Variations on Some Psalms
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Let the music open our hearts to one another
and make us aware of the flow of Divine love
that animates all creation.
Let our expression be joyous and our praise sincere.
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving.
Make melody to our Lord on the lyre.
The Divine Creator brought order out of chaos.
And heaven and earth made manifest
the intricate tapestry of the universe.
All living things depend on each other for sustenance.
Nature demonstrates the underlying unity of all created things.
He covers the heavens with clouds,
He prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass to grow on the hills.
All beings are sustained by Life
To each has been give a source of livelihood
and healing plants for each affliction.
Let the perfect balance of nature be restored.
Let us allow God's natural laws to heal the earth.
Help us to be good stewards of the earth
by being humble enough not to interfere with perfection.
Let all our relations thrive.
He gives to the animals their food,
and to the young ravens when they cry.
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Some Contemporary Psalms
salm in Praise of Water
What is water I asked as a child
H2O a colorless, odorless liquid
I was told
But I didn’t understand
Still don’t
Water is a mystery
Water is magical
Water, surely we first saw our face in you
Mirror of the world
Reflecting in your depths
Mountains, forest, endless sky
Sunrise, sunset, city spangled nights
Master of paradox
Many are your moods
You sparkle, you shine,
You are dark, deep and brooding
Black as obsidian, bottle green
Mistress of transformation
You roar around rocks in a river
Are quiet in a still pond
You are musical rain on the roof
You are magical shapes of mist and cloud
We play on your ice
We heal in your hot springs
The Giver of life gives herself again in you
Your oceans speak of eternity
Your river song sings in our blood
Blood of the Earth
Water, surely we first saw our face in you
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salm of the Peacemaker
One: Compassionate God, your teacher Jesus, taught us that we are all
neighbours.
All: Thank you for showing us through his words and deeds that we are all worthy of love
regardless of nationality, race, creed, or social status.
One: Help us to be like Jesus who invited everyone to his table of abundance.
All: We are grateful for the opportunity to see beyond the rules and regulations of societies
governments and religions to the law of the heart which is our common knowing.
One: The Good Samaritan reached out beyond his cultural and religious programming to
abide by the law of his heart.
All: Creator God, we rejoice that you placed the same compassionate heart within us.
One: Unchanging One, we are thankful that you placed your peace and compassion at the
center of our being.
All: Through Your inspiration we will see through the ancient and constantly reversing
roles of victim and victimizer to recognize a sister or brother.
One: Eternal One, Your gift of love is available to everyone
All: Following Your example, we will not exclude anyone from our love
One: Jesus taught us, “judge not lest you be judged”
All: We place our trust in You to help us find that calm center where peace and love
replace judgment of ourselves or others.
One: We are comforted to know that when we are at peace, peace is extended to our
families, our communities and the world.
All: Let us be channels of your peace and know in that in every encounter and in every
moment there is an opportunity to decide to extend peace through your grace.
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salm of Abundance
Divine Mother in whom all things live and have their being
You enfold us in your never ending cycle of life
As you express your joy in creation
Through the seed’s transformation into bud, flower, fruit
And back to seed again
We see how you give yourself in the changing seasons
In sun, rain and snow that help all things to grow
Thank you for the beauty and the bounty
Of our beloved earth
Divine Origin, out of love you created an infinite variety of living things
Golden oceans of grain, red apples on the tree, purple plums
Multicoloured fish, majestic elephants, great whales, soaring eagles
These you have given us to care for
You open our eyes to see that we live in your Garden still
We honor the sacredness of all your creations
And we are grateful for your abundant gifts
Divine Source of all beings, you give to all creatures
A means to sustain themselves
We give thanks that all lives are so intimately connected
That even a sparrow’s fall is felt in the soul
And the sparrow’s song resonates throughout creation
We are grateful that we are a part of your divine tapestry
We promise to maintain the intricate and delicate web of life
On our beloved planet earth
And we praise the perfection of your design
Indivisible life you course like a river through all things
You are the One out of which arises the many
You are the many which comprises the one
We live by your grace
And we rejoice that this is so
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salm to the Infinite
One: God of mystery. One being manifesting in many disguises.
All: Help us to see through your myriad forms to your underlying
spirit which animates all things.
One: God of divine manifestation. Throughout the ages you have
revealed aspects of your grace to every culture through the lives
of your holy ones.
All: We give thanks that you have never left us without a teacher who
could speak to our individual needs for guidance. Their
wisdom has opened a path through confusion.
One: You taught us through Buddha that at the center of our being
is a still point, a peaceful center in which to take refuge.
All: Thank you for teaching us how to quiet our minds and search
inside for truth.
One: You came to us dancing and singing in the form of Saraswati
who expresses your creative energy.
All: We thank you for the joy of creative inspiration not only in
art and music, but also in our work and relationships and all
the small tasks we perform every day.
One: You revealed yourself to us in the Great Spirit; the alive
intelligent energy present in wind, earth, fire and water;
and in the consciousness of all our relations.
All: We recognize the sacredness of the earth and include
ourselves among her creatures.
One We know you as Mary, the Divine Mother
who cares for us tenderly as a parent cares for her child.
All: We trust you to guide us and
nurture us in your love.
One: In China they call you Quan Yin the one who walks beside water,
Hearer of Cries.
All: Have mercy on us compassionate one. Hear our prayers in
time of need.
One: You are also called Shiva . The one who dances out the
the drama of the universe with out ever losing his balance.
All: Teach us in the midst of chaos to abide in the
peace within, while performing the parts assigned to us.
One: We know you as Sophia, Holy Spirit, the breath of inspiration.
All: With every breath we take let us remember you are inside us.
You surround us and protect us. There is nowhere you are
not.
One: You showed us through Jesus, our chosen one, that we are equal
in the eyes of God and one in the body of Christ.
All: Help us to let go of the small and separate self and know
that by loving each other we can experience the larger
Self that is love.
One: God of mystery, you are eternal and infinite
presence; the essence at the core of our being.
All: You are the light in the eye, the spark that flies to
join one being to another.
We praise your continuously unfolding mystery.
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rayer for the Aquarian Age
Our Mother Father God
Who is in Heaven’s state
Wholeness is your name
Your Kingdom has come
Your will is one
With ours on earth
As it is in Heaven
Give us this day our spiritual food
And forgive us our judgments
As we forgive those
Who make judgments against us
And lead us from illusion to truth
From fear to love
From death to immortality
For peace and joy are our inheritance
In the holy instant of eternity
Amen
(Adapted from the Lord’s Prayer into the language of the Course in Miracles)
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The End