All night I lay on my bed I sought him whom my soul loves. I sought him but did not find him.
Written by Martha Graham
There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening That is translated through you into action, And because there is only one of you in all time, This expression is unique.
by Rumi
This being human is a guest house Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The quintessential cry of despair, when all hope is lost.
A poem by Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966)
"Weep not for Me, Mother, in the grave I have life."
A recent memorial service for a much-loved artist in our church ended with a poem and a prayer. The poem was “When Death Comes” by Mary Oliver,
From St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Washington D.C.
Presider: It was a dull, tasteless thing; People: This life, before salt.
From the New Zealand Prayer Book
Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven:
by Peter Yarrow
Light one candle for the Maccabee children With thanks that their light didn't die Light one candle for the pain they endured When their right to exist was denied
by Howard Thurman
I will light candles this Christmas. Candles of joy, despite all sadness. Candles of hope where despair keeps watch.
Quoted from writings of Meister Eckhart
The seed of God is in us. If you are an intelligent and hard-working farmer, it will thrive and grow up into God,
Written by Cesar E. Chavez
Show me the suffering of the most miserable; So I will know my people's plight. Free me to pray for others; For you are present in every person.
from Seekers Church, Washington, D.C.
Go into the seething cauldron of the world. Listen for the questions and voices that you would rather not hear.
The Christianity we have inherited in the 21st century is like an onion, with Jesus’ wisdom at the core and layers and layers of church doctrine added over the centuries. Each of those layers was a solution to a problem in its own time. Progressive Christianity has let go of virtually all of those layers, recognizing that the core teaching – the Jesus experience, if you will – is what transcends time and is worth preserving. The result is that most progressive Christian churches no longer use the old creeds. We are not willing to recite what we cannot believe.
The Liturgy Project has been in the works for several years, and now that our new website has launched, the liturgy contributions have
Words by Lyndon Hutchinson-Hounsell
May Love Divine fill all our hearts, our bodies, minds and souls. Let’s love our neighbours as ourselves as Spirit makes us whole.
John Becker has written a simple chant called “Litany of the Saints,” which in its original form is literally a list of saints of the Catholic Church. But it is easy to write your own lyrics!
God bless this food we are about to receive. Give bread to those who hunger; and hunger for justice to us who have
Do you know how to catch a raccoon? I mean good old backwoods ingenuity, no guns, no weapons of mass destruction. Well, I didn’t know either, until some years ago...
Dr. Polly Moore of College Heights UCC, San Mateo, CA, offers a list of the biblical references in "A NEW EARTH" by Eckhart Tolle, used by the church for its study group focusing on the book.