Pete unseth Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication Wikimedia
Members of the Julian Meeting on the Isle of Man decided to follow the advice of Abbot Christopher Jamieson, in his book ‘Finding the Language of Grace’. So they had a go at writing their own psalms, and one of these is reproduced below
My Lord, my saviour, Comforter and friend: you protect me under your wings like a mother hen, and yet give me the freedom to emerge from the feathery warmth in order to go forth to explore your wonderful creation.
When you lead me up high mountains you guide my footsteps: when you plunge me down deep, dark tunnels you walk beside me.
When I stray from your desired path you reprimand me gently, like a loving parent, until I return to the straight and narrow.
Sometimes you withdraw your presence from me and I cry out in desolation: but you only do this in order to strengthen my faith and trust in you.
You have given me the sense of sight in order to see colour, shape and perspective: but also the see the plight of war-torn countries and the expression on the faces of starving children.
You have given me the sense of hearing in order to delight in the sound of music and birdsong; but also to hear the sound of heavy traffic polluting the atmosphere. You have also given me the ability to listen to silence.
You have given me the sense of smell in order to inhale the scent of incense spiraling upwards towards heaven, taking my prayers with it: but also to smell the stench of death and rot in the mountain of waste rubbish thrown away by a profligate and affluent society.
You have given me the sense of taste in order to enjoy the good fruits of your land: but also to notice the ‘green-eyed monster’ of envy, jealousy and hatred in the world, which leave a bitter taste in the mouth.
You have given me the sense of touch in order to feel the sun on my face and the wind in my hair: but also to BE touched by feelings of empathy and unity with all my fellow men and women, heedless of gender, colour or creed.
For all this I praise and magnify your Holy Name
Help me, in my small way, to care for your universal ‘Garden of Eden’: to work to prevent the damage of climate change and to comfort all those who suffer.
Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.