by Melissa Taft

In the Beginning, there was a Name.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 NIV

In the beginning the Word already existed.
    The Word was with God,
    and the Word was God. – John 1:1 NLT

When God spoke the world into being, He began with a name. He began with one who was named; the Word. He spoke light into being by naming it Light. He named light and the absence of it Day and Night. And from these delineations, from these names, powerful things followed. When you hear the word ‘light’ or the word ‘darkness’, you have a definition in your head of what those things are. But even more than that, you have associations with those words. You have nuances that are unique to you and your experience; of your own concept of light and darkness. And when you name a thing light or dark, it carries meaning beyond the dictionary definition. It carries weight and destiny.

I’ve been thinking lately about the power of names, and the importance of using names properly as a way to live justly. Indeed, there are campaigns to bring a more just narrative around shootings or violence – centering the victims rather than the sensationalism of the shooter. It begins with centering the victim(s) by name. The important name(s) should be those who were wronged, not those who perpetrated the wrong. Speaking the name of the victim humanizes them and centers our efforts properly. I was thoroughly inspired by Christine Sine’s recent Meditation Monday the Value of Naming, where she talks about the power of perspective that names imbue. She also talks about the inherent justice of calling things their proper names:

I wonder if one of the challenges we should all give ourselves in this post-COVID season is to continue to get to know our neighbourhoods and our country in this way and not just learn it by the names that places have now, but by the names that it used to be known by. I love that Uluru, the huge rock at the centre of Australia, was returned to the name given it by the aboriginal peoples after 100 years of being called Ayers Rock. In so doing not only did the rock gain value as the spiritual centre the aboriginals saw it to be, but also as an important distinctive landmark for all Australians.

The justice and meaning of returning a name to its proper place or calling someone by their proper name has really resonated with me in the season I’m in. I recall a Sunday school session once when I was a teen. Abraham came up I believe – one whose name had been changed to reflect his destiny – and I remember at the time being obsessed with baby names. I really wanted to be a mother, and it was a calling I took very seriously. It seemed tremendously important to get the names right. So I raised my hand and asked our wise teachers what they thought about names and their meanings – if indeed they carried weight and destiny. I don’t remember the discussion much beyond a general consensus of ‘probably yes’, and that it was lively and deep and interesting. I do remember that as the clock let us know it was time to disperse to the main service and we were standing up to leave I was asked, “by the way, what does Melissa mean?” to which I paused, then sheepishly replied “honey bee.” We did all get a good laugh.

I suppose it isn’t an accident that name meanings long interested me. My middle name is the third passing down from mother to daughter. My paternal Grandmother lined the wall of her basement steps with the portraits of her grandchildren, and underneath a name plaque that defined each name with a corresponding prayer and verse. My father is not a junior, but the 3rd. And I grew up reading about and listening to the significant stories in the Bible where names meant something to the story and destiny of those so named.

And I chose my own children’s names with care and prayer. They mean something to me. I wished for them a good destiny, and wove it into their very names, as if speaking it aloud every time they were called would make it so. And yet, both of my children have grown from these names into names of their own choosing, for various reasons. It surprised me how immediately I embraced my younger child’s new name, but the truth is names are as personal as they are powerful, and I saw the anxiety give way when the chosen new name was spoken. I also saw how true it was to their sense of self.

A friend coming out of an abusive marriage, and another out of an abusive family, also chose new names. It was part of their healing to identify themselves in a truer manner. And too, several friends and family I have known have changed their names to better reflect their gender identity. Another example is how recently, rather than coming up with an ‘English’ name, more and more people are claiming or reclaiming their proper non-English name and using that name in their place of business. If you can learn to pronounce Melissa, you can learn to pronounce your coworker’s name.

I have seen firsthand how kind and just it is to call people by their chosen or affirmed names, and the damage done by calling them by their old or rejected names. As we call places and animals and plants and whatever else by their proper name to convey a sense of place or throw off a sense of colonizing – bringing relief and justice – so too does calling a person by their sense of self. Names have power – we believe in the power of Jesus’ name, so too should we realize that the simple act of accepting someone or something’s proper name brings restoration, hope, relief, and justice.

After all, when we speak a name, it is not for our personal edification. I do not call the mountain in my state Tahoma because I like the sound of it better. It is Tahoma because that is what it IS, and even if its current official name is Rainier, it is not my destiny I am calling to but that of the people who called it Tahoma in the first place. So I honor that choice, and I honor the mountain, and I honor the people, by speaking the right name.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

We all need the Wholeness of God…this resource includes reflections and activities for coping and thriving during the COVID-19 challenges in search of shalom as well as hope for restoration during and after this period of social distancing.

photos and writings by June Friesen, all scripture given in The Message translation

This day is set to commemorate the deaths of two of the first apostles of the Christian church. Even though Paul was not one of the original disciples, after his dramatic conversion he was called an apostle.

As I was considering the lives of both the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul, I realize that they are two men who contributed greatly to the spread of the Christian church in the world as it was known in their time. They were both in many respects disliked greatly by the Roman government and leaders as well as the people of Israel, especially the religious leaders of the Jewish people. Today I would like to reflect on a few verses first from Peter and then from Paul to encourage each one of us in our remembering of them, to also take up the challenge they gave: to stand true to Jesus and live totally for His cause.

Peter, who was with the group of people awaiting the descent of the Holy Spirit, was empowered with great wisdom as well as a very bold spirit and he took no time to begin to address the people after the Holy Spirit descended and empowered Jesus’ followers. Here in Acts 3 he calls for the people to come and believe, follow the ways of Jesus and find rest and peace for your spirits.

Acts 3: 19-26 (The Message)

19-23 “Now it’s time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus. For the time being he must remain out of sight in heaven until everything is restored to order again just the way God, through the preaching of his holy prophets of old, said it would be. Moses, for instance, said, ‘Your God will raise up for you a prophet just like me from your family. Listen to every word he speaks to you. Every last living soul who refuses to listen to that prophet will be wiped out from the people.’ 24-26 “All the prophets from Samuel on down said the same thing, said most emphatically that these days would come. These prophets, along with the covenant God made with your ancestors, are your family tree. God’s covenant-word to Abraham provides the text: ‘By your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ But you are first in line: God, having raised up his Son, sent him to bless you as you turn, one by one, from your evil ways.”

When I consider Peter and Paul particularly, I picture a couple of rather rough-and-scruff-looking men. I definitely do not picture them as three-piece suit and tie kind of people calling others to come to the synagogue/Temple to hear a sermon about the Messiah. No, rather they go to where the people are or where they know the people will come and gather to listen to them. Both Peter and Paul were well versed in the scriptures that were then available as they would have heard them expounded in the Synagogue/Temple. We also know that the scribes and Pharisees followed Jesus around listening to Him and His teaching. They did this it tells us so that they could try and catch Him teaching false things about the Law and Old Testament Scriptures. In this passage Peter is pleading with the people to consider, to think seriously about all of the recent events in their community. Can you not understand even a little bit what Jesus tried to tell you? Will you not open yourselves now to His Spirit and come believe in Him as ‘your Messiah’ today? Before I go further let me share a few verses from Paul that I also really like.

In Acts 9 we have the account of Saul meeting God/Jesus as he was on his way to the city of Damascus to wreak havoc on the Christians there. Many if not all of us know this story readily of God’s blinding visitation on the road as Paul was traveling on his way to lead a persecution of Christians in Damascus. I choose some verses immediately after Saul’s change of heart as well as a couple of verses from Philippians that are favorites of mine from childhood.

Acts 9: 19-22

19-21 Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples, but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God. They were caught off guard by this and, not at all sure they could trust him, they kept saying, “Isn’t this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem among the believers? And didn’t he come here to do the same thing—arrest us and drag us off to jail in Jerusalem for sentencing by the high priests?” 22 But their suspicions didn’t slow Saul down for even a minute. His momentum was up now and he plowed straight into the opposition, disarming the Damascus Jews and trying to show them that this Jesus was the Messiah.

Philippians 2:14-17

14-16 Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing. 17 Even if I am executed here and now, I’ll rejoice in being an element in the offering of your faith that you make on Christ’s altar, a part of your rejoicing.

Saul, who from here on I will refer to as Paul had an incredible change of heart as well as attitude. Another thing that I gain from Paul is that his enthusiasm and determination to spread the truth about Jesus was equally as strong in face of the opposition that he now faced from the Jewish persecutors where he had once been the leader.

So how may you and I celebrate/commemorate the lives of Peter and Paul today in 2022? How can we show respect for them and all that they did for the Christian faith that we now embrace? You may have already noticed that I have chosen photos of crosses to be a part of today’s thoughts. It is because history holds that both Peter and Paul met their deaths at the hands of the Romans by crucifixion. Peter, who did not want to be crucified like Jesus, His Lord, asked to be crucified upside down.

I believe that as we choose to remember these two apostles and how much each one of us have benefitted by the lives they lived as well as the recorded letters that they shared with the early Christians we can find strength and courage to face struggles in our lives today. So often I have heard people say that when one chooses to become a follower of Jesus their lives will be so much better as they will have assurance of living in heaven after their earthly death. However, when I look at the followers of Jesus in the New Testament their lives were anything but easy. They were filled with struggles, persecutions, false accusations, prison time and martyrdom. Yet over and over these men stood strong and said that they were only preaching the truth from God/Jesus through the Holy Spirit. So, as we take time to reflect on the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul let us be encouraged as well as challenged by their examples to also stand strong in our faith walk with God.

Today I have shared with you some photos that I have taken of crosses. Actually, the blue cross I created out of a photo I took of an old door recently. The final photo is of an altar area in my home where I have placed several crosses I have collected over the years. I am doing this intentionally during this month to remind me of what Peter and Paul faced as early believers yet they remained true to God. May God give each one of us the ability to stand strong and true for God in today’s world as well. Amen and amen.

by John van de Laar

Editor’s Note: This is excerpted from John van de Laar’s work Just Living – A Liturgical Guide to Everyday Justice. You can find more information here or on his site sacredise.com. Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash 

He has told you, human one, what is good and what the Lord requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God. (CEB)

If caterpillars knew what lay ahead, I wonder if butterflies would even exist. Apparently, new imaginal cells begin to emerge in the caterpillar’s body shortly after it enters the chrysalis. At first the caterpillar’s immune system views them as invaders, and sets out to destroy them. But in time, the imaginal cells overpower this immune response, and the caterpillar is reduced to a kind of goo which then feeds the cells so that they can create the butterfly which is to emerge.

This awe-inspiring metamorphosis offers a striking metaphor for human transformation. Both societies and individuals experience radical change first as a kind of disintegration and only later as an improved reality. The disintegration feels just like a battle between imaginal cells, that carry the image of the new reality, and the old cells that seek to maintain the status quo, and it leaves us feeling rather like that amorphous goo that was once a caterpillar.

Why You Matter

One of the most important imaginal cells that can emerge within our personal and collective consciousness is the one that tells us that we matter. Too many of us go through life with total blindness to our own value—a blindness that is reinforced by religions that make feeling worthless a spiritual virtue. Yet every one of us has a deep and basic need to feel seen, known, and appreciated. When this need is met, we become more whole, peaceful, and resilient in the face of life’s challenges. When it remains unmet, we become increasingly unhealthy, broken, and even destructive to ourselves and those around us.

One of the primary tasks of spirituality is to convince us that we do matter and have dignity simply because we are. There’s the famous story of the little black boy who was told by an arrogant white man that he was worthless. He stood as tall as he could, looked the man in the eye, and proudly stated, “I know I’m somebody because God don’t make no junk!”

When the realisation that we matter sinks into our souls, we can often find ourselves responding in two ways: firstly, we recognise that other people have to matter as much as we do and secondly, we recognise that the world does not value all people equally. The result of these insights is that we may be moved to join the effort to make our world more just and equitable for all. This, of course, is exactly what our spiritual practice is designed to do and it leads to another level of understanding about our value.

Why Else You Matter

It’s a strange truth that for most of us, it is not enough to know that we matter simply because we exist. We also need to know that we will be missed and remembered because our lives have mattered to someone. It is when we believe that our lives make no difference to anyone that we doubt our worth and fall into despair.

This is immensely important, because nothing can change in the world without people who seek to change it—even if only for the sake of one other person. And this is the purpose of our spirituality. It convinces us of our value and then of the value of all others. Then, using our need to matter to someone, it moves us to live a life of justice by making some contribution to the betterment of the world. If we are ever to create a just, compassionate, and peaceful society every such small contribution matters.

Another famous story tells of a boy on the beach where a whole shoal of starfish had come aground. A man watched as the boy picked up a starfish and threw it back into the sea, then picked up another, and another. Finally the man said to the boy, “There are too many. You’re not going to make any difference.” To which the boy replied, holding up the starfish in his hand, “It will make a difference to this one!’

It Matters To Matter

If our lives are to be fulfilled, meaningful, connected, and whole we need to know that we matter, that we are intrinsically valuable, and that we make a difference to the world. If our world is ever to become more unified and equal then we need to know that we all matter and that our contribution helps toward the healing of our society.

Spirituality that makes us feel worthless is not just unhelpful. It is evil. Spirituality that is only about individuals gaining entry to some future heaven is not just selfish. It is cruel. Authentic spirituality always connects us ever more deeply with the divine energy and human dignity within us and all people (and also in non-human beings) and with our unique capacity to leave the world a little better off—because it matters that we matter, and it matters that we know that we matter. That is what will ultimately motivate us to live justly in whatever small ways we can each day. In a time such as the one in which we now live, this simple but profound truth makes all the difference.

Just Living – A Liturgical Guide to Everyday Justice

The twelve meditations in this beautiful full-color book are designed to provide moments of refreshment throughout the day or week. The blending together of prayers, reflections, questions, and photos invites us to pause, reset and refresh ourselves. Rest is such an important part of the rhythm of our lives, not just a weekly rest of Sabbath, but pauses of rest throughout the day to reset our focus and renew our connections to God. Enjoy as a PDF download, or purchase the hard copy here.

by Christine Sine

You may think that the statement “Don’t take another photo” is a rather radical one for someone who is as keen a photographer as I am. And it is. But I don’t mean quite what you think I mean by this statement. In his book The Little Book of Contemplative Photography Howard Zehr talks about how aggressive, predatory, acquisitive and imperialistic our language and actions associated with photography are. We take photos, we aim our camera, and we shoot a picture then we claim it as our own. Yet none of us own a beautiful sunset, a butterfly basking on a leaf or a bird hovering in the sky. Nor do we own the images of faces snapped in the midst of a war scene or captured from a crowd.

When we do photography, we receive an image that is reflected from the subject. Instead of photography as taking, the, we can envision it as receiving. Instead of a trophy that is hunted, an image is a gift. (The Little Book of Contemplative Photography Howard Zehr p16) 

Christine Valters Paintner in Eyes of the Heart,  another book on contemplative photography that has inspired me, expresses this same understanding. She suggests we see photography as an act of reverence that allows us to enter more deeply into a knowledge of ourselves, of others, of God, and of God’s creation. When we photograph with this attitude it can become an act of revelation, a process of discovery, out of which we are able to offer others a vision of graced ordinary moments.

Over the years I have combined my favourite photographs with prayers and made them into prayer cards that I know many of you have appreciated. I also have several printed on canvas boards that I rotate on my desk as an ongoing focus of delight and reverence.

It was my Facebook live session with June Friesen a couple of weeks ago in which we talked about the delight of reflecting on our photos that encouraged me to take a more serious look at how I treat my photos. June shared about how she was drawn into a meditative form of writing and spiritual reflections in conjunction with her photos. Like Christine Valters Paintner, it was the practice of Visio Divina that started her on the way and it made me realize how essential this type of practice is for all of us who like photography. Visio Divina means sacred seeing and is essentially the process of applying Lectio Divina to an image.

Visio Divina invites us to see at a more contemplative pace. It invites us to see all there is to see, exploring the entirety of the image. It invites us to see deeply, beyond first and second impressions, below initial ideas, judgments, or understandings. It invites us to be seen, addressed, surprised, and transformed by God who is never limited or tied to any image, but speaks through them.(Praying With Art – Visio Divina)

So I thought I would share a shortened version of this practice here.

Look through your photos and choose one that stands out for you, tugging at your heart-strings with a pull of delight or even of sorrow. It is best if you can sit with your image in your hand but if not, use your computer or phone screen.

Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths in and out, centering yourself on the presence of God. Alternatively you might like to use the prayer above to focus yourself.

Open your eyes and allow your eyes to wander over the entire image. Take some more deep breaths as you notice the shapes, colours, details and symbols. Dwell on the people, the birds and other creatures. Immerse yourself in the details of the image.

What place in the image invites you to rest and savor its details? Allow it to unfold in your imagination. Are there memories or emotions that it stirs? Are there actions or responses it invites you to? Do you think it made you view the image differently?

Write a reflection about the responses your image has stirred.

End with a prayer to God for the revelation you have received.

As a further suggestion, every time you photograph in the next week, try to visualize yourself receiving the image rather than taking it. See it as a gift and offer a prayer to God. What difference does this make to your art of photography?

You might also like to think about the photos you see in the news, especially those of war zones and environmental disaster. I wonder if the way we flick through these each day is another form of unhealthy consumption that we need to reevaluate.

And last but not least, if you have time watch this video of the Facebook live session June and I did. What other thoughts or ideas does it stir?

Prayer cards are available in the shop for many occasions and seasons–from everyday pauses and Lenten ruminations to breath meditations and Advent reflections, enjoy guided prayers and beautiful illustrations designed to delight and draw close. Many are available in single sets, sets of three, and to download–even bundled with other resources!

by Lynne Baab

Editor’s Note: As Christine mentioned in her Meditation Monday, we are reposting some old favorites on the subject of hospitality. This post is adapted and excerpted from a two-part series by Lynne Baab on the subject. You can find Lynne’s original posts here, and here. Additionally, we are including a recipe from our archives as well! The Basil Pesto at the bottom of the post is wonderful to make with summer basil and have on hand for breaking-bread occasions. You can find more basil recipes from the post It’s Basil Time. More recipes and hospitality posts can be found on our Hospitality Resource Page.

Hospitality, The Bible and Jesus

Both the Old and New Testaments encourage hospitality, but one story has shaped my understanding more than any other. On the day of Jesus’ resurrection, a disciple named Cleopas and another person—perhaps a friend, a sibling, or Cleopas’s wife—left Jerusalem before news of the resurrection reached them. Both of them had been eager followers of Jesus, and they walked home to Emmaus disconsolate and discouraged because Jesus had died. A stranger on the road joined their discussion, asking them why they were sad. They told him about Jesus, their hopes about his kingdom, and the dashing of those hopes at his crucifixion. The stranger, extremely well-versed in Jewish history and the Hebrew scriptures, told them his perspective about the life and work of the Messiah.

When Cleopas and his companion reached their home in Emmaus, they invited the stranger in for a meal. When the visitor broke bread at the table and blessed it, they knew instantly that this was Jesus, now resurrected and still alive. After their moment of recognition, he vanished. They thought back to the conversation on the road, and realized the thrill of hearing him explain his own mission in his own words. “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32)

These disciples invited a stranger into their home for a meal. They were the hosts, the ones who asked him in, but at the table this guest turned things upside down. The stranger broke the bread and blessed it, becoming the host. Like Cleopas and his companion, Christian individuals and congregations today are increasingly exploring ways to provide hospitality. As they do, they are experiencing the presence of Jesus, who is present in friend and stranger. God invites us to extend the rich welcome that we ourselves have been offered.

Hospitality plays a role in the Bible from beginning to end. The Jewish sacrificial system involved contributions of food that were consumed in festivals in the Temple. Some of Jesus’ most memorable encounters with individuals occur in the context of hospitality in people’s homes. Two examples are his discussion with Mary and Martha about the “one needful thing” while Martha was preparing a meal (Luke 10:38-42) and Jesus’ extension of loving grace to an outcast woman who washed his feet with her tears in the middle of a dinner (Luke 7:36-50). Several of Jesus’ parables present vivid pictures of feasts; one example is the parable of the great wedding feast in Matthew 22:1-14. In his last meal with his disciples, Jesus invited them to adopt a celebration of remembrance and presence that involves bread and wine.

New Testament believers viewed hospitality as an essential component of ministry. In 1 Timothy, the good works attributed to bishops and widows above reproach include hospitality (1 Timothy 3:2 and 5:10), and being hospitable occurs throughout the epistles in lists of recommended behavior (Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:2, 1 Peter 4:9).

It is no accident that two of the post-resurrection stories involve Jesus acting as host. In the Emmaus story, Jesus begins as a stranger and guest, but then is revealed to be the host of the meal. In the incident on the beach in Galilee, Jesus helps the disciples catch fish and then cooks it for them (John 21:1-14). Both of these stories are a culmination of the generous and hospitable earthly life of the Son of God. Jesus was hospitable in spirit before his death, speaking with honor and respect to outcasts, and he demonstrated hospitality in concrete forms—involving bread and fish—after his resurrection. We are invited to go into the world with the same spirit and goals that Jesus had (John 17:18). Sometimes we are stranger and guest, and sometimes we are host. Sometimes our hospitality involves food and sometimes we act hospitably in our words or other deeds. In all roles, we are called to be open to the people we encounter in a spirit of hospitality and welcome that reflects the generosity of the God who has welcomed us.

Hospitality As A Call For All Of Life

A handful of books have changed my life, and Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition by Christine D. Pohl is one of them. I read it soon after it was released in 1999, and immediately I began to see hospitality as a metaphor for ministry, a metaphor that opened my heart and changed my daily encounters with others.

I was raised by a mother with a distinct and significant gift of hospitality. My childhood memories are full of parties and dinners that my mom hosted. She is an excellent cook, and her extraverted and warm relational style helps people feel welcome in her home. As soon as I moved into my first apartment, I started having people over for meals. When I got married, my husband and I continued that tradition. I deeply enjoy hosting people for meals, and I know I learned that skill and attitude as a child from my very hospitable mother.

Before I read Making Room, the word “hospitality” meant hosting people for meals and having houseguests from time to time. Christine Pohl helped me see hospitality as something bigger, an opportunity to meet the risen Christ in the lives of others, which might involve hosting people for meals or lodging but also means meeting Jesus in conversations and encounters with others in many settings where I am not necessarily the host or a guest. I now believe that every encounter is an opportunity to show hospitality and welcome, and this has shaped my understanding of Christian ministry in all forms.

The Bible is full of commands to be hospitable and models of hospitality. However, the biblical invitation to engage in hospitality goes far beyond specific verses that command it or stories that illustrate it. The deepest invitation to engage in acts of hospitality and welcome comes from the sweep of biblical history that shows the actions of a generous and hospitable God. This history began with God’s invitation to Adam and Eve to dwell in the Garden, and to abstain from eating one particular food. Adam and Eve violated this act of hospitality on God’s part, and the rest of biblical history is the account of God’s continual invitation and welcome to the people God created in love. In the incarnation we see Jesus, who came as a stranger to earth, but showed a profound welcome to the people he encountered.

We are sent into the world in the same way Jesus was sent (John 17:18), and this means trying to be receptive to the gift inside each person we meet. To be truly hospitable is to welcome with tenderness and kindness each person we encounter as a precious reflection of the image of God, even in those moments when we need to be forthright about something important to us. Being hospitable means to learn from everyone, growing as a listener and watching for the ways God is transforming us through the lives of the people we meet. Sometimes we meet people over a meal and sometimes in another setting, but wherever it happens, God calls us to extend a warm welcome in the spirit of Jesus Christ.

Basil Pesto

We love this on bread, pizza dough or mixed through pasta with dried tomatoes

• 1 cup basil leaves
• 1 cup spinach (or other greens)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.  Keeps fresh in the fridge for several weeks if you cover with olive oil or can be frozen by ladling into ice cube containers and placing in freezer until solid.  then transfer to a plastic bag.

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Looking for hospitality inspiration? We have an entire resource page dedicated to hospitality. Find recipes and reflections on numerous hospitality topics, including Celtic hospitality, prayers, and liturgies. Click on Hospitality for more!

by Lilly Lewin

Summer officially started on the calendar this week, June21st…some people are just starting their summer break but many folks in the south have been out of school since the end of May, and some college students have been on summer break since early May. So depending upon where you live, the cup you are drinking from today may be overflowing or feeling somewhat empty. You may have poured too much into it with an abundance of activities or you may fill it is empty and needs new wine!

As you drink your coffee or tea today talk to Jesus about where you are. What’s in your cup?

Are you feeling empty today? Or is your cup filled?

What cup would you like to drink from in the coming days?

the cup of peace…the kind that passes all understanding

the cup of joy…the kind that overflows

the cup of grace… for myself and for other people

the cup of compassion…for myself and others

the cup of rest…overflowing refreshment

the cup of living water, a cup that doesn’t run dry

the cup of new wine…more Holy Spirit…new vision, more power

the cup of forgiveness

the cup of understanding

the cup of love …filled up by Jesus

What have you been holding in your cup that you might need to pour out, or wash out in order to receive these new things?  Pour out Bitterness, Anger, Resentment, Fear, Comparison, Condemnation of yourself or someone else? What else?

As you physically wash your cup, ask Jesus to remove and wash away the stuff that is getting in your way.

As you pour yourself a cup of your favorite beverage, ASK JESUS FOR WHAT YOU NEED! ASK JESUS to fill your cup!

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure. Psalm 16:5

 

by Elaine Breckenridge

On June 24, Christian churches around the world will mark the holy day of The Nativity of St. John the Baptist. Additionally, St. John’s Day will be celebrated in many countries as a public holiday.  

The church celebrates his birth on this day as it falls six months before Christmas Day. According to the Gospel of Luke, his mother Elizabeth became pregnant six months before the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary announcing her miraculous conception. If you have never read the account of John the Baptist’s conception and birth, today would be a wonderful day to do that. (Luke 1:5-25)       

Today is also a marvelous day to reflect on John’s ministry as an adult. My own reflections are guided by the pictured statue of John the Baptist. In 1996, a congregational member gifted me with this statue of the Baptist. She hired an artist to carve his likeness using walnut and oak. The artist used her thirty-four-year-old son’s face as a likeness for John’s face. I have spent hours contemplating on the ministry of John the Baptist through the lens of this work of art.    

John was known as a provocative preacher calling others to repentance. As I look at the stature, I notice that John points a finger not at the crowds to rebuke them. Rather, he points toward heaven, proclaiming God and the coming of God’s kingdom. John’s mission was to herald the coming of the Messiah and this he did at the baptism of Jesus. The scriptures tell us that John was executed before the death of Jesus. And yet, I appreciate how the creator of the statue depicts John holding the cross of Christ, proclaiming what is to come historically. 

John the Baptist is celebrated as a prophet and preacher. I also think of him as a pastor. He does this by offering us concrete ways to live out our roles as Christians. In my favorite sermon given by John recorded in the Gospel of Luke, John does just that.   

“John the Baptist said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘Bear fruits worthy of repentance.’ And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ (Luke 3:7, 8, 10-11)

Share your resources, be honest, resist violence. He calls for concrete neighbor-like love to be put into action. He sends the crowd home with the commandment to live their lives fully by practicing loving-kindness. 

Interestingly, this day is also referred to as St. John’s Day, a major public holiday in the Western world. Celebrations are held on June 24 and also on the evening before. There will be celebrations in Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Ireland, Scotland, England and Northern Europe. There will be fireworks, parades and revelry and most notably bonfires. For many cultures, St. John’s Day has become a blend of Christian reverence, the celebration of the summer solstice and the midsummer festival. 

  More simply, St. John’s Day were also quiet celebrations in the Southwest evidenced by this photo of a painting called, “Eve of St. John” by artist Peter Hurd (1904-1984) at his Sentinel Ranch, San Patricio, New Mexico.       

St. John’s Day is near the time of the summer solstice.  It is likely that the Roman church fixed the Baptist’s day to distract the faithful from the summer solstice festivals. I have been delighted to do just the opposite. I have crafted a Christian church service which celebrates the ministry of John the Baptist together with a celebration of the summer solstice on the 23 or 24 of June. 

I see no conflict in celebrating the fire of John’s preaching and legacy alongside celebrating the fire of the sun. And of course, my statue of John is placed on a pedestal for everyone’s contemplation followed by a bonfire outside to give thanks for the sun and longer days of light. It is good to celebrate the warmth of summer and the generosity of the Earth at this time of year in the Northern hemisphere.   

Both John the Baptist and summer solstice celebrations celebrate the element of fire. Fire, for both Christians and creation-based spiritualities, represent repentance and cleansing; purification and protection. John the Baptist’s fiery sermons also equated fire with love. 

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) was an interesting French scientist, Jesuit priest, and mystic. He has won the distinction of being claimed as a contributor to the history of Celtic spirituality by John Philip Newell in his most recent book Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul.  I think that the following poem by de Chardin does a brilliant job of holding together the two traditions of the Nativity of John the Baptist and St. John’s Day:          

That first burst of Fire

from which we came

Love was its name and that

sacred Fire still burns

to create its magic in our hearts.

 

Someday, after we have 

mastered the winds, the waves,

the tides and gravity,

we shall harness for God

the energy of love.

 

Then for the second time in the history of the world,

Humanity will have discovered

Fire.     – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Toward the Future 

As we celebrate this mystical time of year, let us pray that the Holy Spirit will fill our hearts with the fire of love and the justice of John the Baptist. 

TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY TO ENTER!

That’s right, Christine Sine is giving away two copies of her latest book, Digging Deeper: The Art of Contemplative Gardening!

June 24th is the last day for your entries to be counted! Click here for more information or visit tinyurl.com/DiggingDeeperGiveaway!

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all words and photos by June Friesen Editor’s Note: Make Music Day is a worldwide celebration on June 21st

Why Worldwide Music Day? What is Worldwide Music Day? How may it be celebrated? Or how is it celebrated? As I did some study on this day there was a lot of material that came up. One of the things that I noted was that invitations kept popping up inviting one to take part in different aspects in celebration of music on this day. The noted theme that I found was for there to be ‘Music in the Intersections.’ While it did not seem to give me any real directives, I could not help but think of how there are places and times when music is offered along the street, in the parks, on the street corners where there are intersections. While many of those offering these gifts of music are hoping for someone to drop some money into their collection everyone that is around them or who passes by benefits from the blessing of their music.

When I think of music in the Scriptures I immediately think of the Psalms as well as David. Many times, as a child growing up I wished to be able to play a harp like David did. The Scriptures talk about how his harp playing was soothing and even today harpists are known to go to hospice centers to play for the people there. However, as there was no availability of a harp teacher and/or a harp I had to settle for piano lessons instead which I also learned were/are very soothing for a breaking spirit. In fact, I took piano lessons on the piano my grandmother received for her 16th birthday and I still have that piano today (see photo below).

Here are three short passages from the Psalms that are favorites of mine.

Psalm 27:5-6

5 That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world,
The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic.

6 God holds me head and shoulders above all who try to pull me down.
I’m headed for his place to offer anthems that will raise the roof!
Already I’m singing God-songs; I’m making music to God.

Psalm 92:1-3

92 1-3 What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks, to sing an anthem to you, the High God!
To announce your love each daybreak, sing your faithful presence all through the night,
Accompanied by dulcimer and harp, the full-bodied music of strings.

Psalm 105:1-6

Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name! Tell everyone you meet what he has done! Sing him songs, belt out hymns, translate his wonders into music! Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God. Live a happy life! Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence. Remember the world of wonders he has made, his miracles, and the verdicts he’s rendered.

Oh, to give thanks to God in praises and music all night long – all day long. Well, this may not be reality but maybe it is something to consider as one needs to find rest/respite for the inner soul, especially in today’s world of angst. Yes, we can do that in so many different ways as well in today’s world. There are offerings of concerts in so many and varied venues worldwide. There are offerings of recordings by thousands of music artists of all kinds of music – music that expresses praise to God, music that expresses angst of spirit, music that comes out of pain one is experiencing, music that is full of joy and exuberance, and I am sure that you can add many more ideas to this list.

The beginning photo of this article as well as the one just below are both taken at our Phoenix Zoo. During the month of December every year they have what is called Zoo Lights and my most favorite feature is this one on the water. Every year they use different music and several times an hour they play a song and the lights interact with the beat of the music. This is absolutely refreshing to view as well as to listen to. As I write this today I find myself wanting to go and bathe my spirit in this music.

MUSIC REFLECTIONS IN THE DARKNESS

Oh, how music brings a soothing to my soul,

Oh, how it causes my heart to slow,

Oh, how it turns my spirit heavenward,

Oh how it helps me embrace the Spirit of wonder, joy and peace.

When the world around me is filled with darkness,

I need to take a bit of time and pause,

Pause – and consider where God will arise

And bring a soothing to my soul once again.

And then I hear that faint sound –

The sound of a note – alone – but giving a cue,

For all other notes to take up

And blend in a beautiful harmony.

Oh, how quiet it begins –

Oh, how gentle it sounds –

Oh, it is now beginning to swell –

Oh, how my spirit is uniting to it as well.

The music rolls onward in a crescendo –

And dances and waltzes deep into my being –

And I find myself an embodiment of it all –

And soon I am dancing and waltzing as well.

Oh, the healing power of music –

How refreshing and healing it is to my soul –

I pray that today you will as well –

Take some time to welcome dose of healing music as well.

May the Spirit of God sing over you,

May The Spirit of God bathe you in healing,

May the Spirit of God awaken within you

A new spirit of music to share with the world today.

Amen.

by Elaine Breckenridge, Pictured Above: 2021 Summer Solstice Sunset, Camano Island, Washington 

On June 21, we mark the official beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, coinciding this year with the summer solstice. On this day we will experience the longest day of the year, that is the day with the longest period of sunlight. It has been a cold and dark spring where I live in Northern Washington. I am hoping to see Brother Sun make an appearance!   

Many cultures, both ancient and modern celebrate not the sun as much as we celebrate the movement of the sun. The sun had reached its most northernmost point and will soon begin its journey back south ending at the winter solstice in mid-December.  

My education about the importance of the solstices began when I first visited Ireland in 2007. It was there I learned that solstice means “standstill” and refers to the way that the sun appears to rise and set in the same place for the days around June 20 and 21 (and at the winter solstice in December). I learned from our guide in Ireland that summer solstice celebrations were and still are common in Europe, particularly in the Celtic landscapes of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The guide, Dara Molloy explained that the eve of June 21, or midsummer’s eve, was a night of magic and feasting. Bonfires dotted the countryside, especially where we were staying on the island of Inish Mor. Mara Freeman in her book, Kindling the Celtic Spirit, writes, 

“The power of fire was especially important at midsummer. People lit bonfires to celebrate the sun at its height of power and implore it not to withdraw into winter’s darkness. Fires ritually strengthened the sun to swell fruits and ripen grain, and it protected both humans and livestock from insect-borne disease.”  

It was also believed that midsummer’s eve was a “thin place,” when the walls separating the worlds of the spirits and humans became as thin as tissue paper. The spirits of field and forest, of river and stream—all the inhabitants of that inner world—were free to pass back and forth between those walls and play among humans.  

We might prefer to think of thin places as where the veil between this life and eternity momentarily lifts, and we experience the nearer presence of the Trinity, God, Christ, Spirit. I think of a thin place as any moment when our hearts are opened to receive the love and peace of the divine. 

For me, I have discovered that marking and celebrating the solstices can be occasions for me to experience the presence of God in a more potent way. Perhaps this happens because I come to special holy days with an intention to allow myself to be opened either by being in nature, or by participating in an intentional ritual.  

Summer Solstice Fire 

Since my awakening to the importance of the solstices, I have created and participated in both personal and communal ritual celebrations of the solstices since 2007 (Pictured is one such occasion). Each time, I am changed, even if only for a short time. I experience the lifting of the veil that often separates me from my True Self and the Divine.  

At such times, I am reminded that as a human being I am only just a small piece of a greater whole. I find that celebrating the solstices is a way to affirm that I am a part of the cycle of moving from light into darkness and back again into light and into darkness again and again. It helps me to live into what “is.” As a part of creation, I know that my coming into this life was in the wind as the breath of God, and leaving this life will be in the wind as dust of the Earth. I find it comforting to know that I am part of the greater cycle and rhythm of life, just like the solstices. 

Many of you probably have your own practice for observing the summer solstice. But if not, you might light a candle or small fire to give thanks for the fireball that keeps us alive. I like to burn last year’s lavender sticks in the fire symbolizing that my prayers are like incense rising and are being offered in gratitude for both the Creator and Creation.  

A favorite prayer of praise of mine is this. 

Holy is this fire of midsummer’s eve, and holy are you, O God, who from your burning heart drew forth a fiery ball and flung it into space.

Your laughter shook the empty cosmos and echoed again and again until the darkness of space resounded with your love and with fire.

You reached in again and drew forth fire and seeded it like yeast in each atom, plant and animal, each bird, fish, man and woman.

And you gave us a special star, our sun, aflame with a life-evoking energy to make our planet green and fertile, sun-soaked in your love.

As we celebrate this magic feast, open our eyes to the countless wonders and to the sparks of fire-life that you have planted in each of us. 

May this holy and magical night be aglow with star-fire and God-light as we once again begin the sacred season of summer. 

Prayers of a Planetary Pilgrim by Edward Hays

Blessed Summer Solstice to you all! 

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by Christine Sine

Summer for me is always a season of radical hospitality. It is also one of the cornerstones of the life of Christ and his legacy to us his followers. So after the isolation of the last couple of years, it seems like a tidal wave of events, shared meals and afternoon teas are in front of us. What fun!

In preparation for the season, I have been reading back through some of the posts contributed by many of our authors over the last few years. I started with our quite impressive hospitality reading list but soon found myself immersed in the rich array of information shared, including some wonderful recipes. As I do so I find myself saying – Oh I forgot that, and Wow that is inspiring, or I want to share that again. And guess what? That is exactly what I plan to do. Over the next few weeks we will be reposting a number of posts, some of which have not seen the light of day for seven or eight years, and that I think is a feat in itself. To get us started, I have adapted one of my favourite hospitality posts from 2014. I hope you enjoy this reposted version as much as I did.

Several years ago, I spoke at a seminary class about spirituality and gardening. It was a fun class, but one question asked by a student kept intruding in my mind. Didn’t God curse the creation after the fall? he asked, implying that it no longer reflected the glory of God and that we no longer needed to respect and look after it.

As I read through Genesis 3 which is the basis for this belief, I am struck by God’s amazing care for the humans who disobeyed him. Yes the ground was cursed (Gen 3:17-19), but it was not God who cursed it, it was the consequence of Adam’s sin. The natural created world was somehow affected by the human fall into sin and is therefore no longer paradise. Brambles and weeds grew. Human toil to produce food and care for creation increased. Nowhere however is there any implication that we are absolved from our responsibility to care for creation.

That summer I contemplated the thorns, the thistles, and the weeds that we all think of as part of the consequences of the human fall. Some of them produce the most delicious and nutritious food we can eat, as we can see in this video

Take the humble dandelion for instance. Its leaves are often used in salads. Its root for medicinal tea and its flowers in jams and jelly. It helps break up the soil and draws nutrients up from deep within the soil. It is an amazing and valuable plant. Read more about dandelions and links to recipes here

Then there is the blackberry which grows wild prolifically throughout the Pacific NW. It may be a pest, and I know it chokes out many smaller native plants, including the native blackberry, but its fruit blesses us with delicious pies and jams, and the birds butterflies and bees love them too. Every year in August Tom and I used to travel to Mayne Island, Canada with our Canadian friends Tom and Kim Balke, for a few days holiday. One of the delights of our trip was picking blackberries and wild apples to make blackberry apple crumble.

Snails are another pest that can be a delicacy for many. Ironically some people love escargot and spend big bucks to buy them and then complain about the snails that destroy their gardens.

And in many Asian countries, tarantulas, crickets and ants are all considered delicacies.

It seems to me that part of the curse we suffer from is our inability to recognize the abundance and hospitality of God in the garden that is our earth. God is a generous God who invites us to a banquet feast, not just in the eternal world to come but here in this world too. Often all we need to do is reach out and recognize the gift and accept God’s amazing hospitality.

So take a walk around your garden or the closest nature reserve to your home. What “pests” do you see that really are part of the abundance of God?

It’s almost time to choose a winner! Will it be you? If you haven’t entered yet, click here for details on how to enter and get bonus entries. It’s like getting extra raffle tickets – but for free! Christine Sine is giving away two copies of her newest book, Digging Deeper: The Art of Contemplative Gardening. Winner will be announced at the Digging Deeper Webinar on June 25th!

A contemplative service with music in the spirit of Taize. Carrie Grace Littauer, prayer leader, with music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers.

Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-710-756.

by Jeannie Kendall

I still remember the weather that spring day, the merest hint of blossom in the air, as I planned next year’s crops in the fields. And I remember the way my heart caught as I saw him come towards me, as it always did. But he could not meet my eyes. Because, as I later found, he hadn’t come just to be with me in the fields as I’d hoped, but to ask for 1/3 of everything. His inheritance.

I didn’t feel the rejection or the insult though I knew they were there. I just felt the pain, as though my heart had been ripped out. He thought he could live better independently of me. And I knew it was a catastrophic misuse of freedom. but I had to let him go, to give him the choice. So I gave him his share.

I stood and watched him step by step leave across the fields, stepping away from me, and my heart was torn in two again.

There were, of course, rumours from where he had gone, told to me with either relish or regret. Rumours that he was living contrary to everything we had taught him, a way not for his best, resulting in humiliation for him, and a depth of pain he would not have had – and I would not have had – if he had stayed in my house. He thought he was finding freedom but he was finding only slavery.

Daily, hoping against hope, I watched, searched the road, imagining I could see him coming.

Daily I looked at the place at the table that was his, keeping it laid each day because it was still his.

Daily I wept tears for him.

And then one day, worlds away, he realised he had run out of his own resources.

Away in that far place he fell to his knees. 

And he turned for home. He had run out of everything. Better a servant than an exile.

And so, as I scanned the horizon, as I did every day, at last I saw him. A sad, forlorn figure in the distance. I knew he must have been desperate to come back but I did not care.

My heart caught as I saw him come towards me, as it always did.

What else could I do? I ran to him.

I didn’t care about the shock on the face of the servants as I grabbed up my robe to run…

And I knew I could have added to his pain with careless or accusing words, but I saw the terrible brokenness behind his eyes, pleading for some servant role.

Servant! Not my son.

Instead, I lavished my love on him…

The best robe, a sign of dignity and honour, proof of his acceptance back into the family. I’d had it made while he was away, ready for his return.

A ring for his hand, a sign of authority and sonship despite his failure.

Sandals for his feet, and feasting with the fatted calf I had been saving in hope

Such joy, such joy in my heart. I could not wait to celebrate.

But, even as the party continued, I knew someone was missing. My other son would not come to the party, and so I went to him.

My heart caught as I saw him, as it always did.

It was his duty to host the party, as the oldest son, to seek reconciliation between my son and me. But anger and resentment was in every pore, exuding his rage at his brother, and at me.

But I saw too the terrible brokenness behind his eyes, pleading to be the best, for the approval he’s always had without needing to do anything.

But I was also sad. Sad that instead of going to find his brother and bring him home he had stayed in safety and become so hardened. Looking at him the terrible realisation dawned … if my younger son had met his older brother first, not me, he would never have come home. 

I cried for both my sons that night.

My hurting sons, neither of whom had caught my heart.

The younger, who missed all those years of my love for him; for all the regret he would carry despite my full and free forgiveness.

The older, feeling he had to earn his place in my family; to work and work rather than rest in my love for him; too busy protecting his own interests, his seat at the table, to go and look for his lost brother – too self-interested to even want to see him as his brother.

Too afraid of the muck of the pig sty.

His heart too small to reach out.

I cried for both my sons that night: for the path of self-discovery and moral conformity which had trapped them both.

I cried for both my sons that night.

Photo via Pixabay

Join Christine Sine for a FREE Webinar on Saturday, June 25th at 9:30 am PT as she discusses her brand-new book and invites you for some fun activities and discussion. If you sign up before June 24th at 9 pm PT, you will be automatically entered into a *giveaway* for Digging Deeper – for giveaway details, visit tinyurl.com/diggingdeepergiveaway or click here. For webinar details and to sign up, visit tinyurl.com/diggingdeeperwebinar or click here.

By Lilly Lewin

This week’s Old Testament Reading from the Lectionary is one of my favorites! It’s about Elijah!

Ahab reported to Jezebel everything that Elijah had done, including the massacre of the prophets. Jezebel immediately sent a messenger to Elijah with her threat: “The gods will get you for this and I’ll get even with you! By this time tomorrow you’ll be as dead as any one of those prophets.”
3-5 When Elijah saw how things were, he ran for dear life to Beersheba, far in the south of Judah. He left his young servant there and then went on into the desert another day’s journey. He came to a lone broom bush and collapsed in its shade, wanting in the worst way to be done with it all—to just die: “Enough of this, God! Take my life—I’m ready to join my ancestors in the grave!” Exhausted, he fell asleep under the lone broom bush.
Suddenly an angel shook him awake and said, “Get up and eat!”
6 He looked around and, to his surprise, right by his head were a loaf of bread baked on some coals and a jug of water. He ate the meal and went back to sleep.
7 The angel of God came back, shook him awake again, and said, “Get up and eat some more—you’ve got a long journey ahead of you.”
8-9 He got up, ate and drank his fill, and set out. Nourished by that meal, he walked forty days and nights, all the way to the mountain of God, to Horeb. When he got there, he crawled into a cave and went to sleep.
Then the word of God came to him: “So Elijah, what are you doing here?”
10 “I’ve been working my heart out for the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,” said Elijah. “The people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”
11-12 Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.”
A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.
13-14 When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great cloak, went to the mouth of the cave, and stood there. A quiet voice asked, “So Elijah, now tell me, what are you doing here?” Elijah said it again, “I’ve been working my heart out for God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, because the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”
15-18 God said, “Go back the way you came through the desert to Damascus. When you get there anoint Hazael; make him king over Aram. Then anoint Jehu son of Nimshi; make him king over Israel. Finally, anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Anyone who escapes death by Hazael will be killed by Jehu; and anyone who escapes death by Jehu will be killed by Elisha. Meanwhile, I’m preserving for myself seven thousand souls: the knees that haven’t bowed to the god Baal, the mouths that haven’t kissed his image.” I KINGS 19: 1-18  THE MESSAGE

In what ways are you feeling like Elijah today?

What “enemy” has you ready to run out of town and abandon ship?

We really are all exhausted by the last two years and all the trauma and drama of covid, politics, gun violence, war, work and other losses we have experienced ….

What do you see you need? A nap, some quiet, a chance to get into the wilderness, a long break, an angel to make food? More like minded people? Clarity, Awareness? What? Talk to Jesus about this!

How would you answer the question from God ““What are you doing here,?”

What helps you to hear from God?

Elijah is not only exhausted and afraid, he is also feeling angry at the people who’d abandoned God …anyone you’re angry at that you need to talk to Jesus about ?

God tells Elijah he is not the only one who still follows God. Take time to consider the people in your life who are following Jesus and helping you follow Jesus…Who do you need to spend more time with or listen to or read about?

Like Elijah, sometimes we forget how God provides for us. Take time to thank Jesus for how he’s provided for you lately

“Everyone is nicer after a nap and a snack”

Why do we run from rest?
What keeps you running and busy rather than taking time to fill your cup, or take time to listen for and to Jesus?

ELIJAH Daniele da Volterra

ELIJAH was exhausted! Burned out! Discouraged!
ELIJAH needed a nap & a snack!
God provided what he needed!

How can you let God provide for you?
What will it take for you to STOP, have a snack and take a REST?
Are you willing to allow others to help you & see you are NOT ALONE?
When can you start? What about this weekend?

YOU Have PERMISSION to REST!

TAKE SOME TIME AND JOURNAL from the questions above and consider how you view rest and why you avoid it.

PRINT out a permission slip or create one for yourself! JESUS gives you permission to REST!

elijah by dieric bouts

CHECK OUT the altar piece called ” HEAVENLY MEAL ” where this painting of Elijah is found.

USE YOUR BROOM as a reminder!  Elijah took a nap under the broom tree. Find a small broom or use your regular broom a visual reminder to REST. Put it out somewhere so you will be reminded daily.

BROOM reminding me to rest

So this weekend, fix yourself a snack and plan time to take a nap and actually REST! Elijah actually needed TWO DAYS! Maybe you do too! Allow Jesus to provide for you. Allow others to help you in your work. Don’t hesitate to ask for what you need! Remember that REST IS HOLY! and it’s one of the BIG TEN!  Why not make REST your spiritual practice for this summer?

If you need help…The Gift of a Sacred Summer is a devotional kit of spiritual practices I created to help us PRACTICE! The first GIFT is REST! You can purchase the Gift of a Sacred Summer for yourself or someone you love at freerangeworship.com

We have a version for individuals as well as for churches that includes graphics for instagram!

Sacred Summer KIT

©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com

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by Christine Sine

Editor’s Note: This is a repost from the original God the Father Reimagined post, and is part of a larger series on God the Father. We are reposting this in honor of the upcoming Father’s Day.

Since writing yesterday’s post I have thought a lot about my reaction to the idea of God as father. Where does my struggle with God as Father come from? It occurred to me yesterday as I basked in the images of the loving, caring, generous father I wrote about that my struggle begins not with the patriarchal images that we often get hung up on, but with the expulsion from the garden of Eden. How could this possibly be the action of a loving, caring God I have often thought? More like the angry, violent parent I grew up with.

So today I want to do something that you might think a little strange. I am going to reimagine this narrative from the perspective of what I think a loving parent would do and why.

God the mother gave birth to humankind and God the father went out and built a home for his children to live – a beautiful garden dwelling that we call the Garden of Eden. In this wonderful protective environment men and women grew up, walking and playing with God the father and mother in the evenings. All their needs for shelter and food were met by God who hovered around them like a good protective parent. They had a few chores to perform but no responsibility to work for their own provision.

Then they grew up and into the rebellious teenage years when they started to look around and realize that there was a great big world outside the garden that they wanted to explore. In this world, their protective father warned them, there was both good and evil. It is a world, he told them, in which they would now have to toil for their own food and work hard to provide for themselves and their own children. But humankind did not listen. They no longer wanted to be protected from the big bad world, they wanted to find their own way.

So God let them go. God the father sent them away from home out into the world where they would have to fend for themselves. He had given them a good education in how to till the soil and make it flourish but only he knew how much work this involved. Mother God sewed clothes, gave them food and sent them on their way, knowing that life would not be easy for them and that hardship and anguish lay ahead.

God knew his kids would mess up – fighting and killing each other, oppressing and enslaving each other, show greed, prejudice, hatred. He knew he would have to continue watching over them rescuing them as a good father would when they got into trouble, healing them as a loving mother when they got hurt and providing for them when they used up all their resources. But God loved them and knew that for them to come to full maturity they needed to take responsibility for their own actions. To find wholeness and be able to embrace eternal life as God wanted them too he needed to let them go and allow them to make mistakes. He knew that only in this way would they really become mature adults.

I think that it is this kind of narrative that is hidden in the parables and miracles of Jesus:

Good Shepherd Jesus Mafa

God the father is the shepherd who leaves 99 sheep to find the one who has gone astray is God our father tirelessly following the most wayward of his sheep.

God the father is Jesus reaching out to heal the only son of a widow who has been ostracized by her society and has no means of provision or protection without him.

God the father is Jesus sitting on the mountain distributing 2 fish and 5 loaves to feed 5,000 because he wants to remind us of the generosity of good parents.

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Return of the Prodigal Son, c. 1661–1669. 262 cm × 205 cm. Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg public domain

God the Father, is the father who welcomes home all prodigal sons and daughters who have strayed, used up their money, become homeless, turned to drugs, or committed criminal acts and finally recognize that father together with God the mother, really does know best and will still provide a safe haven.

God our Father longs for us to come back home, and at great cost to himself, He has even set up a a well lit pathway – Jesus Christ the way, the truth and the life – to guide us.

For me personally, thinking about this imagery of a loving father protecting, providing for and guiding his children together with images of God the mother working together, is both renewing and healing. What do you think?

This is part of my series on God as Father. You may like to check out the full series:

Meditation Monday: The Father heart of God

Let’s Get Creative for Father’s Day

God the Father Reimagined

A Prayer for Father’s Day

And for those who want to balance this with maternal images of God check out my posts from the week before Mother’s day:

Meditation Monday – Connecting to the Mother heart of God

Biblical Maternal Images of God by Shiao Chong

Maternal Images of God – a video and a prayer

Let’s Get Creative – Honouring Our Mothers

Anselm’s Prayer to St Paul: Our Greatest Mother

Litany for Mother’s Day 2015

It’s almost time to choose a winner! Will it be you? If you haven’t entered yet, click here for details on how to enter and get bonus entries. It’s like getting extra raffle tickets – but for free! Christine Sine is giving away two copies of her newest book, Digging Deeper: The Art of Contemplative Gardening. Winner will be announced at the Digging Deeper Webinar on June 25th!

by Melissa Taft

In Case You Missed It:

New Theme

Godspace is sporting a new theme! Living as Christ Live: Towards Justice, Love, and Peace for All Creation hopes to inspire you to love, to uphold justice, to act with peace for all creation. Christine Sine kicked off our new theme with a Meditation Monday on The Value of Naming. How can we live towards justice, love, and peace for all creation with our labels? From the article:

“This example inspired me not just to rename the animals, birds, and people around me, but also to learn the hope-filled names of places and plants given as the results of destructive actions, replacing violence with language and symbols of the peace that surrounds us. My mind always goes to the peace rose that has an incredible history of survival and naming as a result of WWII. Then there are the trees that survived the horrors of the Hiroshima nuclear explosion. There are 170, known as peace trees. Seeds from them are now being sent around the world. There is also a pear tree that survived the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It is known as the survivor tree. I find hope and inspiration in the resilience and survival of these trees. They encourage me to believe that by renaming important structures around us, we could one day see an end to war, gun violence, and the destruction of creation.”

Be on the lookout for different ways we hope to explore what it means to live as Christ lived with an emphasis on justice, love, and peace for all creation. Summer and winter are seasons of hospitality, for different reasons, and as it is about to be summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere, we will be posting some of our Hospitality resources. We also will explore our theme through creativity and art such as poetry, which are such important expressions of intent.

Upcoming Webinar

We are offering a FREE WEBINAR on Christine Sine’s new book! On Saturday June 25th at 9:30 AM PT, Christine will be discussing her new book and inviting participation and discussions for those who are interested in learning about the art of contemplative gardening. There will even be an opportunity for show-and-tell! Bring along one item you would like to incorporate in a contemplative garden or a photo of your already created contemplative garden and join the fun discussion.

For all the details and to sign up, visit tinyurl.com/DiggingDeeperWebinar or click here. If you sign up before 9 pm PT Friday June 24th, you will automatically be entered into the giveaway to WIN a copy of Digging Deeper: The Art of Contemplative Gardening. Which brings us to the next #ICYMI:

Digging Deeper Giveaway

Christine Sine is giving away two copies of her new book. There are multiple ways to enter, meaning more chances for your name to get picked – much like a raffle! The winners will be announced during the webinar. For more information or to enter visit tinyurl.com/DiggingDeeperGiveaway or click here.

Of course, you don’t need to wait for the giveaway – you can get a copy of Digging Deeper on our website or directly via Amazon. We have been encouraged by those of you who already own a copy and have entered the giveaway regardless – some of you intending to gift the copy if you win to a loved one. We are enjoying the feedback and reviews that have come for the book – such as this comment by Anya Almgren on the Godspace Light Community Group on Facebook:

I’ve been reading it to my mom as we’ve been sitting on our porch, enjoying the gorgeous day today. We were almost half-way through it and had to stop to jot down ideas for our own contemplative gardens. My mom hasn’t been able to garden and struggles with focusing, doing, and completing creative projects since her stroke last summer; and, yet, this seems doable to her and something she’s inspired to try. She appreciates that these gardens can change over time and that she can work on them in stages, at her own pace, while contemplating how the Holy Spirit is leading her. Thank you, Christine!

Isn’t that lovely? If you, too, would like to learn about the creative and flexible art of contemplative gardens, don’t miss your chance to enter!

#ICYMI Post Round-Up

Our FreeRange Friday favorite Lilly Lewin had some guest contributors write for her column while she was out of town – and came back with this powerful entreaty on pilgrimage. Be sure not to miss it – or the Facebook Live inspired by her pilgrimage to sacred places!

Keren Dibbens-Wyatt closed out our previous theme Restoring Rhythms and Seasons with this beautiful and personal contemplation on Seasons of Hope. From the post: “I want to speak hope into the lives of the desperate, tell what I know of hanging on to the truth that God is love, even in dark, dank corners. I want to give that six-year-old me the magical stories that kept her going, and the thirty-year-old me spiritual guidance. I want to reach out with my imagination and paint my roses and push on the backs of wardrobes, and let myself bloom in the garden.”

Our new resource page for holidays and observances has struck a chord with many of you. Godspace continues to proudly be a resource for seasons of the church and other celebrations – our most popular post of the past 30 days was unsurprisingly our Pentecost Resource post. We are so delighted to be a source of inspiration for your personal and liturgical walks.

by Christine Sine

Editor’s Note: Today is Flag Day in America, a day that celebrates identity for Americans. The imagery of an American Flag is powerful for many Americans, one that has been poignantly used in many crucial moments of history. Christine touches on how flags speak to our identity below, and how she used these identifying markers to transform her Easter Garden into a Pentecost one. We are now in Ordinary Time – or more aptly put, Pentecost Season, so reposting this felt relevant in our current theme and season. We hope this helps you live into Pentecost Season; Living as Christ Lived: Towards Justice, Love and Peace for All Creation. 

You can find the original post here. And as a fun side note, this garden is included in Christine’s latest book Digging Deeper: The Art of Contemplative Gardening. She goes into more depth about it there – which you could read about if you are one of the lucky winners in next week’s book giveaway! That’s right, we are giving away two copies of her new book. To enter and for all the details, visit tinyurl.com/DiggingDeeperGiveaway or click here!

~  ~  ~

My Easter garden has undergone its final transformation. Last week I splurged on a pack of 100 Different Country flags and over the weekend added as many flags as I could to my garden to form a Pentecost prayer garden. What resonates most with me about Pentecost is that the crowds that gathered in Jerusalem that day didn’t all speak the same language, they understood each other in their own languages across the barriers of culture and race. Pentecost speaks to me of global unity and understanding. As I planted my flags, I realized how few of them I could identify. Even when I prayed for India I had to do a Google search to identify its flag before I could make sure it was prominently displayed. It made me wonder if one important step in reaching for cultural understanding is to learn to identify the flags of our neighbours all around the world. So I went hunting and came up with some fascinating facts thanks to this helpful article. He explains:

Did you know that Denmark holds the Guinness world record for the oldest continuously used national flag? Mozambique is the only country in the world whose flag incorporates a modern weapon – an AK 47 – representing vigilance and defense and South Africa’s flag contains the greatest variety of colours. The UK flag consists of the crosses of St George, St Patrick and St Andrew. Interestingly St George who is the patron saint of England was probably born in Cappadocia to a Syrian mother. He is thought to have died in Lyydia in the Roman province of Palestine.

Flags speak of our identity both personal and national and our feelings towards them tell us a lot about our feelings towards our own country and those of our global neighbours. I realized this as I held my Australian and American flags in my hand this morning and placed them side by side in my garden. I have much stronger feelings towards the Australian flag and towards Australia, in spite of the fact that I have not lived there for almost 50 years. It is past time for me to seek for great understanding of the culture into which I have been transplanted and grown over the last 30 years.

One of the disciplines I have decided to institute as part of my Pentecost celebration this year is learning to identify as many national flags as possible and in the process I plan to learn a little about the countries they represent in the desire to do what little I can for global understanding, peace and unity.

Evolution of a Garden

Contemplative garden – Time for Love

You may remember that this garden began as my Time to Love garden, in which I planted seeds and arranged several heart shaped stones as a symbol of both hope and of the love of God most evident in Easter season. The garden evolved when I noticed that the plants were crowding each other out and so I transplanted most of them into small pots to nurture them until they were big enough to plant out in the garden. This weekend I planted most of them into their permanent places in the garden, hopefully ready to grow and produce blossom and fruit amongst the other already established plants. On that occasion, I commented:

For the seedlings that have sprouted to produce their full harvest, they must be uprooted, transplanted and eventually replanted all around the garden. Maybe they will even take the love stones with them or need some new and bigger “love stones” around them.

by Christine Sine

Last week one of my brothers sent me an article about John Uren – a man who was not just a friend and mentor, but more of a father figure, to the new Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. When I read the article I wept. John Uren was an amazing man. He was one of the larger-than-life figures of my childhood, though I did not really appreciate him. A hard-core Labour politician, greatly respected, and a man of integrity. Maybe not what we think is a recipe for a man loved and used by God, but so he was.

What formed the trajectory of his life was his experiences during WWII. He was captured by the Japanese and sent to work on the infamous Burmese railway which resulted in the deaths of thousands of young men. John Uren had been a heavyweight boxer in Sydney, and was still a big man in spite of his starvation. He would place his body in front of other prisoners, especially the small and vulnerable, to stop them being beaten to death by the prison guards.

Towards the end of the war he was transported to Japan to slave in a copper smelter at Saganoseki. On August 9, 1945, he saw the sky turn an unearthly violet colour, twenty times more vivid than a sunset, when the atomic bomb was dropped on the distant port of Nagasaki.

These experiences did not destroy Uren as they did many others, they made him resolve to use the lessons as a framework for his life. Chief among those lessons was the effort of his commander on the death railway, the surgeon Edward “Weary” Dunlop, to harness the means of the entire camp for the good of all. Evidently, Dunlop ordered Australian officers – who received a small allowance – to contribute to a fund to buy simple medicines and black-market food for sick POWs. In that camp, POWs died at a much lower rate than in surrounding camps where this was not the policy. “The healthy looked after the sick, the strong looked after the weak, the young looked after the old,” he’d tell anyone who’d listen.” (SMHS I love the boy: The Gift Our Prime Minister Received from a Bamboo Prison)

Collectivism, concern for neighbour, especially for the vulnerable, strong advocacy for peace and nuclear disarmament,  ardent environmentalism, became the central passion of his life. That’s why he became a father to a young man who had no father, a young man who would one day become Australia’s Prime Minister, and who began his election campaign by saying: “We will look after the young, we will look after the sick, we will look after our older Australians. No one held back. No one left behind” – showing that same passion as the man who had helped shape his life.

John Uren was not a man of faith as we understand it but I think he was a man deeply loved by God and his life was a wonderful example of God’s love poured out to those around him. As I reflect on his life today I wonder how many other young men and women, deeply loved by God, who live as Christ would live, we disregard because they don’t call themselves Christians.

I think that the love of God is present within all people. Sometimes buried deep within the soul. Sometimes a ray of light and life to all those they come in contact with.

Take time today to think about the men and women you know who radiate the love of God and the life of Christ, even though they don’t call themselves Christians. Some of them may not be well known like John Uren. In fact they might only be known by you and a few others. Make a list. Is there some way you could reach out and thank them for their love, generosity and life?

That’s right, Christine Sine is giving away two copies of her latest book, Digging Deeper: The Art of Contemplative Gardening!

Just a little less than TWO WEEKS left to enter – June 24th is the last day for your entries to be counted! Click here for more information!

A contemplative service with music in the spirit of Taize. Carrie Grace Littauer, prayer leader, with music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers.

Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-710-756 with additional notes below:

by Christine Sine

Editor’s Note: This is a repost of a Meditation Monday found here.

Last week for Pentecost Sunday I decided to walk around my garden photographing all the red flowers to fill my life with a little Pentecostal fire. It was so much fun. There were red roses and poppies, geraniums and lupines, and my stunning epiphyllum cactus orchid flowering in all its magnificence on my front porch. Then around the neighbourhood I saw red rhododendrons, camellias and lilies. Such a display, so much diversity. I couldn’t help but chuckle at these fiery displays that seemed to cry out “happy birthday to the church”.

Red rose

Red lupine

Red poppy

Red Epiphyllum cactus orchid

Celebrating the Trinity

This week, as we celebrated Trinity Sunday yesterday, I decided to look for flowers and leaves with a tripartite structure that reflected the three in one nature of the Trinity – God is One in three – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It was a great deal of fun and it emphasized for me yet again how much we miss out on when we don’t know how to connect the glory of creation to the story of our faith.

The most familiar trinitarian symbol is the Irish shamrock, Oxalis acetosella, with its three-lobed leaves, which St. Patrick supposedly pointed out to the Irish as a symbol of the true Trinitarian God of whom he preached to them, and in whose name he blessed nature to sanctify it. I prefer the brilliant display of this purple shamrock, however.

Purple shamrock

There are lots of other plants that bear the Trinity symbolism too, many of them with three-petaled flowers that represented Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

My favourite is Trillium grandiflorum, a native of north-eastern and north-western U.S. known as the Trillium lily because it is said to symbolize the Trinity. Both its flower and leaves are tripartite – talk about wonderful imagery for us to meditate on.

Trillium Lily – Jean Andrianoff

Other plants bear the Trinity symbolism too, from their three-petaled flowers. In Europe, the wild pansy, or johnny-jump-up, viola tricolor, was also widely known as Trinity Flower – for the three colors of each of its flowers, from which familiar present-day larger pansies blooms have been bred with one or two colors usually dominant.

hybrid pansy

An interesting aspect of bred pansy strains is that though one colour may dominate, the other two colors are always preserved at the centers of the blooms. Thus, pansies of yellow dominance may be seen to symbolize the glory of the heavenly Father; purple: the sorrows of the incarnate Son; and white: the light of the empowering Holy Spirit – with the other colors in each instance always retained at the center, serving to remind us that whenever one of the Persons of the Trinity is present the others are present also, in the unity of the Godhead of love. What a delight to walk around my pansy display and examine this aspect of their beautiful sunny faces.

Aloe Vera – a Different Trinitarian Symbol

I was amazed to discover that Aloe vera, that great healing plant, also known as a miracle plant, burn plant, first aid plant, lily of the desert, jelly leek, plant of life and plant of immortality because of its many uses can also be seen as a symbol of the Trinity. Its Trinity symbolism refers to the characteristic successive emergence of new foliage spears from the base of young plants in groups of three – first two beginning spears, and then a third one between them – reflecting the emergence of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son in the interior of the Trinity.

Aloe vera

Today I discovered that the strawberry plant with its beautiful serrated tripartite leaf was another plant used to teach about the Trinity.

Strawberry leaf

There are many other plants that have Biblical significance – some of them because they are mentioned in the Bible, others because they have been associated with various aspects of the Biblical story, and now I find that every time I look at a flower or the arrangement of new leaves on a plant that I am looking for that trinitarian pattern. How about you? When was the last time that you looked intentionally at a plant with the hope of once more finding the imprint of our Triune God?

Maybe you don’t get as excited about garden plants as I do, but perhaps there are other symbols that speak to you of the nature of God and encourage you to draw close and worship. Even our finger with its three bones was used as a representation of the Trinity by Celtic Christians as is evident in this Celtic prayer.

I love connecting the symbols of our world and daily life to the biblical story and encourage you to do so too. If you have never done this before or even if you have, I encourage you to check out our Sacred Summer retreat, which is an online course where we explore other fun symbols through which we can enrich our relationship with God.

Join Christine Sine and June Friesen live in the Godspace Light Community Group for a Facebook Live discussion on what inspires June’s photography and daily reflections. Can’t join live? Keep your eye on Christine’s YouTube Channel for the recording to be uploaded later!

By Lilly Lewin

Yesterday, June 9th, is the day we remember St. Columba of Iona, also know as Colm Cille/Colmcille which means the Dove of the Church. St Columba was an a Irish monk born into the Irish royal family who instead of ruling from a throne, traveled to the island of Iona to establish a monastic center of learning and Christian mission. Columba took with him twelve followers and he set sail  from Ireland landing on Iona in 563 AD. There are two fun videos at the end of this post you can watch and learn more about St. Columba and the history of Iona and the founding of Scotland itself.

st columba’s bay

St Columba’s Bay

The Celtic Christians knew that God could be seen best in places of beauty and Columba felt God spoke not only through Scripture, but also through the wind and rain, the sea and the sky and even the rocks and stones of Iona and highlands of Scotland.

Iona Stones

Columba’s Bay iona

The monastic community that grew on Iona gained fame and impacted all of Scotland and Northern England. Kings sent their children to learn there and chose to be buried there.  Along with learning, craftsmanship in stone and silver and iron were thriving on Iona. The first High Cross  was created on Iona and  I learned this trip that possibly the first Celtic Cross …the circle with the cross on top of it was also first seen on Iona.( Before my recent trip, I believed it was in Ireland first because of St. Patrick .)  The High Cross in front of the Abbey today has stood in that spot for 1200 years! It has the oldest image of the Madonna and Child in all of Europe along with Daniel in the lion’s den.

St. Martin’s Cross

High Celtic Cross ..St Martin’s Cross

One legend has it that St Columba had to leave Ireland because of a war over an illuminated manuscript . Columba had hand copied the book of Psalms with out permission . The Abbot Finian found out and knew it would be wonderful so he wanted to keep it at his church not share it with Columba. This became a clan war and many people died over this Psalter. As a penance for the losses, Columba left Ireland to save as many souls as were lost in battle. And he did that and much more!

And speaking of illuminated manuscripts, one of the most famous is The Book of Kells and was most likely created on Iona or at least begun by the monks on Iona and perhaps later finished in Kells.  You can see it today at Trinity College, in Dublin.

book of kells

St. Columba is famous for many prayers .  He had a special hut built in front of the abbey where he wrote and prayed and read the bible daily. He is also famous for giving his community a(nd all of us ) a blessing on his death bed.

“I give to you, my children, these final words: ‘Be at peace with one another, bound together by mutual and unfeigned love. If you do this, according to the example of the ancient fathers, God, who gives strength to the righteous, will bless you: and I, abiding with Him, shall intercede for you. Not only will God provide all things needed for this present life, but He shall prepare for you the blessings of eternity.”

St Columba’s last reported words of blessing in Celtic Daily Prayer (New York: Harper Collins, 2002) 767.

What would it be like if we truly lived into being at peace with one another? What if we all chose to be bound together in mutual love?

How would you need to think differently or act differently?

With whom would you need to reconcile?

Take time to today to pray for peace for any conflict in your life. 

Like Columba, pray for your community to have more peace and less conflict. Pray against the spirit of fear and disunity…in your own life, in the lives of your friends and family and in your country.

It is said that the last thing St. Columba wrote down, was Psalm 34 ( this is just the first 10 verses)

Take time this week to sit with this psalm . Pray with it.

What do you notice? What does the Holy Spirit high light for you?

⁴ I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
    He freed me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
    no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
⁶ In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
    he saved me from all my troubles.
⁷ For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
    he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

“I give to you, my children, these final words: ‘Be at peace with one another, bound together by mutual and unfeigned love. If you do this, according to the example of the ancient fathers, God, who gives strength to the righteous, will bless you: and I, abiding with Him, shall intercede for you. Not only will God provide all things needed for this present life, but He shall prepare for you the blessings of eternity.”

St Columba’s last reported words of blessing in Celtic Daily Prayer (New York: Harper Collins, 2002) 767.

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