Preparing for Iona: With the Daughters of the King

The Daughters of the King is a group of women committed to prayer, service, and evangelism. At St. Mary’s last night, a dozen or so of us met for our monthly gathering, and we took a little pilgrimage to Iona. Two weeks from today, I’ll be on the Isle of Iona, and it’s a joy thinking of those wonderful women being there with me–in thought and prayer.

I’ve been a Daughter of the King myself for about thirty years, and I received a scholarship from the national organization when I was in seminary. I have a Daughter’s cross as part of the design of my green Ordinary time chasuble. When I became a Daughter, only lay women could be Daughters, and it was a while after I was ordained that female clergy could be an active part of the Order other than as a chaplain.

In light of that, I’ll admit that one of the things that was precious to me when I was a candidate for Bishop was picturing a Daughter being part of the Episcopacy. I’m not sure if that’s happened. . . . yet. That’s a door for another woman to open.

For the Daughters, and others, who didn’t join us last night, here a few treasures for your own virtual pilgrimage to Iona:

A Scripture:

Thus says the Lord:  Stand at the crossroads, and look,  and ask for the ancient paths,  where the good way lies; and walk in it,  and find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6.16

A Song to sing:

One more step along the world I go,
one more step along the world I go;
from the old things to the new
keep me traveling along with you:

Refrain:
And it’s from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.

Round the corner of the world I turn,
more and more about the world I learn;
all the new things that I see
you’ll be looking at along with me: Refrain

As I travel through the bad and good,
keep me traveling the way I should;
where I see no way to go
you’ll be telling me the way, I know: Refrain

Give me courage when the world is rough,
keep me loving though the world is tough;
leap and sing in all I do,
keep me traveling along with you: Refrain

You are older than the world can be,
you are younger than the life in me;
ever old and ever new,
keep me traveling along with you: Refrain

Words: Sydney Carter

Music: Southcote by Sydney Carter, arranged by Lionel Dakers

A thought about “thin places” from Jan Richardson:

From ancient times Celtic folk have called such places thin places. In the physical landscape and in the turning of the year, thin places are spaces where the veil between worlds becomes permeable, and heaven and earth meet. It’s not that God somehow becomes more there than in other places, but rather that a veil within us falls away; we recognize and receive the presence of God with a clarity that can be difficult to come by in our daily lives.

Thin places abound in the Celtic landscape. Over the centuries, many of them have become places of pilgrimage, sites where the veil has become ever more thin as people persist in coming to offer the prayers of their hearts.

A Prayer Attributed to St. Columba who founded the first Christian community on Iona in the 6th century:

Let me bless Almighty God, whose power extends over sea and land, whose angels watch over all.

Let me study sacred books to calm my soul; I pray for peace, kneeling at heaven’s gates.

Let me do my daily work, gathering seaweed, catching fish, giving food to the poor.

Let me say my daily prayers, sometimes chanting, sometimes quiet, always thanking God.

Delightful it is to live on a peaceful isle, in a quiet cell, serving the King of kings. AMEN

Preparing for Iona: A Surgical Sidepath

This is a blog written whilst on drugs–prescribed painkillers, that is.

I had some minor surgery on Tuesday, and have spent these last few days with ice packs, soft foods, and lots of sleeping. I am blessed with good health, but the very few times I’ve had anesthesia it does leave me rather cotton-brained.

I pretty much cleared my week and good that I did. I’ve had holy time this healing. I’ve laid in bed with earphones on and listened, really listened to music–iTunes had a free download of the new U2 album, and I’ve also enjoyed the new discs from Francesca Battistelli and the Rend Collective.

I’ve had time to pray the Hours with the new book of prayers from Church Publishing, Daily Prayer for All Seasons. I’ve also worn my Pearls of Life prayer beads on my wrist and prayed using them (these prayers were very helpful as I went through my surgery and the recovery, by the way; Yeah! centering prayer).

I’ve watched movies and read a novel. I’ve prayed for a lot of people. I’ve worn the prayer shawl made for me by a dear parishioner years ago from yarn she had left from other prayer shawls.

Friends have restocked my refrigerator with yogurt and eggs. I even had a burst of energy and thought how good pudding would taste. And then I thought of my mom’s chocolate pie, and thought–we’ll that’s pudding, and actually made one without the crust! Smoothies, mashed potatoes, guacamole, soup, and Harriets’s baked oatmeal–ah, the world of adult food that doesn’t have to be chewed!

I feel surrounded by love and care. Texts of prayer; a few cards; a phone call from my mom; sweet emails and notes on Facebook (a lavender labyrinth photo from Katie+).

I’ve missed some things I loved/wanted to do, but I’m full of joy for the unexpected time to do some things I never, or hardly ever do.

One of which was remembering a friend from seminary, Patricia Clark, a poet who died a few years back, as I prayed a prayer she wrote a night or so ago:

Hidden God, ever present to me,

may I now be present to you,

attentive to your every word,

attuned to your inspirations,

Alert to your touch.

Empty me that I may be filled with you alone.

AMEN

Preparing for Iona: Pearls of Life

I have a basket full of prayer beads. The basket itself is a treasure because a dear friend knitted (or is it crocheted?) it for me. Over the years I’ve bought a variety of prayer beads and quite a few more have been given to me–some of those hand made especially for me as well. I am abundantly blessed.

As I get older, I feel the need for less and less new things. I’ve got piles of books I haven’t read, and enough stuff to fill a large house. In fact, I find myself trying to give away more than I take in.

However, a week or so ago I bought some new prayer beads. I’m going back to Iona at the very end of September with my best friend for a week of praying and walking the rhythm of that Holy Island. I was perusing the Wild Goose website, the publisher of the religious community that lives on the island, and came across Pearls of Life.

Each of the eighteen beads or “pearls” on the bracelet represents a prayer. This litany of prayer was created by Bishop Martin Lonnebo of the Swedish Lutheran Church while stranded on a Greek Island.

As I prepare for my pilgrimage to Iona, I’ve been praying one bead each day as part of my centering prayer practice. I traveled to the desert today.

Each bead is called a pearl because each prayer is that precious. The beads in my bracelet are actually glass and ceramic beads handmade from India through a fair trade company. I’ve been thinking that it might be fun to create my own.

Because I wanted to share the whole scope of this prayer circle, here is the entire prayer litany:

The God Pearl
You are boundless. You are near. You are light, and I am yours.

The Silence Pearl
In God’s silence may I be–quiet, still, craving nothing.

The I Pearl
I am a drop in God’s sea that reflects the sky.

The Baptism Pearl
I am your child, my God, help me grow, help me mature.

A Silence Pearl
In God’s silence may I be–quiet, still, craving nothing.

The Desert Pearl
Cleanse me so I will be clean. Heal me so I will be whole.

A Silence Pearl
In God’s silence may I be–quiet, still, craving nothing.

The Serenity Pearl
Help me really live, not only exist.

The First Love Pearl
Open me now to the strength of love I long for.

The Second Love Pearl
God, help me love.

The Mystery Pearls (there are three of these)
Large or small, I entrust the secrets of my heart to your care.

The Night Pearl
Be close to me in darkness so that I find the light.

Another Silence Pearl
In God’s silence may I be–quiet, still, craving nothing.

The Resurrection Pearl
Every breath me in you you in me.

A final Silence Pearl
In God’s silence may I be–quiet, still, craving nothing.

Centering Prayer: Traveling Home Peace

I’m not doing my usual 5 AM first leg home from a Grandboy trip today since my flight doesn’t leave Redmond until 3.30, and my Centering Prayer word this morning was God’s peace.

It’s a different ending to one of these precious visits. Usually I’m up at 4 AM traveling to the airport, having said good bye to the boys the night before. However, this trip, we had breakfast together, read books, played an ipad game, and I waved them off to day care with blown kisses while still in my pjs.

I’ve had the whole morning to myself In Jacob and Lisa’s home to putter mode myself ready to travel. I love being in new places and visiting folks I love, but travel makes me anxious. Traveling so late in the day makes possibilities for flying surprises increase. This gives me a great opportunity to practice a centered life. God’s peace.

Devotional reading, centering prayer, and praying my St. Mary’s directory, as is my traveling practice. It’s my last time with this directory since we’ll publish a new one for St. Mary’s Day. I prayed the names of these treasured people more intentionally, making special note of folks who I haven’t seen in a while, folks that I’ll invite to be more involved, and folks who I know need updates in the new edition.

My dear daughter-in-law will be here in a couple of hours to take me to the airport. The towels and dirty linens are on the washer, and I have only a few last items to pack. My heart is sad, but also full of so much joy and love. Thanks, God. God’s peace.