Masonic Prayers by The Rev. Gregory A. Megill, SMITHFIELD LODGE No. 455, AF&AM (TEXAS)

Prayers given by The Rev. Gregory A. Megill

While serving as Chaplain of the Texas Lodge of Research

(April, 2000: Rev. Megill is no longer a member of Dixie Lodge in Troupe. He is now the minister of the First United Methodist Church in Palestine, Texas and a member of Palestine Lodge No. 31. As a Methodist minister he gets moved around quite often and, since living in Troupe he has been moved to Coldspring, New Boston and a couple of years ago to Palestine. He has transferred his membership each time although he may keep the one at Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 37 in Coldspring where he finally stayed long enough to go through the chairs and now he is a Past Master.)

The Two Ashlars

Delivered at the closing of the 9 March 1995 Stated Meeting in Austin, Texas.

Grand Architect of the Universe, show us how to take our lives in their rude and natural state and dress, square, and polish them so that we might become disciplined and educated. Keep us everlastingly at the task of self-mastery. Enable us to uncover the Perfect Ashlar within us by removing the superfluous material which encrusts our lives. Teach us how best to perfect our spiritual edifice. Amen.

Masonic Obligations

Delivered at the opening of the 22 June 1985 Stated Meeting in Houston, Texas.

Gracious God, remind us of the importance of keeping the promises we have made to each other and to You. Teach us that the obligations we have taken upon ourselves cannot be forgotten or overlooked. Show us that the only way to honor our obligations is to live in harmony with them on a daily basis. Keep us faithful in living with, living in awareness of, and living up to or Masonic Obligations. Guide us in the responsibilities which are ours as we assemble here to conduct our business today. In Your Spirit we pray, Amen.

Masonry's Rites

Delivered at the closing of the 22 June 1985 Stated Meeting in Houston, Texas.

Father God, show us the wisdom from the rite of discalceation, one shoe on and one shoe off, that not everything in life comes to us with great ease. Teach us from circumambulation that life is a pilgrimage with many starts and stops along the way. Remind us through the rite of destitution that we need to be charitable. Encourage us to learn from salutation the need for lawful authority, the importance that some should lead while others follow. Cause us to know from investiture that we should strive to keep our behavior upright so as not to soil our character and morality. Help us to live by these rites and thus to improve our lives. In Your Name and for Your sake we pray. Amen.

Masonry and Time

Delivered at the opening of the 21 September 1985 Stated Meeting at the Masonic Home and School in Fort Worth, Texas.

God and Lord over all time, past, present, and future -- teach us the importance of rationing our time through the use of the 24-inch gauge, so that we may do the really important things in life. Remind us about the reality of time represented by the level so that we will spend our time wisely since we live in the shadow of eternity. Show us from the hour glass that time is relentless so that each moment is precious and never to be squandered. Enable us to learn from the scythe the restraints of time and not procrastinate thus to do our duty before the cutting and destructive effects of time make us a part of its harvest of men's lives. Grant us the wisdom to use our time with care and skill as we gather here today. For we ask in Your Holy Name, O God. Amen.

The Three Steps

Delivered at the closing of the 21 September 1985 Stated Meeting at the Masonic Home and School in Fort Worth, Texas.

Guide us, Great God, in learning to truly live lives of purification, illumination, and unification. Show us from Masonry's degrees, its "stages of initiation," the importance of developing conscience, mind, and soul. Make us aware of our nature as moral beings. Help us see the benefits of education and knowledge. Remind us of our interdependence upon each other, and upon You, O God. Grant us the perseverance to really be good Entered Apprentices, Fellow Crafts, and Master Masons. Amen.

Delivered at the opening of the annual Kenneth D. Gemmell Memorial Breakfast in Waco, Texas on 7 December 1985.

Father of Light, keep us diligent in the quest for Masonic knowledge and faithful in the spreading and sharing of the same. We thank You, O god, as we gather for food and fellowship, for the heritage we share in Masonry, of meeting at the Festive Board. As brethren of old and all throughout the world have found their spirits refreshed and their strength renewed at Table Lodge, so may we be sustained in health and strength from this fare. May our lives overflow in gratitude to you. Amen.

Delivered at the closing of the annual Kenneth D. Gemmell Memorial Breakfast in Waco, Texas on 7 December 1985.

Great Architect of the Universe, we thank You for Your presence with us at this hour. We ask Your special comforting presence for the surviving family members of Egbert V. Smith. In pain may they find comfort; may their sorrow give way to hope. Be their strength, shield, and stay, O God. Deliver them from their distresses. Be with us as we seek to carry on with the task of leadership in the midst of the loss of our leader. Remind us Father, that You who have never abandoned us in life, will not abandon us in death. Keep us mindful of ways we can be of service to Egbert's family members. Help us to rejoice in the life he lived among us even as we entrust his immortal soul into Your keeping. In Your Name and for Your sake, we pray. Amen.

Masonic Building

Delivered at the opening of the 11 January 1986 Stated Meeting in Goliad, Texas.

We know, O God, of the metaphors for building found in the symbolism of our Craft. We know of rough and perfect ashlars, the Tabernacle of Moses, the cornerstone, the northeast corner, the oblong square, angles, parallel lines, the five orders of architecture, the working tools, and the erecting of King Solomon's Temple. Remind us, Father, as these symbols are meant to do, of the importance of the spiritual life and of character building. Show us how to use the proper materials, methods, and influences in shaping our lives in harmony with Your will and way. Guide us in our deliberations in this hour, that that which we construct may stand the test of time. For Your honor and to Your glory we pray. Amen.

Masonry Must Be Lived

Delivered at the closing of the 11 January 1986 Stated Meeting in Goliad, Texas.

God of action, enabler of all life, never let us forget that Masonry is meant to be lived. Show us that Masonry, to be true to its purpose, must be translated into life. Help us to boldly and faithfully live our Masonry. In Your Holy Name, Amen.

The Three Great Lights in Masonry

Delivered at the opening of the 15 March 1986 Stated Meeting at Weatherford, Texas.

Great Artificer of the Universe, teach us how to use the three great lights in Masonry to guide us in discharging our duty to You, our neighbor, and to ourselves. Show us how to make use of the Holy Bible in learning and doing out duty to You, O God. Assist us in squaring our actions through virtuous living in all our relations with our fellow human beings. Enable us to use the compasses in marking out our duty to self. Guide us with the light from these three helps as we conduct our business in this assembly. All this we pray for Your Name's sake. Amen.

Closing prayer given during 21 March 1987 Stated Meeting.

Gracious and great maker and ruler of the universe, keep us ever conscious during the coming twelve months of the preciousness of time, how it flows rapidly like the sands in an hour glass. Enable us to use the upcoming year to do fruitful Masonic research which will benefit our fraternity and its wholesome impact upon the world. Go with us and guide us as we depart. For Your Name's sake, we pray, Amen.

Opening prayer given during 20 June 1987 Stated Meeting.

Great Architect of the Universe, we thank you that Freemasonry is a fellowship. How grateful we are for the fraternal union we experience when we gather together as Masons. Guide us this day as we seek to conduct our affairs in ways which will benefit the spread of Masonic knowledge and light. For we pray for Your Name's sake, Amen.

Closing prayer given during 20 June 1987 Stated Meeting.

Supreme Grand Artificer of the Universe, how thankful we are for life and all its blessings! We remember with grateful awareness that Freemasonry is a way of life. Enable us, as we journey homeward, and in the days following until we meet again, to readily seek to live by Masonic principles on a daily basis. For we pray in Your Spirit, Amen.

The Entered Apprentice Degree

Opening prayer given during 19 September 1987 Stated Meeting.

Remind us, Father, as we open this Lodge, of the beginning of our lives as masons -- of the Entered Apprentice Degree through which we all first experienced our fraternity. Show us again the way to live from its lessons of trust, charity, and secrecy. Never let us ignore the importance of actively trusting You, O God, on a daily basis. Always keep us faithful to our obligation to be of help to those less fortunate. And cause us to remember the secrecy we have pledged for the purpose of communicating Masonic truth through our degree system where it gets communicated best. As we begin today, remind us of our beginnings in Masonry. And as You were with us then, Father, be with us now in all our deliberations. Amen.

The Masonic Apron

Closing prayer given during 19 September 1987 Stated Meeting.

Gracious God, teach us the benefits of living so as to cause our lives to be as pure and spotless as was the first Masonic apron presented to us. make us careful about our reputation as individual Masons and as a fraternity. Remind us of the blessings which flow from purity of heart and blamelessness of conduct in a world where scandal seems to be the rule rather than the exception. Guide us on our way as we journey from this place and strengthen us to make purity of life and rectitude of conduct our aim. Amen.

Invocation at the Annual Kenneth Gemmell Memorial Breakfast, 5 December 1987.

Father God, may the food and drink and fellowship of which we partake be for us the equivalent of the wages of the workers laboring upon King Solomon's Temple. May our food be to us like the corn of nourishment. May our drink be to us like the wine of refreshment. May the fellowship we share be to us like the oil of joy. Then we shall be able with grateful hearts to give You, O God, praise for all good gifts in life. In Your Holy Name we pray, Amen.

The Fellowcraft Degree

Opening prayer given during the 16 January 1988 Stated Meeting.

Great and Grand Designer of the Cosmos, remind us as we begin our meeting today of the purpose of a research lodge. Show us that as the Fellowcraft Degree teaches us the importance of learning, knowledge, and education, that we in this lodge must be about the business of spreading Masonic knowledge that our fraternity, being better informed, may better reflect the best that is in Freemasonry. Guide us in this endeavor as we conduct all our business this day. We ask for Your name's sake, Amen.

The Master Mason Degree

Closing prayer given during the 16 January 1988 Stated Meeting.

Living God, remind us as we prepare to depart just who we are as Masons. We are supposed to be men who would rather yield up our lives than forfeit our integrity. We are supposed to be men who believe that selfishness must die in us if we are truly to live. We are supposed to be men who believe that the soul is immortal, and that this has consequences for our lives on this earth right now. Keep us ever mindful of those teachings from the Sublime Degree and enable us to put them into practice in our daily living. Amen.

Opening prayer given during the 19 March 1988 Stated Meeting.

Lord God Almighty, another year in the life of this Lodge has passed. The sands of time flow relentlessly. We have lost to death several valuable and talented Masons from our membership. We have gained some new active members into our ranks. We have disseminated Masonic knowledge to the best of our ability. Guide us in developing and practicing those virtues which should characterize good Masons. Direct us in our efforts today to select new leadership for the future of this Lodge. In Your name and for Your sake we ask, Amen.

Corn, Wine, and Oil

Opening prayer given during the 17 September 1988 Stated Meeting at Lufkin, Texas.

Great Architect of the Universe, as we gather together today for this meeting, may we be guided in all that we say or do by a strong sense of Your presence with us. Grant us for our labors the wages proper for us: the corn of nourishment, the wine of refreshment, and the oil of joy. May our meeting together on this day be such that nourishes and sustains us in the work which is ours as Masons. May the friendship we share as brethren give refreshment to our spirits. May the proceedings in which we are engaged, and the friends we greet today give us a joy that encourages us, revivifies us, and adds deep meaning to our lives together, Amen.

The Immortality of the Soul

Closing prayer given during the 17 September 1988 Stated Meeting at Lufkin, Texas.

Gracious God, as we prepare to depart from this place, may the courtesies which have been shown us here go with us to enrich our lives further. How grateful we are, our Father, that within our Craft's great teachings is one which reminds us that death is not the end, that the actions we take now have eternal consequences. As we think of the sprig of acacia, the sprig of evergreen, may we be reminded that we are preparing our lives now for an eternity with You, O God. Grant to us as we leave the resolve to live our lives so as to add truth, love, and beauty to them thus making them better habitations and temples for Your indwelling Spirit. Never let us forget that our souls are immortal as we go about our daily tasks. In Your name and for Your sake we ask, Amen.

Prayer delivered at the Gemmell Memorial Breakfast on 3 December 1988, at Waco, Texas.

Great Architect of the Universe, at this feast may we, as did our ancient brethren, promote social feelings, cement the bonds of brotherly love, and establish a center of union and harmony. In the warm and fruitful soil of Masonic fellowship may acquaintanceship, friendship, and affection flourish. For the food we share, we give You thanks. For the enjoyment of brotherly company, we give You thanks. For the love of Masonry represented by all assembled here, we give You thanks. Grant that we may be permitted to assemble often in this way so that warmth may be restored to the mystic tie. Amen.

Opening prayer given during the 21 January 1989 Stated Meeting at Midland, Texas.

Gracious God and Father of us all, make Your presence real to us as we gather today. Enable us to conduct our business this day in ways which will be in the long range best interest of the spread of Masonic light. Keep us from straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel by getting bogged down in trivialities while neglecting the weightier matters with which we need to deal. Grant us open minds to learn from Masonic history which will be presented to us today in the research papers. Guide us and lead us, for ask in Your name's sake, Amen.

Closing prayer given during the 21 January 1989 Stated Meeting at Midland, Texas.

Grand Architect of the Universe, as we prepare to depart from this gathering, may we be thankful for the fellowship, and be thankful for the new knowledge we have gained from the papers presented today. Strengthen us to go forth and boldly finish the tasks we have set for ourselves today. teach us the importance of duty and of faithfulness to our obligations. Keep us safe as we return to our respective homes, that we may have further opportunity to serve You, O God, and this great fraternity. Amen.

The Cornerstone

Opening prayer at the 18 March 1989 Stated Meeting at Waco, Texas.

Gracious and Great God Almighty, the Masonic cornerstone lies in the northeast corner, between the north, the place of darkness, and the east, the place of light. Thus it reminds us that we are ever to be progressing from darkness to light, from ignorance to knowledge. Help us in the next twelve months to enable those of our fraternity on whose lives the shadow of our influence may fall to know more about Freemasonry. Guide the leadership we will elect today so that nothing may interrupt the light which flows from the Great Light in Masonry upon the Holy Altar to the station of the Master in the East. We pray all of this for Your name's sake, Amen.