Opening Prayers/Prayers of Adoration on the Creator
Grant us, Lord, to hope on your name,
the primal source of creation
and open the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know you,
who alone is the highest of the high,
the holiest of the holy;
who humbles the proud
and elevates the lowly;
who makes rich and makes poor;
who kills and makes alive.
You alone are the God of spirits and of all flesh;
who sees into the depths,
who surveys humanity’s works;
the relief of those in danger,
the savior of those in despair;
the creator and ruler of all spirits;
who spreads the nations over the earth,
and has chosen out of all mankind those
that love you through Jesus Christ, your beloved son,
through whom you taught us, sanctified us, honored us.
Opening of the Great Prayer of Clement of Rome, from 1 Clement 59:3. Originally translated by J. B. Lightfoot (1890). Adapted for modern liturgical use.
You, Lord God, made the eternal fabric of the world appear, and you created the earth. You are always trustworthy, you judge fairly, excellent and marvelous in your power; wise in creating and careful to make firm what you have made, blessing us with the visible creation and dependable for those who trust in you, merciful and compassionate. Forgive us our sins and our shortcomings, our breaking of your laws and our lack of righteousness. We are your servants; do not blame us for all that we have done wrong, but make us clean with your truth, and guide our steps to walk in holiness and righteousness and singleness of heart, that we may do those good things which will please you and win the favor of our rulers.
Lord, make your face to shine upon us in peace, for our good, that we may be sheltered by your mighty hand and set free from the consequences of sin by the power of your arm. Protect us against those who unjustly hate us. Give peace and harmony to us and to all who dwell on earth, while we obey your almighty and most excellent name, and while we obey our earthly rulers and governors, as you did to our ancestors, when they prayed to you in faith and truth with holiness.
Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 60. Quoted in Walter Mitchell, Trns, Early Christian Prayers, ed., A. Hamman, Longman Green, London, and Henry Regnery, Chicago, 1961.
I appeal to you, Lord, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob and Israel, you the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Infinitely merciful as you are, it is your will that we should learn to know you. You made heaven and earth, you rule supreme over all that is. You are the true, the only God; there is no other god above you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, grant that all who read what I have written here may know you, because you alone are God; let them draw strength from you; keep them from all teaching that is heretical, irreligious or godless.
Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies 3.6.4, Christian Classics Ethereal Library, https://ccel.org/ccel/irenaeus/against_heresies_iii/anf01
Creator of all things,
Alpha and Omega,
Beginning and End,
Father, Shepherd, Servant,
Brother, Priest and King.
Whose love poured out
mends broken hearts.
Whose wounded hands
reach out to all.
Whose Spirit waits
to enter in.
You are the everything
that we desire.
Be with us now.
Bless us that we might be
a blessing to others.
AMEN
John Birch, Faith and Worship
Holy and Gracious God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We give you thanks for the gift of life,
for the gift of Jesus our Savior,
for the gift of the Holy Spirit, and
for the gift of this sacrament that nourishes our souls.
Like a potter at the wheel you created us,
shaping us in secret in the hidden depths.
You read our inmost thoughts and desires
and you keep your hand upon us always,
reshaping us as seems good to you
whenever we allow ourselves to become
misshapen, pressed into the world’s mold.
Lord, lead us through the trials;
the suffering and sorrow,
the challenges and struggles,
the tired times and dark places.
And use those experiences to make us
more like Jesus.
O God, You amaze us! Summer is the time You designed for thunderstorms. We understand the science because You gave human beings wisdom and curiosity, and the ability to try to figure things out. We understand that thunder happens when lightning suddenly heats the air and it explodes. But why did You make the lightning so hot? And why did You make the thunder so loud? Are either necessary? Or did You arrange things this way to get our attention? Is that why the Bible calls thunder the voice of God? There is so much we don’t know. Because we are just people, and You are the awesome God. We don’t know much but You have told us that all of creation is designed to bring You glory. So help us, the next time we see lightning or hear the thunder, to join with creation’s praise. May it shake us out of our indifference and make us focus on Your presence and power and goodness. Then, and now, we praise You, we worship You, we humble ourselves before You. Amen.
Julie Olive Hughes
O Lord. You created the stars and named every one of them. We have named some of the clusters like Pleiades or Orion. The Big and Little Dippers, Aquarius, Libra, Andromeda. But we can’t name them all. You challenged Abraham to count them, and of course, he couldn’t. Not with 100 billion stars in just the Milky Way galaxy. Today, we’re no better off, even with the Hubble telescope. Instead, the pictures it sent us just confirm how silly it would be to try to number them. Why did You create so many, O God? Was it a simple expression of Your power? Was is a spontaneous desire to bring great beauty out of Your nature? Was it to prove to humans beings how insignificant we are in ourselves? How little we know after centuries of studying? We don’t know. But we cry out with King David, When [we] look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that You should think about them? [What are] human beings that You should care for them? We are humbled. We are drawn into worship. Accept our praise. Amen.
Julie Olive Hughes