Prayer Offered for January 30, 2024

As we gather in the presence of the Holy, may we relate to the song of the builders in this short poem by Mary Oliver.

On a summer morning I sat down on a hillside

to think about God—a worthy pastime.

Near me, I saw a single cricket;

it was moving the grains of the hillside

this way and that way.

How great was its energy, how humble its effort.

Let us hope it will always be like this,

each of us going on

in our inexplicable ways

building the universe.

_{(“Song of the Builders” in Why I Wake Early by Mary Oliver)}

Creator of Mystery and Wonder, grant that this day we may go about our work with the humble effort of the cricket and the joy of being human. We ask this in Your name.—AMEN.