Hope for Our Journey

Why the name "hope for our journey" for this blog?   It comes from one of the Eucharistic prayers in Enriching Our Worship.  I love this passage from the prayer, just before the consecration:  "Wondrous are you, Holy One of blessing.  All you create is a sign of hope for our journey."  

Not the lake in the story, but a lovely one just the same . . .  in southern Quebec, Lake Massawippi

I think of the time I celebrated Eucharist at a church picnic in another place.  The parish was emerging from a stressful incident and we were celebrating on the shoreline of a small lake.  Just when I got to that part:  "Wondrous are you, Holy One of blessing.  All you create is a sign of hope for our journey," a flock of geese in the background took off from the lake--right on cue.  I chose to take that as a wonderful piece of synchronicity, reminding me and others that things are as God intends them to be and that all things will be well.


Now in Redding our little Eucharistic Community of Wednesday Evenings uses this prayer often.  Even when things are stressful, even when things may be hard, still--"all you create is a sign of hope for our journey."  All you create.  Even the stressors.  Even the challenges and the things that make our pulses race.  All you create.  Signs of hope.  And I choose to remember these things and fight to hold onto them especially when circumstances point in other directions.  


Thanks be to God.