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BURNING BUSH FOREST CHURCH
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Rewilding our Souls

Lay on the Earth

7/3/2022

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Grounding Practice

In the spirit of knowing that everything can be a prayer or spiritual practice when we bring that intention to it, I will be posting some short, simple practices you can try anytime in your day to ground you and connect you with the Earth and with God’s sacred presence.  

​
F
ind a place outdoors to lay down, then do a quick scan  of your emotions: what are you feeling right now?
Next, do a quick body scan: where do you feel that emotion, or where are you holding tension?
Be curious and compassionate with what you are feeling.
Relax, release, and allow the earth to hold you and all you are holding.
Stay there as long as you are able, or until you are filled with a sense of peace or contentment.
End by offering a word or gesture of gratitude, or a prayer. 
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Savour a Strawberry

6/9/2022

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ECO-SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

In her book Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer has a chapter called ‘The Gift of Strawberries.’  She writes, "Strawberries first shaped my view of a world full of gifts simply scattered at your feet. A gift comes to you through no action of your own, free, having moved toward you without your beckoning. It is not a reward; you cannot earn it, or call it to you, or even deserve it. And yet it appears. Your only role is to be open-eyed and present.  Gifts exist in a realm of humility and mystery – as with random acts of kindness, we do not know their source." (p 23-24)

Reading
“The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:12

Practice
During strawberry season, set aside some time to savour a locally grown strawberry. (This practice can be done with other locally grown fruit or vegetables in season.) If you can, pick it yourself. If not, enjoy one from the market or a friend's garden. Hold it gently and reverently in your hands. Pause to give thanks for it – thanks to God and thanks to the plant, the soil, the rain, the sun. Examine its shape and rich colour. Smell it. Feel its texture and delicate skin. Finally, take a bite and taste it. Savour it slowly, enjoying the juicy sweetness.

Reflection
Take time to reflect on and appreciate the gift of this strawberry. Consider how it connects you to the land on which it grew. Consider how it offers both nourishment and pleasure. Consider how, once you ate it, it became part of you. If you wish, spend some time journaling your reflections, or honouring the experience by offering a prayer, writing a poem, painting a picture, etc.

Blessing
Blessed be the earth for providing this gift.
Blessed be the sun for helping it to grow.
Blessed be the wind and birds for carrying its seeds.
Blessed be the rain for watering its roots. 
Blessed be God, giver of all good gifts.

​- Wendy Janzen
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Camping Prayer

5/29/2022

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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
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A blessing for May

5/1/2022

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Picture
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

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Part of something bigger

4/29/2022

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On April 29, Burning Bush Forest Church became a provisional church in Mennonite Church Eastern Canada. For the occasion, I shared a prayer that I wrote. Here are some excerpts:

Creator of the Cosmos,
Christ Incarnate,
Spirit who inspires:

Like trees in a forest,
grains of sand on a beach,
birds in a flock, and
cells in a body,
help us remember that we
are a part of something
much bigger than ourselves.

In your wisdom and love
you designed us and 
all that exists for
connection and interdependence.
We give you thanks for 
watersheds and solar systems,
microclimates and biomes, 
congregations and area churches,
among whom we find community...


I invite you to take some time while out on a walk, in a park, or in your yard, to reflect on being part of something bigger than yourself. Consider the ways your life is connected to the earth, water, and sky. Reflect on your place in our watershed/ecosystem, and your interdependence within the web of life. Contemplate how your faith and soul is nurtured by being part of a faith community. Give thanks for the blessings that come from these connections.

​- Wendy Janzen
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April 17th, 2022

4/17/2022

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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

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It is finished

4/15/2022

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Picture
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




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In Praise of Spring

3/20/2022

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For the Spring Equinox

Praise be the fresh green 

shoots pushing up
through warming soil.

Praise be the raucous singing of birds.

Praise be the messy mud and slush,
rain and snow, melting and refreezing.

Praise be the evening light 
after a long dark winter.

Praise be neighbours out
for walks, reacquainting
themselves with the world.

Praise be spring flowers, 
red winged blackbirds, 
and budding branches 
returning colour to the landscape.

Praise be spring, 
season of wild hope,
​regeneration,

renewal, and rebirth.

- Wendy Janzen


​
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I am not alone

3/8/2022

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To breathe the fresh morning air,
To observe the variety of tracks in the snow,
To greet the crow flying overhead,
To hear the joyful chirping of birds,
To admire the silhouette of an old tree
in front of the rising sun,
To feel the bright, warm sun on my cold skin:
This is to be alive
and to remember 
I am not alone. 

- Wendy Janzen
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Six Word Sermons

2/28/2022

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I've been in a bit of a writing slump. So for the month of February I took on the spiritual practice of writing one (or more) six-word sermons each week, based on time spent out in creation. I'd encourage it as a simple way to focus and synthesize your thoughts and reflections from time spent outdoors, or whenever/wherever you spend your contemplative time.

Here are the five I shared on our social media streams this month:

Below the snow, seeds await spring.

God's here in our winters, too.

Love shines on all God's creatures.

Every day let kindness burn bright.

Be rooted in peace, not war. 
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    Author

    Reflections, poetry, prayers, and resources  written by Wendy Janzen unless otherwise noted.
    ​
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

    If you are an established church or institution, please consider making a donation when using these resources in addition to attribution. Thanks!

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