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Weekly Prayer Cycle Epiphany 3

A cheerful environment greets visitors to Rowan House. Photo: Rowan House

January 26, 2014

By Suzanne Rumsey

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Week of January 26 (Epiphany 3) 

Scripture:  Psalm 27: 1, 4-9
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
One thing I asked of the Lord, that I will seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”  Your face Lord, do I seek.
Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
 O God of my salvation!

PWRDF Story ““ Shelter in the Day of Trouble

Every fall, as I was growing up in Cranbrook, B.C., I watched Cedar Waxwings come to shelter in the branches of a small grove of Rowan trees (Mountain Ash) that had been planted between the rectory and Christ Church Anglican.   The softly coloured birds with their distinctive bright yellow tail feathers would flit and feed among the glowing orange Rowan berries just inches from my siblings and I as we peered out the bedroom window on the second floor of the rectory.  Uneaten berries remained on the trees through the winter; warm, vivid colour in the cold, dark of winter.

In an October 2013 article, The Rev Diane Beaman from High River, Alberta, wrote about the devastation from the June floods that affected so many homes, including Rowan House, a shelter for women and children fleeing violence:

“Sherrie Botten, Executive Director of Rowan House, reported that they had regained access to Rowan House on the evening of July 4 only to find that over 3 feet of contaminated water had flooded the lower level of the shelter. 3,500 square feet of programming space had to be completely rehabilitated: the lower level of their child care centre and play area, teen area, multi-sensory therapy room, spiritual care room, counseling room, staff work area and board/meeting room. She commented further that the stress of the flood disaster will have a detrimental effect on some families and will increase the need for Rowan House’s services ten-fold. It is estimated that it will take 3-6 months to re-open at full capacity.

“The Primate’s World  Relief and Development Fund has generously provided Rowan House $7,000.00  out of flood relief donations from caring and compassionate people and church groups across the country to restore and rebuild the child care centre. The funds will purchase new educational toys, books and resources, clothes for the dress-up centre, new toys, puzzles, books and games given for the children’s use and to take with them when they move into a new home.

Photo from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rowan_tree_20081002b.jpg
Photo from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Rowan_tree_20081002b.jpg

“The Rowan House website mentions, “˜The [Rowan tree] berries, often retained through the winter, symbolize the endurance of Life through the dark of the year and the tree itself was said to afford protection to the dwelling by which it grew. Rowan trees have traditionally been associated with peace, sanctuary, privacy and beauty. The Rowan Tree symbolizes what we at Rowan House stand for.'”

PWRDF’s support for the rebuilding of Rowan House is but one example of the shelter that we, together with our partners, have offered to those seeking “shelter in the day of trouble” from national disasters  and political violence: the Asian Tsunami (2004), Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines (2013), Kakuma and Dadaab Refugee camps in Kenya, to name but a recent few. 

Rev. Beaman concludes her article in this way:

“With this donation, the PWRDF has provided an immeasurable gift to children with special needs by providing them and their mothers with education, support, encouragement, hope, healing and shelter not only under these most extraordinary circumstances but in the days and years to come! Praise be to God!”

For Reflection:  In what ways is your home a safe shelter for you?  Have you ever had to leave your home to seek shelter elsewhere?  Or have you welcomed someone into your home that was in need of the same?  What symbols or words might you name to describe “shelter” and “home?”

Concluding Prayer

O Great Spirit,
whose breath gives life to the world,
and whose voice is heard in the soft breeze:
We need your strength and wisdom.
Cause us to walk in beauty.  Give us eyes
ever to behold the red and purple sunset.
Make us wise so that we may understand
what you have taught us.
Help us learn the lessons you have hidden
in every leaf and rock.
Make us always ready to come to you
with clean hands and steady eyes,
So when life fades, like the fading sunset,
our spirits may come to you without shame.  Amen.

From: Report of the Hymnal Revision Committee to the 1988 General Conference of the United Methodist Church, USA, United Methodist Publishing House, Nashville, USA.  Reprinted in: Come Holy Spirit ““ Renew the Whole Creation, Six Bible Studies on the Theme of the Seventh Assembly of the World Council of Churches, WCC Publications, Geneva, 1989.

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