Scripture Walk in the Park
A short walk through the park, enjoying nature, and reflecting on scriptures, poems and other readings which speak about our beautiful creation.
1 Opening prayer: (New Zealand Prayer Book)
God of unchangeable power, when you fashioned the world the morning stars sang together and the host of heaven shouted for joy; open our eyes to the wonders of creation and teach us to see all things for good, to the honor of your glorious name. Amen.
Walk….
2 The Edge of a Season (©Carolyn Servid)
These days
when fog steals in off the ocean
to slip in and out of trees,
when mountains appear and disappear
like ghosts of some lost presence
and glassy water laps easily
at rocky shores,
these intermittent days of calm and silence
take us gently to the edge of a season
and catch us shifting uneasily, stepping back
to embrace remnants of summer light,
lingering spirits that play
in soft hues with this evening,
this balancing,
this slipping of time
past the persistence of a heart's fullness
that had us believing
we could have it all,
it would never end.
Walk….
3 A Prayer (To serve Christ in all creation)
O God, the leaves of the trees of your kingdom spring from the water of life and bring the healing of the nations. Heal us and heal the earth, until the earth is as full of the knowledge of you as the waters cover the sea, and a canopy of breathing, cooling green once more mantles this fragile planet, bringing healing, and life, and peace. [Isa. 11:9, Rev. 22:1-2]
Walk…
4 To Be Like a Tree (Carrie Newcomer)
See how the trees
Reach up and outward
As if their entire existence
Were an elegant gesture of prayer
See how they welcome the breath of spirit,
In all its visible and invisible forms.
See how the roots reach downward and out,
Embracing the physical,
The body and bones
Of its soul of earth and stone,
Allowing half its life to be sheltered
in the most quiet and secret places.
Oh, if I could be more like a tree on this Sunday morning,
To feel the breath of invisible spirit
Touch me as tenderly as a kiss on the forehead.
If I could courageously and confidently
Dig down into the dark
Where the ground water runs deep,
Where shelter and sanctuary
Can be had and held.
Ah, to be like a tree
With all its bent and unbent places,
A whole and holy thing
From its topmost twigs
To the deepest taproot
To all the good and graceful
Spaces between.
Walk…
5 When I feel the holiness (Mary Oliver)
Angels are wonderful but they are so, well, aloof.
It’s what I sense in the mud and the roots of the trees, or the well, or the barn, or the rock with its citron map of lichen that halts my feet and makes my eyes flare, feeling the presence of some spirit, some small god, who abides there.
If I were a perfect person, I would be bowing continuously.
I’m not, though I pause wherever I feel this holiness, which is why I’m so often late coming back from wherever I went. Forgive me.
Walk….
6 Heaven’s Holy waters (Steven Charleston)
When you feel discouraged, when you have a mind full of worries, the elders say to remember the lesson of the summer rain. The skies may be dark, there may be no sun, no light, and the earth can be so dry it is cracked open and broken, but those same dark skies bring the rain, falling all around, with life in every drop, a healing touch from heaven, a new beginning of hope for those who receive it. It is raining today where I live, drops of new life falling on barren land, falling from dark skies, one by one, starting slowly then coming more quickly, hope in the midst of worry, healing flowing from every direction. Remember the lesson of the summer rain. Do not be afraid, but anointed once more, by heaven's holy waters, falling so freely, falling for you, and for every heart that is broken.
Walk….
7 Psalm 72 (hymn 616 – paraphrase of psalm 72)
He shall come down like showers
upon the fruitful earth,
and love, joy, hope, like flowers,
spring in his path to birth:
before him on the mountains
shall peace, the herald, go;
and righteousness in fountains
from hill to valley flow.
Walk
8 Closing Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving (season of creation)
Lord, how lovely it is to be your guest.
Breeze full of scents; mountains reaching to the skies; waters like a boundless mirror, reflecting the sun’s golden rays and the scudding clouds.
All nature murmurs mysteriously, breathing depths of tenderness. Birds and beasts of the forest bear the imprint of your love.
What sort of praises can we give you? We have never heard the song of the cherubim, a joy reserved for the spirits above. But we know the praises that nature sings to you.
We have beheld how silently in the moonlight the whole earth offers you prayer.
We have seen how the rising sun rejoices in you, heard how the song of the birds is a chorus of praise to you.
We have heard the mysterious mutterings of the forests about you, and the winds singing your praise as they stir the waters.
We have understood how the choirs of stars proclaim your glory, as they move for ever in the depths of infinite space.
You have brought us into life as if into an enchanted paradise.
We can live very well on your earth.
It is a pleasure to be your guest.
Glory to you for the feast-day of life.
Glory to you for the joy of dawn’s awakening and the quiet rest of evening.
Glory to you for the new life each day brings.
Glory to you, O God, from age to age. Amen.
Walking throughout the rest of the week:
As we move towards the edge of the summer season, remember the gifts of creation,
discovered in this sacred place, we call our island home..
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
611 Lincoln St/P.O. Box 1130 Sitka, AK
stpeters-sitka.org