Prayer

Pray as you can - never as you think you should. Authenticity in prayer is everything. Prayer is hardly ever about words, but you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. We hope the following links to the 'word side' of things may be helpful.

PRAYERS for various occasions
A small collection of prayers, plus links to other sites should you wish to say one of the
‘offices’ of daily prayer

Prayer at the start of the day
>The Office of Morning Prayer
(Church of England, contemporary and traditional language options)

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.

Prayer in the Evening
>The Office of Evening Prayer

Prayer at night
The ancient office of Compline derives its name from a Latin word meaning 'completion'
(completorium). It is above all a service of quietness before rest at the end of the day.
Online version.

Various prayers

A prayer written by John Donne
Bring us, O Lord God, at our last awakening, into the house and gate of heaven, to enter into that gate and dwell in that house, where there shall be no darkness nor dazzling, but one equal light; no noise nor silence but one equal music; no fears nor hopes but one equal possession; no ends nor beginnings but one equal eternity; in the habitations of thy Majesty and thy Glory, world without end. Amen.

A prayer attributed to Saint Benedict
O Gracious and Holy Father
Give us Wisdom to perceive Thee,
Diligence to seek Thee,
Patience to wait for Thee,
Eyes to behold Thee,
A heart to meditate upon Thee,
And a life to proclaim Thee;
Through the power of the
Spirit of Jesus Christ
Our Lord. Amen

A prayer attributed to St Francis
Lord make me an instrument of your Peace.
Where there is hatred let me sow Love
Where there is injury, Pardon
Where there is doubt, Faith
Where there is despair, Hope
Where there is darkness, Light
Where there is sadness, Joy
O Divine Master, grant that I not so
much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

A prayer for peace
Dear God, Lead me from death to life,
From falsehood to truth.
Lead me from despair to hope,
From fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love, from war to peace.
Let peace fill our heart our world, our universe.
Please heal those who have committed grave travesties upon others and
prevent them from such actions again.
Please comfort, bless and heal those who have suffered under the hand of their violence.
Please allow our world to come back to a position of peace, joy and understanding.

Holding on to the Silence - our own Daily Prayer material for use by members of our community and
others who find it useful

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Our Father in heaven, 
hallowed be your name,    
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.       
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation             but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,         
and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.

"The beginning of prayer is praise. The power of worship is song. To worship is to join the cosmos in praising God. . . .  Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive, unless it seeks to overthrow and to ruin the pyramids of callousness, hatred, opportunism, falsehoods." 
A J Heschel