Tag Archives: joy

Let the birds sing

24 Wednesday Mar 2021

Posted by in grief, Reflections

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Let the birds sing
in early morning light

Let breezes sweetly whisper
through the trees at midday

Let clouds drift lazily
across a buoyant spring sky

Let the sun’s brilliance
gild rugged hillsides nearby

And let it all remind me
that this day is holy

Let friends call
and listen tenderly to my pain

Let strangers offer
a kind word or gesture

Let hours pass
and leave no trace of regret

Let this day unfold
with a gentleness born of grace

And let it all remind me
that this day is holy

There is no denying
this world looks different to me now
my future blurred by uncertainty
love’s healing work barely begun
and the cruel finality of death
no longer merely an idea

But let the birds sing in the morning
let friends be present by my side
let moments of contentment quietly come
let memories wash over me like a balm
let joy one day follow these days of mourning
let healing imperceptibly take root and grow

And let it all remind me
if I have the courage to see it
that this day indeed is holy

~ Mark Lloyd Richardson

Come to the Table of Grace

06 Sunday May 2018

Posted by in Prayers, Worship Liturgy

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We used this communion liturgy I wrote in worship this morning, playing off of the words and music of the lovely communion song by Barbara Hamm titled “Come to the Table of Grace,” found in the songbook Worship & Song. Please feel free to use in your worship context if you find it meaningful.

Liturgy for Holy Communion
(Singing #3168 “Come to the Table of Grace”)

This is God’s table.
Here we are invited to taste grace,
the grace that lightens the human heart
and widens the human soul
by creating an opening for God to enter –
the God who brings healing to bodies, minds, and spirits,
the God who meets us in the deep center of life itself
where we discover truth that sets us free.
This is a feast of grace
for the saint and sinner in each one of us.
Let us come to the table of grace.

Sing verse 1: “Come to the table of grace.”

When we gather at the table of our Lord
it is an invitation to live in peace with our neighbors.
The Prince of peace comes among us
and extends a word of peace –
peace for our troubled hearts,
peace for our troubled relationships,
peace for our troubled neighborhoods,
peace for our troubled environment,
peace for our troubled global community.
In Christ we are empowered to lay down our swords,
whether they be cutting words or violent actions,
whether they be divisive symbols or self-justifications,
and yield ourselves to the Savior
who comes with peace on his lips,
peace in his very presence.
Let us come to the table of peace.

Sing verse 2: “Come to the table of peace.”

When Jesus met with his friends
on the night he was betrayed and arrested,
he took the bread that sustains life,
and he blessed and broke it before them.
He took the common cup filled with wine
and he claimed that these ordinary parts of their meal
were in truth sacred reminders of the gifts of God.
The bread reminded them of the manna
their ancestors received to ease their hunger in the wilderness.
The cup reminded them of the miracle of new wine
at a Cana wedding and at the heavenly feast to come.
Together these ordinary signs tell the story of God’s love
being expressed to all generations.
They show how Jesus himself modeled divine love
as he welcomed the outcast, forgave the sinner,
healed the sick, showed compassion for the hungry,
and called a child to come sit on his lap and be blessed.
Now it is for us to live the way of love of Jesus,
to love outside of our comfort zones, our arbitrary walls,
to love extravagantly as though it can’t run out.
Let us come to the table of love.

Sing verse 3: “Come to the table of love.”

God who sets this bountiful table before us,
a table of grace and peace,
a table of love and joy,
pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon these gifts of bread and wine,
that through Christ’s presence here
we may become a people of grace,
a source of joy, a witness to love,
and instruments of your peace.
By your Holy Spirit,
make us one with Christ,
one with each other,
one with all who walk in your light,
and one in ministry to the whole world, no exceptions,
until we feast at the heavenly banquet.
Let us come to the table of joy.

Sing verse 4: “Come to the table of joy.”

Words (c) 2018 Mark Lloyd Richardson

Prayer to Begin the Day

28 Saturday Oct 2017

Posted by in Prayers

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Blistery blustery beautiful day

Photograph “Blistery blustery beautiful day” by Dallis Day Richardson

God,
I want to see you
in each person I meet today
in each conversation I have with another
in each joy discovered
in each suffering shared.

I want to know
in my inmost being
the humanity of Jesus
whose constant prayer was
to be intimately connected with you
in the doing of justice
the enactment of peace
the power of sacrificial love.

I want to seek
friendship with the divine
more than right beliefs
dutiful virtues
or accepted behaviors
so that the movement of my soul
might be toward life in its fullness
life in touch with the Center
life contributing to newness
life in communion with others
life as holy gift
life as sheer wonder.

May I embody
what to me is true
what to me is beautiful
what to me is eternal –
a life whose wholeness is found in God,
a song that can only be sung
in concert with all of creation!

© Mark Lloyd Richardson, 2017

Song of the Ages

17 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by in Prayers

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IMG_0022-0.JPG
Song of the ages,
you sing across the glistening waters of time.
You sing with an eternal enjoyment
of everything your hands have made.
Your song is a gloria carried on the winds
and punctuated by pulsating waves.
Your song sings itself into our lives
for our very being is hidden within you.
Song of the ages,
may all of our days harmonize
with your deep notes of justice, compassion and peace.
May our lives sing out with joy too
so that all may hear of your blessing
and want to join in your unending song.

Words (c) 2014 Mark Lloyd Richardson

O Blessed Spring

12 Sunday May 2013

Posted by in Reflections, Worship Liturgy

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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].

In Answer to Your Question

02 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by in Poems

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Hannah and Me in San Francisco, 2007

Hannah and Me in San Francisco, 2007

In 2007, the year this photo was taken of my daughter Hannah and me, she asked me a simple question one day. So today, February 2, 2013, on her twenty-first birthday, I am sharing with you how I responded to her question that day:

In Answer to Your Question

You tossed your question deftly in the air
as we talked one evening:
“Will you write me a poem?”

I’ve been thinking about it, and
if I were to write you a poem,
it would be in the color of yellow, like sunshine
splashing playfully over a sea of ripe bananas.

Blooms_of_a_yellow_rose
I’d also plant a yellow rose in one of the lines
to symbolize the joy of seeing you blossom.

If I were to write a poem for you I would
put your favorite number 11 in it too — a number
with simple symmetry — like gothic columns
holding up a cathedral. In a happy coincidence,
your name is constructed in columns too …
H A N N A H
a palindrome of strength and grace,
the cathedral in which you live.

Mind you, these are just my initial thoughts, but
if I were to write you a poem it would probably be
in the key of A major, because that’s a joyful key
celebrating the sweetness of life and
offering wisps of hope for each new day.

You ask, “Will you write me a poem?”
Yes, my daughter, my little girl,
let me see what I can do.

Love, Dad

Renew Your Church, Lord

31 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by in Prayers, Reflections, Worship Liturgy

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Dear Lord,
You are the Breath of life
Who from earth’s very beginning
Has enlivened all of creation
With your powerful presence.

You are the Song of freedom
Who throughout human history
Has stirred our hearts toward the truth
That alone is able to set us free.

You are the Strength to love
Even in the midst of life’s sorrows,
Knowing that beneath any suffering
We are embraced in everlasting arms.

You are the Font of forgiveness
Who grants mercy before justice, and
Calls us to become reconcilers
Amid the many conflicts of this world.

Daily our gratitude rises within us
because of your extravagant grace.

Daily we count our blessings,
believing that the life we receive from you
is life indeed and abundantly good.

Your Church, Lord, is a people,
not a steeple.

Your Church is a testing ground
for all who choose to follow you,
for all who put their trust in you
and live their lives in you.

Every day we hear your invitation –
to listen and heed your voice,
to open our hearts to compassion,
to be agents of peace in your world.

Every day our choices are opportunities –
to draw closer to you and your Kingdom,
a Kingdom of love and light!

Renew your church, Lord!

Renew our vision
for reaching new people
with the gospel of hope in Jesus Christ!

Renew our commitment
to being Christ’s body in the world –
Christ’s arms and feet,
Christ’s hands and ears –
always extending the generosity of grace
to the least, the last, and the lost!

Renew our belief
that every person we meet
is a child of God –
co-workers and caregivers,
mechanics and store clerks,
farm workers and corporate CEOs,
Republicans and Democrats,
Muslims, Buddhists, and Jews,
the neighbors we haven’t yet met,
the strangers we don’t yet know,
the enemies we can’t yet love.

Renew our spirits, Lord.

Renew our faith.

Renew our joy
in being servants of the King of kings
and Lord of lords!

By your Spirit
make us one with Christ,
one with each other,
and one in ministry to all the world,
until Christ comes in final victory
and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

May it be so, Lord.
May it be so!

Words and photo (c) 2012, Mark Lloyd Richardson

The Song of the Forest Trees

21 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by in Reflections

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“Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord.” ~ Psalm 96:12 -13a

Creation sings God’s praise when our voices are silent!

If we are awake and paying attention, we will notice the glorious brushstrokes of our Creator all around us (and even within us).

Yet we often allow our worries to discolor what we see, our fears to dampen the moments of grace we might otherwise trust.

The beauty of God’s handiwork is always near at hand, calling us to open our ears and our hearts to the song of joy heard among the trees of the forest.

Words and photo (c) 2012 Mark Lloyd Richardson (Photo taken at Merck Forest, Vermont)

Rolling Around in the Grass Laughing

14 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in Reflections

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Opie & Trooper at Santa Maria Valley Humane Society, Santa Maria, California
Photo by Dallis Day Richardson (c) 2012

It is important from time to time
to drop everything
and roll around in the grass
laughing with a friend!

“So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” ~ Jesus
(John 16:22)

Reaching Out

13 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in Poems, Uncategorized

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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