Tea ceremony

This afternoon the Canada Bay Council hosted a tea party. It was nice to meet my favourite Fair Trade tea suppliers Kenteco in person on a lovely autumn afternoon. After a busy weekend writing questions for the Australian Medical Council examinations, I caught the train home and arrived at McIlwaine Park just in time for the last Chinese tea ceremony of the day. This was so professionally performed. Juxtaposed with two of the audience volunteers being young girls who responded so well to the formality of the occasion. It was a joy to see. The blessing - how something so apparrently simple as a cup of tea can be provided with such care, respect and attention to detail. New discipline for this next week of Lent: seek to attend fully to each person in daily interactions. And remember the importance of enlivening the tea before brewing it. I didn't take a camera - so pic below is from Google but looks similar to today's experience.

Prayers for worship - Lent 2

Adoration and confession
Godde beyond our comprehension
You brought the universe to birth and
you alone can plumb the depth of the deepest ocean
We can never know
or even begin to know
your greatness
We stand in awe

Yet you, the Godde of all that can ever be
choose to live in relationship with us
You sing us to yourself
and we respond with an echo of your song
which may be faint
but which fills us to overflowing
with praise to you

In Jesus we catch a glimpse of your likeness
and we name him Christ
fulfiller of the deepest longings of our hearts
We are oversome with your love and generosity

Yet how little we understand
In this season of Lent
we want there to be some other way
We are so quickly tempted
to believe that your anointed one
can come in power and avoid suffering and pain

We seek a comforting faith in testing times
and avoid the testing that comes with faith
Move in us by your Holy Spirit we pray
and empower us to be true followers of Jesus Christ
In whose name we pray
Amen

Prayer for ourselves and others
God of compassion
We hold your people in our hearts
and take a moment now
to name before you
those people who are held in our hearts

...

Creating promise-keeping Godde
We seek to stand with you
in protecting and saving your world

We thank you for our brothers and sisters
who rebuke our consumption
and call us to reduce
our carbon use
who lead the way
in living more lightly
with greater respect
for your creation

Help us to encourage and sustain them
to stand with them
as they help us understand what we know
and what we don't know
about the universe
and to respond appropriately

We pray today for those
who are being rebuked inappropriately
For pastors in the Philippines
imprisoned unjustly
For political prisoners around the planet
For every hurt caused by
harsh words or hasty action

Help us to advocate for change
and as we respond to your testing
to find out what we are capable of

We pray for our country Godde
For the First Australians
Guardians of the land

and keepers of tradition
And for settlers from migrations
in more recent centuries

We pray for our governments and institutions
at this time of economic testing
Guide us all to make wise decisions
that protect the vulnerable
and empower the weak

(Lent Event prayer written by Kerry Enright, Director, UnitingWorld)
We look north to the nation of Timor Leste
a country emerging from pain and foreign rule
a people in whose culture and life you, deep God,
have invested yourself.

We invite you to remember them,
their yearning for peace toughened through Dili fires,
their desire for security deepened by homelessness,
their hope for a positive future shaken
as a wounded leader struggled for life,
and faith so evidently present.

We pray for cooperation between clans,
medicines for healing,
staff to listen and respond and
international solidarity that sustains the spirit.

We pray for our partner Igreja Protestante iha Timor Lorosa’e
(the Protestant Church in Timor-Leste)−
for sound and responsive leadership,
openness to all people
and a life shaped by your Word,
Jesus Christ himself,
through whom we pray.

Amen.

What are we capable of and where do I truly stand?

Began this Lenten season well with reading the prayer and study for Lent Event on the train, and attending Mass at lunchtime. The imagery is remarkably stark as the fires in Victoria continue to smoulder and erupt, and Queensland recovers from flood. The ash on my forehead connects and yet emphasises the disconnect between the experience of so many and my unscathedness. The generous reproduction permissions granted by the Lent Event team mean I can share the commencement reflection from Peter Pereira:

Down from the Mountain.
A transfigured Jesus stands on a mountain bathed in light.
He turns and beckons us to him.
No words are spoken but the message is clear.
‘Do you dare follow?’
The light fades and the journey begins.
We plunge into the depths of the Easter journey,
to be baptised by the death of Friday,
to gasp for breath in the grief of Saturday
and to burst into the light of Sunday.
God of new life, nourish us as we travel.
May new wine burst the old wineskins.
May laughter and joy burst from our lips.

And in the study I was struck by the thought that "A tempter seeks to make a person fail and fall, whereas a tester seeks to find out what a person is capable of and where they truly stand." The challenge for me this week is to consider how my lifestyle aligns with God's promise to Noah not to destroy the earth. Am I standing with God in this, or with the principalities and powers that spew out carbon and swamp nation states into oblivion? I am enjoying the challenge of developing Lenten disciplines as a way of standing for creation. It will be amazing to see what Lent Event participants are collectively capable of.