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Pilgrimage Prayers

October 17, 2016 by Sybil Macbeth 2 Comments Leave a Comment

When I returned last week from 30 days of pilgrimage and vacation in Europe, I realized something. While I was there I had prayed multiple prayers of thanksgiving for the beauty of the world, the fabulous food, the wonderful companionship, and the careful planning of many people. My prayers were also full of adoration and awe for the God who puts whimsy and wildness into creation. I even muttered a few prayers of confession for my occasional grouchiness and judgmental spirit. But almost completely absent were prayers of intercession–words and petitions offered on behalf of other people. My first response to this realization was guilt. How could I be so selfish? People still needed my prayers even if I was far away. I had packed colored pencils and paper in my backpack so I could doodle and pray for people back home. But that didn’t happen. Then I realized something else. God can manage the world just fine without my assistance. My family and friends are always in God’s care, whether or not I am worrying about them, praying for them, or even not thinking about them. My prayers for their health, safety, and well-being are more a reminder to me of God’s omnipresence than a way of nudging God into action.

Much of my doodling on this trip was about trying to recreate and remember some of the magnificent things I saw around me. Although I took lots of photos, my hands wanted to capture on paper what my eyes saw in the world. When I managed to let go of the art critic inside my head, I enjoyed playful attempts at reproducing the essence of the Irish countryside in shape and color–even if my sheep looked a little like ants. I don’t know if these drawings are prayers but I think most of the time when I put pen and color to paper I am trying to find a kinesthetic, visual way to transcribe the awe I experience.

ireland-land-1

One Sunday, my husband and I attended the Communion Service at the Anglican Cathedral in Galway called St. Nicholas. The beautiful stained-glass windows caught my attention. Instead of being a distraction from the liturgy, the windows gathered me into an experience of worship. They made me want to draw, so I did. Although the result below looks little like the actual window except in shape, the drawing recalls for me the gratitude and joy I felt as I worshipped in that space.

The minister preached on Luke 16:
19 “There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz’arus, full of sores,
21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried;  (NRSV)

I drew while the preacher spoke. Drawing helps me to pay attention while listening, just as it does for me in prayer. The strokes and words also remind me later of  the key ideas I have heard in the sermon.

st-nicholas-1

My four weeks away turned out to be an unintentional intercessory prayer sabbatical. Like most everything else on this pilgrimage, the prayers that did rise up in me were unexpected and surprising gifts.

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Filed Under: Praying in Color Tagged With: intercession, Ireland, Luke 16: 19-22, pilgrimage, prayer, Praying in Color

Hiking in Community and a Five-Word Prayer

August 28, 2015 by Sybil Macbeth 2 Comments Leave a Comment

Our church has a weekly, summer hiking group. Every Wednesday morning six to fifteen hikers meet at a designated trailhead with appropriate clothing, trekking poles, and a sense of adventure. For the first five minutes on the trail I am enthusiastic, then I start to mind-mutter. “How long does this trail go straight uphill?” “When are we stopping for lunch?” “What’s for dinner in eight hours?” “I’m the youngest person here and the worst hiker.” It’s almost as if the imposter-syndrome demon shows up to spoil my hike and tell me I am a big fake.

A couple of things bring my mind back to the trail and the glory of the day. One is the community of hikers. Our trek is about exploring and enjoying the grandeur of God’s creation together. It is not about who can make it to the top first or who has the best skills.There is solidarity and a mini pep rally feel about the group. Some of us move ahead or lag behind but often in changing and supportive small groups. In these groups I have wonderful conversations with people I hardly know. We touch on the basics like “Where are you from and who are your people?” but we also tackle subjects like capital punishment, aging, healthcare, addiction, and Church. As we hike, there is a lovely ebb and flow between conversation and silence.

Hiker--people

I don’t often get to share this way with people in my church. Hiking is one of the few church social activities I attend that does not focus on food and drink–except for lots of water and an occasional granola bar in our backpacks. Maybe both the precariousness and the beauty of the terrain make us more vulnerable than we are inside of a church building. Hiking with this group feels like a mini pilgrimage where strangers meet and the surroundings amaze. As the community and the vistas take over, the chatter and complaints in my head grow quieter.

On yesterday’s Continental Divide hike with a 1000 ft elevation gain in less than a mile, the mind-muttering was escalating rather than dissipating. “With all of this scree and loose stones, I might just trip and roll down the mountain,” I thought. I was walking alone at the time. But I guess I wasn’t really alone because a 5-word prayer/meditation came to me. “Step, Breathe, Gawk, Praise, Smile.” I said it over and over again. The prayer reminded me to focus on just those five important things.

By the time we all reached the top of the straight-up trail, I wasn’t even tired. I had Stepped and Breathed my way up the mountain. I had Gawked at and Praised the vivid reds and golds of the autumn tundra at 12,000+ feet. I Smiled and said, “Let’s go to 13,000 ft!” And we did.

Hiking Collage resized

 

 

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Filed Under: Praying in Color Tagged With: hiking, Loveland Pass, pilgrimage, Sniktau

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