07 May The Loveliness of Liturgy

The forms of these flowers

are the intentional designs

of a Creator who has not abandoned

his broken and rebellious creation,

but has instead wholly given himself

to the work of redeeming it.

He has scattered the evidences

of creation’s former glories

across the entire scape of heaven and earth

and these evidences are also foretastes of the

coming redemption of all things, that those

who live in this hard time between glories

might see and remember,

might see and take heart,

might see and take delight

in the extravagant beauty of bud and bloom

knowing that these living witnesses are

rumors and reminders of a joy that will

soon swallow all sorrow.

-A Liturgy for the Planting of Flowers, Every Moment Holy

Every year, Lent and Easter sneak up on me. All of a sudden, it’s Ash Wednesday, and in the blink of an eye, it’s Easter. In the aftermath of egg hunts galore, exhausted from trying to snatch the 75^th peep out of my daughter’s hand, I vow that next year, I’ll be holy and contemplative. I’ll devoutly observe the season and wholeheartedly contemplate the mystery of the Cross. In my twenties, I occasionally observed Lent by giving up certain foods or alcohol, but it was really just a spiritually-veiled attempt at dieting. My Lenten fasts perhaps earned me some Pharisee points, but they got me no closer to the holy rapture the season deserves.

Finally, a dear friend suggested the practice of adding a habit in observance of Lent instead of giving things up and it’s worked well for me. When sneaky Ash Wednesday dawned again this year, it just so happened that I’d been given a beautiful liturgical prayer book called Every Moment Holy. Ranking right up there with the Colorado craft bottle of gin we once received, this treasure of a book is one of the best hostess gifts I’ve ever been given.

Replete with liturgies for all manner of moments, this book reveals the splendor of the mundane and the sacredness embodied in our daily rituals. By adding an exquisitely written prayer to the beginning of each day, I find myself noticing tiny, hidden gifts glimmering like gold amidst a rocky pan of sand.

At a baby sprinkle for a friend, I had each of the guests read a specific prayer of blessing over the new mama. The words were rich and luscious and wholesome, giving language to our love for her and our prayers for her family.

Once you unlock the door to the loveliness of liturgy, you will find there is no occasion too big or too small for a splendidly written prayer. One of my favorites is a prayer of thanksgiving “For the Pleasance of a Warm Shower.” When I pause in both the magnificent and the mundane to give thanks to the King of all Creation, the posture of my heart is oriented to look for my Maker in every moment.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains-

Where does my help come from?

my help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

                                    Psalm 21:1-2