Today’s post is by Kimberlee Conway Ireton, author of The Circle of Seasons: Meeting God in the Church Year. This post is the second of a three-part prayer for our children, adapted from an Orthodox akathist to Mary the Mother of God. If you missed or would like to reread the first four sections of the prayer, you can do so here.
A Prayer for My Children
Prelude 5
May the Morning Star, which is Our Lord Jesus Christ, shine with unfading light in the hearts of my children, that they may cry to God: Alleluia.
Song 5
Having seen my diligent supplication rising like incense to You, do not turn away Your face from my children, even if they turn away from You. Hear the cry of my lips, singing to You:
Raise my children to be poor in spirit, that they may inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
Raise my children to weep, that they may be comforted.
Raise my children to be meek, that they may inherit the earth.
Raise my children to hunger and thirst after righteousness, that they may be filled.
Raise my children to be merciful, that they may obtain mercy.
Raise my children to be pure in heart, that they may see God.
Raise my children to be peacemakers, that they may be called the children of God.
Raise my children (names), O Christ, to be made worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven and make them heirs of eternal blessings.
Prelude 6
We proclaim that You are the defense of orphans, widows, and mothers, and of all Your children who pray and cry out to You: Alleluia.
Song 6
With rays of grace teach my children. May they be so enlightened by You, O Most High, that they see Your path leading to life eternal and follow it. May they be nourished on their journey beneath Your all-powerful protection, in the shadow of Your wings, where there is unending light. For the sake of this, hear me when I cry to You, O God:
Raise my children to be the light of the world, that their light may shine before others, and that seeing their good deeds, people will glorify their Father in Heaven.
Raise my children to be enlightened by Your Son, that in His light they may see light and direct their steps towards Him.
Raise my children always to turn the eyes of their heart to the Redeemer of all.
Raise my children to be guided to the habitation of the righteous by the Morning Star which is Your Son.
Raise my children to be meek and silent and to tremble before the word of God.
Raise my children to love You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not only with their minds but also with their hearts.
Raise my children (names), O Christ, to be made worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven and make them heirs of eternal blessings.
Prelude 7
Desiring for my children eternal salvation, with tears I stand before You, O God, and cry: Alleluia.
Song 7
By the wondrous and incomprehensible action of Your Son, lead my children by Your merciful hand beneath Your gracious protection. I cry to You:
Raise my children to seek first the Kingdom of God and Your righteousness.
Raise my children to walk the narrow way leading to life eternal.
Raise my children to do Your will in every place.
Raise my children to long to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
Raise my children to be numbered among Your chosen ones.
Raise my children (names), O Christ, to be made worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven and make them heirs of eternal blessings.
Prelude 8
Where will my children, wandering in the greatly perilous and stormy valley of the world, receive joy and consolation, if not in You, O Lord? Travel with them and teach them the true path, that they may cry to You: Alleluia.
Song 8
You are a merciful Mother to all, O Jesus, and I desire that I may become Your child. I place my children in Your hands and in humility I beg You:
Raise my children to keep vigil and pray that they may not fall into temptation.
Raise my children to be merciful so that their Father in Heaven will be merciful to them.
Raise my children in purity of childhood, for to children belongs the Kingdom of God.
Raise my children to be the least of all, that they may be great before God.
Raise my children to fulfill the Word of God, and to be partakers of the heavenly blessedness for which they came into being.
Raise my children to have good hope in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Raise my children (names), O Christ, to be made worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven and make them heirs of eternal blessings.
I have long been a fan of Walter Brueggemann and Journey to the Common Good has not disappointed me. This book constitutes his Laing Lectures at Regent College from a couple of years ago.
Brueggemann talks about the Exodus story as a journey from a culture of anxiety to a practice of neighbourliness drawing parallels with our own cultures and the challenges we face.
The great crisis among us is the crisis of “the common good,” the sense of community solidarity that binds all in a common destiny – haves and have nots, the rich and the poor. We face a croisis about the common good because there are powerful forces at work among us to resist the common good, to violate community solidarity, and to deny a common destiny. Mature people, at their best, are people who are committed to the common good that reaches beyond private interest, transcends sectarian commitments and offers human solidarity. (p1)
Brueggemann presents a very different view of the Joseph story than the one we usually hold to. He points out that Joseph solidified Pharaoh’s power and enslaved the people, manipulating the economy to concentrate wealth and power in the hands of a few. The situation deteriorates and God intervenes.
The practice of exploitation, fear and suffering produces a decisive moment in human history. This dramatic turn away from aggressive centralized power and a food monopoly features a fresh divine resolve for an alternative possibility.
This divine alternative comes into being through Moses’ dream of a people no longer exploited or suffering but living in the abundance of shared generosity which is the centre of YHWH’s dream. Brueggeman very helpfully contrasts this to Pharaoh’s dream, a nightmarish dream of scarcity which precipitated the crisis encouraging Abraham and others like him to seek the security of food in Egypt even if it meant slavery.
The bread of the wilderness, the bread that God gives us to eat, is a very different sort of bread. It is the bread of YHWH’s generosity,
a gift of abundance that breaks the deathly pattern of anxiety, fear, greed and anger, a miracle that always surprises because it is beyond our capacity of expectation.
Brueggemann points out that is this bread that fills the Israelites as they stand at Mt Sinai to receive God’s commands, commands that voice God’s dream of a neighbourhood and God’s intention for a society grounded in the common good.
The exploitative system of Pharaoh believed that it always needed more and was always entitled to more – more bricks, more control, more territory, more oil – until it had everything. But of course one cannot order a neighbourhood that way, because such practices and such assumptions generate only fear and competition that make the common good impossible Such greed is prohibited by YHWh’s kingdom of generosity. (25)
This is a challenging and thought provoking book that reminded me of how easily I seek my own good over the common good and how frequently I need to be challenged afresh with the values and principles of God’s new society. Our God is a generous God – not to me as an individual for the accumulation of personal wealth, but to us as a society of God’s people. This type of generosity must be shared, it must seek the common good and it must work for the welfare of all.
Journey to the Common Good, is a must read for all of us who seek to ground our lives in the shared values of God’s abundance and generosity rather than in the acquisitive values of our culture.
St Columba – Bishop’s House Iona
I just came across this beautiful prayer which was supposedly written by St Columba on his deathbed in the community of Iona (which he founded) in 597. So enriching and a wonderful reminder of the importance of peace and unity. Enjoy!
See that you be at peace among yourselves, my children, and love one another.
Follow the example of good men of old, and God will comfort you and help you,
both in this world and in the world which is to come.
While I am here in Australia I am working on the program for the Celtic retreat. I really do this will be the best ever! The theme is Celebrate the Newness, an exciting exploration led by Ryan Marsh and the team at Church of the Beloved. Ryan comments:
“New” is a high value in our culture. Everything must be new – the newest fashion, the newest technology, even the newest theology… I know what kind of “new” is being sold to me, but is there anything new about me? About you, about us? What is new that is of substance? Real newness… or do we need a new “New”? Might God think about newness differently than we do?
This year’s retreat will explore newness from God’s perspective. To help us explore we will journey with Brendan the Navigator, 6th century Irish monk, who with 14 companions set off to find new lands. From Ireland via the monastery at Iona, Brendan and his companions are said to have travelled through the Faroes to Iceland and on to Greenland and Newfoundland. Their journey was at heart a spiritual journey to explore new insights in the scriptures and prayer.
We will embrace many aspects of newness from fresh liturgies and songs composed by the Church of the Beloved team to a new and exciting children’s program led by Kendra Long. Afternoon activities include walking the prayer trails and labyrinth and painting a mural designed by Erica Applewhite Nordfors.
We will also celebrate the new structure that is taking shape at the Mustard Seed Village. Two weeks ago we raised the beams for the roof which we expect to complete by August 10th. There is still time to accept Graham Kerr’s invitation to donate shares for this structure and we hope all of you will join us in making this dream a reality.
I do hope that you can join us – Early Bird Special is good until July 1st so it really is time to sign up and let your friends know.
Sunset in Seattle
My thoughts this week have focused on the wonder of God whose love sustains all things and whose creative presence infuses all things. I always find that writing my thoughts down as prayers and praise to God helps move these ideas from my head to my heart. Here is a prayer that I wrote as I meditated on this today.
Glory be to God on high
Glory to the three in one
Glory to the one in three
Before the beginning of the world
Creator, redeemer, sustainer
Beyond the end of the world
Father, Son and Spirit
Eternal one
Infusing all creation with your love
Indwelling one
Uniting us into one family
Comforting one
Leading us into all truth
Glory to you who are three
Glory to you who are one
Glory to you – God of Gods and Lord of Lords
Cutting the birthday cake
Yesterday was my mother’s 90th birthday, a special day of remembering, celebrating and enjoying my family. Tom and I are privileged to be able to be in Sydney for this wonderful occasion. Celebrations like this are so important. They not only connect us to the past and the rich heritage that our families provide for us, they also connect us to the future and the hopes that we have for the time that is to come.
Mum with her “kids”
Mum with her grandkids
Mum with her great grandkids
Life is full of sacred moments
waiting to be explored.
Whispers of love,
Spaces of solitude,
Fragrance breathing prayer.
May we uncover them,
rejoice in them,
walk in their life giving light.
And find in them the glory of God,
which shines over all the earth.
Christine Sine https://godspacelight.com/
I sometimes wonder if it’s easier to write prayers of adoration when the sun is shining, and those of confession when the clouds gather. No guesses as to the weather forecast in Wales for today!
For the love that you have shown us
since the moment of our birth
and the path you open for us
as your servants here on earth.
For the footsteps that we follow,
and your words that we shall say
as seed that we shall scatter
as we walk this chosen way.
For the harvest you shall gather
on that great and glorious day,
O Lord to you we offer
this our sacrifice of praise
http://faithandworship.com
We celebrate the God of light,
who is the source of all warmth, direction and hope
We have been embraced in Your love,
restored in Your grace,
and welcomed into the fellowship of Your people.
You are the One in whom there is no shadow of turning;
Who walks with us through moments of uncertainty,
aiding our steps, and reassuring us of Your promise.
Read the entire prayer:
http://the-eighth-day.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/out-of-shadows.html
Forgive us, Lord,
when we forget,
struggling in darkness,
searching for answers,
relying on our own strength
and falling down again.
Remind us, Lord,
you are the strength
on whom we can call,
the power to endure,
the answer we seek,
the one in whose arms
we can safely rest.
Forgive us, Lord
when we forget.
(http://www.facebook.com/faithandworship?ref=hl)
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