Liturgy 121: You Hear What I Do Not Say
A Prayer to Know God as Immigrant Restraint and Sitcom Tenderness
Lectio Divina
In the wilderness,
you saw
how the Lord your God
carried you,
as a father carries his son.
Deuteronomy 1
This is my song of praise to you
For who you are and all that you do
Brian Doerksen
Prayer
I threw my daughter in the sky
She fell into loving embrace
Belly laughter filled the air
And God,
I remembered
the first time
I was handed
that metaphor
of the Divine as
paternal affection
Selah
I think of my own father
his stoic hands
and quiet provision
I think of Tim Taylor
his love loud
and boisterous
I think of Uncle Phil
his arms wide enough
to absorb shame
and make it small
Somewhere between
sitcom tenderness
and immigrant restraint
I begin
to see you
The laughter of heaven
loud, unashamed
A father
who does not flinch
when his children
rise high
or come crashing down
Selah
Oh how I need you, God
You hear
what I do not say
You sit with
what I cannot carry
What hope
to be loved
as I am
What gift
to reflect
who you are
Blessing
Dear Friend
What sustained Jesus
through the Gethsemane night
was not determinism
but affection.
If you are tired,
consider stillness.
May the affirmation
of a loving God
give clarity for the day.
May you be renewed
by the embrace of God.
In the Name of the One
Who taught us to
address a holy God
as Abba.
Amen.




Beautiful. Thank you Mike