On several occasions over the past few years, Maggie has been asked to deliver the community prayer during Sunday morning Celebrations at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. These prayers, written by Maggie, are printed here in order to provide a deeper insight into her spiritual awareness as well as her personal style.

February 10, 2002

O God, I think you might already know this about us, but we are not normal. We are not your ordinary church. We are not people who run away from the strangeness of life or the quirkiness of each other. We are people who don't just tolerate diversity - we embrace it. Because we believe in unconditional love, and that means opening our hearts and our minds so completely that we can celebrate each other, no matter how different or how hard to love we might be.

Lord, what a miracle! What a miracle that we are standing here this morning, holding hands as one people -- united in your spirit of justice and equality. Thank you, Lord! Thank you for this small sign of hope in a world that so often fails to value and respect each human being as a child of God.

May we not just feel the magic of this moment but allow it to transform us so that we might live with more passion and more kindness. May we leave this place today with renewed faith - faith in ourselves and in each other, believing with all our hearts that the power of love can truly change the world. As we say together:

Amen, Hallelujah, Right On, Shalom, Salaam.

O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come,

We're heading into a new year and, frankly, it's a little scary. Things haven't exactly been calm in our world, and we can't help worrying. It sure would be nice if we could somehow know what lies ahead. But I'm afraid not even Miss Cleo can tell us that!
And maybe it's better that way. Because the past is history and the future is a mystery. Thank you, Lord, for giving us the present, the gift of today.

May each of us learn the art of living in the moment, not grieving over the past nor daydreaming about the future, but opening our spirits to right now. To this time and this place. To our sisters and brothers right next to us. To the love within ourselves and all creation.

O God, grant us the courage to live as people of faith, people who don't just talk about love and forgiveness and compassion and kindness and justice, but who practice it every single day. This is the moment for starting over, for becoming better people. This is the moment for letting ourselves be changed and set free - free from the past and free to face the future with hope. As we say together:

Amen, Hallelujah, Right On, Shalom, Salaam.

O God, some of us really need to be here this morning. We need to feel the touch of another human hand. To see the faces of people who care. To hear words of hope and comfort in a world that's been feeling so scary lately. Thank you for this time together, when we might remember who we are and the way we want to live in the world.

Lord, our hearts have been broken in the past few weeks -- but not our spirits.
Violence has come home and continues abroad - but we will not embrace it.
Innocent people keep dying, and we feel frightened, angry, confused - but even in the face of such evil, we will not abandon love.

We will not follow the path of hatred and vengeance. For we are people who have chosen your way of peace, a way most difficult to follow in a time such as this, because:
In the very depths of despair, your way is hope.
In the grip of inexpressible sorrow, your way is joy.
In the raging fire of anger, your way is forgiveness.

O God, in this season of thanksgiving, may we give not just our thanks but give ourselves in service and love. May we act on our faith so that we might become instruments of your peace and hope in the world, saying together: Amen, Hallelujah, Right On, Shalom, Salaam.

God, please don't take this the wrong way. I mean, we're really glad you woke us up this morning and everything. But the truth is sometimes life sucks. Sometimes things get so crazy and weird and out of control. And we find ourselves thinking seriously about running away from home, changing our name, having plastic surgery, and just starting over!

But we know we can't do that. We know that somehow we have to deal with the not-so-fabulous parts of life. Those difficult moments that go along with things like illness, poverty, loneliness, addiction, grief, fear, and all those other negative forces that threaten to overwhelm us every single day. We know we've got to fight those forces with every bit of spiritual strength we have.

That's why we're here this morning. To be in a place where people say yes to life, in spite of all the bad stuff. A place where love and compassion and justice are not just words we say but the way we try to act toward each other. We've come here to nurture that part in ourselves that gives us the courage to face life as it really is. That secret place deep down inside each one of us where a spark of divinity ignites the human spirit, where joy is always alive, where unconditional love gives us the power to not just transcend the evil in life, but transform it into good.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you for giving us life in all its strangeness and all it's glory. And thank you for making your spirit one with ours as we say together: Amen, Hallelujah, Right On, Shalom, Salaam.

God of love and life, sometimes we forget how blessed we are. Sometimes we get caught up in the problems and worries in life, and we forget that you created us to be joyful, loving, hopeful people.

We've come here this morning to remember who we are. This place and these people remind us of what really matters in life:

The touch of someone's hand;
The smile of a child;
The embrace of a friend;
The emotion in our own hearts.

You created us capable of being fully human. To be people who care about others - even those we don't know. People who believe that justice and compassion and unconditional love are not only possible but absolutely essential. People who have the audacity to rejoice even in the face of despair.

Lord, may the memory of our time here remain strong through this week, giving us courage and joy, reminding us how truly blessed we are. As we say together: Amen, Hallelujah, Right On, Shalom, Salaam.

O God, we might as well admit it right up front. Some of us are a real mess. I mean, we've got so many problems even Jerry Springer wouldn't let us on the show! But okay, maybe our lives aren't perfect, maybe we've got a lot of work to do on ourselves, but at least we're not alone. At least this morning, in this moment, in this place, we're here together, we're holding hands, and we know there's hope.

Thank you for loving us just the way we are and for not giving up on us, even when we give up on ourselves. The good news is we don't have to be perfect. And we don't have to feel guilty or depressed or ashamed just because we don't have all our stuff worked out. Every day is a chance to start fresh. Every moment is an opportunity for us to do better.

At those times when we get all wrapped up in our own problems, remind us that there are others who may be dealing with something even worse. Remind us that the way to save our own life is to lose ourselves in caring for others. May we learn to act on our faith, walk the walk, and "do what the spirit say do". And may your spirit of love touch each one of us this morning so that we might truly love ourselves and each other unconditionally, as we say together: Amen, Hallelujah, Right On, Shalom, Salaam.

O God, sometimes we need something but we don't know quite what it is. We feel unhappy, dissatisfied, annoyed, but we don't know why. It just feels like there's something missing in our lives - something we long for but can't find.

Maybe what we're looking for is ourselves. Maybe what we need is to get in touch with who we really are. It's so easy to lose ourselves in work or illness or relationships or addictions or poverty or even abundance, Sometimes we struggle so hard just to get through life that we forget why we're living. We forget our spirit - the part of us that makes us not only human but divine. We forget that there's magic inside us.

We've come here this morning because we need the things of the spirit - we need hope, compassion, justice, joy. But mostly, we need love. Love without strings attached. Love that sets us free from fear and anger and violence and whatever else keeps us from knowing ourselves as we really are.

Lord, touch us this morning. Touch that secret place inside us where we feel like a lost child, where the hurt is so hidden it scares us. Give us the courage to look at ourselves with honest hearts and to know at last that we are your children, worthy of respect and tenderness and love. Help us to find the magic in ourselves and to recognize it in each other so we can celebrate life together saying: Amen. Hallelujah. Right On. Shalom. Salaam.

O God, this is a risky place. We're all taking a big chance just by being here this morning. Because in this place, there's no place to hide. We can't run, and we can't lie. We've got to tell the truth about who we are and what we do. And the truth is we haven't always been as good or as kind as we can be. And sometimes we do and say really stupid things. Sometimes we act out, and act up, and just plain act like idiots.

But each one of us knows what it's like to feel ashamed and guilty for things we've done and said. We know what it's like to think we're so bad that nobody could ever forgive us. But Lord, you forgive us. You accept us just as we are. You love us, even when we can't love ourselves.

Thank you for reminding us that all of us deserve to be loved unconditionally. We don't have to be perfect. And we don't have to be afraid to look at ourselves honestly. Because we're in a place where the truth sets us free. Where telling the truth is the first step toward healing and wholeness.

May we have the courage this morning to risk everything and, in the process, receive the new life of liberation that comes with your love. As we say together, Amen, Hallelujah, Right On, Shalom, Salaam.

O God, if it isn't one thing it's another. Not that we're whining, but sometimes stuff just piles up on us. Stuff like overdue bills. Family obligations. Schoolwork. The job from hell. And everywhere, all around us, there are people who drive us crazy. On the streets, at home, on the freeway, at the mall, riding on the Muni.

And now, to top it all off, we've got the holidays. Hannukah, Christmas, Kwaanza. And right around the corner, Millenium Eve. We can't help it. Sometimes we feel like it's all too much. Like life is moving so fast we have to run just to keep up.

Lord, in the midst of it all, would you remind us to just breathe. Remind us to calm down and to remember that what matters most in life is love. And what matters most in ourselves is a clean heart and a right spirit. Restore our joy this morning. Renew our faith. Reclaim our souls. And remind us in this holiday season to take care of ourselves as well as each other.

Thank you for letting us whine once in a while. Thank you for loving us enough to listen even when everybody else is sick of hearing it. And thank you for this safe, sane place where we can be together and say together: Amen, Hallelujah, Right On, Shalom, Salaam.

O God, don't let anything or anyone keep us from being who we are. Each one of us is brilliant, gorgeous, talented and absolutely fabulous! Each one of us is filled with your glory, because you made us. Your own light shines within us. Your seal of approval is stamped on every human heart. Thank you for creating us blessed.

Sometimes, though, we forget that original blessing. We don't see our own goodness. Our own beauty. We don't believe that anyone could accept us and love us just as we are. We don't let our light shine because we're afraid - afraid that our light is too dim to be noticed.

Set us free from whatever insecurity or fear makes us believe we have to crawl when the truth is we can fly! Turn our limitation into liberation. Give us eyes of faith so that we might see our own power and potential. And then let us turn those same eyes on our sisters and brothers around us so that together nothing and nobody can keep us from being who we are. As we say together: Amen, Hallelujah, Right On, Shalom, Salaam.

O God, it feels good to be here. To be touching the hands of our sisters and brothers. In a world that is often cold and lonely, sometimes we feel like nobody cares. Like nobody loves us.

Well, this morning we're at Glide. A place where somebody does love us, somebody does care whether we're sick or well, whether we're depressed or happy, even whether we live or die. Thank you for your spirit of love in our midst. Thank you for the gift of compassion we give to each other unconditionally.

O God, our compassion reaches out this morning to those suffering because of the earthquake in Turkey. We pray they might find comfort in the midst of sorrow. We think of those thousands without homes, and we are reminded of the homeless in our own communities.

May our concern and kindness extend to all who suffer this morning. To those living in pain because of poverty, or addiction, or mental illness, or abusive relationships. May the time we spend together in this hour encourage us and strengthen us to do your work of love and compassion wherever we live. Lord, let your spirit revive us as we say together: Amen. Hallelujah. Right on. Shalom. Salaam.

O God, there's a reason why we came here this morning. There's a reason we chose to be here instead of in bed, or reading the paper, or walking in the park. Whatever reason brought us together this morning, thank you! Thank you for the warmth of the hands we're holding. Thank you for the bodies and minds and spirits of each person in this place. As we touch each other in this moment, we pray that you would touch us, too. Touch us. Change us. Open our hearts so that we might be blessed by your spirit of love that dwells here in our midst.

O God, there is so much we don't understand. We know the human heart has such capacity for love, but this week we've seen a human tragedy in Atlanta. And we have witnessed the effects evil in Yosemite. The whole world seems filled with human anger and hatred and violence.

But God, even in the midst of evil, even when our own hearts frighten us, we know there's hope. Because we know deep inside us, we have the power to change our hearts. We have the power to change the world.

God, grant us the courage and the will to use our power. Give us hearts that are determined to love unconditionally. Let us leave here today walking your walk of love every day in the world, saying together: Amen. Hallelujah. Right On. Shalom. Salaam.

O God, thank you for the gift of this place, where we can hold each other's hands, and touch each other's hearts, and not be afraid to be who we really are. Thank you for this safe place where we can let our spirits soar, our minds open up, and our bodies dance, and our hearts rejoice.

We feel you blessing us right here, right now. This is the season of miracles and magic of the season of light and hope. Lord, work a miracle in our lives this morning. Let your own spirit of joy fill us so completely that we have the strength to face any problem, overcome any obstacle, withstand any trial, win any battle. Help us to understand ourselves as a people pregnant with possibilities. A people so powerful that nothing and no one can keep us from knowing hope and joy and peace.

O God, in this season of Hanukkah and Christmas and Kwanzaa, may our mission be one with your will: that we work to empower the poor, to honor our diversity, and to practice unconditional love every day of our lives.

Saying together: Amen, Hallelujah, Right On, Shalom, Salaam.

O God, we are so fortunate to be here. We're lucky whether we know it or not. Because this is the moment when some of us are holding on for dear life. Maybe we came here feeling lost or wounded or scared. Maybe we're feeling stressed out or strung out or just plain unloved.

Wherever we are in our lives, hold us tight this morning. Keep your loving arms around us and don't let us go. We thank you for this place where we've got hands to hold and sisters and brothers who care. This is the place we always know that somebody loves us. Somebody loves us. Thank you for that love.

May each one of us leave here today renewed in spirit and strengthened in our own love. Because deep down inside we know it's not enough to just receive love - we've got to give it away, too. Lord, with the holiday just ahead, remind us that giving is a part of thanks. Thanksgiving means sharing our hearts and time and money and everything we are with those around us. May we go into this week with open hearts and open arms, knowing that the time to start caring is right now. Our time is now. Thanks be to God, saying: Amen. Hallelujah. Right On. Shalom. Salaam.

O God, Creator and Ground of our Being, we come here this morning to be reminded that we are not alone. We come here because we need each other and we need you, too. Too often it feels like nobody cares. It feels like we're out there all by ourselves, on our own. Sometimes we forget the truth and need to be reminded that somebody does care. Somebody loves us.

Lord, wrap your loving arms around us this morning. Hold us tight. Don't let us go. Let your unconditional love flow into us and through us as we touch the hands of our sisters and brothers around us. Let your Spirit draw us together in this moment and make us one.

You created us to be people of faith, people of joy. But sometimes this world undermines our faith and almost every day we experience events that threaten our joy. We look around and see people treating each other with disrespect and disregard. We see the effects of anger and hatred and violence. And at the same time we have to cope with situations in our own lives -- physical or mental illness, troubled relationships, addiction, grief, death. Sometimes just living makes us feel overwhelmed and without hope.

But in those times, Lord, speak to us. Whether it's in a still, small voice or in a thundering roar. Remind us that we can find the strength and the courage and even the joy we need to not just survive but to thrive as people who know the power of love. Because that power is within each one of us. Always. No matter what.

Set us free from whatever is keeping us from loving ourselves or loving each other. Liberate us from fear and despair so that we might leave this place with new hearts and new resolve to live lives of joy, walking our talk, acting on our faith, and carrying your love to all the world. As we say together: Amen, Hallelujah, Right On, Shalom, Salaam.

O Lord, what a morning! This is a morning to celebrate new life.
A morning to celebrate hope.
A morning to celebrate your spirit of joy in our midst.

Thank you for giving us Easter to remind us that your love is more powerful than anything this world can throw in our way. Sometimes it fees like were being overpowered by the negative forces in life. The forces of hate and anger and fear and vengeance. The forces of guilt and self-doubt and sadness and addiction and illness.
Sometimes it feels like were being buried alive, like we're being lowered into a grave and there's no way out.

Just when it looks like the end, along comes Easter.
A day of liberation and resurrection.
A day when we remember the truth: that life is always stronger than death;
that hope will heal our hearts; that joy is possible even in the midst of sorrow.

O God, empower us this morning. Empower us like the women on that first Easter morning who learned the truth of your unconditional love and went out to change the world. Let this morning be a resurrection for us. Set us free from whatever graves we've been in that we might come out and start living our lives in love and hope and joy!

Amen. Hallelujah. Right on. Shalom. Salaam.

O God, thank you for this morning. (Rain and all!) Thank you for this new day -- when we can start fresh and leave the past behind us right where it belongs.

Some of us came here this morning weighed down by our past. We came in here heavy with guilt and bitterness and anger and fear. Some of us are so used to carrying around all that negative stuff so long we don't even remember what it's like to feel good!

Remind us this morning, Lord. Remind us there's a better way to live! We don't have to be slaves to the way we were. We can be liberated from our bad old selves and be free to live as people with clean hearts and right spirits. Help us to drop the burden of our past right here, right now. Help us to start living in the present-- as positive and loving and courageous people.

Lift us up, Lord. And lift us out of whatever negativity is keeping us from being who we are and who we might yet become. Touch us in this moment with your own spirit of joy and forgiveness and hope. As we say together: Amen. Hallelujah. Right On. Shalom. Salaam.

O God, it feels so good to be here. To be holding hands with our sisters and brothers.
To connect and touch each other's lives even for this brief moment.

Thank you for a place where all people are our people. A place where we can be a family, even if we don't know each other. Even if we don't like each other! A place when class and race and sex and all that other stuff that separates us in society just doesn't matter. Thank you for letting us see past the trappings and to find the truth that we are one people, united in your spirit of unconditional love and compassion and hope.

O God, fill us with that spirit this morning. Let it change us and make us better people. Don't let this moment of revelation and joy be lost when we walk out the door.
You have given us a precious gift. A gift called Glide. A gift of hope and recovery and liberation and joy. A gift of new life where we can let go of the past (no matter how bad it might be) and start over. Thank you for showing us here that the past does not have to equal the future.

So touch us, Lord. Fill us. Renew us. Open our hearts and minds to receive your love this very moment. And give us the courage to go out and be your gift of hope and joy to the world. Amen. Hallelujah. Right On. Shalom. Salaam.

O God, Creator of all that is, throughout the centuries we have called you Father. But you are just as much our Mother. It seems we know too well your masculine side, but we forget how you carried us in your womb and labored to give us life. How you birthed us, and breathed your own gender into our bodies. We forget that you are Goddess as well as God!

Mother God, on this day--this Mother's Day--we recognize the women who bore us and brought us up and gave us the feminine sense that is a part of each one of us. And yet, we come to this day with mixed emotions. Some of us are filled with joyful memories because we were mothered by women who cherished and nurtured us. Or we ourselves have been the kind of mothers who love and respect their children, teaching them courage and strength and self-esteem.

But for others, Lord, this day is so full of pain. Because for some of us, Mother's Day is simply another reminder of neglect or abuse or abandonment. It may also be a day of deep sadness as some of us remember our mothers who have died.

O God, take us just as we are this morning. Receive whatever is in our hearts, and help us to accept our own joy or sorrow or guilt or anger or confusion. May whatever we're feeling right now help us to know ourselves more fully. May our own emotions strengthen us, and encourage us, and empower us.

Mother and Father God, you who gave us life: take our hands this morning. Take our hands and lead us home. Lead us to the only true home any of us really has. The home within ourselves. Lord, teach us to be our own mother. To wrap our own arms around our own selves and treat ourselves with the respect and dignity and grace we deserve. And then, Lord, may we know the joy and hope and abundant life that come when we share that love with each other. On this Mothers Day, and every day, we give thanks and say together: Amen. Hallelujah. Right On. Shalom. Salaam.

O God,

This is the morning of joy, when we rise up singing!
This is the morning of hope, when we let go of despair and depression and fear.
This is the morning of new life, when we get to start over and start fresh and start being who we really are.

This is Easter -- a day to sing and dance and raise the dead!
It's Easter -- a day of miracles, when anything can happen. Even resurrection.
And, Lord, some of us really need a resurrection right about now. Some of us are so dead inside we can't even cry or laugh or know our own selves. Some of us have just gone numb because of guilt or self-doubt or poverty or violence or anger or addiction or whatever else keeps us down so low it feels like we're already under the ground.

O God, raise us up this morning! Roll the stone away from our hearts so we can feel alive. Help us to get free from whatever grave we're buried in. Help us to dig ourselves up, out of negativity and fear. Give us the power of Easter --- give us your own spirit that we might live again. Live as liberated people -- people of possibility and hope.

On this day, we celebrate new beginnings. We celebrate your promise that new life is always just a heartbeat away. Your message to us on Easter is that it's never too late to break free. No one is ever so lost they can't be found. No one is so bad they can't be forgiven. No one is so far gone they can't be restored.

Thank you for that good news on this glorious morning. May Easter remind us that every day can be a day of joy and hope and new life. Miracles can happen at any moment. Even this moment. As we say together: Amen. Hallelujah. Right On. Shalom. Salaam.

O God, we know you're here. We can feel you in the music and the singing. The air itself is electric with your presence. But even more than that, we can reach out and touch you this morning. Because whenever we touch the hands of our sisters and brothers, we find you. Your own spirit comes rushing through us.

Fill us with your spirit of joy and hope and liberation. Set us free this morning! Help us to drop whatever baggage we carried in here--whatever it is that might keep us from celebrating and opening ourselves to you and each other. Electrify our souls, Lord! Change us. Renew us. Lift us up with love.

O God, our Mother, this truly is a day to celebrate. Today we recognize and give thanks for the women in our lives. Those who have gone before, and those still with us. Women of courage. Women of pride. Women of dignity. All those who suffered yet still survived; those who were tortured yet still triumphed; those who society called bad, stupid, sick, crazy, worthless, useless, but who still embraced life, and created life, and made life better for their daughters and granddaughters and all the women not yet born.

Thank you for their strength and tenderness, for their loving anger, for the gentle power deep within womankind. As we remember their struggle for freedom, may we find the courage to liberate ourselves. As we think about their victory over pain and abuse and discrimination, may we find the voice to speak out and act up against the oppression of our sisters -- those right next to us and throughout the world.

On this day of celebration, may "history " become "herstory". May Her-Story become Our-Story. And together, may all of us find a new way to live, a way where justice and equality and freedom from fear will be our gift to the future. In that hope, we pray and say together: Amen. Hallelujah. Right On. Shalom. Salaam.

And we thank you for this place. This special blessing in our lives called Glide. A place where we can sing, and shout and dance, and laugh and cry and clap our hands, and just be who we are! We need this place, Lord. We need a place of healing and hope; of recovery and joy. A place where people get fed - not just physically - but spiritually, deep in our souls.

We thank you today for each other. For this community of precious little children, and old folks with attitude, and smart, sassy teenagers and all the beautiful diversity of your people in this place! Remind us how much we need each other. Help us to respect each other and take care of each other and to act together to make the world the way you want it. A world of justice and equality and peace.

On this Thanksgiving day, we remember our blessings. But we also remember how many others need to share in those same blessings. Others who don't have what the rest of us take for granted: a home, food, clothing, someone who loves them.

Thank you for the people who are sharing today - people who are giving up part of their holiday to be here this morning. Those who are helping by volunteering. Those who are helping by giving money. Thank you for the spirit of sharing in this place!

O God, let that spirit take hold in our hearts and stay in our midst.
So that every day might be a day of thanksgiving!
Amen. Hallelujah. Right On. Shalom. Salaam.