Father, Son, Holy Spirit:
Thank you for your living name.
Thank you for your friendship true.
Thank you for your love of peace.
You give peace
surpassing comprehension.
You made peace
pouring out your blameless blood.
You are peace;
work in us the work required.
We are utterly spent by our adversity,
utterly depleted by the adversary:
adversarial our posturing with others,
adversarial our relation to our own,
adversarial our plans and propositions.
We cannot play the adversary anymore.
We have had our fill
of discontent and
of discouragement,
discordant ways and
dissatisfaction.
We are so hungry
to know contentment,
encouragement, and
hearts of one accord:
satisfying rest.
Let us not know zeal for knowledge of you,
if we will not know zeal to make you known—
for making known your character and ways,
through your character of peace prevailing;
walking in your ways, your peace pursuing.
What good is it for lips to speak your name,
while hearts make vain the power of your life?
Lord, no— we dare not take your name in vain.
No— we dare not bear your glory falsely,
as if you were a lifeless fantasy.
You and your ways are more than mere ideals;
you are the measure of reality.
Forgive us!
We know from your mouth:
ones blaspheming you
are not held guiltless;
ones blaspheming you
will not be guiltless.
Our pomp is repaid—
calamity swift;
the malicious throat
will not breathe your rest.
Your Spirit speaks true.
Lord, forgive us, please.
Lord, make peace with us.
Lord, for your name's sake,
let your peace in us
pursue peace with all.
If corruption will not be cleansed from us,
Lord, sever our tongues from our rotten throats—
sever the foul soul from its instrument.
Why should your great name be treated as vain?
Why should knowledge of you be corrupted?
Lord, have mercy, forgive us and cleanse us.
Let us be your instruments of mercy...
Let us forgive— freely, abundantly—
all who provoke us with adversity.
Lord, forgive us and create us anew:
new like you, living blamelessly like you;
new like the everlasting world to come;
new here on earth, as in heaven renewed.
Lord, save us— please, on account of Jesus—
from the law of wrath which now condemns us.
Were it not for your promise,
of salvation in your name,
the very name we profane,
we would know no hope to claim.
Your emissaries declare:
the great wonders of your love,
the steadfastness of your love,
the perfection of your love.
Have mercy, forgive us, Lord.
Transform our lowly bodies,
even by the same power
subjecting all things to you.
Lord, place us under your feet...
for, under your feet all things
will ultimately be placed.
Have mercy!
Lord, do not contend with us;
but rather, let us know your contentment—
your satisfaction with love—
with the life of Jesus, the blameless one.
Lord, wipe away our words with all our works—
wipe away our wicked ways—
even as you wipe away all our tears,
our years deluged with weeping.
Let forgiveness flow,
not merely on us, Lord, but:
through every posture we take;
through all our relationships;
through all we propose and plan.
Let forgiveness be
the fount flowing ceaselessly,
the fount pouring out your life,
the fount which gives its waters
to the earth and all it hosts.
Lord, forgive us— for the sake of your name.
Lord, let us generously forgive all.
Lord, free us from the hardness of our hearts.
Cast out the adversary,
the adverse one contending,
ever breeding malcontents,
the contentious one spawning
children for adversity.
Cleanse us from our adversarial ways,
according to your precious promises.
Lift your cross before our eyes,
free us from the weight of wrath.
Lift the burden from us, Lord—
this great weight too great to bear!
Lift us from this burial mound, we pray,
from beneath this immovable mountain,
to be with you, Lord,
where you are,
as you are:
perfectly as one.
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