Sunday, June 4:
This morning, I invited you to go to a place that feels the most peaceful for you. For me, it is my front porch; where I can hear the birds sing and hear the wind the trees. For you, it might be your favorite cozy chair, or a quiet spot in your back yard. Wherever it might be, go to your place of peace this morning, and pray this prayer to welcome the sabbath:
“Lord of Creation,
create in us a new rhythm of life
composed of hours that sustain rather than stress,
of days that deliver rather than destroy,
of time that tickles rather than tackles.
Lord of Liberation,
by the rhythm of your truth, set us free
from the bondage and baggage that break us,
from the Pharoah’s and fellows who fail us,
from the plans and pursuits that prey upon us.
Lord of Resurrection,
may we be raised into the rhythm of your new life,
dead to deceitful calendars,
dead to fleeting friend requests,
dead to the empty peace of our accomplishments.
To our packed-full planners, we bid, “Peace!”
To our over-caffeinated consciences, we cay, “Cease!”
To our suffocating selves, Lord, grant release.
Drowning in a sea of deadlines and death chimes,
we rest in you, our lifeline.
By your ever-restful grace,
allow us to enter your Sabbath rest
as your Sabbath rest enters into us.
In the name of our Creator,
our Liberator,
our Resurrection and Life,
we pray.
Amen.”
-Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Enuma Okoro, Common Prayer, A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
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