Prayer for Dedicating a Memorial Garden

Trinity Garden Dedication

Dedication of the Trinity Sarasota Garden of Hope

PRAYER OF DEDICATION
by Rev. Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, http://www.revlisad.com

In the beginning,
God chose to express God’s creativity and companionship
God’s nurture, harmony, and blessing by creating a garden

In the end,
When all of God’s desires are fully fulfilled
There will be a garden

It is in this promise and grace
That we dedicate the use of the NAME OF THE GARDEN
To the glory and use of the One, True, Living God

May it be a quiet place for those who need rest
May it be a joyful place, delighting the senses
May it be a peaceful place, for those who remain here until the last trumpet
and those who come to remember them

May these flowers remind us to keep blooming
May these benches remind us to stop and sabbath
May this tree remind us to root ourselves in Christ
and shelter one another in grace

In every season,
may this garden welcome our neighbors
and draw us all to the goodness of our Savior and Creator

We ask all this in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Trusting You, O God, will do abundantly more than we can ask or imagine
Amen.

To adapt this prayer for the dedication of a public or home garden which was not a memorial garden, change this line “May it be a peaceful place, for those who remain here until the last trumpet and those who come to remember them.” to “May it be a peaceful place, reviving the servant-hearted.”

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Prayer for Dedicating a Memorial Garden © 2021 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting with proper attribution.
(by Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, http://www.revlisad.com)
Leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in any form.

Bless Christ, Through Whom All Things are Made

Fresco of Christ creating the sun, moon and stars from the St. Paraskevi Shrine, Greenlawn, NY

This hymn text was born during my seminary days during some quiet time spent with Colossians 1:15-18.

Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. (NRSV)

In this passage, creation is described as an ongoing act. The fullness of Trinity is found: Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer; yet all things are created and are held together through Christ, the Word spoken in creation, the eternal Word made flesh.

I woke up this morning surprised to be reminded of this song. I haven’t thought about it in years, but it wants to accompany me this holy week. I pray it is a welcome companion to you as well. – Lisa <><

Bless Christ Through Whom All Things Are Made
by Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
a hymn text based on Col. 1:15-18
Meter 88.88 (LM)
Suggested Tune- POXON

Bless Christ through whom all things are made.
Join seen and unseen in their praise
of One who both creates, sustains
who goes before, in justice reigns.

Who makes the lion and the lamb
the farthest star, the smallest hand
dominions, rulers, and their pow’rs
the steadfast mount, the fleeting hours?

Who made the ore for blood soaked nails?
Who made the thorns and whipping tails?
Who made the sun that would not shine
and made the tree on which Christ died?

Who makes the waters of our birth?
Who makes the dust where we return?
Who makes the way for us to die
and rise to everlasting life?

Bless Christ though whom all things are made.
Join seen and unseen in their praise
of One who both creates, sustains
who goes before, in justice reigns.

This text was selected to be part of a United Methodist worship resource entitled Worship and Song. Each lyric or liturgy I write feels like a gift. I am excited and thrilled that this gift will be shared with so many.

For a PDF of the hymn as it will appear in the Worship and Song pew edition, click here Bless Christ, Through Whom All Things are Made

© 2000, revised 2009
You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting with proper attribution. (by Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, http://www.revlisad.com) Please leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in any form.

2 Prayers based on the Creation Story (Genesis 1.1-2.3)

seashore under white and blue sky during sunset

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

How Great you are, Creator God
Bringer of Light and Life!

How glorious!
How powerful!
How generous!
How good!

You create and you sustain
Season after season, ever faithful

Fill me with your creative power
to bring your goodness to this land and people

Sustain me with your generative grace,
that I may persevere in your love and will,
one of unnumbered souls revealing you and your gifts.
Amen.

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Creative, Powerful God
Generous Author of Life
You make
You bless
You give
You call us to care and tend for your gifts
You call us to receive and rest in your presence
We hear you
It is good, very good
You are Good, Very Good
Your mercies are everlasting
Hallelu! Glory, Hallelu!

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2 Prayers Based on the Creation Story © 2019 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
Leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in any form.

The 2016 TED Talk Experiment- Week 13

TED talk blog graphic 2

The Magic Ingredient That Brings Pixar Movies to Life
Danielle Feinberg
TED Talks Live New York City, November 2015
Science and art working together. “We use science to create something wonderful. We use story and artistic touch to get us to a place of wonder.” 

Try Something New for 30 Days 
Matt Cutts
TED2011 Long Beach California, March 2011
Delightful. Encouraging. Big ideas- 1. You can build courage 30 days at a time. 2) Small, sustainable changes stick.

Success, failure and the drive to keep creating
Elizabeth Gilbert
TED2014 Vancouver BC, March 2014
Watch this talk! It took 6 years of failure before Elizabeth Gilbert was finally published. Why did she continue to put herself through that pain? “I loved writing more than I hated failing at writing. Which is to say I loved writing more than I loved my own ego. Which is ultimately to say I loved writing more than myself.” Writing is her home. She returns to it again and again in failure or success. “I will always be safe from the random hurricanes of outcome as long as I never forget where I rightfully live.” What is your home? 

Wisdom From Great Writers on Every Year of Life
Joshua Prager
TEDActive 2015 Whistler BC, March 2015
Interesting project. “Like art and like color, literature helps us to remember what we have experienced.”

TED’s Secret to Great Public Speaking
Chris Anderson
TEDStudio New York City, March 2016
“Ideas are the most powerful force shaping human culture.” Ideas shape us and change us now. We carry this change into future attitudes and behaviors. 

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I’m trying an experiment in 2016. Maybe you’d like to try it with me.

Here’s where I am
I’m tired of the spin. I’m tired of ideas, news, and entertainment really being one long sales pitch for profit or power.

I’m longing for creativity, curiosity, and inspiration. I’m in search of passionate people willing to speak to the truth and complexity of living with a heart of hope. I want to hear from authentic humans who are in the trenches working for the greater good.

I think I’ve found them in the TED community.

“TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. On TED.com, we’re building a clearinghouse of free knowledge from the world’s most inspired thinkers — and a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other, both online and at TED and TEDx events around the world, all year long.”

TED’s been around for 30 years. I’ve heard about them and even watched a couple of talks, but I’ve never spent any concentrated time mining the good stuff. So….

Here’s the plan
Watch 5 enthusiastic, inspiring TED Talk presenters a week for a year.
Apply and share the goodness.

The 2016 TED Talk Experiment- Week 12

TED talk blog graphic 2

It’s Performing Arts Week. May the creativity inspire your own. – Lisa <><

The Genius Puppetry Behind War Horse
Handspring Puppet Company with Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones
TED2011 Long Beach California, March 2011
Simple resources become theatre magic in the hands of these creators and performers. 

Watch me play … the audience!
Bobby McFerrin
World Science Festival, June 2009
The pentatonic scale is our world language

An 11-year-old prodigy performs old-school jazz
Joey Alexander
TED2015 Vancouver BC, March 2015
A young man with a whole bunch of swing and style. 

The dancer, the singer, the cellist … and a moment of creative magic
Bill T. Jones and TED Fellows Joshua Roman and Somi
TED2015 Vancouver BC, March 2015
Creative collaboration born in the moment. A joy to watch them respect and enjoy one another. The sum is greater than it’s parts. 

A dance in a hurricane of paper, wind and light
Aakash Odedra
TEDGlobal2014 Rio de Janiero, October 2014
Cool concept stretched into too long a piece

BONUS-
An electrifying organ performance
Qi Zhang
TEDxUSC Los Angeles California, March 2009
A WOW player and programmer of a rare WOW of an instrument. 

******************
I’m trying an experiment in 2016. Maybe you’d like to try it with me.

Here’s where I am
I’m tired of the spin. I’m tired of ideas, news, and entertainment really being one long sales pitch for profit or power.

I’m longing for creativity, curiosity, and inspiration. I’m in search of passionate people willing to speak to the truth and complexity of living with a heart of hope. I want to hear from authentic humans who are in the trenches working for the greater good.

I think I’ve found them in the TED community.

“TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. On TED.com, we’re building a clearinghouse of free knowledge from the world’s most inspired thinkers — and a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other, both online and at TED and TEDx events around the world, all year long.”

TED’s been around for 30 years. I’ve heard about them and even watched a couple of talks, but I’ve never spent any concentrated time mining the good stuff. So….

Here’s the plan
Watch 5 enthusiastic, inspiring TED Talk presenters a week for a year.
Apply and share the goodness.