Welcome to the Pilgrimage of Prayer  ~
Day 9 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 ninth 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.
——————-

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 9 – Tuesday, July 7

Do you see it…
when you wipe the morning sleep from your eyes
or rush down the stairs to pack the children’s lunches?

Do you see it?
when you pour coffee in your mug
or laugh with the colleague recounting last night’s adventure?

Do you see it?
when you enter the hospital room
or watch the slow, creeping tear on the face of uncertainty?

Do you see it?
when the meeting erupts in raucous laughter
or spins off to the sidelines of passionate debate?

Do you see it?
when the colours of setting sun paint the homeward sky
or when you slide into the arms of love as the screen door shuts?

Do you see it…
slipping between the sheets of every mundane moment
from morning’s bed-rise until dusk’s bed-fall?

It is there…
Spirit’s breath…. Christ’s touch…God’s embrace
doing a new thing every day so you won’t forget what it’s all about!

Sue Browning, Grace United Church, Sarnia, Ont.
Photo: Ben Sutherland, Flickr (CC BY 2.0)