IN THIS "THY KINGDOM COME" NOVENA OF PRAYER,
HERE'S A CHANCE TO VISIT SOME PARAPHRASES OF
THE FAMILIAR WORDS OF THE LORD'S PRAYER.
Eternal Spirit: Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven: The hallowing of your name echo through the universe! The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world! Your heavenly will be done by all created beings! Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth. With the bread we need for today, feed us. In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. In times of temptation and test, strengthen us. From trials too great to endure, spare us. From the grip of all that is evil, free us. For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and for ever. Amen (Jim Cotter)
Father and Mother of all,
You are love through and through, and we bless You.
Let Your new world come; let what You long for be always done,
In everyone, everywhere – and in us.
Be near enough to reach our need every day.
Be gentle enough to forgive us the hurt we have done to You
As we are gentle and forgive in our turn.
Never let us fall, but draw us away from evil and the dark.
For we know the world that is coming is Yours, all Yours,
In richness and beauty and splendour. Amen. (Simon Bailey)
God, who cares for us, The wonder of whose presence fills us with awe.
Let kindness, justice and love shine in our world. Let your secrets be known here as they are in heaven. Give us the food and the hope we need for today.
Forgive us our wrongdoing as we forgive the wrongs done to us. Protect us from pride and from despair and from the fear and hate which can swallow us up.
In you is truth, meaning, glory and power, while worlds come and go. Amen. (Moncia Furlong)
Indwelling God, infused throughout all existence, we honour you, who are called by many names..
Your realm is within the human heart. We accept life for all that it can be, on earth as throughout all creation.
May we continue to draw sustenance from this earth, and may we receive forgiveness equal to our own.
May we ever move from separation toward union,
to live in grace, with love in our hearts, forever and ever. Amen. Fred F. Keip
may we honour and praise you:
may we work with you to establish
your new order of justice, peace and love.
Give us what we need for growth,
and help us, through forgiving others, to accept forgiveness.
Strengthen us in the time of testing,
that we may resist all evil.
For all the tenderness,
strength and love are yours,
now and forever. Amen. (W Wallace)
God, heart of the world:
revealed through every aspect of creation:
understood through our awareness.
May we honour the holiness of creation
and act accordingly so that your love is reflected in the way we live.
May we always be thankful
for the food we eat and the friends we have.
May we forgive those who transgress against us
and be forgiven for our own.
In the freedom of love may we live as your heartbeat
and not be compromised by hesitation.
Through our freedom,
may your justice be seen and heard and experienced
forever and ever. Amen. (Sherri J. Weinberg)
Loving God, within and around us, we revere you.
We seek to live life as you would want us to do;
with love and respect for all people
and all things in the universe.
May we find each day sufficient for our needs,
and find forgiveness when we do wrong,
just as we forgive those who do wrong to us.
In times of trouble, may we centre our lives in you.
For your being is love,
which comes with strength and with beauty,
throughout eternity. Amen. (Margaret Rolfe)
Hold us in a sense of mystery and wonder.
Let the fullness of your goodness be within us and around us.
Let all the world know your ways of caring and generosity.
May we find we have all we need to meet each day
without undue anxiety.
Overlook our many stupidities,
and help us to release everyone from theirs.
May we know we are accepted.
Strengthen us that we will reach out to the best,
always with the faith to rise above the ugly realities of our existence.
And we celebrate the gifts you have given us:
the rich kingdom of life’s possibilities,
the power to do good and the triumphs of good,
and the moments when we have seen
the glory and wonder of everything.
You are life’s richness.
You are life’s power.
You are life’s ultimate meaning.
Always. And for everyone.
And for ever more. Amen. (F.Macnab)
