FCCR-ACE Prayer Blog

Congregationalists Learning to Pray

To set the tone An excerpt from the BBC via NPR

“Hundreds of thousands of French workers have begun protests across the country during a nationwide strike.

Schools are closed and public transport is being disrupted, with demonstrations organised in about 200 towns.

Police said there were about 85,000 people at the rally, according to the AFP news agency.

“They have a profound sense of social injustice, and that, I think, is something that neither the government nor the employers have understood,” said Jean-Claude Mailly, head of the large Force Ouvriere union.

Marches are also being held in Marseille, Lyon, Grenoble and many other towns and cities.

It is the second time in two months that major demonstrations have been held, following a similar display in January.

Recent polls show three-quarters of French people support the strikers.

President Sarkozy said on Wednesday that he “understands the concerns of the French people” but has ruled out plans for further measures.

Unemployment is likely to shoot up to 10% in the next 12 months with a further 350,000 lay-offs expected by the end of this year.

Many people are angry that big companies like the oil giant Total is making staff redundant while simultaneously announcing record profits, the BBC’s Emma Jane Kirby in Paris says.”

OK GOD here we have in a different part of the world where it seems outrage and injustice is a motivating influence upon the population…I would pray that we could learn in this country from our French role models about how to demonstrate our support for the common working folk who are fighting against unemployment with means that may not have proven terrifically effective over time but nevertheless show a solidarity that we so rarely see in this country.

I would pray for solidarity
I would pray for employment for all
I would pray to end hunger and
I would pray for respect for working folk.
I would pray that executives do the right thing even if the law doesn’t say they have to.

Amen

OK GOD

Seems unjust
so much of the solution to the crisis just seems unjust…

Th govt couldn’t possibly ask AIG to reconsider or break the employment contracts of the boobs who wrote those toxic financial deals because “who” would be able to know enough about the credit default swaps to undo them and so we the taxpayers have to reward these boobs by giving them retention bonuses for creating a disaster that we the people need these boobs to stick around and undo……….

YET the auto workers and unions all across the country are being told time and again that their previously negotiated employment contracts will have to be voided in light of the current economic climate…

OK GOD I don’t believe it…I don’t believe that they should be rewarded for creating the mess…Perhaps we should tell those boobs that IF they don’t undo the contracts and the mess they got us into…..they will go to jail.. their bonus will be working for a reasonable autoworker’s salary and staying out of jail….

I guess it is beyond foolish to hope for equity in the current economic environment…

I know that judgement is the the Lord’s but I would ask that you visit the political leaders and help them see a way to prevent this earthly injustice.

AMEN

(several days ago the prayer journal invited us to find a favorite scripture…I opened up to one of the many post-its in my Bible and landed on Isaiah, chapter 55. later in the day I wrote this alternative…)

Come! Bring nothing; you need not pay.
Listen to me.
I promise to be with you forever –
without exception.
Seek God; call upon God.
Turn from any evil ways and return to God.
God will be merciful.

The way God thinks are not the way you and I think –
God’s ways are more loving and forgiving.
You’ve seen how rain and snow fall to water the earth
to nurture seedlings, plants and trees…
God’s word works like this too,
feeding and sustaining us, God’s loved children.

Hear these promises:
the mountains and hills will sing for joy.
No weed will sprout up, rather the tree of life –
a reminder of God’s everlasting love.

Well, God,
My resolve to get organized with my lenten devotions
really went south ealry in the game this year.
Why is it so much harder to stick to a
plan as I get older?
Where is that spark of inspiration and blind confidence
that I can follow through with something I probably
should not be able to do that ends up gloriously, as did
the Rummage Sale for Cindy?
I remember those sparks and the surge of energy that
spurred my actions to a positive finish.
I remember, afterwards, the realization that devine
intervention must have guided me through, since I certainly
could not have done all THAT without it.
I long for new sparks to spur me on to energized productivity.
But, I cannot seem to get out of my own way these days.
The everyday tasks of organizing my schedule and
keeping in mind what “needs t be done next” are all consuming.
Where is the drive to keep my temple fit in thanks to you
and in preparation for many years of future service to you?
Where is the spark of determination that leads to unexpected
new heights of accomplishments?
As I wallow in self pity for what is no longer common in my life,
remind me dailly of that which is,
of laughter and good friends to share it with,
of love and caring that surround me,
of the everlasting promise of spring to come
of the crocuses and other early bloomers that pop up to greet me
for just a few days each year, and then rest until another spring,
of the inspiration that began the prayer group and this blog
(whatever a blog is anyway)
and for your continued presence and guidance in my life.
Amen

Hi God,

I seem to be rather distractable these days.
It’s tough to get one task done
because a million other things
keep popping into my mind,
begging for immediate attention.
According to Dorothy Day,
the solution to this is to pray more.
Apparently the calm that comes from prayer
also brings calm and a sense of order to the mind.
Or something like that.

So my prayer today is to make time
to focus solely on you for a time each day.
That in itself should be enough,
but if it’s not asking too much,
I would like the focus to carry over
to daily tasks,
so I can get one thing done
before another task intrudes.

Also, if it’s not asking too much,
please have mercy on my soul,
sinner though I be.

Amen