SOUL SURMISE

COVID 19 BENEDICTION #1

A benediction blessing for Coronavirus Times...

 

May God the Father's love be a constant companion

May Jesus teaching be illuminated in this dark

May the Holy Spirit lead us

Into what to do for others

And how to take care of ourselves

Amen

WHEN MYSTERY SHIMMERS

I was glancing through my poems and thought that this one was appropriate for the Coronavirus Times. These are days of mystery. We will tend to ask God questions and some prayers might not find the answers we hope for.

This poem was written from a pastor's perspective, watching members of Fitzroy watch loved ones in difficult times.

The last verse is Philip Yancey's take on Isaiah 40:31:

They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Yancey points out that this is in reverse. Flying, running and finally walking. He suggests that the spiritual life starts with us believing we can fly. Everything is possible. Then we land we a thud when some prayer is not answered as we think it should have been. We are still running but soon life's tragedies have us down to a walk. 

Yancey concludes that the mature among us are not the flyers but the realists. Even strong faith in the midst of life's tough times can be a trudge and a crawl. Perhaps we need to reassess why in that verse we always concentrate on the first not the third stage?!

Mystery is an awkward little dancer.

 

When a loved one’s tossed in turbulence

You watch them smashed whichever way

And God never seems to bring the calm

No matter how hard you pray

May unseen threads of mercy

Weave in, the unravelling doubt

May God grab you by the finger

Before life’s hurting drags you out

 

Knowledge loves the questions

Cos it has a seamless answer

But mystery shimmies all around

She’s an awkward little dancer

And when she dances out of sight

Leaving the soul that lonely ache

May God send a holy comforter

Before you crack up in the heart break

 

Lord, we flew on wings like eagles

Then landed with reality’s thud

We ran but soon were walking

Now crawl through this tear soaked mud

We mature in a world that’s broken

Confessing what our part is

We sing these songs to temper grief

And hope in their catharsis.

OFFERING (IN CORONAVIRUS TIMES)

In Fitzroy the offering is the most important part of the service but it is not about money. Oh we lift a monetary collection but the offering is about what we are offering to God. We offer ourselves every week. 

Last Sunday we had no offering plates as that was another way to pass the coronavirus so the offering was at last separated from money. I finished my sermon with it. It was a rough mix. This is slightly better put...

 

Offer yourself

To let go of the familiar script

To imagine a whole new way to be

 

Offer yourself

To realign with God

To in-sync with God’s order of things

To this sabbath seemingly forced but maybe gifted

 

Offer yourself 

To sensible actions

To selflessly protect

To sacrificially serve

Family, friends and strangers

 

Offer yourself 

To be a boredom breaker

To be a hope breather

To be an anxiety reliever

To be a conduit of being with

A contributor of love.

 

(I believe the image is from Foodbank Canada which seems appropriate)

DO NOT BE AFRAID

 

"Sometimes a wind comes out of nowhere
And knocks you off your feet"

These Bruce Cockburn lyrics from his song Whole Night Sky, beautifully covered by Elbow, describe well our Coronavirus disorientation.

In some ways we now find ourselves closer to understanding how to read the Bible than we have in a long time. The Bible is written and read by people going through intense shifts in their reality. It is not so easily understood in the prosperity of a middle class western stability. We might well get some of it now!

The most repeated command in the Bible is "do not be afraid." God knew that the world would throw all kinds of fearful events our way. The words are often spoken in Scripture at times when something very frightening has happened. It could almost always be followed by a faltering, "are you having a laugh... I'm petrified!" Yet, that is the point. At times when the very earth seems to be shaking we are to trust in a God who promises to be with us.

I re-wrote this from a Communal prayer I used in Fitzroy heavily influenced by Isaiah 43 and Psalm 46 both of which I use a lot in pastoral visitation. As the earth shakes... let us hear God's words...

 

Do not be afraid

Even when you are struck dumb by God

Even when an angel sits down beside you

Even when you are told you will have a child without ever being with a man

Even when the pitch black night is ripped to shreds by blinding light

Do not be afraid

 

Do not be afraid

When you pass through the waters

When you walk through the fire

Though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 

Though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Do not be afraid

 

Do not be afraid

When the news declares pandemic

When they close down big events

When they warn you to keep your distance

When they tell you to isolate for weeks

Do not be afraid

 

Do not be afraid

Because you have found favour with God

Because you are precious and honoured in His sight

Because God is our refuge and strength

Because God will always be with you

Do not be afraid.

POUR OUT THE CUP (JESUS BREAKING FOR THE BROKEN)

(I wrote this poem about then years ago to get across the potency of the lifeblood of Jesus and why wine and not grape juice (The Presbyterian heresy) is the best symbol as of course Jesus told us. I believe that the power of the blood of the sacrament needs to seep into the fabric of the city. The last 4 lines are new, inspired by something Damian Gorman shared at the 4 Corners Festival 2020 about stories being like the Eucharist, where stories are broken and given to others...)

 

We’ve got pour out the cup

Permit the precious drops to drip

Taste the grace full bodied fortitude

With every extravagant sip

We’ve got to pour out the cup

Let the potent mixture steep

The selfish stains of soily souls

And let the wild abandon of love seep

We’ve got to pour out the cup

Let the fresh flow fluid flood

Through the tar of every street

Transfuse the city with holy blood

We’ve got to pour out the cup

Be transformed by intoxication

Let it marinate the market place

To free the incarcerated heart of the nation.

 

Jesus breaking for the broken

Spending his lifeblood for all of us

That we might break our stories too

To build a city of grace and love and justice.

 

 

PRAYER FOR THE 4 FOOTBALL CLUBS IN BELFAST

(At the 4 Corners Festival 2020 we listened to the 4 Chairmen of the Belfast Football Clubs. It was quite an evening. I promised at the end of the night that I would pray for the 4 Chairmen on Sunday. This is the prayer I prayed in Fitzroy morning worship... I dedicate it to all who volunteer in sports clubs...)

 

Lord

We pray for our city

We thank you for the love, mercy, grace and compassion 

In every street 

Lord we thank you for those who give their lives

To build a city of grace

And do not even need a definition of grace to do it

As we look back over 4 Corners

We thank you for the singers

The poets

The storytellers

The preachers

The helpers

We thank you for their contributions to building a city of grace

 

Lord, this morning we pray for the 4 Chairmen

Of our 4 main football Clubs

Cliftonville

Crusaders

Glentoran

Linfield

 

Lord we thank you for their sharing on Wednesday night

For they honesty

Personal and in their roles

Lord we thank you for their authenticity and compassion

Lord as they look after the players pastorally

The mental health as well as the physical fitness

As they seek to curb society’s ills that are cast upon them

As fans or hangers on use their stadiums for sectarian abuse

As they seek to build bridges across the city

In the relationships between their clubs

With their influence on their local communities

As they even seek to be involved in turning around educational underachievement

And as they develop players, girls and boys

Through all their youth teams

As they discipline players and supporters

As they make decisions at a national league level

About anthems and flags and security and care.

Lord as they do this quiet, unheadlined work

Guide them

Give them wisdom

Be their resilience

May they never feel alone

And may we be supporters of all these Clubs

And everything they do

To build a city of grace.

 

In Jesus name we pray

AMEN

BUILDING A CITY OF GRACE PRAYER

photo: Philip McCrea

 

(This is the prayer I prayed at the 4 Corners Festival Broadcast Service on BBC Radio Ulster on Feb 2, 2020. It includes some of the poem Building A City Of Grace that appears in this years 4 Corners Festival poetry book of the same name)

 

Lord, we give thanks

Indeed we worship you, the Creator God

As we gaze and often take for granted

The wondrous beauty of our city

 

Cavehill in the north

Belfast Lough caressing the East

The Lagan Tow Path to the Giants Ring in the South

Davis Mountain to the west

 

Forgive us when we miss the beauty

Of the setting of the wonderful city

That you grace has gifted us

 

Forgive us when we use and abuse your gift

Forgive us when pump pollution into our air and our waters

When we damage the ecological circle of life

 

Forgive us when we use and abuse each other

In the houses and streets and work places and parks

Forgive us for the hurt, 

Mental, emotional, spiritual and physical 

That we cause to family, neighbours and the stranger.

 

God we thank you for the example of your grace

That you moved towards us

When we had caused enmity with you

 

Lord we thank you for that grace of unmerited favour

That in Jesus life, death, resurrection and ascension

You demonstrated your love for us in this

That while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

 

God, we thank you that when we confess our sins

You are faithful and just to forgive us of our sins

And purify us from all unrighteousness

 

So, Lord, with our sins forgiven

We ask that you would purify us now

Make us builders of a city of grace

 

 

Lord,

In every building

On all our streets

May Love be the language

As neighbours greet

 

In prison yards

And Church retreats

May Grace be the force

When politicians meet 

 

Lord as the prophets saw visions of a day

When the swords would be turned into ploughshares

 

So, we pray for the day in our city

When army Saracens would be turned into surgical beds

When sniper bullets would be turned into children’s colouring lead

When the guilty in our courts would be redeemed into contributors instead

When all our decadent feasts would be the food that made sure our hungry are fed

 

Lord build a city of grace

And begin by making me a builder.

In the name of the Cornerstone of your building

Jesus our Lord

Amen

PRAYING FOR ARLENE, MICHELLE ETC IN CLONARD... AT THE WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

God

We thank you for the week of prayer for Christian unity

We thank you for this attempt to respond to the prayer of Jesus that we would all be one

Forgive us when we have been divided

Forgive us when we been arrogant 

And that arrogance has turned to bigotry.

Forgive us for our complicity in a divided society

And the pain that we have caused one another.

 

God we thank you that you promise that when we confess our sins that you are faithful and just to forgive us of our sins

And purify us from all our unrighteousness

Lord purify us in our relationships with one another.

 

God, we thank you for the work of Fr Gerry Reynolds and Rev Ken Newell

We thank you for those at Clonard and in Fitzroy

Who took risks

Who crossed the boundaries

Who learned to love their neighbours as themselves

We thank you for that vision and courage

We thank you that we see the benefits of Fr Gerry and Rev Ken’s work even here this morning

 

God we pray that they might continue to be our role models

That their work would continue to inspire us

We pray for the Reconciliation ministry of Clonard 

And as part of that the Clonard Fitzroy Fellowship

Lord by your Holy Spirit give vision and guidance to show fresh ways to continue that work

 

God we pray for the Clonard pilgrims

We thank you for their worshipping with us in Fitzroy

And all that that means to us

We thank you for the relationships that they have formed across our city and beyond

Create real Christian fellowship in the congregations they visit

Melt hard hearts and create unity in Christ.

 

God we pray for the 4 Corners Festival.

We thank you for the involvement of Clonard and Fitzroy in this initiative

We pray for the programme that starts next Friday

We pray for the speakers and singers and poets

We pray that the events of this year’s festival

Would contribute to the building of a city of grace

We pray for those who come along.

Lord change hearts

Redeem attitudes

And transform relationships across all 4 corners of our city

And Lord begin with me

 

Finally Lord we pray for our Local Assembly

For all of our MLAs and particularly our ministers.

For Arlene Foster

For Michelle O’Neill

For Naomi Long

For Edwin Poots

For Deirdre Hargey

For Diane Dodds

For Peter Weir

For Connor Murphy

For Robin Swann

And for Nichola Mallon

 

Equip them all to do their jobs

Help them overcome the hurdles

Envision them to do their best for all of us

God we pray Stormont would work

For every corner of Belfast

And every corner of the north

Jeremiah asked us to pray for the peace and prosperity of the city

Lord may it be so

For the common good of all of us

God build a city of grace

In Jesus name

Amen

THE MERCY NOW PRAYER

Mary Gauthier sang in Fitzroy on Saturday night. The morning after I used her song Mercy Now in our Fitzroy Prayers. 

I had used a favourite pastoral passage the day before Mary’s gig, at a funeral service. Hebrews 4: 14 & 15 tells us that God doesn’t live way out in space but, through Jesus’ incarnation, understands all that we are going through. 

As a result of the work of Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension Hebrews (4:16) goes on: -

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Our confidence comes through Christ’s work. The veil has been torn in two. Humans can now enter God’s presence with confidence.

So, I then used these verses of Mary Gauthier’s Mercy Now to lead us into silences when the congregation could bring people on their mind to the throne of grace to find mercy and grace.

 

My brother could use a little mercy now

He’s a stranger to freedom

He’s shackled to his fears and doubts

The pain that he lives in is

Almost more than living will allow

I love my brother, and he could use some mercy now

 

Bring members of your family to the throne of grace… to find mercy now…

 

My Church and my Country could use a little mercy now

As they sink into a poisoned pit

That’s going to take forever to climb out

They carry the weight of the faithful

Who follow ‘em down

I love my Church and Country and they could use some mercy now

 

Bring your church and country to the throne of grace… to find mercy now…

 

Every living thing could use a little mercy now

Only the hand of grace can end the race

Towards another mushroom cloud

People in power, well

They’ll do anything to keep their crown

I love life, and life itself could use some mercy now

 

Bring the life around you to the throne of grace… to find mercy now…

 

Yea, we all could use a little mercy now

I know we don’t deserve it

But we need it anyhow

We hang in the balance

Dangle ‘tween hell and hallowed ground

Every single one of us could use some mercy now

Every single one of us could use some mercy now

 

Bring yourself to the throne of grace… to find mercy now…

Lord, answer our prayers. May those we have brought before you know that in anything and everything this week, they can approach your throne of grace with confidence. May they experience your mercy.

In Jesus name… Amen

THE GOD WITH US PRAYER

photo: Mark Dyde

 

LORD, enlighten the eyes of our hearts

That we may we see

Emmanuel

God with us

 

In the joy of family together

And in the sadness of empty chairs.

May we know God with us 

 

In the blessing of our grace nourished souls

And in the sins and doubts within us.

May we know God with us

 

In the abundance of what we are given

And in the poverty of so much around us. 

May we know God with us

 

In our city blessed with peace and hope

And in a world that is still at war.

Emmanuel - God with us

 

Lord,

In our wedding feasts

In our hospital wards

In our homeless streets

In our divided society

In Onialeku, Dehredun, Isle of Dogs, Natal or Lebanon

In our new class rooms and lecture theatres

In our vocations

In our vacations

In our clubs, societies and cafes

In our homes 

 

Lord,

Wherever we are

Whoever we are with

However we feel

Whatever ways we are broken

Even in the situations that cannot be fixed

Emmanuel - God with us!