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Another Prayer for Your Workday
3 Comments | Submitted: 02/23/2010 02:03 PM
More often than not, we humans end up feeling like instruments of others. We get to work. We get on the road. We come home. And somewhere along the way, someone gets our goat. Someone gets at us and pulls the string that makes our blood pressure rise and our day go wrong.
Does it have to be that way?
I believe not. One of the important realities of a Christian life is that we are challenged to embrace the power we have to make a difference in this world. We are not an instrument of someone else's power games and manipulation. We are an instrument of God who desires reconciliation and wholeness for this world (and especially in our individual lives).
Though St. Francis probably did not write this prayer, it is a powerful way to remind ourselves of this true reality. When you feel your blood pressure rising, when you feel yourself losing control of your day, take a moment to pray this silently or out loud. Then return to your day seeking to transform that hopeless situation into something more positive, knowing that God is by our side.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
- Rev. Nathan
Walking the Labyrinth
0 Comments | Submitted: 02/16/2010 11:24 PM
It took about seven of us, on our hands and knees, a bunch of rolls of blue gaffer's tape, and about an hour and a half (stopping to enjoy some pizza on the way).
In the end, we did it - a prayer labyrinth.
If you've never experienced a prayer labyrinth before, they look sort of like a maze... at first glance. Except there is only one way in and out - the same way. You begin at the entrance to the labyrinth and walk along its twisting paths until you reach the center, a circle space where you can stand quietly aware of God around you. Then, you return on the same path you entered until you exit the labyrinth.
I admit that it can be a little strange for your first try. I remember the rainy and cold day in Washington DC, October 2004, that I caught my first glimpse of a prayer labyrinth at the National Cathedral. I thought it was kind of strange that these people were wearing socks and walking this giant pattern on the floor. I tried it though and didn't quite get it. It was an interesting experience, but I didn't have a spiritual epiphany or anything.
The second time, again returning to the National Cathedral, was different. I began to get it. It wasn't really about getting anything, but using the labyrinth and its circular pathway as a way to walk toward and with God. You see, walking a labyrinth is like being on a pilgrimage long ago, journeying to a holy place as an act of devotion. At the same time, as you walk it, I would pray simple prayers over and over. By the time I would reach the center, I would be reminded that I didn't really have to walk far to know that God is with me. God was walking with me along the way.
Maybe it sounds a little weird for you, but I invite you to come check it out. We will be using the labyrinth as one of our key images through the season of Lent in the Table worship service, every Sunday at 9:30 AM. After each service, we will put on some soft music, dim the lights, and allow you to walk the labyrinth. Don't worry - we will even have some prayers that you can offer up to God as you walk.
And like me, you may not experience an epiphany on the first time (or the second or third). But as you reach the center, you may realize God's presence all around you. The quiet walk with God could be just the oasis you need in your busy life.
- Rev. Nathan
Guess Who Is Coming to Preach?
1 Comments | Submitted: 02/02/2010 09:43 AM
This Sunday during the 10:50 AM service, Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins will be preaching from our pulpit. Dr. Watkins has been in the headlines a lot over the past couple of years. She preached the sermon at President Obama's national prayer service. She also was recently named as one of the top ten most important faith leaders of our time, according to President Obama.
We are delighted to welcome her.
Dr. Watkins preaches with passion and heart of a pastor who cares for her flock. In this case, her flock is bigger than just a local congregation - it includes all of the congregations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). We know that she prays for us daily and is committed to leading this little part of God's church faithfully into the future.
I hope you can make it Sunday. It's going to be a real blessing to have her with us and be able to share in worship as we gather at Christ's table.
- Rev. Nathan
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