As we prepare ourselves for this Father’s Day weekend I am mindful that an increasing number of children come from or grow up in single parent homes, too many children are in abusive situations, and domestic violence is all too prevalent. So this weekend we give thanks to all the people in our lives who remind us of the Christian truth that love is an embodiment, not an idea; and an incarnation, not a value judgment. Love is a way of being lived out in the bone and mind, heart and soul of humankind. With this thought in mind, I share with you the following prayer by Arnold Kenesth (Sabbaths, Sacraments and Seasons, Philadelphia, United Church Press, 1969, p. 58).
Our five and urgent senses praise thee, O God, for large summer sights, sweet airs, sounds within sounds, gifts within gifts. Our hearts praise thee for suffering transformed, for sorrow comforted, for joy extravagantly given. Our minds praise thee for the disciplines of learning, the conversations of wisdom, the parables of truth. Our souls praise thee for thy Love endlessly persuading us out of our darkness into thy marvelous light; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessings,
David