Image by Valentin Sabau from Pixabay

Autumn prayer

Tuesday October 1 2019

God of the seasons,
As Earth turns over into autumn
And the days empty
More quickly of light,
We turn to You.

Amongst the red and orange and gold,
And the revealed praying boughs
Of the trees that seem to reach to heaven itself,
Remind us of the colour and architecture
Of our natural faith.

Remind us to let our roots
Run deep into Your hope,
And be nourished by Your loving presence.

Remind us to raise hearts and minds and eyes
Upwards and outwards like branches to embrace
The far horizons of Your grace.

Remind us that the dark is not too dark
For You,
And that even there You will meet us
To bless and protect us, and give us light,
And warm our very souls.

When our world seems bleak and fractious,
When argument and fear grip our minds and hearts,
And our daily news is a litany of woe,
May our Lord of Hopefulness sing the words
And breathe the silence that steadies our lives.

Give peace, O Lord, in our time.
Give hope, O Lord, in our time.
Give justice, O Lord, in our time.
Give grace, O Lord, in our time.
Give generosity, O Lord, in our time.
Give love, O Lord, in our time.

So hear our prayers for better days
And opportunity to share our faith
In ways that brings good news to empty lives,
And fearful hearts, and broken spirits.
That the soul of our world, our nation, and our Church
Might be revived and strengthened
To do God’s work, and live God’s promise,
And make the difference for good
That transforms lives and shapes the future.

Amen