The Prayer Thread is a collection of teachings and practical prompts to help as we learn to pray in community. This text was originally delivered on November 16th, 2022 as a short teaching at our online weekly prayer sit.
Many people who claim not to pray anymore, or who no longer affiliate with a religious tradition, still find a sense of the sacred when they spend time in nature. It is also true that often, those who lift up sacred texts as part of their prayer also lift up “creation” as the first book of scripture. The natural world speaks to us human beings—believers or not. It helps us to find ourselves, rooted in a particular place, and also helps us move beyond ourselves, open to the expanse of the cosmos.
Often, particularity and expansiveness intersect in sweet, sacred moments. For example, I am surprised at how often people tell me about an encounter with a bird that made them feel connected to a loved one who has passed through the veil of life. A particular bird, at a special time, somehow crosses the expanse of the veil between the living and the dead, leaving the living person with a sense of a special message or sign from their loved one. Sometimes, trees seem to do a similar thing. A particular tree will stand out, as though it is carrying a message for me, directly and particularly.
Allowing ourselves to be addressed by a particular creature in creation teaches us the relational and interconnected quality of prayer. Especially in dry periods of prayer, when the voice and Presence of the Holy One might seem distant, participation in prayer through creation can be a life-giving way to connect to the Creator.
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