A Prayer for Quiet Confidence

A Prayer for Quiet Confidence

O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we will be saved, in quietness and confidence will be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~ Book of Common Prayer

Bay Ridge in Brooklyn at sunset, CPE summer 2017

Open my lips, O Lord, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Open my lips, O Lord, *

and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, *

and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from your presence *

and take not your holy Spirit from me.

Give me the joy of your saving help again *

and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. 

(From Psalm 51, as found in the Book of Common Prayer)

Rosedown Plantation, St. Francisville, Louisiana

A Collect for Evening

Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is

past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and

awaken hope, that we may know you as you are revealed in

Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake

of your love. Amen.
~ from the Book of Common Prayer

Evening light at the Sagrada familia, Barcelona. Photo by Caroline Carson

The Cows of Azerbaijan and A Prayer for Joy in God's Creation

A Prayer for Joy in God's Creation
(from the Book of Common Prayer, The Episcopal Church)

O heavenly Father, who hast filled the world with beauty:

Open our eyes to behold thy gracious hand in all thy works;

that, rejoicing in thy whole creation, we may learn to serve

thee with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all

things were made, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today, I had a look through some photos from my treks last summer and found a set of photos of the drive from Georgia into Azerbaijan. What a gorgeous setting, in spite of the fact that it was at least a million degrees (actually about 105) and extremely dry. I hadn't yet discovered the funnel web spider holes all over the fields (and thank goodness for that!) so I was quite at ease when we stopped to rest and so I could take this photo. This scene reminds me again that we are but a small portion of God's creation and need to keep that in mind. What would we be without the rest of our planetary residents? I, for one, love cows. I always have. The docile (for the most part) creatures in this scene give me the utmost sense of peace. It helped that I could hear faint bovine sounds and feel a gentle breeze. Even though the sun was blazing, it gave me an opportunity - and a duty - to stand still for a moment and observe life.

The Fields of Azerbaijan, summer 2015 by C. Carson

A Collect for Today

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought

us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty

power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by

adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your

purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(as found in the Book of Common Prayer)

A Prayer for All People

A Prayer for All People 

(from the Prayers of the People in the Book of Common Prayer)

Let us pray for all people in their daily life and work;

For our families, friends, and neighbors,

and for those who are alone.

For this community, the nation, and the world;

For all who work for justice, freedom, and peace.

Hear us, Lord;

For your mercy is great. Amen.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

(as found in the Book of Common Prayer, The Episcopal Church)

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise
for all that you have done for us.
We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation,
for the beauty of this world,
for the wonder of life,
and for the mystery of love.
We thank you for the blessing of family and friends,
and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.
We thank you for setting us at tasks
which demand our best efforts,
and for leading u to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.
Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ;
for the truth of his Word and the example of his life;
for his steadfast obedience,
by which he overcame temptation;
for his dying,
through which he overcame death;
and for his rising to life again,
in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.
Grant us the gift of your Spirit,
that we may know your Spirit and make your Spirit known;
and through your Spirit, at all times and in all places,
may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

Zion Canyon, 2012 by C. Carson

A Prayer for the Human Family

A Prayer for the Human Family
(as found in the Book of Common Prayer, The Episcopal Church)

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us

through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole

human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which

infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;

unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and

confusion to accomplish your purposes on Earth; that, in

your good time, all nations and races may serve you in

harmony around your heavenly throne; 

through Jesus Christ

our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Healing

For Health of Body and Soul
~ from the Book of Common Prayer

May God the Father bless you, God the Son heal you, God

the Holy Spirit give you strength. May God the holy and

undivided Trinity guard your body, save your soul, and bring

you safely to his heavenly country; 

where he lives and reigns

for ever and ever. 

 Amen.

Flower found in Chitwan jungle, Nepal, 2014

Some Earth Day 2015 Thoughts, Prayers, and Links

Earth Day, 2015

This gorgeous photo is entitled Earthrise. Taken by astronaut William Anders in 1968, on the Apollo 8 mission, the first manned mission to orbit the Moon. It is considered "the most influential environmental photograph ever taken" (according to Garen Rowell, photographer). I dearly love this image and for me, it serves as a frequent reminder to check my perspective and to look up at the sky, remembering we are all on a little roundish rock whirling in orbit around an average white star in a vast universe. 

Today is Earth Day. 

First is the appreciation and then there's the "what are you going to do about it?" question.

At the recent Episcomm (Episcopal Communicators) conference held at The Bishop Claggett Center in Adamstown, Maryland, we were extremely fortunate to be blessed with both the Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori and her husband, Richard Schori. In the presiding bishop's keynote address to us, she mentioned how important it is that we care for our Earth in addition to caring for humanity on it. 

She said: "Being able to discern the hand of God in ALL creation is important, essential work!" 

"We must be stewards of creation. If not, we won't have a place to continue other good work"

The message: We are stewards of God's creation.

Ok, so what am I personally doing to help care for our Earth? I decided a couple of weeks ago to try and cut my electricity useage. This stemmed from the "Dark Hour" or Earth Hour experiment and I realized when I did it, that I leave lights on all over the apartment. I also went out that weekend and replaced all my old bulbs with the "correct" longer-lasting (really?) ones. I also decided that when my office lights go off during the day, I'll leave them off and use my windows. Less headaches too!

The resources: I began looking at what our church has out there in the way of resources for Earth Day prayers and liturgies as well as resources and while I'm a bit late, here is a little bit of what I found.

- Resources for Environmental Liturgy: found in the Book of Common Prayer, Enriching Our Worship, and The Hymnal 1982, compiled by the Episcopal Diocese of New York
- Episcopal Relief and Development

- The Climate Change Crisis Forum now available for viewing. Presiding Bishop’s keynote address; 30 Days of Action leads up to Earth Day  * Here (via ENS)

- The Episcopal Ecological Network

- I love this: The PB's message on Climate Change. It's in the form of a bulletin insert

- Episcopal Liturgies for Earth Day

Some prayers that can be used for Earth Day 

Almighty God, in giving us dominion over things on earth, you made us fellow workers in your creation: Give us wisdom and reverence so to use the resources of nature, that no one may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet to come may continue to praise you for your bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
- Book of Common Prayer

God is the foundation for everything
This God undertakes, God gives.
Such that nothing that is necessary for life is lacking.
Now humankind needs a body that at all times honors and praises God.
This body is supported in every way through the earth.
Thus the earth glorifies the power of God.
-Hildegard of Bingen

Lord, help us to maintain a reverent attitude towards nature, threatened from all sides today, in such a way that we may restore it completely to the condition of brother/sister and to its role of usefulness to all humankind for the glory of God the Creator.
- Franciscan prayer

Kingfisher bird. Photo taken by Caroline Carson in Chitwan National Park, Nepal, 2014

A Prayer for Quiet Confidence

A Prayer for Quiet Confidence

O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

~Book of Common Prayer

#Episcopal #BCP #prayer #EDOLA #Anglican #God #confidence

Episcopal Prayer: The Wonders and Mysteries of the Universe

God, grant as we discover the fascinating wonders and mysteries of the universe, we may
come to know you more truly! Amen .

Hubble Ultra Deep Field 2014
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, H.Teplitz and M.Rafelski (IPAC/Caltech),
A. Koekemoer (STScI), R. Windhorst(ASU), Z. Levay (STScI)

O Gracious Light!

O gracious Light,

pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven

O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,

and our eyes behold the vesper light,

we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,

O Son of God, O Giver of life,

and to be glorified through all the worlds.

~ From The Book of Common Prayer (1979)

The Phos Hilaron (Φῶς Ἱλαρόν) is an ancient hymn - translated into English as 'Hail Gladdening Light' or 'O Gladsome/Joyous Light'. It is the earliest known Christian hymn recorded outside of the Bible that is still in use today. It is part of vespers in the Eastern Orthodox tradition and also used in Episcopal, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies. My personal favorite version is the translation by John Keble here below:

Hail, gladdening Light, of His pure glory poured

Who is th’immortal Father, heavenly, blest,

Holiest of Holies – Jesus Christ our Lord!

Now we are come to the sun’s hour of rest;

The lights of evening round us shine;

We hymn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit divine!

Worthiest art thou at all times to be sung

With undefiled tongue,

Son of our God, giver of life, alone:

Therefore in all the world thy glories, Lord, they own.

NASA APOD google search shadowplaynyc blog

An Evening Prayer

From the Book of Common Prayer, 1979

O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live: Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Three Galaxies and a Comet
Image Credit & Copyright: Miloslav Druckmuller (Brno University of Technology)
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131020.html

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

From the Book of Common Prayer, 1979

O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live: Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Three Galaxies and a Comet
Image Credit & Copyright: Miloslav Druckmuller (Brno University of Technology)
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131020.html

A Collect for Grace

I posted this Collect for Grace on our St. Paul's Episcopal FB page, but I thought I'd include it here along with my photo of the light streaming through the lovely stained glass window behind our Baptismal font. I cannot get enough of this light or taking pictures of it every chance I get :-)

A Collect for Grace (1928 BCP, Morning Prayer)

O Lord, our heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day; Defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings, being ordered by thy governance, may be righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.