Prayer
by Martha S. Newman
All Souls Universalist Church
Oakland, Maine
October 7, 2001
Thou Wandering Shekinah, Thou Holy Spirit
that swells within and among us,
Bless this wilderness in which we live;
Bless those who enter into it willingly
with open eyes and open hearts.
Bless the wilderness we enter - malls, sports
competition, speech competition, airports,
behemoth of truck and the tangled wilderness
of highways
Bless the men and women who
clean up the tangled, burnt
debris in New York City and
bless those who died there.
Bless the love they had for their homes
and those who loved them.
Bless this new land we dread and fear
Bless us in the wilderness of death
and mourning.
Bless the tasks of wilderness:
Be not afraid; fear not.
Bless our journey to the land of
milk and honey.
Take it
Enter it
In that wilderness is laughter and tears
and births and anguish
and laughter and beauty again.
Come then
bring your unleavened bread
bring your table, leave it on the way if you must.
Come then
bring the light of your face
Come then
bring the pain that is your very own
but also ours.
Come then into this wilderness
this place of dread and fear
come to this place of wandering.
Shekinah, bless this wilderness
that is my land
Come, take my hand, take each other's hand
and let us wander together.
Amen
