Longing for the Living God

As the deer longs for flowing streams,
     so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
     When shall I come and behold the face of God?

— Psalm 42:1–2

From the Desk of Father Ted

Dear People of Grace,

For several weeks now in MS-HS Youth Group, we have been asking ourselves two questions: How do we nurture our faith? How do we keep our faith close? This past Wednesday, we discussed the role that longing plays in our faith. And we considered some questions:
     • What is something you long for?
     • Are there things you wished you longed for?
     • Are there things you wished you didn't long for?

And then we did some wondering together:  Wouldn't it be wonderful to long for God in the way that a thirsty deer longs for flowing streams of water.  If so, how do we cultivate such a longing for God? We thought about PRACTICES. What practices might deepen our longing for God? Or, what practices might make us more aware of our deep longing for God that already resides within us. After all, as St. Augustine of Hippo once wrote: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord; and our heart is restless until it rests in You.” 

In other words, our longing for God is built into our humanity. This means that the spiritual practices we take on aren't so much about creating a longing for God, as they are about clearing away all of the things in life (the busyness, the distractions, etc.) that overshadow, compete with, and seek to replace our natural, built-in longing for God. 

One practice we considered was praying the Scriptures, for example, by taking the psalmist's prayer in Psalm 42:1–2, and making it our own. And one of the ways we did that was by praying together a new rosary prayer (see below).  

But, we could also write these verses on a notecard and keep them with us and pull them out throughout the day and read them. Then, over time, as we pray these words, “My soul thirsts for God,” we might begin to notice our deep thirst for the living God and start to wonder how exactly God and God alone longs to satisfy our divine thirst. 

ANGLICAN ROSARY:  As the Deer...

CROSS or CRUCIFIX
Dear Jesus, You alone are my heart’s desire,
and I long to know and follow you.

INVITATORY  — Psalm 42:2
I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I look upon the face of God?   

CRUCIFORMS   — St. Augustine of Hippo
You have made us for yourself, O Lord,
and our heart is restless until it rests in you.

WEEKS   — Psalm 42:1
As the deer pants for the water brooks;
so longs my soul for you, O God.

INVITATORY
Spend some time in silence, just resting in God.

CROSS or CRUCIFIX  — Psalm 42:5
I will put my hope in God;
I will praise God again and again. Amen.

010.  Dr. Brooklyn Walker

COMING SOON.  Recent events in Israel and Palestine have gripped the attention of the world. Sometimes it can feel hard to understand—so much history, so many wars, so many political actors, so many strong feelings. Brooklyn has specialized in Middle Eastern politics and has taught college courses on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. 

In this special edition of StorySharing, Brooklyn will offer some historical and political context so we can better follow the news. She will also talk about how her faith has influenced her work and perspectives. This two-part episode will take place on November 5th and 12th from 9:15 to 10:00 am in Parish Hall, and it will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page starting at 9:05 am.

If you would like to read summaries of Brooklyn's recent research click below.

009.  Karen & Randy Dalke 

OCT 1, 2023.  In this episode, Andrea Springer interviews Karen & Randy Dalke, who talk about their faith journeys—from early childhood memories, to the many twists and turns over their 47 years of marriage. They also share about their journey to the Episcopal Church, the connections they were looking for, and what keeps them coming back. Karen is a retired ordained Mennonite pastor, and Randy is a retired USPS Letter Carrier. They split their time now between Nalcrest, Florida and Hutchinson, Kansas.

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