I found myself on Mark Berry’s blog via Jonny Baker’s and found a liturgy which we used as a community one Sunday, check out the original here http://markjberry.blogs.com/way_out_west/2007/07/orkney-moment.html
As we sat round a large bowl of water which was surrounded by candles we said contemplated these words:
God’s Message, the God who created the cosmos, stretched out the skies, laid out the earth and all that grows from it, Who breathes life into earth’s people, makes them alive with his own life “I am God. I have called you to live right and well. I have taken responsibility for you, kept you safe. I have set you among my people to bind them to me, and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations, To make a start at bringing people into the open, into light: opening blind eyes, releasing prisoners from dungeons, emptying the dark prisons.
Sing to God a brand-new song, sing his praises all over the world! Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause, with all the far-flung islands joining in. Let the desert and its camps raise a tune, calling the nomads to join in. Let the villagers round-up a choir and perform from the tops of the mountains. Make God’s glory resound; echo his praises from coast to coast.
From Isaiah 42
Here we stand on the edge of the land, at the brim of the wild ocean, dark and impenetrable waters, surrounded by swirling currents, confusing eddies, unseen obstacles beneath the surface, uncertain dangers hidden from view, winds that whip and whirl and disorientate, mists that obscure the view and cloud the horizon, waves that crash and crush, that wear away the shore, erosion and destruction, water whipped up that threatens to overwhelm, chaos and fear.
We are called to be islands in the ocean; a promise of peace, a haven in the turmoil, a place of stillness and shelter, a harbour of nourishment and supply, rest and repair, a lighthouse in the confusion, a sign of safety in the midst chaos, pointing to the rock on which all can anchor in confidence. Shouting and singing, into the eye of the storm, praise of the Lord of the elements, maker of land and sea, wind and rain, sun and storm.
We then said the bold together:
In the chaos and confusion of modern living
Make me an Island
In the pain of relationships ripped apart
Make me an Island
In the storm of expectation and pressures
Make me an Island
In the anguish of catastrophe and disaster
Make me an Island
In the dead waters of loneliness
Make me an Island
In the fog of rootlessness and uncertainty
Make me an Island
In the swirling eddies of spirituality
Make me an Island
In the battering of depression and grief
Make me an Island
In the whirlpool of fear and panic
Make me an Island
In the lives smashed and ravaged by abuse
Make me an Island
In the heart of the churning ocean of culture
Make me an Island
In love for you and your people
Make me an Island
as we each floated a candle in the water, we lit it saying…
Make me an Island
As we watched the candles we commented on the importance of having another candle near it for when they got wet so they could be relit.
We so often need the support and encouragement of someone near us.
We finished with these words,
Make us an island
