Book of Blessings

Ruth Burgess

Description

A collection of blessings for the people, celebrations, sadnesses, artefacts, special occasions and journeys of our lives.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christian liturgy

Informations

• Publié par: Wild Goose Publications
• Date de parution: 08 juillet 2001
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781905010882
• Langue: English

Extrait

A Book of Blessings
A Book of Blessings
and how to write your own
Ruth Burgess
Blessings © the individual contributors Compilation © 2001 Ruth Burgess
First published 2001, reprinted 2002, 2004, 2007 by Wild Goose Publications, Fourth Floor, Savoy House, 140 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3DH, UK, the publishing division of the Iona Community. Scottish Charity No. SC003794. Limited Company Reg. No. SC096243
ePub:ISBN 978-1-905010-88-2 Mobipocket:ISBN 978-1-905010-89-9 PDF:ISBN 978-1-905010-90-5
Cover painting and internal illustration © Scott Riley
All rights reserved. Apart from reasonable personal use on the purchasers own system and related devices, no part of this document or file(s) may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Non-commercial use: The material in this document may be used non-commercially for worship and group work without written permission from the publisher. Please make full acknowledgement of the source e.g. © [author’s name], from A Book of Blessings, published by Wild Goose Publications. Where a large number of copies are made, a donation may be made to the Iona Community via Wild Goose Publications, but this is not obligatory.
Commercial use: For any commercial use of this material, application in writing must be made to Wild Goose Publications at the above address.
Ruth Burgess has asserted her right in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
C ONTENTS
List of blessings
Introduction
LITTLE BLESSINGS
NIGHTS AND DAYS
SEASONS AND FESTIVALS – A HOST OF DANCING THINGS
MOMENTS OF OUR DAYS
WORK AND LEISURE
HOUSES AND HOMES – DWELLERS AND DWELLINGS
INNER JOURNEYS – GOING AND GROWING
WHEN THE ROAD IS HARD
TURNINGS, ENDINGS AND NEW BEGINNINGS
SETTING OUT – GOING FORTH
THE PILGRIM ROAD
RESPONSIVE BLESSINGS
BLESSINGS FOR INDIVIDUALS
MORE LITTLE BLESSINGS
Writing blessings – some reflections and resources
Running a blessings workshop
Index of authors
A short resource of blessings with musical settings
L IST OF B LESSINGS
LITTLE BLESSINGS
The keeping of Christ
A blessing for ditherers
Walk well
The breath of God in you
Blessing of loaves
Self-dedication
My next-door neighbour
All of creation
A making blessing
Our maker, our mother, our friend
Change
NIGHTS AND DAYS
Sun and moon blessing
Blessing of a new day
This blessed morning
Let the fire die down
A blessing for bath-time at the end of the day
All through the night – a blessing based on Psalm
Night blessing
SEASONS AND FESTIVALS – A HOST OF DANCING THINGS
At the turn of the year
Candlemas blessing
Spring blessing
Easter blessing
A host of dancing things
Sunlit dandelions
Dartmoor blessing
Little, big moments blessing
God of the harvest
The blessing of Autumn
The true spirit of Christmas
Christmas
Do not be afraid
At the ending of a year (or other ending)
MOMENTS OF OUR DAYS
Here and now
Birth blessing
Blessing for a placenta
A blessing that could be used after a miscarriage or abortion
A welcome blessing
Blessing for an adoptive family
Blessing at the placement of a child for adoption
Grounded and rooted in love
Lord of all life, I bless you
A wedding or relationship blessing
Knowing her blessing
Mid-life blessing
On retirement
The time that’s left
For a friend who is dying
Blessing at a time of death
Go gently on your voyage
WORK AND LEISURE
A blessing on my laptop
Before a meeting
A blessing for meetings
At the office door
A blessing for working in a shop
A blessing for a work day
When you go to work
A blessing for a computer
Wisdom
God bless days off
Pub blessing
Blessing for a sabbatical
HOUSES AND HOMES – DWELLERS AND DWELLINGS
From a blessing of a croft
Blessing for a home
Bless to me my dog
Bless my cat
Bless you – for a new bed and breakfast house
A home filled with God
Blessing for a family
For the blessing of friends
Sharing, laughing and listening
INNER JOURNEYS – GOING AND GROWING
When you seek God’s help – a blessing based on Psalm 34
A blessing on inner darkness
Blessing in times of emptiness
For the gifts of creativity
Let light enfold me
Light and dark – a blessing based on Psalm 139
For times of dryness
Wrestling for a blessing – prayers of the northern saints
For light and for darkness
WHEN THE ROAD IS HARD
Sometimes pain sweeps over me
Blessing in grief and loss
Blessing for those in distress
If our days darken
Blessing for those who have no one left to talk to
In times of affliction
I need you to bless me
Blessing for those who are depressed
TURNINGS, ENDINGS AND NEW BEGINNINGS
Turnings
A blessing for beginnings or endings
Leaving a familiar place
Blessing on leaving abuse
Blessing for a friend going on a long journey
A farewell blessing
Blessing on the start of a new endeavour
For a goodbye
SETTING OUT, GOING FORTH
Go forth in faith, hope and love
The shield and fire of God
Departure at the end of a women’s workshop day
Going out
Living letters of his word
A blessing for a visitor to England
Helen’s leaving present
The journey ahead
Life is a journey home
THE PILGRIM ROAD
Night as clear as day – a blessing based on Psalm 139
Friends and saints and angels
Laughter on your way
Blessed be our feet
Lord of every pilgrim heart
Between the cracks
Time alone
A pilgrim people
You who walk with us
Journey blessing
RESPONSIVE BLESSINGS
The blessing of Peace
An evening blessing
Going onwards
Lighter of lights
The glory of God in creation blessing
In the love of God
Autumn colour, harvest and mist
Master, storyteller, breath of life
A closing blessing
BLESSINGS FOR INDIVIDUALS
A blessing for Agnes Mary
The candle I light
A blessing for Bryan
The blessing of Jesus – the I AM
The darkness of God: a blessing – for John and Mike
A mid-life birthday blessing for Frances
A blessing for one who is dying – for Stuart
A diamond wedding blessing for Joe and Eileen
A blessing for Mary on her 50th birthday
A blessing on a new member of the Iona Community
A prayer for Alice and her family
The people God calls blessed
MORE LITTLE BLESSINGS
A welcoming blessing
God bless our good dreaming
May God hold you as a lover
The blessing of a toy
Strength, peace and wildness
The blessing of silence
Blessing for lovers
Blessing at the table
Christ of every suffering heart
Rubber band blessing
The wonder of the ordinary
Dreams and visions
All and every one of us
Blessing for a poet
A blessing for Friday 13th
God bless the snow
Blessings for a mother and her family
Bless and caress us
For Cecily, Maggie and Peggy who have blessed me with wisdom and love
I NTRODUCTION
The Oxford Paperback Dictionary defines BLESS as: Verb: 1. make sacred or holy with the sign of the cross   2. call holy, praise; to bless God   3. call God’s favour upon; Christ blessed the children.
And BLESSING as: Noun: 1. God’s favour; a prayer for this   2. a short prayer of thanks to God before or after a meal   3. something one is glad of; a blessing in disguise .
Prayers and actions of blessing are found in many cultures and religions. They often accompany ‘rites of passage’, both secular and religious.
Christianity has inherited from Judaism a rich range of blessings: solemn prayers for an heir 1 , psalms of praise to God 2 , blessings of crops and flocks 3 , festival blessings 4 and the so called Aaronic blessing 5 . There is a tradition that those who pray prayers of blessing for others will be blessed themselves. 6
Within Jewish writings are a collection of blessings, b’rakhot ,which relate both to everyday life and to synagogue services and festivals. These include blessings for eating and drinking, the sensual enjoyment of creation, lighting festival candles and recovering from illness. Jewish prayers of blessing always precede rather than follow an action.
Christian tradition includes the blessing of food and the blessing of living creatures and growing things. Manufactured objects can also be blessed as an aid to praise and prayer, as can works of art and natural resources, as evidenced in the use of candles, icons and water in worship. Blessings are also used for important moments in the lives of individuals, for example in baptism and marriage, as well as for the festivals of the Christian year – Advent, Easter, Harvest, etc.
Many prayers from Celtic sources, old and new, include words of blessing. These are prayers that proclaim the goodness of all creation and, as in Jewish sources, acknowledge God’s presence in all the moments of our daily lives. Many Celtic blessings are Trinitarian in form and often include references to saints and angels.Whilst older prayers reflect a rural lifestyle, more recent prayers draw their imagery from both urban and rural life.
Blessings can involve more than words. Within many cultures and traditions incense, smoke and water accompany words of blessing, evoking experiences of cleansing and dedication. Within the Christian tradition a spoken blessing is often accompanied by the sign of a cross. The blessing of individuals, particularly children, can include hands being laid on heads.The person giving a formal blessing within a Jewish tradition might wear a prayer shawl. It is easy to visualise Celtic blessings that image the body ( from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet 7 ), incorporating actions to accompany the words. Silence and music, also, can be ways of expressing and accompanying blessings. Sometimes the element of surprise occurs within the experience of blessing. 8 Humour, too, often plays its part. 9
Many blessings are associated with journeys, both inner and outer, and with places that have long been use