Prayer on a deep winter night
The following was offered as the closing prayer this past weekend for the Diocese of Iowa's meeting of the Commission on Ministry. May it warm us all.
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O God, your goodness and power are known to us in all things --
in the hard, icy wind of winter
in these dreary, heavy-cloud, heavy-snow days
in the welcome, thawing, long awaited sun --
yet winter is so long and so cold.
Grant us also heat:
warm family love, loyal yet easy-going, for all our kin in your Church,
fuel to persevere in all undertakings, small or large, which will be a service to your people,
fire in our hearts for Christ the ground of all our fellowship and labor.
Bless us as we leave this gathering.
Keep us [and our loved ones] safe on the way home.
Bless our loved ones and faith communities to which we will return.
Prosper the ministries and projects we will resume.
Unite us all in a healthy and vibrant Diocese and whole Body of Christ.
Amen
-- Aileen Chang-Matus
