For Good Friday It is finished. Cut off. Ended. No more. Lifeless. It's body brought down, but for what reason? What threat? To what end? Laying on the forest floor. Humbled. Hollowed. Hallowed. It's story,it's legacy, it's outpouring, is not finished. - Wendy Janzen
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Wild Wind of the Spirit,
on this Pentecost day we revel in the ways your presences lives and moves among us and through us - inspiring us, challenging us, unsettling us. May we be open to the winds of change, welcoming and bending to new ways of being. May we embrace and celebrate the lively and generative energy of this day, empowering us to be agents of transformation in our spheres of influence, voices for the voiceless, and visionaries for a new future. Amen. - Wendy Janzen God of Spring,
of roots and growth, of vibrancy and veriditas: Bless this time of planting. As we dig our fingers into rich soil, wiggling and delighting in the damp warm, earth, we remember that we are earthlings. Bless our connection with the the land, with the water that supports all life, with these seeds we bury beneath the surface trusting that they will germinate and grow and nourish our bodies. Bless the fertility of the earth, the micronutrients, the compost, the earthworms, and the pollinators. Bless our intentions to be good gardeners: may we give and receive, work and wait, with humility. And bless these seeds: help us to hold them with reverence and to see in them the promise of sustenance and life. Amen. - Wendy Janzen Mothering God,
Giver of life, who hovered over the deep at the beginning of time, who soars like an eagle, who gathers her brood under her wings, who descended from heaven as a dove: Open our eyes to see you today. Open our ears to hear your song. Open our spirits to sense your presence here in this place. Open our minds to new insights, and open our hearts to a deeper connection with you and with all the feathered ones you see and love. Amen. - Wendy Janzen Poised as for prayer, spring ephemerals call out gently from the forest floor, inviting reverence and reflection. I offer my attention, recognizing the holiness in the moment - too soon they will be gone. Meanwhile, the sound of traffic in the near distance reminds me of the world that never stops. Stop what you are doing right now. Stop and step out of the climate-controlled box. Step away from the mediated world of screens. Step into the world where rain might soak your skin, where smells of Earth can fill your lungs, where birds freely and joyfully offer the soundtrack of a life where you get lost in the beauty and glory of spring flowers, where you feel fully alive, a re- membered part of the community of creation. - Wendy Janzen Earth Day Prayer
April 22, 2021 Beloved Creator, Heartbeat of Life, Ground of our being - On this day set apart to honour Earth, open our ears to hear the cries of our neighbours in the community of creation. The wetlands are groaning under the pressures of development - Are we listening? The forests are groaning from the introduction of invasive species - Are we listening? The lakes are groaning from chemical runoff - Are we listening? The hills are groaning from the removal of their ancient trees - Are we listening? Open our ears to heed the cries of Earth and our fellow creatures. Open our eyes to the wonder and beauty of this most amazing universe. Open our hearts to love the world as You love. Open our minds to imagine a reciprocal future, where we give back as much as we take. Open our lives to new ways of being earthkeepers, companions, advocates, and champions of justice and mercy for all beings. Amen. - Wendy Janzen, 2021 Prayer for Easter Sunday 2021
I awaken from sleep to a day of celebration. In the pre-dawn birds are singing and so is my spirit. Buds are swelling, and so is my heart. Roots are deepening, and so is my faith. Flowers are blossoming, And so is my joy. The sun is rising, and so is my hope. Wild Christ, alive among us, on this resurrection day may we follow the lead of all creation in praise and celebration. May we, too, trust in the promise of new life. May we, too, live each day fully, our lives a testament to your Presence shining in the world. Amen. - Wendy Janzen Prayer for the Sixth Sunday of Lent
This is a day of conflicting emotions, God of passion and life. We have come to a bend in the river, a turning point in the narrative, a juxtaposition of celebration and impending sorrow. We too feel the strangeness of life sometimes weighed down with the stresses of pandemic life, yet dotted with joy and hope. We pray for moments of relief, for times of pleasure in life even in the face of challenge. Like a river in spring, that sometimes overflows her banks, flooding the surrounding lowlands, may love and joy overflow into the low places in our lives. May we delight in your never ceasing goodness, bubbling and dancing like water flowing over rocks and obstacles. Pull us deeper into your current of life, a river that is wide with mercy and justice, a river that carries the full range of emotion, a river that ebbs and flows but never ceases. Amen. - Wendy Janzen Prayer for the Fifth Sunday of Lent
Mothering God, who created Earth and formed rhythms and seasons and cycles: I celebrate the coming of spring once again. As the warming sun melts frozen earth into mud and snowdrops bloom, emerald moss invites me to lay down my head and listen to earth’s heartbeat. Give me pause here, God of mystery, to stop and ponder what lies beneath. Do not let me turn away from examining the unseen places deep within. What secrets are hidden there? What wisdom have you planted, what seeds of transformation are just waiting for the right conditions? Make of me fertile soil where spring’s eternal lessons of regeneration might take root and grow: death is not the end of the story, but rather the place of new beginnings. Amen. - Wendy Janzen Spirit of fullness,
On this Pentecost morning Filled with miracles Of wind, flame and Spirit, Animate us. Enliven us. Transform us. Comfort us, And lead us from our fears And our fears for the world, That we might rise with Hope, Joy, Wonder, And amazement On this expansive New day. Amen. - Wendy Janzen |
AuthorReflections, poetry, prayers, photos, and resources written by Wendy Janzen unless otherwise noted. Archives
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