Blessings have a power all of their own. I particularly love the words of John O’Donohue the Irish poet, who wrote a whole book of blessings for people in many different situations.
Here are a few words from one.
May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.
“Beannacht”
Last Sunday we used two blessings from the depths of our tradition.
At the end of the morning service Norman blessed us with the ancient words of the Aaronic Blessing from Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless you and keep you”. Later at the end of the Congregational Conversation that followed we said together the words of another blessing from 2nd Corinthians: 13:14, “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all”. These words, which have held so many and which still reverberate within us today, give us individually and together, strength and a sense of shared history and experience.
This Sunday we will consider another ancient source, Jacob and Esau and the story of the mixed up blessing, reflecting on what light it may shed for us in our time and situation.
The Parish Profile, produced as part of the process of looking for new minister will be available for consideration on Sunday. Much work has gone into producing this document, so that it reflects clearly who and where we are as a community. Thanks to those who worked on this. May it become part of our future, blessing us in our search and helping us find the way forward.
BLESS YOU!
Fiona
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