A truly valuable portion of our congregation’s liturgy (if I may
modernize said term) is the request for each participant to share their
birthday wish at the commencement of each month. A noble experiment: What do you want from God this year?
What do we want? Healing, or shoes? Reconnection with a loved one, or a new job? The answers vary by the person, the year, the life circumstances... the trivial, the eternal and everything in between. Upon sharing our desire, we gather and pray for the birthday-folks, and seek God’s blessings for the big and small alike.
35th birthday, 2011: My wish: for me to experience enduring grace, to let go of my guilt, regardless.
I seek this, ask it, and need the faith, courage and presence of mind to receive this gift from God. Theologically, this grace, freedom, resurrection, and redemption has already taken place. The stumbling block is me, my mind, my lack of acceptance. I understand that; but I want/need more help – I need the breakthrough of understanding, receiving the tangible reality of grace.