Welcome to the Pilgrimage of Prayer  ~
Day 18 of a 40-day journey of prayer leading us to General Council 42.

As the commissioners to GC42 prepare to make a physical pilgrimage to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, we invite the entire United Church of Canada into a prayer pilgrimage.

This is the eightteenth day of 40 days we will pray together. The following prayers have been prayed, written, and shared with us as a daily prayer practice. As you pray each day, please hold in your heart our whole United Church. Think of the power of all of us praying together. So “May it be so.” Amen.
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You are invited to say the following prayer out loud each day in the 40 days of the Prayer Pilgrimage leading up to General Council 42, along with the specific prayer for the day. We also invite you to pray this prayer during each day of General Council.

Pilgrim Prayer

May I love this day and all that it brings
The dust, stones or mud beneath my feet
The air I breathe, food I eat, water I drink

May I open my heart to mysteries along the way
Greet fellow pilgrims with welcome and grace
Move lightly and simply through the day

May I give thanks for the Earth, our fragile home
For all my relations who have gone before me
And for all who will follow… I am not alone

May the spirit and blessing of the One who is love
– Holy One among us, all around us, and within us –
Be with me today, and surround me with love

Allison Rennie and Diane Ransom, Naramata, B.C. Created in 2010 by Allison Rennie and Diane Ransom and said aloud each day while walking the Camino de Santiago.

Prayer for Day 18 – Thursday, July 16

I have heard it said that the miracle of the Red Sea
wasn’t that Moses parted the waters
but that the person at the head of the line was brave enough to take the first step off the bank. With water towering on either side,
with certain death behind them and an unknown future ahead,
how did they find the courage to start walking?
We pray this day for courage, God.
No need for grand gestures, or mind boggling signs,
all we ask for is courage.
Should you grant it,
it will be the miracle we need to take that first step towards our unknown future.
Hope mixed with grief;
anticipation mixed with apprehension;
certainty mixed with doubt—yes.
But woven into the journey will be your Spirit
and the promise that we need not be afraid.
Woven into the journey will be your Spirit
reflected in each face as we take these first steps together. Amen.

Nora Vedress, Calvary United Church, Prince Albert, Sask.
Photo: Jill Mitchell, Flickr (CC BY 2.0)