Dear Beloved First Baptist,
Summer is upon us, and I know many of you will be headed out of town on vacation. I hope your time away will be restful and joyful. May it also give you space away from work or the busy routine of life to nurture your relationship with God. As you go, I send you out with this prayer, adapted from the book Every Moment Holy and the prayer “Leaving on Holiday” by Douglas Kaine McKelvey.
O Christ our Sabbath,
You have fashioned us to function best
in rhyming lines of work and rest;
our relationships and recreations
like unspoken invitation to that still greater holiday to come-
when all burdens will at last be shed,
and weariness be put to bed,
and gladsome joy stretch out endlessly before us.
Bless now, Oh Lord, this happy foretaste of that good end.
Bless all those who have pending trips.
Prepare our hearts to revel in new exploration
of cities not our own, and of landscapes less familiar.
Along our way, in such places
whose contours you deliberately created,
may we pause to savor the evidences
of your diverse imagination
expressed in the glories of scenery,
and in an artistry of peoples and cultures.
Waken our vision to perceive
such subtle expressions of your nature.
Rouse also our hearts
that we might be quietly shaped
by those whisperings of divine beauty.
As you call your disciples to come away with you,
retreating from the crush of crowds,
pausing in their long work,
simply to rest, to reflect to enjoy your company,
your words, your conversation to enjoy
their fellowship with one another,
so help us in this time of our vacation,
to carve out spaces to merely be,
to be with you,
to be together,
to be refreshed.
Jesus, you are our rest. Amen.
Carol McEntyre, Senior Minister