Our pattern of prayer in the Episcopal Church is one that shapes us for empathy and action. It is a pattern of prayer that helps us balance an inward focus with an outward focus, and trains us to notice and respond to the needs of others. It is normal (and healthy) for a child's prayers to begin with those closest to them--family members, pets, best friends. The Book of Common Prayer offers us a pattern of prayer that can help people of all ages build a habit for praying, not only for those who are near to us, but for the whole world. The Prayer Book instructs us to include at every Eucharist, our prayers for:
For Children's Chapel at St. Mark's, we've set aside 6 small jars with visual prompts to remind us to offer prayers not only for ourselves, but for people, places, and things in each of these 6 categories. When a child offers a prayer, they are invited to place a small jewel or pebble in the appropriate jar. (I've made several extra copies of the visual prompts, in case you'd like to replicate this practice at home.) On July 28th, the children will lead the Prayers of the People during Sunday Worship at St. Mark's. They will also lead the whole congregation in a sung response to the prayers: "Come Holy Spirit" by John Bell. Come Holy Spirit (Come Holy Spirit) Come Holy Spirit (Come Holy Spirit) *Maranatha! (Maranatha!) Come, Lord Come. (Come, Lord Come.) * Note: "Maranatha" is an Aramaic word meaning "O Lord, Come!" In the face of the needs of the world and the needs in our own lives, we don't need to tell God what to do. God doesn't need our instructions or advice. We just need to call on God--the source of all love, all life, all light; the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all things-- to draw near and dwell with us in the midst of all our pain, our suffering, our uncertainty, our need, our fear, our hope; and to grant us the strength, wisdom, and inspiration to respond with faith and courage to the needs of the world.
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Happy are those.... whose delight is in the law of the Lord... They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. (Psalm 1:2-3) The beautiful image of a fruit bearing tree planted by a river, which we find in the Psalms, has provided a central focus for our Diocese under the guidance of our new Bishop since our last diocesan convention in November 2018. Our Bishop has invited all of us to imagine ourselves--the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of the Rio Grand--as a tree with Deep Roots and a Broad Reach. What does it mean for you to have deep roots and a broad reach? What does it mean for your children? Your family? St. Mark's? Our diocese? Our denomination? What helps YOU feel rooted? What feeds & refreshes you, allowing you to grow, flourish and bear fruit in different seasons? What is the relationship between rooting down and reaching out in your life and family? This Summer we will be creating a community mosaic, depicting a tree, in the courtyard at St. Mark's. We hope that everyone in the St. Mark's community will get involved in this exciting project. As we work on this project together this summer, and as we enjoy the finished mosaic for years to come, I invite you to continue reflecting on the image of a tree, and the concept of "Deep Roots, Broad Reach." You can learn more about St. Mark's "Tree of Life" Community Courtyard Mosaic Project here. Learn the SongThis month's Song of the Month is a variation of a song by singer/songwriter Betsy Rose. Standing like a tree with my roots sent down my branches wide and open down comes the rain down comes the sun down comes the Word* to a heart that is longing to be standing like a tree.... *In other versions of the song this word appears as "fruit", "love", and "moon". For purposes of Children's Chapel, we've chosen to sing "Word" as in Jesus, the Word, that comes down from heaven to give life to the world. Once you are comfortable with the words and the melody, try singing the song as a round in two or more parts! St. Mark's children will share this song as the Offertory Anthem during Worship on Sunday, June 23rd. Learn the MovementsThis month I'd like to introduce you to a song we've been singing regularly in Children's Chapel this spring, both on Sundays (with the church) and Wednesdays (with the preschool.) We open each session of Children's Chapel singing an adaptation (Hymn 714 in the Episcopal Hymnal) of a familiar Jewish round, Shalom Chaverim. The word "shalom" is often translated "peace", but it has more depth and richness of meaning than can be contained in any single English word. If you're interested in a more thorough exploration of the word, this Wikipedia entry is a good place to start. In the context of Children's Chapel, this song provides a means for acknowledging, greeting and blessing one another by name as we gather, and for beginning to settle our hearts, minds, and bodies so that we can listen for God speaking to us through a story. I introduce the song by saying: The first and last gift of the Risen Christ to His disciples was peace, shalom, and so whenever we gather, we share God's peace with one another. Shhhhhhh--ALL--om.... Shhhhhhh--ALL--om.... Shhhhhhh--ALL--om.... Then we begin to sing: Shalom my friends, shalom my friends Shalom, Shalom Shalom my friends, shalom my friends Shalom, Shalom After we sing the song once through, we begin to go around the circle, replacing "my friends" with the name of each child in the circle. Shalom to Lucia, Shalom to Johanna Shalom, Shalom Shalom to Jonah, Shalom to James Shalom, Shalom It is amazing to watch the children's anticipation build as their turn draws near, then to watch their faces shine with the joy and delight of being seen and known as we lovingly sing their name. When everyone has been greeted and blessed by name: We scoop up the peace we've created by singing and rub it together between our hands then bring God's peace to our heads, letting God's peace fill our minds We scoop up the peace we've created by singing and rub it together between our hands then bring God's peace to our hearts, feeling the warm peace fill our hearts We scoop up the peace we've created by singing and rub it together between our hands then bring God's peace to our legs And we feel God's peace fill our bodies and our hearts and our minds And we're ready to listen for God speaking to us through a story. Questions |
Song of the MonthIn early 2019 I began serving as assisting priest at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Albuquerque. St. Mark's is home to a diverse and rapidly growing faith community as well as a Montessori Preschool that serves ~50 preschool children and their families. Archives
June 2020
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