Category: Spring - BURNING BUSH FOREST CHURCH

BURNING BUSH FOREST CHURCH

Camping Prayer

5/29/2022

Outside the flimsy walls
my body feels the chill
of this new day.
I could have stayed
under the covers,
cozy and comfortable,
dozing and content.

But out here, in the open,
I awaken - here is a
living world where
flowers dot the forest floor,
breeze makes trees dance,
dew sparkles on grass -
delightful and gracious
hosts to us visiting guests,
gifts so easily missed by
us indoor beings.

God of wild beings and
wild places, thank you
for the birds and their
exquisite songs,
the variety of green,
refreshing mornings that
make us feel alive,
awed and amazed
at the world beyond
our sheltered lives.

May our encounters with
places of wild beauty
and the creatures who
call them home
expand our hearts,
minds, imaginations.
May we be open to
your expansive presence,
and may it expand our
love and care for all creation.

May we take time to
pay attention to and
find delight in the lives
of those with feather & fur,
fins & scales, and learn
their names, sounds,
habitats, and needs.
May we remember you
created and blessed them,
and that you made an
everlasting covenant
with the land,
all wild creatures,
and us.

May we love the world
in each small detail, and
also in its wonderfully
complex fullness.
May we tread lightly
and leave no trace.

Bless our summer travels
and encounters.
May they transform
us into new creations.

Amen

- Wendy Janzen

A blessing for May

5/1/2022

Blessed be the sun's warming power
energizing all that exists.

Blessed be the joyous flowers raising
their beautiful faces to the sun.

Blessed be the the nesting birds
singing in each morning.

Blessed be the vernal ponds
nurseries of new life.

Blessed be my place within
this beloved community,
giving and receiving
the gifts of life.

- Wendy Janzen

April 17th, 2022

4/17/2022

Easter sunrise prayer

Divine Presence,
Midwife of spring:
Awaken us to your
presence within and
around us this
holy morning.

May we be alive
to the mystery
and wonder of
this new day, and
be reminded that each
sunrise is a
proclamation of
resurrection.

Amen.

- Wendy Janzen

It is finished

4/15/2022

For Good Friday

It is finished.
Cut off. Ended.
No more. Lifeless.
It's body brought down,
but for what reason?
What threat?
To what end?
Laying on the forest floor.
Humbled.
Hollowed.
Hallowed.
It's story,it's legacy,
it's outpouring,
is not finished.

- Wendy Janzen

Winds of Change

5/23/2021

Wild Wind of the Spirit,
on this Pentecost day
we revel in the ways
your presences lives
and moves among us
and through us -
inspiring us,
challenging us,
unsettling us.
May we be open
to the winds of change,
welcoming and
bending to new ways
of being.

May we embrace
and celebrate the
lively and generative
energy of this day,
empowering us to be
agents of transformation
in our spheres of influence,
voices for the voiceless,
and visionaries
for a new future.
Amen.

- Wendy Janzen

A Garden Blessing

5/20/2021

God of Spring,
of roots and growth,
of vibrancy and veriditas:
Bless this time of planting.
As we dig our fingers into
rich soil, wiggling and
delighting in the damp
warm, earth, we remember
that we are earthlings.

Bless our connection
with the the land,
with the water that
supports all life,
with these seeds we
bury beneath the surface
trusting that they will
germinate and grow
and nourish our bodies.

Bless the fertility of the earth,
the micronutrients,
the compost,
the earthworms, and
the pollinators.

Bless our intentions to be
good gardeners:
may we give and receive,
work and wait,
with humility.

And bless these seeds:
help us to hold them
with reverence and to
see in them the promise
of sustenance and life.
Amen.

- Wendy Janzen

Mothering God

5/12/2021

Mothering God,
Giver of life,
who hovered over the deep
at the beginning of time,
who soars like an eagle,
who gathers her brood
under her wings,
who descended from heaven
as a dove:
Open our eyes to see you today.
Open our ears to hear your song.
Open our spirits to sense your presence here in this place.
Open our minds to new insights,
and open our hearts to a
deeper connection with you
and with all the feathered ones
you see and love.
Amen.

- Wendy Janzen

Step into the world

4/29/2021

Poised as for prayer,
spring ephemerals
call out gently
from the forest floor,
inviting reverence
and reflection.
I offer my attention,
recognizing the holiness
in the moment -
too soon they
will be gone.
Meanwhile,
the sound of traffic
in the near distance
reminds me of the
world that never stops.

Stop what you are doing
right now.
Stop and step out of
the climate-controlled box.
Step away from the
mediated world of screens.
Step into the world
where rain might
soak your skin,
where smells of
Earth can fill your lungs,
where birds freely
and joyfully
offer the soundtrack
of a life
where you get lost
in the beauty
and glory
of spring flowers,
where you feel
fully alive, a re-
membered part
of the community
of creation.

- Wendy Janzen

Are we listening?

4/22/2021

Earth Day Prayer
April 22, 2021

Beloved Creator,
Heartbeat of Life,
Ground of our being -
On this day set apart
to honour Earth,
open our ears to
hear the cries of
our neighbours in the
community of creation.

The wetlands are groaning
under the pressures
of development -
Are we listening?

The forests are groaning
from the introduction
of invasive species -
Are we listening?

The lakes are groaning
from chemical runoff -
Are we listening?

The hills are groaning
from the removal of their
ancient trees -
Are we listening?

Open our ears to
heed the cries of Earth
and our fellow creatures.
Open our eyes to the
wonder and beauty of
this most amazing universe.
Open our hearts to
love the world as You love.
Open our minds to
imagine a reciprocal future,
where we give back
as much as we take.
Open our lives to
new ways of being
earthkeepers, companions,
advocates, and champions
of justice and mercy
for all beings.
Amen.

- Wendy Janzen, 2021

A day of celebration

4/3/2021

Prayer for Easter Sunday 2021

I awaken from sleep
to a day of celebration.
In the pre-dawn
birds are singing
and so is my spirit.
Buds are swelling,
and so is my heart.
Roots are deepening,
and so is my faith.
Flowers are blossoming,
And so is my joy.
The sun is rising,
and so is my hope.

Wild Christ, alive
among us, on this
resurrection day
may we follow the lead
of all creation in praise
and celebration.
May we, too, trust
in the promise of new life.
May we, too, live
each day fully,
our lives a testament
to your Presence
shining in the world.

Amen.

- Wendy Janzen