by Lilly Lewin
A couple of weeks ago, President Biden went to Selma, Alabama to REMEMBER. It was the 58th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday. On March 7th, 1965, John Lewis ( who was a leader of SNCC at age 25!) and a group of 600 regular people known as The Foot Soldiers, attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge to walk from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. “ The activists were protesting the denial of voting rights to African Americans as well as the murder of 26-year-old activist Jimmie Lee Jackson, who had been fatally shot in the stomach by police during a peaceful protest just days before.” @eji_org
State Troopers and sheriff’s men attacked the peaceful protesters with billy clubs, dogs and tear gas sending 16 people to the hospital. This was the first of 3 marches that week in March of 1965, and a turning point in the civil rights movement that led to the VOTING RIGHTS ACT signed by President Lyndon Johnson August 6, 1965!
Folks this was in MY LIFETIME! And the fight for voting rights & basic civil rights is still happening in America! People of color are still being discriminated against & killed by police!
[caption id="attachment_51385" align="aligncenter" width="225"]
selma at sunset[/caption]
I had the honor of visiting the National Voting Rights Museum & walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on February 25th last month, just at the sun was setting along the river. The juxtaposition of the beauty and the brokenness of our country was on full display! Walking across the bridge was the end of our three day Civil Rights Pilgrimage learning about the history of civil rights and injustice in our nation. My husband Rob and I traveled down from Nashville to join Pastor Kathy Escobar and friends of the Refuge Community to experience this together. Learn more from last week's freerangefriday.
A group of us white folks took time out of our lives to REMEMBER our broken history and to REMEMBER the bravery of the men and women like John Lewis who stood up against oppression by peaceful protest and walking!
We'd spent the morning learning about the fight for civil right in Birmingham, Alabama and how over 1000 children stood up against injustice in the Children's Crusade of 1963 because their parents would have lost their jobs if they'd taken time off to protest. The final part of our Pilgrimage was to go to Selma and walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. I was asked to lead the closing reflection for our three day pilgrimage. And as I drove down to Selma, I knew I had candles we were going to light together to remind us to be Light in the Darkness of our world. I had also brought some stones/rocks with me that I'd collected on the beach at Lake Michigan, but I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to use them. One of my practices is to bring gear for experiential worship and then listen to what the Holy Spirit is up to and allow the Holy Spirit to lead what happens. Originally, I thought we might throw the rocks/stones into the river to give away our burdens and all the heavy things we'd carried with us on the journey and let Jesus, the living water, have them. But as I prayed and talked with my husband on the drive down to Selma. I thought about one of my favorite passages in Joshua 4
Remember Rock[/caption]
I wanted each of us to take home a REMEMBER ROCK as a tangible reminder of all the things we'd seen and heard on our pilgrimage together. All the atrocities we'd learned about and all the stories of heroes and the bravery of regular people standing up for justice too. I felt ready for our closing worship.
After we visited the museum together, we crossed the street to start the walk over the bridge. Rob and I noticed a group of stones in the park at the foot of the bridge. These large stones were engraved with the Joshua 4:21-24
selma rocks [/caption]
[caption id="attachment_51388" align="aligncenter" width="225"]
Joshua stones[/caption]
We all walked over the bridge, reflecting on many things and considering the people who'd marched across in 1965. Then we walked back across and met together in the park with the Joshua stones. I got to tell the story about not knowing how I would use these rocks from Michigan that I brought from home. I shared how the Holy Spirit invited me to use them as REMEMBER ROCKS and I passed them around along with the sharpies and we all wrote REMEMBER on our rocks. Then I shared how I had had no idea that there were Joshua stones with the verse carved in them here at the bridge! I still get chills thinking about the beauty of that moment and the power of the Holy Spirit!
I invited them to take home their rocks and put them somewhere where they would see them regularly. To use them as visual reminders to pray for their fellow pilgrims. To use these stones as a reminder of all the things God had shown them on this journey together and as a reminder to fight injustice when they got back home!
What about you? Do you need to remember the mighty works of God today? Do you need to remember that the Holy Spirit is still drying up rivers and still moving stones?
I invite you to find a smooth rock and a sharpie marker. Read Joshua 4.
Write the word REMEMBER on your ROCK. Hold it in your hand and consider the wonderful things God has done in your life. How have you seen God at work? in the past, the last few years, in the last few days? Ask Jesus to help you remember. Take time to write these things down to help you remember. You might even tell your children or your grandchildren or friends about some of the wonderful things God has done in your life! This week, take time to REMEMBER and take time to be GRATEFUL for all God has done and is doing in your life!
If you get a chance, take the time to go to Selma & to Birmingham and Montgomery. Learn our history and work to make America, and our world more equal and just daily!
[caption id="attachment_51390" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Pilgrims in Selma![/caption]
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
Join me on Pilgrimage in Scotland! August 28-September 4th.We will rest, restore and remember on the beautiful Iona! Finding Your Thinplace Pilgrimage 2023
[caption id="attachment_51391" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Join Lilly on Pilgrimage Aug 28-Sept 4, 2023[/caption]
selma at sunset[/caption]
I had the honor of visiting the National Voting Rights Museum & walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on February 25th last month, just at the sun was setting along the river. The juxtaposition of the beauty and the brokenness of our country was on full display! Walking across the bridge was the end of our three day Civil Rights Pilgrimage learning about the history of civil rights and injustice in our nation. My husband Rob and I traveled down from Nashville to join Pastor Kathy Escobar and friends of the Refuge Community to experience this together. Learn more from last week's freerangefriday.
A group of us white folks took time out of our lives to REMEMBER our broken history and to REMEMBER the bravery of the men and women like John Lewis who stood up against oppression by peaceful protest and walking!
We'd spent the morning learning about the fight for civil right in Birmingham, Alabama and how over 1000 children stood up against injustice in the Children's Crusade of 1963 because their parents would have lost their jobs if they'd taken time off to protest. The final part of our Pilgrimage was to go to Selma and walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. I was asked to lead the closing reflection for our three day pilgrimage. And as I drove down to Selma, I knew I had candles we were going to light together to remind us to be Light in the Darkness of our world. I had also brought some stones/rocks with me that I'd collected on the beach at Lake Michigan, but I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to use them. One of my practices is to bring gear for experiential worship and then listen to what the Holy Spirit is up to and allow the Holy Spirit to lead what happens. Originally, I thought we might throw the rocks/stones into the river to give away our burdens and all the heavy things we'd carried with us on the journey and let Jesus, the living water, have them. But as I prayed and talked with my husband on the drive down to Selma. I thought about one of my favorite passages in Joshua 4
“Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” Joshua 4:4-7 “When your children ask their parents in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we crossed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty and so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” Joshua 4: 21-24Like us, the Children of Israel often forgot about all the mighty deeds God does. Like us, they needed to REMEMBER the power of God. So they built a tower of 12 stones on the bank of the Jordan River as a visual reminder of God's mighty work in their lives. I wanted us to REMEMBER all we'd learned and seen along our journey together. I had sharpie markers and rocks! I didn't have time to write REMEMBER on the rocks, so I decided I would let each person pick a rock and a sharpie and write down the word REMEMBER on one side of their rock and then I would invite them to consider another word or phrase they wanted to carry with them from our time together and write that on the other side. ' [caption id="attachment_51386" align="aligncenter" width="225"]
Remember Rock[/caption]
I wanted each of us to take home a REMEMBER ROCK as a tangible reminder of all the things we'd seen and heard on our pilgrimage together. All the atrocities we'd learned about and all the stories of heroes and the bravery of regular people standing up for justice too. I felt ready for our closing worship.
After we visited the museum together, we crossed the street to start the walk over the bridge. Rob and I noticed a group of stones in the park at the foot of the bridge. These large stones were engraved with the Joshua 4:21-24
“When your children ask their parents in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we crossed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty and so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” Joshua 4: 21-24Rob and I both started crying...I had no idea these large stones were at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge! But the Holy Spirit knew! Wow! [caption id="attachment_51384" align="aligncenter" width="225"]
selma rocks [/caption]
[caption id="attachment_51388" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Joshua stones[/caption]
We all walked over the bridge, reflecting on many things and considering the people who'd marched across in 1965. Then we walked back across and met together in the park with the Joshua stones. I got to tell the story about not knowing how I would use these rocks from Michigan that I brought from home. I shared how the Holy Spirit invited me to use them as REMEMBER ROCKS and I passed them around along with the sharpies and we all wrote REMEMBER on our rocks. Then I shared how I had had no idea that there were Joshua stones with the verse carved in them here at the bridge! I still get chills thinking about the beauty of that moment and the power of the Holy Spirit!
I invited them to take home their rocks and put them somewhere where they would see them regularly. To use them as visual reminders to pray for their fellow pilgrims. To use these stones as a reminder of all the things God had shown them on this journey together and as a reminder to fight injustice when they got back home!
What about you? Do you need to remember the mighty works of God today? Do you need to remember that the Holy Spirit is still drying up rivers and still moving stones?
I invite you to find a smooth rock and a sharpie marker. Read Joshua 4.
Write the word REMEMBER on your ROCK. Hold it in your hand and consider the wonderful things God has done in your life. How have you seen God at work? in the past, the last few years, in the last few days? Ask Jesus to help you remember. Take time to write these things down to help you remember. You might even tell your children or your grandchildren or friends about some of the wonderful things God has done in your life! This week, take time to REMEMBER and take time to be GRATEFUL for all God has done and is doing in your life!
If you get a chance, take the time to go to Selma & to Birmingham and Montgomery. Learn our history and work to make America, and our world more equal and just daily!
[caption id="attachment_51390" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pilgrims in Selma![/caption]
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
Join me on Pilgrimage in Scotland! August 28-September 4th.We will rest, restore and remember on the beautiful Iona! Finding Your Thinplace Pilgrimage 2023
[caption id="attachment_51391" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Join Lilly on Pilgrimage Aug 28-Sept 4, 2023[/caption] 
by Louise Conner - Originally posted here on the Ecological Disciple on March 9, 2023.
On the side of many concrete buildings throughout the world, massive weeds have been appearing, causing people to turn their heads and crane their necks in spite of the fact that most people see weeds as undesirable and worthy only of being eradicated. These happen to be work of Swiss-born Mona Caron and are part of an ongoing mural series called, "Weeds."
Since 1998, Caron has created murals (and posters) that support social movements, activism (she calls this work "artivism), and the remembering of forgotten segments of society. The "Weeds" series, though different in scale and technique from her earlier work, shares fundamental values and philosophical beliefs with these earlier works.
[caption id="attachment_51360" align="alignnone" width="1040"]
Market Street Railway, San Francisco, CA. By Mona Caron[/caption]
For many years, Caron created extremely labor-intensive, highly-detailed depictions of very specific places, often within her adopted hometown of San Francisco, California. Two of these murals: "Market Street Railway" and "Windows into the Tenderloin," minutely reflect the neighborhood in which they are located, even to the extent of including images of real community members within the murals. The Tenderloin area, in particular, is an area with serious difficulties, and the making of the mural was featured in an award-winning documentary.
[caption id="attachment_51362" align="alignleft" width="436"]
Section of Windows into the Tenderloin[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_51361" align="alignnone" width="180"]
Detail of "Another Way" Section of Mural[/caption]
In "Windows into the Tenderloin," Caron included a panel called, "Another Way," which she created after interviewing many, many community members. It translates into mural form the articulated dreams of the people Caron talked to while planning and creating the mural, showing a possible future, different from what currently exists in this place. An uncared-for parking lot is transformed into a thriving community green space, populated with recognizable representations of the very people who shared their dreams with Caron about what this place could look like and be.
With her "Weeds" murals, Caron has shifted. Instead of time-intensive, extremely detailed depictions of an entire neighborhood shrunk down to the size of a wall or side of a building, she is now often expanding a single stalk of a plant into a large-scale mural that covers an entire large wall or even the side of a several-storied skyscraper.
The inspiration for the "Weeds" series originated from her time working on the "Windows into the Tenderloin" project. Over the course of the year she spent working on it, she noticed a single dandelion that kept popping up at the base of the wall where she was working. It would sprout up through the cracks, begin to grow, reach a certain height where it would be noticed and wiped out by someone who came along to "clean up" the area by getting rid of the weeds that "dirtied" up the sidewalk. Eventually, it would sprout up again, and would begin to grow upward, only to again be cleaned up by someone who saw it as unwanted and undesirable. Caron became inspired by the dandelion and its resilience. She started thinking about weeds, and how they are a picture and lesson for those people and things that keep coming back even when they are not wanted or welcomed.
As she says, "It occurred to me, what that condition is — the radical patience of that dandelion asserting itself and reasserting life in that concrete in a place where nobody has given it permission to exist."
[caption id="attachment_51363" align="alignnone" width="421"]
Phytograffiti in Lisbon, Portugal[/caption]
She began doing what she calls "phytograffiti," or "plant graffiti," leaving often small scale murals of weeds scattered throughout the city.
At the same time, she began a side, personal project—a series of stop-motion images that she turned into a video and added to her YouTube channel, which at the time had very few followers. The video resonated with people and suddenly her audience numbers exploded. She heard from people around the world saying how much the storyline resonated with them and how they identified with the narrative of the weed—struggling, growing, surviving in spite of being unwanted and unnurtured. (You will find the video at the end of this post).
Since then, Caron's weed murals have been in high demand around the world including Brazil, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, and various spots in the U.S. In July 2021, she created a huge mural on a 20-story building in Jersey City, New Jersey.
[caption id="attachment_51364" align="alignnone" width="522"]
Shauquethqueat's Eutrochium, Jersey City, 2021[/caption]
As is her practice, Caron chose for her model a flower that is significantly connected to the particular place. The Joe Pye weed, a purple wildflower that is native to coastal areas in the eastern U.S., including New Jersey, is the weed she chose for the mural. In the picture above you can see how the black background behind the flower emphasizes the details and color of the piece and you can also see a bit of the her painting method as the mural is a work-in-progress in the photo.
[caption id="attachment_51365" align="alignnone" width="429"]
Limonium, San Jose Convention Center[/caption]
The Limonium plant (statice) she chose for the San Jose commission pictured above is a wild herb native to the salt marsh tidal lands of the San Francisco Bay. It is an indicator species of the Bay’s ecological health and thus especially significant to the area. The three-dimensional effect of the painting is particularly striking.
She describes her work in this way, "I look for clandestine plant life in the city streets. When I find a particularly heroic specimen growing through a fissure in the pavement, I paint it big, at a scale inversely proportional to the attention and regard it gets."
[caption id="attachment_51366" align="alignleft" width="353"]
Marskros (Dandelion) - Grow Together, Gothenburg, Sweden, by Mona Caron.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_51368" align="alignnone" width="347"]
Detail from Marskros - Grow Together[/caption]
In Gothenburg, Sweden, Caron visually binds together two parts of an apartment complex with her dandelion mural, Marskros—Grow Together. In addition to the visual unity created by the upper part of the plant, the root system of the plant, painted beneath the awning entrance at the bottom right of the mural, incorporates members of the community into it, suggesting that this human community gives strength to the dandelion-like things that strive to grow and thrive around them.
Including the margins in her murals—indigenous women striving to protect their land from detrimental projects, local Bolivians fighting against water privatization—has long been central to Caron's work. With the "Weeds" series, this sense of margin includes the nonhuman parts of creation as well. By making the work less site-specific, it seems to have expanded the audience who are able access the meanings and grasp the images of hope, resilience and the possibility of change that the weeds represent.
As Caron says, I doubt that the type of change that we really need will ever come from the manicured lawns at the center of places where power is concentrated. The real change is coming from the margins, like we need to start paying attention to what’s growing on the margins of things, and discover a new beauty there.
Can you think of change that is trying to grow on the margins of where you live? Are there "weeds" that you need to nurture, or at the very least need to hold back from "cleaning" up, and thus destroying?
You can see more about Mona Caron's work here and her Weeds video may be viewed below.
Feel free to email me at info@circlewood.online or leave a comment below.
Louise
Market Street Railway, San Francisco, CA. By Mona Caron[/caption]
For many years, Caron created extremely labor-intensive, highly-detailed depictions of very specific places, often within her adopted hometown of San Francisco, California. Two of these murals: "Market Street Railway" and "Windows into the Tenderloin," minutely reflect the neighborhood in which they are located, even to the extent of including images of real community members within the murals. The Tenderloin area, in particular, is an area with serious difficulties, and the making of the mural was featured in an award-winning documentary.
[caption id="attachment_51362" align="alignleft" width="436"] Section of Windows into the Tenderloin[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_51361" align="alignnone" width="180"] Detail of "Another Way" Section of Mural[/caption]
In "Windows into the Tenderloin," Caron included a panel called, "Another Way," which she created after interviewing many, many community members. It translates into mural form the articulated dreams of the people Caron talked to while planning and creating the mural, showing a possible future, different from what currently exists in this place. An uncared-for parking lot is transformed into a thriving community green space, populated with recognizable representations of the very people who shared their dreams with Caron about what this place could look like and be.
With her "Weeds" murals, Caron has shifted. Instead of time-intensive, extremely detailed depictions of an entire neighborhood shrunk down to the size of a wall or side of a building, she is now often expanding a single stalk of a plant into a large-scale mural that covers an entire large wall or even the side of a several-storied skyscraper.
The inspiration for the "Weeds" series originated from her time working on the "Windows into the Tenderloin" project. Over the course of the year she spent working on it, she noticed a single dandelion that kept popping up at the base of the wall where she was working. It would sprout up through the cracks, begin to grow, reach a certain height where it would be noticed and wiped out by someone who came along to "clean up" the area by getting rid of the weeds that "dirtied" up the sidewalk. Eventually, it would sprout up again, and would begin to grow upward, only to again be cleaned up by someone who saw it as unwanted and undesirable. Caron became inspired by the dandelion and its resilience. She started thinking about weeds, and how they are a picture and lesson for those people and things that keep coming back even when they are not wanted or welcomed.
As she says, "It occurred to me, what that condition is — the radical patience of that dandelion asserting itself and reasserting life in that concrete in a place where nobody has given it permission to exist."
[caption id="attachment_51363" align="alignnone" width="421"] Phytograffiti in Lisbon, Portugal[/caption]
She began doing what she calls "phytograffiti," or "plant graffiti," leaving often small scale murals of weeds scattered throughout the city.
At the same time, she began a side, personal project—a series of stop-motion images that she turned into a video and added to her YouTube channel, which at the time had very few followers. The video resonated with people and suddenly her audience numbers exploded. She heard from people around the world saying how much the storyline resonated with them and how they identified with the narrative of the weed—struggling, growing, surviving in spite of being unwanted and unnurtured. (You will find the video at the end of this post).
Since then, Caron's weed murals have been in high demand around the world including Brazil, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, and various spots in the U.S. In July 2021, she created a huge mural on a 20-story building in Jersey City, New Jersey.
[caption id="attachment_51364" align="alignnone" width="522"] Shauquethqueat's Eutrochium, Jersey City, 2021[/caption]
As is her practice, Caron chose for her model a flower that is significantly connected to the particular place. The Joe Pye weed, a purple wildflower that is native to coastal areas in the eastern U.S., including New Jersey, is the weed she chose for the mural. In the picture above you can see how the black background behind the flower emphasizes the details and color of the piece and you can also see a bit of the her painting method as the mural is a work-in-progress in the photo.
[caption id="attachment_51365" align="alignnone" width="429"] Limonium, San Jose Convention Center[/caption]
The Limonium plant (statice) she chose for the San Jose commission pictured above is a wild herb native to the salt marsh tidal lands of the San Francisco Bay. It is an indicator species of the Bay’s ecological health and thus especially significant to the area. The three-dimensional effect of the painting is particularly striking.
She describes her work in this way, "I look for clandestine plant life in the city streets. When I find a particularly heroic specimen growing through a fissure in the pavement, I paint it big, at a scale inversely proportional to the attention and regard it gets."
[caption id="attachment_51366" align="alignleft" width="353"] Marskros (Dandelion) - Grow Together, Gothenburg, Sweden, by Mona Caron.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_51368" align="alignnone" width="347"] Detail from Marskros - Grow Together[/caption]
In Gothenburg, Sweden, Caron visually binds together two parts of an apartment complex with her dandelion mural, Marskros—Grow Together. In addition to the visual unity created by the upper part of the plant, the root system of the plant, painted beneath the awning entrance at the bottom right of the mural, incorporates members of the community into it, suggesting that this human community gives strength to the dandelion-like things that strive to grow and thrive around them.
Including the margins in her murals—indigenous women striving to protect their land from detrimental projects, local Bolivians fighting against water privatization—has long been central to Caron's work. With the "Weeds" series, this sense of margin includes the nonhuman parts of creation as well. By making the work less site-specific, it seems to have expanded the audience who are able access the meanings and grasp the images of hope, resilience and the possibility of change that the weeds represent.
As Caron says, I doubt that the type of change that we really need will ever come from the manicured lawns at the center of places where power is concentrated. The real change is coming from the margins, like we need to start paying attention to what’s growing on the margins of things, and discover a new beauty there.
Can you think of change that is trying to grow on the margins of where you live? Are there "weeds" that you need to nurture, or at the very least need to hold back from "cleaning" up, and thus destroying?
You can see more about Mona Caron's work here and her Weeds video may be viewed below.
Feel free to email me at info@circlewood.online or leave a comment below.
Louise 
In our experience of God's presence, poetry can help us focus and engage our senses and entire being. Poetry can help us process life and emotions—and see ourselves—in new ways, and thus be open to hearing God say fresh, new things to us. Scripture does this also, of course. In fact, much of the Bible was written as poetry. I have long found soul nourishment and renewed perspective in the Psalms. And how can a person read Song of Solomon and not believe God seeks to woo and reach us through the five senses he has given us? The prophet Isaiah wrote often in poetry. Sometimes poetic expression reaches straight to the heart more effectively than prose.
"Poetry, in capturing the moment, captures the soul," says poet Mary Harwell Sayler.
I believe God still speaks through poets today. Sometimes with a prophetic voice. Sometimes imparting wisdom. Sometimes bringing clarity. Sometimes lifting the soul to hope and love.
Even if you think you aren't, you probably are more "into" poetry than you realize. Song lyrics are a type of poetry. Along with the instruments and voices, the words of songs can pierce or soothe our hearts as well as our minds.
Voltaire called poetry "the music of the soul."
On this World Poetry Day (March 21) I encourage you to begin the practice of including poetry in your devotional reading, meditative prayer, quiet times, and soul care.
Eugene Peterson stated, "People who pray, need to learn poetry."
But don’t just take my word for it. Listen to these comments from readers who have found poems help them focus on, and open their hearts to, God's presence and love:
“In our own seasons of suffering, [these poems give us] words to explain the pain, to cry out to God, or to get a grip on our faith.” –Elaine Wright Colvin (after reading I Cry Unto You, O Lord by Sarah Suzanne Noble
"This book is a steady and wise companion for those who read the Bible with real devotion and honest questions." –Connie Wanek (after reading Bible Poems by Donna Marie Merritt)
"Each one [of these poems] lifts my heart towards God. They have become a part of my morning devotions." –Bev Coons (reader of PRAISE! Poems by Mary Harwell Sayler)
"So many of the poems provided moments of prayer for me.” ~Jimmie Kepler (speaking of Glimpsing Glory by Catherine Lawton)
Poetry, and all the feelings it represents, connects us to all of humanity’s longings and searchings for God. Here is one of my favorite poems of devotion, written by Irish poet Thomas Moore, about 200 years ago.
MY GOD! SILENT TO THEE! As, down in the sunless retreats of the ocean, Sweet flowers are springing no mortal can see, So, deep in my heart, the still prayer of devotion, Unheard by the world, rises, silent, to Thee, My God! Silent, to Thee,-- Pure, warm, silent, to Thee.
As still to the start of its worship, though clouded, The needle points faithfully o-er the dim sea, So, dark as I roam, thro’ this wintry world shrouded, The hope of my spirit turns, trembling, to Thee, My God! Trembling, to Thee,-- True, fond, trembling, to Thee.
(I took the photo in the Redwoods in Humboldt County, California.)
Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week
In the last few days of his life, Jesus moved from garden to garden from suffering to resurrection.
Join Christine Sine for a Lent retreat that reflects on this journey and prepares for the challenging week that follows Palm Sunday.
Click here to register! We are once again offering several price points to aid those who are students or in economic hardship
A couple of days ago we celebrated the equinox, that day that occurs every six months when the sun sits directly above the Equator. On an equinox, roughly half the planet is light while the other half is dark. Here in the U.S. it is the official start of spring which is a little confusing for me as I celebrated the start of autumn in Australia on March 1st. That is because there are two ways of defining the seasons. Those that use the astronomical seasons change at the equinox, those that use the meteorological seasons changed on March 1st.
The celebration of the changing seasons is something that we all relish. Here in Seattle the daffodils are now in full bloom and flowering trees greet me wherever I go. Unfortunately, this year the changing seasons also made me aware of what a challenging climate environment we face. “There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all” according to the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. According to the report, earth is likely to cross a critical threshold for global warming within the next decade, and nations will need to make an immediate and drastic shift away from fossil fuels to prevent the planet from overheating dangerously beyond that level.
News like this can overwhelm us and make us feel that there is no hope of making a difference. It lies very heavily on my heart. Yet there is hope. All of us can make a difference and it begins with changing our perspectives and recognizing the central place that God’s love for creation plays in the biblical story. This is the focus of Saturday’s retreat Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week. As we approach the events of Holy Week this is particularly relevant. Earth participates in each step of the story. From the waving of palms and Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem on a donkey, through the garden of Gethsemane to the crescendo of earthquakes and splitting tombs at the moment of Christ’s crucifixion, and on to Easter when life overcomes death and Jesus is proclaimed as the gardener of the new creation. I believe this retreat will change your experience of Holy Week and your relationship to creation. So don’t forget it is time to sign up.
In yesterday’s Monday Meditation - Walls That Create Barriers to Peace I said “If there is one practice that should be established and reinforced during Lent, it is that of listening. Listening with our ears and our hearts. Listening with a willingness to be changed by what we hear and with a desire to see life differently than we have in the past. What if I rethink who I am not in terms of what Christ has done for me, but in terms of what Christ wants to do through me for others?” This is a time for listening, for rethinking, for refocusing, and for me God’s love for creation is at the centre.
This week to the delight of many, I started posting the beautiful Taize style services from St Andrews Episcopal church again. It was not possible while I was away in Australia so I am very glad they are once again available to refresh and renew us.
Friday was St. Patrick’s Day and Carol Dixon posted a beautiful reflection and worship service for us to enjoy. Then on Saturday Karen and Karen provided another beautiful painting and reflection Love Covers for our enjoyment.
With Palm Sunday only a couple of weeks away I wanted to highlight the resources we have available for Holy Week. My favourite is the Stations of the Cross which provides perspectives from many parts of the world on Jesus' walk towards the Cross. I also highly recommend our free downloads Maundy Thursday Agape Liturgy and A Journey Into God’s Resurrection-created World.
Many blessings on you as you continue your walk towards Holy Week,
Christine Sine
Photos and Writing by Carol Dixon
Featured photo: Cuthbert's Isle, Lindisfarne
Opening Prayer (David Adam Tides & Seasons)
Thanks be to the Father, I arise today,
He gives me light, he guides my way.
Thanks be to the Savour, I arise today,
He gives me love, he hears me pray.
Thanks be to the Spirit, I arise today,
He gives me life, with me to stay.
Song: Cuthbert’s Isle (Tune: Whittingham Fair -trad)
[audio mp3="https://godspacelight.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cuthberts-Isle.mp3"][/audio]
1. Behold the beauty of our God,
in vast expanse of sea and sky,
in bobbing seal and cuddy duck,
in tern and puffin’s raucous cry.
2. We sense the imprint in the sand
Aidan and Cuthbert’s feet once trod,
upon their daily pilgrimage
to draw them closer still to God.
3. We catch the whisper of their prayers
in gusts of wind on rippling dunes,
and lapping waves on Cuthbert’s Isle
dance to creation’s joyful tunes.
4. We learn to praise the living God
in service and in solitude,
and draw aside from teeming throng
to work and pray for greater good.
5. The Spirit wings across the air
to touch us with God’s kiss of peace,
and so renewed in heart and mind
our love for all will never cease.
6. All glory be to Christ our strength,
safe haven of the Father’s love,
and praise to God the three in one,
from saints below and saints above.
© Carol Dixon
Carol’s comment: I sang this in Alnwick Castle Guest Hall for the pilgrims travelling from Canterbury to Iona commemorating the 800th anniversary of St Augustine and St Columba in 1997. A wonderful occasion and a great privilege.
Thoughts on St. Cuthbert (from David Adam’s Walking the edges)
In Cuthbert we see someone who has "tuned the five stringed harp", the human senses, until they vibrate with what is going on around him. When people are insensitive to the mysteries and wonders of life, to the wonderful world or to people, they are not open to the glories of God, which are about them. The more open we become to God, the more open we are to his creation: the more open we are to creation, the more open we become to God.
Cuthbert saw through the false divisions we make between heaven and earth, God and ourselves, other people and ourselves. Cuthbert was aware of a unity of creation that we have become insensitive to, though the modern world is learning once again that nothing stands alone, all things are in unity with other parts of God's Universe. Heaven is woven into our world, and is here and now. A world viewed with this insight gives us a vision of a world that is ablaze with the glory of God.
We need to reawaken our senses so that they will react to the depth and wonders of the world about us. Too often we have taken a closed-circuit attitude that will not let anything enter that is strange or challenging. We seek to be in control and in so doing limit our vision, our senses and our experiences. The world we live in has many levels and is multidimensional and yet we often opt for a narrow view with a tightly controlled environment.
Prayer
Lord, open my eyes to the wonder of the world
and your presence within it.
Lord open my ears to the calls of creation
and to your voice, quiet and near.
Lord open my heart to the love of others
and to your love, close and real.
Lord open each sense and make me aware
of the wonder and beauty always there.
©David Adam
A time of reflection
In our imaginations let’s go on a pilgrimage around the island, and at each ‘station’ for prayer-
Beginning at St. Cuthbert’s Church
A prayer from St Cuthbert’s
Be still...
From the expansiveness of the skies - to the feathers of the sparrow
from the rhythm of the waves - to the falling of the leaves
from the undulating horizon - to the journey of the sands
the Spirit calls us to observe - the constancy of change
the intricacies of creation, the complexities of life
to be -at one with ourselves
with all that is around us - and with the Divine
to inhabit spaces - where clamour is calmed
questions paused, souls are fed
to become
at home - with change
with rebirth, and with hope
©️ Rachel Poolman, URC minister St Cuthbert’s, Holy Island
Statue of Cuthbert….
Collect for St Cuthbert’s Day
Almighty God,
who called your servant Cuthbert from following the flock
to follow your Son and to be a shepherd of your people:
in your mercy, grant that we, following his example,
may bring those who are lost home to your fold;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
St Mary’s Church from the Heugh
A prayer from St Mary’s
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known,
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
That we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name,
Trough Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Heugh…..
As we contemplate your Cross
And think of the sacrifices of islanders
Who gave their lives for others
In the name of peace,
We offer you our prayers, Lord God
For peace in our world today. © Carol Dixon
The Harbour…..
A safe harbour prayer
Lord of earth, ocean and sky, you rule the mighty deep,
your loving hands reach the uttermost part of the sea,
even in rough waters your hand will lead me,
your strong hand will uphold me.
You are my compass, my lighthouse,
my safe haven in the storm,
your grace surpasses the mightiest wave,
protects me in raging winds and treacherous billows!
May your peace keep me whole - spirit, soul and body,
until you come and take me home.
May your Spirit guide me, into your save harbour,
My Redeemer and Lord. Amen. [adptd From The Lutheran Book Of Prayer (1951)]
St Aidan’s Church…..
A voyagers prayer
As St Aidan approached this Holy Isle in a small boat,
travelling in faith and hope, with a vision of discovering
new ways to share your name, Lord Jesus,
and bring your word of hope and love to those in darkness,
may we be open to new opportunities to travel forth in faith
and reach out to those who live in darkness in our world today. © Carol Dixon
Ending at Statue of Aidan….
St. Aidan’s prayer
Leave me alone with God as much as may be.
As the tide draws the waters close upon the shore,
Make me an island, set apart, alone with you,God, holy to you.
Then with the turning of the tide
Prepare me to carry your presence
to the busy world beyond, the world that rushes in on me,
till the waters come again and fold me back to you.
Song: Cuthbert (Tune: Sussex Carol )
St Cuthbert, humble shepherd saint
and hermit on the inner Farne,
who lived a simple life of faith,
praised God, and kept his folk from harm.
On Holy Island he worked and prayed
that all might come to God and be saved.
He blessed the cuddy ducks and seals,
and priests and pilgrims called him friend.
The poor and needy sought him out,
for help and hope, their lives to mend,
learned to set time apart to pray,
care for others and follow Christ’s way.
(Optional last verse)
Still in St Cuthbert’s Church today,
Folk dedicate their lives again,
And strangers come to feel at home
So all are welcomed in Christ’s name.
Praise God for saints who served of old!
May we who serve today be as bold!
© Carol Dixon 2014
Based on St Cuthbert’s Holy Island Mission Statement
We follow the example of St Cuthbert by offering: A place to be apart with God, A simple hospitable welcome, A place of prayer & renewal, A place where strangers feel at home.
Blessing:
May God who guided St Cuthbert throughout his life
Be with us today and always. Amen.
Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week
In the last few days of his life, Jesus moved from garden to garden from suffering to resurrection.
Join Christine Sine for a Lent retreat that reflects on this journey and prepares for the challenging week that follows Palm Sunday.
A prayer from St Cuthbert’s
Be still...
From the expansiveness of the skies - to the feathers of the sparrow
from the rhythm of the waves - to the falling of the leaves
from the undulating horizon - to the journey of the sands
the Spirit calls us to observe - the constancy of change
the intricacies of creation, the complexities of life
to be -at one with ourselves
with all that is around us - and with the Divine
to inhabit spaces - where clamour is calmed
questions paused, souls are fed
to become
at home - with change
with rebirth, and with hope
©️ Rachel Poolman, URC minister St Cuthbert’s, Holy Island
Statue of Cuthbert….
Collect for St Cuthbert’s Day
Almighty God,
who called your servant Cuthbert from following the flock
to follow your Son and to be a shepherd of your people:
in your mercy, grant that we, following his example,
may bring those who are lost home to your fold;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
St Mary’s Church from the Heugh
A prayer from St Mary’s
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known,
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
That we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name,
Trough Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Heugh…..
As we contemplate your Cross
And think of the sacrifices of islanders
Who gave their lives for others
In the name of peace,
We offer you our prayers, Lord God
For peace in our world today. © Carol Dixon
The Harbour…..
A safe harbour prayer
Lord of earth, ocean and sky, you rule the mighty deep,
your loving hands reach the uttermost part of the sea,
even in rough waters your hand will lead me,
your strong hand will uphold me.
You are my compass, my lighthouse,
my safe haven in the storm,
your grace surpasses the mightiest wave,
protects me in raging winds and treacherous billows!
May your peace keep me whole - spirit, soul and body,
until you come and take me home.
May your Spirit guide me, into your save harbour,
My Redeemer and Lord. Amen. [adptd From The Lutheran Book Of Prayer (1951)]
St Aidan’s Church…..
A voyagers prayer
As St Aidan approached this Holy Isle in a small boat,
travelling in faith and hope, with a vision of discovering
new ways to share your name, Lord Jesus,
and bring your word of hope and love to those in darkness,
may we be open to new opportunities to travel forth in faith
and reach out to those who live in darkness in our world today. © Carol Dixon
Ending at Statue of Aidan….
St. Aidan’s prayer
Leave me alone with God as much as may be.
As the tide draws the waters close upon the shore,
Make me an island, set apart, alone with you,God, holy to you.
Then with the turning of the tide
Prepare me to carry your presence
to the busy world beyond, the world that rushes in on me,
till the waters come again and fold me back to you.
Song: Cuthbert (Tune: Sussex Carol )
St Cuthbert, humble shepherd saint
and hermit on the inner Farne,
who lived a simple life of faith,
praised God, and kept his folk from harm.
On Holy Island he worked and prayed
that all might come to God and be saved.
He blessed the cuddy ducks and seals,
and priests and pilgrims called him friend.
The poor and needy sought him out,
for help and hope, their lives to mend,
learned to set time apart to pray,
care for others and follow Christ’s way.
(Optional last verse)
Still in St Cuthbert’s Church today,
Folk dedicate their lives again,
And strangers come to feel at home
So all are welcomed in Christ’s name.
Praise God for saints who served of old!
May we who serve today be as bold!
© Carol Dixon 2014
Based on St Cuthbert’s Holy Island Mission Statement
We follow the example of St Cuthbert by offering: A place to be apart with God, A simple hospitable welcome, A place of prayer & renewal, A place where strangers feel at home.
Blessing:
May God who guided St Cuthbert throughout his life
Be with us today and always. Amen.
Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week
In the last few days of his life, Jesus moved from garden to garden from suffering to resurrection.
Join Christine Sine for a Lent retreat that reflects on this journey and prepares for the challenging week that follows Palm Sunday.
Click here to register! We are once again offering several price points to aid those who are students or in economic hardship
by Christine Sine
A few weeks ago, the Guardian published the following article: Tear Down these Walls or Get Used to A World of Fear, Separation and Division which made me feel that our challenge to break down walls during Lent was indeed a timely topic. Evidently “the EU/Schengen area is now surrounded or crisscrossed by 19 border or separation fences totalling 2,048km in length, up from 315km in 2014. Similar trends are discernible worldwide.” Walls that split nations in half, or that surround nations to keep out refugees and displaced people are more common than ever. In fact Wikipedia lists 59 such walls throughout the world, most of them designed to curb the movement of refugees and illegal immigrants. .
Walls are not new. The Roman Empire built several including Hadrian's wall in Britain, designed to keep the warlike Scots out of Roman occupied territory and the Great Wall of China built to keep out the nomadic tribes of Mongolia. What is concerning however is that most of today's walls have been built in the last 20 years. We live in a very sobering world of division and isolation. As the article in the Guardian says:
Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week
In the last few days of his life, Jesus moved from garden to garden from suffering to resurrection.
Join Christine Sine for a Lent retreat that reflects on this journey and prepares for the challenging week that follows Palm Sunday.
These barriers are supposed to fend off military and terrorist threats. But what they mostly do is create obstacles to peace. Often they increase frictions. At best, they freeze enmity in place.Walls, whether they be physical, emotional or spiritual often create barriers to peace. They highlight that people who are different from us be it because of race, ethnicity, gender orientation or beliefs are not welcome and maybe more importantly their views and ideas are not welcome and are seen to have lesser value than our own. In many cases that are not regarded as having any value at all. A few weeks ago, in the lead up to Lent, I wrote a post What If We Gave Up Walls for Lent, in which I talked about some of what I see as the keys to creating peace rather than animosity. First we need to really listen to what others are saying. So often we are more interested in voicing our own opinions than in listening, and what others say hardly registers in our consciousness. If there is one practice that should be established and reinforced during Lent, it is that of listening. Listening with our ears and our hearts. Listening with a willingness to be changed by what we hear and with a desire to see life differently than we have in the past. What if I rethink who I am not in terms of what Christ has done for me, but in terms of what Christ wants to do through me for others? What if I read life: through the lens of laughter and fun? through the filter of joy and peace? through the framework of gratitude and thankfulness? I am starting to think beyond Lent and even beyond Easter, and as I think about breaking down walls in the coming season there are other questions that lodge in my mind. As the seasons change what do I need to let go of in order to fully enter the richness of this new season? As I look at our world, what language do I need to change to become a better steward and carer for those who look and think differently from me ? As I think about my faith what perceptions and understandings need to change in order embrace that which I normally exclude? And with all these questions revolving in my mind it is not surprising that my initial thoughts have turned to poetry, that fertile ground of exploration and expression for me. Read life differently, Read with the desire to break down walls. Read with love and not with hate, with compassion and not with judgment, with generosity and not with scarcity. See your cup, not half full, not half empty, but overflowing with goodness and light and life. Read life differently. Look for the wonder of uniqueness, not the exclusion of sameness. Embrace don’t reject, Forgive don’t condemn, Seek the Son of God. Work diligently to know he who is the way, the truth, the life. Follow his footsteps into the way that leads to eternal life Amen (c) Christine Sine
Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week
In the last few days of his life, Jesus moved from garden to garden from suffering to resurrection.
Join Christine Sine for a Lent retreat that reflects on this journey and prepares for the challenging week that follows Palm Sunday.
Click here to register! We are once again offering several price points to aid those who are students or in economic hardship
A contemplative service with music in the spirit of Taizé. Carrie Grace Littauer, prayer leader, with music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers. It's good to be back posting these beautiful contemplative services again.
Thank you for praying with us!
Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-710-756.
"Aber Du Weisst" (Taizé song)
"Što Oko Ne Vidje" (What No Eye has Seen) - Taizé song
"Your Word, O Lord, is a Light" (C’est toi ma lampe)
By the Taizé community, copyright 2010, all rights reserved by GIA/Les Presses de Taizé
Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-710-756
"Be Thou My Vision" -- Folk arrangement
Traditional Irish hymn, public domain. Arrangement by Andrew Myers and Kester Limner, shared under the Creative Commons License, Attribution (CC-BY)
Kyrie written and performed by Kester Limner.
Service readings:
"To see ourselves as we truly are—a wisp of love itself—is perhaps our deepest fear. But it is also our greatest grace. If we are to be the new human, we must begin by embracing love, which always seeks to incarnate itself. Love is enfleshed everywhere. Everywhere the Holy One is shouting and whispering, ‘Let me love you.’ And all that is asked of us is to receive. In reality, that is our life’s work. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less." -Judy Cannato, Field of Compassion
"Help Us to See" prayer by Andrew King, copyright 2017.
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