Dear Holy Flame,
If ‘Hope is the thing with feathers’, (thank you, Emily Dickinson) 
Then Joy is the thing that flickers!

Thank you for the caregivers in our lives.
For those who make us feel noticed, seen, and loved.
For the spouse who made our breakfast.
For the friend who follows up with a text.
For the neighbor who brings in a package.
For the barista who remembers our name.
For the stranger who extends an act of care.

Thanks be to God,
the Father Almighty, 
the Creator of heaven and earth, 
who delighted in making
the families of plants
who call our homes 
their home.

Visio Divina is a prayer practice in which God speaks to us through what we see. In Latin, the words “Visio Divina” mean "holy" or "divine" seeing. I have appreciated this prayer practice for several years, using art. However, it can also be applied to everything we see in the created world, whether grand or tiny. Visio Divina can usher us into a new experience of God.

Jesus, 
You are the Light of the World, the King of the Universe, the only Son of God.
And, the way You chose to show us how to love each other
Was through the sacred ordinary 
Of the basin and towel.

Neighbor, I pray for you.

May God shield you, protect you, and defend you
From the cold, the hard earth, the icy winds,
And from the plots of anyone bent on your harm.  
May your mind, body, soul, and spirit be guarded from all evil.
May you find shelter under His pinions
And refuge under His wings.

Father in Heaven,
We pray for warmth this winter.

May Your love ignite the embers of our faith
When the winter presses the bitter cold
Against the doors of our hearts and homes.

Father in Heaven,
In our harried and hurried hearts,
May we attune to the speed of love
And the rhythms of grace to move slowly.

You are invited to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and listen.

When we wake into God’s vast creation,
May we listen and pay attention to what we hear: 
birds chirping, water running, wind rushing—
but also what we don’t want to hear:
traffic, construction, alerts, and alarms.

Father in Heaven,
Our genesis is with Your instruction
To notice and name
And join You in the holy work of nomenclature.

Father,
You have shown us from the beginning
Your Story is the story of God, People, and Place.
May we see our neighbors and neighborhood
As hallowed gifts and holy ground. 
Thank you for inviting us into the sacred story
Of Your extravagant love and endless grace.