It is not quite dawn yet. This year that we have marked as 2011 is drawing to a close. As I prepare for preaching tomorrow, I find myself yearning to be able to assure people that yes, all darkness is now behind us. But, of course, I cannot. So, I pray. I pray that all the world will surrender to God's Shalom. I pray that all sufferings will strengthen, not lessen, the faith and the belief in God's abiding and transforming love. I pray that Christians everywhere will be willing to take their humble places in the great story of God's abiding and indwelling love that is Christ. I pray we will not turn our churches, our ministries, our work, our beliefs into unyielding shrines and altars that need constant attention, but rather that we will allow God's holy breath to bring them to life and set them free to bring love. May wisdom, grace, and kindness prevail. May we understand that there is much we do not understand, so let us let love prevail.
I leave with you a blessing from John O'Donohue. Blessings to you in the year that will be known as 2012. We know it will be so much more.
Grace and Peace to each of you.
A Morning Offering
I bless the night that nourished my heart
To see the ghosts of longing free
Into the flow and figure of dream
That went to harvest from the dark
Bread for the hunger no one sees.
All that is eternal in me
Welcomes the wonder of this day,
The field of brightness it creates
Offering time for each thing
To arise and illuminate.
I place on the altar of dawn:
The quiet loyalty of breath,
The tent of thought where I shelter,
Waves of desire I am shore to
And all beauty drawn to the eye.
May my mind come alive today
To the invisible geography
That invites me to new frontiers,
To break the dead shell of yesterdays,
To risk being disturbed and changed.
May I have the courage today
To live the life that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer
But do at last what I came here for
And waste my heart on fear no more.
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