You are invited to begin this time with a breath prayer. As you enter into a stillness, use these words to align with your breath. Explore this breath prayer for this month as a way to center your body, mind and soul.
Breath Prayer
Inhale: Prince of Peace
Exhale: Calm my soul
THE CENTER PRAYER
Will you pray for the Center for Spiritual Formation?
Dear God:
We pray for the life and ministry of the Center:
May it become a healing stream
for those who would be sustained by prayer;
May it become an ever-flowing river
for those whose spirits have grown dry;
May it become a fountain of life,
for those who would practice their faith
in a dry and thirsty land;
And may it nourish the seed of your Word—
the Church,
yielding a bountiful harvest for your
Kingdom.
AMEN
Specific Prayer Needs of the Center
Please join in prayer for these specific needs of the work of the Center in this season. If you would like to help with provision for these needs, contact Rhonda Strouse at director.rhonda@centerformation.org
We present this prayer to the Holy One to whom all praise and gratitude are given as we seek to travel the sacred pathway of the Center…
O Gracious God, Hear Our Prayers…
May there be Generosity so the Center may thrive in its continuing
growth and outreach through resources that support our
community of hospitality, leading, teaching, learning and
engaging…
May there be a small still voice that rises for those who are called
to lead and serve as part of the Center’s community for our
Center Board, retreat facilitators, and special initiatives…
May God’s provision be bold as we seek to sustain, maintain, and
grow the Center’s outreach on the mountain and online through
our offerings of spiritual teaching and learning…
May we receive holy wisdom for our discernments, movements,
and responses for all the Center receives – held in a sacred trust
secured by the Holy One…
May It Be So, May It Be So, May It Be So…
Featured Prayer from Hannah Pratt Sledge
Breathe in… two, three, four
Breathe out… two, three, four
Breathe deep.
Breathe free.
Breathe until you become still.
Now, think of someone you love.
Picture being in their presence.
Breathe and rest there awhile.
Be and breathe….
God of every breath,
You are near to us.
Nearer than the air that fills our lungs.
You are Peace when our world spins.
Calm when our minds race.
Into the chaos of our lives,
You breathe peace.
“Peace. Be still.”
To our anxious hearts — “Peace. Be still.”
To our weary minds — “Peace. Be still.”
To every storm within or around us —
“Peace. Be still.”
Even when the winds howl and waters rise.
Even when we cannot see clearly,
Even when we doubt.
You are still here. You are still good.
You are still God.
So we breathe again —
Not with fear, but with faith.
Not with hurry, but with hope.
Not with striving, but with surrender.
Breathe in Your peace.
Breathe out Your love.
Breathe in Your presence.
Breathe out Your praise.
We rest now in You. Amen.
Rev. Hannah Pratt Sledge is a 2014 graduate of Messiah University and a 2017 graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary. She currently serves as the Lead Pastor at Hope Church in Mechanicsburg, PA. She is married to Rev. Kristopher Sledge, and together they have a daughter Lydia! Hannah loves to read, travel, and run outside!
Prayer from the Center’s Archives
The Center for Spiritual Formation has a treasure trove of prayers collected over the years through our Ministry of Spiritual Direction training, retreats and workshops.
O God, who art the unsearchable abyss of peace,
the ineffable sea of love, the fountain of blessings
and the bestower of affection,
who sendest peace to those that receive it;
Open to us this day the sea of your love
and water us with plenteous streams
from the riches of thy grace
and from the sweet springs of thy kindness.
Make us children of quietness and heirs of peace,
enkindle in us the fire of your love;
sow in us thy fear;
strengthen our weakness by thy power;
bind us closely to thee and to each other
in our firm and indissoluble bond of unity.
~Syrian Clementine Liturgy