Week 1 | Prayers, Practices, and Meditations for LGBTQ+ Christians and Allies
Over the next few weeks, Q Christian will be posting daily prayers and spiritual practices. In a time of isolation for many, we hope the voices of these saints, past and present, will bring hope, peace, and joy in the midst of uncertainty and suffering in our world.
Week 1, Day 1
With less to do and see in our daily lives, we have exponentially more time for prayer. But does prayer feel daunting? Maybe even a little scary? Sit with those feelings without judgement. Read Mary Oliver’s “Praying” when you are ready and reflect on Oliver’s words.
Praying
By Mary Oliver
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
Amen.
Week 1, Day 2
For many, sitting alone with our thoughts may make us anxious.
Take 3 minutes to sit in silence in a comfortable position. What do you hear? What do you feel? What thoughts cross your mind? Let those thoughts come and go without judgment. Read Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton when you are ready and reflect on Merton’s words.
Thoughts in Solitude
By Thomas Merton
My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
And the fact that I think that I am following your will
Does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road
Though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always
Though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear,
For you are ever with me,
And you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Amen.
Week 1, Day 3
In a time of seemingly continuous bad news, it may be hard to focus. You might find yourself waking during the night with fearful thoughts or even a sense of dread.
Find a comfortable position on the floor and take five, slow, deep breaths. Feel the floor beneath you. Acknowledge any aches or pains in your body. Let your thoughts come and go without judgement. Read a “Morning Prayer for Fellow-Prisoners” when you are ready and reflect on Bonhoeffer’s words.
Adapted from Morning Prayer For Fellow-Prisoners
By Dietrich Bonhoeffer
O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you;
I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me.
O Heavenly Mother,
I praise and thank you
For rest in the night;
I praise and thank you for this new day;
I praise and thank you for all your goodness
and faithfulness throughout my life.
Lord Jesus Christ,
You were poor and in distress, a captive and forsaken as I am.
You know all our troubles;
You abide with me when all others fail me;
You remember and seek me;
It is your will that I should know you and turn to you.
Lord, I hear your call and follow;
Help me.
O Holy Spirit,
Give me faith that will protect me
from despair, from passions, and from vice;
Give me such love for God and others
as will blot out all hatred and bitterness;
Give me the hope that will deliver me
from fear and faint-heartedness.
Amen.
Week 1, Day 4
It is easy to center our thoughts on only ourselves during a time of crisis. Let us focus today on centering our thoughts towards others.
Read the following text from The Book of Common Prayer. Pray through each line, naming aloud those who come to mind. Give thanks for those you love and those working to protect our loved ones from sickness and pain.
Adapted from The Book of Common Prayer
In peace, we pray to you, Lord God.
For all people in their daily life and work;
For our families, friends, and neighbors, and for those who are alone at home.
For this community, the nation, and the world;
For all who work for justice, freedom, and peace.
For the just and proper use of your creation;
For the victims of hunger, fear, injustice, and oppression.
For all who are in danger, sorrow, or any kind of trouble;
For those who minister to the sick, the friendless, and the needy.
For the peace and unity of the Church of God;
For all who proclaim the Gospel, and all who seek the Truth.
Amen.
Week 1, Day 5
By Dr. Robyn Henderson Espinoza
As a theologian and ethicist, I am interested in time and the question of being as becoming. During COVID-19, we are forced to slow down, forced to reconsider time, the question of being, and I think it is a great time to lean into the possibility of becoming. We have a chance to lean into becoming the kind of humans we long to become. Now is that time!
Amid panic and anxiety, fear, suffering, and uncertainty, we have a chance to become. One of the spiritual practices I do from time to time is journaling and asking myself this simple question: “who am I and how do I know? This question was the prompt for 4 years of journaling. I would ask myself each day who I was and how I knew. It was a powerful prompt for me to dig into my own vision for my own humanity and seek to become; seek to transform my reality into one that I imagined. Maybe this question will be for you what it was for me and we can both lean into the possibility of becoming!
A Prayer for Becoming
God of all that is,
May you be like the ground of our becoming in these panic-stricken times.
May life in the Spirit mobilize us,
into the possibility of becoming and might we imagine,
a better humanity than what we currently have.
Amen.
