Meditation Monday - A Prayer for Thanksgiving

Prayers for the Love of God

I have been meditating a lot on love this last week. It is a response to the hate and vitriol crashing around me dividing families, churches and communities. It is not just the U.S. election either. It seems that all around us there is a need for more love - deep, abiding love that strengthens our bones and anchors our spirits. I encourage you to meditate on this prayer which I wrote as a note last week both here and on Facebook. The response within my own spirit as well as from friends around me makes me realize how much we need these kinds of prayers to ground us and to encourage us to loving, compassionate actions towards those who look and think differently from ourselves.

The Essence of God

God’s love

Is higher, wider, deeper

Than we can imagine.

I breathe in the fragrance of it,

And say thank you.

I breathe in God’s love for laughter and song.

The joy and wonder that ripples through the universe,

And say thank you.

I breathe in God’s delight in beauty and creativity,

Which sends shivers of awe through my body,

And say thank you.

I breathe in God’s desire for life and flourishing,

A yearning for all life to be healed and made whole,

And say thank you.

I breathe in the essence of God

Love indescribable,

And say thank you.

As I continued to reflect on love other prayer/poems have formed in my mind. I hope you find these useful during this Thanksgiving and Advent season. Maybe you would like to write your own prayer/poem, collage, doodle or other expression of your creative gifts. Please share them in the comments.

Hold Love Close

Hold love close,

Do not let it go.

Let it flow from you, through you, in you.

Let it permeate your being

With the beauty and goodness of God.

Let it plant seeds of light and life,

Build bridges not walls,

Encourage unity not fragmentation.

God’s love resides in every action,

Every atom, every part of creation.

It holds our world together.

Share it freely every day.

Only Love

Only love can turn our world around.

Only love can change the way we think

So that all is transformed by God’s presence.

Only love can dissolve hate

And turn away anger

Opening our eyes to the beauty

Of all creation.

What Happened to Love?

What happened to love,

That reaches out beyond ourselves,

To go the extra mile?

What happened to concern for neighbour,

And justice for the marginalized?

What happened to the embrace of strangers,

And welcoming doors for those who are different?

Have we forgotten the words of Jesus

And discarded his way for another?

By your love they will know me.

By your love they will find me.

By your love all can become one family.