Dear All,
Hoping you are feeling well & peaceful as we move on through February & find Lent not far off. Tomorrow is nominated as ‘A Day for the Unemployed’. Our reflections are in some way related to work: a song of blessing for all kinds of work – mainly of the Arts, but we can include all manner of work. There is a psalm for those who have no job & wish for meaningful work. Another that sees work as service. As we pray our blessing, let’s remember & give thanks for all who enjoy their work but also pray for those who have no work, either because they cannot find work or because they don’t have any incentive to look for work. The blessing is an Irish blessing from Sacred Weave.
Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday so our reflections will begin to have a Lenten feel to them. We hope you will begin Lent well. On Wednesday at 7.30pm we will be zooming an Opening to Lent reflection – details below for this & the Lenten course.
ASH WEDNESDAY
A reflective moment to start Lent
22 February – 7.30pm for 20-30 minutes – ZOOM
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86540176014?pwd=WkJpWjdjUThlOTVuWnJpdGxEd0M1UT09
Meeting ID: 865 4017 6014
Passcode: 586752
LENT COURSE – Faith Through The Senses: A Lenten Journey
Mondays in Lent: 6.45 – 7.45pm – ZOOM
27 February, 6 March, 13 March, 20 March, 27 March, 3 April
ZOOM LINK FOR THE SERIES WILL BE SENT ON 25 FEBRUARY TO THOSE WHO HAVE REGISTERED
With love & prayer for you all
Psalm of the Jobless.
Edward Hayes
I’m naked, so please don’t look:
I’ve been stripped of my identity
by the loss of my work.
I’ve been disrobed of my dignity,
of my purpose for rising from my bed.
My life has lost its compass point,
for work gave order to my days.
Weekends were something to look forward to;
now everyday is a hollow holiday,
a sad Sunday of idleness.
I stand in line & scan the ‘wants’ ads;
I stand in line & wait,
only to be met with a tinfoil smile
and, ‘sorry, check back again!’
I want what seems beyond my grasp,
a job, some decent work to do.
I want my dignity back, my purpose;
I want my children, my family,
to hold me in respect.
It’s more than money that I need –
it’s a return of my self-esteem.
God did not create us to be the Styrofoam slaves
of the keepers of Dow & Jones,
who when the corporate world is finished with us
can cast us aside
like once used coffee cups.
Who cares… who cares:
I’m no longer a useful cog in the machine
but only a percentile person.
I’m only one of the faceless kidnapped victims,
a statistic on the evening news.
Serving through our Work
Work changes into service when we view it as more than something that has to be done, when it becomes a way for our authentic self to transmit integrity, kindness & justice.
A huge amount of our work in our world begs to be done with an attitude of care. Let us be of service to others with our strengths & limitations, trusting that God will take the best of who we are & bless others with it.
Joyce Rupp
A Blessing for Human Work
Paul Payton
Let the sowers of seeds bless you, great God,
the gardeners & farmers sing your praise.
May the fishers & foresters bless you, Beloved,
praise your name & glorify you for ever.
Let the bread from the grain bless you, great God,
the wine from the grape sing your praise.
May the transformations of cooks bless you, Beloved,
praise your name & glorify you for ever.
Let the spinners & weavers bless you, great God,
the designers of clothes sing your praise.
May the potters & silversmiths bless you, Beloved,
praise your name & glorify you for ever.
Let the sounds & silences of music bless you, great God,
the great composers sing your praise.
May the improvisers of jazz bless you, Beloved,
praise your name & glorify you for ever.
Let the cellos & trumpets bless you, great God,
the echoing horns sing your praise.
May the clarinets & pianos bless you, Beloved,
praise your name & glorify you for ever.
Let the actors & mime artists bless you, great God,
the singers & musicians sing your praise.
May the dancers & clowns bless you, Beloved,
praise your name & glorify you for ever.
Let the novelists bless you, great God,
the poets & critics sing your praise.
May the essayists & playwrights bless you, Beloved,
praise your name & glorify you for ever.
Let the sculptors & scientists bless you, great God,
the portrait painters & photographers sing your praise.
May the artists & architects bless you, Beloved,
praise your name & glorify you for ever.
Let all who employ bless you, great God,
let all employees sing your praise.
May all who want to work bless you, Beloved,
Praise your name & glorify you for ever.