“English” language resources
Another autumn
Another autumn.
Another season of melancholy
and remembered loss.
Another season when Nature teaches us
that we are mortal.
Another time when we know that we are travelling
on a one-way ticket.
Another season when beauty mingles with tears.
Another autumn.
For the light
Suggested tune Calon Lan (268G)
For the light of days remembered
which has brought us to this place,
and the light of love and justice
for the wider human race;
for the light which burns and blazes
to inspire us to our best,
and the light which in its fading
calls us to our nightly rest;
As
The clarity of winter
The Old Year and its turning is behind you.
In the spareness and clarity of winter,
see the promise of a New Year.
Sense the possibilities forming within you,
feel the silent stirring of life beneath your feet.
The nights are still long, but they’re getting shorter.
The days are still dark, but they’re getting lighter.
Nature
Colours of the rainbow
My bow I set in the clouds to be a sign of the covenant
between myself and the earth. (Genesis 9: 13)
Rainbows have become our symbols of hope,
our defiance of the pestilence that spreads fear,
ruin, and death around our world.
What can be the meanings of those seven colours?
The meanings we could give them
As the deer is drawn to water
After Psalm 42
Tune: Ar Hyd y Nos (All Through the Night)
As the deer is drawn to water,
My soul to God.
Yet in all the pain and slaughter
Where is my God?
When, the holy days observing,
We meet darkness undeserving,
Still we struggle on, preserving
Our faith in God.
When the billows close above
Pastoral prayer for unsettled times
You might want to adjust your position for comfort, close your eyes, or soften your gaze. There might be a posture that helps you feel more prayerful. Whatever works for you. Do whatever you need to do to get into the right state of body and mind for us to pray together – to be
The sacredness of trees
(Christchurch Park, Ipswich)
He was the King of Trees
Keeper of the glades …
(Cat Stevens, ‘King of Trees’, 1974)
In the middle of an oak grove,
with trees of a few years old and trees of centuries,
feel the sacredness, the everlasting power
of the life around you,
and know the transitory nature of your own.
The ancient druids,
A safe and sacred space
The lighting of this chalice calls us to attention –
as we focus on its flickering light for a moment
let us recall the shared intention that it represents –
to make this a safe and sacred space for prayer and sharing
in which we can re-connect with life’s depths and our highest aspirations –