This is a responsive reading with parts 1 and 2 that could be read with two people or a congregation and leader. The words of the Psalm are in quotation marks. Psalm 19:1-2,7-10, 14 is used.
1-“The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.”
2-Listen! Do you hear? Listen to nature informing us about the God of all creation. Listen!
1-When should we listen? When should we expect to hear good news?
2-“Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.”
1-“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple;”
2-Revive us, God. Breathe new life into our weary bodies.
1-Explain to us again your way. We want to follow you, and we need your help.
2-“the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes;”
1-“the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever, the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”
2-We delight in you, Gracious God, and know you instruct us in the way to life.
1-“More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold, sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.”
2-You paint a beautiful picture of how much we should want to follow you.
1- “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Amen.
2-“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Amen.
Recently I was visiting a hospice patient who loves to laugh as much as I do. She had me laughing so hard that my face turned red and my eyes started watering. She looked at me and said your face is so red and started laughing all over again. We laughed and laughed. She said I could visit again if we could laugh more.
I find hope and joy in laughter. While laughing, we realize we all want to find the joy in our lives-big joys and small joys. Laughter kindles a flame of hope in us and reminds us of the goodness we can find in each other. Laughing together reminds us that we are not alone on this journey.
Today, look for opportunities to laugh. Have a giggle. Try a belly laugh. Snort if you want. However, you like to laugh, I hope you laugh today.
Creator of Laughter and All Goodness, we thank you for the joy in our lives. We thank you for the times our joy bubbles up into laughter. What a treat to laugh. For moments of laughter on hard days, we give thanks. For days filled with laughter, we give thanks. For the gift of laughter, we give you thanks and praise. Amen.
I have long loved the celebration of the saints in our churches. It is a Sunday when we remember that we are not the first and we will not be the last in this lineage of believers. This year I am wondering how to celebrate and honor this day when one of the saints who joined the church triumphant this year was my mother. All of the rituals I have done in the past years do not feel like enough to remember the one who carried me inside her for nine months and then carried me in her arms and held me in her heart from before my first breath until her last breath. How do I honor her memory on this day? As I reflected on this question, I was reminded that each of the saints I have honored over the years was someone’s beloved family member or friend or neighbor or parent or grandparent or sibling. The beauty of this day is we take time to remember and give thanks for lives lived as God’s beloved children. My mother would not want a big fanfare today (nor any day as fanfares were not her thing). So today, I will do as I do each time this holy day comes, I will light candles and remember those I love who are no longer here on earth. I will remember and give thanks.
Here is the prayer I will use as I name them today. Holy One, you know us by name and you call us your children. Today on this All Saints’ Day we remember and give thanks for __________ (name them by name and light a candle for your loved ones). We miss them. And they live on in us. We remember the lessons they taught us. We give thanks for hugs and meals shared. We know their love for you which we heard in their words and saw in their actions. We can see them cheering us on when we succeed and crying with us when the way is hard. We know they are with you. We know that for each of them pain and sorrow have ceased and they are at peace. Gracious God, be with us in whatever emotions this day brings. Today, we give thanks and we remember all of the saints who from their labors rest. As the saints lived in faith, we too will continue to follow you, Good Shepherd. Lead on. Amen.
As we are midway through the month of October, it is the season of Fall in the Northern Hemisphere. Some days here it feels more like summer and other days those fall temperatures make me realize the cooler months are here. However you enjoy celebrating or observing this time of year, I hope you find meaning in this prayer for fall.
God of All Seasons, It is Fall. We see more pumpkins on porches and pumpkin flavored items are available everywhere. The temperatures may be changing as may our clothing choices. We may be gathering around fire pits with friends. Or, we may not have even had time to notice the change in season.
God of All Creation, help us to gain inspiration from nature this fall. Like the trees, help us to let go of that which is no longer life giving or helping us to grow. Like the grass, remind us it is okay to rest and renew for a season before coming back alive and well next year. Like the migrating birds, send us on journeys to familiar places where we can be safe until it is time to return home. Like the animals preparing for hibernation, give us good food to nourish us and some extra rest in the coming days. Like the squirrels scurrying around to collect nuts, may we gather only what we need so our needs are met and there is enough for others.
As we watch the leaves fall and feel the temperatures cool, let this be a time of possibility for what this season can be if we trust in you, Holy One. Amen.
I have been working on a responsive reading based on a psalm to share in this space. Numerous times technology has failed me or I have failed. I wanted to share that today and lost all my formatting again, so instead I share this prayer for times of frustration.
God, all I can do in this moment is take a big, deep breath and step away. Continuing to work on what is before me will only lead to more frustration. So, I breath and step and breath and step, until I am far away enough to gain some room to move and some perspective. I am passing my frustration on to you, Compassionate One, knowing you can handle what I cannot. Hold this in your loving hands until I am ready to take it back to continue this task-big or small. Thank you for being my teammate and support through all the frustrations in life. Having handed it off to you, I can feel my shoulders lowering and the tension easing and my breath returning to a normal rhythm. Thank you, Holy One, for reminding us to care for ourselves in the midst of all that must be done. Walk with us today and everyday. Amen.
Honestly, life hasn’t been a piece of cake lately. After some time away, my work load was extra challenging and busy this week. My time away included laughter and tears as we remembered my Mom and celebrated life together as a family. My regular to do list grows instead of shrinks. The news is filled with sadness. People seems angry all the time.
And then I found myself with time alone at the beach. I had a few hours with nothing to do except what I wanted. I walked the boardwalk. I window shopped. I bought myself a delicious tea beverage. And I felt myself relax. As I write this, there is a breeze blowing off the ocean, birds are chirping, and all seems a bit more right in the world.
I hope that if you are feeling worried or stressed or overwhelmed you might find your free morning at the beach (whatever that looks like for you). As a closing prayer, I leave you with these words from the coffee shop I visited today.
Take a deep breath and inhale positivity and exhale gratitude.What little things can you do for yourself or someone else? These things do mean a lot!Peace to you!
I am writing this while in vacation mode. This is what I call it when I am off my normal work/life routine. My alarm clock doesn’t force me to get up and go to the shower before I want to be awake. I let my amazing colleagues take care of my work while I do the same for them while they are off. The have to’s change to want to’s. Vacation mode is a good way to be.
In the challenging times in which we live, it is essential that we reset our routines when possible by spending time in vacation mode. You can staycation. You can get away. There are no rules about how you move into vacation mode. The most important thing is doing what you need to do to allow yourself a break.
Here is a prayer for when you are in vacation mode.
Loving God, you took time to rest and we need to do the same. Bless this time when we reset our routine by spending time in vacation mode. Slow our breathing. Ease our worries. Clear our minds. Open us to the joy in this day. Amen.
Here is what is on my mind today…enjoying a lazy river. Picture this with me. You get an inner tube, position yourself in a comfortable manner, and float. The water propels you onward, so no need to paddle or swim or consider where you are going because the water will move you. You might bump into someone else on this journey or you may bounce off a wall. The water may move you swiftly or slowly and whatever the speed that is the perfect speed because you have nowhere to be right now except where you are. I forget how much I enjoy this carefree easy float until I do it again.
A few weeks ago, we took our niece to a local, outdoor waterpark. I started with the lazy river. I love the relaxation I feel as I float. Not getting anywhere fast just floating.
Then I went down a water slide and felt my heart beat faster as I plunged toward the pool at the bottom of the slide. Not my favorite thing and still something to try out when one is at a waterpark.
And then I walked back to the lazy river. I floated round and round until my fingers were wrinkled and muscles had relaxed. On one pass around the river, I looked at my husband and saw him looking the most relaxed I have seen him in weeks or maybe months.
On the lazy river, you can look up at the clouds floating by or stare into the water or close your eyes because you are not steering anyway.
This isn’t a commercial to go to a waterpark. This is an encouragement for you to ponder what or where is your lazy river? What place or experience allows you to relax and unwind? And how can you schedule time to do that regularly enough to renew your spirit?
Creator of Sun and Rain, Water and Dry Land, and all that we know. We call on you now to help us renew our spirits. Inspire us to know how we might draw closer to you. Lead us to our lazy rivers where we might float away our worries and trust in you again. Bring us peace this day, we pray. Amen.
While this blog post is entitled “talking with children about death”, the information contained here can be used for any difficult topic that must be discussed with children.
Here are some important things to remember.
1)Answer the question that is being asked. No need to share too much information. Simply answer the question being asked in age-appropriate words and descriptions.
2)Be honest. If you don’t have an answer, say that. If this is hard for you to talk about, say that. Children want to know the truth as they are figuring out how to navigate this world.
3)Remain true to your beliefs. When answering questions about death, don’t tell your children things that don’t align with your belief system. If you are answering questions for someone else’s child, ask the child what they have been told by a guardian already to ensure that you are supporting the beliefs of the family.
4)Share your feelings. You do not need to share all your feelings with the children in your life when you are grieving (it is good to have other adults who you can turn to), however letting a child see you sad or crying or angry at death can help them know it is okay to have and express emotions.
In February, my Mom died. Her grandchildren were left with so many questions as she was such an important part of their lives. I am sharing some of the questions asked because they may help someone else tread these challenging times and it is healing for me to share these stories. And the questions whirling in the heads of children are often not the questions that adults wonder, so it can be helpful to read what other children have asked.
When my 6 year old nephew saw Mom’s cell phone was still sitting on her table beside her chair, he asked why Grandma didn’t take her cell phone to heaven? If only Grandma had taken her phone, we could still talk to her. We responded to this question by saying that we wished cell phones worked in heaven because we wanted to talk to her too. And when my 9 year old niece asked to send one final “I love you” text to Grandma’a phone, we let her knowing it was her way to enact an important ritual for a final time.
When we arrived to the funeral home for the visitation and saw Mom’s body in the casket, my nephew said, “Are we in heaven?” We responded that this was not heaven and it was the funeral home. He said if this isn’t heaven why is Grandma here? We responded that Grandma’s spirit was in heaven and this was our time to say goodbye to her. Then he asked if her legs had already gone to heaven because they were covered by the bottom half of the casket.
Recently, my Dad and nephew went to the cemetery to see where Mom is buried. My nephew said, “I miss Grandma. Do you?” Dad replied simply, “Yes, I miss her too.”
My final suggestion to you is be kind to yourself as you grieve and help those you love grieve. Grief is good, hard work. We grieve because we have loved and been in close relationships with others. Give yourself time to grieve, and when possible, be extra kind to those you know who are also grieving.
God of all the broken hearted, you see our tears. You feel our sadness. You know how we feel because you feel it too. On our grief journeys, strengthen us when the way ahead is too hard to go alone. When it is all too much, tell us to stop and rest and then try again. Remind us to be kind to ourselves and each other because we all feel the pain of deaths of loved ones. Hold our broken hearts in your compassionate hands, Faithful One. We pray this prayer in the name of Jesus whose own heart broke many times too. Amen.
My nephew and mother cuddled up together days before her death.
If we have anything in common, it might be that you have things you are holding onto that you no longer use or need. It is a continuous task on my to do list to keep sorting and passing on things that others might need more than me. If sentimental feelings are involved, it is harder for me to let go.
While at a former church, I supported an amazing group of women who started a prayer shawl ministry. They spent hours teaching me to knit. Hours and hours and hours. Despite their best efforts, this was not something at which I excelled.
My best Buddy was an amazing knitter. She helped me purchase the best yarns, knitting needles, and pattern books to support my attempts at knitting. My Mom loved to crochet and shared some of her extra items with me. Both of this talented women are no longer here with us and I know that holding onto these items will not bring them back. They would prefer that I shared them with someone who would use them. So, I looked through this big bin of goodies. I found a few random items that I am keeping and am sending the rest of it on to a new, good home along with a prayer of thanksgiving.
Holy One, We become attached to things especially when they remind us of loved ones. Help us to hold on to our memories. Help us to let go of the things we do not use. Help us to give freely and let go when needed. Bless the items we pass along and the people who receive them. And bless those of us (reluctantly or easily) sharing what we have. With a spirit of gratitude for everything and everyone, we say amen.
