Episcopal Prayer at the Close of Day

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. 

(from the New Zealand Prayer Book)

Chapel at the Jvaris Monastery, outside Tiblisi, Georgia. Photo by Caroline Carson

Episcopal Prayer at the Close of Day

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. 

~ from the New Zealand Prayer Book

Link to image: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100413.html 

Unusual Spiral Galaxy M66 from Hubble 

Credit: #NASA, #ESA, #Hubble Heritage

O Gentle Light

O Gentle Light of the holy glory of the immortal, heavenly, holy, blessed Father, O Jesus Christ: Having come to the setting of the sun, having beheld the evening light, we praise the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: God. Meet it is for Thee at all times to be hymned with reverent voices, O Son of God, Giver of life. Wherefore, the world doth glorify Thee. (Russian Orthodox trans of the Phos hilaron).

NASA-app image info at this link: http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-sees-turquoise-tinted-plumes-in-large-magellanic-cloud/#.VE3FuiLF-So

For the communion of saints, in all times and places, We thank you, Lord

“For the communion of saints, in all times and places, We thank you, Lord.”

Milky Way Over the Church by Linda Trine
Buy a copy HERE
Photo found on FB & online at Yes, You Can See the Milky Way

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. (from the New Zealand Prayer Book)

NASA / Hubble image of Messier 5

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. (from the New Zealand Prayer Book)

Credit:  NASA, ESA, and E. Perlman (Florida Institute of Technology)

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. (from the New Zealand Prayer Book)

El Gordo Galaxy, a NASA / ESA image

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. (from the New Zealand Prayer Book)

NOAA's GOES satellite image

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. (from the New Zealand Prayer Book)

NASA / Hubble image of Messier 5

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. (from the New Zealand Prayer Book)

NASA astronaut image from Mercury capsule above Earth

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. (from the New Zealand Prayer Book)

Mars dunes, NASA/JPL image

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. (from the New Zealand Prayer Book)

NASA / ISS image of our Moon above our Earth. Taken by astronauts.

An Evening Prayer

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. (from the New Zealand Prayer Book)

M16 and the Eagle Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block, Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, Univ. Arizona

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. (from the New Zealand Prayer Book)

Open Cluster NGC 290: A Stellar Jewel Box
Image Credit: ESA & NASA; Acknowledgement: E. Olszewski (U. Arizona)

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

From the New Zealand Prayer Book:

Lord it is night. The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God. It is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done. Let it be. The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you. The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace. The night heralds the dawn. Let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys, new possibilities. In your name we pray. Amen.

A Starry Night of Iceland
Credit: Stephane Vetter (Nuits sacrees)
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110517.html

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

From the Book of Common Prayer, 1979

O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live: Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Three Galaxies and a Comet
Image Credit & Copyright: Miloslav Druckmuller (Brno University of Technology)
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131020.html

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

From the Canadian Prayer Book:

To you before the close of day, Creator of all things, we pray that, in your saving constancy, our guard and keeper you would be. Save us from troubled, restless sleep; from all ill dreams your children keep. So calm our minds that fears may cease and rested bodies wake in peace. A healthy life we ask of you: the fire of love in us renew, and when the dawn new light will bring, your praise and glory we shall sing. Almighty Father, hear our cry through Jesus Christ, our Lord, most high, Whom with the Spirit we adore forever and for evermore. Amen.

Milky Way Over Spain's Bardenas Reales
Image Credit & Copyright: Maria Rosa Vila
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130902.html

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

From the New Zealand Prayer Book:

Support us, Lord, all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, the busy world is hushed, the fever of life is over, and our work done; then Lord, in your mercy, give us safe lodging, a holy rest and peace at the last. Amen.

A Milky Way Shadow at Loch Ard Gorge
Credit & Copyright: Alex Cherney (Terrastro)
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100823.html

Many more Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day at my Episcopal Space blog site and some here on Carsonia as well, just type in "Episcopal prayers" to search.

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

Tonight, I offer two short prayers. One is adapted from the BCP via www.EpiscopalShare.org and changed slightly to reflect my love of SPACE! I'll be using this one almost all the time :-)

God, grant as we probe the wonders and mysteries of the universe, we may come to know you more truly! Amen.

From the New Zealand Prayer Book:
Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen.

Star Forming Region in the Small Magellanic Cloud, NASA Image
www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_448.html