It has been awhile since I have had the opportunity to write liturgy (the words of worship). It feels good to write again and be back in a church where I will (occasionally) be preaching. This is the time of confession and forgiveness for the week I am preaching on the 10 commandments.
Call to Confession-
No one likes to admit that they have done wrong. One of the most beautiful parts of worship is that each week we come together and acknowledge our mistakes. As we confess, we seek to be forgiven by God, by each other, and by ourselves. And so in honesty and humility, we pray together.
Holy One, you instructed us in how to live and we have chosen our own paths. Direct us back to your way. Forgive us, we pray. And help us to forgive each other as we seek to live as those who are created in your image. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon-
Friends in Christ, there is no better news that this. God has heard us. God has forgiven us. God loves us. May our thoughts and actions reflect that forgiveness and love.
Have you ever attended a silent retreat? I would highly recommend it, and I also think that they might not be a fit for everyone.
A dear friend invited me to join a silent retreat she was leading at her church. It was held on a Saturday from 10am to 4pm. And I loved it.
We gathered together to talk about the plan for the retreat. She gave us time to center ourselves and then one last chance to speak…and then the quiet began.
I had packed a bag with letter writing supplies, a spiritual book, a journal, and coloring book/colored pencils. My goal was not to feel like I had a to do list which is so hard for me because I love a good list.
I started reading some of my favorite Scripture verses Lamentations 3:21-26. I read these verses slowly and from different translations. Then I wrote them down noticing the words that were similar and different. I was wondering how long it had been since I read the book of Lamentations, so I read it too!
I went for a walk outside slowing my pace and noticing the sounds and sights around me. All of the sudden I thought of how my sister and I used to walk on parking lot lines and painted curbs like they were balance beams. And so, I did this. I giggled out loud (whoops, sorry silent retreat). I slowly walked all around the church property feeling young. And then the bells started playing hymns. They were announcing it was noon and time for lunch. I sang along in my head to words inscribed on my heart from my childhood.
Lunch felt awkward. To sit around tables with people and not talk was hard. Do I make eye contact? Do I look away? What should I do? Maybe read the ingredient list on my food to pass the time.
After lunch, time for coloring and prayer and writing letters and reading and sitting and walking. The time passed so much more quickly than I imagined. It felt like a gift to spend this much time in silence with God.
I encourage you to try something new to you to stretch your spiritual muscles.
Renewing God, we pray that you renew us as we try something new. Give us courage and patience as we stretch our spiritual muscles. Remind us that you will be with us as we embark on things previously undone. In silence and peace, we come before you. Amen.
I have always loved the celebration of All Saints Day in the church. In churches I have served, we would give thanks for those who had died from the congregation in the past year. As I was thinking about this holy day, I am thinking of the people I love who have died this year and in years past. For me, this day is a reminder that we are here today because of the people who paved the way for us. I know that I am person of faith because I saw faith lived out in so many wonderfully ordinary people from my first memories until now.
God of All Ages and Times, Your story is told and lived out by your people and today we give thanks for each of them. From the saints who lived centuries before to the saints who recently died, we are thankful for each one of them and how their lives reflected your love. Sometimes it is easy to overlook the regular people who sang the songs and told the stories, and yet they are saints just as much as the people whose names are famous. Today, we remember and give thanks for the cloud of witnesses who faithfully passed down the old, old story to us. Give us the strength, wisdom, and courage to share the story with the next generations. And as we do remind us that this did not begin and will not end with us. We are connected to all who came before and all who will follow. One day each of us will be remembered in prayer by the ones we are teaching today. For these connections, we give thanks to you, God of our Ancestors and God of Today and Tomorrow. Amen.
Last month, I joined my Dad, sister, niece, and nephew at a special worship service. A church my Dad served when I was a child was having their final service. While I hadn’t been back in that space in decades, it felt so familiar as soon as we entered the doors. Across the driveway is the home where we lived where I caught the bus each morning for elementary school, where my sister and I played in the yard making obstacle courses for ourselves, the garage where my Mom held many yard sales, and then we entered the church where my Dad preached for six years. Time seemed to slip away as the surroundings felt so comfortable to me. This is the place where I was loved and taught about God’s love. Many of those who loved me so well are no longer there, and yet we saw some friendly faces who hugged us as if it hadn’t been so long since we last saw each other.
The closing of a church is a hard, sad day. And I think this church did it well. For the first time in my life, I took communion at this church that nurtured me. It seemed fitting that it was the only time I would get to do so within these walls. As the final Amen sounded, I gave thanks for this place and all of God’s children who had ever entered these doors.
God of Beginnings and Endings and All Time in between. The end can be so hard and sad especially when a church is having its final service. Help us to remember all the good that poured out of this place and the people’s lives who were changed by this congregation. For the saints of this place who rest from their labors, we thank you for their faithfulness. For the remaining members who now look for a new church home, we give thanks for their faithfulness to this church and ask you to walk with them for the next part of the journey. For those of us who were touched by this church in some way throughout the years, give us a sense of your peace knowing that although this ending is sad that this is not The End. God, you are still at work through your children in this world. So give us the strength we need for this day and the new challenges that we must face. Keep us faithful to you. And help us to remember the stories we learned when we were young, so that we may share them with those who need a reminder of your goodness. Amen. Amen. Amen.
As I was sitting out on my deck recently listening to the sounds filling the air, I felt a need to give thanks. Here is the prayer that bubbled up from that time. I hope you might share a prayer with all that shared space with you when you are outside next.
Creator and Creating and Creative God,
For the gifts of this amazing place and planet we call home, we give you thanks.
For the birds that fly through the skies and share their special songs, we give you thanks.
For thewaves that lap onto the shores, we give you thanks.
For the voices and laughter of neighbors who also call this area home, we give you thanks.
For the moments of silence when all creation is holding its breath, we give you thanks.
For the clouds drifting across the sky and airplanes flying high overhead, we give you thanks.
For the many reminders that we share our spaces with other beings both great and small, we give you thanks.
Thank you, Wonderful God, for creating us to be in relationship with you, with each other, and with this planet. Help us to nurture all those relationships. Amen.
Does everyone appreciate this holy day more as they age? I know I do. Today (or the Sunday closest) is a day set aside to remember that this generation of faith is not the first and will not be the last. We have learned from those who have gone before and we are to pass along what we know to be true.
On this All Saints’ Day, I invite you to join me in this prayer that combines some words from the hymns I Sing a Song of the Saints of God and For All the Saints. Pray with me as together we remember and give thanks!
For all the Saints who from their labors rest, we give thanks to you, Loving God, for each and every saint who has gone to be with you. We are thankful for those we knew and loved. We are thankful for those whose stories we heard even though we never met. We are thankful for those whose stories now only live in your memory.
We remember that one was a doctor and one was a queen and one was a prophet and one was a priest and one was slain by a fierce wild beast. And each of them was beloved by you, Faithful God. And the list of who they were to those who loved them is full of descriptions that made each one unique and is a reminder of how You created each one of us with gifts, hopes, and dreams.
Ringed by this cloud of witnesses divine, we feebly struggle, they in glory shine, yet in your love our faithful lives entwine. This is your hope for us, God, that we may feel connected to your children throughout the ages. When we sing this songs, we remember. When we speak their names, we remember. And when we remember, God, we are asking you to help us to be saints too. Amen.
I love Pentecost. I love the joy when churches encourage people to wear the colors of flames and the sanctuary sparkles with reds, oranges, and yellows. I love that this celebration exists solely in the church-no Pentecost specials at the local restaurants or Pentecost gifts to buy. I love the faithful people who each year seek to be creative using doves, fire, language, and colors to celebrate this important day in the life of the church.
As we prepare to once again celebrate Pentecost, I share with you this benediction.
Beloved, go! Go out into this world filled with the Holy Spirit. Let the Spirit give you words when you have none. Let the Spirit stop your tongue when listening is the answer. Let the Spirit strengthen you when the way ahead is hard. Remember Jesus said he would not leave us alone and would send us a Comforter. Let the Spirit enfold you and comfort you and keep you until we are together again. Go in peace and bring the peace and fiery flames of Holy Spirit with you wherever you go. Amen.
I went to a funeral. Given my work as a hospice chaplain and years spent working in churches, I would guess I attend many more funerals than the average person. I went to this funeral not because I was leading the service. I went because I wanted to hear that this person was at peace. I needed to hear the familiar words of comfort.
This person’s story is not mine to tell as happens in the work I do. I will share that I have never met someone before who so wanted to believe that God loved him and had forgiven him for “everything”. He wanted to believe and could not fathom despite all reassurances that God loved him and God forgave him. So together we wrestled with these big concepts. We prayed together. I brought him communion. He said he trusted in God’s love. And on my next visit, the same questions came up.
Over our time together, there were moments of peace for him. He felt like he had a purpose and could understand God’s plan for this time in his life. And then those doubts would creep in again. He would ask me to pray saying he didn’t know if he could say the right words. So I would pray and reassure him that there are no right words and God doesn’t ask for words at all.
The last time I saw him I reminded him of our conversations and God’s love and forgiveness. I let him know that God was ready to receive him and he could ask God all the questions with which we had wrestled.
I went to his funeral to hear the words of peace he had so longed to believe. And in the 23rd Psalm, I heard “my cup runneth over”. This image of his cup running over was what I needed. I felt like the amazing abundance of God’s goodness which was hard for him to comprehend here on earth was now real and those words were the reassurance I needed to hear.
Faithful One, open up our awareness so we may realize the ways you communicate with us. You take our doubts and show us your goodness. You take our worries and provide us comfort. You take our sadness and sit with us where we are. When we pay attention, you remind us that our cups runneth over. Amen.
Does this ever happen to you? A long awaited good thing is about to occur. You want and need sleep. If sleep comes, it might be in short bursts. Each time you look at the clock you wonder why you are awake again. The internet is full of explanations for why and what to do about it. Search out those answers if you are interested.
Here’s my story. The alarm is set for 5:30 am to catch a flight to see my family who I last saw 8 months ago. To say I am excited is an understatement! I have done all the things to go to sleep and I keep waking up. So, while I try to go back to sleep for the twentieth time, here is the prayer I prayed.
God of All Good Things, You created us in your image and so wonderfully. In the middle of the night, I wonder why you didn’t give us an off switch. Just a simple way to slow our swirling thoughts and excitement down for a bit for sleep before a big, big day. I’m not telling the Creator of All how we should have been made. Just wondering how to get a little rest before my alarm goes off in two hours and fifteen minutes. Just wondering and wondering. Thank you for the ability to feel so much excitement that we can’t sleep. Thank you for long awaited reunions and other joyous celebrations that have us awake as we count down the minutes until we can get started on the big event. Thank you for creating us not as robots and instead as beings filled with emotions too big to be contained by sleep. As I close my eyes to try again to sleep, grant me rest, Holy One, and if good rest doesn’t come before my alarm then grant me the energy to enjoy the big day tomorrow. Big yawn. Amen.
I love the feeling of crisp new notebook. Clean pages ready for me to scribble all over. I am trying to look at each new month in much the same way. New opportunities waiting for me. What will this month hold? Good days and hard days. Laughter and tears. Probably some weather that I don’t love. And so many opportunities.
God of Endless Possibilities! We begin a new month today filled with promise. We bring to this new month all that we are-our joys and sorrows, our dreams and failures, our memories of the past and our wishes for the future. All of this is present as this new month begins. Whatever this month holds, we are grateful to know we do not walk this way alone. You are present with us. You guide us if we only pay attention. You support us when we relax enough to be supported. You love when we seem most and least lovable. As this new month begins, we open ourselves to the possibility of goodness in our lives and goodness to share with others. Open us to receive what is to come. Amen.
