As the temperature struggled to get up to 60 degrees (F) yesterday, I walked outside and noticed also that it was time to cut back plants that had flowered so beautifully, yet briefly, earlier in the summer. It feels already as if the autumn is upon us although the prediction is that we may return to milder temperatures in the coming week, as is often the case – ironically – when children return to school. I feel as if being outside tending to the earth would be a noble and restorative occupation today.
May God, the Ground of All Being, the Ground that gave you life and nourished your growth, help you realize that you are fruit of the ground in which you grew. You reflect this ground, bringing special gifts and beauty into the world. May you realize, too, that each person, each living, growing thing, also reflects the Ground and colors the world with unique gifts and beauty.
God, Ground of All being, fill us with appreciation of all growing things – their variety of shapes, sizes, textures, intricate patterns and colors.. May this beauty help us accept the diversity in all human beings and allow us to acknowledge the gift of ourselves, the gift that life is, counting each person as part of the earth filled with the goodness of God.
Yesterday I was in a wide-ranging conversation about elements of a future world that would not only include acceptable behavior of all citizens but also be compassionate toward all creatures and to the universe itself. It seemed that we have a long way to go toward consciousness if we are, in fact, to even approach the possibility of such a world. One element that we saw as necessary was the responsibility of each one of us to move the world toward that goal.
The suggestion of a commentary on Psalm 96, subtitled by author Lynn Bauman A Song Welcoming the Holy One, is that readers experiment with singing rather than saying it because singing is a "vehicle for communication with God." While this is the rightful presentation of psalms in liturgy, I don't often think of it as a mode of private prayer. I just tried it – in the privacy of my own room, of course – and the result was less than stellar. I have to admit, however, that I didn't prepare; I just sang it "cold" without thought of the meaning, phrasing, timing or cadence. (Hmmm…that sounds as if I have some idea of musicality. Don't be fooled!) My attempt was quite timid, but I must say it had the potential to open the words to me in a more vibrant way than if I had spoken the text. Perhaps I'll give it another try. Should you be moved to join me from afar, here are the words I was tentatively offering as morning praise to the Creator of the universe.
Come, sing to God, O earth, sing out this song anew. And bless God's holy name in praise, for day to day we are renewed, restored, refreshed again by glory's light. Proclaim good news among the nations of the earth, tell all the peoples everywhere God's work, God's ways, the wonders that God does. For you can never add the holy One to any list of gods who are but idols made, projections of our thoughts and needs, creations of our hands. For it is the living God we know and praise who made us all and put in place the canopy of stars and space and filled the earth. O, the beauty of your presence, God! O, the splendor and the power in which you dwell!
Today's gospel contains what is probably the most familiar text in Christianity. We know it as The Lord's Prayer. (MT 6:7-15) Recently I listened to a series of lectures about the prayer by Neil Douglas-Klotz, a scholar of Aramaic, the language that Jesus likely spoke in his everyday life. I went looking this morning for his translation because I found it beautiful and expansive of what I have known since early childhood. I found first a comment about Aramaic, then a translation in first century Aramaic and finally, Klotz's translation using more modern terms. I share them all here for those of us whose love of words affects the feeling level of our prayer and as one more way to connect to others on our planet who speak different languages but whose hearts are united.
Comment: The Aramaic language has (like the Hebrew and Arabic) different levels of meaning. The words are organized and defined by a poetical system where different meanings of every word are possible. So every line of the Lord's Prayer could be translated into English in many different versions.
First Century Aramaic: O Thou, from whom the breath of life comes, who fills all realms of sound, light and vibration. May Your light be experienced in my utmost holiest. Your Heavenly Domain approaches. Let your will come true in the universe (all that vibrates), just as on earth (that is material and dense). Give us wisdom for our daily need, detach the fetters of faults that bind us, like we let go the guilt of others. Let us not be lost in superficial things (materialism, common temptations), but let us be freed from that which keeps us off from our true purpose. From you comes the all-working will, the lively strength to act, the song that beautifies all and renews itself from age to age. Sealed in trust, faith and truth (I confirm with my entire being).
There were only two of us at "Lunch with the Psalms" yesterday and the psalm of the day (Ps. 68) was long. Although only part of it showed up in the lectionary, we read and reflected on the entire content – not exhaustively, of course, but meaningfully nevertheless. We looked at the New International Version (NIV) because our first read was the poetic variation in Ancient Songs Sung Anew and it was so lyrical and modern-sounding that we wondered how similar the two would be. We found them to be more alike than expected and were quite taken by the vivid images used by the psalmist to create such a strong and hopeful vision of both the earthly realm and the heavenly kingdom – especially in the title which one of us saw as God's chariot speeding across the sky and the other imaged as a white steed with God astride, garments and hair flowing behind and light illuminating everything. It was a great moment of touching into the imaginal world to bring God's presence and power close to us.
I was reminded of all this when I saw that the latter part of Psalm 68 was the response to today's first lectionary reading – not a repetition but an addition to yesterday – so I invite you to join us for the beginning and the end of God's trek across the heavens. Both ends of the psalm are written as a call to this awesome God in praise and supplication from those who yearn for the peaceable kingdom. See if you can catch the Spirit!
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Around the world, Christian Churches are blessing animals at special services in honor of the man who called the birds and the animals his sisters and brothers. He praised God as well for Sister Moon and Brother Sun, for the water and the flowers as his kin. Francis is likely better known than any Christian saint for his delight in all of creation and his willingness to live totally for God, letting go of everything he owned to be free of attachment.
Today is a fine day to celebrate the marvels of creation especially here in the northeast United States, where the beauty of October is appearing in trees all around! Pope Francis has shown himself to be a carrier of the vision of St. Francis in humble, inclusive and unbounded love for all people with a special place fondness for children, the poor and the infirm. I will pray for him today and for all of us that we might wake up to the responsibility we have to care for all our neighbors, human and otherwise, so that the earth will survive and flourish in God's sight.