In the not knowing, there is breathing room;
an invitation to trust Her slow moving rhythm.
Sit long and ask Her every single question
not to find an answer but
to sink even deeper into the not knowing.
Pay attention to the specks of light,
rising from the darkness;
Trust Her light will reach you.
Until then, sense the circles of love encompassing you.
May Her love hold you in every not knowing.
God of Glory, whose light shines upon all creation,
Lead each of us to notice what is shimmering with your Presence. Even amid the dying leaves, a season when animals and insects go deep underground, increase our trust in your plan. We add to this season our mourning cries for the devastating losses and conflicts in our world. Use this pit in our stomachs to confess, to move toward another, to stand together in ways that extend hope. Make us become a shimmering reflection of your loving Presence for another. Amen.
Sustaining God, whose path reaches toward us again and again,
We pause in this moment to recognize the sureness of your breath in ours. Yet, You who are Love, lead us to places where we are unsure, places where we know nothing, and invite us to find you there. Help us to trust that Your love emerges without any effort on our part. Hold us gently in these places of unknowing so that we can hold others with the same kindness. Attune our steps toward the Love you offer that is far beyond what we know right now. Amen.
Creative One, who is the maker of our wildest dreams,
You lead us through unknown territory and after placing the precious gift of life in our arms, you send us into new worlds. You repeatedly bring us into the fullness of human experience through love alone. Silently, we pause during this day, in hope, like a roomful of hushed midwives, ready for new life to be delivered sending us out once again. Amen.
It also happens to be his. eldest son’s birthday, too!
Source of all Hope, available to us in every realm on earth and in heaven,
Your Presence makes real your encompassing love. Even when we are swept away into lives that are not of our own choosing, we do not despair. You give us clarity, comfort and conviction, placing a right spirit within us. Answer in us questions for others. Make our lives a portrait of your ways. Amen.
Blessed Provider,
who picks up the pieces of our lives gathering an abundance where we saw not enough,
Soon we will be together at table; families, friends and foe. For some of us, the empty places at our tables reflect what has happened in our hearts. Change us to be those who trust rather than fear, turn our yearning into gratitude. Move us to respond to your grace by giving before we take. Fill us with your Loving Presence. And if ever any hostile encounter threatens to separate; extend our arms to reach out in love through your life-giving Word. Amen.
Maker of the heavens and earth,
who arrives in flickers of translucence,
Fill us with your breath in this moment and set our intention on finding your Presence in this day. Open us to all the ways you work to restore our bond with your creation. We so often fear spaciousness, we are afraid of letting go, we cling to the towers of our own making. Transform us with your delicate touches of grace where we might acknowledge the fullness of your Presence. Remind us to remain watchful for the reverent flow of life where Love emerges inviting us to enter in. Amen.
Holy One,
Help us return to our old words, words that we have used up and thrown out,
words that once gave us life , that now, we might live in them anew.
Breathe the word, in long slow gulps, until it fills our being,
Until we become that word for the sake of the world, living words for others.
Let us fill this world with…mercy, peace, kindness, compassion, justice, gentleness, strength, love, presence, goodness and…..
Thanks be to You, Amen.
“Whoever drinks the water I shall give, it will become in you a spring welling up to endless life.” John 4:14
She-Mystery, who gives herself away completely,
In this challenging season, we breathe, we pray, we serve others. Make us not forget, however, that an important part of our work is to accept the Love you offer. Help us not even try to make sense of it, only open our eyes to watch for it and open our hearts to receive it. We don’t want a feel good story on Easter, we want you to turn our hearts from stone into bread that brings life for the world. Amen.
1 Kings 17: 12
But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
Loving God, who is the giver of abundance, who blesses us all,
For the earth, her beauty and her bounty, thanks be to you, our Creator.
For time spent being held in your Presence, thanks be to your Spirit.
We enter into your life, Holy One, and find you deep within ours.
With joy and thanksgiving, direct us each day toward every opportunity to love,
through our work and our play.
Make all that we offer, be for the sake of another. Amen.
Janet Salbert 