by The Rev. Elaine Breckenridge
I have always loved trees. I climbed them as a child. In high school and college, I wrote sentimental poems about them. As an adult, I appreciated trips to arboretums and display gardens. Trees were ornamental. They added interest to my life and beauty in landscapes.
Now however, my relationship with trees has changed. I live on Camano Island, Washington where there are no manicured parks or arboretums. Nor are there any old growth forests that escaped industrial logging. Yet, there are some forests that are protected, or private and undisturbed where I have been spending time.
One day I drove to a nearby nature preserve to walk among the trees. As I walked the familiar path and approached a favorite tree, a very large Big Leaf Maple, I was shocked. It was in a terrible state. There had been high winds that weekend and one of the tree’s huge limbs had been stripped away from its trunk, leaving behind a shocking gash. I found myself speaking to the tree, “I see you. I feel for you. I am sorry for your pain.” At that moment, the tree was calm and steady. It was as if the tree was seeing me and was present to my sorrow. The exposed heart shape conveyed presence to me.
Big Leaf Maple Heart, Four Springs Preserve, Camano Island
After that encounter, I wondered, could it be that trees have the capacity to feel and communicate? Call it mystical or mysterious, real or imagined, I felt that the tree had reached out to me.
Soon after that, I began visiting Madrone trees. Once I encountered a small group of Madrone trees that had been damaged by graffiti. I was grieved to see human initials carved into their beautiful bark. I sat beneath them on the ground and suddenly felt joy. The trees seemed to speak to me. I recorded the experience in my journal and a poem took shape. Here is an excerpt:
A community of madrones welcomes me into their midst.
Even as they hold the sunlight, they hold
me allowing me to be close
to touch limbs which each tell a story.
I see scars made by human initials
carved into their skin. I am angry.
The Wise One speaks, “Come here my dear,
lay an ear against my arm.
Listen and feel the pulse of greening
new skin while peeling
back another layer, shedding my cares below.
You too must practice letting go.”
I study her complex designs and textures,
then see the others dancing with the sky.
“How are you so fluid and flexible?” I ask.
“We never stop moving!” the chorus replies.
“We follow the light. We search for love and joy
even on the darkest days. We look east and
know that the sun will rise.
You should do likewise.”
madrone tree, carved
Clearly, I was inspired by being in the presence of these trees. They sparked my imagination. Were they communicating with me? Or was I projecting human qualities on to these trees? Then I met Susan.
Susan Cohen Thompson is an artist living and working on Camano Island. As I studied her paintings of trees, I saw how human they looked. In her art, she depicts trees not simply swaying in the wind, but dancing! They are portrayed as dynamic and animated creatures. Why? Because Susan understands that trees and forests are sentient beings. As a result of Susan’s art and her friendship, I have come to agree with her. I now know that, in my encounters with trees, I am interacting with sentient beings.
This may sound far-fetched. But recently I read an extraordinary book called, Finding the Mother Tree, Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard. In this book she details her years of study and experiments with trees which led her to uncover some startling secrets about forests. She discovered, along with other scientists, that trees in forests are linked together in a web of interdependence by a system of underground channels composed of roots and fungi. Through these channels, trees perceive, communicate and respond to one another by emitting chemical signals. Furthermore, she learned that older and established trees, “mother trees,” nurture and feed their seedlings and sometimes, trees of no relation. They also pass on wisdom and share their knowledge on how to adapt and survive in changing environments. In the introduction section of her book she writes, “The scientific evidence is impossible to ignore: the forest is wired for wisdom, sentience and healing.”
Note her use of the word forest. The health of trees is dependent upon other trees and plants. The healthiest forests are diverse forests. Much of her work has been aimed at encouraging reforestation efforts to plant multiple species that grow together naturally, rather than developing monoculture stands.
Recently I visited a forest new to me on the island. On private land, this forest is dominated by Western Red Cedar trees. Similar to the forests in British Columbia where Simard did much of her research, this forest is older than many on the island. It is more diverse and I was able to locate the mother tree and could imagine all the connections she had made to other tress surrounding her. Leaning against this mother tree, I recalled what Simard had written. She wrote, “Ecosystems are similar to human societies. They’re built on relationships.”
Mother Tree in East Haven Forest, Camano Island
It appears that we have far more in common with forests and with the Earth than we might think. Her book is a reminder of the ways that all life-forms, including our own, were created by God to be interdependent. Both Celtic Christians and indigenous people of the Earth reverenced creation in ways that we have forgotten. I have learned from both of these traditions that creation is sacred and a theophany or manifestation of God. The Creator, by design, has linked all elements to work together in creation. Nothing exists alone.
I have certainly believed in the principal of interconnectivity on a theological level. Simard’s work is exciting because the science proves it to be true. Her work is hopeful, because by studying forests, we have a path forward to deal with our changing climate.
She writes that it is our disconnectedness and our lost understanding that nature has the capacity to heal and regenerate itself, that causes our despair and helplessness. She believes that trees, plants, and forests will find innovative solutions to deal with climate change. Turning to and “tuning into” the intelligence of nature itself is key.
Praying and worshipping in forests is inviting me to explore a new vocation. I often wince when I see fresh cut tree trunks piled on logging trucks on their way to the mill. How is cutting down the forests in my neighborhood being regulated and managed? What is the reforestation plan? New neighborhoods continue to appear at a steady rate. Does the county on this small island have a cap on population growth? These are questions that I will ask my fellow humans. And, I will continue listening to the heart of the forest speaking, as I seek to be a faithful neighbor and steward of creation, especially forests.
Ancient Rooting, Susan Cohen Thompson
“Ancient Rooting” Painting by Susan Cohen Thompson
And I am grateful. Thanks be to God for the forests of this Earth and how they remind us of the importance of diversity, interdependence and community, both in the human population and in the life, we share on this planet. Thanks be to God for creating trees and forests to be divine messengers, inviting us to reground ourselves in the sacred world of all creation. Thanks be to God that trees and forests have a heart—a heart to heal our Earth. May we listen to their wisdom and allow our forests to flourish.
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Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created.
Psalm 148:5 (ESV)
Psalm 148 presents a call for all creation to praise God, everything from earthly kings to creeping things, from shining stars to ocean bars. Someday, all creation will be renewed to praise more fully. I can’t wait to hear the singing of the trees! In the meantime, I find nature inspiring me to praise the Creator. How can I share this sense of wonder with others?
I respond to God’s created works primarily in two ways: photography and writing. A few years ago, I discovered that making photo books could link these two passions. I combine my favorite images with words that direct attention to God. However, I found limitations in sharing such projects due to their high cost. Then, a couple years ago, my favorite on-line photo book site offered a new option: 6” x 6” mini books for under $10.00 each, including postage and handling. I experimented with making books using a single photo on each page, accompanied by a Scripture verse and/or personal reflection. My most recent project, Sacred Paths, features photographs of trails or other paths taken over the years, accompanied by Bible verses that include the word “path.” I ordered several copies and have used them for gifts when I am looking for something small and personal to give. In this way, I can share with others the sense of awe and wonder I feel in observing God’s creation.
As we enter this season of Thanksgiving, I’ve been pondering how I might use this medium to focus my thoughts on gratitude, particularly for God’s creation. I plan to take a photo each day of one feature of God’s creation, then write a brief reflection of what that reveals about the nature of God or why this inspires gratefulness. My goal is to create at least 20 reflections (as that is the number of pages of the basic book) during the period between Canadian Thanksgiving on October 9 and the United States Thanksgiving on November 23. I trust that the discipline of focusing on the particulars of what God has made will stimulate my heart to praise.
It’s a very bleak autumn day in Seattle with the rain falling hard outside. As I sat here this morning my heart aching for the horrors of war now in the Middle East as well as Ukraine, and my soul bleeding for the First Australians who faced a No vote at the recent referendum that would have given them a voice for decisions about their own future. My tears welled up and flowed like the raindrops outside.
My grief seemed so fitting after my Meditation Monday: When Grief and Gratitude Come Together, in which I wrote “We cannot talk about gratitude without also talking about grief. We cannot develop effective rituals for expressing gratitude without creating equally powerful rituals for processing grief.” In response to my reflections this morning, I adapted one of the prayers in yesterday’s post. You can find it at the bottom of this email. This was also a big part of the Season of Gratitude retreat on Saturday, and much appreciated by participants. For all of us, grief and gratitude are intimately intertwined at the moment. Make sure that you give expression to both. There is one more retreat in this series A Quiet Advent retreat on December 9th. If you regret not signing up for all three retreats, please feel free to register for these and we will send you the recordings of the two you missed.
Lilly Lewin’s Freerange Friday: God Holds Our Tears portrays another way to express our lament, using a pitcher of water to represent our tears. It is a powerful but simple ritual that I think many of you will find very effective.
Looking ahead on the church calendar, there are many other opportunities for us to find the balance between grief and gratitude. I heartily recommend planning a celebration for All Saints’ Day or Day of the Dead coming up at the beginning of November. You might like to balance it with a Halloween practice that focuses on ways to make this a greener, more sustainable event. Or work with others in your church to plan a Blue Christmas Service and provide an opportunity for everyone to express the grief that so often balances hope and joy at Christmas time. This is an increasingly popular Advent practice that I heartily recommend to everyone.
I loved Jeannie Kendall’s post for World Sight Day, The Importance of Seeing. She mentioned that her own glaucoma is easily kept under control with drops, in contrast to the many sufferers I saw during my years on the M/V Anastasis who had no access to this simple treatment. June Friesen in What Do You See, What Do You Hear? challenges us to prepare for for a heart to heart encounter with Jesus. Her other post Windows of Hope had me looking for “windows” in the patchy sky above. I loved her suggestion that sometimes we see clearly and at others our vision is cloudy.
One thing that came out of the retreat on Saturday, was the desire of participants for me to hold more such retreats on a regular basis. In response to this demand, I plan to launch another series of 3 retreats for the Spring next year. Please pray that this will come together easily. If you have suggestions of specific topics that you would like to see covered in these retreats, please let me know.
I am also hoping to launch my podcast The Liturgical Rebel at the beginning of 2024. It will focus not on deconstructing Faith but on reconstructing. We need help to reshape our faith so that it is effective in today’s world and I am excited about the ways that this podcast might assist us in doing that. I appreciate your prayers as we work out the details.
You may like to sit for a couple of minutes after reading this email and consider the places in which you also experience grief that has not been fully processed.
The rain is falling,
Great big tear-like drops that wrench at my heart.
How often our tears are closer than praise.
Yet God’s love still surrounds us,
Jesus still comforts us,
The Spirit still dwells within.
When tears are closer than praise,
Let us sit and welcome them into our souls.
May they foster compassion,
Inspire love,
Give birth to peace.
Our trust is in you, O Eternal One,
We put our hope in your transforming love,
And wait for you to wash away tears
From all the peoples of the earth.
~Christine Sine, 2021
Join Christine Sine as she leads a morning of scripture reading and quiet reflection that will be for many of us a much needed oasis of quiet in the midst of this chaotic season.
When Lynne Baab wrote her book Two Hands: Grief and Gratitude in the Christian Life, it was the first time I had considered the important balance between grief and gratitude. It was one of the most impacting books I read in 2021. Part of what it made me realize is that we cannot talk about gratitude without also talking about grief. We cannot develop effective rituals for expressing gratitude without creating equally powerful rituals for processing grief.
In her book Lynne gleaned from an equally important article The Geography of Sorrow – Francis Weller on Navigating Our Losses – by Tim McKee, based on an interview with Francis Weller about his book The Wild Edge of Sorrow. Reading both the article and the book resulted in me asking important questions of myself. It is not just about grieving for what we have lost in the pandemic or grieving for our world of violence and ecological disaster. Most of us hold huge wells of unexpressed grief inside us because we live in a culture where grief is unwelcome, something we need to get over quickly. We are ashamed to grieve. As a consequence we are prone to addiction, depression, violence, suicide, possibly cancer, heart disease and I would add PTSD.
The work of the mature person is to carry grief in one hand and gratitude in the other and to be stretched large by them. How much sorrow can I hold? That’s how much gratitude I can give. If I carry only grief, I’ll bend towards cynicism and despair. If I have only gratitude, I’ll become saccharine and won’t develop much compassion for other people’s suffering. Grief keeps the heart fluid and soft, which helps make compassion possible. (The Geography of Sorrow – Francis Weller on Navigating Our Losses – by Tim McKee)
So a few important gems I picked up from the article –
First – We need rituals of grieving and these rituals should be communal. This doesn’t mean we don’t go off and weep in solitude, but after we do we should be welcomed back into a group where we can pour out and empty our sorrows together in an environment of comfort and mutual support. I love the rituals of using a cup that Lilly Lewin regularly introduces us to. She uses these in the Thinspace Nashville services she conducts each week as well as for her personal practices. Her recent Freerange Friday: God Holds Our Tears provided another important ritual using a pitcher of water that is also very profound. These are the types of practices we all need to help us maintain the grief/gratitude balance.
In healthy cultures one person’s wound is an opportunity for another to bring medicine. But if you are silent about your suffering, then your friends stay spiritually unemployed. In Navajo culture, for example, illness and loss are seen as communal concerns, not as the responsibility of the individual. Healing is a matter of restoring hozho – beauty/harmony in the community. The Geography of Sorrow – Francis Weller on Navigating Our Losses – by Tim McKee
Second – we should approach grief with reverence, engaging it, sitting with it, mulling it over and recognizing it is worthy of our time . I think this is particularly important at the moment. We all came out of the pandemic with a load of grief weighing us down. Since them we confronted the horrors of war in Ukraine and Israel/Palestine, earthquakes in Turkey and Afghanistan and the climate crisis that overwhelms us. We are encouraged to feel we should get over our grief quickly, or pretend there is no grief weighing us down. We are encouraged get back to normal, maybe go on a shopping spree and enjoy life again. Grief is seen as something to be ashamed of, not something to embrace. It is easy to dismiss the need for rituals of grief especially as the consumer culture hypes up for the Christmas season. After all isn’t Christmas meant to be “the happiest season of all?”
Here are a few of my suggestions on rituals that can help us process our grief and move towards gratitude in the coming months:
- Sit around the table with your family or a few close friends and talk about those things from the past that still need to be grieved over. I have sat around tables with a cup of tea in the most unlikely circumstances grieving together with friends and family. I still vividly remember when I was in practice in Christchurch New Zealand and and a teenager died of cancer. I sat, with his family as we created a circle around his body and they shared stories about his life. Just talking about these together can bring a measure of healing. Discuss other ways that you could support each other as you process your grief.
- Plan a celebration for All Saints’ Day or Day of the Dead coming up at the beginning of November. Celebrating, grieving and giving thanks for those who have gone before are all interwoven in these important days on the church calendar. I love the ribbons of remembrance that our church creates every year. We all have an opportunity to write the names of our loved ones on ribbons that later are woven around the altar rail or hung around the church.
- Plan a Blue Christmas celebration. Here on Godspace we provide a growing set of resources to help with this celebration. During the COVID lockdown, we participated in a powerful and extremely meaningful online Blue Christmas service where we interwove liturgy, creativity, scripture and music together.
- Plan regular retreat days over the next few months to help you slow down, grieve and find that much needed balance between grief and gratitude. Part of the wonder of the Advent and Christmas story which we are quickly moving towards is the recounting of both joy and tragedy. If you follow the liturgical calendar you know that December 28th is Holy Innocents Day when we commemorate the execution of the innocent, male children in Bethlehem as told in Matthew 2:16. It is an uncomfortable day that I always want to skip over, but this year I know it is worthy of remembering. So many innocents have died in the last year from hunger, disease, violence and natural disasters. This story gives us the foundations for grieving our own losses. It is just as easy for us to skip over the tragedy because of our desire to focus on the joy. This year we need to make space for both.
- Write or read poetry, create a piece of artwork, take a photo that juxtaposes grief and gratitude. This was one of my responses to the horrors going on in Israel/Palestine. The photo above, I felt really gave a glimpse of something to be grateful for in the midst of grief. I also wrote this poem which flowed out of my heart as I look at what is happening and was overcome by grief. It was inspired by Matt 5:43-47 and Colossians 1:18-20 in The Message. As I wrote it I found myself giving thanks for the many places in scripture where grief and gratitude come together
Is our world broken beyond repair?Will we always meet violenceWith more violence?Death with death?Hate with hate?What happened to love?What have we done with Jesus,With the One who holds all things togetherAnd promises to fix,All the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe.The One who told us:Love your enemiesLet them bring out the best in youNot the worstLive out your God-created identity,Live generously and graciously towards others.Be loving in all circumstances.God is love.Christine Sine 2023
- Listen to Leonard Cohen’s incredible song Hallelujah which I listen to regularly to help me process some of my grief burden and help me find the silver linings of gratitude often hidden in its midst
Journal about your grief feelings.
Read Psalm 130 or similar psalm that begins with grief and ends in praise. Sit in the presence of your feelings of grief and allow God to bring healing. As I did that this week this simple poem grew in my mind:
When tears are closer than praise,
God’s love still surrounds me,
Jesus still comforts me,
The Spirit still dwells within.
When tears are closer than praise,
I sit and welcome them into my soul.
My trust is in you O Eternal One,
I put my hope in your transforming love,
And wait for you to wash away my tears.
Christine Sine October 2021.
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by June Friesen
Ezekiel 33:30-32 New Living Translation
30 “Son of man, your people talk about you in their houses and whisper about you at the doors. They say to each other, ‘Come on, let’s go hear the prophet tell us what the Lord is saying!’ 31 So my people come pretending to be sincere and sit before you. They listen to your words, but they have no intention of doing what you say. Their mouths are full of lustful words, and their hearts seek only after money. 32 You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don’t act on it!
Mark 10:50-52
50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.
“My Rabbi,[a]” the blind man said, “I want to see!”
52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.
Matthew 13:13-15
13 That is why I use these parables,
For they look, but they don’t really see.
They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.
14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,
‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand.
When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.
15 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’
Good morning my friends! Today I want to challenge us to think about preparing our hearts to have a ‘heart to heart meeting’ with Jesus.
This week a friend of mine shared a book with me written in 1952 and it holds treasures from the past. As you know I am one who likes to observe and give pause to nature especially so this prose titled Obsession grabbed my spirit:
OBSESSION
Our Johnny Wren moved in today
And took possession.
Not that he’s so very big or strong,
It’s his obsession
That he was made
To fill the world with song.
And so he sings and sings and sings
The whole day long!
If by Thy grace, dear God,
My life could get possession
Of Johnny Wren’s obsession,
I, too, might take a bit of song
And fling it where the days are long,
Might fling it where some heart is aching,
Might fling it where some life is breaking!
So help me, God,
To get a like possession
To Johnny Wren’s obsession.
Locust Lodge
So what does this mean for you and for me?
As the passages I read from the New Testament I am challenged that there were people who wanted to see….and there were people who came and wanted to hear… this Jesus, this teacher sent from God yet their understanding seemed to be dimmed by the world around them.
If we go to the Psalms and look at a theme that reoccurs it is about singing to God. This morning we sang some songs that encouraged us to praise God…we also used our mouths to sing praises to Him. Again during our prayer time we gave praise to God for His abundant blessings.
But when we leave here today, when we get to work later today or tomorrow and/or the next day; when we get into our vehicles to go home, when we get home, when we get into the routine of life – will those praises still be on our lips or will there be grumblings, criticism, unkind, unloving, judgmental words that will flow willingly from our lips?
Let us read Psalm 96:
1 Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
2 Sing to the Lord; praise his name.
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
3 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
4 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.
5 The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!
6 Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty fill his sanctuary.
7 O nations of the world, recognize the Lord;
recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
8 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts. 9 Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.
Let all the earth tremble before him.
10 Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!” The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. He will judge all peoples fairly.
11 Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!
Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
12 Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth.
O to give praise to God like the birds……
O to trust God like the birds……
O to enjoy the life that one is given like the birds…..
O to sing and sing……
And the birds each has have their own unique song to sing…
They sing it with gusto no matter if it sounds like just one or two notes over and over gain…..
When blended with the other songs of their fellow birds
It becomes a choir of praise to God.
But then there are also the times when the birds give warning –
Their tunes change… there is an urgency……
There is a calling to be on guard…..there is the time to move….
And they will tend to the matter at hand to trust their Creator
To help them find that protection once again…..
Then they may well take that time to quiet their song for a while
As they rest in the quiet, nurture of their heavenly Father
Gaining the energy, wisdom, guidance and strength
To once again begin to sing a song of praise and thanksgiving to God their Creator, Ruler, Provider and King.
My friends, today can you and I too begin to sing/speak
The praise and blessings of God who is our Creator, Savior and King?
At this springtime, Lenten time…..
Can we pause and refresh our inner spirit and tune it to a new song,
A new song that will bring glory, honor and attention to God who is our Redeemer, Savior and King?
Can we take a lesson from God and His lovely creation of birds –
Will we take to heart the blessing of the birds’ songs/chorus
As we walk through the day?
Oh, we talk about and even quote the words of Jesus
When He reminds His followers to look at the birds and take a good look –
Do they worry about what they are going to eat tomorrow as they go to sleep tonight?
Do they worry about the cat who may be stalking them tomorrow as they go to sleep tonight?
Do they worry that you may look upon their nest tomorrow as they go to sleep tonight?
No….they have had the food necessary for today.
They have found the protection necessary for today.
They have built a safe nest/resting place for their family for today.
So for today they have sung praise to God, enjoyed their nourishment and protection –
Tomorrow they will awaken to once again praise God with their song and go about the day to meet their needs as God directs their lives.
So today here is my challenge for each one of us –
And yes our challenge is different than the bird
As well as each of our challenges are unique to us –
But our God is ONE God – He is the same God for you as He is for me –
He is the same God who created you, me as well as the birds –
And WOW – if He watches over the birds in the good and the bad –
He will do even more for you and me.
God:
You know how I struggle here in this world
And when I am reminded to trust you it is really hard
Because you see I cannot help but see what my friend and/or neighbor has,
And I cannot but want to be so much like them –
You remind me that you will provide everything I need –
Yet somehow You and I do not seem to see ‘eye to eye’ on this score.
I know that many are the times that my focus is on making another dollar,
Getting that raise, getting that overtime on my check,
And I neglect to sit with you – and say thank you for what I do have and/or get.
And as I rush around from here to there and somewhere else –
I find myself forgetting that you are even with me –
I get caught up in the frustration and furry of the moment
And often times others would never dream that I am a ‘child of Yours’ as I claim to be.
I am approaching a time of preparation right now in my spirit, O God
Where I want to learn to be more aware of you in my daily walk;
I want to be able to somehow grasp what Jesus was teaching
When He said that you are so concerned about every need of the bird
BUT you are even more concerned about me and my needs.
And so here is my prayer today:
“God, in this time as I prepare in my heart – help me become mindful of the birds that are around me. Let me hear their songs pf praise to you. Let it inspire songs of praise in my heart as I become aware of your blessings to me. Let me hear also their songs that are of concern….trying to care for those you have placed within their care…as they seek to protect, even to the giving of their life, so others may live. Let me be able to place my complete trust in You as the birds are required to do knowing that nothing will happen to me outside of your plan. And God give me a voice to sing your praise…..so that others around me will also come to know you and to also know how to sing your praise. And may it be as I walk through this world in the next few weeks that I too will have my ears attune to hear words as I meet others, “I notice your peace, I notice your smile, I notice your caring spirit…..please, I want to know how it is that you know this presence that you share with the world as you walk through or by others.”
Looking for Spiritual Practices, liturgies, prayers or inspiration? Don’t forget to explore Godspace’s Thanksgiving and Seasonal Resources. We have many resources of our own and links to other’s resources as well!
I don’t know about you, but this has been a hard week….there are so many layers of emotion. So many layers of grief over things happening in our world, especially in the middle east, in Israel and Gaza. Add on the earthquake in Afghanistan, continuing war in Ukraine and the US congress in disarray without a speaker of the house, IT IS A LOT!!!
For me personally, the developer has started construction again right across the street. I am really not a fan of being awakened by a jack hammer before 7am! It is kind of like living in a dentist office with the drill going strong all day long. The other sadness is the knowledge that the vista view we’ve enjoyed for several years will be going away soon and we will just see houses rather than the rolling hills.
Many things to grieve.
We aren’t very good at grief as a culture. We don’t know how to sit with our pain or sit with our frustration. Too often we let it fester, we get angry, but we don’t let it out. We keep it bottled up rather than letting our grief flow.
Jesus says,
“Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.”
And
One of my favorite verses in these past few years is Psalm 56:8
You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in Your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise, In the Lord, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?
How do you process grief?
Are you holding it inside?
Do you feel it in your body or is your mind just spinning around in circles?
This is a GRIEF prayer station that I now use in many of my Sacred Space prayer experiences. It can be done as an individual prayer practice or with your family and friends around the table.
Supplies:
A pitcher and a large vase or a large pitcher and individual glasses of water. Fill pitcher or glasses with water.
A blank book and a pen to write out prayers
GOD HOLDS OUR TEARS
GOD HOLDS OUR TEARS:
Consider all the hard and painful things happening in our lives and in our world.
There are People who are hurting, people who are suffering and people who need to know that they are not alone even in the mess of life.
Jesus says,
“Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.”
What are you grieving right now? In you life, in the world, in the lives of those you care about…
What is bringing you down, causing you pain?
ACTION 1:
Write your prayers of Grief and Sorrow in the Book
Know that Jesus sees them already. Allow Jesus to hold them for you!
ACTION 2:
Hold a cup of water, or a pitcher of water….
Allow this water to represent your tears. Know that God is holding them and God sees them! Talk to Jesus about your pain as you pour in the water.
POUR SOME WATER INTO THE VASE/JAR/PITCHER
Talk to Jesus about your pain as you pour in the water. Jesus SEES you in your pain and is holding you close.
READ the Scripture
PSALM 56:8 THE MESSAGE
You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights,
Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.
PSALM 56: 8-11 New American Standard Version
You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in Your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise, In the Lord, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?
ALLOW Jesus to hold your tears, to have your sorrow and your pain to hold for you.
PEACE CANDLE
PRAY TOGETHER:
Jesus we need you to hold our tears. We need you to be the prince of peace to our broken world. We pray against the spirit of hate and need for violence. We ask you to be with all who are suffering. All who have lost loved ones and homes. Be with all who are feeling afraid and all who have lost hope. Be our peace Lord, Be our Hope Lord. We need you! Help us to work for peace and live out love even in our sorrow. Thank you for knowing us and loving us and loving our world. AMEN
KEEP IT GOING:
This practice may need to be done daily.
You can keep a pitcher or a vase near your sink and pour water into it each day as a way to pour out your grief and pray for all that is hurting you and all the suffering in our world.
You can Light a Candle each day, PRAY FOR PEACE and remember that the darkness will never extinguish the light.
PSALM 139
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
LISTEN TO PORTERS GATE “Drive out the Darkness” :
About eight months ago I was diagnosed with an eye disease called glaucoma. It came as a bit of a surprise, as it only came to light when I had the extra £10 scan after a routine eye check (I am in the UK). I am now a huge advocate for that extra scan and think it should be an automatic part of all tests. I had no idea that I had in fact lost a small part of my peripheral vision in one eye – though it did explain my bumping into things which I had put down to clumsiness!
Now in my case it is easily treatable with eye drops and seems to be remaining stable. I don’t really notice anything apart from needing a bit more light than I used to. For most glaucoma sufferers, prompt and regular treatment will allow them to retain sight. For a few, and for those with other eye conditions, that is not always the case and sight can be gradually, or even quickly, lost. Our grandson a while ago became fascinated by the story of Louis Braille, who lost his sight after an accident in his father’s workshop and of course went on to develop braille, making something wonderful which has enhanced the lives of many, from the devastating tragedy.
What it has done is put me into contact with a community of people with this and other eye conditions, and to glean a little of the fears and difficulties they encounter. Many of them are genuinely inspirational in maintaining a positive attitude even amidst sometimes huge challenges. I admire them immensely. On this World Sight Day, it is appropriate to pray for all those who cannot take sight for granted, or who face the prospect of blindness, or for whom that is already a reality, as well as for all those who are working medically or in research, including those who work to treat eye diseases, and prevent blindness, in countries without our health care systems.
Last Sunday in church we sang a chorus which starts ‘open the eyes of my heart, Lord’. The bible has quite a lot to say about sight. Jesus of course healed those who were physically blind – such as the man whose story is told in John 9, where Jesus is keen to correct the common assumption that his blindness was caused by sin. However the bible says even more about a different way of seeing for those who believe – we ‘walk by faith, not by sight’ (2 Cor 5:7) There is a whole other reality around us which we need special eyes to see, as the young companion of Elisha found in 2 Kings 6. Perhaps on this World Sight Day, as well as appreciating our physical sight, we can be open to other things God might teach us to see. One of the most precious of those truths, I believe, is how we, and others around us are seen by God: always through the eyes of Jesus, who holds us in the most loving of gazes.
Join Christine Sine on October 14 or watch the recording later. October and November, the season between Canadian Thanksgiving and American Thanksgiving, is gratitude season on Godspacelight. Christine Sine will encourage you to enter into the practice of gratitude in this interactive retreat that will help us enter this season of gratitude with joy and delight in our hearts.
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