Category Archives: prayer

Prayer and empty air

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Rosalind C Hughes

A sermon for the 24th Sunday after Pentecost, October 30, 2016 Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4, Psalm 119:137-144 or Isaiah 1:10-18, Psalm 32:1-8, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12, Luke 19:1-10 On Friday morning, I went to the new Old Fort steps at the Rocky River Metropark. They carry visitors … Continue reading →

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Humble blessings

Posted on October 20, 2016 by Rosalind C Hughes

For the twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost in Year C (Proper 25): the Pharisee and the tax collector are praying at the Temple. One is so self-satisfied that he is blinded by his own glory; he outshines God. One is so self-abased … Continue reading →

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On returning from a pilgrimage 

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Rosalind C Hughes

Between my hands, wheat and water; bread, flat and pale. In its grain I read the story of hands breaking bread beside a river; light lifts the surface of the water; between fragments, for a moment, I can see the … Continue reading →

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Remembering our baptism

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Rosalind C Hughes

we all embraced on the slippery steps, laughing with the sheer sacredness of it all Continue reading →

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The Lost City of Petra

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Rosalind C Hughes

Treasures In Petra, beyond fhe red sands and wild dogs beyond the edifice, extravagant ruins tombs and treasures of the dead beyond the colonnaded avenues beyond the steps worn smooth choreographed by Bedouin and pilgrim feet donkeys and tourists, each … Continue reading →

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Persistent blessings

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Rosalind C Hughes

If you are following Track 2, you may be interested in the experience of Jacob, who wrestled a blessing from God: May your prayers be heard without harm,     and the intercession of your heart received with gentleness. Otherwise, from … Continue reading →

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Crossing the Jordan

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Rosalind C Hughes

It’s been twenty-nine years since I was in the Holy Land. My memories have become like a photograph album full of moments in time, frozen in stasis, many frayed at the edges or fading. There are a few that stand … Continue reading →

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The not ungrateful leper

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Rosalind C Hughes

It was not ingratitude silenced me, but inadequacy; the paucity of my language; the paltry dance of palsied limbs, trembling as a fawn, trembling as one newly born, barely breathing; rasping out music as though the song had been buried … Continue reading →

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The yearning

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Rosalind C Hughes

I dare not reach for glory, for fear of falling. I cannot bear to love you, for fear of drowning. I dare not turn away from you, for fear of desolation.

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Overwhelming

Posted on August 20, 2016 by Rosalind C Hughes

I am considering the word “overwhelmed.” I cannot unsee the news photography: cars sinking, dramatic rescues, coffins floating down streets overwhelmed by the Flood; an airbag deployed, overspilling its plastic cage, overwhelming the object of its zealous protection; she is … Continue reading →

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