A Blessing of Peace
Glacier National Park, April 20, 2015.
(The following is a brief liturgy that I’ve written and that can be prayed alone or with others at the start of the day. It follows a trinitarian line of thought and it invites an embodied participation, such as making the sign of the cross at the end of each section, or kneeling throughout, or holding one’s hands open in a posture of receptivity.)
A Blessing of Peace for Your Day:
As you wake up to a new morning: may the peace of God guard your mind this day.
As you plan out its tasks and responsibilities: may the peace of Christ shield your heart this day.
As you wonder and worry about how it will all get done: may the peace of the Spirit strengthen your body this day.
As you feel the weariness of this world and the impossibility of life: may the peace of the Holy Trinity be above and below you, behind and before you, within you and without you this day.
(Selah)
If you are weary: the peace of God be with you.
If you are worn: the peace of God be with you.
If you are lost: the peace of God be with you.
If you are lonely: the peace of God be with you.
(Selah)
In the face of all that you fear: may the peace of Jesus of Nazareth keep you.
In the face of all the unknowns that lie ahead: may the peace of Jesus your Good Shepherd guide you.
In the face of all that you cannot control: may the peace of Jesus your Refuge surround you.
In the face of all relational stresses and fractures: may the peace of Jesus the Reconciler fill you.
(Selah)
Where you feel powerless and out of control: may the peace of the Spirit of God still you.
Where you feel tempted to speak curses and harm to others: may the peace of the Spirit of God restrain you.
Where you feel beset by the tempests of this life: may the peace of the Spirit of God be a calm harbor about you.
Where you feel battered and bruised: may the peace of the Spirit of God heal and restore you.
(Selah)
And as you lay yourself to bed this night: may the peace of the Holy Trinity enfold you.
And as you consider all that this day could have been but was not: may the peace of the Holy Trinity assure you.
And as you wonder and worry about tomorrow: may the peace of the Holy Trinity secure you.
And as you entrust your body and soul to another night of vulnerable and uncertain sleep: may the peace of the Holy Trinity wash over and quiet you.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
