Category: Time to Pray

  • Ephesians 4 17-19

    So I say this,
    and affirm in the Lord,
    you are no longer to ‘walk’
    as the gentiles ‘walk’
    in the futility of their minds,
    having been darkened in their understanding,
    having been separated from the life of God
    because of the ignorance
    in them
    because of the hardness of their hearts
    who
    having became insensitive
    have given themselves to debauchery
    for the practice of every impurity
    with a hunger for more.

    God be in head and in my understanding;
    God be in my eyes and in my looking;
    God be in my mouth and in my speaking;
    God be in my heart and in my thinking;
    God be at my end and at my departing.

  • Ephesians 4 11-16

    And he gave:
    apostles
    prophets
    evangelists
    shepherds and teachers
    for the equipping of the holy ones
    for the work of service
    for the building up of the body of Christ,
    until all of us attain
    the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God
    a mature person
    the measure which is the stature of the fulness of Christ
    so that we are no longer infants
    tossed here and there by waves
    or blown about by every wind
    that is teaching
    by human cunning
    by craftiness
    according to deceitful schemes,
    but by speaking the truth
    in love
    we might grow in love
    into him
    (in) all things
    who is the head,
    Christ,
    from whom all the body is being joined together
    and being held together
    by every supporting ligament
    -each one working its part-
    is making the growth of the body
    for the building up of itself in love.

    O Lord
    Open our eyes to your presence
    Open our minds to your grace
    Open our lips to your praises
    Open our hearts to your love
    Open our lives to your healing
    And be found among us.
    Amen.

  • Ephesians 4 7-10

    To each of us has been given
    grace
    according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
    Therefore it/he says:
    ‘Having gone up
    to the high place
    he led captured captives;
    (and) he gave gifts to people.’

    So what is ‘He went up…’
    unless he went down also
    to the lowest (parts), (that is) the earth?
    The one who went down is
    the one who went up
    far above all the heavens,
    so that he might fill all things.

    Psalm 68 18

    You ascended on high,
        leading a host of captives in your train
        and receiving gifts among men,
    even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

    God, give me grace to accept with serenity
    the things that cannot be changed,
    Courage to change the things
    which should be changed,
    and the Wisdom to distinguish
    the one from the other.

    Living one day at a time,
    Enjoying one moment at a time,
    Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
    Taking, as Jesus did,
    This sinful world as it is,
    Not as I would have it,
    Trusting that You will make all things right,
    If I surrender to Your will,
    So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
    And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

    Amen.

  • Ephesians 4:4-6

    (There is)
    one body
    and one Spirit,
    just as you also have been called
    in one hope (produced by) your calling

    one Lord,
    one faith
    one baptism

    one God
    and Father of all,
    who is over all
    and through all
    and in all.

    Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
    Naught be all else to me, save that thou art –
    Thou my best thought, by day or by night;
    Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

  • Ephesians 4:1-3

    So…

    I urge you all,
    I, the prisoner in the Lord
    to ‘walk’ worthily
    of the calling
    with which you have been called,
    with all humility
    and gentleness,
    with patience,
    (by) bearing with one another
    in love,
    (by) making every effort
    to keep the unity of the Spirit
    in the bond of peace.

    Lord, you have given me so much,
    I ask for one more thing –
    a grateful heart.

    George Herbert

  • Ephesians 3:20-21

    So to the powerful one
    who can do infinitely more things
    than we might ask or understand
    according to the power
    at work in us,
    to him
    be glory in the Church
    and in Christ Jesus
    to all the generations of the ages of the ages,
    amen.

    Be thou a bright flame before me,
    Be thou a guiding star above me
    Be thou a smooth path below me
    Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me
    Today – tonight -forever
    Amen.

    St Columba

  • Ephesians 3 14-19

    For this reason
    I bow my knee before the Father,
    from whom every family in the heavens and on the earth
    is named,
    that he might give to you all
    according to his rich glory
    to be strong with power
    through his Spirit
    in the inner person,
    that Christ might live
    through faith
    in your hearts
    by love
    firmly rooted
    and well established
    that you may be fully able to understand
    with all the holy ones
    what is the width,
    and length
    and height
    and depth
    and so to know
    the surpassing-knowledge-love of Christ Jesus
    and that you might be filled up
    to all the fullness of God.



    O Love, O God who created me, in your love recreate me.
    O Love, who redeemed me,
    fill up in me whatever part of your love
    has fallen into neglect within me.
    O Love, O God, who first loved me,
    grant that with my whole heart,
    and with my whole soul,
    and with my whole strength,
    I may love you.

    Gertrude the Great

  • Ephesians 3 8-13

    To me,
    the least of the least of all the holy ones
    has been given the grace
    to announce-the-gospel to the Gentiles
    the unsearchable riches of Christ
    and to enlighten everyone
    about the plan of the mystery
    having been hidden from the ages
    in God
    who created all things,
    so that the multi-faceted wisdom of God
    might now be made known
    to the rulers and powers
    in the heavenly places
    through the church
    according to the purpose of the ages
    which he carried out
    in Christ Jesus,
    our Lord.
    in whom we have confidence and
    access
    in boldness
    through his faith
    therefore I ask you
    not to become discouraged
    because of my tribulations
    for you all,
    which are your glory .


    Teach us, good Lord,
    to serve thee as thou deservest;
    to give and not to count the cost;
    to fight and not to heed the wounds;
    to toil and not to seek for rest;
    to labour and not to ask for any reward,
    save that of knowing that we do thy will,
    through Jesus Christ our Lord.
    Amen

    St Ignatius

  • Ephesians 3 6-7

    (the mystery)

    … that is the Gentiles have become
    co-heirs with
    one body with
    and sharing-with
    in the promise
    in Christ Jesus
    by means of the gospel,

    of which
    I did became
    a servant
    according to the gift
    which is the grace from God
    that was given to me
    according to the working of his power

    Grant, Lord,
    that we may hold to you without parting,
    worship you without wearying,
    serve you without failing;
    faithfully seek you,
    happily find you,
    and forever possess you,
    the only God,blessed now and for ever.
    Amen

    St Anselm

  • Ephesians 3 1-5

    For this reason…
    I, Paul,
    the prisoner of Christ,
    on behalf of you
    Gentiles,
    surely
    you have heard of the stewardship
    of the grace from God
    given to me
    for you
    that
    by means of revelation
    the mystery has been made known to me
    as I have written before in brief,
    in accordance with which
    -reading this –
    you are able to know
    my understanding
    of the mystery of Christ
    which was not made known in other generations
    to (humans)
    -as now it has been revealed
    to his holy saints and prophets
    by the Spirit.

    Thank you, dear Jesus,
    for all you have given me,
    for all you have taken away from me,
    for all you have left me.

    Thomas More (c.1478-1535)