A day is not right in the Universe unless it begins with your Word;

it waits for me and opens my eyes to essential life.

B eginning with the dawn your word is opened to me like the sky,

when I have the strength to see the glory.

C arefully, how carefully, the words that carry spirit have been preserved;

caressed and treasured, they have been passed down to me with love.

D on’t let me wander from your word blinded by pain or despair;

write it on my mind’s eye for Love’s sake.

E very day lace my work and my leisure with your word and its power;

even my night thoughts, thread with your word.

F ailings distract me, your words call me back;

focus me on the word within the Word.

G oodness is our portion, our structure, our word;

genes of goodness God’s grand gift without condition.

H ear the word, my heart, chapter and verse, story and song,

lively and lying still, surface and darkest depth.

I , the Beloved, would be ever mindful of the enormity of your gift of

words; filled to overflowing with this gift of joy.

J ust at this time, just in this place, let me hear your words again;

renewed, refreshed, surprising in their truth.

K indle in my center the little fire; scratch the matchless scripture

and ignite in me your vision.

L ove itself comes to me through the doorway of your words

caressing my ears, touching my nerves, dancing before my eyes.

M emory climbs around on the hard rocks of commands, the gravel of

interpretation, the gemstones of poetry, the porphyry of meanings.

N othing silly, nothing sentimental is there in your scripture to muddy

my meditation; no cloying chatter impedes the arrow of your word.

O nly let me hear you in the word; not the I that twists the view, that

changes the rhythm and leads me away; only you.

P eople carry your blessed word to me in doublehandsful, between

strong covers or falling out of pockets unheeded.

Q uicken me to sense the coming, to value the carrier, to recognize

the import, to act on your direction.

R eveal the mysteries of your words; how careful you are to regulate my

reality; how respectful of my sluggishness.

S aved from many stupidities by the sharing of your wisdom;

the shaping of my soul is by your word.

T he terrifying truth lays so quietly on the page; tongues tell and turn,

trickling in and out. Truth reposes and waits.

U ni God, the One word encompasses all our ideas, possibilities and

shadows; Uni way beyond our verse.

V ery God of very God, your ritual words shape our community like

stones from the river are smoothed in the stream of the spirit.

W eaving in your boundaries the warp of truth, the weft of love

you made the fabric of words that cradle us in hope.

X -ray my intentions, Lord; expose my painful meanness so that I

won’t betray the pure beauty and vitality of your word.

Y ou are the Center, the Force, the Detail, the Joy, the Cohesion,

the Point, the Reason----You are the Word.

Z eal for your word is the touchstone of my life.

Amen

pcraig 8-19-05