By Carol Dixon —
Photo by Hannah Walden (aged 14)
God gives us freely
hearts that are thankful,
strength for the task,
people who love us,
joy in our service,
all we have need of
if we but ask.
God will be with us
in all our thinking,
in all our speaking,
in all we do;
and as we praise him
by all our actions,
he will be with us,
seeing us through.
God in the morning,
God in the noontide,
God in the evening,
throughout the day;
God is within us,
and all around us,
behind, before us
all of the way.
© Carol Dixon 1998
October for me is a month of thanksgiving with its glorious autumn colours and joyous harvest celebrations. (It also happens to be my husband’s birthday – which he shares with one of our granddaughters!) November though is an entirely different kettle of fish. Dark dreary days when the damp cold seeps into my bones and as soon as early November arrives my spirits slump and my soul often seems as fogbound as the weather. So how can this month be a season of gratitude? Yet God has a way of breaking through the mist of misery by reminding me of ways to discover pointers to praise.
When my brother and I were confined to the house as youngsters by the relentless drizzle we used to hold raindrop races – choosing one particular raindrop on the window to follow as it slowly made its way down the glass to see which one arrived at the bottom first. We often accompanied it by singing the children’s song which went something like this: ‘ Down came the raindrops on a cloudy day, washing all the pavements, cleaning dirt away. Pitter patter pit, pat, this is how they came, thank you God for sending us the soft refreshing rain’ and it still reminds how necessary water is for life and how thankful we should be, not only for clean water to drink but for Jesus, the living water who refreshes and sustains our spirits in the arid times on our faith journey.
As a hymn writer most of my thanksgiving is in the form of music. In my childhood I thought that since I was called Carol (meaning Song of joy) I was meant to sing and, despite being very shy, if people asked me to sing for them, I did. So singing for me is the most natural way of expressing my gratitude to God. The above hymn ‘Every new morning’ came to me one morning in my daily devotions – words & music together as I offered praise to God*. I first discovered the gift God had given me of composing hymns when I was laid aside with illness some years ago and couldn’t get to church each week as usual so it was in a time of ‘exile’ in my life that I learned to ‘Sing the Lord’s song in a strange land’ and I am so blessed and humbled that my hymns seem to speak to people who are struggling to find a way to praise and thank God.
So if dull dark days (or arid dry days) are getting you down you might like to think about your favourite hymn of thanksgiving? How does it change your attitude to life when you sing it? My favourite hymn is ‘Give to me Lord a thankful heart’ by Revd .Caryl Micklem – a wonderful prayer for God’s grace to live in a spirit of thankfulness. I hope you enjoy it below too!
Give to me, Lord, a thankful heart
And a discerning mind;
Give, as I play the Christian’s part,
The strength to finish what I start
And act on what I find.
When, in the rush of days, my will
Is habit bound and slow,
Help me to keep in vision, still,
What love and power and peace can fill
A life that trusts in you.
By your divine and urgent claim,
And by your human face,
Kindle our sinking hearts to flame,
And as you teach the world your name
Let it become your place.
Jesus, with all your church I long
To see your kingdom come:
Show me your way of righting wrong
And turning sorrow into song
Until you bring me home.
© Caryl Micklem
Whether the weather is dismal or sunny, whether your life is sad or happy, may you always have a song of gratitude in your heart.
*(In the Church of Scotland hymnbook it is set to the tune Bunessan – Morning has broken. If you would like a copy of my original music I will be happy to email it.
By Steve Wickham —
March 2004. It was five months to the day when I discovered the way to a transient hope that would stay with me as much as I practiced it. Through it came peace, which quickened me to a joy, that, if I could feel this now, with all I’d lost, there must be something of God in it.
My joy was extant in gratitude. Not that I was ‘happy’. I hated having so much of what I’d come to love taken from me overnight. Gone. Never to return. Oh, living horror.
Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. — 2 Corinthians 12:7b-10 (NRSV)
But there I was. What could I do? I couldn’t change my circumstances, and even the apostle Paul was rebuffed by God who wanted to take him to better (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).
You see, God knew. Until we come to gather up all the joy that’s possible even in the mode of grief, we cannot say we have experienced all that God wants to give us.
That sounds harsh I expect. It was hard to type those words. But there is something beyond needing to be comfortable to live content. It honestly inspires me, the strength of patience and perseverance in those who gave up long ago their insisting that God make their situation right.
Now, I do think there are situations in all our lives where we’re ‘not there yet’. I have them. This, of course, according again to Paul, is so that we don’t become conceited (2 Corinthians 12:7).
Even if these words would seem abhorrent as far as them seeming far from possibility, we need to be reminded that hope is what gets us through, and without hoping upon something over the horizon that we believe is possible our situation really is hopeless. Then, we—our joy and our peace—and our ability to be patient, and to endure—begin to die.
Gratitude, therefore, is a key indicator that we’re beginning to live out this eternal principle that the world can never understand.
So, God gives us something with which to procure hope. It is plainly in the concept of impossibility, at least as it’s a concept to be understood in a worldly sense.
But joy will quicken within us so long as we believe it’s possible. Some days, we must admit, it will seem beyond us, however. On such days of rabid weakness, we simply hold the concepts of hope and joy and peace for gratitude aloft, and pray, “Lord, may they be real in my mind at least once today, and may you gift me one experience today. For that at least I will be grateful.”
These words I pray are not selected and arranged and sequenced flippantly, and I do pray that God would forgive me if they cause pain, but it’s to hope that I see that we’re called—whether in loss or in lack, or in plenty or in peace.
Let us hold fast to the possibility of a joy-remitting-gratitude even amid loss. Let us trust God that this is possible and let us search with a tenaciously patient will.
Loss does change us forever. It does. But that change doesn’t need to be for bad.
by Christine Sine
I often feel that I am an absolute novice when it comes to prayer. You might say that Jesus teach me to pray is the quest of a lifetime. I love the Lord’s Prayer but often find it inadequate especially when faced with disaster or grief. I am constantly looking for new ways to draw close to God in the midst of my pain and sometimes there are just no words to express what is resident in my heart.
A few weeks ago a close friend had a heart transplant. It was unexpected and devastating not just for the family but for all who love her. How to pray? How to pray? How to lift the fears, anxieties and hopes in our hearts before God? Words seemed so inadequate.
This Is Prayer – No Words Needed
Fortunately someone else had the answer. At our next community meal Hilary brought out some beautiful heart shaped templates she downloaded from the internet and asked us to color them. Even the kids had a go.
Even the kids had a go
The evening was spent in silence, but as I looked at what we had created I thought “This is prayer – no words needed”
heart prayers in the bulletin
A couple of weeks later I spoke at my friend’s church. Heart shaped templates were included in the bulletin and people colored while I preached. It was a profoundly moving morning and at the end of the service we collected about 100 hearts to send to the hospital. “This is prayer – no words needed.”
When we confine our prayers to words we limit both the ways that God has given us to draw close and the ways to express the pain, sorrow and even joy in our hearts. Prayer is meant to be an expression of all our senses. There are times for words, times to paint, times to touch and feel and embrace. These are all prayers.
As I thought about this today, I realized how surprising this expression of prayer was for me. Generally speaking I don’t like coloring. I often paint rocks, write poetry, or doodle, but coloring is not my thing. But in this moment of turmoil, tears and grief it was an important way to express what was in my heart.
Jesus Teach Us to Pray
When was the last time you cried out to Jesus teach me to pray, being open to a fresh expression unlike your usual ways of prayer? Is there a form of prayer that you have tried but not found satisfying that you might like to experiment with again? Have you limited Jesus ability to speak to and through you because you have restricted your prayers to traditional forms that may not express what is in your heart?
Prayerfully consider new possibilities for prayer. You might like to read through some of these articles from a past Godspace series on prayer to help you. And if you have discovered other ways to pray let us know. We all need to learn from each other.
Lord Teach Us to Pray: The Quietest Prayer by Monette Chilson
Lord Teach Us To Pray: Sailing Over the Sea of Affliction by Steve Wichkam
Conversations with my Granddaughter: On Prayer by Alex Tang
Lord Teach Us to Pray: St Columba’s Vigil by Greg Valerio
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Reimagining How We Pray by Lisa Hewitt – Day 1
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Reimagining How We Pray by Lisa Hewitt – Day 2
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Reimagining How We Pray by Lisa Hewitt – Day 3
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Knitting and Praying, by Christine Dutton
Monday Meditation: Beginning the Week with Mindfulness – by Gene Anderson
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Why Pray? by James Prescott
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Prayer Poem by Postordinandy
Lord Teach Us to Pray: The Prayer Window by Kimberlee Conway Ireton
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Nothing to Say to God by Joy Wilson
Lord Teach Us to Pray: How I See The Lord’s Prayer by John C. O’Keefe
A Blogger’s Lord’s Prayer by Andrew Jones
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Everyday Walking, Talking Prayer by Steve Wickham
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Prayer of Devotion, Prayer of Knowledge, Prayer of Action, by Gene Anderson
Lord Teach Us to Pray: On Prayer by Ryan Harrison
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Free Our Hearts by Paula Mitchell
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Breath Prayer by Lynne Baab
And the posts on prayer that I have added over the summer as I reflected on this series:
Thank You Lord For Hearing Me.
In Faith and Confidence I Breathe Freely
Let Us Desire Nothing But God – A Prayer by St Francis of Assisi
By Lilly Lewin
Another crazy week has ended. Wildfires are raging again in California, refugees are dying in trucks while trying to find a better life in a new country, people are living in chronic pain and dealing with cancer, children are still separated from their parents at the border, and our leaders spend more time accusing and condemning, rather than actually leading.
It’s overwhelming!
I’m grateful to be in the beautiful Pacific Northwest this week visiting with my sister and niece. One dealing with chronic pain and the other a chronic illness… but both still filled with love, laughter and joy! One of our practices when we hang out together is to do puzzles. We go to a great local bookstore nearby and find a new puzzle that inspires us. Then we go to work! We are dedicated! This week, our new puzzle took us only a day to complete! We all loved the vibrant colors and seeing the different British doors. 
I love the process of finding all the outside pieces and beginning to see the picture come to life. I love getting down to the last pieces and actually sorting and looking at them by shape, rather than by color or design. AND I l really love the feeling of accomplishment when a puzzle is completed!
As I put this new puzzle back in it’s box, I was reminded of one of my favorite passages in the Bible
Colossians 1:18-20 The Message (MSG)
We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.
He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross..
Read the passage again . Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.
All things hold together in Jesus! This gives me hope and great comfort! As I put the pieces back in the box, I thought of Jesus holding all the broken things of this world. All the craziness of fires, and floods, and cancer. All the broken systems and broken people.
Can you and I let Jesus hold the pieces for us this weekend?
1. Find a puzzle and take time to put it together…. on your own, with your family, with friends. Talk together. Make it fun, not a competition. Enjoy the process of slowing down and not looking at a screen. What do you notice about the process? Consider how Jesus is fitting the pieces of your life together.
2. Not everyone enjoys the process of puzzle making. What other game, craft or project has lots of pieces that you actually do enjoy putting together or doing? Take time to do this and consider the process and the pieces.
3. Find an old puzzle that has lost some pieces or a buy a very inexpensive puzzle so you can use it just for the puzzle pieces themselves. Read and Listen to this passage as a family, small group, youth group etc. Give everyone in your group a puzzle piece to hold on to and carry with them. Listen to the passage again as you hold the puzzle piece. Keep the puzzle piece with you this week. Carry it in your pocket, put one in your car, or on your desk to remind you that Jesus is holding all the pieces together! He is properly fixing them in their place!
What pieces do you need Jesus to hold together for you this week? Talk to Jesus about this.
What Broken Pieces in our world, in your neighborhood, in your family, or friends to you need Jesus to hold today? Pray for these. Allow Jesus to hold and carry these pieces for you! If you are doing this as a group, talk about these pieces and share your concerns with each other.
Finally, check out Puzzle Pieces and the Examen. by Becky Eldredge. If you’ve never prayed the Examen, it might be the perfect prayer practice to try and a great addition to your walk with Jesus.
Thank you Jesus for Holding the pieces of our World together, even the dislocated ones and the ones we don’t understand. Thank you Jesus that you know the missing pieces of our lives that we need to find. Thank you that you see the finished puzzle even when we are still searching to find those missing pieces. Thank you for holding each of us in the palm of your hand just like we hold this puzzle piece. Hold us close to you as we hold the puzzle piece today. Help us to see more of you in all we do. AMEN
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
Here is a beautiful post written by Keren Dibbens-Wyatt for International Artist Day!
When I was six years old, my primary school entered an international painting competition and mine was one of the winning entries. It seemed quite a big deal and we were even on tv for five whole seconds!
But the following week my teacher told me I was talented and asked me to paint one of my classmates. The results were not particularly amazing. But instead of encouraging me and getting me to try again, the teacher made no secret of her disappointment.
“Oh,” she said, “I thought you had something, but clearly not.”
I wasn’t particularly hurt, that I remember, but I didn’t really bother getting excited about paints any more. I accepted what the grown-up had said, because they knew better than me. I buried that talent somewhere deep and didn’t remember this episode till a few years ago, when I began painting and drawing again in my near middle age.
It started with a Lenten practice in an online community that required a creative act once a day. I thought I would write a poem. But something in me gave me a nudge. Draw it. But I’m no good at drawing. Draw it anyway. And the community saw my drawing and did not belittle it, or laugh, as I thought they might. They said, “Do some more!” So I did.
Then I tried painting. I had an old set of watercolours. Not a good place for a beginner artist to start, usually, and the results bore that out. I needed something a bit less tricky. My husband Rowan (a multi-talented man) had a small set of pastels. “Might I have a little go with them?” I asked tentatively. “Of course!”
I showed him my first picture and he said, “I think you’ve got something. You should do some more.”
Hundreds of drawings and paintings later, not only can I not imagine my life without art, but I’m not sure I could have got through these past few years of my decades long chronic illness without the joy it has given me. Especially so the last fourteen months during which I’ve been housebound.
I am grateful for the gift God has given me, and the way he uses it. But here’s the thing that makes me even more thankful: the online group could have dismissed my first few childlike drawings, but they didn’t. They might have not even bothered to notice or encourage me. They doubtless had better things to do. But instead they affirmed me.
Likewise, my husband might not have wanted me messing up his pastels. Instead, he not only let me use all his art materials, but he has lovingly encouraged me every step of the way. If something’s bad, he’ll tell me, and I rely on his expertise, but he never discourages me. He always believes I can do things, even though I’m painting for just a short time on a board on my lap, with very weak arms and very little energy. He is rooting for me.
How precious are words of encouragement! How wonderful it is when others give their time to draw gifts and talents out of us and help us use and nurture them! This is such a godly activity!
My teacher would doubtless be horrified that her words stifled my gift for so long. It is so easy to discourage, to show disappointment, and children pick these things up with very little help. But, oh the difference when someone takes the time and makes the effort to give us the freedom to find out who we really are. That’s a kind of wonderful pastoring we can all do in our lives, whether we are creative or think we are not.
I wonder, my friends, what might you nurture in someone else, or what might you begin today that will make you thankful you did?
(the two artworks shown are my very first pastel, along with one done more recently. Hopefully you can tell which is which)
pastel art by Keren Dibbens-Wyatt
pastel art by Keren Dibbens-Wyatt
Keren Dibbens-Wyatt is a chronically ill writer and artist with a passion for poetry, mysticism, story and colour. Her writing features regularly on spiritual blogs and in literary journals. Her full-length publications include Garden of God’s Heart and Whale Song: Choosing Life with Jonah. She has a new book, Recital of Love, coming out with Paraclete Press in June 2020. Keren lives in South East England and is mainly housebound by her illness.
by Christine Sine
Yesterday I went for a walk in the rain with our golden retriever Goldie. I bundled us both up in our raincoats, pulled my hood over my head and took off, – head down intent on avoiding puddles and complaining under my breath at the inclement weather.
Halfway through the walk my attitude changed. I started remembering the delight of walking in the rain as a child, not afraid to get my head and my clothes wet, loving the feel of raindrops on my face and the brisk beautiful feel of wind and rain on my face. So I threw back my hood and for the rest of the walk I relished the delight of rain. I came back feeling refreshed, renewed and uplifted.
This walking in the rain I realized is a very spiritual thing.
Ready to walk in the rain
The Delight of Rain
Evidently rain is good for us not just physically but emotionally and I suspect spiritually too.
Walking In the rain lifts our spirits. Have you noticed that whereas standing inside watching the rain pour down makes us feel grumpy and depressed, getting out and walking in the rain actually lifts our spirits? Raindrops on our faces and wind in our hair, makes us feel alive and renewed. There is nothing more invigorating than the smell of rain after a long period of dry weather. And evidently there is a reason for that.
Bacteria, plants and even lightning can all play a role in the pleasant smell we experience after a thunderstorm; that of clean air and wet earth.
Known as petrichor, the scent has long been chased by scientists and even perfumers for its enduring appeal. (Petrichor: Why Does Rain Smell So Good? )
God has designed us to appreciate rain and to be enlivened by it.
Rain is a miracle that helps us see the world and the people in it differently. It changes our view of reality as though we are looking through a different lens. Familiar places look different. Well known people look different and in the midst we sometimes catch different glimpses of God – a God who provides the miracle of rain to refresh the earth so that the crops will grow, and people will thrive. –
-
He does wonderful things that confound,
infinite numbers of miracles.
10 He gives rain to the earth,
sends down water to the fields;
11 He lifts up the downtrodden, bolsters the bereaved,
raising them to safety. (Job 5:9-11 The Voice)
Rain teaches us acceptance. Rain is indifferent to our plans and our desires. I remember once praying fervently that God would stop the rain… because I had planned a picnic for that day. And guess what the rain did not stop. God (and the rain) were indifferent to my self-centeredness. It helped me to let go of my best laid plans and expectations of the day.
Rain represents something beyond our control, like the absurdities that happen in our daily lives. Accepting things as they are and choosing to continue to go about our business of living life in a positive mood leads to greater happiness. (The Benefits of Walking In The Rain)
More than that walking in the rain helps build stamina and resilience preparing us for the less than ideal conditions that we experience in other parts of our lives too. It takes more effort to walk in the rain, especially against the wind.
Rain provides a place of solitude. I love to walk with my husband and with friends, to talk and share moments of delight as we walk, but I also love the aloneness of a rain filled walk that isolates me into a secret world of my own thoughts. This is particularly true of an urban walk through usually noisy and crowded streets which have suddenly become a quiet refuge that you have all to yourself.
Rain cleans the air, and for those who live in heavily populated urban areas this might be the most healthy time to get out and explore the neighbourhood.
What Is Your Response?
Is it raining where you live? Consider a walk on your own outside to enjoy the invigorating effects. Lift your face to the wind.
Feel the rain in your hair and the wind on your face. How does it make you feel? Are you aware of God touching your spirit in the same way that the rain is touching your face?
Taste the raindrops landing on your tongue. Imagine them cleansing not just the air around you but also your spirit and your soul. Is there something specific that needs cleaning in your life that God is prompting you to consider?
Look around you – what do you notice that looks different? Is there something that God would speak to you about through that difference?
Listen for the voice of God in the silence. In the uncluttered space without traffic noise is there something that you hear God saying to you?
When you get home watch the video below, spend some time in prayer and journal about what you heard God say.
On November 1, we celebrate All Saints Day and I thought that you would appreciate some of the resources that are available here on Godspace to help you celebrate. Here are some suggestions on how to celebrate:
Remembering those who impact our lives, those who have gone before, and those who are still with us is an important part of our faith. The Episcopal Church website explains:
We step aside from the flow of the propers and celebrate all the saints. We stop. We notice, We are surrounded by a flock of witnesses in our midst – many who have gone before us, some we are just now releasing, and still more with a full life ahead of them.
I love the Anglican tradition of renewing our baptismal vows on this day. Reminding ourselves of the journey we have taken personally is a good place to start in remembering the saints of God. In this tradition, all baptized Christians, living and dead known and unknown are considered saints of God. This means everyone including ourselves.
So as you get ready for All Saints Day, think about your own faith journey. Remember the faithfulness of God in your past. Notice the movement of God in the present. Think about your hopes and dreams for the future. Get ready to celebrate all that you are as a saint of God.
But don’t stop there. This is a special day for celebrating. Here are some suggestions:
This year (2022) we wrote icons for All Saint’s Sunday. We were given blank icon templates and asked to write an icon of a “saint” who influenced our lives. Some chose famous people they have met like Desmond Tutu but most of us wrote about family members – mothers and grandmothers, fathers and grandfathers being the most common. We then shared some of the stories. It was a wonderfully enriching process.
Plan a special “remembering” table to set up in the nave. Have congregants bring photos or small memorabilia of dear ones who have gone before us and place them on the table. During the worship on All Saint’s Day, hold a special blessing of the photos and memories. Our church, Saint Andrews Episcopal in Seattle provides white ribbons for people to write the names of their departed loved ones on. These are wound around the communion rail and hung around the church for the season after All Saints Day.
- To adapt this for 2020, ask congregants to have their photos and white ribbon or paper ready during your online service so you can still participate in this activity at home. Recommend that they hang their ribbon/paper in a place where they will see it throughout the season.
Hold an All Saints’ Day party – a great alternative to Halloween. Get everyone to dress as their favourite saint, or to bring a picture of this saint. During the festivities, get everyone to share a story about their saint and the impact he or she has had on their lives. Or you might like to get participants to guess who each person represents.
- Absolutely possible to do online through video chat!
Plan a family heritage party. Invite people to do some work beforehand researching their family history and particularly the Christian saints who were a part of it. Ask them to bring photos and stories to share. Finish with a time of prayer for all those that have gone before us.
- Also, a lovely idea for gathering together online and connecting with others in a deeper way for this holiday.
Several years ago, when my youngest brother went to Greece, where my father comes from, he found out that it is possible that our family name, Aroney, comes from the name Aaron and that our family probably originated in Jerusalem many centuries ago. It is probable that one of the reasons they began the journey out of Jerusalem first to Constantinople, then to Rhodes and finally to the tiny island of Kithera, at the bottom of the Peloponnese mountains, is because they became Christians. There are a number of Greek orthodox priests in my father’s family history and my Aunt Mary was a very devout Greek Orthodox Christian. nI know less about my mother’s family history but would love to find out where her family has had profound encounters with God too.
Plan an All Saints Day pilgrimage. Again this might require some before time research. Explore the Christian heritage of your community. Where did the first Christians come from? How did they interact with the native peoples? Where was the first church established? Who were some of the early Christians who impacted your community. Plan a pilgrimage walk to the site of the first Christian community and, if possible, have a time of prayer and possibly even a eucharistic celebration to remember those who have gone before.
This Taize service from St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church may also inspire some ideas for celebrating or just allow you to contemplate the celebration of this day.
What are your ideas for celebrating All Saints Day this year? It is a great alternative to Halloween and we would love to hear what you are doing.
We encourage you to also check out these great posts written a few years ago –
- One Protestant’s Reflection on All Saints Day by Kathie Hempel and
- All Saint’s Day: An Opportunity to Remember Every Day Saints by Lynne Baab.
- The Gift of All Hallow’s Eve – Jan Blencowe
- Coming Home for All Saints Day
Below is a beautiful poem written by Ana Lisa de Jong –
THE COMMUNION OF THE SAINTS
He who sits outside time
wraps us in light.
We, a globe suspended in the sky,
are circled by the saints.
We circle the centre
of our solar systems place,
in an ancient universe
growing every day.
Yet we are still firmly
and tenderly held.
Secured by laws of gravity,
and grace.
We, who sit inside time
live tied yet to the ground
He, outside us where all is clear,
reigns in community.
We cannot know,
but sometimes have the strangest view
of a world beyond our grasp.
We sense a smile, we feel the robes
of ones gone long before.
It does not matter if we are yet to know,
enough we feel their presence.
The love of those who hold us close
in the communion of heaven.
I also wrote this prayer a number of years ago in reflection of All Saint’s Day:
God we are surrounded by a cloud
Faithful witnesses who have gone before
Those who have loved where we would have hated
Those who have healed where we would have hurt
Those who have spoken out when we would have remained silent
God may we walk in their footsteps
Learning courage from their sacrifice
Gaining strength from their faithfulness
May we learn to give so that others may receive
May we learn to love so that others may be set free
May we learn to die to ourselves so that others might live
God may we join that cloud of faithful witnesses
Treading paths of loving obedience
Leaving footprints that others desire to walk in
God may we too lead kingdom lives
Amen
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