2 Cornthians 5:17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!

Spirit of the new, in these early spring days I sing Your praise. With each joyful new bit of life outdoors I see within and beyond it, to You. The repeat of the seasons is always the same, and yet never quite the same. And so, each new day I take as it comes, I receive as a gift, and I use with You.

Creative Spirit, let this new season out there be a new season inside people. Let it be a time of hopes that will be fulfilled, plans that will be wise, and cooperation that will be beautiful. Like the sap that’s run through the tree trunks, I pray that there be new spirit flowing in me and others who need some greater energy and hope! In Jesus, amen.

Luke 4:18-19 “He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

O Timeless One, half of this year is now over. Let me count the blessings. O Life-Giver, the second half of the year has begun. Let me be confident in You. O Ever-Present God, today is my day to live, now is the moment to experience, I am what I am today. Let me live and give and receive well.

Mighty Master, this does not seem like a year of Your favour to many of us. it seems more like a time of trouble. For the rest of this year, I ask for help with balance in my attitude and my actions. Can I become more realistic and more positive at the same time? Can I become more generous and more grateful at once? To You I turn. Amen.

Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

Creator, thanks and praise to You for this land, from sea to sea to sea! Creator, how good You are, meeting us day by day in each corner of creation! Creator, I raise my eyes to Your world of people and places, living things and long-lived elements: this is a rich world, troubled though it be.

Before You, this Canada Day, I acknowledge that I did not build this neighborhood that is my home, I stand on the shoulders of great and hard-working people of various cultures and languages who lived here before me. Now, inspire me, I pray, to be a good ancestor to all who follow me on this land. Help me, in Jesus’ name, to have a pro-future faith: a spirituality that leads me to be good for the earth and the people who will live long after me. Amen.

Psalm 121:5-6 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

Holy Spirit : Breath of God, You can refresh the human spirit and give new life to the fellowship! Have mercy now upon people suffering in the heat wave out west in Canada, and other places. For many, this weather is dangerous, for some, a disaster. I ask for blessings among those who suffer, and those who work to help mitigate the situation.

Fire of God, the Bible imagery of flames is just as much of hell as it is of You and Your glory. May I look to You with enough confidence in Your caring love, that I may never fear the eternal ‘lake of fire.’ And may I be one who gives real hope to others who fear things after death. In the name of Jesus the Saviour. Amen.

Recorded in Luke 13:4-5, Jesus said: “Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”

The collapse of a large building in Florida was alarming news, dear Master, and I pray, as the search through the rubble continues. Also, today, may construction workers be blessed, as they do their hot summer work. May they be protected and guided to be safe in the workplace, constructing safe buildings.

There are friends around me now who are seeking a place to live – some have had to move, and finding a new place to call home is not easy! O Divine Architect, O Home of our souls: bless those who seek to settle down, and perhaps You can bless me to help them out a little bit. Amen.

Isaiah 61:3 …He has sent me to… give them… oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

Prince of Peace, yesterday was Canadian Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day. You, Jesus, You fulfill the promises that were hopes in Isaiah 61. You read from this scroll in Your home synagogue. You are willing to walk with those who have been traumatized, and make order out of disorder. Bless those many people who face PTSD, and all who are their helpers and healers.

I pause in prayer to be quiet before You, and see where there is disorder in my own life. Where my thoughts and emotions are hurt; where I have been injured and could come closer to You for healing. Where I could use the help of others whom You have placed close to me. Thank You, Jesus, for being the healer of every ill. Amen.

Psalm 139:13 For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Spirit of powerful perfection, You are Lord of all creation. All the world is spectacular evidence of You, and inspires me. And my self is amazingly created – body, mind, heart, and all – and so I praise You for me in this world.

I face the things that are not perfect. Like everyone, my own body and mind fail me. I pray today for those who have serious problems that limit their lives, especially injuries or problems that are not going to go away. In this Spina Bifida Awareness Month, my prayers are with the people and the families affected by this disabling birth defect. We are not all ‘knit together’ perfectly, but we are all put together by You. Amen.

2 Corinthians 7:4 I often boast about you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with consolation; I am overjoyed in all our affliction.

Creator, who made us adam and eve, in all our diversity and joy, you made us to be complete only when we are together: with others in family, in community, in society. Today, may I look for Your creative spark glowing in every person I meet, especially those of a different sexuality from my own. In this National Pride Month, illuminate my heart and mind.

Help me understand people with a different attitude by getting to know them. Help me understand Your guidance by getting to know You better. Help me see how salvation works in others by watching for what Christ does. And help me to be proud of others who have come to terms with who they are, and are no longer afraid to be honest. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

Creator, on this long, bright day, I look to You in the north wind. The clear open skies speak of Your hugeness, Your vastness, Your omnipresence. Creator, on this long, bright day, I look to You in the east wind. A season begins that promises growth and beauty, and You are alive in it all. Creator, on this long, bright day, I look to You in the south wind. There is heat and harshness in Your words, Your warnings, Your righteousness. Creator, on this long, bright day, I look to You in the west wind. Things eternal come to mind, as the shortness of my life I see before me, and the gracious promises from Jesus that are for me and millions of others.

On this National Indigenous Peoples Day, help me to give thanks, to give respect, and to give attention to all people with whom I share this land, this sea, this sky. Amen.

Matthew 24:32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.”

Timeless One, whose holiness is constant, whose faithfulness is true, whose compassion is endless: Thank you for the spring, which now ends, and the lush summer that begins. The first fruits of the harvest have begun, the rhubarb, the strawberries, the haskaps, and all. The earth produces, and we are blessed. May I find blessed ways to share.

God of all energy, in this Thyroid month, I pray for folks who are affected by various thyroid diseases, who need treatment, whose lives are changed because of some problem. With Your healing, helping touch, be present. In the name of Jesus, God embodied, Amen.