Prayers and Ponderings

Election Time - A PrayerHoly God, Form us with loving resolve To bear Your light and hope Into a season fraught With fear and despair. Form our thoughts With Your alive Word of Love Able to fashion new creations Out of every crushing chaos. Mold our hearts Into vessels of grace Sorely needed in every time But especially needed In this present moment. Fashion our words With a grac

Summer Stillness - A Prayer by the Rev. Dr. David Long-HigginsO Love, Saturate me With Your summer stillness Opening deep within The space unnameable Formed by You For Your mystery Of unfolding love. Pause me with scents Scattered by flowers Coming into bloom Fed by Your sun and rain. Fix my gaze On your gentle motion Of morning sun rising And landing on everything In joyful aban

Resurrection Stretch - A Prayer, by the Rev. Dr. David Long-Higgins Blossoming God, Open the petals Of my often closed life With Your irresistible light Of goodness and grace Revealing resurrection Surprises at every turn. Stretch every petal of me Too often closed to You And Your promises Of possibilities unknown Except by consent To Your motion of Love. By this of You Reveal the

Turning Toward the Fire of Love - A Pentecost Prayer by the Rev. Dr. David Long-Higgins O Love, Let me turn Aside in awe Of morning’s fire Rising in silences That speak a Word Recreating the world. Your Holy Presence Unnameable, yet voicing A song within uncontainable. Your “yes” of yearning Meeting hearts that burn In hurt and hope Of all that dares to rise In resurrection�

Necessary Sabbath Rest - A Prayer by the Rev. Dr. David Long-Higgins Loving God, Grant me grace To receive Your Sabbath Rest and renewal So often resisted In frenzied rush Toward inertias Of my own making. Let breathing space Awaken me to Your breath Given as gift in every moment For a soul sustenance Often taken for granted Yet bearing the miracle of life Into my body, mind and sp

The following sermon "The Call of Christ to be Woke" was preached by the Rev. Dr. David Long-Higgins at the MLK Day Worship Celebration at Woodland Christian Disciples of Christ in Columbus, Ohio on January 15, 2024. The text for the sermon was Ephesians 5:1-2 and 6-17.

In this episode, we hear the Conference Minister Address from the 2023 Heartland Conference Annual Gathering. The Rev. Dr. David Long-Higgins shares about the necessary ligamental life of the church in his heart-to-heart reflection with the Heartland Conference. To view this video or other moments from this year's Annual Gathering, go to our YouTube page here: https://www.youtube.c

United and Uniting - A Prayer for the United Church of Christ and the World written and read by the Rev. Dr. David Long-Higgins O Love, Form us ever anew United and uniting Bearing a vision larger Than we can imagine. Form the puzzling Predicaments of our day Into something precious And beautiful and good. Yes, take all that is scattered Embracing every fragment And fashion somethi

Temple Body - A Prayer written and read by the Rev. Dr. David Long-Higgins O Love, Bless this temple body Given as gift by You Enlivened by Your Spirit For worship and work In thanks and praise Of all You make possible. Form in me a reverence For care of this gift Of body given by You For the purposes of love To build Your justice joy For the full flourishing Of everybody’s body.