An Autumn Prayer
Creator God and Father,
As the winds temper the scalding strength of summer, may you ease us, too, into rest and courage— a depth of living as rich as the golden fields.
May the shifting of seasons remind us that amidst all life’s transitions, You are unchanging— the axis by which the universe revolves.
Christ Jesus, the Son, our Brother,
May we unite our humanity with Your own— for falling and crackling leaves remind us that we are but dust.
But, oh God-Man, would the harvest time also remind us of the glory in this earth— that dust is indeed a divine miracle; soil is invaded by goodness, the grounds for life here and to come.
And Holy Spirit,
Who dwells within and among us, continue to lead us into the paradoxical life—
One of plenty and frost,
Times filled with rejoicing and lament,
In seasons of both stillness and steady work,
When we dwell in peace and urgent prayer,
In new life and faith-filled death,
Just as autumn offers the withering and harvesting.
For in You every season within us and around us is both holy and good— because we find You within us and in wonders outside.
May we root ourselves in You, O God.
And may the lesser things fall away.
Amen.