Tag Archives: gratitude

Prayer to a Great Blue Heron

27 Monday Sep 2021

Posted by in grief, Prayers, Reflections

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Prayer to a Great Blue Heron

You’ve met me twice recently by the lake,
with your elegant serene pose,
standing so still I almost didn’t see you.

The first time I was with a friend – 
someone who knew you,
whom I had asked to meet me.

I needed a friend – 
someone to interrupt the bleakness
of all this unwanted time alone.

I was afraid.

I was always taught not to show fear – 
a lesson in protecting oneself,
well-intentioned but poor advice.

For when facing down a soul
burdened with the harshness of grief,
there are times when fear is all there is.

Fear of crumbling into a million pieces,
fear of forgetting the touch, smell, taste
of your beloved in the passage of time,

fear of being hollowed out by sadness,
fear of being swallowed up by loneliness,
fear of losing purpose.

So many fears.

The next time I spotted you at the lake
I nearly missed you altogether.
You didn’t move or make a sound.

Yet there you stood as regal as before,
exquisite in your muted tones against the reeds,
blending in to this world of water and sky.

I stopped to breathe,
to wonder at your presence,
to say thank you.

Is this you accompanying me in my fear?
Is this you beckoning me to pay attention?

I pray that it is.

Mark Lloyd Richardson
September 27, 2021
8 months

Blessing

27 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by in Poems

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Ganna Walska Lotusland, Santa Barbara, CA

Blessing is
the feeling you get
when the day’s gifts
are more
than your gratitude can hold.

Blessing sings
in the sunlight
and dances in the rain
knowing
each is irreplaceable.

Blessing favors
no one
it is not stingy or reluctant
it seeks new ways
to express itself each day.

Blessing sleeps
on the pillows
of the just and the unjust
yet truly awakens only in those
who seek God with pure hearts.

Blessing reaches
the furthest limits
of human endeavor
and sets those who receive it
on holy ground.

Blessing surprises.
Blessing breaks open that which is closed.
Blessing speaks to our deepest need.
Blessing wraps us in God’s grace.
Blessing completes.

Copyright (c) 2016 Mark Lloyd Richardson

Creator, Christ, Spirit

12 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by in Prayers, Worship Liturgy

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A prayer for worship on Trinity Sunday:

Creator God,
in you all of nature sings of heaven.
In this sacred time and space
may our hearts join the chorus of praise
that already resounds in the rocks and trees,
the skies and seas of this amazing world.

Christ our Savior,
in you our eternal inheritance is secure.
In this sacred time and space
may our souls stir with the joy of salvation,
as we surrender to the holy love
at the center of your gospel.

Gentle and powerful Spirit,
you carry us on the generous winds of grace.
In this sacred time and space
may we fully embrace the freedom
that meets us on paths of discipleship
and invites us into faithful and whole lives.

Fill us with hope and gratitude this day,
knowing that wherever we go
there you are with us. Amen.

Words (c) 2014 Mark Lloyd Richardson

A Prayer for the New Year

04 Saturday Jan 2014

Posted by in Prayers

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A Prayer for the New Year

“Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life” ~ Ps. 23:6a

Step bravely into a new year.
Release the hurts others have done to you.
Break free of those who consistently cause you harm.
Unburden yourself of grievances you have been unable to forgive.

Give yourself wholly to the pursuit of living your life, not someone else’s.
Sink your feet into the ground of all being, where it is enough to simply be you.
Be profoundly grateful at the sheer miracle of being alive.
Taste the sweetness of divine grace that accepts you exactly as you are.

Play no one’s fool.
Seek wisdom humbly and persistently.
Refuse to placate people just to avoid conflict.
Never surrender your joy without a fight.

Run, don’t walk, toward real beauty, wherever you discover it.
Listen deeply for the still, small voice that resonates within you.
Pay attention to your feelings – they are indicators of your wellbeing.
Trust that there is an inner guide in each of us.

Sin boldly.
Forge ahead knowing you will make lots of mistakes.
Learn from them.
Throw yourself with utter abandon in the adventure of living.

Remember – goodness and kindness are following you.

Words and photo © 2014 Mark Lloyd Richardson

Thanksgiving Eve Prayer

27 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by in Prayers, Uncategorized, Worship Liturgy

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First United Methodist Church, Santa Maria, CA, USA

First United Methodist Church, Santa Maria, CA, USA

I will be sharing this Opening Prayer I wrote for our 13th Annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve Service in Santa Maria, California this evening. We are the host church for this annual event involving about ten congregations. If you wish to adapt this prayer for your own use in worship, please feel welcome to do so. ~ Mark

God of all creation and Source of all life,
tonight we offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving.                                        Psalm 50:14
We bring ourselves, humble and broken though we may be,
to the altar of your blessing and grace.
We bring our voices, frail and hesitant though they may be,
in joyous praise to the One who gives us a new song to sing.                  Psalm 40:3
We bring our gifts to the One who is awesome,
who inspires fear in the rulers of the earth.                                               Psalm 76:11-12
We thank you for these moments we have together
to pause from the busy pace and endless noise of our lives
and simply rest in a spirit of gratitude for all you are to us.
We thank you that as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is your steadfast love toward us,
and that as far as the east is from the west,
so far do you remove our transgressions from us.                                    Psalm 103:11-12
We thank you for your deep compassion over your creation,
and the ways in which you constantly call us back to you.
Most of all, we thank you for your Son Jesus,
who came that we might have life and have it abundantly.                       John 10:10
Christ is the morning star who rises in our hearts,                                    2 Peter 1:19
the true light which enlightens everyone.                                                  John 1:9
Christ instructs us in your holy way of love,
and invites us into that perfect love that casts out fear.                            1 John 4:18
We pray this day for people and nations the world over
who need to be blessed by the bounty of your grace.
May our thanksgiving bring others closer to you,
O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.                                                         Psalm 19:14
There is no other rock besides you, O Lord,                                             Isaiah 44:8
our fortress in whom we take refuge.                                                        Psalm 18:2
So we join the multitude from every nation,
from all tribes and peoples and languages,
and all the angels standing around the throne
worshipping you and singing,
“Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”                                                  Revelation 7:12

Words (c) 2013 Mark Lloyd Richardson

Resting in God

10 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by in Centering Prayer, Prayers, Reflections

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Photo credit: Debbie Gara

Photo credit: Debbie Gara

While living in Hawaii, the scent of Plumeria flowers permeated our yard and infused the air with a kind of lingering sweetness that stirred up within me a sense of gratitude for the gift of life. It also serves as a metaphor to me for the permeating presence of the Divine (or the Sacred or Holy) in all human experience.

My spirituality is rooted in the practice of contemplative prayer, and specifically a prayer method known as Centering Prayer, because this is the spiritual practice that I have found to be most nourishing to my soul. Like other people of faith, I naturally also say many other quick prayers throughout each day – prayers of intercession for the needs of people with whom I have some relationship, as well as prayers for the common good of society and our world. Yet I return again and again to the simple practice of “resting in God” that is the essence of Centering Prayer. I think I am drawn to this form of prayer communication because it is the most reassuring and restorative for me. It is less about my own process of thinking or feeling, and more about simply trusting in the sweetness of this life that is imbued with holiness and beauty because it is born within God!

Recently I was touched by something Father Thomas Keating wrote about the theological basis for Centering Prayer in his book Intimacy with God:

“Where does Centering Prayer come from? Its source is the Trinity dwelling within us. It is rooted in God’s life within us. I don’t think that we reflect about this truth nearly enough. With baptism comes the entire uncreated presence of the most holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We participate as human beings in God’s life just by being alive, but much more through grace…. This stream of divine love that is constantly renewed in the life of the Trinity is infused into us through grace. We know this by our desire for God. That desire, however it may be battered by the forces of daily life, manifests itself in the effort that we make to develop a life of prayer and a life of action that is penetrated by prayer.” ~ Thomas Keating

It is important to say that Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other forms of prayer. Rather it casts them in a new light and reminds us of the need to listen for the movement of the Spirit within us and around us. It recasts our actions into prayerful actions.

Here is a simple outline for a period (20 to 40 minutes) of Centering Prayer:

  1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.
  2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word.
  3. When engaged with thoughts, gently return to the sacred word.
  4. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

May God bless you as you seek to be present to the Sacred amidst the ordinary!

Words (c) 2013 Mark Lloyd Richardson

Photo credit: Debbie Gara

Photo credit: Debbie Gara

Making Our Hearts Sing

24 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by in Prayers, Worship Liturgy

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Oceano sunset Aug 2013

Sunset in Oceano, California, August 2013

Loving God,
it is you who makes our hearts sing.

With the dawn of each new morning,
it is your melodies of love that fill the air.

In the midst of our busy days,
it is your notes of grace that sustain us.

As we lie down to sleep at night,
it is your song that whispers near our beating hearts.

Grant us this day the peace and strength
that comes with listening to your music
and singing the melodies of your love.  Amen.

Words (c) 2013 Mark Lloyd Richardson

Sacred Pauses

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Poems

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deep purpleSometimes
When I turn the volume down
I hear the earth breathe –

An unmistakable longing
Reverberating from deep in the center of being
Its source unbound from all the limits we know –

And in the twinkling of an eye
I am overcome with gratitude
For the pure boldness of such love.

Words (c) 2013 Mark Lloyd Richardson
Photo (c) 2013 Dallis Day Richardson

What Gift Can We Bring?

05 Saturday Jan 2013

Posted by in Poems, Reflections

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wise-men-1Today is the eve of Epiphany, a day celebrating the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the world, and especially to religious outsiders and seekers. It also marks the one-year anniversary of this blog, in which I have endeavored to share a word of grace, hope, and peace with my readers. My posts have included prayers, poems, portions of sermons, and other reflections on spirituality and the life of faith from a progressive Christian perspective.

Pastoral ministry is demanding. Most of the time I feel as though I’m way behind in doing what needs to be done to strengthen the church I serve and help people become more faithful and fruitful in ministry to the world. So my posts have sometimes been few and far between. Still I value those who read, and especially those who trouble themselves to make a comment or offer feedback.

For me the most important qualities of Christian disciples are humility, compassion, a desire to serve humankind, and a heart for all God’s children. Beliefs and theologies can vary. Religions and traditions can vary. If you are convinced that every human being is a child of God and you want to bring people together to build a shared humanity and strengthen the common good, then I don’t care if you are an atheist, an agnostic, a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Sikh, a Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew! Please, for the sake of our children and grandchildren, for the sake of the natural world and all its creatures, and for the sake of our future on this planet, let us work together to make a better world.

I am a Christian pastor, but I have great admiration and respect for people of all faiths and people of no faith, because I have been around long enough to understand that religious beliefs don’t always make people more compassionate or kind or loving. Sometimes, in fact, religious beliefs just inoculate people into thinking they don’t need to change or embolden them to be boisterous in their condemnation of those who think differently than they do. Sometimes religious beliefs make people less tolerant, less trusting, less loving, and (to be honest) a pain in the neck. Still I believe in the power of love to transform the world.

On this twelfth day of Christmas and Epiphany Eve, I share a poem I wrote ten years ago.

What Gift Can We Bring?

No one dare boast of her place in God’s Kingdom.
No one dare brag of his place in God’s Realm.
We are but children reborn of our Mother,
And in the arms of our Father beheld.

Still, in this season we sing out God’s glory —
We who have come to experience God’s grace.
Still, in this time when a star shines out brightly —
We come rejoicing, and look on Love’s face.

How is it that we can sing when we’re lonely?
How is it that we can stand while afraid?
How is it that we still love the Old Story
Of all creation made new and reclaimed?

We are not brighter or richer or stronger,
We are not privileged alone to know Love.
We are with all of God’s children together
Graced by the Christ here on earth and above.

What can we bring to the Child born among us?
What can we offer our Savior and King?
All that we are is a gift we’ve been given —
Our grateful hearts the best gift we can bring.

Words (c) 2002 Mark Lloyd Richardson

Overflowing with Gratitude

21 Wednesday Nov 2012

Posted by in Prayers, Reflections

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On this eve of Thanksgiving Day in the United States, I share A Thanksgiving Blessing by Naomi King.

“Let us join our hands and hearts in gratitude on this wondrous day, where we have the abundance of our lives before us. We remember on this day of bounty all of those who do not have enough, who are afraid, who are lonely, and who suffer. We wish for the abundance of this world to be shared, for fear to become love, for the lonely to feel welcomed, and for the suffering to know rest and joy. For the labors, the love, the care that gave us the delights of this and every day, we say ‘Thanks!’ For the nourishment of our spirit, the challenges that strengthen us, and the friends we have on the journey, we sing ‘Thanks!’ For all that is our lives, for these good gifts, we whisper, ‘Thanks!’ Overflowing with gratitude, let us shout, ‘Thanks!’ Amen.” ~ Naomi King

This prayer is a blessed reminder to me to express my thanks to the One who is in all and around all and over all creation! We say our thanks, but we can also whisper or shout them. Each day is an invitation to give thanks for the good gifts of life.

I am also mindful this day of all those who suffer, and in particular the people affected by Hurricane Sandy, and those in harm’s way in Gaza and Israel. May they be comforted and strengthened in the days ahead.

Words and photo (c) 2012 Mark Lloyd Richardson