Tuesday, September 22, 2009

My dearest God,

I am preparing to participate in a three day covenant retreat. Susan and Jan will join Bill, Cindy and me. It will be a first to have all five members present.

As I started pulling things together for our opening worship, I wrote a litany entitled, Dawn of Creation. I reflected upon the creation of our group in 1988. In the beginning was God, I wrote. And then I pondered the essentials of our group. What was present at our creation? Light, eternal light so I put a candle and matches in my bag. Next I remembered water, living water so I put in my shell bowl. Community, a people woven together so I placed the weaving done by retreatants given to me at my retirement. Music, your song. I added a Native American CD called Weaving the Strands. Word, the Bible, has lead us. I put it in my bag. Devotion, weekly shared devotions so I added a devotional book. Silence, a profound quiet where you speak, giving a word, a thought, an insight. I placed inside my bag angel cards.

We would have only been a group of people getting together weekly if it were not for these items so vital to who we are. But light, water, community, music, word, devotion and silence have transformed us individually and as a group. You formed us and together and separately we have grown. What lay ahead? We do not know. We are retreating to listen to you.

Almighty, Everlasting God,
you took dust
and made
a human.
You spat
upon a
man's blind eyes
and he
could see.
You touched
the leper
and made
him well.
You sang
a love song
to your children
and we learned
to sing
our own song.
Let your spirit
fall upon us
as we seek
your direction.

Love, Andrea