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.

New YouTube Page

Join me in celebrating my new YouTube page!

Most Wednesdays I post a devotion. This includes a song or two, a few moments of stillness, a conversation on a scripture passage, and a prayer.

The devotion is the Facebook Live recording from the Trinity UMC Sarasota Facebook page. We gather Wednesdays at 8:00 AM EST. You’re also welcome to join us there.

I sometimes post a check-in of evening reflection questions as well. This is also a Facebook Live recording from the Trinity UMC Sarasota Facebook page. We gather Wednesdays at 7:00 PM EST. Again, you are most welcome.

Lastly, I sometimes post other things.

Different folks like different platforms. I hope this helps you make a connection to God.

– Lisa <><

A Prayer and Poem for Earth Day

USA_10096-7-8_HDR_Antelope_Canyon_Luca_Galuzzi_2007

Antelope Canyon by Luca Galuzzi. Photo via Wikipedia Commons

Happy 50th anniversary of Earth Day!- Lisa <><

Glorious One
Maker of galaxies
Maker of mountains
Maker of me

Thank you for your grace
Thank you for reaching out
For speaking through the majesty of your creation
For speaking into the smallness of my soul

Help me listen and act
Help me honor and protect your world
Help me join their sacred witness and song
Now and always
Amen

Bless Christ Through Whom All Things Are Made
a hymn text based on Colossians 1:15-18
Meter 88.88 (LM)
For a PDF of the hymn as it appears in the Worship and Song pew edition, click the link Bless Christ, Through Whom All Things are Made

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 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.

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Prayer for Earth Day © 2012 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
Bless Christ Through Whom All Things Are Made © 2000, 2009 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
You are welcome to use these works in a worship setting with proper attribution. Please leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in any form.

Earth Day: God Who Brings the Cleansing Rain (Psalm 148)

Song_of_the_Silent_Snow_by_Martina Carnesciali

Song of the Silent Snow by Martina Carnesciali

Psalm 148:7-8 NRSV
Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!

One winter, while we were living in North Carolina, it snowed. I sat for a long time in silence at our bedroom window watching the soft flakes float to the ground. It was fascinating to me. I grew up in Florida and had only seen snow a couple of times in my life. The perfect peace of that experience birthed the snow verse of this hymn. As I began to think about other natural experiences, the other verses came to be.

Today, we’ll be experiencing severe thunderstorms where I live. I’m thankful. We desperately need rain. It’s also the week of the 50th anniversary of earth day. It’s also a time of unprecedented change due to coronavirus. As I look at this text 20 years after writing it, I’m struck by how it continues to speak to my world.

How does this text connect to your experience? – Lisa <><

God Who Brings the Cleansing Rain
by Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
Meter 77.77
Suggested tune: THE CALL (United Methodist Hymnal #164)

God who brings the cleansing rain
saturate our thirsty bones
with the milk of mercy sweet
with the blood that brings us home

God who rules the fiery sun
kindle now our brittle hearts
set ablaze our tender lives
forge our ways till sin departs

God who rides the winds of change
anchor us against its wrath
set our face toward holy ends
fix our walk upon your path

God who sends the silent snows
quiet us against your breast
cover us with hope-filled wings
whisper soft your word of rest

God who steps into our time
Take away this needless fear
Turn our lives to songs of praise
Play us for your world to hear

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God Who Brings the Cleansing Rain © 2010 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting with proper attribution. Please leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in any form. Lisa is especially interested in collaborating with someone to set this text to music.

Prayer- Most Blessed, Most Beautiful Christ

christus-hand-lds-adapted

1 Corinthians 3:21-23 NRSV
So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

Most blessed, most beautiful Christ,
in you, we receive all things

The receiving takes growth, so you give us guiding-
saints and sages and scripture
Thank you for the guiding

The receiving takes others, so you give us the world-
nature and neighbors and nations
Thank you for the world

The receiving takes change, so you give us seasons-
life and death and new life
Thank you for the seasons

The receiving takes time, so you give us time-
present and future and forever
Thank you for the time

Most blessed, most beautiful Christ
You give us yourself
And in you, O Christ
We belong
To you and to God and to all
Thank you for the giving

For a worship setting, consider the following version. One voice prays the portion in regular print while the congregation prays the portion in bold print.

Most blessed, most beautiful Christ,
in you, we receive all things

The receiving takes growth, so you give us guiding-
saints and sages and scripture
Thank you for the guiding
in you, we receive all things

The receiving takes others, so you give us the world-
nature and neighbors and nations
Thank you for the world
in you, we receive all things

The receiving takes change, so you give us seasons-
life and death and new life
Thank you for the seasons
in you, we receive all things

The receiving takes time, so you give us time-
present and future and forever
Thank you for the time
in you, we receive all things

Most blessed, most beautiful Christ
You give us yourself
And in you, O Christ
We belong
To you and to God and to all
Thank you for the giving
in you, we receive all things

The congregation now offers their own prayers of thanksgiving, concluding with the Lord’s Prayer

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Most Blessed, Most Beautiful Christ © 2014 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) Please leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in any form.