| Prayer | O Sun behind all suns O Soul within all souls grant me the grace of the dawn’s glory grant me the strength of the sun’s rays that I may be well in my own soul and part of the world’s healing this day. |
| Meditation | Today, walk with me to the other side of now. Join me crossing the bridge to over there. Slowly, to the edge of too far, Then back again to the safe and near. Here, tell me your story, your life, your soul. Share with me the joy and spirit I see in your face. Tell me a little too much, too real, too true, Then laugh to save yourself and me. Then, hear me, my song, my poem, me. See the passion and love you hear in my voice. I’ll go a little too deep, too true, too close, Then cry to save myself and you. There, we’ll make our own story, epic and wise. Crossing to a new place, a strange place, a home. We’ll wander far and wide, away and distant, Then home again to save ourselves and each other. What can we possibly imagine walking together? Our lives, our souls, our spirits changing as we go, We’ll go too fast, then too slow, too much, And back again to each other arms outstretched. Now, walk with me to the other side of forever. Dance to the places in the world, in our hearts, to divinity. Nowhere will be too far, too real, too much, too fast, too slow. And we will be saved, by our walking together, crying, laughing, crossing. Crossing by Rick Appleby |
| Affirmation | The Navajo teach their children that every morning when the sun comes up, it’s a brand-new sun. It’s born each morning, it lives for the duration of one day, and in the evening it passes on, never to return again. As soon as the children are old enough to understand, the adults take them out at dawn and they say, “The sun has only one day. You must live this day in a good way, so that the sun won’t have wasted precious time.” Acknowledging the preciousness of each day is a good way to live, a good way to reconnect with our basic joy. From The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chödrön |
| Prayer | Journeying God, pitch your tent with mine so that I may not become deterred by hardship, strangeness, doubt. Show me the movement I must make toward a wealth not dependent on possessions toward a wisdom not based on books toward a strength not bolstered by might toward a God not confined to heaven but scandalously earthed, poor, unrecognized… help me to find myself as I walk in others’ shoes. by Kate Compston |
| Meditation | Our true home is in the present moment. To live in the present moment is a miracle. The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now. Peace is all around us— in the world and in nature— and within us— in our bodies and our spirits. Once we learn to touch this peace, we will be healed and transformed. It is not a matter of faith; it is a matter of practice. by Thich Nhat Hanh |
| Affirmation | Now is the time to know That all that you do is sacred. Now, why not consider A lasting truce with yourself and God. Now is the time to understand That all your ideas of right and wrong Were just a child’s training wheels To be laid aside When you can finally live With veracity And love. Hafiz is a divine envoy Whom the Beloved Has written a holy message upon. My dear, please till me, Why do you still Throw sticks at your heart And God? What is it in that sweet voice inside That incites you to fear? Now is the time for the world to know That every thought and action is sacred. This is the time For you to deeply compute the impossibility That there is anything But Grace. Now is the season to know That everything you do Is sacred. Now Is The Time by Hafiz |
| Prayer | Spirit of God, brooding over the waters of our chaos, inspire us to generous living. Wind of God, dancing over the desert of our reluctance, lead us to the oasis of celebration. Breath of God, inspiring communication among strangers, make us channels of your peace. Spirit of God by Kate McIlhagga |
| Meditation | Beloved, what do you want of me? I contain all that was, and that is, and shall be, I am filled with the all. Take of me all you please— if you want all of myself, I’ll not say no. Tell me, beloved, what you want of me— I am Love, who am filled with the all: what you want, we want, beloved— tell us your desire nakedly. by Marguerite Porete (?-1310) From Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women, ed. by Jane Hirschield, 1994 Harper Collins Publishers, p. 98 |
| Affirmation | Sing me a song, lull me to sleep Help me, O God, to lie down in peace Commune with the stars no matter how far they seem Resolving my days through my dreams Sing me a song, leave a smile on my lips Let my eyes close under Your tender kiss As I drink in Your warmth, peace is my fill My body and mind can lie still Ufros Aleinu, Sukkat Shlomecha Spread over us, God, the shelter of your peace. Sing me a song, O God I am weary Lighten my sorrow, wipe away tears Keep me from harm when I don’t know harm’s near me Shelter me God from my fears Ufros Aleinu, Sukkat Shlomecha Spread over us, God, the shelter of your peace. Sing me a song, lull me to sleep Help me, O God, to lie down in peace Sing Me A Song Words & Music by Beth A. Schafer based on the Hebrew Text, Haskiveinu Prayer |