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Tower and Town, August 2017

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Clergy Letter

God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good.
On the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested.

Genesis 1: 32; 2: 2

I was looking for a holiday-time prayer that would inspire us all to pray for our friends and neighbours as they go on holiday. But instead I found this poem by Neil Paynter. It reminded me of the simple joy of standing on a beach, watching the waves and taking time to see my life as part of a bigger picture: God's picture.

God bless days off
with no one to call back but
oystercatchers and herring gulls

Nothing to pick up but
messages left in the landscape ...

No one to get in touch with but
myself again

No deliveries to pick up but
what the waves leave at my feet ...

No details to get lost in but
the business of a rock pool

Nothing to follow up but
the path of a shore-crab ...

Nothing to note but the taste and texture
and salty, sharp smell of the day.

God bless days off
and time to retreat into

Time to discover new energy to
take back into work ...

Your idea of a perfect 'holy day', a day off that will recharge your batteries, and give you perspective on your daily life, may well be very different. But whether it's a day's shopping, a round of golf, or a BBQ in the garden, I pray that you will be blessed with at least one during the holiday season. Why not pray the same for your friends and neighbours, colleagues and family?

Poem adapted from 'God Bless Days Off' by Neil Paynter
in A Book of Blessings Ruth Burgess (2001, Wild Goose Publications)

Miri Keen

      

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