Praying Philemon

This morning a member of our congregation delivered a sermon he has been working on for months, on the book of Philemon. The theme was grace. Well expressed. It was such a privilege to support him as liturgist. Here are our prayers:

Call to worship:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

Brothers and sisters, may we be like Philemon, known for our love for all the saints and our faith towards the Lord Jesus.

May the sharing of our faith may become effective when we truly perceive all the good that we may do for Christ.

May we receive much joy and encouragement from the love of others

And the hearts of all the saints be refreshed

Praise and confession:

Godde of grace

When we feel useless

You proclaim us useful

When we wrong others

You enable us to set things right

When we are estranged from those who matter

You find friends who can bring us together

When we cannot make restitution

You pay the price

Even when we grieve you and fail to perceive your presence

You welcome us with open arms and call us beloved children

Your grace is unbounded

Filling the very depth of our being

Opening us to see your Spirit

Moving over the waters of our world

And enlivening our sensibilities to the values of your kingdom

We praise you

When we become preoccupied with our shortcomings

Fearful to face those we have wronged

Or when wrongs perpetrated against us or against others

Disproportionately occupy our thoughts and paralyse our hearts

Please keep us mindful of your grace

And strengthen us to pass on in full measure

The truth we hear week by week

Your sins are forgiven

Thanks be to God

Let us pray together the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples:

Our Father …

Let us bless each other as we say, in the words of Paul:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit

Offering:

Through this offering, O Godde, may we Through these gifts that we bring, may we be able to show hospitality to all you send our way, restoring relationships, living lightly on your precious planet, advocating for justice: learning to walk each day in your unforced rhythm of grace.

Prayer for others

Wednesday of this coming week is the 11^th day of the 11^th month, and at 11 a.m. in many countries around the world people will be remembering the end of the Great War. Last weekend in Wagga Wagga I spent time at the war memorial in centre of city and noticed that the inscription was 1914-1919 – realised how much longer the end of the war took to reach our countries down under.

Our prayer for others was adapted from Sally Coleman's Remembrance reflection; her blog Eternal Echoes is always an inspiration. With full acknowledgment I'll reproduce it below:

We come to remember,

our minds

filled with

images

fresh from our TV screens,

of young men and women,

fallen in battle

just yesterday…

.

We come to remember,

how could we forget

for amongst their number

we count friends, siblings

fathers, mothers

even children,

gone from us

.

We come to remember

those who fell many years ago,

whose pictures adorn

our family albums,

and whose faces are familiar,

and yet unknown.

.

We come

because ninety year old scars

aren't easily healed by time,

and seventy year old losses

are still keenly felt today

in towns and cities

across our land

and throughout the world.

.

We come

because poppy strewn fields

bear witness

to unspeakable horrors

that we must never forget.

.

We come,

because our desire is for peace,

and we recognise

that peace often comes

at great cost.

.

We come,

Because those who bear the brunt

Of brutality and violence

Are those you singled out

as showing the truth of your kingdom

children

servants

'the least of these'

.

We come to remember,

to pray, to reflect,

and to seek fresh hope…

that destructive conflicts will end,

and love will triumph,

.

we come to give thanks

that because of you

our hope is not vain…

.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

Prince of Peace

Amen

Liturgical elements for Pentecost 6

Call to worship (Psalm 24 with a glimpse of the prophet Amos)

Lift up the gates and open the doors that the King of glory may come in

Who is the King of glory?

The one who founded and created the world, this is the King of glory

Lift up the gates and open the doors that the King of glory may come in.

Who is the King of glory?
The one who is strong and mighty, who never passes by the people of God, but shares body and life with them, this is the King of glory.

Lift up the gates and open the doors that the King of glory may come in.

Who is the King of glory?

The one who is with all people in every place, with each person in each space breathing life in all fullness, this is the King of glory.

Prayer of praise – from Thom Shuman PCUSA

Every moment, we have the chance
to breathe in your goodness and grace;
every hour, we have opportunities
to share your love and hope;
every day, we have occasions
to rest in the comfort of your heart.
In you, we discover the fullness of time,
Delight of the Ages.

In every challenge we face,
we can find the strength to persevere;
in every person we meet,
we can find the blessing you have sent;
in every need we encounter,
we can find the help you would have us offer.
In you, we discover the fullness of life,
Companion of our days.

In every conflict of our lives,
there is your healing we can offer;
in every brokenness we experience,
there is that reconciliation we can receive;
in every difficulty which makes us stumble,
there is that dance of hope you would teach us.
In you, we discover the fullness of faith,
Promised Spirit.

God in Community, Holy in One,
in you we discover the fullness we long for

Prayer of confession

We join your dance of joy

Responding to the echo of your heartbeat

Delighting to be your people

Sometimes we get so caught up in the dance

That our focus shifts from you

We can get caught up in pleasing others

and lose sight of what it means to be fully ourselves

We can make rash promises

And get caught up in damaging and destructive patterns of behaviour

just to save face

(Thom again - from this point on)

Forgive us, Gifter of every blessing. Open our hearts and fill us with your mercy. Open our ears that we may hear the songs of grace you would teach us to share with the world. Open our eyes that we may see the hope we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, our inheritance of love and joy.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Before the earth was shaped, God created the music of grace which sets our hearts, our souls, our feet to dancing with joy in the hope God has given to us.
It is God who has created us, it is God who has redeemed us, it is God who sends us forth to live as brothers and sisters of Christ. We are forgiven.

Thanks be to Godde. Amen.

Prayers of the people

Good Lord, hear our prayer

And let our cry come unto you

We gather as your people, good God of Grace

Who have heard and reflected on a part of your story this morning

Good Lord, hear our prayer

And let our cry come unto you

We pray for those who speak out against wrongdoing

The sometimes prickly characters who make us uncomfortable

Especially when they get too close to truth

And whose lives are in jeopardy

When truth challenges the powerful

Good Lord, hear our prayer

And let our cry come unto you

We pray for children and the adults in their lives

That praise and encouragement may be genuine and life-giving

We pray for adults and children in households and families

That relationships in all their complexities may be affirming and respectful

And family violence eliminated

Good Lord, hear our prayer

And let our cry come unto you

We pray for our nation and State

For our Prime Minister and Premiers, and all Ministers and officials

For our local and community leaders, for every citizen and resident

That we may recognise the significance of what is happening around us

And act to promote reconciliation within our nation and between nations

To preserve and protect our world and our planet

Good Lord, hear our prayer

And let our cry come unto you

We pray for ourselves – a people of God

For Kent and Rick and Lois and Bruce

Ann and Brian

.....

Good Lord, hear our prayer

And let our cry come unto you

In all domains of life, gracious Godde

Stir our hearts that we may seize every opportunity to learn from our brothers and sisters in faith, to stand with them and to carry their stories close to our hearts each day

Grant wisdom and courage to speak and act in the best interests of all, especially of the most vulnerable

Grant courage and strength to those trapped in life patterns and those in prison or treated inhumanely

When the darkness seems overwhelming grant faith that hope can be found in the darkest night

Help us to pray in the words Jesus taught us

Our Father ...

Amen

Prayer for Easter 2

Life-giving, life-restoring, birthing and rebirthing Godde
You roll away the stones
that keep us from seeing who Jesus is
Your love stretches beyond the furtherest horizon we can imagine,
and extends to us on our fragile planet
We praise you

Gracious Godde of sea and sky
That love was most perfectly revealed in Jesus Christ
Who greets us and lovingly extends a hand
that recognises our deepest pain and loss
coming closer to us than we could ever imagine
sharing fully in our humanity
We praise you

We can so easily fret and worry
Thinking that we have gone beyond the limits
of your capacity to forgive and respond

Bond-breaking death-challenging spirit
Break into our hearts and minds
That we may know the great wonder of being loved
beyond anything we could have imagined
Empower and embolden us
To confront forces of destruction and love what brings life

Amen

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.

Dust

Christine at Abbey of the Arts writes: Lent begins this week. During the imposition of ashes at the Ash Wednesday service some of us will hear the words “from dust you came and to dust you shall return.” The ashes are a tangible reminder of our temporal bodies. I love this beginning to the season of conversion and re-ordering of priorities. The reminder of our mortality is meant to confront us with the preciousness of our days and demands that we ask how we want to spend our time. “Return to me with your whole heart,” says the prophet Joel in the opening scripture for this service. Return, renew your commitment, begin again. This week’s Poetry Party is an invitation to explore through poetic imagery the reality of our shared limits and what stirs in us in response. How does the awareness of Ash Wednesday shape your commitment for the Lenten season ahead?

Ash, on my forehead

Ash:Forests reduced to

Homes devastated

Bodies burnt

Ash Wednesday

Dust

Hope?

Illumination

Christine, at Abbey of the Arts, has issued invitations toPoetry Party #28! Posted on Monday, she notes that December 8th is both the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in Christian Tradition and the Enlightenment of the Buddha in Buddhist Tradition. The Immaculate Conception honors the conception of Mary without sin, illuminating her purity and grace from the moment she was conceived in her own mother’s womb in preparation for her to give birth to God. In Orthodox tradition, Mary is know as Theotokos, which means God-bearer. December 8th also marks the observance of the Buddha achieving enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. The word enlightenment is derived from the idea of becoming filled with light, light symbolizing clarity and wisdom.

The invitation is to write a poem in honor of the call to illumination. To become illuminated means that one carries a light within rather than seeking it from another source. Just like Mary and Buddha, we each carry the spark of the divine flame. The mystics have told us this for centuries.

Christine also posted the photograph below as a focus for creativity. In the growing darkness of these days, might you discover your own brilliance and the brilliant beauty of the world? The image below was taken at the retreat center (on the Hood Canal) one evening when the world was luminous.

light
shines
in dark places
Justice
Healing
Joy
overcome
war
greed
self-interest

in me
in every place

please put away the snuffer and nurture the flame
NOW

Prayer for Advent

Wondrous Creator

You break forth

In the midst of darkness

Your light shines

Without regard for boundaries

Of space and time

Light of the world

In a world

of fractured relationships

You were born as one of us

Challenging global powers

That compete for our allegiance

Spirit of light and truth

You illumine our lives

You illumine our world

Showing clearly

What is and what can be

We come to you in wonder and in praise

We seek your light

that we may turn from

attitudes and actions that destroy

We seek your wisdom

that we may rightly discern

and live for justice and in love

We seek your life-giving breath

that we may truly live

Amen

These are the words we can trust:

When a person recognises that the most important truth is that there is one and only one God, and that human purpose is to love God with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself

Jesus says to that person, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’

Inscribed

Christine at Abbey of the Arts has issued an invitation to the 27th Poetry Party. She chooses a photograph and invites us to respond with words. This week the photograph was taken on Innishmore, an Aran Island that touched my heart in 2005. I love the image!

This week's party was inspired by Christine's book-signing and the sense of connection between reader and author, and by the words of scripture that came to her:

“You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by everyone (2 Corinthians 3:2).

As she reflected later on the ways in which the sacred is inscribed onto her heart, and her work is to share those words as well as possible. Words like Love. Silence. Justice. Contemplation. Beauty. Words made substantive, enfleshed.

What are the words inscribed on your heart?

(the image was taken in the summer of 2007 on Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands in Ireland)

Chiseled

continually

Inscribed

indelibly

in my heart

Love is

Love is

Love is

In honour of Uncle Tom

Another wonderful poetry invitation from Christine at Abbey of the Arts who posted this picture, taken during a trip to trace maternal ancestors. to inspire us to celebrate our ancestors, either as a group, or dedicated to a particular person (human or animal in nature).

The photograph is from Christine's invitation,

My great-uncle Thomas remained in Inverness when his parents and 12 siblings emigrated to New Zealand. Within a few years he was killed at Gallipoli. My grandparents named their first son after him, and that little one died in infancy. On a visit to Inverness I was stopped in my tracks and strangely moved when I saw his name on a wall plaque commemorating the men of Inverness, so many of them young men, who died in the first world war. I don't have a photograph.

I never met you
and I was moved to tears
when I saw your name

Lal remembered
her older brother always
and we heard stories

Thomas Gillanders
You were loved
You are remembered
You have family throughout this world
Rest in Peace

Developmental snapshots ex libris

Christine invites us to her 25th Poetry Party and over a year of poetic inspiration! She writes

I had no idea when I began these how meaningful they would become to me and to those of you who participate by writing or reading. Thank you for the wonderful creative community that forms around each of these.

I select an image and suggest a title and invite you to respond with your poems, words, reflections, quotes, song lyrics, etc. Leave them in the comments or email me and I’ll add them to the body of the post as they come in along with a link back to your blog if you have one (not required to participate!) I’ll add your contributions all week and then I will draw a name at random on Friday morning from everyone who participates and will send the winner a special prize in honor of my 25th Poetry Party — a signed copy of my new book Lectio Divina: Contemplative Awakening and Awareness . Feel free to take your poem in any direction and then post the image and invitation on your blog and encourage others to come join the party!

This week’s theme is simple, I invite you to write a poem celebrating the gift of the written word in your life.

The photos below were taken this past summer in the library at Melk Benedictine Abbey in Austria (to see the library, click on the link in the righthand sidebar that says “The Abbey museum, marble hall, library, church” and then click “Library.”)

From their website: “In the order of importance of the rooms in a Benedictine monastery, the library comes second only to the church” –another reason I love the monastic tradition!

Developmental snapshots

Books from long ago

Grandparents' bay window seat

Christmas afternoon

Aunty Ruth's Bible

Write and draw in my notebook

as I daily read

Box came from city

while I was at school today

Read until dinnertime

D H Lawrence is

required reading for English

Hide it under bed

(what would Mother say?)

Behavioural Science

Grown up now share books with Dad

Discuss not agree

(and that is fine)

Long distance plane trip

Wonder at power of fiction

almost forgotten

Dust coated bookshelves

Emptying parental home

cherish memories

Grandmother's Bible

gift to highland teenage lass

Treasure here and now

Poised with passion

Another Poetry Party (the 23rd) hosted by Christine at Abbey of the Arts features this photograph of sweet Tune waiting at the bathroom door (with her human inside) in eager anticipation of her evening walk. Christine writes:

Luckily my camera was close at hand, but seeing her sit there so patiently, yet full of expectation, touched something in me. I have been pondering doors a lot lately with some of that to appear here on this blog. Often we wait at a threshold and the door has yet to be opened. That space of waiting can be one of the most difficult, and yet often the most necessary of times.

For what are you waiting with eager anticipation? You might speak from your own voice in the poem or that of a dog full of hope.

Feel free to take your poem in any direction and then post the image and invitation on your blog and encourage others to come join the party!

Sweet Tune
Patience born of knowing
pattern and person
Poised with passion
Ready to burst forth
at the first opening of the door

When past routine
no longer maps
direction or desire
Object of anticipation
uncertain and unclear
Restlessness pervades

Sweet Tune
Your poised passion
Eager anticipation
Secure knowing
Remind of greater
being and purpose

Uncertainty and change
open opportunity to wait
wonder, anticipate
familiar passion
pattern and person
in new landscape

Prayer for ourselves and others

The prophet Jeremiah called out: Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?

There can be times that seem like that to us when we consider situations in

Our world

Our community

Our church

Our families

Our selves

Timothy Rees wrote a hymn that talks of God enfolding all the world in one embrace, and goes on to say that when human hearts are breaking under sorrow’s iron rod, then they find that selfsame aching deep within the heart of God.

Maybe that embrace is like a parent dancing with her child, full of joy and care and compassion.

Tonight I invite you to bring situations on your heart to God, - write down if you wish – as we listen and watch a representation of that love of Godde using images – many from this land – and words from the Welsh revival of 1904 (Here is love, vast as the ocean ...)

As we pray there is a bowl in front of our burning candles. You may want to place your prayer there, and take with you a candle as a reminder of God’s love toward us.

Praise, confession and assurance of grace

Creating life-giving Godde

We catch a glimpse of you

in the gradual warming of the day

Enticing creatures out of hibernation

to live and move in the freedom of the garden

Abundant-life-giving Godde-with-us

You accept and hold nothing against us

We feel the touch of your hand

reaching out with an invitation

to bask in the light of your love

Challenging life-giving Spirit

You warm us gently

Bringing us out

from cold or dark or lonely places

We are in awe

of your goodness and love toward us

You know these steps

can be the slowest and the most difficult we ever take

as we fear what your light may show

We know we need to loosen our grip

on all that distorts our relationships

and degrades our planet

We know the need to replace hurtful or careless words

with words that promote peace and understanding

between people and between nations

We seek your grace loving Godde

that your words may be a joy to us

and delight our hearts

We seek your mercy loving saviour

that we may be authentic followers of your way

facing up to the reality of pain and injustice

We seek your strength Holy Spirit

that we may turn away from what is evil

and hold fast to what is good

Amen

Brothers and sisters

We are called by God’s name

We enter the community of faith

through water and the Spirit

Let us open our ears to hear

Christ’s words of grace

in the depths of our being

“You are forgiven”

Thanks be to God

Call to worship

Pr 17. Moses and God and the burning bush

Within our everyday routines
the word of Godde comes
Challenging engaging enticing
Never forcing a response
Love waits

In the routine of this day
we come to this place
Intrigued questioning open to wonder
Making our response
We are here

Visual intercessions from Greenbelt 2008

There will be music despite everything

Christine is back at Abbey of the Arts and hosting Poetry Party No. 22! This is a good opportunity to exercise our right brain functions and everyone is invited. Christine writes:

I select an image and suggest a title and invite you to respond with your poems, words, reflections, quotes, song lyrics, etc. Leave them in the comments or email me and I’ll add them to the body of the post as they come in along with a link back to your blog if you have one (not required to participate!) I’ll add your contributions all week and then I will draw a name at random on Saturday from everyone who participates and will send the winner a copy of my most recent zine Season by the Sea: A Contemporary Book of Hours. Feel free to take your poem in any direction and then post the image and invitation on your blog and encourage others to come join the party!

The title from this post is a line from Jack Gilbert’s beautiful poem A Brief for the Defense (click over to read the whole poem). This line came back to my memory while in Vienna when we saw this street musician performing on the Graben, one of the city’s pedestrian zones. The cello is by far my favorite instrument and while standing there on a perfect summer evening and watching him play I thought of my father who loved music so much and wondered if, when he was young, the sounds of his favorite Austrian composers got him through the terrible years of the war.

Have there been times when music provided you solace? What do Gilbert’s words and the mosaic of images evoke for you?

Using a line from another poem can make a fun poetry prompt. I look forward to reading your own words of inspiration!

passion and control

exquisite mastery deep

soul delight ignite

Forgiveness

Creating life-giving Godde
We catch a glimpse of you
in the gradual warming of the day
enticing the blue-tongue out of hibernation
to live and move in the freedom of the garden

Abundant life-giving Godde-with-us
You accept and hold nothing against us
We feel the touch of your hand
Reaching out with an invitation
to bask in the light of your love

Challenging life-giving Spirit
You warm us gently
As we venture forth
from cold or dark or lonely places
asking for and being open to
the possibility of restored relationships

We are in awe
of your goodness and love toward us Godde
Help us to loosen our grip
on the things we need to let go of
And to begin to know deep in our being
The depth of compassion
The height of mercy
and the wideness of your loving arms
surrounding us
and those on our hearts

We pray through Jesus
who lives with us
and knows us so well

Amen

Slavery and saints

I saw on Oremus this morning that William Wilberforce is the saint for the day. I haven't had time to rent Amazing Grace from the DVD store, let alone watch it. But I have been remembering the movie, and the story behind it, in those moments of stillness throughout the day. Slavery remains such an issue in our world. Particularly in some parts of the Pacific and Asia.

Yesterday I bought an amazing product at ALDI. A4 sheets of canvas that you can print on. It was just what I needed to print out our young peoples' questions for their tree of growth - which I left in the Minister's office and didn't photograph :( Anyway the canvas was made in China. And I bought it without questioning how fairly it was made.

WWWD (What would Wilberforce do?) I wonder. And get caught up in the wonder inspired by this week's Oremus prayer. I just love it. I have printed it out on A4 and carry it around with me each day. A real blessing to me:

Blessed are you, O God,
you are our greatest treasure
and the source of our greatest joy:
Your Spirit continues to form us in the likeness of Christ,
that we may know the freedom of your children
and the assurance that nothing in creation
can separate us from your love,
most fully known in Jesus Christ our Lord.
For these and all your mercies, we praise you:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
Blessed be God for ever!


Blessed be God forever - AMEN

Limiting options

This is a further play on the Abbey of the Arts image. Guess who's been grocery shopping today!

Two aisles of cereal
Colourful boxes enticing
I choose oats
and make porridge

Closing doors

A really interesting poetry party this week. Do read the article - and play the door game - mentioned by Christine at Abbey of the Arts who says:

Our Twentieth Poetry Party! I select an image and suggest a title and invite you to respond with your poems, words, reflections, quotes, song lyrics, etc. Leave them in the comments or email me and I’ll add them to the body of the post as they come in along with a link back to your blog if you have one (not required to participate!) I’ll add your contributions all week and then I will draw a name at random on Friday from everyone who participates and will send the winner a copy of my newest zine Season by the Sea: A Contemporary Book of Hours. Feel free to take your poem in any direction and then post the image and invitation on your blog and encourage others to come join the party! (a blog is definitely not required to participate!)

Last week I discovered this article about the advantages of limiting our options in a world where we have such an abundance of choices, both superificial as in what kind of TV to buy and the more serious as in where to live geographically or what kind of work to engage in. We have so many more options than just a couple of generations ago and it can be both liberating and dizzying. Lately I have been contemplating the way I feel pulled in many directions sometimes because I have many gifts and many ways I want to express them. I love the many facets of the work I do, but I recognize an inner pull or call to begin to consider saying no to some options as a way of developing myself in one or two areas.

We tend to believe that open doors are signs of the sacred. So I thought this might be worth exploring in poetry — have there been times when a door closing was a blessing? Can you imagine which options you might like to limit in order to have a fuller sense of how you are being called?

And if somewhere deep inside you is a voice saying “no, I don’t want to close any doors” — then write a poem about that!

This week I listened to an interesting radio programme about Haiku. Seventeen syllables seems a good counterpoint to my last long poem so here goes:

Shortlisted again
Despondent can I choose to
Bless the closing door

Thanks Christine. There may be more to come!