A photo taken from Perth of the stunning night sky. [Pia/BBC Weather Watchers]
One of my favourite authors, Anne Lamott, in her book Traveling Mercies says, “Here are the two best prayers I know: “Help me, help me, help me,” and “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” She refined this theory in a later book, observing that the three essential prayers were, “Help”, “Thanks”, and “Wow.”
During confirmation and membership classes, I usually try to define prayer in a very open ended way, and with as broad a brush as possible …. Something like … prayer is whatever you do to put yourself in the presence of God – the Divine Presence – the Source of All Being – however you want to describe it – perhaps it is walking, perhaps it is listening to music, or painting.
Perhaps, it is when things fall apart and you feel like you can’t go on that you pray. That’s a pretty common occurrence. And you might, like the words of many of our Psalms, the songs of our faith, cry out in rage, despair, or disappointment.
That would be the “help” prayer.
Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed in my “help” prayers, I intentionally try to remember when I felt God in my life during difficult times. And sometimes, I find hope.
There is a song called Dayeinu that is sung during the Jewish holiday of Passover. The word dayeinu means roughly, “it would have been enough.”
The song, which is over 1,000 years old, is about being grateful to God for all of the gifts given to the Jewish people. It is actually in the United Church hymn book, Voices United, on page 131.
Now, like any ancient ritual, sometimes it’s a challenge to make a story relevant to younger generations. Years ago a colleague sent around a video by a singing group called the Maccabeats. They have come up with some innovative ways to teach the song to try to keep the tradition, and the story, alive.
Check out the video, and you can even sing along with the English words printed on the screen!
The Maccabeats - Dayenu - Passover - דיינו (youtube.com)
I bet those kids will remember the story after that Passover!
Dayeinu … enough. What does it mean to have enough? Does enough mean having enough just for me, or does it mean having a little bit extra to share? Or does it mean having enough to share, and even enough to store away because I don’t trust that it will be there tomorrow?
What does it mean to “be enough”? Sometimes it feels like I am bombarded with messages that tell me (and the rest of the world I suspect) that I am not enough. I am encouraged to be more, save more, do more, love more, give more.
Is it possible to have a generous heart – to be more, to love more, to give more - but also live a theology of “Dayeinu” … “enoughness”? Can I hold both at once? These are hard questions.
Maybe that’s where the “wow” comes in … sometimes, we are stopped in our tracks … and all one can do is stand in the mystery and awe.
And say “thank you.” “It is enough.”
The internet was flooded last night with pictures from all over the world of the Northern Lights. All across Canada. As far south as Texas. And in the United Kingdom. Apparently caused by a solar storm, folks that normally don’t get to see this amazing phenomenon in the sky did.
There was a lot of “wow” last night and I suspect we will see some amazing images over the next few days.
May you be blessed, and may you be a blessing to the world this Thanksgiving.
“But, our God, who holds the banquet, calls the whole world into freedom:
opens up the new creation: Dayeinu!” © (1993 Stainer & Bell, Ltd. Admin. Hope Publishing Company; Onelicense 742739)