Welcome to the Pilgrimage of Prayer  ~
Day 14 of a 40-day journey of prayer leading us to General Council 42.

As the commissioners to GC42 prepare to make a physical pilgrimage to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, we invite the entire United Church of Canada into a prayer pilgrimage.

This is the fourteenth day of 40 days we will pray together. The following prayers have been prayed, written, and shared with us as a daily prayer practice. As you pray each day, please hold in your heart our whole United Church. Think of the power of all of us praying together. So “May it be so.” Amen.
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You are invited to say the following prayer out loud each day in the 40 days of the Prayer Pilgrimage leading up to General Council 42, along with the specific prayer for the day. We also invite you to pray this prayer during each day of General Council.

Pilgrim Prayer

May I love this day and all that it brings
The dust, stones or mud beneath my feet
The air I breathe, food I eat, water I drink

May I open my heart to mysteries along the way
Greet fellow pilgrims with welcome and grace
Move lightly and simply through the day

May I give thanks for the Earth, our fragile home
For all my relations who have gone before me
And for all who will follow… I am not alone

May the spirit and blessing of the One who is love
– Holy One among us, all around us, and within us –
Be with me today, and surround me with love

Allison Rennie and Diane Ransom, Naramata, B.C. Created in 2010 by Allison Rennie and Diane Ransom and said aloud each day while walking the Camino de Santiago.

Prayer for Day 14 – Sunday, July 12

I, I am the Lord, and besides* me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed when there was no strange god among you…. Isaiah 43:11-12 (NRSV)
*in other translations “apart from me”

Apart from you, there is no savior… O Redeemer God
Apart from you, there is no life… O Cosmic Creator
Apart from you, there is no hope… O Constant Companion
Apart from you, there is no wisdom… O Sophia, Wisdom of the Ages
Apart from you, there is no discernment… O Spirit of Change
Apart from you, there is no courage… O Steadfast Strength
Apart from you, there is no love… O Lover of my Soul
Apart from you, there is no purpose… O Cornerstone of the Church
Apart from you, we will bear no fruit… O True Vine
Apart from you…
we are lost and forsaken, wandering in a wilderness of our own making.
Turn our hearts and minds and spirits toward you…
…That what you are preparing to reveal, we will receive;
…That your offering of saving grace to the world will be our mission and ministry;
…That your proclaiming to your church will ring in our ears. ..
…That your revelation break through our delusions, plots and plans,
…That your saving Grace will still our fearful hearts,
…That your proclamations of deliverance will deliver us from the traps we design for ourselves.
O God, our Savior. O Christ, our Redeemer. O Spirit, our Living Breath.
Amen.

Lorna MacQueen, Hamilton Conference Staff, Hamilton, Ont.
Photo: Aramisse, Flickr (CC BY 2.0)