Rhubarb season in Holden Village!

Glory to God for the natural world

by Lynette Rose

Dear Friends

One of my favorite spiritual practices is singing/praying The Akathist of Thanksgiving

from the Orthodox tradition. Written in 1934, the title comes from the final words, “Glory to God for all things” uttered by St. John Chrysostom as he died in exile (CE 407).

The manuscript was among the belongings of Protopresbyter Gregory Petrov after his death in a Soviet labor camp in 1940. It is a lengthy prayer that holds present human realities along with deep gratitude for divine presence. Modeled by some of the earliest followers of Jesus described in Acts 16, ("About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them"), “Glory to God” in the Akathist is sung for small moments of beauty as well as for the eternal vastness of mercy, all in the face of cruelty, oppression, and exile. It continues to be relevant today.

Recently, I was struck by a section of the Akathist that sings glory to God for the natural world. This reminded me of the many who hold Holden Village and the Railroad Creek Valley dear:

St. John Chrysostom

The Akathist of Thanksgiving

Priest

O Lord, how lovely it is to be your guest. Breeze full of scents — mountains reaching to the skies — waters like a boundless mirror, reflecting the sun’s golden rays and the scudding clouds. All nature murmurs mysteriously, breathing depths of tenderness. Birds and beasts bear the imprint of your love.

How pleasant is our stay with you on earth: It is a joy to be your guest.

Choir and Congregation

Glory to you for the feast-day of life,

Glory to you for the perfume of lilies and roses,

Glory to you for each taste of berry and fruit,

Glory to you for the sparkling silver of early morning dew,

Glory to you for each smiling, peaceful awakening,

Glory to you for eternal life in us, a messenger of heaven,

Glory to you, O God, from age to age.

In this time of political schisms, climate chaos, and 24/7 commentary, the Akathist of

Thanksgiving invites us to acknowledge the prisons (emotional, spiritual, physical,

virtual, or actual barred cells) in which we live and open our hearts to the whispers of beauty, grace, and mercy that are present, even when cruelty, anxiety, and drought are fiercely loud. Together, as singers or as listeners, may we bear witness to the presence of the divine in our here and now and raise up “Glory to God.”

Lynnette Rose

Former Holden bridge pastor

Happening in June

Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls Book Club

Rev. Chantal McKinney is an author, speaker, entrepreneur, coach, consultant, practitioner of community development, and former church planter who walks in the two worlds of spirituality and faith. Her first book, Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls: A Catalyst for Your Spiritual Growth was released April 7th. Her book takes readers on a grounded journey of lament, healing, and spiritual discovery as she explores aspects of following Jesus that have been suppressed in patriarchal Christian culture, leading to an inspiring and empowering vision of what the future church can become

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