The Reverend Dr. Katie Snipes Lancaster

From dawn to dusk we long for you O God. We chase the slow-down, stillness and sturdy concentration, that connects us to you, that much more deeply. But even now we trust that our wild restlessness can just as easily tether us to you.

There is a stirring deep down, alluding to your presence. We will not be swallowed whole by today’s worries. We will not be chased into a corner by today’s troubles. You meet us unencumbered, unimpaired. Your liberation cuts through whatever binds us. At your divine kitchen table we find more love than the heart can hold.

Cut through the stillness, the wild restlessness, so that we might hear your call, and know you here amid the sacred silence of this sanctuary.

When we carry suffering and remorse; when we need forgiveness and reconciliation; when we long for a way through and a lighted path; when we cannot see the road ahead and long for hope, draw near. Be with us. Hold our fear. Overhaul our distress. Carry our burden. Mend our heart.

When loss is on the horizon; when something is missing; when what once was seems larger than what is, be near. Every breath a connection to you. Every heartbeat a sign of your incarnate presence.

When the world overwhelms; when wars and rumors of wars take center stage; when military exercises and peace talks become daily gossip; when refugees have seemingly nowhere to flee; when every global malady seems possible. Abide with us. Prompt us to be part of your lived peace. Show us your way, not our way. Balance stillness and action, balance talk and tactic. Turn us toward you.

And hear us as we pray the prayer Jesus teaches us saying, Our Father…. Amen.