#thenotyetnow

A prayer for this season... This prayer may be used by individual communities in isolation, whether said quietly, or over online video message.  It uses famous words quoted by Julian of Norwich, who lived and suffered during the Bubonic Plague.  In a conversation with God, she wrestled with the current social situation and suffering.  She believed God to have replied to her, in solidarity, with a promise of greater Shalom: ‘...all shall be well...’ 

(A candle may be lit) Find rest, O my soul, in God alone: my hope comes from Him. (Quiet is held) Loving God, help us to find the material for the ‘new wineskins’ of our day + Break us out of brittleness that keeps us resistant or complacent + May we grow in vulnerability and a greater availability + Guide us to be generous and generative, passing on our treasures to a new generation + May we be renewed and expanded by the joy of your presence surprising us in new ways + “Forget the former things, don’t dwell on the past.   I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you see it? I am making a way in the wilderness, and streams of life in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43) + In this time of newness and change, we offer you our sacrifices: + our selves, for thy self + our crowns, for thy cross + our kingdoms, for thy kingdom + our individualism, for solidarity + our independence, for community + Walk with us on the journey. + We thank you for the changes through the years, and for the challenges ahead: in disruption, dirt, and dust, God, be with us. (Quiet is kept, in which prayers may be said, out loud or silently: “In_______(insert situation here), God..” be with us. ) + By day your love is faithful, at night your song is with me. + Stitch together a new garment, O God, one that’s fit for purpose + Join us together, and lead us forward in enfleshed movements of justice and love + In our weakness and weariness, with gentleness restore us + Breathe life and movement into your body, the church, that we might incarnate your Beloved Community more fully here on the earth. + As the night watch looks for the morning So do we look for you. God with us sleeping, God with us waking, God with us watching, each day and each night. Amen

Stop. Listen: What do you hear around you?  What can you hear within you? Reflect: “But even in nature I’m a fidget... flicking flies, itching, re po si tion ing. Still me, still, God.  Deeper even. I look and see the tree: solid, still, sure. Deep waters run within it, giving life to leaves. Then: gentle breeze. Branches wave, soft rustles. Bring me in to your movements God. They aren’t like mine. They are smoother, more rhythmic, and stand the test of time. I close my eyes, And begin to see clearer. Take time to be silent. Read Psalm 27. What phrases / words stand out to you? What might God be saying to you in the silence? Thoughts may be shared with the group at the end of the day.

So I’ll just diligently do my bit: clean up at the bus stop , sit and wait for the penny to drop, extend the table, and plant seeds of potential. All the while praying for peace to sink in so deep, and for it to become my only motive, when i go about spraying everything with windowlean!