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Prayers and poems
New Creation (2 Corinthians 5 v16-6v3)
God thinks you into being, Plans you, Draws in all your details, Every part intended to be As you are. The master of creation, His loving preparation Takes patient years Of workmanship and waiting, Until, at the exact Time and day of his favour, He looks at your black and white image. Love looks at you, And if you turn your eyes towards him, Christ colours you in. Daphne Kitching
May
I feel a newer life in every gale; The winds, that fan the flowers, And with their welcome breathings fill the sail, Tell of serener hours – Of hours that glide unfelt away Beneath the sky of May.
Fairer and brighter spreads the reign of May; The tresses of the woods With the light dallying of the west-wind play; And the full-brimming floods, As gladly to their goal they run, Hail the returning sun. J G Percival
God’ Grace Distilling
The grace of God on you distil, The grace of Christ dedewing fill, The grace of Spirit flowing still Each day and night upon you pour Of this life’s share for you in store; O day and night upon you pour Of this life’s share for you in store. From Poems of the Western Highlanders
A prayer for a baby
O Lord my God, shed the light of your love on my child. Keep him safe from all illness and all injury. Enter his tiny soul, and comfort him with your peace and joy. He is too young to speak to me, and to my ears his cries and gurgles are meaningless nonsense. But to your ears they are prayers. His cries are cries for your blessing. His gurgles are gurgles of delight at your grace. Let him as a child learn the way of your commandments. As an adult let him live the full span of life, serving your kingdom on earth. And finally in his old age, let him die in the sure and certain knowledge of your salvation. I do not ask that he be wealthy, powerful or famous. Rather I ask that he be poor in spirit, humble in action, and devout in worship. Dear Lord, smile upon him.
By Johann Starck (1680 – 1756) – a leading member of the Pietist movement in Germany
Your dwelling- place
Lord, grant me a simple, kind, open, believing, loving and generous heart, worthy of being your dwelling- place. John Sergieff, Russian priest, 1829 – 1908
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