This morning’s post is a prayer that I adapted from one posted on Facebook last week. I am fascinated by the power of breathing prayers, especially combined with scenes of tranquility, to quiet my soul and draw me closer to God.
Each week, as many of you know I blog the prayers that have been contributed to the Light for the Journey Facebook page. If you have not already seen it, you may also like to check out the special prayer posted for July 4th – A Prayer for America on Independence Day.
labyrinth in the St Servaas Basilica at Maastricht in the Netherlands via https://www.facebook.com/LabyrinthosUK
Read this in the New Zealand Prayer Book this morning:
God our creator,
yours is the morning and yours is the evening.
Let Christ the sun of righteousness
shine for ever in our hearts
and draw us to that light
where you live in radiant glory.
We ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ our Redeemer.
—————————————-
Breathe in peace,
Let it fill every fibre of your being.
Breathe in love,
Let it fill your heart and soothe your soul.
Breathe in life,
Let if fil your spirit and bring you wholeness.
Breathe in all that is of God,
Let it encircle you.
Behind, before, above, beneath, on right and left,
Let God’s embrace fill you and keep you,
This day and through all eternity.
Amen
Christine Sine https://godspacelight.com/
Lord your redemption overflows.
Like streams in a sun scorched land,
It soaks into our souls.
Like water that cascades in the mountains,
It quenches our thirst.
It blesses our lives,
with your unfailing love and righteousness,
and stirs our passion for justice and mercy.
May we bathe in its never ending flow.
And be washed clean by its holiness.
Christine Sine https://godspacelight.com/
Creator God, who loves us
more than we can know,
who has chosen us
to be family,
we praise your holy name.
Jesus Christ, Son of God,
Word become flesh
dwelling among us,
sacrificed for us,
we praise your holy name.
Holy Spirit, breath of Life,
power within us
from the moment
we first believed,
we praise your holy name.
(http://www.facebook.com/faithandworship?
God you have called us into freedom,
May we use it to follow you with our whole hearts,
May we use it to serve one another in love,
May we use it to grow your eternal world of peace and wholeness for all.
Christine Sine https://godspacelight.com/
Lord Jesus Christ
our joy and our salvation,
our strength and our song,
lead us into your ways.
Let your words bubble up from within us,
Let them overflow in praise and worship,
Let them reach out to touch our neighbours.
Fill us with grace,
Fill us with mercy,
Fill us with justice.
Amen
Christine Sine https://godspacelight.com/
Today’s post is another written by Gary Heard, pastor of The Eighth Day – A baptist community on the edge of West Melbourne. It was first posted on Gary’s new blog Heard the Whispers which he writes with his wife Ev Heard. Gary and Ev have been part of the international core of Mustard Seed Associates for over many years.
It is reposted as part of the series Creating Sacred Spaces Do We Really Need Churches.
The beach has never held much attraction for me as a place of recreation. Salt, sand, and seaweed clinging to my body has never seemed a relaxing way to spend an afternoon. Nor does the idea of heading down to an unprotected stretch of scorching sand on an already taxing day. I have occasionally been coaxed by my children to the coast where, sometimes in spite of myself, I find myself enjoying the water. But it has not taken a tsunami to warn me of the power and the perils of the ocean, knowing that below the surface lie powerful and hidden forces with the capacity to overwhelm.
Paradoxically, I love the beach as a place of contemplation. Sitting in a comfortable space (preferably away from the sand), I contemplate the intersection of two very different spheres of life interacting with one another as I watch the waves lapping the shore and retreating – an incessant rhythm with its own enchantment. I am drawn to contemplate another world below the surface – out of sight – one which I have occasionally explored with snorkel or scuba gear, but more regularly through the camera lens provided by Jacques Cousteau. In this contemplation, the beach is a border into another world, one in which there is an ill-defined partnership with those of us who live on the land.
The ocean is a vast expanse of life, operating by different rules and bringing different experiences. We have learnt some of the ways in which it feeds our own life above the surface, but much remains a mystery. We sail upon it, fly over it, swim in it, and sometimes dive through it, but we are never really part of it. It is much more mystery than knowledge, with forces at work visible only to the experienced eye, and then some more. I find my contemplation moving from the waves, with their indefatigable movement towards and retreat from the shore, to be a reminder of the love of God, never giving up on us, at times reaching further into our lives, at other times more distant. But as my thoughts move to the depths, I contemplate the life and secrets contained within. We have an uneasy relationship with the sea, never truly mastered, never fully appreciated.
It has intrigued me that Gospel stories record Jesus teaching the crowds while standing on a boat on the sea. Beyond the words of Jesus’ teaching, I wonder at the symbolism – Jesus upon the ocean, filled as it is with a richness of life partially revealed, yet largely unknown to us, and a power we barely appreciate. Learning to explore that mystery remains a daily challenge.
Check out the other posts in the series:
Creating Sacred Space Do We Really Need Churches
Every Garden Needs A Sacred Space
Reclaiming a Sacred Space – Cheasty Greenspace: A Place of Goodness and Grace by Mary De Jong
Creating a Sacred Space – Stir the Senses
A Garden of Inspiration – A Story of Leo Tolstoy
Symbols and Elements that Weave Together a Sacred Space
Why Being Spiritual may be More Important Than Being Religious by Rob Rynders
Celtic Spirituality – What Is The Attraction?
In the Barren Places: Finding Sacred Space for the First Time – James Rempt
A Tree My Most Sacred Space by Ryan Harrison
Sacred Buildings by Lynne Baab
Sacred Space – Listening to the Trees by Richard Dahlstrom
Garden day at the Mustard Seed House
Last week I was part of an exciting collaborative meeting. The Food and Faith Initiative of Seattle Tilth and the Interreligious Initiative of Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry drew together a group of local organizations to explore how we can inspire and educate our religious communities to better care for our environment and our communities by growing food to feed ourselves and neighbors. Many gardens on the grounds of religious communities already provide food for homeless/underprivileged meal programs, for example, while at the same time offering congregants, young and old, opportunities to cultivate their souls as they do the soil. However there is much more that we could do.
There are already a number of organizations here in the Seattle area that help to connect, educate and create gardens. Though many of them work only in the local area, their ideas and resources are wonderful for those concerned about these issues both across the U.S. and in fact around the world.
Seattle Tilth is one of the most inspirational organizations I know of for organic garden resources and education. Their Just Garden project helps build gardens, and educate gardeners in low income areas increasing access to fresh produce and improving health in the community. I love the way they engage youth in their work and nurture a culture of gardening for the generations to come.
I also love The Garden Hotline and the very useful leaflets they produce. Their new one – Growing Food in the City is great. Check out the others which can be downloaded for free from Seattle Utilities. Be sure to follow the links to brochures on rain water harvesting and composting.
Lettuce Links creates access to fresh produce, seed and gardens for low income families. They co-ordinate 64 P-patches around Seattle, harvest backyard fruit and help distribute it to food banks. Check out their great resource on giving gardens.
Earth Ministry works to educate individuals and congregations about lifestyle change and the need for environmental advocacy.
It was great to hear about some of the churches that already host community gardens often providing food for congregational meetings and homeless ministries. St Luke’s Ballard, St Columba’s Kent, Epiphany Episcopal, University Presbyterian and St James Cathedral are but a few of the churches that were represented.
July 4th is Independence Day here in the U.S. I know its coming because I keep receiving emails that tell me I need to buy this, go there, eat and drink something else.
This is a celebration I struggle with and not just because it once again focuses on consumption. I particularly struggle with the ways in which this celebration is linked to Christian faith with songs of praise to the nation of America being sung in church. Independence means we don’t need anyone else. Independence means we can do it alone, be self sufficient, live in isolation from the rest of the world. Hidden in the midst is an assumption that this type of living means freedom too. I talked about this last year in my post The Call to True Freedom. The values of independence are so counter to the values of the kingdom of God.
None of this is true and I think it is time we both recognized and celebrated the fact. My freedom often comes at the cost of oppression for others. My disconnect from responsibility to God’s world wide community and to the earth on which we live can mean suffering, pollution and destruction.
Last year I linked to this great article by Chris Smith Celebrating Interdependence Day with 40 suggestions on how to celebrate interdependence. This year I have come across a number of other suggestions on how to celebrate our interdependence.
Justin Mayfield sent me an invite to the Front Yard BBQ movement encouraging us to celebrate in our front yards not our back yards and even invite a few neighbours in. It reminded me of the first Easter I spent in Greece over 30 years ago. The open invitation to come and enjoy the feast still stirs my soul with wonderful memories of Godly hospitality.
Whitney Standefer sent me a link to the 3rd Annual Inter-Dependence Day celebration in Chimacum WA with food, fun and even a talent night.
There is even an Interdependence Day movement that we can join – not celebrating on July 4th but a world wide celebration in September – this year in Dublin Ireland.
This year we are celebrating with an international day – Celebrate the Americas. We will share fun, food and celebrations from all over the Americas… and with my nephew and his wife here from Australia even a little contribution (pavlova) from Down Under.
So how are you planning to celebrate our interdependence this week? Perhaps we can put together a resource list for next year and incorporate your suggestions.
This morning’s post is written by Gary Heard, pastor of The Eighth Day – A baptist community on the edge of West Melbourne. It was first posted on Gary’s new blog Heard the Whispers which he writes with his wife Ev Heard. Gary and Ev have been part of the international core of Mustard Seed Associates for over many years.
It is reposted this morning as part of the series Creating Sacred Spaces Do We Really Need Churches.
The back yard in my own family home was a battleground where test matches, football finals, and basketball championships were won and lost. Being the youngest in the family, any win was difficult, often requiring perseverance against the odds. Alongside broken windows, damaged fence palings and a dented rubbish bin found one could also discover bruised egos, a heightened sense of injustice, and some heated battles over rules, interpretations and application, some of which were referred to a higher power (parents!)
When invited recently to conduct a wedding in a back yard, I was drawn to reflect upon the significance of such places in forming key aspects of our identity. Most back yards are ordinary places, littered with strategically placed and creatively recycled pieces of furniture, vegetable gardens, trees and plants with a unique ability to conceal a tennis or cricket ball, and knick-knacks collected from holiday spots or favourite nurseries. Although they are closed spaces, back yards are open to the sky, bringing a twin opportunity to ground ourselves in particular relationships and settings, but also to dream of what lies beyond: open to the infinite wonder which the sky represents.
In the back yard I learned about justice. Being the youngest sibling, I was often out-played or outweighed in the rough-and-tumble of backyard matches. I learned to deal with injustice, to rebound when I felt cheated or overwhelmed, developing skills to deal with taller, faster, stronger siblings. These skills impact me to this very day. I certainly knew how far to push, and when it was better to let things go, learning to use my own assets in creative ways when a direct one-on-one contest was too daunting.
But back yards are symbolic of a much richer heritage. In preparing for the wedding service, I reflected upon the ways in which it symbolised a love grounded in the realities of relationships, not only of husband and wife, but wider family and community, affirming that love is planted firmly among family and friends, and grows out of the reality of our daily lives. Back yards are places where ordinary experiences are made ever richer by shared love, recollected through the years in family gatherings. Stories are formed, told and retold in this place, becoming part of our identity. And some threatening drops of rain reminded us all that in the back yard we are also exposed to the elements, requiring us to relinquish some control and enjoy the exploration and randomness which nature – and relationships with family and friends – can often bring.
I recall reclining in the backyard pondering the skies and my place in the universe beneath the wonder of myriad stars so far from the earth, illuminating the skies. Looking into history – for the light I could see twinkling left its source many years before – I pondered perspective and the bigger questions of life. And in later years I would sit in the back yard with my beloved, sharing dreams and hopes together, pondering imponderables, and simply enjoying each other’s presence. These dreams could be apparently mundane: we can plant this, we can build that… the source of an intimacy built with roots in common dreams, shared values, a mutual spirituality.
Jesus’ parables often have their roots in ordinary places – weddings, gardens, roadsides – because they are the repository where our identity is formed, and our perspective on the greater questions of life are shaped. They are the places where God can be found.
Check out the other posts in the series:
Creating Sacred Space Do We Really Need Churches
Every Garden Needs A Sacred Space
Reclaiming a Sacred Space – Cheasty Greenspace: A Place of Goodness and Grace by Mary De Jong
Creating a Sacred Space – Stir the Senses
A Garden of Inspiration – A Story of Leo Tolstoy
Symbols and Elements that Weave Together a Sacred Space
Why Being Spiritual may be More Important Than Being Religious by Rob Rynders
Celtic Spirituality – What Is The Attraction?
In the Barren Places: Finding Sacred Space for the First Time – James Rempt
A Tree My Most Sacred Space by Ryan Harrison
Sacred Buildings by Lynne Baab
Beautiful prayers this week on Light for the Journey. Thank you to Bonnie Harr and John Birch
You have sown
fertile seed
into our hearts,
Good Gardener,
and we, willingly,
or by neglect
allowed weeds to grow
and spoil the beauty
of this small corner
of your garden.
Keep our hearts free
of that which hides
your love, we pray
and prune away
all that hinders,
that others might see
your beauty
blossom
within.
Lord Jesus Christ may we never forget
the wonder of your love.
It is new every morning,
Embracing every moment,
Encompassing every person.
Your love never gives up.
It is always forgiving,
Always caring,
Always reaching out.
May we see and give thanks
Christine Sine https://godspacelight.com/
Lord may we rest in your presence,
Trusting in your love,
Embracing your purposes.
Lord may we follow your unconventional ways,
Hungering for justice,
Thirsting for righteousness,
Abounding with compassion.
lord may we live as neighbours,
helping the stranger,
restoring the marginalized,
Belonging to your community of love.
Christine Sine https://godspacelight.com/
You have clothed this world in beauty,
from morning mist dissolving into summer day
to the splendid isolation of a mountain peak;
from flowers of the field in all their radiant hues
to butterfly emerging from chrysalis, all speak
of the artist’s vision and creativity,
the loving brushstrokes with which you paint.
And if you should take such care with these,
who are we to doubt the value that you place
on those whose hearts contain the maker’s mark?
We shall not worry what tomorrow brings,
for even in sorrow you bring us joy
and we shall praise you for all good things!
(http://www.facebook.com/faithandworship)
God guide us,
Through the wonder of your love.
Through the gentleness of your compassion.
Through the righteousness of your justice.
Amen
Christine Sine https://godspacelight.com
God help us to see as you see,
Beauty in the midst of brokenness,
Love in the midst of war,
Promises in the midst of despair.
God help us to hear as you hear,
Cries for help from those in need,
Calls for justice where there is oppression,
Voices of hope that bring us life.
God help us to think as you do,
To believe you can transform
All that is broken into wholeness.
Amen
Christine Sine https://godspacelight.com/
God send your spirit upon us,
Give us a great love for all,
Make us more compassionate to the sick,
More generous to the needy,
More zealous to follow you.
Give us strength and courage
To follow you in all we do,
Amen.
Christine Sine https://godspacelight.com/
I arise to day
Through God’s strength to pilot me :
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me
From snares of devils.
From temptations of vices,
From every one who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear.
Alone and in a multitude.
(from Selections from Ancient Irish Poetry, Meyer, Kuno, 1858-1919)
Posted by http://faithandworship.com
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