PRAYING with the EARTH: A Prayerbook for Peace
John Philip Newell
INTRO…
John Philip Newell’s book Praying with the
Earth focuses on the divisions in our world, the Beatitudes of Jesus, and
common spiritual background of the three major religions. An excerpt from the back of the book reads,
We as Jews, Christians, and Muslims share a common spiritual descent, yet painful divisions between us lie at the center of much conflict and war in the world today. Praying with the Earth: A Prayerbook for Peace articulates the deep longings for peace that unite these great spiritual traditions.
Each day’s meditations contain Old
Testament scripture from the Jewish tradition, New Testament from Christianity,
and text from the Koran (Muslim). The
book also focuses on common themes in the artwork of each faith: circular
designs or mandalas that signify wholeness and completeness and interwovenness
or the intricate web of life that connects us all. Newell writes,
If as nations and religious traditions we were to follow the wisdom of artists, if we were to remember what they seem never to forget, then we would know that the themes that underlie the human soul are deeper than the patterns that distinguish us. Then we would know that the lines that distinguish us can also be the interlacing that unites us. (p58)
Wow.
Powerful. The book is broken down
into a series of daily prayers, morning and evening. Each day centers on one of the ‘Blesseds’ from
the Beautitudes. I am going to pray and draw my way through it
day by day. Come…join me!
SUNDAY: Blessed are those who know their need for
theirs is the grace of heaven. (Matthew
5:3)
1.8.17 SUNDAY Morning Prayer of Awareness
Light within all
light
Soul behind all
souls
At the breaking of
dawn
At the coming of
day
We wait and
watch.
Your Light within
the morning light
Your Soul within
the human soul
Your Presence
beckoning to us from the heart of life.
 |
| I attempted to include the colors of the rising sun as it dances on the snowy surface surrounding us. |
Let us know fresh
shinings in our soul.
In the growing
colours of new beginning all around us
Let us know the
first lights of our heart.
Great Star of the
morning
Inner Flame of the
universe
Let us be a colour
in this new dawning. (John Philip Newell)
I write as the morning sun struggles to
break through the clouds and cast its pale pinks and purples across the white
landscape. Morning light that reaches
into the shadows of the night with brightness but also illumination. The colors weave in and around. God is woven in and through our lives. May we see the light. May we welcome the Light. And, as the last line voices, may we BE a
color in our new day. May we shine with
the love of God. AMEN!
1.9.17 Sunday Morning Scriptures
God is our shelter
and strength; always ready to help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46.1 GNT)
Ask
and it will be given you. Seek and you
will find. Knock and the door will be
opened to you. (Matthew 7.7 GNT)
For every soul
there is a guardian watching it. (Quran – Nightly Visitant 86.4)
We have a need for God and we are blessed
when we come to that realization. God is
watching over us, tending to our needs even before we realize we have them, but
still waiting, waiting for the knock that truly will open the door to the
Kingdom of Heaven. What a sense of
comfort and security to know GOD IS PRESENT!
As I wrote my prayers on today’s
drawing, I found myself dividing the circles into family; friends &
community; and world. For some reason
this made the intersection of the circles in the middle more vibrant – the interweaving
of our lives and others – all within the presence of a guardian God. May I knock today and open the door to such a
blessing.
1.10.17 Sunday Morning Prayer for the Life of the
World
(Excerpt)
In the life of the
world this day
And in our own
hearts
Let there be fresh
tears of love. (John Philip Newell)
 |
| FYI: The braid design encorporates the colors of the three major Abrahamic faiths: Green - Islam; Blue - Judaism; Purple - Christianity (Advent & Lent) |
Last night as I watched the College
Championship football game, I was attempting to put tears and hearts into a
circular, interwoven pattern of design.
Our guest simply said, ‘Ginger, what in the world are you drawing?!’ I tried to explain, but realized again the
challenge before me for the next two months as I visually work through Newell’s
book.
1.11.17 Sunday Morning Prayer of Blessing
(Excerpt)
May the sparks of
God’s beauty
Dance in the eyes
of those we love. (J.Philip Newell)
The imagery and poetry of these two
lines really jumped out at me in Newell’s Prayer of Blessing. Sparks give the impression of short, tiny
bursts of God – everywhere! So often we
look for the big miracle, the lightning bolt, and miss all these little sparks
flashing around us. May we look around
at our circle of friends and family, those we hold most dear, and recognize all
the wonder, all the love, dancing among us.
Sparks of God!
God
of beauty, God of love…. Help me recognize your daily dance. Amen.
1.12.17 Sunday Evening Prayer of Awareness
(Excerpts)
As light gives way
to darkness
And the busyness of
day concedes to night’s stillness…
We pause to listen
For the beat of
your Presence in all things…. JPN
Yesterday we looked for sparks of God
beauty everywhere. Today, in this
evening prayer at the close of day, we stop to listen. What does the beat of God’s Presence sound
like? Is it the rhythm of my mate’s
heart beating next to mine? Is it the
pulse of a community working together to clear the snow? Is the echo of laughter as children enjoy a
day off from school? In the stillness of
the snowfall, can we HEAR God quietly, surely, drift into the cracks and
crevices of our lives? Oregon has been buried in snow this week. Portland got over a foot in a surprise and unexpected amount. Baker was a sea of white yesterday morning and school was cancelled once again to give the plows time to catch up. For some reason then, this interwoven design with six points reminds me of a snowflake. It just seemed appropriate for today's prayers.
God
of light, God of darkness… May I pause to truly listen. Amen.
1.13.17 Sunday Evening Scriptures
The compassion of
God is for all that has been made. (Psalm 145.9)
Come
to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11.28)
By the light of day
and by the dark of night, your God has not forgotten you. Quran-Daylight
93.1-3)
 |
| Proud of myself....I drew the interlocking hearts myself! No tracing off the internet! |
The Psalmist in Psalm 145 writes of an
all-inclusive love of God – ALL that has been made. Not just the Christians, not just the Jews or
Muslims, but ALL. That includes the
atheists, agnostics, Hindus, Buddhists, and on and on. ALL.
And why not? God created us
all. God loves us all. God cares for all. As an artist, I have a love for that which I
have created. God is no different. How can we think otherwise?
God
of all… Help us to respect and honor all in your name, through your love. Amen.
1.14.17 Sunday Evening Prayer for the World
(Excerpt)
May those who carry great burdens for their people find strength,
May those who carry great burdens for their people find strength,
May the midwives of
new beginnings in our world find hope. JPN
Are we not all midwives of new
beginnings? Do we not all have the
potential to reach out and give birth to hope?
What a blessed birth it will be!
Somewhat akin to our God giving birth to HOPE two thousand years
ago. Now it is our job to remember and
rebirth.
Birthing Hope
A
baby born
In
stable hay,
Infant innocence
God incarnate.
HOPE.
God
alone, midwife.
Two
thousands years hence,
You
are midwife.
I
am midwife.
In
a rebirth
Of
HOPE.
Like
stable hay, humbly.
As
infant innocence, purely.
Not
in worldwide scope,
But
intimately, intentionally.
Hope
delivered…
In
the kindness to a neighbor,
A card of affirmation,
An unexpected gift.
Hope
brought forth…
In a welcoming smile,
A tender touch,
Mended relationships.
Hope
rebirthed…
In helping hands,
Warm homes,
New beginnings.
Hope
manifest…
In joyful laughter,
Faithful trust,
In a patchwork of Love.
Let us all be midwives of Hope. GMR
1.15.17 Sunday Evening Prayer of Blessing
(Excerpt)
 |
| I realized I have never taken the Cubism style of drawing to my prayers before. It was rather fun! |
In sleep may we let
go of today and release the worries of tomorrow. JPN
Each day is a fresh start, made
new. When we lay down our heads on that
soft pillow, all the hurts and pains, mistakes and frustrations of the day can
drift away. The worries for tomorrow can
be released to God’s hands. When we
awaken, we have a clean slate. What a
joy to go to sleep at night with that reassurance!
As I
head into bed, O God, take my cares and grant me peaceful sleep. Amen.
All
quotations are from PRAYING with the EARTH: A Prayerbook for Peace by John
Philip Newell. William B Eerdman’s
Publishing Company, 2011.
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