Lord of the Dancefloor Prayer

 Influenced by your Holy spirit- God, guide our blistered feet to dance. For our own good, we must learn to find rhythm in our harried lives. Give us bravery to venture out of our social siloes, and to let our hearts beat to the rhythm your spirit has attuned to our souls. Are you here with us God on this dancefloor? Because some of us would really like to know where you have been. It feels like we’re doing this dance all alone… 

And a few of us are wondering God, is life just a solo performance? Other days, it feels like you’ve held our hand and waltzed us perfectly though a holy day. You turned and dipped us through danger and confrontation, delivering us safely home. And those days we relish the dance with you- profoundly touched by the overwhelming power of your presence. But there are early mornings and late nights where we can’t move no matter what. 

When we feel unworthy and full of shame- and cannot bring ourselves to the dancefloor to worship you, we’re too busy fighting pharmacies to get our prescriptions filled so we can stay healthy- Or navigating professional commitments, family needs, aging parents, stressed out children…Give us grace to love ourselves- and dance dance wherever we may be. You lead us all, For our own good. For those moments when we refuse to dance God, you stand with us, by our sides- our backs against the walls of life-

Like wallflowers at a Sadie Hawkins middle school dance- You wait for us to be ready to dance-

Through our mistakes and misunderstandings.

Through the family estrangements and spousal disappointments

Through our relapses, through our fears of the future, through bad grades,

sassy mouths, and self-righteous anger…

This morning, We pray God for those who dance differently than us, to the rhythms of their drums- help us see the beauty in the way they connect with you! We pray for those affected by greed and power, whose drumlines have been replaced with the sounds of air missles and mercenary fire.

We pray for those who have differently abled bodies, who dance the most beautifully of all, on walkers and in wheelchairs, leaning on canes,  and on one another for support- may we learn the most from these people on how dance truly is to be done!

We pray for those who are in prison cells who cannot foxtrot, because they’re so busying tangoing their way through corrupted legal systems stacked against them.

We pray especially our friends and family at Elayne Hunt- who need your Holy Spirit to carry them through the ends of their sentences, to garner and surround them with love and hope and protection.

And God we pray for bodies that our beloveds have left behind as they now dance with you at the gates of Heaven- may we be touched by the legacies of our ancestors who loved you- may we see in our own movements the genetic gifts of dancers who were brave, bold and beautiful in their service to you.

Oh God-

May our feet blister from dancing so much

Wherever we may be

In worship of you and your holy astounding joy and glory.

God help us find healing, guide our poorly timed steps so we choose exposure to peace and reconciliation and healing. Help us see the humanity in one another-

 And let our lips dance as we say the prayer taught to us by your son saying:

Our Father

Who art in heaven

Hallowed by thy name

Thy kingdom come

Thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

A Mardi Gras Prayer:

God of gumbo, krewes, beads, and throw me somethin’ misters;

We pray you bless these people of this city,

Protecting those as they celebrate,

And ensuring the weeks ahead are weeks of peace, safety and joie de vivre.

As we enter deep gras, and celebrate a season that somehow never got added to the liturgical church calendar, remind us that it is a spiritual practice, to be in our community and to be in joy with one another.

And also, that not all the world is able to celebrate as we are, and that it is such a blessing that we have this time together- that others in our lives may be entering this season in pain, loneliness, uncertainty and fear.

Remind us with each throw we catch, that we are receiving gifts from you all the time, and that we are to be responsible stewards of all that is given to us. Be it beads, or a muses shoe, or be it opportunities in life, health, and the clean air that we breathe.

Remind us as we see our church friends out and about, to greet them as brothers and sisters, as Christ would have us greeted. And as we host parties, and meet up on neutral grounds, and gather together- that each experience shared with one another is a practice of hospitality. Of welcoming in those who might need a little extra encouragement so that they too, feel they belong.

Remind us as we watch passing floats, each colorfully decorated, and wave to Kings and Queens in their sparkly finery, that this is only a taste of the glory we will experience one day, in the Kingdom of Heaven, which you have promised to us.

As we dance in the streets to the drumlines and listen to the harmonies of the brass bands- let us take a moment in our exuberance to thank you God for giving us time and space to be unapologetically happy.

Lord we pray for the tourists who wear flip flops in the Quarter,

For the Uber and Lyft drivers trying to navigate bustling crowds,

For parents of young children who love to wander..

We pray for the widows and widowers missing their special loved one especially during their favorite season,

We pray for the children who did not make it to this Mardis Gras, and for their parents and siblings who miss them each day.

For the float veterans celebrating 30+ years with the same krewe,

We pray For the first timers who forget to pack toilet paper,

For the eyes that are covered in glitter and the tireless efforts of the clean up and sanitation men and women sweeping the streets after each parade.

Let us bear witness to the moments of your glory in the coming days ahead,

And let us use Mardi Gras as an excuse to lift up the Good News of Christ.

We hold in prayer the krewes of Zulu, Mardi Gras Indians, Bacchus, Rex, Endymion, tit Rex, Funky Uptowns, for the Knights of Babylon, Chaos, Nemesis, Sparta, for the Krews Boheme, D’etat, Old Towne, Pooch, du Vieux, Alla, Antheia, Argus, Athena, Atlas, Barkus, Bosom Buddies, Bush, Caerus, Carrolton, Centurions, Chewbaccus, Choctaw,Cleopatra, Cork and Crescent City, Dionysus, Druids, Elks Jeffersonians, Elks Orleans, Eve, Excalibur,Folsom, Freret, Hermes, Iris, Isis, Joan of Arc and King Arthur, Little Rascals and Mardi Paws, Mid City, Morpheaus, Muses, Nertiti, Nomtoc, Nyx, Okeanos, Olympia, Orpheus, Oshun, Pearl River Lions Club, Ponchartrain, Poseidon, Proteus, Pygmalion, Rex, Selene,Symphony, Tchefuncte, Thoth, Tucks, Titans,Krewe delusion, Legion of Mars, Mad Matters, Phunny Phorty Fellows, Societe des Champs Elysee, Nandi, Femme Fetale and the Mystic Krew of Music and any other krewes that I could not find online...

May all those who participate in these festivities be protected, safe, may all police and first responders have clear pathways so that they can help those who need help.

May all drivers of floats and those standing on the sidelines be aware of their surroundings, respecting the barriers in place, so that all are safe and healthy.

In your name Christ, let the good times roll!!!

Amen

Simple Elegance Prayer:

God help us pray with our eyes wide open. Help us worship you with our mouths -speaking kindness at garden parties on Rosa Parks Avenue. Help us pray to you by talking to the shy woman here for the first time. Let us welcome in the new and cherish our history-While embracing our futures.

We all are figureheads of our families, Standing as matriarchs, Quietly leading. Quietly serving. The lineage of Mary runs through our veins. And in this garden- we are a floral bouquet of our own ancestry- Full of DNA from women like Hagar and Sarah, Mary and Mary Magdalene,  Rizpah, Deborah, Martha, Lydia, Tabitha, Miriam, and so many unnamed others-

Lost to history, and the editorship of men. We are the flesh and blood of our ancestors who worshipped and walked in these same ways of Christianity. Their wisdom lives on in our dreams, Whispering guidance to us in moments of divine clarity. So God- help us be big and dare to take up space.

So God- Help us be loud, and claim our voice in board meetings, Sunday Schools, social settings. So God, Let us stand tall, and bravely tread paths not often walked, because that is our calling God-

As Christians.

To raise

To reap.

To reconcile.

So God of raising, reaping and reconciling-

Bless us today as we gather under the stars

In this beautiful space

Amongst such beautiful souls, And let our conversations be holy. For tonight is an evening of restoration and beauty and simple elegance. Let us rejoice in this sacred company of women.

Amen.

Epiphany Prayer

So today we come to you in prayer, trusting that if you can paint the stars in the sky, Then surely you can hear us over the noise.

So first we pray for people wishing on stars:
We pray for those for whom 2023 was a year full of hospital rooms and isolation. We pray for those who lost love in 2023.
We pray for those who lost life in 2023.
We pray for those who lost a job, a home, or a sense of hope in 2023.

We pray for those who’s cars were flooded, who’s insurances spiked all time highs, who’s children struggled in school, who’s medications stopped working, and for the breath that was stolen in 2023.

However, at the same time,
We also say a prayer of gratitude for all the stars you have left for us this last year—

The signs and mile markers of hope on the horizon.

We thank you for doctor treatments that worked, and for the slow moments with family in between the big memories.

For example, we thank you for the bridges built between our church and our neighbors through partner ministries and the hard work of our congregation. We thank you for a growing STAIR and Aden Program, and for an abundant and full nursery school which fills our halls full of giggles and songs throughout the week.

We thank you God for lighting our ways out of dark moments, coming in the forms of text messages that read, “How are you doing?”, or phone calls from faces we’ve long-sense seen.

We thank you for old photographs of aunts and uncles and mothers and fathers, dressed in their Sunday best,

For the oral histories of our families, connecting us to our ancestors who now reside in the heavens above,

We thank you for stories of resilience and community support rallying around those who are experiencing setbacks.

We thank you for the return of lost species, the end of the Ethiopian Civil War, the rise in awareness of personal health, the curing of diseases and forms of cancers through medical breakthroughs that previously lacked scientific successes.

For breakthroughs in disease prevention methods that might improve the lives of many who are at risk.

For laparoscopic exploratory and non-invasive surgeries that provide earlier prognoses and faster reprieve.

For the increase in societal awareness on the importance of asking for help when one needs it, for therapists, and psychologists and counselors who are sharing that they’re witnessing a new wave of emotional intelligence in their clients, who all seek to grow and contribute to a better world.

We thank you for protesters demanding justice and for leaders like the late John Lewis who refused to give up on a broken system. For the call-outs of corruption and cruelty.

This past year no matter where we were, you were there,

leaving stars in the sky, painting hope on the horizon.

So today, in this new year, we ask that once more you would give us a sign.
Pour out a double portion of your Spirit on these star words,
So that these ordinary slips of paper might provide us a glimpse of something more.

Amen.