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dreamprayact

~ Reflections of a preacher, poet, and contemplative activist

dreamprayact

Tag Archives: healing

O Blessed Spring

12 Sunday May 2013

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Reflections, Worship Liturgy

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Christ, forgiveness, grace, healing, Holy Spirit, joy, Maranatha, peace, prayer, Revelation, silence, spiritual renewal, water of life

Rushing waters

This morning in worship at our church I included a time of prayer and silent reflection on the scripture text for the day, Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21. We had a water display in front of the altar and I preached my sixth and final sermon in a series on the book of Revelation from the very close of the book, which is also the culmination of the biblical message. Following the service, some of the worshippers asked me to share this text on my blog. So here it is:

A Time of Prayer & Reflection

“Let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.” (Rev. 22:17) God in Christ wants to quench your spiritual thirst. Christ offers living water to those who seek it. This time of prayer and silent reflection is an opportunity for you to reflect upon the words of scripture, and to ask Christ to come and renew your spirit. We begin by singing verse 1 of song #2076, “O Blessed Spring,” and between verses will pause for silent reflection and prayer.

            Verse 1, #2076 “O Blessed Spring” (from The Faith We Sing songbook,
                                                                                               Abingdon Press, 2000)

The water of life is the water of spiritual refreshment and renewal.
Reflect on where Christ is renewing you in your life.

            30 seconds of silence

            Verse 2, #2076 “O Blessed Spring”

The water of life is the water of joy in the presence of God.
Reflect on where God is increasing your joy in your life.

            30 seconds of silence

            Verse 3, #2076 “O Blessed Spring”

The water of life is the water of grace to transform you and the world through you.
Reflect on where God is forgiving you and setting you free to live by faith.

            30 seconds of silence

            Verse 4, #2076 “O Blessed Spring”

The water of life is the water of cleansing and healing.
Reflect on where Christ is meeting you in your brokenness and making you whole.

            30 seconds of silence

            Verse 5, #2076 “O Blessed Spring”

The water of life is the water of peace for those with heavy burdens.
Reflect on where Christ, the holy Vine, the living Tree, blesses you with peace.

            30 seconds of silence

Come, Gracious God. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Spirit of Gentleness. As we receive the water of life, may we be renewed in spirit, be made whole by your grace, and be blessed with your peace.

Words and photo (c) 2013 Mark Lloyd Richardson [Permission to use this liturgy in public worship with credit noted].

No one way to be

27 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Reflections

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

being present, Blessings, Cancer, canine companionship, healing, health and wellness, Magnetic resonance imaging, mindfulness, Positron emission tomography, Tumor

Pismo Beach. Photo taken with my iPhone.

Pismo Beach, CA. Photo taken with my iPhone.

“Life on earth is a whole, yet it expresses itself in unique time-bound bodies…. So there can be no one place to be. There can be no one way to be, no one way to practice, no one way to learn, no one way to love, no one way to grow or to heal, no one way to live, no one way to feel, no one thing to know or be known. The particulars count.” ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are

Our lives can change in an instant!

Four weeks ago today, my wife Dallis had surgery for a tumor that was discovered on one of her ovaries. The surgeon was fairly confident going into surgery that the tumor was benign. There had been no symptoms, and the only reason it was even found was because of an MRI done for a completely different medical condition.

The surgery went much longer than anticipated, and as I waited with friends in the hospital’s waiting room, the feeling that something wasn’t right began to sink into my bones. Hours later the surgeon came to meet with me in a small consultation room, and the first words out of her mouth were, “It’s not good. We found cancer. We’re not sure yet where it came from.” After she uttered these words, I struggled to remain present, to listen carefully in the hopes of remembering something, desperate to grab hold of words or phrases that sounded encouraging – “She came through surgery well;” “She’s recovering, and will be able to see you in a little while.”

I was the first person to receive this life-altering news, and for several moments I simply tried to catch my breath. Dallis was not yet alert enough to be told. She and I had both been encouraged by the doctor’s gut instinct before surgery that the tumor was benign, and at the same time I think we both retained a cautious concern that maybe it was not. Speaking for myself, throughout this ordeal I have preferred to hear facts first and then decide how to process my feelings, instead of hopping on board the already bumpy roller coaster ride of speculation.

A lot happens very quickly when a person receives a diagnosis of Stage 4 breast cancer – PET/CT Scan, MRIs, blood work, mammogram, biopsy, and more. Dallis attests that she has begun to feel like a guinea pig because of all the poking, prodding and invasions of privacy. Most of the doctors and nurses have been wonderful – caring, sensitive, responsive to individual needs, and good at communicating human warmth. Even so, the indignities of constant medical procedures and a disease that invades one’s body eventually take their toll.

I have not written anything for my blog in the intervening weeks because my focus has been on being present and available to Dallis. Close friends, family, and our church have also provided practical support and caring. Our mental/emotional/spiritual wellbeing hinges on being able to recognize our blessings and to believe in the healing potential of the prescribed treatment.

There are moments though … moments when fear grabs hold of you and you’re not sure how to shake it!

The other day Dallis wanted to get out of the house but she didn’t want to ask me in one of the busiest weeks in the church year to go with her. So she said that she was going to drive to the beach and take a walk by herself. I didn’t want her to have to go alone unless that was what she preferred, so I said to her, “There is no more important place for me to be than with you.” I assured her that I was okay with her going by herself, but that I didn’t want her to think that she couldn’t ask me or that I wouldn’t want to go.

So together we enjoyed a long walk on a stretch of beach with our dog Bailey!

It was a reminder that each day is to be prized for the gift that it is!

Words (c) 2013 Mark Lloyd Richardson

Reaching Out

13 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Poems, Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

believe, doubt, healing, home, Jesus, joy, Thomas

Have you seen Jesus?
I’ve been looking for him.
I met him as a child.
He was rugged
but he liked to hold children on his lap.
He smiled and laughed a lot.
He was the kindest friend imaginable.

Sometimes when I felt sad or alone
I would pray –
“Hi Jesus. It’s me. Remember me?”
He always did.
Then the tears running warm down my face
made me feel like I was alive again and not dead,
like I was found and no longer lost.

I’m not a boy anymore.
Life has become way more complicated.
There never seems to be enough time.
And I get tired from the grind.
I only wish I still had time to stop
and consider the lilies.

~            ~            ~

Thomas wasn’t there on the first day of the week –
the day Jesus came and stood among the disciples
behind their closed doors of fear.
Thomas didn’t hear the words of peace
or see the Lord’s wounded hands or side.
How could he know for sure that the Lord had even been there,
though the others assured him?

Oh, how he missed Jesus –
the ache was almost unbearable.

Seven long days later – what felt like an eternity –
they were gathered again in the same room.
This time Thomas was there,
though his heart did not possess the others’ joy.

Again Jesus came and stood among them.

Jesus said to Thomas,
“Put your finger here and see my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it in my side.
Do not doubt but believe.” (John 20:27)

Thomas reached out,
and in his reaching out
his heart flooded with memories –
meals for hungry crowds,
the Master’s voice teaching,
miracles of healing,
offers of forgiveness,
walking the dirt roads of Galilee and Judea,
reclining by each table with its bread and wine,
praying for the kingdom to come.

“My Lord and my God!” Thomas nearly shouted,
his heart bursting with rediscovered joy.
It was like being alive again after feeling so dead inside,
like being found,
like coming home.

Words (c) 2012 Mark Lloyd Richardson

An Ash Wednesday Prayer

22 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Prayers

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Ash Wednesday, blessed, Creator, doing justice, dust of the earth, God, God's image, grace, healing, holy habits, Lent, loving mercy, prayer, spirit, trust, walk humbly with God, wholeness

God of all creation,
you are gracious and merciful, slow to anger,
and you abound in steadfast love.

Today as I enter the closet of my heart,
I discover a lifetime of memories stored there –
some I would prefer to forget and leave behind,
others that remind me how truly blessed I am.

Today I hear again your invitation to renewal –
I hear it with every fiber of my being,
having been created in your image,
formed of the dust of your earth,
enlivened by the breath of your spirit,
established in the strength of your grace!

In these forty days of Lent, it is my heart’s desire
to surrender old harmful habits that yield nothing,
and to take up new holy habits that lead to life.

May this Lenten journey return me to a place of trust,
where my fear is conquered by your holy unshakable love,
where I am healed and made whole in the aliveness of life,
where doing justice,
and loving mercy,
and walking humbly with you,
are the ways of being that matter most.

To love and be loved

25 Wednesday Jan 2012

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Poems

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

cradled, dog's love, Dogs, healing, Sadie

I have a guest poet on my blog today. My daughter Hannah, who turns 20 in a week and leaves me with no more teenage children, wrote a poem of remembrance about our Sadie. Dallis and I like it a lot, especially the part about “spinning and spinning and spinning,” which always made us laugh. Thanks, Hannah!

Sadie

Cradled in your arms
She knew she was home
And would never leave your side

A fuzzy ball radiating joy
No words can capture her spirit
But just follow the trail of smiles- you’ll see
And at the center will be those special few
Blessed to feel her warmth on their lap
Her tongue on their cheek (or probably up their nose)
And her eyes penetrating right through to their soul

Eager ears, quivering little body
Spinning and spinning and spinning
Because every time she spun she got to see you come home one more time
And there’s nothing she loved more than greeting you at the door
Erasing your worries, healing your hurts
Forgiving your absence because you’re there now and that’s all that matters
To love and be loved so completely is a magical thing

Cradled in your arms
She left this world
But she will never leave your heart

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