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Today is the last day that I (Rev. Gail) will be strolling with you as your Minister.
I hope that you have enjoyed these inspirational messages, and that they have encouraged you to stop and see God's presence all around you. I encourage you to continue to find ways to slow down and be aware of God's Spirit moving. You can check out other resources from The Prayer Bench. Read the Prayer Bench Newsletter that invites you to journey with the creation mystic, Hildegard of Bingen, and offers reflections and spiritual practice for Pentecost. You can sign up at the bottom to receive the free newsletter. Remember that even though I have strolled on to serve at another community of faith - we will always be connected as the body of Christ, and united as we stroll through life together, wherever we are. I leave you with this blessing: May the sun bring you new energy every day. May the moon restore you by night. May the rain wash away your worries. May the breeze blow new strength into your being. May you walk gently through the world And know it's beauty all the days of your life. - from an Apache blessing. Peace, Rev. Gail.
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An online resource adapted and used with permission from prayerbanch.ca
Who knew that the Sun makes noises we hear with our own ears? Listen to Sounds of the sun Weather with You Listen to the sounds of weather around you today. Do you hear the wind today? Can you hear a gentle breeze, rustling the leaves in trees, or a whistling wind dancing over the rooftops or a howling wind rolling down the valley or waves crashing on a beach? Do you hear the rain today? Can you hear the soft pitter patter of a delicate spring shower, a drenching downpour as the skies open, a rhythmical beat on your window panes? Do you hear the sun today? Can you hear the boards of your house creaking as they start to dry in the warmth of the spring day or the buzzing of the warmth of a sunny day. The sounds of weather are with us every day. We don’t always stop to notice. We don’t always stop to listen.. We don’t always understand the noises we hear are caused by the weather. We take weather for granted. It is with us every day. We might notice an exceptionally good weather or an exceptionally bad weather day, but in between are hundreds of ordinary weather days. Pause right now and take notice of the weather today. Use all of your senses to observe, but pay particular attention to listening to the sounds of weather. Now pause to ponder how noticing the weather can feel a bit the same as the way we notice God at work in our lives. You might like to turn your ponderings into a prayer. Enjoy this video of the hymn "We Praise You For The Sun." "We Praise You For The Sun.' Weather Blessing May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of Her hand. An online resource adapted and used with permission from prayerbanch.ca
Weather Report Unpredictable - Climate Change Todays Weather Year on year weather records are being broken all over the globe. News headlines say things like, ‘The Warmest Year on Record Since Records Began‘ followed by the same headline the following year. Other common global headlines are 'Once in Two Hundred year Flood’ followed immediately by another ‘Once in Two Hundred Year Flood’ the same week or month. We’re left scratching our heads as to how many two hundred year floods we can expect to experience in our lifetime. Droughts, tornadoes, heat waves, fires, snow storms, tropical storms, freezing temperatures… check the weather report - all these things are happening in a place near us. Our years of experience living with weather have given us an inner prediction tool to know what weather to expect in certain months, what clothes we’ll wear in a season, what layers we’ll have on the bed at night, what time of day we’ll need to heat a room or when the right weekend will be to plan a camping trip. All this inner knowledge is being swept aside by rapidly increasing climate change bringing unpredictable, unexpected and extreme weather. Weather with You If we shut our eyes and turn our backs can we pretend that climate change is a problem for someone else to fix? If we talk louder and faster and use a lot of words and make promises to change can we pat ourselves on the back for doing our bit? If we take personal measures to combat our own contributions to climate change but compare this to the efforts of corporations and countries, can we give up because we won’t make enough of a difference personally? The challenges of climate change are with us now. The issues are unavoidable and the impact is happening at speed. It’s confronting and hard. Our personal creation responsibilities can feel overwhelming. For sure, there are giants in our world who can make a massively big difference, and will need to if we are going to turn our world around. However we cannot underestimate the power of every tiny decision made by millions of individual people who care about God’s world. Jesus talked often of little things; a small amount of yeast, a pinch of salt, a coin, a child’s lunch, a mustard seed. Consider what tiny steps you have been taking and what your next tiny step might be in caring for creation and accepting your creation responsibilities. I invite you to pray this prayer written and read by James Applebym, a COP26 campaigner from the Methodist Church UK. A prayer for an end to climate change An online resource adapted and used with permission from prayerbanch.ca
Weather Report : Sunrise In this video, we join in the prayer of the community at Lindisfarne on Holy Island during sunrise. A prayer at sunrise Weather with You The golden hour is the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset. This time of soft, warm light is cherished by photographers because the sun is lower in the sky offering natural lighting. The time that determines dawn is measured in precise degrees. Dawn is the scientific moment when the centre of the sun’s disk is 18 degrees above the horizon. The transition to dusk is measured by the sun dipping below the horizon. In many religions the time of dawn and dusk is a call to prayer. I (Rev. Gail) enjoy walking the river in Stratford early in the morning, and sometimes catch the morning sunrise. Whether you Stroll early in the morning or in the early evening, be aware of the sun and the light of this spring day. Stroll prayerfully. Weather Blessing May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. An online resource adapted and used with permission from prayerbanch.ca
Weather Report : Fog! What is Fog? Take a look at this video: Learn about Fog! Weather with You I (Rev. Gail) grew up in England - so I was very used to foggy days. I like fog. It softens the edges of things. It feels like Mystery. Fog is Shekinah, the Presence of God among us, dressed in her gossamer cloak of fine droplets. Fog always causes me to pause and be still. Here is a biblical fog story: “As soon as the sacred tent was set up, a thick cloud appeared and covered it. The cloud was there each day, and during the night, a fire could be seen in it. The Lord used this cloud to tell the Israelites when to move their camp and where to set it up again. As long as the cloud covered the tent, the Israelites did not break camp. But when the cloud moved, they followed it, and wherever it stopped, they camped and stayed there.” Numbers 9:15-17 (CEV) While the fog lingered, the People of God waited. They were on a journey to the Promised Land. I’m sure they had plans and timetables. I’m sure some wanted to be up before breakfast to get an early start on the road. But no. They needed to let go their agenda and relinquish their control. They moved only when the fog lifted. The Cloud of Presence led the way. What invitation does this story offer you as you Stroll for your soul today? Weather Blessing May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of Her hand. An online resource adapted and used with permission from prayerbanch.ca
Weather Report Under the Weather Video: An English idiom - Under the weather! Being ‘under the weather’ is an old nautical term from the days of sailing ships. If a sailor wasn’t feeling well, he was sent below decks to recover. Below deck, away from the elements, he was literally, ‘under the weather’ Todays Weather Most people do not plan to be ‘under the weather’. Sickness takes us by surprise and catches us out when we are often at the end of our resources. Being sick can send us below deck. It throws us off, and if we have other plans sickness arrives with disappointment and regret. If we’re very sick, we may not have the energy or space to think much about anything. As our health gradually improves we may struggle to communicate with others, yet don’t want to be in our own company. We lie in bed thinking of all we’re missing out on and making plans we’re not well enough to enact. It’s frustrating. Anyone who has spent a long time recovering from illness or injury will appreciate this strange ‘between space’ where we are held under, yet yearn to be above deck again. For some, getting fully above deck again, apart from short stints is unlikely. This comes with deep grief and pain. Weather with You Recall a time when you have been under the weather and how you felt and coped with the situation. Think of someone you know around you who is currently under the weather. As you Stroll, consider a way you could offer support or help or bring a bit of cheer to their day. Video of Blessing Enjoy this beautiful video of the weather blessing from Prayerscapes. Weather blessing video |
Each Wednesday we send out an inspirational message.
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