A Desert in the Ocean
For the two of you who've persevered and continue to check out my blog despite the lack of updated content, a few more thoughts. Our little church experiment is great fun, two weeks in and we've already got some traditions going (croissants and jam being the most important). This week spent some time considering observing the Kingdom but not until I'd thrown in the poem attributed to my hero of the moment St Brendan. I found the book Desert in the Ocean by David Adam at a Catholic Retreat centre. I've got a couple of his books on Celtic prayers and this one's subtitle is a call to Adventurous living - meditations based on the poem attributed to St Brendan the navigator.
Here's the poem:-
Shall I abandon, O King of mysteries, the soft comforts of home?
Shall I turn my back on my native land, and my face toward the sea?
Shall I put myself wholly at the mercy of God, without silver, without horse, without fame and honour?
Shall I throw myself wholly on the King of Kings, without sword and shield, without food and drink, without a bed to lie on?
Shall I say farewell to my beautiful land, placing myself under Christ's yoke?
Shall I pour out my heart to him, confessing my manifold sins and begging forgiveness, tears streaming down my cheeks?
Shall I leave the prints of my knees on the sandy beach, a record of my final prayer in my native land?
Shall I then suffer every kind of wound the sea can inflict?
Shall I take my tiny coracle across the wide, sparkling ocean?
O King of Glorious Heaven, shall I go of my own choice upon the sea?
O Christ will you help me on the wild waves?
Come ON!
For the two of you who've persevered and continue to check out my blog despite the lack of updated content, a few more thoughts. Our little church experiment is great fun, two weeks in and we've already got some traditions going (croissants and jam being the most important). This week spent some time considering observing the Kingdom but not until I'd thrown in the poem attributed to my hero of the moment St Brendan. I found the book Desert in the Ocean by David Adam at a Catholic Retreat centre. I've got a couple of his books on Celtic prayers and this one's subtitle is a call to Adventurous living - meditations based on the poem attributed to St Brendan the navigator.
Here's the poem:-
Shall I abandon, O King of mysteries, the soft comforts of home?
Shall I turn my back on my native land, and my face toward the sea?
Shall I put myself wholly at the mercy of God, without silver, without horse, without fame and honour?
Shall I throw myself wholly on the King of Kings, without sword and shield, without food and drink, without a bed to lie on?
Shall I say farewell to my beautiful land, placing myself under Christ's yoke?
Shall I pour out my heart to him, confessing my manifold sins and begging forgiveness, tears streaming down my cheeks?
Shall I leave the prints of my knees on the sandy beach, a record of my final prayer in my native land?
Shall I then suffer every kind of wound the sea can inflict?
Shall I take my tiny coracle across the wide, sparkling ocean?
O King of Glorious Heaven, shall I go of my own choice upon the sea?
O Christ will you help me on the wild waves?
Come ON!
1 Comments:
Hey Simon, jus thought I'd check up what you were up to. Seems a long time since we chatted at New Wine. Life at Coventry Vineyard is cool, we've also found Croissants an essential and religious part of our worship experience, along with pain au chocolat and cho chip brioche, oh and muffins and fruit! Thought you might like to visit my photoblog.
That poem has to be dwelt on for many days to do it justice, it reminds me of the quote by Antoine de St Exupery: "If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather the wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea."
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Nick, at 7:53 PM
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