Terrapin Station

My community is praying

My community is praying. 

A two year old is missing from his apartment. He was taking a nap, his mama went to check on him, he was gone. Foul play has not been suspected so far. 

 

It's in my neighborhood; I live on Oak Street. 

Yesterday hundreds of volunteers, police from all over the area, search and rescue canines, and helicopters searched; and all night long, planes equipped with infrared sensors looked for him. 

Local social media is buzzing. Some of the comments are nasty. 

But this morning I walked those blocks, looking in places that have already been combed many times, and here is what I saw:

People praying. 

They were not kneeling or clasping their hands. It's a very diverse neighborhood with lots of faiths and no faiths represented. But every person was praying in some way. They were walking, looking, standing, talking, watching the helicopter circle. Every single one of them was thinking of Sarbesh, hoping that he will be found soon; thinking of his parents; thinking of the first responders and volunteers. 

People are praying in Denton, Texas. Please pray with us. 

Another look at Psalm 37

A few weeks ago I wrote about how praying Psalm 37 is keeping me from flying off the planet. 

Here's another version, from The Order of St. Helena Psalter

Psalm 37

1 Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; *
do not be jealous of those who do wrong.
2 For they shall soon wither like the grass, *
and like the green grass fade away.
3 Put your trust in God and do good; *
dwell in the land and feed on its riches.
4 Take delight in God, *
who shall give you your heart’s desire.
5 Commit your way to God and put your trust in God, *
who will bring it to pass.
6 God will make your righteousness as clear as the light *
and your just dealing as the noonday.
7 Be still before God; *
for God wait patiently.
8 Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, *
the one who succeeds in evil schemes.
9 Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; *
do not fret yourself, it leads only to evil.
10 For evildoers shall be cut off, *
but those who wait upon God shall possess the land.
11 In a little while the wicked shall be no more; *
you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.
12 But the lowly shall possess the land; *
they will delight in abundance of peace.
13 The wicked plot against the righteous *
and gnash at them with their teeth.
14 God laughs at the wicked, *
seeing that their day will come.
15 The wicked draw their sword and bend their bow
to strike down the poor and needy, *
to slaughter those who are upright in their ways.
16 Their sword shall go through their own heart, *
and their bow shall be broken.
17 The little that the righteous has *
is better than great riches of the wicked.
18 For the power of the wicked shall be broken, *
but God upholds the righteous.
19 God cares for the lives of the faithful, *
and their inheritance shall last for ever.
20 They shall not be ashamed in bad times, *
and in days of famine they shall have enough.
21 As for the wicked, they shall perish, *
and the enemies of God, like the glory of the meadows, shall vanish;
they shall vanish like smoke.
22 The wicked borrow and do not repay, *
but the righteous are generous in giving.
23 Those who are blest by God shall possess the land, *
but those who are cursed shall be destroyed.
24 Our steps are directed by God, *
who strengthens those whose ways are upright.
25 If they stumble, they shall not fall headlong, *
for God holds them by the hand.
26 I have been young and now I am old, *
but never have I seen the righteous forsaken,
or their children begging bread.
27 The righteous are always generous in their lending, *
and their children shall be a blessing.
28 Turn from evil and do good, *
and dwell in the land for ever.
29 For God loves justice *
and does not forsake the faithful ones.
30 They shall be kept safe for ever, *
but the offspring of the wicked shall be destroyed.
31 The righteous shall possess the land *
and dwell in it for ever.
32 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, *
and their tongue speaks what is right.
33 The law of their God is in their heart, *
and their footsteps shall not falter.
34 The wicked spy on the righteous *
and seek occasion to kill them.
35 But God will not abandon them to their hand, *
nor let them be found guilty when brought to trial.
36 Wait upon God and keep God’s way; *
you will be raised up to possess the land,
and when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
37 I have seen the wicked in their arrogance, *
flourishing like a tree in full leaf.
38 I went by, and behold, they were not there; *
I searched for them, but they could not be found.
39 Mark those who are honest;
observe the upright; *
for there is a future for the peaceable.
40 Transgressors shall be destroyed, one and all; *
the future of the wicked is cut off.
41 But the deliverance of the righteous comes from God *
who is their stronghold in time of trouble.
42 God will help them and rescue them; *
the Holy One will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them,
because they seek refuge in God.

© Order of Saint Helena, used by permission

How can you pray at a time like this?

I don't know about you, but I'm finding it hard to pray these days. I'm so angry over so much that's happening in the world.

A few weeks ago, a clergy friend was posting on Facebook about her despair, and someone replied with the text of Psalm 37. And every day, I pray that psalm. And it is helping me. (Please note that I'm not sure I'm "the righteous." But it's helping me to hear that, whoever they are, God will not abandon them.)

(ps: do read to the end)

Psalm 37: Exhortation to Patience and Trust (NRSV)

Of David.

¹ Do not fret because of the wicked;
    do not be envious of wrongdoers,
² for they will soon fade like the grass,
    and wither like the green herb.

³ Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
⁶ He will make your vindication shine like the light,
    and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

⁷ Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
    do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
    over those who carry out evil devices.

⁸ Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
    Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
⁹ For the wicked shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

¹⁰ Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
    though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the land,
    and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

¹² The wicked plot against the righteous,
    and gnash their teeth at them;
¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    for he sees that their day is coming.

¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
    to bring down the poor and needy,
    to kill those who walk uprightly;
¹⁵ their sword shall enter their own heart,
    and their bows shall be broken.

¹⁶ Better is a little that the righteous person has
    than the abundance of many wicked.
¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
    but the Lord upholds the righteous.

¹⁸ The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
    and their heritage will abide forever;
¹⁹ they are not put to shame in evil times,
    in the days of famine they have abundance.

²⁰ But the wicked perish,
    and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
    they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

²¹ The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,
    but the righteous are generous and keep giving;
²² for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
    but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

²³ Our steps are made firm by the Lord,
    when he delights in our way;
²⁴ though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong,
    for the Lord holds us by the hand.

²⁵ I have been young, and now am old,
    yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
    or their children begging bread.
²⁶ They are ever giving liberally and lending,
    and their children become a blessing.

²⁷ Depart from evil, and do good;
    so you shall abide forever.
²⁸ For the Lord loves justice;
    he will not forsake his faithful ones.

The righteous shall be kept safe forever,
    but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the land,
    and live in it forever.

³⁰ The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
    and their tongues speak justice.
³¹ The law of their God is in their hearts;
    their steps do not slip.

³² The wicked watch for the righteous,
    and seek to kill them.
³³ The Lord will not abandon them to their power,
    or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.

³⁴ Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way,
    and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
    you will look on the destruction of the wicked.

³⁵ I have seen the wicked oppressing,
    and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.
³⁶ Again I passed by, and they were no more;
    though I sought them, they could not be found.

³⁷ Mark the blameless, and behold the upright,
    for there is posterity for the peaceable.
³⁸ But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
    the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹ The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
⁴⁰ The Lord helps them and rescues them;
    he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him.

 If this doesn't work for you, try The Message version: 

Psalm 37 The Message (MSG)

A David Psalm

37 ^1-2 Don’t bother your head with braggarts
    or wish you could succeed like the wicked.
In no time they’ll shrivel like grass clippings
    and wilt like cut flowers in the sun.

^3-4 Get insurance with God and do a good deed,
    settle down and stick to your last.
Keep company with God,
    get in on the best.

^5-6 Open up before God, keep nothing back;
    he’ll do whatever needs to be done:
He’ll validate your life in the clear light of day
    and stamp you with approval at high noon.

⁷ Quiet down before God,
    be prayerful before him.
Don’t bother with those who climb the ladder,
    who elbow their way to the top.

^8-9 Bridle your anger, trash your wrath,
    cool your pipes—it only makes things worse.
Before long the crooks will be bankrupt;
    God-investors will soon own the store.

^10-11 Before you know it, the wicked will have had it;
    you’ll stare at his once famous place and—nothing!
Down-to-earth people will move in and take over,
    relishing a huge bonanza.

^12-13 Bad guys have it in for the good guys,
    obsessed with doing them in.
But God isn’t losing any sleep; to him
    they’re a joke with no punch line.

^14-15 Bullies brandish their swords,
    pull back on their bows with a flourish.
They’re out to beat up on the harmless,
    or mug that nice man out walking his dog.
A banana peel lands them flat on their faces—
    slapstick figures in a moral circus.

^16-17 Less is more and more is less.
    One righteous will outclass fifty wicked,
For the wicked are moral weaklings
    but the righteous are God-strong.

^18-19 God keeps track of the decent folk;
    what they do won’t soon be forgotten.
In hard times, they’ll hold their heads high;
    when the shelves are bare, they’ll be full.

²⁰ God-despisers have had it;
    God’s enemies are finished—
Stripped bare like vineyards at harvest time,
    vanished like smoke in thin air.

^21-22 Wicked borrows and never returns;
    Righteous gives and gives.
Generous gets it all in the end;
    Stingy is cut off at the pass.

^23-24 Stalwart walks in step with God;
    his path blazed by God, he’s happy.
If he stumbles, he’s not down for long;
    God has a grip on his hand.

^25-26 I once was young, now I’m a graybeard—
    not once have I seen an abandoned believer,
    or his kids out roaming the streets.
Every day he’s out giving and lending,
    his children making him proud.

^27-28 Turn your back on evil,
    work for the good and don’t quit.
God loves this kind of thing,
    never turns away from his friends.

^28-29 Live this way and you’ve got it made,
    but bad eggs will be tossed out.
The good get planted on good land
    and put down healthy roots.

^30-31 Righteous chews on wisdom like a dog on a bone,
rolls virtue around on his tongue.
His heart pumps God’s Word like blood through his veins;
    his feet are as sure as a cat’s.

^32-33 Wicked sets a watch for Righteous,
he’s out for the kill.
God, alert, is also on watch—
    Wicked won’t hurt a hair of his head.

³⁴ Wait passionately for God,
don’t leave the path.
He’ll give you your place in the sun
    while you watch the wicked lose it.

^35-36 I saw Wicked bloated like a toad,
croaking pretentious nonsense.
The next time I looked there was nothing—
    a punctured bladder, vapid and limp.

^37-38 Keep your eye on the healthy soul,
scrutinize the straight life;
There’s a future
    in strenuous wholeness.
But the willful will soon be discarded;
    insolent souls are on a dead-end street.

^39-40 The spacious, free life is from God,
it’s also protected and safe.
God-strengthened, we’re delivered from evil—
    when we run to him, he saves us.

Pray Hard

Last week I was on a motorcycle trip in rural Arkansas.

You see a lot from a motorcycle that you might miss in a car.

I saw one of those moveable signs out in front of an auto body shop

with just two words on it:

PRAY HARD

"YES!" I thought, "Pray hard! that's what we all need to do."

I have been pondering ever since...

I think that person's neighbors may know what she or he is referring to.

But I do not.

We may believe utterly different things, we may be praying for opposing items

(cancelling each other out like in an election) (if prayer worked that way)

(see this news about a current election issue in Eureka Springs, AR)

But. I'm not sure that matters. I don't think prayer does work that way.

God is not a big ballot box.

I think that what's really important is that we all

PRAY HARD.

And listen for what God has to say back to us.

Praying the Front Page

A very simple prompt for your prayers today: pray the news. Local or international, front page or editorial page: pray through and for and about the news, knowing that "not one sparrow is forgotten in God's sight; even the hairs on your head are all counted" (Luke 12:6-7). I'm working on my prayer for today at my blog, "Faith and Water." -prompt by Rachel Hackenberg

Oh God! the news is so oppressive.

Those people on the Malaysian airliner: are they crashed? dead? drowned? Hostages somewhere? Political prisoners?

My knowing the specific answer is utterly inconsequential because: You know. You hold every one of those souls in your arms.

The crash of a drunken person's car into a crowd at SXSW in Austin

The dogs abused or neglected who now need care

The children who cannot receive proper food and education as political pawns

The disabled in countries where there are no services for them, but rather stigma and shame and abandonment

Every one of those sparrows, you have your eye on.

And me? Am I in there too, with my first-world problems and hurts and fears?

Help me to trust.

 

Wednesday Prayer: Welcome Morning

Cross posted at RevGalBlogPals

Welcome Morning

There is joy
in all:
in the hair I brush each morning,
in the Cannon towel, newly washed,
that I rub my body with each morning,
in the chapel of eggs I cook
each morning,
in the outcry from the kettle
that heats my coffee
each morning,
in the spoon and the chair
that cry “hello there, Anne”
each morning,
in the godhead of the table
that I set my silver, plate, cup upon
each morning.

All this is God,
right here in my pea-green house
each morning
and I mean,
though often forget,
to give thanks
to faint down by the kitchen table
in a prayer of rejoicing
as the holy birds at the kitchen window
peck into their marriage of seeds.

So while I think of it,
let me paint a thank-you on my palm
for this God, this laughter of the morning,
lest it go unspoken.

The Joy that isn’t shared, I’ve heard,
dies young.

Anne Sexton

Contemplative Practices Tree - Singing in Prayer

Thanks to the Contemplative Christians site, where you can read more about this and see the source of the graphic. 

This week, I've been trying to think how to write about the place that singing has in my prayer life. This is as opposed to singing in my worship life...which is entirely different, but hugely important.

Tuesday of this week, I took our Josie to the vet. We had noticed  a small lump in her mammary area, and that morning it seemed larger. We were very worried.

The vet took a sample and said that there were some cells he needed the pathologist to look at.  More worry. The next day, vet called and said there were no cancerous cells, and that we should just watch the spot.

Huge relief!

I'm thinking back to the vet visit, though. They took the sample and brought her back to me while the vet looked at it under the microscope. As I held her in the exam room (happy, peppy, totally unaware that anything might be wrong), I started to sing softly. "Come Ye Weary" and "I Will Rejoice in the Lord Alway" and spirituals. It wasn't for Josie...she doesn't care if I sing. It was for me. It was prayer, and it was comfort.

When Ken was in the hospital in December '12, I did the same thing one late bad night. Now, Ken cares if I sing. As in, he'd rather I wouldn't. Because he has perfect pitch and I don't. So I mostly refrain when I am with him (and not in a choral setting). A cappella singing is not my forte! But I had such deep pain that night, and so did he, and I didn't know how to pray for him otherwise. He didn't object (that was nice of him). Because I needed it.

There are times when singing is all that gets me through...in the car, when I am sad; in the laundry room, when I am happy.

Looking at the tree, they categorize it as "creative" activity, which I think is true. Prayer singing helps me open a space for me and the prayer intention...the beloved dog, the precious ill spouse, the people I lift up during the quotidian work of laundry.

Do you sing? Why? When? Where?

Friday Five: Praying Together

Anne says at RevGals: I am always grateful for the prayers of others, but I am especially touched when someone asks, “How may I pray for you?”

During this season of fullness, how may we pray for each other?

How may we:

• Pray for you,
• Pray for someone you carry on your heart,
• Offer thanksgiving with you,
• Ask God’s blessing in your life, or
• Lift up anything else in your heart?

Thank you for asking! Please pray for my attitude, which is not the best in some areas (although great in others). 'Nuff said there. I do think my Advent discipline is helping.

Please pray for my spouse, Ken, who continues to struggle with waxing and waning improvement in his ability to taste and swallow (discouraging) and with chronic pain (enervating and debilitating).

I am grateful to be part of the church community of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Keller, where I have been warmly embraced, and especially the Education For Ministry class meeting there weekly. What a wonderful group of committed colleagues.

I am embarking on some new challenges in the months to come, ones that feel unfamiliar and more than a bit scary. That's life-giving, and at the same time, to me, can effectively be paralyzing. Please pray for me to approach with a fearless and willing spirit and to keep walking.

Please continue in prayer for my sister, Sarah, who has rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, among other things. She has reached a place of independence and joy, and yet these things threaten it.

 

 

Prayer of Green

Rachel Hackenberg shares a weekly prayer prompt every Friday. Here's today's: 

Today's prompt comes from Writing to God: Kids' Edition, my second book and an engaging resource to encourage young readers in prayer. One of my favorite prompts in the Kids' Edition is endless with possibilities for prayer:

"What's your favorite color? What do you like about that color?
As you think about your favorite color, can you imagine anything that God has
in common with that color? For example, if you like blue because it's
a beautiful color for the sky,you could say that blue is beautiful...and God
is beautiful too! Describe how God is like your favorite color."
(Paraclete Press 2012, pg 56)

Don't be afraid of prayer-writing playfully in response to this prompt, nor should you be surprised if the prompt inspires a thoughtful prayer from your pen. I hope that you'll share your prayers as comments on my blog, Faith and Water; I'm eager to learn what colors you choose -- fuschia, any one?

GOD IS GREEN

God is great, God is green

Like the Green Man

Like the heartbreaking color of new leaves in Spring

Like the hoary color of my tired tomato leaves in the hot July summer air

Like the cedars, fluttering like enormous living parasols

outside my window each day

The first color of them all was green

and everything grew out of it

from God

We thank God with big green smiles and hands clapping

because God is green.

Friday Five: Let's Sing

Here's my Friday Five as posted at RevGals:

You know how sometimes you just want to have a hymn sing?

Well, today is that day.

Share with the group five favorite hymns or praise songs or songs that bring you close to the Spirit (that's a pretty wide net!) and why they are special to you.

Bonus if you can share Youtube videos or audio files of one or two or more.

1) This is my favorite because it speaks to my soul a new way every time I read or hear it. The text is a poem by Auden:

He is the Way.
Follow Him through the Land of Unlikeness.
You will see rare beasts and have unique experiences.
He is the Truth.
Seek him in the Kingdom of Anxiety.
You will come to a great city that has expected your return for years.
He is the Life.
Love Him in the World of the Flesh.
And at your marriage all its occasions shall dance for joy.

W.H. Auden,
For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio

In the Episcopal Hymnal 1982, it is number 463, a tune by David Hurd. I am sad that I can't locate an audio file of it anywhere. The music is appropriate to a place called "the Land of Unlikeness." If you know it, you know what I mean. If you can get your hands on the hymnal and can read music, you will see.  :) 

2) Holy Manna, which I love in the Sacred Harp / Shape Note singing versions. But some with tender ears do not love those versions. So here you go:

3) Some days, playing Taize in the background is what gets me through:

4) Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

 

5) A folk mass favorite, again from my childhood...

I Am the Resurrection by Ray Repp

Okay, and a bonus one, also folk mass material: Take Our Bread, by Joe Wise.These last two  remind me of growing up in the charismatic renewal movement in the 70's.