Archive for the ‘Prayers I Wrote’ Category
Above: Donatus
Image in the Public Domain
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Loving God, for whom to exist is to care,
may we refrain from being judgmental jerks in your name.
May our zeal for the truth, as we understand it,
not transform us into theologically rigid, off-putting people.
May we, without excusing the inexcusable,
not behave, write, speak, and think inexcusably and judgmentally,
thereby creating division and unpleasantness needlessly.
May we not imagine that we know more than we do.
May our imagined wisdom not feed our private forms of Donatism.
If we commit Donatism, please forgive us and help us to repent.
In the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 15, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BONAVENTURE, SECOND FOUNDER OF THE ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT ATHANASIUS I OF NAPLES, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF DUNCAN MONTGOMERY GRAY, SR.; AND HIS SON, DUNCAN MONTGOMERY GRAY, JR.; EPISCOPAL BISHOPS OF MISSISSIPPI AND ADVOCATES FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
THE FEAST OF GEORGE TYRRELL, IRISH ROMAN CATHOLIC MODERNIST THEOLOGIAN AND ALLEGED HERETIC
THE FEAST OF SAINT SWITHUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF WINCHESTER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/07/15/a-prayer-regarding-donatism/
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Above: Icon of the Good Shepherd
Image in the Public Domain
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Lord Jesus Christ, Good Shepherd, thank you for tending to us, members of your flock.
May we, rejoicing in your work of breaking down barriers,
recognize each other as sheep of your flock, and therefore, work together, for your glory.
In the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Isaiah 49:1-6
Psalm 95
1 Corinthians 1:10-17
John 17:20-26
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 25, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARK THE EVANGELIST, MARTYR, 68
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This is post #1900 of GATHERED PRAYERS.
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/04/25/proper-for-ecumenists/
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Above: Jack Layton Grave
Image Source = necropolis-107
This prayer includes language from the farewell letter by Jack Layton:
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.
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God of compassion, may we, trusting in you,
act faithfully in the the knowledge that
love is better than anger,
hope is better than fear,
and optimism is better than despair.
In the name of Christ may we who follow him
be loving, hopeful, and optimistic,
and therefore change the world for the better
and glorify your holy Name. Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 6, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FRANKLIN CLARK FRY, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA AND THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA
THE FEAST OF SAINT CLAUDE OF BESANCON, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MONK, ABBOT, AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF HENRY JAMES BUCKOLL, AUTHOR AND TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM KETHE, PRESBYTERIAN HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2017/06/07/a-prayer-for-constructive-and-faithful-living/
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Above: Athens, Georgia, January 24, 2016, 3:27 P.M.
Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have make them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
–Psalm 104:24, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)
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Thank you, great God, for all your wonders,
especially the beauty of nature, of which we are part.
Thank you in particular for the splendor of flowing water,
especially that which, cascading over rock,
rides across uneven surfaces and jumps into the air
on its journey.
In the Name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 26, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS TIMOTHY, TITUS, AND SILAS, COWORKERS OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/01/26/a-prayer-of-thanksgiving-for-the-beauty-of-flowing-water/
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Above: Athens, Georgia, January 16, 2016, 6:25 P.M.
Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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The Mighty One, God the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.
–Psalm 50:1-2, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)
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God of beauty and magnificence, the heavens proclaim your glory.
Thank you for natural wonders, especially the loveliness of dusk,
as light fades into darkness, departing with splendid hues
until the glorious dawn just a few hours later.
The beauty of nature reminds us that you
are the greatest artist we have encountered.
We stand in awe and wonder before you;
our knees bend, our heads bow, and our voices crack
in praise and respect of you.
In the Name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 26, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS TIMOTHY, TITUS, AND SILAS, COWORKERS OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/01/26/a-prayer-of-thanksgiving-for-the-beauty-of-dusk/
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Above: Leslie Catherine Taylor, Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015
Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
I have not seen her since April 12.
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O God, who declared the created order to be good,
you have granted us the pleasure of animal companions
and the responsibility to care for them.
These relationships, when they are what they ought to be,
are reciprocal, improving the quality of life of all involved.
Sometimes, however, a pet disappears.
Keep lost pets safe, dear Lord, comfort them, and guide them home.
Likewise, I ask you to comfort the bereft humans
and guide them to take proper actions.
May family reunions occur in a timely manner
and such partings never happen again.
When, however, the separation is permanent,
may abundant grace bring healing for all who need it,
and may the lost pet be safe in your care.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 18, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF DONALD S. ARMENTROUT, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF CALVIN WEISS LAUFER, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMNODIST
THE FEAST OF ROGER WILLIAMS, FOUNDER OF RHODE ISLAND
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM PENNEFATHER, ANGLICAN PRIEST, HUMANITARIAN, AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS WIFE, CATHERINE KING PENNEFATHER, HUMANITARIAN AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/a-prayer-for-lost-pets-and-their-humans/
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Above: The Hearth-Stone of the Poor–Waste Steam Not Wasted (1876), by Sol Eytinge, Jr.
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZ62-106379
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I wrote this prayer today, during a time especially cold weather in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia. There was a freeze warning last night. Another one will follow tonight, with the promise of relatively warm, yet still cold, temperatures next week. My home is a properly warm one, I am glad to say, but many people who live within a radius of a few miles are not as fortunate. Meanwhile, Matthew 25:31-46 has been on my mind.
KRT
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Most compassionate God, father and mother whose quality is to be merciful,
we pray for all those who suffer from exposure to the elements.
Many of us who enjoy proper shelter take our manifold blessings for granted.
Those much less fortunate than we are might even live in close proximity to us
and we might dwell in blissful obliviousness to this reality.
Thus, when the cold, the heat, the snow, the wind, and the rain come
many of our fellow children of God do suffer mightily
as we, in our homes, enjoy a different reality
and might be unaware of this fact or just choose not to recognize it.
May our communities become more just.
May we care for each other more effectively,
provide necessary and morally proper opportunities to our neighbors,
and obey the commandments of our brother, Lord, and Savior, Jesus Christ,
to his glory and the benefit of our communities. Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 8, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT THORFINN OF HAMAR, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF GALILEO GALILEI, SCIENTIST
THE FEAST OF HARRIET BEDELL, EPISCOPAL DEACONESS
THE FEAST OF NATE SAINT AND THE OTHER MARTYRS OF THE ECUADOR MISSION, PROTESTANT MISSIONARIES
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/01/08/a-prayer-for-those-who-suffer-from-exposure-to-the-elements/
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Above: Construction of St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Nondalton, Lake and Peninusla Borough, Alaska, 1990
Photographer = Jet Lowe
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = HABS AK,5-NODA,1–1
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Lord Jesus Christ, master craftsman of our salvation,
we thank you for those artisans who have glorified you with their skills
and for those who continue to do so.
May we, inspired by their positive examples,
glorify you with all our skills, no matter how mundane we think they are.
In the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 38:24-34
Psalm 86:1-13
Ephesians 4:25-5:2
Matthew 13:54-58
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 14, 2014 COMMON ERA
PROPER 19: THE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/09/14/proper-for-artisans/
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Above: The Original Text
Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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Loving God, who loves us, mourns with us, and rejoices with us,
the death of dreams and aspirations is among the most traumatic losses to endure.
It cuts to the emotional core of a person, causing great anguish, grief, and anger.
Regardless if the dream was indeed the one a person should have followed
(assuming that it was not morally wrong, of course),
the pain and disappointment are legitimate, I suppose.
I have known these emotions in this context more than once.
I wish them upon nobody, not even those who inflicted them upon me.
May we, by grace, function as your ministers of comfort
to those experiencing such a death or the aftermath of one
and who are near us or whom you send our way.
And may we, by grace, help others achieve their potential
and refrain from inflicting such pain upon others.
In the name of Jesus, who identified with us, suffered, died, and rose again. Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 19, 2014 COMMON ERA
HOLY SATURDAY, YEAR A
Above: Part of the Rough Draft of This Post
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Beloved God of nature, who causes the natural cycles to repeat
year after year, causing good things to happen in due season,
thank you for Autumn.
Thank you for the cooler temperatures,
the colorful leaves,
and the leafy carpet on the ground.
Thank you for the refreshment which this season brings after Summer.
And thank you for the delightful and beneficial activities
which occur in the cooler weather.
In your name we pray. Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 18, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUKE THE EVANGELIST, PHYSICIAN
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/10/18/a-prayer-of-thanksgiving-for-autumn/
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GATHERED PRAYERS 
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