Today is Ascension Day, but like many of us I am already thinking about Pentecost in 10 days time. Then we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, though for many churches it has become a day of prayer for peace. The following prayer came to me this morning as I thought about these two celebrations and the amazing impact on our world of Christ’s ascension, the coming of the Holy Spirit and our heart burning desire to see God’s peace come in our world.
Peace O Lord to all whose lives entwine with ours,
Peace to all who walk this earth with us.
Peace to friend and to stranger, to neighbours near and far,
Peace to all who struggle,
Peace to the lost, the broken and the hurting.
Peace from the Christ who has redeemed and saved us,
Peace from the One who sits at the right hand of God,
An advocate for all God’s children,
May we follow him into the new creation and join him in making all things whole.
Last year I spent time reflecting on these two events as well and thought I would repost that reflection here too.
Jesus Christ ascended into heaven
First born of a new creation
Marking the way with his blood
Shining as a light for all to see
An advocate in heaven
Now at the right hand of God
Holy Spirit descended from above
Indwelling presence of God
Opening our hearts to the Good News of Christ
Leading us into all truth
An advocate within
Forever with all who are called by God’s name
Christ Ascended into Heaven – Dome of Monastery in Mirozh Russia, Public Domain
Thursday is Ascension Day the day on which we remember Jesus ascension into heaven 40 days after he rose from the dead. What I did not realize until recently is that for many this is also a celebration of the new creation that God brought into being by the ascension of Jesus. What beautiful imagery to carry with us for the rest of the season until Pentecost.
This is not a celebration that I grew up with, nor is it one that I have taken much notice of in the last few years. I was amazed this morning therefore at the beautiful and enriching prayers and scriptures I came across from many different traditions and thought that I would share some of them with you. I have posted some of these in previous years but have refreshed the links and added more resources.
I love the exultant note of this prayer from Rev. Marilyn E. Thornton the Lead Editor for African American Resources at the United Methodist Publishing House
One: Let us gather as they gathered on the Mount of Olivet.
Let us remember the teachings of the law, psalms, and prophets.
Many: Ride on King Jesus, no one can hinder you!
Here is another from the reformed tradition With A Shout
And this by David Diephouse who teaches history at Calvin College
Our God goes up with shouts of joy!
Our Lord ascends to the sound of trumpets!
All: Sing praises to our God, sing praises!
Sing praises, sing praises to our King!
The Almighty rides in triumph.
The Almighty leads captivity captive.
Who shouts for joy? Who blows the trumpet?
The hosts of heaven sing the honor of his name;
they praise him with an endless alleluia.
And this prayer from the Catholic service for Ascension Day
God our Father,
make us joyful in the ascension of your Son Jesus Christ.
May we follow him into the new creation,
for his ascension is our glory and our hope.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
John Van de Laar at Sacredise.com always has great resources for the seasons including suggested hymns, prayers and video media resources. Check out the ascension day resources here
I particularly enjoyed this video The Ascension and Jesus Christ on The Work of the People (love their work).
Here is another good set of videos/loops from re:Worship
And as always textweek.com has a very comprehensive list of resources for celebrating Ascension Day
Obviously there are lots of other great resources out there too so if you have found something that is particularly helpful please leave a link in the comments below.
Jesus resurrection is amazing, the fact that he acts as advocate for us before God is awe inspiring and reassuring because we know that every time we mess up (and all of us do) Jesus is there pleading for us before God. And how I feel about that could not be better expressed than in the words of Psalm 47 written three thousand years ago
Come, everyone! Clap your hands!
Shout to God with joyful praise!
2 For the Lord Most High is awesome.
He is the great King of all the earth.
3 He subdues the nations before us,
putting our enemies beneath our feet.
4 He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance,
the proud possession of Jacob’s descendants, whom he loves.
Interlude5God has ascended with a mighty shout.
The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King over all the earth.
Praise him with a psalm!
8 God reigns above the nations,
sitting on his holy throne.
9 The rulers of the world have gathered together
with the people of the God of Abraham.
For all the kings of the earth belong to God.
He is highly honored everywhere. (via Biblegateway.com)
And last but hopefully not least a prayer/poem I wrote some years ago that I think is appropriate for this season. I have frequently been told it should be put to music so if anyone feels inspired to do that let me know..
God whose glory fills our world
God whose life is closer than breath
God whose love is stronger than death
God, this God of life and love
Has sent an advocate to save us
Jesus Christ the righteous, now at the right hand of God
Not to condemn but to bring full life
Not to accuse but to redeem
Not to reject but to draw close
God, this God of life and love
Has sent an advocate to save us
Jesus Christ the righteous, now at the right hand of God
God who hears the cry of our seeking souls
God who sees the pain of our suffering bodies
God who feels the loss of our grieving spirits
God, this God of life and love
Has sent an advocate to be with us forever
The Spirit of truth abides with us eternally
Before us to teach and lead,
Within us to comfort and heal,
Around us to shield and protect,
God, this God of life and love
Has sent an advocate to be with us forever
The Spirit of truth abides with us eternally
Earth touches heaven – photo by Coe Hutchison
Here is my weekly round up of prayers that I have posted on facebook. If you want to read these as they are posted each morning you can like the Light for the Journey page
May all things today draw us closer to Christ
May the love of God bubble up from within us
And overflow in acts of kindness, generosity and peace
————————-
Lord Jesus Christ you are faithful and true
You are righteous and holy
You are loving and merciful
May we join ourselves to you today and follow the paths of life
—————————
Let us always remember the wonder of God’ love
Let us always remember the beauty of God’s world
Let us always remember the joy of God’s faithfulness
Let us remember and give thanks
—————————
Let each breath that you take breathe in God
Let each step that you make live for God
Let each word that you say glorify the One who fills our world with life and love
—————————-
Jesus teach us to pray as you did,
Not in thought and speech but in truth and action,
Jesus teach us to love as you did,
In compassion and mercy, with patience and kindness,
Jesus teach to live as you did,
Considering the needs of others as more important than your own.
—————————–
Let the love of God soak into your heart,
Let the peace of God soak into your soul,
Let the life of God soak into your spirit,
May they transform you and make you whole.
The created world is God’s sanctuary
Our annual Celtic retreat is coming. We hold it in August on a beautiful parcel of undeveloped land on Camano Island north of Seattle. There are no buildings. Our sanctuary is a cathedral of trees – cedar and maple and alder that rise above is in a breathtaking green canopy. I particularly love to sit in the early mornings before anyone else is awake, drinking in the beauty of God’s awe inspiring creation. This is a sacred space for me, what is often called a thin space where the veil between heaven and earth seems to be translucent and the glory of God shines through in a special way.
Special places where we feel almost physically embraced by the love of God are important places of prayer for all of us. Be they a comfortable old armchair we return to day by day, a special place to walk or a garden seat that invites us to stop and smell the roses, they should be nurtured and preserved. However we don’t need these special places and we certainly don’t need churches to create a sanctuary in which we can meet God. God very reluctantly gave the Israelites permission to build a place of worship. I think he knew that temples and churches would limit our understanding of sacred space and places in which we meet and commune with God.
If we expect to meet with the One we love wherever we walk, listen look and learn, all of God’s creation becomes a sacred space where we can interact with God, experience the love of God and see the story of God unfold. As C.S. Lewis expresses it: “Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something about the sun which you could never get from reading books on astronomy. These pure and spontaneous pleasures are ‘patches of Godlight’ in the woods of our experience.”
God’s first act in the newly created world we call Earth was to create a garden in which to walk, talk and share a loving relationship with humankind. This sacred space was alive with the presence of God and I am sure that as Adam and Eve looked around them everything they saw, touched, smelled and tasted reminded them of their creator. The tragedy of our present condition is that we are not only separated from the presence of God, we are blind to the sanctuary that is God’s entire creation and deaf to all that speaks of God’s love throughout our created world.
God is constantly revealed through the creation as Psalm 19: 1-4 relates so clearly:
The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.
Sociologist Lisa Graham McMinn explains: The wonders of the earth call out, inviting those who are mindful – who hear, see, taste and smell – to praise and honor God whose creation brings us pleasure and sustenance.
Nature has always been a wonderful stimulant to my prayer life but as I learned to see the entire creation as a sacred space, its revelations became even more profound and my ability to see, hear and listen to God was expanded far beyond the church building. The whole world and my interactions with it became an invitation to look for God at work, listen to what God was saying and question what God was doing. These interactions help me to understand the story of God and how it is enacted in our world and in my life. A walk in the mountains, the planting of seeds, inhaling the heady perfume of my favorite rose, caressing the soft fur of our golden retriever often draw me into a place of deep intimacy with the God whose loving presence is expressed in all I see, hear, feel and smell.
aughter the best medicine via emotion images
I mentioned yesterday that my post was a contribution to the May Synchroblog. Here are the other posts – great stuff and well worth a read.
- Jeremy Myers at Till He Comes – Lighten Up!
- Maria Kettleson Anderson at My Real Journey – The Art of Passionately Lightening Up
- Melody Harrison at Logic and Imagination – {I Don’t Do Joy}
- Wendy McCaig – Lighten Up: Learning to Let Go From A Man Who Lost It All
- Carol Kuniholm at Words Half Heart – Resurrection Laughter
- R. Lee Bayes at Southern Humanist – Loving Light
- Alan Knox – Be Sarcastic With One Another
- Patrick Oden at Dueling Ravens – Truth, Beauty, and Yodeling Pickles
- Tammy Carter at Blessing the Beloved – A Tricky Little Journey
- Christine Sine at Godspace – Lighten Up: It Really is the Best Medicine
- Glenn Hager – Margaritas, Metallica, and A Serious Case of the Giggles.
- Liz Dyer at Grace Rules – A Spoonful of Sugar
- K.W. Leslie at More Christ – When Jesus Made A Funny
- Maurice Broaddus – Why So Serious?
- Ellen Haroutunian – A Laughing God
A couple of weeks ago I was chatting to Ricci Kilmer, about how much we miss her daughter Catie at our Mustard Seed staff and retreat times. I remember her telling us once that we needed more fun in our meetings. Not surprisingly, she was often the one who came up with ideas of fun things for us to do together.
At one of our MSA retreats she made us all into chocolate tasters. We were each given a small piece of chocolate to savour. We each closed our eyes, and sat with the chocolate on the palm of our hand,breathing in the richness of its aroma. Then we got to taste it, noticing its texture, the way it tasted on our tongues and stirred our senses. With much laughter and hilarity we shared our thoughts. Then we opened our eyes and with relish licked the now molten chocolate from fingers.
The wonder of chocolate
I couldn’t help but think of this as I read the invitation to participate in this month’s synchroblog
One thing feels clear about the faith blogging world–we can be kind of serious most of the time. Serious about beliefs, theology, and hard conversations about the intersection of life and faith. It is serious stuff we’re talking about, but sometimes what gets missed in all of the intensity is joy & laughter & lightness. It’s probably a good idea to learn how to not take ourselves quite so seriously. The May 2012 Synchroblog is centered on the idea of what it might mean to lighten up a little–personally, spiritually, professionally, or in any area of our lives. You can write about why that’s easy or hard for you, share something funny or humorous, or any other angle that feels easy and right (remember, part of this is about lightening up!)
Its true, I often think that most of us take our faith too seriously. How often after all do we imagine Jesus laughing or God enjoying a good joke. Yet I think that God is full of laughter and humour. It bubbles up in the wonder of creation – who else could create a dog like the Komondor.
Or animals that act like these
Or give us the imagination to do things like this first wedding dance video
Imagination, creativity, the very act of laughter itself show that God is a fun loving God. And it does even seem to improve our health as this articlesuggest. Maybe it shouldn’t surprise us therefore to discover that lot of God’s creativity can make us smile and feel happy. Even compost gives you a high. The earthy smell of good rich composted soil, or even of compost straight from your pile produces bacteria that increase the serotonin in your brain and make you feel happy. As Pagan Kennedy says in her article How To Get High on Soil,
Scientists call it “geosmin,” this dirt smell that lends the earthy taste to beets and carrots. It’s the flavor of life. Read the entire article
No wonder God’s first action after creation was to plant a garden and no wonder he calls us to steward creation. He knows that we are happiest when we have our hands (or our noses) in the dirt. Now that seems like something to really laugh about.
Learning to lighten up for me would mean taking time to enjoy the humour of life more. It would mean taking more time for fun and laughter. Working on this post today has definitely made me realize that this is something I need to do.
Here is the complete list of posts
- Jeremy Myers at Till He Comes – Lighten Up!
- Maria Kettleson Anderson at My Real Journey – The Art of Passionately Lightening Up
- Melody Harrison at Logic and Imagination – {I Don’t Do Joy}
- Wendy McCaig – Lighten Up: Learning to Let Go From A Man Who Lost It All
- Carol Kuniholm at Words Half Heart – Resurrection Laughter
- R. Lee Bayes at Southern Humanist – Loving Light
- Alan Knox – Be Sarcastic With One Another
- Patrick Oden at Dueling Ravens – Truth, Beauty, and Yodeling Pickles
- Tammy Carter at Blessing the Beloved – A Tricky Little Journey
- Christine Sine at Godspace – Lighten Up: It Really is the Best Medicine
- Glenn Hager – Margaritas, Metallica, and A Serious Case of the Giggles.
- Liz Dyer at Grace Rules – A Spoonful of Sugar
- K.W. Leslie at More Christ – When Jesus Made A Funny
- Maurice Broaddus – Why So Serious?
- Ellen Haroutunian – A Laughing God
Flying high above the clouds
Yesterday was a disastrous travel day for me. I left home at 4 am for a 6 am flight expecting that I would arrive in New Haven Connecticut at a reasonable hour, have dinner with friends and a good night’s sleep before starting my week long teaching session at the Overseas Ministries Study Center. Severe thunderstorms in Chicago played havoc with my day and twenty four hours later I finally dragged my weary body into bed hoping to get a nap before breakfast.
The day was not a total disaster however. I spent some of my waiting hours at Chicago O’Hare remembering other airports I have lived in and the stories associated with my adventures. I remember being stranded at Washington Dulles and meeting a delightful Haitian lady who spoke hardly a word of English. Together we figured out how to change our flights, find a hotel and get to our destination. She called me her guardian angel.
I also remember Tom and I being stranded in Pittsburg by snow storms. We spent two peaceful and very relaxing days enjoying the beauty of the snowy landscape, in one of the few hotels that had power. We returned home refreshed and relaxed.
I remember too sitting with a friend at the airport in Accra Ghana for 24 hours. Not fun but we found out later that our plane was grounded in London for much overdue maintenance checks. Who knows what disaster we were protected from.
Of course there were the times of stressfully trying to present when most of my luggage and notes were lost who knows where for a couple of days. There were sleepless nights that I could have done without. What I noticed particularly however were the anxieties I could have let go of. After all being delayed for a day is not cataclysmic. The earth did not shake and even my life was not really impacted. In fact most of these memories are good not bad. If anything they all slowed me down to take time to notice things I would not otherwise notice.
One of the chapters I am working on in my book Return to Our Senses, is about the need to remember. Memories help root our prayers and our lives in the faithfulness of God and can provide important signposts that lead us onward towards the heart of God. Taking time to remember is important and though I would rather not have spent fourteen hours at the airport yesterday I am grateful for the memories it stirred and the reminders of God’s faithfulness in the little as well as the big circumstances of our lives.
There was much to give thanks for in my journey. I am grateful for the faithfulness of God who kept me safe throughout the journey. I am grateful for the faithfulness of friends – Robert Watton cheerfully picked me up at the airport at 4 am in spite of the fact that it meant he would go to work from a sleepless night And as we finally flew towards Harford CT the view of the super moon outside the window was breathtaking in its beauty. That is a memory that will stay with me into the future too.
Let us always remember the wonder of God’ love
Let us always remember the beauty of God’s world
Let us always remember the joy of God’s faithfulness
Let us remember and give thanks
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