Above:  Christ Stilling the Tempest, 1867

Image Engraved by Samuel Sartain (1830-1906)

James Hamilton (1819-1878), Artist

Image Source = Library of Congress

(http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2006677468/)

Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-pga-03265

Hymn Source = The Church Hymnary (1927), Presbyterian

Words (1871) by the Reverend Edward Hopper (1818-1888), pastor of the Presbyterian Church of the Land and the Sea, New York, New York, where he ministered to many sailors

http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2013/07/10/feast-of-edward-hopper-february-29/

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1.  Jesus, Saviour, pilot me

Over life’s tempestuous sea;

Unknown waves before me roll,

Hiding rock and treacherous shoal;

Chart and compass come from Thee:

Jesus, Saviour, pilot me.

2.  As a mother stills her child,

Thou canst hush the ocean wild;

Boisterous waves obey Thy will,

When Thou say’st to them, “Be still!”

Wondrous Sovereign of the sea,

Jesus, Saviour, pilot me.

3.  When at last I near the shore,

And the fearful breakers roar

‘Twixt me and the peaceful rest,

Then, while leaning on Thy breast,

May I hear Thee say to me,

“Fear not, I will pilot thee.”

Above:  The Orphan ‘s Prayer

Lithograph Created (1840-1860) by Thomas S. Sinclair (1805-1881)

Image Source = Library of Congress

(http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/95507822/)

Reproduction Number = LC-USZC4-3402

James Edmeston (1791-1867), a London architect and surveyor, visited the London Orphan Asylum (http://www.qype.co.uk/place/239227-The-London-Orphan-Asylum-London) often and wrote over 2000 hymns–one per week for many years.

http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2013/07/10/feast-of-jemima-thompson-luke-and-james-edmeston-february-29/

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Saviour, Breathe an Evening Blessing:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/07/07/saviour-breathe-an-evening-blessing/

Lead Us, Heavenly Father:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/lead-us-heavenly-father/

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Above:  Night, Between 1910 and 1920

Publisher and Copyright Claimant = Detroit Publishing Company

Image Source = Library of Congress

Reproduction Number = LC-D4-72241

Hymn Source (Stanzas #1 and  2) = The Church Hymnary (1927), Presbyterian

Hymn Source (Stanza #3) = New Worship and Song (1942), Congregational Christian Churches (U.S.A.)

Stanzas #1 and 2 (1820), by James Edmeston (1791-1867)

Stanza #3 (1876) by Edward Henry Bickesteth (1825-1905)

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1.  Saviour, breathe an evening blessing

Ere repose our spirits seal;

Sin and want we come confessing:

Thou canst save, and Thou canst heal.

Though destruction walk around us,

Though the arrow past us fly,

Angel guards from Thee surround us;

We are safe if Thou art nigh.

2.  Though the night be dark and dreary,

Darkness cannot hide from thee;

Thou art He who, never weary,

Watchest where Thy people be.

Should swift death this night o’ertake us,

And our couch become our tomb,

May the morn in heaven awake us,

Clad in light and deathless bloom.

3.  Father, to thy holy keeping

Humbly we ourselves resign;

Saviour, who hast kept our sleeping,

Make our slumbers pure as thine;

Blessed Spirit, brooding o’er us,

Chase the darkness of our night,

Till the perfect day before us

Breaks in everlasting light.

Above:  Evening Prayer, Circa 1906

Image Copyrighted by W. H. Partridge, Boston, Massachusetts

Image Source = Library of Congress

(http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002718310/)

Reproduction Number = LC-USZ62-88923

Hymn Source = The Church Hymnary (1927), Presbyterian

Words (1839) by Mary Lundie Duncan (1814-1840), for her children

http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/feast-of-mary-lundie-duncan-january-31/

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1.  Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me;

Bless Thy little lamb to-night;

Through the darkness be Thou near me;

Watch my sleep till morning light.

2.  All this day Thy hand has led me,

And I thank Thee for Thy care;

Thou hast clothed me, warmed and fed me;

Listen to my evening prayer.

3.  Let my sins be all forgiven;

Bless the friends I love so well;

Take me, when I die, to heaven,

Happy there with Thee to dwell.

Above:  Flag of the United States of America

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Prayers Source = Chalice Worship (1997), of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

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Almighty God, giver of all good things:

We thank you for the natural majesty and beauty of this land.  They restore us, though we often destroy them.

Heal us.

We thank you for the great resources of this nation.  They make us rich though we often exploit them.

Forgive us.

We thank you for the men and women who have made this country strong.  They are models for us, though we often fall short of them.

Inspire us.

We thank you for the torch of liberty that has been lit in this land.  It has drawn people from every nation, though we have often hidden from its light.

Enlighten us.

We thank you for the faith we have inherited in all its rich variety.  It sustains our life, though we have been faithless again and again.

Renew us.

Help us, O Lord, to finish the good work here begun.  Strengthen our efforts to blot out ignorance and prejudice, and to abolish poverty and crime.  And hasten the day when all people, with many voices in one united chorus, will glorify your holy Name.

Amen.

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We pray for this nation in which you have set us,

for its men and women of government,

for the leaders of commerce and industry,

for those who through newspapers and television lead in thought.

Human cleverness alone cannot heal our nation’s sickness,

treaties and armaments cannot safeguard our real interests,

more luxuries and leisure cannot meet our deepest needs.

O may your Living Word speak afresh to our people.

Raise up men and women who can speak words of insight and integrity,

that new life may inspire us and set us right.

O Prince of Peace, despised and rejected by the wise ones of this world,

we pray for this world,

that the people who grope in the darkness may see a great light,

the light of your love for every human being.  Amen.

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You gather us together in faith, O God, as a loving mother and a gentle father.  Help us to remember that your dwelling place is built upon love and peace, and that to bring about your reign on earth we must follow the way of peace.  We pray for all governments and legislatures that they may be mindful of the rights of the peoples of this world to live in peace and dignity.  Grant this in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

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We have come to sing,

rejoicing in the good that walks this land by day.

We have come to be silent,

repenting of the evil that stalks it by night.

We have come to this place because here we are reminded

that you are both our creator and our conscience.

Here all our loyalties are put in their proper place,

ordered behind our allegiance to you.

Be with us in our celebration and our confession,

that our citizenship may become more responsible,

our nation more humble, and our world more dependable.  Amen.