Wednesday, February 29, 2012

An Epiphany Moment ...


For quite awhile I've struggled with what I should and could do with this blog. It has long seemed like the little sibling of my main blog Prairie Preacher ... then with the arrival of the blog dedicated to the Sermons and Worship of the Flesherton Pastoral Charge, the role of this blog further blurred ...

Yesterday though, on the way home from a meeting in Durham I had an Epiphany moment about what I could do with this blog ... instead of being a forgotten little sibling, Meditative Moments can step up and take on a full role in a Blog Trinity that encompasses the life and ministry of myself and the community I serve.

The roles of my three blogs will be as follows:

The Prairie Preacher will remain MY blog where I muse as a person about the issues and happenings around me that I feel compelled to comment on ... it is where I will continue to speak frankly and openly about what touches me ... the range of topics has and will continue to vary depending on what is happening in my life, what I'm reading, and what I feel like writing. It is MY blog where I speak as ME ... in a sense, it will remain unchanged.

The second blog - The United Church in the Grey Highlands, will be where sermons and Orders of Worship from the Flesherton Pastoral Charge will be posted. This blog will serve, in conjunction with the webpage for the Pastoral Charge, as the 'official' online voice of the Pastoral Charge where our resources and our announcements are posted for all to see.

And now the third Blog - this site, will become the place where prayers and petitions are offered on behalf of the Flesherton Pastoral Charge and those in our community and our world who need this amazing gift called prayer.

It occurred to me the other day that with all the things swirling around me and the life and ministry of the Flesherton Pastoral Charge that sometimes the best gift we can offer is the gift of prayer. While we have a strong prayer ministry within the Pastoral Charge peopled by people who take this blessing seriously, we can take prayer to another level by involving, and including others.

SO, there in lies my epiphany moment last night ... the third piece of the online presence offered by these blogs WILL be the gift of prayer !!

We have a place for me to share my musings and reflections, a place to share our worship and our announcements, and now we have a place to share the MOST IMPORTANT gift we have - the gift of prayer.

No Church can engage in, or be successful in its life and ministry without balancing and grounding everything in PRAYER.

So, this blog - the little sister of Prairie Preacher and the United Church in the Grey Highlands, will become the Prayer Chapel that will balance, ground, motivate and inspire EVERYTHING else that we do.

Sometimes the best we can do is kneel in prayer and draw into the presence of the Holy ... and too often it is the one thing we fail to do in our busy lives. So now the Meditative Moments will become JUST THAT - a place to pause, pray and meditate in the presence of the Holy ...

Please feel free to join in ... contributions and comments are welcomed ... and prayer requests will not be ignored ...

Peace and Prayers ...

Prayers for today ...

Holy One, with thanks for the gift of today, we lift our hearts in prayer to you remembering our circle of friends and family, our community, our Church and our sisters and brothers who share this world with us.

We pray for those who are ill ... those who are in care homes and care facilities ... those who are at home and who await tests, treatment and results ... hold them in your love and your Shalom and carry them in your strength as they journey the road before them ...

We pray especially this day for your servant D and the transition and changes he is facing ... may your spirit rest with him as he settles in his new home and finds his way in a new place ... may he know our thoughts and care and prayers are with him ... may he know he is not alone ...

Loving God, we pray this day for those who are frightened ... alone ... lonely ... Those who are struggling ... those who linger in the darkness and yearn for light ... those who feel distant and removed from your presence and your love ...

Loving God, hear our prayers that day that we have expressed aloud, and those that linger in our hearts and mind unspoken, but felt ... send your Spirit to move within us and to remove our doubt and hesitation ... take our worries and concerns and in your love answer our prayers and touch our lives and the lives of those we care for and care about ...

Creator God, in your love we pray knowing that you hear us, and you never abandon us ...

AMEN