Image from the Moorhen Home Page
God in heaven,
you have helped my life to grow like a tree.
Now something has happened.
The evil one, like a bird,
has carried in one twig of his own choosing after another.
Before I knew it he had built a dwelling place
and was living in it.
Tonight, O God,
I am throwing out both the bird and the nest.
-A Nigerian prayer
Sometimes it takes only a night to throw out both the bird and the nest.
Sometimes it takes a season - maybe 40 days or so...
Of course, sometimes it takes that long - or longer - to notice the nest to begin with...
Lent is a season for noticing the nest and the bird...
Lent is a season for throwing out things that do not belong
on the branches of the trees of our lives...
-ConcordPastor
I LOVE this prayer!! Thanks for sharing it!! Very relevant for me...I keep finding places where that nest has rooted itself...
ReplyDeleteI read your column regularly and have just found this piece you have written. I've been aware of the prayer for some time and have been wondering about how to use it for our parish magazine. You have written a very helpful application and I wonder if you would give me permission to use the whole piece in the next magazine, which is published just at the start of Lent. Our magazine is published in two ways: a paper version and also an online version - www.parishofwalthamstow.wordpress.com - and if possible I would like to put it in both places. I would, of course, credit you and add a link to this site. A quick reply would be helpful as we are just about to go to press this next week! Thank you for some very helpful and challenging material - I never know what is coming next.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Shirley Anstey
Parish of Walthamstow Editorial Team
London, UK
Greetings from London, UK again. Thanks for posting my comment. As I haven't heard formally from you may I take it that you are happy for us to re-use your piece, in our magazine, fully credited of course?
ReplyDeleteMany thanks
Shirley Anstey
Parish of Walthamstow magazine
Shirley: Absolutely! I did reply but obviously my reply did not get to you. I thought I was emailing you but clearly that didn't happen - my techno-deficiencies are showing. I am very pleased that you should use this for your Lenten materials.
ReplyDelete