The Great Spirit

I have been invited to preach again this summer at our church in northern Vermont. I'm humbled, excited and nervous. So, I've been reading through the Lectionary and looking for cool prayers--I came upon this Native American one. I love it and think I'll be using it this summer.

Great Spirit Prayer

"Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the wind,
Whose breath gives life to all the world.
Hear me; I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice
Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people.
Help me to remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes towards me.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.
Help me seek pure thoughts and act with the intention of helping others.
Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me.
I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy
Myself.
Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.

Psalm 23

At my last Spiritual Formation class we were discussing prayer with scripture. We spent most of our time with Psalms and were asked to write our own Psalm 23 based on who God is to us. It was a great exercise to actually describe and explain who God is in my life. This is what I came up with.



Psalm 23

The Lord is my reality check; I shall not take myself too seriously.
He knows my heart.
He gives me clarity of purpose.
He restores my sense of humor.
He guides me in the ways of justice and peace
for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the maze of life’s challenges
you provide me with wisdom,
for you are my moral compass;
your truth and discernment
they guide me.

You are the DJ for the soundtrack of my life
the song birds of spring, the words of love and encouragement, the chatter of children;
you paint the world with piercing color;
my eyes open in wonder.

Surely your strength and compassion are my source
for patience, gentleness, humility,
and I can approach you without pretense
whenever.