The Eighth Day

outpoured song outpoured Spirit
outpoured water outpoured wine
outpoured blood outpoured breath
outpoured sweet sad humankind
in the pouring is the finding
outpoured song outpoured wine

broken prayer broken promise
broken lyrics broken life
broken bread broken body
broken God in all our sight
in the breaking is the sharing
broken bread broken life

raging storm ruined shame
doubtful humans dawning hope
kindling knowledge knowing kin
perfect one perfecting all
in the rising sin is routed
reversing fall sounding call

Holy Cross Day, September 14, 2007

On Prayer

I wonder what drives our conversations with God? Is it about getting to know God better, being part of the divine plan, deepening our relationships, letting go of our burdens? Or is it about God the "sugar daddy" who wants to give us stuff and responds to our every whim?

Prayer is foremost about God. We come seeking relationship, comfort, and strength. In prayer we acknowledge our dependence on God and our willingness for Christ to be Lord of our lives. The relationship built by prayer allows for each of us to be transformed into God's own image one conversation at a time.

In his book Worship and Spirituality, Don Saliers tells us that the Liturgy "waits for us." So indeed prayer, our conversations with God, waits for us constantly as we come seeking the divine. The channel is always open, the line secure. Prayer makes God available and yet the more we practice it, the more we work for it, the more we realize God's mystery.

I do not want "Lord baby Jesus" or "old man with a beard." What I want is to be heard and to align myself with the divine life. This means that prayer is really not ours for it belongs to the whole people of God. Our communal prayer on the Lord's day spills into our daily life as we pray without ceasing. Thanking, blessing, asking, are some of the ways that we pray as we work at life. Are we ready for this kind of encounter with Almighty God?

What's your take my brother?

Peace, Juan+