Yesterday was Earth Day, celebrating a wonderful movement that began back in 1970 when protest brought together 20 million Americans—10% of the U.S. population at the time—into the streets. In response the Environmental Protection Agency was created and a wave of laws, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act were were enacted. This movement is now a world wide movement and there is a growing cry to make every day Earth day, to recognize that care for our planet is part of God’s mandate to all of us to be responsible stewards of all creation.
Without the first Earth Day, global action against climate change would have taken much longer—or might never have happened at all. However, there is still much more to be done. Next week together with Forrest Inslee, I will interview Brian McLaren about his new book Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for A World Falling Apart. It is a very sober wake up call that challenges all Christians for grieve over the condition of our planet while maintaining the hope that creates the courage and resilience we and our communities need to find effective solutions. Brian encourages us to begin our fight with our contemplative lives. “In the stillness new insights, comfort and ways of being often arise” he explains.
I enjoy a similar experience as I pray in the garden. In my Meditation Monday: Best Ways to Pray in Nature, I share some of the ways I engage in prayer in the garden. It is an exhilarating, nourishing and invigorating experience that draws me closer to God and to God’s beautiful creation. I will share more about this at my upcoming Spirituality of Gardening seminar on May 11th. All of us need to discover the awe and wonder of interacting with God’s good creation that these kinds of practices make possible.
On Saturday Jeannie Kendall in her post St George’s Day gave us a fascinating look at the history of dragons both in the Bible and in history. As a lover of dragon stories, I thoroughly enjoyed this. In Freerange Friday: Rediscovering Joy Lilly Lewin shared about her time at the Abbey of Gethsemane and how she finds joy in the midst of silence. On Thursday Carol Dixon’s friend Margery Tate share a beautiful litany for Eastertide. I find that reading litanies like this nourishes my soul and my spirit. I hope you do too. I must confess that my favourite post for the week was Emily Duff’s Nesting Wonder in which she shared photos of the bird’s nest on her door wreath and a poem by Padraig O’Tauma. Very uplifting!
Tomorrow we will post the 6th episode of Liturgical Rebels, a fun filled and inspiring interview with Lilly Lewin about her role as a worship curator and artist. Make sure that you are up to date on your listening before this is published. My previous guests were worship curator Mark Pierson, poet Drew Jackson, visual artist Scott Erickson, and block print artist Kreg Yingst. The following episode will be with author and activist Shane Claiborne. I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing our passionate and fiery activist friend about his protests for Gaza and life as a new father.
Next week we will retire our mailchimp account so this will be the last Godspacelight newsletter that comes via mailchimp as we switch to Substack. Many I know will heave a sigh of relief as this means that you will not receive duplicate emails in the future. I hope you enjoy the new Substack format and the added richness it brings to what I share. Thank you for those who have signed up as paid subscribers. I really appreciate your support and encouragement for my work. Don’t forget though that this weekly email will be the only place you will be able to click directly to Godspace posts. However you can still visit the website or sign up through wordpress if you want to continue receiving notifications every time something is posted on Godspacelight.
Many blessings on you as you enjoy this Earth Day:
Christ of light and life and beauty,
We come into your sanctuary
This precious place we call Earth.
We give ourselves to worship you,
Its creator, its gardener, its nourisher.
You fill it with your glorious presence.
Every flower shimmers with your love,
Every forest quivers with your light,
Every wilderness pulsates with your beauty.
God reveal yourself to us in this place
And show us your face in all creation.
Photo by greg_rosenke on unsplash
Spirituality of Gardening – A virtual retreat
On May 11 from 9:30-12:30 pm PT (check my timezone) We will discuss connections between community, spirituality and gardening. Explore the wonderful ways that God and God’s story are revealed through the rhythms of planting, growing and harvesting as well as the beauty of nature. This webinar is for anyone who admires the beauty of God’s good creation, likes to walk in nature, sit by the ocean or just relax and listen to the birds in the trees. It is based on Christine Sine’s popular book, To Garden with God and each participant will receive a digital copy of this book.
by Christine Sine
Creation sings, giving glory to God. It’s easy to imagine this while out hiking in majestic mountains or watching the explosion of color as the sun sets over the ocean. But it happens all around us, every day, every moment, if only we’re alert enough to notice. One way to hone our sense of wonder as we join with creation in praising our Creator is to discover this symphony of worship in our own backyards or neighborhoods. or local parks and green spaces. Even a concrete jungle has greenery popping up between the cracks. It’s Earth Day, and many of us are wondering how to best celebrate. Getting out into creation to pray might be the way.
The garden is my sanctuary and, in it, God beckons me to draw near. However the suggestions below could easily be applied to your favourite park, nature walk, beach or even to an urban walk where you notice the “weeds” growing up through concrete or in vacant lots.
Last week I shared a couple of possible practices for walking through nature and alighting our lives more fully with the presence of God in nature. Lectio Tierra and Leaf Rubbing are some great ways to help us pray as we enter God’s world. However there are lots of other ways that the garden, neighborhood walks and forest wandering can stir us to pray.
Experiencing nature with all of our senses can provide doorways into this ongoing celebration of God.
Lectio Tierra: This was the focus of my post last week. This is really a simple way to pray that works well in the garden, in the neighborhood, or surrounded by nature in a forest. In the garden I simply wander around asking what God would like to speak to me through. It could be the splashing of birds in the birdbath, a particular flower or vegetable, or a worm wriggling around in the moist soil. The point is to find that element in the garden that seems to catch your attention, stop and take time to observe it. Try to discern its story. Discover the intersections of that story with your own, and sit with this common message from God shared with another of God’s creation.
Star Gazing: There’s something special about going outside on a cloudless and moonless night and looking up into the heavens. This is a delight that many discovered during the COVID lockdown when we were not allowed to wander far from home. Unfortunately in the city the lights often obscure the night sky, but if you have the opportunity to get out into the country for an overnight stay, take advantage of the darkness when the stars seem to pop out of the sky. I always feel so small and yet so awe-struck by wonder sitting under this bejeweled canopy. Even images of the sky and particularly the incredible images from the James Webb telescope are also helpful ways to enter into this kind of prayer experience. They fill us with awe and wonder at the immensity of of our God.
Enjoy the smell of Fragrances: It’s not just the stars that compel my thoughts toward God. Scents from all around the garden flood my nostrils with a banquet of goodness. Some fragrances are most powerful in the morning, others after rain, others in the evening. Wander round the garden or through the neighborhood at different times of the day and evening your senses attuned to the fragrances around you. Today I walked out and smelt the lilac blossoming outside my office window. Its heady fragrance only seems to last for a few days but how intoxicating it is during that time.
Go out and smell the flowers around you. Which ones are particularly appealing to you? Which ones make you wrinkle your nose in disgust? As I do this I’m reminded of a passage from the Revelation to John: “The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand”. Indeed, the whole creation seems to join in my prayer, and that in itself fills me with wonder. Does God love all the scents in the garden or is it just the fragrant ones that rise like incense? I think all of them are like incense. After all some animals and insects are attracted by what think smells awful. Learning to appreciate the full range of scents in the garden and comparing them to our prayers, some of which I think might “smell bad” too is something to contemplate.
Releasing Fragrance with Touch: I love to meander the garden touching various plants as I go. Brushing up against the lavender or the rosemary, my senses are engulfed in a wonderful fragrance while running my hands through the hyssop yields a skunk-like odor. Not something I like to do very often. The Apostle Paul talks about our lives being an aroma to the world around us:
But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? 2 Cor. 2:14-16
Personally I’d prefer to smell like lavender to the world rather than the skunky smell of hyssop. “Lord, make my life a pleasing fragrance to those around me.”
While rubbing my fingers over the tomato leaves, a very strong and distinctive fragrance is released. It’s not pleasing, nor is it offensive. It’s an odor that reminds me of the oils in the leaves that protect against aphids and other pests. I’ve never thought of odors as protection and yet in the garden there are many. “Lord, how can my life be the oily balm that radiate a sense of protection or peace in my neighborhood?”
Savour the Taste: A walk round the garden in the summer in particular can provide a smorgasbord of tastes for our enjoyment. The cherry tomatoes which I plant by the gate especially for this purpose, beckon every time I walk by. “Taste and see that the Lord is good” says the psalmist in Psalm 34:8. Tasting fruit, flowers and leaves as we wander is a wonderful way to savour the goodness of God and give thanks for the wonder of God’s presence around us.
Praying Barefoot: If you don’t have bark dust all over your garden or prickly leaves like from a holly tree, this is a fun way to get out of a praying funk. Walking barefoot can be very therapeutic. Evidently, as I discussed in my article The Spiritual Practice of Walking Barefoot, it not only improves our balance and body alignment but strengthens our muscles and helps our brains develop. It anchors us in the earth from which we are created and for which we are responsible. Shed your shoes and socks and slowly walk through the garden. What do you feel? Sauntering through the soft, cool grass you might be reminded to pray for those who live in harsh climates and rarely experience this kind of comfort. A sudden poke by an unnoticed stick might prod you to recall an area of pain or brokenness in your life or a relationship that needs healing. Pray for wisdom and pray for avenues and opportunities to bring healing. What are the textures you feel as you wander through the garden? How do they relate to other areas of your life? Bring these things to God in prayer. If you want a more detailed example of this,
Pray While You Weed. So much of what we do in the garden is done on our knees, in the position of prayer and weeding is a great exercise to encourage us to pray. Each weed I pull reminds me that there are still weeds in my life and that of my neighbours that need to be pulled. When the soil is healthy and full of nutrients or covered by a good layer of mulch they are much easier to pull too. Maybe our lives are the same. When we are spiritually healthy and well covered with the goodness of God the “weeds “in us are easier to pull too. Weeding is therapeutic, enriching and nourishing for our souls.
Death and Dying: At this time of year in the Pacific Northwest, most of the plants in the garden are coming to life with great vim and vigour. However it will only be a few months before they begin to fade. There is a cycle to all of life, and far too often we avoid admitting that we, too, are a part of that cycle. Wandering into the garden I notice at once the sunflowers. Towering over the summer garden like golden-crowned princes, they seem to make the garden glow. But during this season, that brightness is beginning to fade, like the grandfather whose spark and wit still brightens a room even though worn around the edges. Full flowers dazzling in their brilliance is what I want to see. The fading flowers remind me that life, here, has its limits. Many lessons can be found in one plant.
- Why is it that I have trouble enjoying the full cycle of life?
- Is there something in death I need to embrace to be fully alive?
- What does the presence of flowers from a single plant, some just begging to bud, others in full bloom, and still others starting to fade…
- what do they have to teach me about God?
- what do they reveal about the beauty of generational diversity?
- which flower am I on this plant and how do I feel about that?
This is but one example of exploring our own mortality in all its beauty and brevity by intentionally praying in the garden.
These are my top ways to pray in the garden. What have you tried?
(Note this post is adapted from one written several years ago by Andy Wade.
Join me May 11th 9:30-12:30 PST for a virtual retreat Spirituality of Gardening to learn more about praying in the garden. We will discuss connections between community, spirituality and gardening. Explore the wonderful ways that God and God’s story are revealed through the rhythms of planting, growing and harvesting as well as the beauty of nature. This webinar is for anyone who admires the beauty of God’s good creation, likes to walk in nature, sit by the ocean or just relax and listen to the birds in the trees. It is based on Christine Sine’s my book, To Garden with God and each participant will receive a digital copy of this book. Register here.
This virtual retreat will help reconnect us to the wonder of a God who is all around us in the natural world. We will discuss not only how the life, death and resurrection is lived out in the garden, but also how to enter into the wonder of God through creative practices like contemplative nature walks, Lectio Tierra, creating a leaf rubbing, walking barefoot, and others. This will be a fun, instructive and interactive session. I hope you will join us.
George of Lydda was a 3rd century martyr, a Roman soldier killed for his refusal to renounce his faith and better known as St George. He is the patron saint of England, but also of Georgia and Ethiopia. Despite little being known about his life, he is of course the subject of the legend of St George and the dragon, which is variously expressed, but centred around a dragon which is terrorising a city, and is appeased only by sacrifice. Having run out of possibilities, the king’s daughter is to be sacrificed. Enter St George, who saves the girl by killing the dragon with a lance. The concept of dragons however dates back much further. The first mention is thought to be on a clay tablet 4000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia. The word is usum-gal – literally big snake.
Although it is unclear how accurate this is – in case any of you reading this are cartographers – it is widely assumed that in ancient maps, where it was unknown what was there, but it was thought to be frightening, the map would simply be marked ‘here be dragons’.
Dragons of course represent different things in different cultures. This year is the Chinese year of the dragon. In Chinese folklore and culture the dragon again signals great strength, but is understood in positive terms, controlling typhoons and floods. The dragon is celebrated with stunning festivals and artwork. What all presentations of dragons share is the concept of great power, but more frequently than not, is depicted as frightening.
In the King James translation of the bible, the word dragon appears 21 times. Now those words are translated differently: at that point what we would now call large reptiles were described as dragons. In the Old Testament, we have the Leviathan, the sea serpent which we find mentioned in the Psalms, Job and Isaiah. Sea serpents featured prominently in the mythology of the ancient near East, and it was common in early religions to have battles between the sea monster, the creator of chaos, and a hero or god who defeated them and created order. In Psalm 74, God the King is depicted as defeating the Leviathan. In the interests of fairness – usually Leviathan is negative, but in Psalm 104, which celebrates creation, the Leviathan is shown as frolicking! In Job 41 there is an extraordinary description of the Leviathan which suggests both the subjection of it and certainly a high degree of respect for it.
In Revelation 12 we read of a dragon who tries to attack the Messiah, against whom the dragon is implacably opposed. At the end of the chapter the dragon is not fully defeated, but standing on the seashore – which in Hebrew thinking stood for the forces of chaos and disorder – bringing an added significance to Jesus calming the storm. By the end of Revelation, the dragon is finally defeated and because of this there is a new heaven and earth, and the wonderful declaration that, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Nancy Rockwell in a moving blog about John chapter 11 (Jesus, Dragonslayer | Nancy Rockwell (patheos.com) speaks of Jesus as the dragonslayer, defeating the dragon of death not with a lance but with his tears. Later he takes the place of sacrifice to the ‘dragon’, refusing the sword wielded by Peter but using only the power of compassion: for the soldiers who did not know what they were doing, for the renegade rebel beside him, for his bereft mother. All death’s raging cannot harden his heart. And among others Mary Magdalene in her tears, the couple on the road to Emmaus in their despair, and Thomas with his honest need to see, all discover that death is defeated. He is the rescuing Christus Victor.
So perhaps on this St George’s day, we would do well to remember that the ultimate ‘dragon’ of death has been destroyed, bringing us the gift of life, not with a lance, but by the loving sacrifice because of the extraordinary love of a God who refused to abandon us to our fate.
Gift of Wonder Online Retreat
This online retreat is based on Christine Sine’s latest book The Gift of Wonder, but with much more! Going deeper into a discovery of new depths of awe to draw us closer to God. I invite you to reawaken your inner child and rediscover the depths of awe and wonder that reconnect us to our passionate God who delights in life, celebrates with joy and exudes a sense of awe and wonder. This interactive process will have us remembering our childhood stories, doodling for fun, painting on rocks and and relearning the awe and wonder of nature walks, joyspot sightings, compassion games and exercises that enable us to delight in God in new and creative ways. This course is offered for 180 days of access.
It’s the middle of April and I’m sitting at the Abbey of Gethsemani with a fan blowing on me. This week the temperature has gotten up to the low 80’s and 70’s at night! Much too hot for this cool weather girl and very different from my usually abbey visits that take place in January or February each year. It’s a bit later than I normally get here because I missed getting my reservation in and I had a couple of other trips that came up in the first part of this year.
So here I am in the middle of Spring with the dogwoods in full bloom and on a week that happens to be very warm. ‘
Things tend to be a bit louder in warm weather even when it’s a silent retreat.
They are already cutting the grass and weed eating around the property.
Everyone is outside rather than in their rooms.
The birds are out in full force and really loud at dawn and dusk!
I love the variety of birds here, from gold finches to cardinals to wood peckers!
And I’ve been enjoying the antics of the chipmunks.
Even saw a ground hog who has taken up residence in the stone wall in the Abbey garden.
The purple irises are in bud and many of the trees already have their leaves.
Signs of Resurrection are everywhere!
One of the things about practicing silence..you begin to notice things that you might normally take for granted. Like the different bird songs, or the traffic or the sound of ice in a glass. The smells of lilacs and freshly cut grass or the honeysuckle. Even though it’s been warm, Jesus has provided us with beautiful clouds and glorious wind and even a thunderstorm that helped cool things down a bit. Yesterday, I took my blanket outside and laid on the ground. I actually took a nap outside! I’m not sure how long it’s been since I just laid on a blanket in the grass outside!
I let the sunshine and the breeze blow over me and I just enjoyed being present.
One of my practices when I come to the Abbey is to go through my photos on my phone and take a look back at my last year. Before I got very far, I noticed a photo of my STAR WORDS for 2024. Maybe you chose a word for the year or selected a STAR WORD at Epiphany in January. At thinplace, we usually get three words. And honestly, I’d totally forgotten what mine were for this year.
JOY
CREATE
CELEBRATION
What is your word for the year? Do you remember? How is God inviting you to notice or live into this word or words?
I started with JOY….
What things bring me JOY…
I made a list
A long list…here are just a few joy items
Dark chocolate
Blue jeans
My Love Heals baseball hat
Being outside
Taking Walks
Hugs
My husband and kids
Sunsets, vistas, rocky seascapes
Scotland
Hot tea and good coffee
Jon Batiste’s music
Book stores
Art, art museums, art supplies
Creativity
Creating beautiful spaces
Hanging out with good People
Hospitality
Flowers, especially tulips and sunflowers
What things are bringing you joy? Take some time to notice. Make a list and keep adding to it this week!
Honestly, Joy has been hard to find in 2024. I’ve been pre-dreading the election and all the political conflict in America. And add in all the wars and needless killing happening and JOY seems trite.
But JOY happens to be the
second fruit of the Spirit… the one just after LOVE. Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
AND Jesus said in John 15:
“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
READ THE WHOLE TEXT: What do you notice?
“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.
9-10 “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.
11-15 “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.
16 “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.
17 “But remember the root command: Love one another.
For me, I can experience and know Joy because I am greatly loved by the God of the Universe! I am not alone!
We can have JOY even in the middle of the crap of life, because we have Jesus’s love surrounding us. I’m learning to surround myself in his love. To picture that love like a blanket that covers me or a shield that protects me and cannot be taken away. His love never leaves me, even when I drop the shield or throw off that blanket for whatever reason.
I want the JOY of Jesus in me. I want to experience more of this JOY! How about you?
This week Jesus showed me his JOY in a beautiful yellow butterfly and in the little yellow gold finches around the abbey garden. I think God will start using the color yellow to remind me of JOY just as God has used the color pink to remind me of God’s love.
What color would represent JOY to you? Take a walk or play with some paints or crayons and notice what brings you JOY!
Create a playlist that expresses JOY to you. I suggest you start with some Jon Batiste! Maybe Freedom Or Butterfly
I started practicing silence over 20 years ago and it has saved my life and my faith….to take time out to be still and quiet and listen to Jesus away from the noise of every day life. It is a gift I do not take for granted.
Take some time away from your phone this weekend and practice silence. You might start with a walk without your earbuds. Maybe go somewhere you don’t usually walk or a place where you will have more beauty and less traffic. You might get out a blanket and lay outside in the grass. Notice what you hear, what you see, what you smell. What else do you notice? What does Jesus use to speak to you? What brings you Joy in the silence? Don’t be afraid of the noise in your head. Just let it go and focus on somethings that brings you life/joy/peace. I’d love to hear about what you discover!
Father Ed Hays Chasing Joy: Musings on Life in a Bittersweet World is helping me explore Joy. Father Hays helps me see and experience God in many joyful ways. I also flew through Fr. Richard Rohr’s Dancing Standing Still! this week and it has brought me hope! I highly recommend them both.
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
compiled by Margery Tate, a friend of godspacelight writer, Carol Dixon
Call to Worship (inspired by Luke 24:13-35)
O God, you come to us in unexpected places, in a crowded
room, behind closed doors.
You come to us on dusty roads, as we go from place to place
and in conversations with loved ones.
You come bringing us peace, where there is no peace.
You come bringing us hope when everything seems hopeless
You come bringing us courage when we are afraid.
Come and be among us now, and in every place where we
are, open our eyes to see you, and open our hearts and to
know you.
In the name of the Risen Christ we pray. Amen
Ann Harbridge, DLM, Minister at Trinity Centennial United Church in
Rosemont, Ontario.
Hymn – Lord Jesus Christ
Reflective Prayer (inspired by the events in Luke 24:13-35)
Easter is not an event that has occurred, it’s an adventure that
has begun; not a place that we have visited but a path on
which we stand.
A story not complete, but unfolding, with the promise of new
life, for you and me and for all people, in all places.
Today we continue the journey, we re-enter the story to
explore our questions to uncover our doubts, to face our
nagging need.
We walk the path of two who travelled a dusty road
wrapped in confusion and despair two who shared the
company of a stranger voicing their pain, airing their fears and
in the listening, heard words of hope and promise, and in the
eating, received true bread of life
Today we re-enter the story with expectation that Christ
will also reveal himself to us
Risen Christ
walk with us this day
be our companion and guide
be our teacher and friend
be our host and servant
bringing your gifts of faith, peace and hope
and deep joy as always Amen.
Craig Mitchell (2005) & Iona Community. In “Emmaus Worship Service,” posted
on Mountain Masala: Exploring Spirituality, Culture, Media and
Cuisine.
As you say the prayer below remember all
Companions/your family and friends, by name
O God, here we are, all devoted to you; make us according
your heart.
Reflect on the two who met with Jesus on the road to
Emmaus.
Picture Jesus coming alongside our fellow Companions/family
and friends in every place where they are.
Picture Him coming alongside you right now as you continue
to worship Him.
Enjoy His loving presence and hear His word of peace
Hymn – Wise men seeking Jesus
The Servant Girl at Emmaus
(inspired by Luke 24:13-35)
She listens, listens, holding
her breath. Surely that voice
is his—the one who had looked at her, once, across the
crowd, as no one ever had looked?
Had seen her? Had spoken as if to her?
Surely those hands were his, taking the platter of bread from
hers just now?
Hands he’d laid on the dying and made them well?
Surely that face—?
The man they’d crucified for sedition and blasphemy.
The man whose body disappeared from its tomb.
The man it was rumoured now some women had seen
this morning, alive?
Those who had brought this stranger home to their table
don’t recognize yet with whom they sit. But she in the kitchen,
absently touching the wine jug she’s to take in, a young Black
servant intently listening, swings round and sees the light
around him and is sure.
Denise Levertov (1923–1997). Journey with Jesus.
Prayers of Intercession
When we are stumbling in desolation and despair, our
dreams shattered, and all hope lost
Risen Christ, meet us on that lonely road.
When we cannot recognise any trace of your
presence, and are baffled by confusion and our failure
to understand
Risen Christ, speak words of comfort and peace.
In our homes, our work and our everyday living,
in our shared meals and welcome of the stranger.
Risen Christ, show yourself in the breaking of
bread.
When we are delighted by startled recognition,
and overwhelmed by joy in your presence,
Risen Christ, send us out with confidence and
hope to share the good news with friends and
neighbours.
Hymn – Now the green blade rises
Words of Commission and Benediction
(inspired by Luke 24:13-35)
Let us go now as those who have met with Christ
in the morning of this day.
Let us go now as those who hearts have burned within them,
as the Scriptures were explained.
Let us go now as those
who have been touched by resurrection.
May the blessing of God
be upon you, body, mind and spirit,
as you leave this place,
Ann Siddall, and posted on the website of the Stillpoint Spirituality
Centre. http://www.stillpointsa.org.au/
Day 4 Living in the Presence of God
The Everyday Spirituality of Brother Lawrence
Walk with God in simple faith,
with humility and with love,
and try diligently to do nothing
that would displease Him.
Make it your goal to persevere,
simply and solely in His presence
maintaining
habitual, silent, and secret
conversation of your soul with God.
And trust, that when you have done all you can do,
He will do what is best for you.
Blessing
And now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of
God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all
evermore. Amen.
Prayers for the Day, Prayer Cards – Download
These beautiful prayer cards include 11 prayers by Christine Sine and crafted by Hilary Horn with watercolor succulent design and contemplative imagery are available for download. Each card provides a prayer on the front with a photo for reflection as well as a scripture and suggested meditative response to the prayer. Allow yourself to relax, refresh, and commune with God through each prayer. Immerse yourself in the reflection as you give yourself space to enter into God’s presence.
by Emily Huff
My dad made us this grapevine wreath and brought it to us for Thanksgiving last year. Little did we know that a bird would find it to be the perfect place to build a nest this spring. See below for the mama bird perched on the side of the wreath, the lovely little blue eggs she laid, and the baby birds that just hatched!
one egg on March 29th
four eggs on April 4th
three baby birds on April 14th
(see video below)
https://youtube.com/shorts/5bJ5AnvYLVY?si=P3ZdDHJnaTHyix0p
This made this prayer have more meaning when I read it this morning:
A Remembering Prayer
God of day and night,
In the great poem of creation
we read that we
were considered very good,
and that you
find glory
in us.
We look around our city:
the birds finding home
the name of it
the shape of it
the bustle and magnificence of it
the poverty of it
the complicity of it
the repressed stories of it
the generosity of it
the corners of kindnesses
on every corner
the future of it
the past it hides from
greed and goodness
violence and visions
burdens and bodies
everywhere.
We pray for our city
and for the cities we are.
Breath in us
just like you always do
and renew us
with every twilight
with every morning
with every encounter
with every opportunity.
Padraig O’Tuama, Being Here, Prayers for Curiosity, Justice, and Love
To Garden With God + Celtic Prayer Cards Bundle
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“No matter how many challenges there are, nothing can take away from the deep satisfaction of getting one’s hands into the earth, digging, planting and harvesting the bounty of God’s good creation. Nor can they detract from the joy that engulfs as as we experience the awe inspiring generosity of a God who wants to provide abundantly for all of humankind. The garden is a place of healing, of wholeness and of deeply spiritual encounters where God restores our bodies and our spirits in a way that is truly miraculous.” (from To Garden with God)
It’s been a wonder filled few days. A season for hope and dreaming to come together in the experience of new life.
On Saturday morning Tom and I headed up to Camano Island to meeting with friends and go out to visit the property we used to own that now belongs to Circlewood. We were rejoicing in the good news we heard on Friday that permits have come together to complete the first building on the land. This building was vandalized several years ago, dashing our hopes for the development of a retreat centre and ministry site. It made us realize we would probably not be the ones to bring this vision to fruition and catalyzed our stepping down as directors of Mustard Seed Associates.
Sometimes dreams need to die so that they can be rebirthed in new and more vital forms. That is what I heard as we headed out there on Saturday, accompanied by our friends who are very interested in what is being birthed there. It encourages their own dream of a property with a focus on conservation and sustainability. Circlewood has expanded our vision for the land in ways that are very exciting for us and we are grateful to continue to be a part of this exciting ministry and its development. (More about that in the next few weeks)
On Saturday afternoon, Tom and I repotted 50 tomato plants waiting patiently for the weather to warm enough for them to go in the ground in May. Watching them grow from seed to plant, to flourishing and productive plants is one of the joys of this season. They also encourage me to be generous as they are not the only seeds proliferating in my garden room at the moment. I sell some of the tomato plants, but others I give away and this weekend there was a huge variety – Swiss chard, broccoli, snapdragons, lobelia, and marigolds. Next week it will probably be scabosia, potato starts and zinnias. I just can’t repot them fast enough to keep up with their growth.
New life, new birth, new possibilities. That was the theme for the weekend. Not only the birth of this wonderful dream, but on Saturday night, the birth of a baby to our community members Andrew and Sophie Hamby. What a delight to share in the joy of this event.
My Meditation Monday: Have You Had Your Daily Dose of Awe? this week reflected my joy in the garden and my love of nature. I talk about the practice of Lectio Tierra and our need not just to walk in nature but also to allow it to teach us about God. On Substack I renamed the article Lectio Divina – Walking in Awe and Wonder as it will be the first in a special series on practices to help us pray in the garden, some of the preparation I am doing for my involvement in the Inhabit Conference next week and also for my webinar Spirituality of Gardening in May. Lots to focus on as I align my life around awe and wonder.
Last Saturday Melissa shared about the frustration we continue to experience with broken links on the Godspacelight website. Much to my delight she shared some of the beautiful tulips that are flowering in my garden at the moment. Not surprising that we are moving to Substack. The Godspacelight brokenness is giving us all a headache. So please bear with us.
Lilly Lewin in her Freerange Friday: Give Us New Eyes For Easter compares the need for new eyes to see the eclipse, with our need for new eyes to see Jesus. I love her questions “What is helping you SEE and to recognize Jesus these days?”
Last Wednesday we launched the 5th episode of The Liturgical Rebels podcast a fascinating interview which Lilly Lewin and I facilitated with our good friend Mark Pierson from New Zealand. Mark is a fabulous worship curator, one of the most creative people I know and also the one who encouraged me to become a liturgical rebel. Don’t miss this great episode.
On Substack this week I published an additional article Awe Begets Awe with a poem I wrote following the eclipse. I hope you enjoy it. A big thank you for those who signed up to become paid subscribers. Your support is very much appreciated as we work through the challenges on Godspacelight and seek to provide new content on Substack as well as the Liturgical Rebels podcast. Your support really does free me up to focus on these things and the increased traffic that posts are getting makes me realize that this really is a better way to communicate. I hope you are enjoying it.
Let me conclude with another “prayer practice” I love – a breathing prayer.
Breathe in,
Let the presence of God
Fill you with light and life and beauty.
Breathe out
Let the faithfulness of God
Inspire you with strength and purpose and hope.
Breathe in
Let the mystery of God
Nourish you with awe and wonder and joy.
Breathe out
Let the glory of God
Delight you with praise and worship and adoration.
Many blessings
Christine Sine
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