The Good Shepherd

 

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. I love the Biblical imagery of the shepherd.  Sometimes Jesus is the Good Shepherd, sometimes the lamb led to the slaughter. Ancient Palestine was a culture of sheep herding, and I am glad we still use that relationship to describe our connection to the Holy. In my tradition, the Bishop of a Diocese carries a staff with a crook as an emblem of the position and, for some reason, that has touched me deeply since childhood.  I like belonging to a church with a shepherd at the helm.  One of my favorite parts of the Nativity story is that the angels appeared first to the shepherds, not the powerful, to reveal the birth of the Savior.  That is a profound statement of who "Jesus's people" would be during His earthly ministry.

Today, instead of saying the psalm, as we usually do, we sang hymn 645, which is Psalm 23 set to music: The King of Love My Shepherd Is.  By the second verse, my tears were flowing. That was my mother's favorite hymn. She draws near as soon as the organ spells out the tune. She joined the Episcopal Church as a college student and is responsible for my lifelong affiliation.

My relationship with my mother grew rocky as I matured and moved away from her orbit. My dad died when I was 8, and she never remarried or had other children. I became her sole focus. I was a compliant child, and it was easier to 'go along' than to stand my ground and upset her. Her anger scared me, so I became adept at avoiding it. But, as children do, I grew up. When I fell in love with the man I wanted to spend my life with, it flew in the face of her mental plan for my life. There are no jobs for cellists in my small southern town! On top of that, he was a "Yankee", had a full beard, and was divorced. The rift that developed clouded our relationship until she died almost 30 years ago.

Forgiveness has been hard to come by. Her words were harsh and cut deeply. But I can feel my resentment soften when I can imagine her thriving in the next world, God's Kingdom. I hope she now dwells in Christ's close presence:

Where streams of living water flow, my ransomed soul he leadeth, and where the verdant pastures grow, with food celestial feedeth. (Hymn 645, vs. 2)

Amen

God Bless Them

 

My grandson, Bentley, went to his Middle School dance last night. Here he is with his friends, B on the far right in shorts.  These boys have been friends since elementary school in their small district. My daughter said they came running out of the gym at pick up, having had a great time. One of the parent chaperones said the deodorant was beginning to wear off by the end. 😁 This so warms my grandmother heart!

God of all mercies, take care of these boys as they navigate teenage. Keep them healthy and safe and nurture their community as they grow. Teach them to support one another and to lean on their friends when times are hard. Grant them all the things they need to grow up strong and kind. Lead them into relationships and life work that put their gifts to good use. Surround them with people who love them and can nurture them to manhood. Grow them into capable, loving men.  In Jesus's name we pray.

Amen

Good Philanthropy

Friday is date morning. We start at the coffee shop at our library, then proceed to browse the bookstore and the library shelves.

Today I am grateful for the generous philanthropists of Northwest Arkansas.  On Monday, I watched my grandson play baseball at the Tyson ball fields in Springdale. Yesterday, I went to yoga class at the Pat Walker Center for Seniors affiliated with Washington Regional Medical Center. This morning, I enjoyed the offerings of the award-winning Fayetteville Public Library, spearheaded by lead donor Jim Blair in honor of special women in his family.

I often take for granted the civic-minded people whose generous donations contribute greatly to my quality of life.  I pause today to lift up my thanks for the ideas you have planted among the wealthy in my area. Let their lives be blessed in knowing people use and appreciate their gifts.

I don't have significant means, but I have enough to share. Keep me mindful of our food ministries at St. Thomas when I'm at the grocery. Open my eyes to opportunities to share with the oppressed in my area, in both financial and volunteer ways.  I am rich beyond measure compared to most of your beloved children.

Amen

More Rain

The rain continues to fall.  To be honest, what's running through my head today isn't prayer. It's Luke Bryan's country hit, Rain is a Good Thing: "Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey. Whiskey makes my baby...feel a little frisky." 😏

But on to prayer:

The rain today reminds me of my favorite Eucharistic prayer, C: "At your command, all things came to be: the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses, and this fragile earth, our island home." (BCP, p. 370)

I live in a place where water is a gift. By late summer, it will be dry and dusty. But, right now, my yard and my beloved riding trails are verdant and flourishing.  The pink dogwood out front is spectacular this year, and the hydrangeas seem to have survived.  I draw close to you, Creator God, working in the yard: planting, weeding, reorganizing my beds. Stephen grows berries, herbs, and tomatoes, with much help from our temperate climate and plentiful rainfall. The waterfall on my favorite trail will be a sight to behold next time we go out. I have the luxury of a warm shower each night to rinse away the day's dirt and anxiety before heading for sleep. Thank you.

I lift up prayers of hope and concern for your children who live where water is a menace.  For those who live where water is scarce and crops are inadequate. For those who live in danger of flooding and those cleaning up recent devastation. For those whose water supply is contaminated or overused. 

Open our eyes to the gifts that our natural world supplies. Give us energy and focus to care for our precious island home in whatever ways we have available. Turn us all toward conservation while we have the chance. Help the scientists and leaders trying to rectify the damage we have already done. 

In Jesus's name we pray,

Amen

Nasty Cancer

Today it is gloomy outside. I will stay in and sew chemo hats for a friend undergoing treatment.

Lord Jesus, help us in the face of this dreaded disease. Comfort those who face a treatment today. Ease their way with gentle hands and kind words. Sometimes just the right presence helps. Give them patience and courage to tolerate vile but life-saving interventions. Draw especially close to those who will receive a diagnosis today and those who will lose someone dear.

Guide and enlighten the scientists working on cures for cancer. Help those who control purse strings to see the urgency of new treatments and cures.

Help us in the face of things we don't understand. It is an affront to us when someone who is innocent gets cancer. But we know from Scripture that even Jesus the Son was not rescued from suffering. He knew every deceit and pain earthly life can inflict. He is our strength and our stay. Let us access His holy companionship and pray in His name.

Amen

Home Day

Today is a 'home' day.  I have cleared out obligations and outings to do laundry and clean house.  I love these days.  Prayer comes easily as my hands do the work of keeping house.

Thank you, God, that I have a home to care for.  I love living in my house, my neighborhood, my town, northwest Arkansas.  It feels like you planted me exactly where I will be happy and thrive.  I am grateful that you chose this place to put down my roots. I enjoy the changing seasons, the opportunities to get outdoors, and the many activities that fill my time.  I live my days and rest at night in a house that is comfortable and meets my every need. We have the resources to care for what we have, like the roofers who finished yesterday.

I lift into your gracious hands those who are without a home: people driven from their homes by war and conflict, people whose homes have been destroyed by natural disaster, people forced to migrate because of famine and scarcity. I pray for all who are unsafe in their homes because of violence. I pray for those who have no home: the poor, migrants, refugees. I especially lift up the young and vulnerable, and those plagued by addiction and mental illness.  

Your Son, our Savior, walked this earth without a home.  Keep us mindful that when we serve the homeless in some manner, we are serving The Christ himself.  Show us how to share our bounty with open hands and willing hearts.

Amen

I'm Back

 Hello My Friends,

I took a long break from the Episcopal Cowgirl as a result of the pandemic.  I was new to blogging when the pandemic hit, and found that, after a few pandemic posts, I lacked much inspiration for things to write.  My husband and I were not miserable during lockdown, and we did not come down with covid, but life was very insular, as you all know.  If you read my blog before, thank you for your patience as I have waited for inspiration to strike. When my grandson was younger, he would return to a room after a short absence and announce, "I'm back!". So, after a long absence, I'll just copy Bentley (who would be embarrassed now that he's 12).

I figured I would be prompted by the Holy Spirit when a sustainable writing practice was on the horizon. That came this morning as I was preparing an early lunch. My dear companion essentially said, "I fill your heart and mind with a constant stream of prayers. Why don't you write them down and share them?" So that's what I intend to do.  I love writing prayers, they are with me always, and I think I can keep this up, with help, of course.

I will start with the prayers that flowed yesterday, my younger daughter's 33rd birthday:

Gracious and generous God, thank you for my beloved Emily.  She has brought enormous joy to me throughout her life.  Watch over her in this new year.  Keep her healthy and safe and nurture her marriage to precious Sam.  Grow their love with each passing year and shower your blessings upon their common life. 

You have taught me a most important lesson about Yourself through my adopted daughters.  Their loving birth mothers gave them life, and then gave them up with no expectation of anything in return. I never met those 2 young women, but they gave me my most beautiful gifts. They modeled for me how You love us all.  When something happens and I whine, "That's not fair!", I am reminded that it's "not fair" the other direction as well. I did nothing to deserve the beautiful family you made of the 4 of us. Your love and blessings are freely given.

So, as I lift up my gratitude, I ask that You shower those birth mothers with every good gift.  May they have health, love, security, and the things we all need to thrive.

In Jesus's name, Amen