The Prayer of the Trees

From the prophet Ezekiel:

Thus says the Lord GOD: I will take a sprig from the top of a cedar; I will break off a tender twig from its uppermost branches and plant it on a high mountain. There it will grow into a noble cedar, producing branches and bearing fruit, and under it the creatures will burrow and in its shade the birds will nest. Then all the trees from field to forest will know that I am the LORD, who makes low trees tall and who cuts low the highest tree, who dries up the green trees and makes the dry trees flourish again. I am the LORD; I will do this. (Ezekiel 17:22-24, adapted)

Imagine the praise of the trees in the fields and the forests! Imagine the hope of the dry trees and the trembling of the tall proud trees! Imagine the prayer of the cedar sprig, newly planted and striving to grow!

Breath of my breath and Core of my Being
You made all things.
You know my weaknesses and my faults-
The improper lines, the too-strong advances,
The petty resentments and indignities that I refuse to shoulder silently
You give me all that I need-
Beyond my food in due season,
You clothe me in broad swaths of deepest green
And give me the songs for my dance....

When we are in congregation,

We lift our arms to you, remembering the source of our joy

Our roots spread their toes, gripping the earth-

Giving our praise lift and balance.

We who are tuned to your voice

Seek to hear its life-giving murmurs all day long.

We cannot bear your silence,

Your waiting.

Keep us a-hum by the Spirit's tuning fork,

vibrating to the goodness of your commands

Create in us new life
As is befitting to your plan
for hope, goodness, and a future
Let us dare to be witnesses
to your greatness, your mercy,
your grace, and your love
Make us instruments of renewal and restoration-
builders of kin-dom and community.

Remember those who depend on us. Do not let them be forgotten.

Grant us the grace to be generous with what you have first given us- all that we have, all that we are, all that we have yet to know.

Do not forget our wounds, O Creator. Do not allow our brokenness to separate us from your love. Draw near to us and heal us. Heal us for service to your holy desires.

Bring us to a good death, O Holy One.

In your kindness, allow us to decrease as you increase.

Grant us a vision of the Eternal Word, enfleshed as Jesus

Who knew the trees as his cradle, his trade, and the means of his death

Allow his presence to pioneer the way and guide us

As we move from one life to the next

In your loving-kindness, bring us to eternal life in you.

Comments

I'm In

A few weeks ago , I was using voice-to-text to compose some prayers. After I was finished speaking the whole list, I was proof-reading the document and realized that everywhere I said “Amen”, the voice-to-text wrote “I’m in”. “Amen” essentially means “may it be so”, but what would it look like to end our prayers with “I’m in”. What would change if we rose from our knees, left our prayer closets, closed our devotionals, and moved with purpose toward the goals for which we had just prayed. Lord, in your mercy: Grant justice to the oppressed and disenfranchised (I’m in) Cast down the mighty from their thrones (I’m in) Console the grieving and welcome the prodigal (I’m in) Welcome strangers and attend to the marginalized (I’m in) Grant the space for the silenced to speak… and listen (I’m in) Fill the hungry with good things and send the rich away empty (I’m in) Forgive others as I am forgiven (I’m in) Be merciful as God in h...

The Reign of Christ and the Long Defeat

At one point in The Lord of the Rings, the royal elf Galadriel describes her life and experience and says, “… we have fought the long defeat.” Galadriel, like other elves and the Hobbits and many others, is depicted as being on the right side of things in the books. The Company of the Ring (the Fellowship) wins and defeats the forces of evil. Why would she consider this a “long defeat”? Furthermore, why would J.R.R. Tolkien, the author, apply the same term to himself. He wrote in a letter, “Actually, I am a Christian, and indeed a Roman Catholic, so that I do not expect ‘history’ to be anything but a 'long defeat’ – though it contains (and in a legend may contain more clearly and movingly) some samples or glimpses of final victory.” (Letter #195) Tolkien, a Brit, fought in World War 1. Though he was on the side that “won”, he saw the devastation following the war on all sides- how the “winners” struggled with what they had seen and done and how the “losers” were galvanized to see ...

What is Best (Sermon)

Pentecost 15 (Year A) Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9; Psalm 15; James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 I recently read a novel set in a post-pandemic, apocalyptic world. In the book, people were working to re-establish pockets of society. A traveling symphony moved from town to town in caravans- performing music and works of Shakespeare. Early in their travels, they had tried other plays, but people only wanted to see Shakespearean works. One of the symphony members commented on the desire for Shakespeare, "People want what was best about the world." As I read and since I finished the book, I kept thinking about that phrase. People want what was best about the world. People want what was best about the world. That is true even when we’re not in a cataclysmic re-working of what we’ve always known. The very idea of nostalgia, of longing for what once was, is about wanting what was best about the world or what seemed like the best to us. One of the massive tension...

Faith, Grace, and Hope

Search This Blog