We need:

•     to step away from the turmoil of the world.

•     to be quiet.

•     hope.

•     to feel real joy.

•     to be seen and loved.

•     to remember who and whose we are.

•     to confess our weaknesses and mistakes.

•     to forgive and to be forgiven.

•     to pray for the things that cloud our minds and break our hearts.

•     to discover and express our deepest gratitude.

•     community; to touch, to share; to give and receive.

•     to sing and move our bodies.

•     to practice our sacred rituals within a real respect for humanity’s diverse

•     a religious life.

•     to anoint one another with the peace of Christ, a peace the world cannot give,

•     not an easy peace, not an insignificant peace, not a half-hearted peace.

•     to be stripped of all that keeps us from coming to the common table with

•     compassion for ourselves and others.

•     to feel safe to tell the truth in love.

•     to play.

•     to celebrate small victories in our efforts to make the world a better place.

•     to expect God/Christ/Spirit to be present and powerful.

•     to leave room for surprise and be willing to be vulnerable.

We do NOT need:

•     to think we know when those times will be in any given worship.

•     to be bombarded with words as we are in culture.

The Rev. Joan Dennehy, retired Pastor and active artist, Seattle, Washington