga didn’t quench the thirst for American violence. And when the gun manufacturers couldn’t sell their deadly wares to the military after the Civil War they cleverly used racism and fear of “others” to market more and more sophisticated weapons to American men eager to prove their manhood and protect their property and loved ones by owning the latest guns.

God, we are so tired of the discomfort that creeps upon us when we are in a crowd of people and begin to look around to see who might be the next gunman! This is no way to live! The gun lobby has purchased the votes of our elected officials so that no common sense gun control legislation can ever see the light of day. In my state and in others people can now carry concealed weapons without a permit! We are regressing instead of addressing our problem.

What will it take, Lord, to bring us to our senses? How many more innocent people will die before we find the courage to put an end to this madness? Why can’t we learn from what other countries have done? American exceptionalism blinds us to the wisdom and experience we need to glean from other cultures and nations!

Lord, we do have a mental health problem, that’s true, but the paranoia, rage, and desperation are more than individual problems. Our whole culture, economy, and system of government is mentally ill and in denial. Wake us up from this nightmare, Holy God. Bring us to our senses so we can stop doing the same thing (nothing) and expecting different results! We obviously don’t have a clue as to how to stop the madness on our own. Bring us humbly to our knees and give us ears to finally hear and obey the voice of the Prince of Peace. In whose holy name we beg for your healing mercy and love. Amen

A PRAYER FOR INTROVERTS

by Steve Harsh, posted in Aging to Sageing, prayer, self-care

Even though I had 9 good hours of sleep last night I still woke up tired.  So I’ve been thinking a lot all morning about how exhausting the two week holiday marathon at the end of December can be for introverts like me.  When I was a full time pastor I blamed my tiredness on how busy the Advent/Christmas/New Year’s season is in the life of the church.  Now that I am retired that explanation doesn’t work; especially this year when we celebrated Christmas Eve on line because of the nasty winter storm which canceled in person worship for many churches.

And then I read on Facebook that today, January 2, is actually World Introvert Day.  Here’s what I found in a quick Google search: “Introverts worldwide will be able to celebrate World Introvert Day on January 2. This is the day following the dreadful celebrations of the previous year has ended. It allows them to enjoy solitude finally and recharge their social batteries.  World Introvert Day started when psychologist and author Felicitas Heyne published this blog post calling for a day for us quiet ones.”

And so I wrote this prayer:

Holy One, I am grateful for the spiritual lessons of Advent and Christmas and for the changing of the calendar as a time for reflection and renewal, but I’m worn out.  I enjoyed time with families and friends and lots of good food and fellowship.  But I’m tired; I’m tired of people and parties.  I’m tired of hearing the same holiday songs on a continuous loop.  I need some peace and quiet, solitude and time to just breathe and be. 

I need a sabbatical, and I know you get it, God, even if my extrovert friends never seem to run down.  You took a day off after creation and rested.  You included honoring Sabbath rest in your Top Ten rules for living.  So thank you for that.  Please help me to not feel guilty for putting my feet up and taking a nap today.  Please help me set healthy boundaries on my energy levels; to remind myself and others that we introverts need downtime and solitude to recharge our batteries. 

We can do the party circuit.  We can prepare holiday meals and clean up.  We can play games with the grandkids.  But it drains our energy, and we need time to refresh, especially this time of year when the calendar is super full of events we want to attend.   I even surprised myself this year that I was able be more present and active with family and friends, even when I didn’t feel like it beforehand.  And then I crash when the party is over. 

Please help me be gentle with myself; to not give up or get frustrated, but to rest when I’m tired.  I think Isaiah must have been thinking of us introverts when he said, “God does not faint or grow weary; God’s understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted, but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;  they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (40:28-31)

Thank you, source of all energy, for Sabbath moments or days when we can simply wait on you.  Amen

2022 Advent Peace Candle

by Steve Harsh, posted in Advent, prayer

3000 years ago the prophet Isaiah shared his vision of lions lying down with lambs, and humans beating their swords into plowshares and not learning war any more.

And we’re still waiting.

2000 years ago John the Baptist was a voice crying in the wilderness, and the angels over Bethlehem delivered the birth announcement of a baby who would bring peace on earth.

And we’re still waiting.

Sometimes it feels so foolish to light a peace candle every Advent. Bombs are still dropping on Ukraine and young Americans are still dying from senseless gun violence.

And we are still waiting.

But we who know Jesus continue to believe. We know Jesus can calm a raging sea by simply saying, “Peace be still.” We know he can calm our fearful hearts when we think we can’t go on. We know Jesus showed us how to conquer fear by the way he died non-violently and rose again victoriously. Because we have known his peace in our hearts we are able to wait as long as it takes. And while we wait we light the candle of peace to renew our allegiance to Jesus, the Prince of Peace

[Light 2nd Candle]

Let us pray: Holy God of all people and all of creation, touch our troubled hearts with your Spirit of holy peace. Remind us again that we are not called to passively wait for peace to miraculously appear. Human nature is too flawed for that to happen. We are not called to be peacekeepers who want only a lack of conflict and preservation of the status quo. Instead you call us to be peacemakers, co-creators of a just and loving world order. Show us the way, heavenly parent, to make peace wherever you have planted us. Whether we are refereeing a squabble between our children or solving a complicated situation at school or work, let the peaceful ways of Jesus be our guide. Help us let go of things we cannot change so we can be your agents of peace in places where we can make a difference. May we act as we pray, in the name of Jesus. Amen