Thursday, August 13, 2009

Today's artwork is Tree of Life, found on http://www.ebsqart.com/

Quote for the day
There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness but of power.
Washington Irving

Opening Words
Come among us, Jesus,
You who hurled the stars into space
and shaped the spider's weaving,
Come, Jesus, and meet us here.

A Reading from Another Voice
Idols, in whatever shape or form, grab our attention, and if we are not careful, our ultimate loyalty. Once they have our attention in this way, idols - things we make - pull a treacherous switch: they begin making us. The problem is that we never own up to how dangerous they really are. The best idols remain cloaked in the garments of innocent acceptableness. By these criteria, "hurry," or busyness, may be seen as one of our culture's most dangerous and pernicious idols. Unattributed

A Reading from 2 Samuel 15:1-8
After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run ahead of him. Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the road into the gate; and when anyone brought a suit before the king for judgment, Absalom would call out and say, “From what city are you?” When the person said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,” Absalom would say, “See, your claims are good and right; but there is no one deputed by the king to hear you.” Absalom said moreover, “If only I were judge in the land! Then all who had a suit or cause might come to me, and I would give them justice.” Whenever people came near to do obeisance to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of them, and kiss them. Thus Absalom did to every Israelite who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel.

At the end of four years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron and pay the vow that I have made to the Lord. For your servant made a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram: If the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will worship the Lord in Hebron.”

Silence
Be still and aware of God's presence within and all around.

Prayer
With you is the source of life, O God.
You are the beginning of all that is.
From your life the fire of the rising sun streams forth.
You are the life-flow of creation's rivers,
the sap of blood in our veins,'earth's fecundity,
the fruiting of trees, creatures' birthing,
the conception of new thought,
desire's origin.
All these are of you, O God,
and I am of you.
You are the morning's freshness.

Blessing
I bless you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Sacred Spirit:
the One and the Three.
May God give you to drink of His cup;
may the sun be bright upon you;
may the night call down peace;
and when you come to His household
may the door be open wide
for you to go in to your joy.