Above:  Buckingham’s General Store, Circa 1898

Image Source = Library of Congress

Litany Source = A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), the General Council of the Congregational and Christian Churches in the United States

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O Lord, who didst create the earth for our habitation, and the increase thereof for our enrichment,

Have mercy upon us.

On the earth and all that is therein; on the harvest of the soil; on the trade and industry of our people; on the soil by which the sons of men obtain thy abundant gifts,

We pray for thy blessing, O Lord.

On those who search for thy treasures hidden in the earth; on those who labor to make them fir for the use of man,

We pray for thy blessing, O Lord.

On those who work in the building and adoring of the churches in which we worship, of the homes in which we live, of the goodly palaces of fart, and government, and commerce,

We pray for thy blessing, O Lord.

On manufacturers and craftsmen; on those who devise cunning machines and are skilled in all manner of workmanship,

We pray for thy blessing, O Lord.

On merchants who bring thy gifts from foreign lands; on the men who go down to the sea in ships, and occupy their business in great waters,

We pray for thy blessing, O Lord.

On all who trade with us in the shop, or in the market; on all who serve at the counter, or in the office; on those who bring what we need for life, or comfort, or enjoyment, within reach of our homes,

We pray for thy blessing, O Lord.

O Lord, how manifold are thy works;

In wisdom thou hast made them all.

O Lord, how manifold are thy works;

The earth is full of thy riches.

O God, who orderest all things both in heaven and earth; grant that every man, according to the business which he hath undertaken among the sons of men, may know that he is thy servant therein; that whatsoever his hand findeth to do, he may do it as in thy service and to thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

–Pages 317-319

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This is post #1750 of GATHERED PRAYERS.

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Above:  Earthrise, Apollo 8, December 24, 1968

Image Source = NASA

Litany Source = A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States

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O Lord our Lord,

How excellent is thy Name in all the earth!

Thou hast made us to have dominion over the works of thy hands;

Thou hast put all things under our feet.

On all rulers and legislators, on councillors and ministers of state, on judges and magistrates,

We pray for thy blessing, O Lord.

On those who study the laws of the land that they may give wise and just counsel to men in their dealings with one another,

We pray for thy blessing, O Lord.

On all who defend us from lawlessness by land or by sea or in the air, and maintain peace and order,

We pray for thy blessing, O Lord.

On those who humbly search out thy works, and mark the wisdom in which thou hast made them all,

We pray for thy blessing, O Lord.

On all students and learners, on all teachers and instructors, on our schools and universities,

We pray for thy blessing, O Lord.

On physicians and nurses and all who practice the arts of healing; on those by whose skill thou takest away pain and givest sleep, restoring the sick to health and the weak to strength,

We pray for thy blessing, O Lord.

On those who adorn thy world with works of beauty; on those who build glorious houses for thy worship; and on those who make sweet music to thine honor,

We pray for thy blessing, O Lord.

On all that guides aright the course of mankind; on all that makes us know thy divine order and the beauty of thy works; on all that opens our eyes to see thy glory, and uplifts our souls in praise,

We pray for thy blessing, O Lord.

Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee;

In whose heart are thy ways.

Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom;

And thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

–Pages 315-317

The Chapel, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

Image Source = Library of Congress

Litany Source = A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States

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Eternal God, who hast promised us the liberty which follows after truth; grant that, keeping the commandments of Christ, we may have the mind of Christ and be free, as he was free.

For all who guard the truths which were known of old, that, as good stewards of that knowledge, they may confirm us in simple and righteous living;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

For those who seek the new truth, that, believing more light is yet to break, they may be sustained in their searching by the faith that thou art, and that thou art the rewarder of them that diligently seek thee;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

For all scientists, looking upon the face of nature, that they may see order in its variety and law in its constancy, and may teach men to live upon earth in confidence and without fear;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

For all historians, that, telling again the story of the past with sincerity and sympathy, they may bind the generations together in one communion to thy real sons;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

For all builders, poets, painters, and makers of music, that they may open our blind eyes and unstop our deaf ears to the beauty of thy world;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

For all who would lead man’s long thoughts beyond the things that are known into the world which is the unknown, that their faith may prepare for us a place in the infinite mystery;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

For all who unselfishly bring their knowledge to the service of the world, that they may prove their learning by their works; and give that vision without which the people parish;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

For ourselves in this society of the truth, that accepting with gladness the high offices of thought, that seeing clearly, and feeling deeply we may go forth to be in the world as those who serve, and may this know the mind of Christ which we would make the manner of our thinking; and all these things we ask in his Name, even Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

–Pages 314-315

Above:  Nevada State Orphanage, Carson City, Nevada

Image Source = Library of Congress

Litany Source = A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States

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Let us thank God for his blessings.  For all thy blessings in creation; for the beauty of earth and sea and sky; for thy manifold works, and the wisdom with which thou hast made them all,

We thank thee, O God.

For the happiness of our earthly life; for peaceful homes and healthful days; for our powers of mind and body; for faithful friends, for the joy of loving and being beloved,

We thank thee, O God.

For the revelation of thy love and for newness of life in our Saviour; for the blessings brought to us by thy holy Church; for the grace of thy sacraments and for our fellowship with thee in Christ,

We thank thee, O God.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.  From blindness to thy presence in life and sacrament; from hardness of heart and from want of truth, in thought and word and deed,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all that would injure the body, from unworthy fears and anxieties, from despondency, discontent and despair,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From want of sympathy with friends and neighbors; from harsh judgments and ill-feeling towards any; from idle talk and slander; from want of love for our contrary, and unwillingness to seek the common good,

Good Lord, deliver us.

When we question the value of life; when our sense of duty grows faint through self-indulgence; in suffering and failure; in times of happiness and success; in our days of labor and our nights of rest; in the freedom of youth and the weariness of old age; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,

Good Lord, deliver us.

That it may please thee to bless with wisdom and courage to those to whom the people have entrusted power, and to give thy guidance and blessing to all who hold rule over their fellows;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to inspire all who are seeking to improve the conditions of our industrial life, and to give fortitude and new hope to all who are out of work;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to solace all who have lost those whom they most loved; to sustain the widows and orphans; to uphold all who are sick and suffering; to protect such as have lost the kindly light of reason; and to supply the needs of the blind, the deaf, and the dumb;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

May the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the splendor of the Eternal Light, remove from our hearts all darkness, now and forevermore.  Amen.

–Pages 306-309

Above:  Thanks

Image Source = Infrogmation

Litany Source = A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States

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It s a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto the Name of the Most High.  Offer unto him the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and utter the memory of his great goodness.  O Lord, open thou our lips.

And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift; we call to remembrance thy loving-kindness and thy tender mercies which have been ever of old, and with grateful hearts we would lift up to thee the voice of thanksgiving.

For all the gifts which thou hast bestowed upon us and our race; for the life thou hast given us, and the world in which we live.

We praise thee, O God.

For the work we are enabled to do, and the truth we are permitted to learn; for whatever of good there has been in our past lives, and for the hopes and aspirations which lead us on toward better things,

We praise thee, O God.

For the order and constancy of nature; for the beauty and bounty of the world; for day and night, summer and winter, seedtime and harvest; for the varied gifts of loveliness and use which every season brings,

We praise thee, O God.

For all the comforts and gladness of life; for our homes and all our home blessings; for our friends and all the pure pleasures of social intercourse; for the love, sympathy, and good will of men,

We praise thee, O God.

For all the blessings of civilization, wise government and legislation; for education, and all the privileges we enjoy through literature, science, and art; for the help and counsel of those who are wiser and better than ourselves.

We praise thee, O God.

For all true knowledge of thee and the world in which we live, and the life of truth and righteousness and divine communion to which thou hast called us; for prophets and apostles, and all earnest seekers after truth; for all lovers and helpers of mankind, and all godly and gifted men and women,

We praise thee, O God.

For the gift of thy Son Jesus Christ, and all the helps and hopes which are ours as his disciples; for the presence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and for all the ministries of thy truth and grace,

We praise thee, O God.

For communion with thee, the Father of our spirits; for the light and peace that are gained through trust and obedience, and the darkness and disquietude which befall us when we disobey thy laws and follow our lower desires and selfish passions,

We praise thee, O God.

For the desire and power to help others; for every opportunity of serving our generation according to thy will, and manifesting the grace of Christ to men,

We praise thee, O God.

For all the discipline of life; for the tasks and trials by which we are trained to patience, self-knowledge and self-conquest, and brought into closer sympathy with our suffering brethren; for troubles which have lifted us nearer thee and drawn us into deeper fellowship with Jesus Christ,

We praise thee, O God.

For the sacred and tender ties which bind us to the unseen world; for the faith which dispels the shadows of the earth, and fills the saddest and the last moments of life with the light of an immortal hope,

We praise thee, O God.

God of all grace and love, we have praised thee with our lips; grant that we may also praise thee in consecrated and faithful lives.  And may the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer.  Amen.

–Pages 304-306

Above:  Evening Sky

Image in the Public Domain

Prayer Source = A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States

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In peace, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for the peace that is from above, and for the salvation of our souls.

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for the peace of the whole world; for the welfare of God’s holy churches; and for the union of all.

Lord have mercy.

Let us pray for this holy temple and for those who with faith, devoutness, and in the fear of God have entered herein.

Lord, have mercy.

All:  Lord, I have cried unto thee; hear me.  Hear me, O Lord; I have cried unto thee, hear me:  receive the voice of my prayer when I call upon thee.  Hear me, O Lord.  Let my prayer be set forth in thy sight as incense, and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice.

–Page 314

Above:  Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, Atlanta, Georgia, March 12, 2016

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

Prayer Source = A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States

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Most holy and merciful Father, we thy wayward children

do make humble confession of our shortcomings and our sin.

All we like sheep have gone astray and have turned every one to his own way.

We have lived too much to ourselves and not unto thee.

We have not loved our brethren as we ought,

nor faithfully followed our Master in unselfish service.

But wilt thou pardon all our offenses.

Create within us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us.

May we go on our way with gladness, assured of thy compassion;

and forgetting the things which are behind,

may we reach forth unto those things which are before;

pressing toward the mark of our high calling in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

–Page 46

Above:  The Adoration of the Magi, by El Greco

Image in the Public Domain

Prayer Source = A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States

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O thou, who art the Light of the world, the Desire of all nations, and the Shepherd of souls;

let thy light shine in the darkness, that all the ends of the earth may see thy salvation;

by the lifting up of thy cross, gather the peoples to thine obedience,

so that there may be one flock, one shepherd, one holy kingdom of righteousness and peace.

Stir our hearts that by our prayers, our gifts, and our labors,

we may have part in the spreading of thy gospel;

and hasten the time when all peoples shall worship thee;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

–Page 42

Above:  Episcopal Church of the Common Ground, Atlanta, Georgia, December 24, 2015

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

Prayer Source = A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States

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O Almighty God, who by the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ into the world

didst give the true light to dawn upon our darkness;  graciously assist us that we,

adoring the mystery of thy coming into our poor humanity,

may in thy Light see light, to the glory of thy holy Name.  Amen.

–Page 33

Above:  Episcopal Church of the Advent, Madison, Georgia, December 6, 2015

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

Prayer Source = A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States

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Minister and Congregation

Almighty God, our heavenly father,

who didst cause light to shine out of darkness in the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ,

to take away the sins of the world;

we humbly confess our transgressions and implore thy forgiveness.

We beseech thee that the spirit of Christ may be born anew within us,

and that we may glorify his nativity with hearts of compassion,

deeds of kindly service,

and the spirit of goodwill toward all mankind;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

–Page 29