Tag: prayer

Maple Tree

I’ve been at a conference with the Society for Liturgical Study this week, and I wrote this poem on the final day to sum up some of what we had been thinking about over the week.

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The maple tree, through open window, listens
as we inside delve deeply into all
that happens when our worshipping traditions
are woven through the crises that befall
the natural world, our planet, God’s creation.
We weigh up and discuss what it might mean
to worship in lament and jubilation
in partnership with life, seen and unseen.
We study and explore our rites and rituals,
Ponder the circularity of time,
Critique our prayerbooks, liturgies and missals
and contemplate the places where they rhyme.
And all the while, outside the window, swaying
gently in the breeze our Sister Maple Tree is praying.

© Rich Clarkson 2026

Photo by Ehud Neuhaus on Unsplash

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Roots

My memory is a woodland grove of trees
who, down the years, have joined with me in prayer.
For such a long time I was unaware
Of quite how deeply my roots joined with these
Companions who, while steadfast in their place,
Have walked with me on paths of pain and grace.
There was the Hawthorn, clinging to the rocks
Where I sought shelter from the driving rain,
The fragile Birch outside the window pane
Where we would pray beneath the tower blocks,
The Chestnut, lightning scarred yet resolute,
Into my prayers these trees have taken root.
So now, as I seek stillness for my praying,
I find their rustling leaves, their branches swaying.

© Rich Clarkson, 2020

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The Invitation

The invitation: Come and follow Christ,
walking in the footsteps of Saint Chad.
A pilgrim church, a diocese which tries
to walk the well worn ways of faith. Feet clad
with peace, armed with humility, we share
the love of Christ with all those in our care.
The steady beat of prayerful footsteps, heard
from track and towpath, high street, lane and alley,
fills this ancient landscape with the word
that God is here. From tower block to valley
floor the message goes out, seeking those
willing to wander where the Spirit blows.
Saint Chad reminds us of our true vocation:
To follow Christ, and heed his invitation.

© Rich Clarkson 2017

 

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