Morning Offering
Come, Creator Spirit. Breathe life into me as I fill my whole being with you. Give me the graces to be enthused by your beauty, so that I might gain peace through the work I do today. I pray that my soul will overflow with your love and be inspired to share your love with all those I encounter today. Help me to resist the temptation to be dormant. I pray that all my work today, all of what I create today, all of what I do today, is soaked in your Spirit of Peace, so that in my doing I can still be and reside in you. I love you and I live this day for you. I lay this day with all my work, joys, and sorrows in your hands to redeem, mould, and shape into the masterpiece you desire. Amen.
Spiritual + Creative Prompt
It’s the last week of our Stirred to Wonder journey, but as we mentioned in Sunday’s reflection, this end is really a beginning! Now, we are sent forth to share with our families and communities that unique spark that God has given us and revealed to us through beauty.
This week’s spiritual and creative prompts will help give us a place for our enthused heart to dream of the future while at the same time, be at peace with the present.
We will reflect on the journey we’ve taken with God—taking note of how He’s spoken to our hearts through beauty over the course of the Easter Season. We will invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts and ask Him to guide our next steps. We will dream of the future and be peaceful in the present. We will freely pour onto the page what is welling up inside us. We will resist temptation to leave the page blank. Instead, we will peacefully pick up the pen and begin.
Veni, Sancte Spiritus
This week, spend some time praying to the Holy Spirit and ponder your relationship with Him. Ask yourself: Does my relationship with the Holy Spirit seem different than my relationship with God, the Father and Jesus, the Son even though they are all one Trinity? Where do I feel the Holy Spirit working in my life? Ask Him to enthuse your heart and move you when and how you need to move.
We invite you to pray this prayer:
Prayer of the Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.
Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit
you have taught the hearts of your faithful.
In the same Spirit, help us to relish what is right
and always rejoice in your consolation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
You might also listen to this Taize version of Veni Sancte Spiritus.
Reflect & dream
Materials:
Sketchbook
Art supplies of your choice.
Directions:
To know what steps to take next, it can help to look back and see how the Lord has been working in your life—and in your creative practice—throughout these eight weeks. Flip through your sketchbook. What are the common threads? What evidence of God’s voice can you see in your work? What has inspired you throughout these eight weeks? What do you feel called to do next?
Write down or artistically represent your thoughts.
Make it your own:
Consider these suggestions, especially If you are working in your own creative (non-sketchbook) hobby/medium.
Invite the Holy Spirit to guide the work you do and show you how to share it with others.
Think of a skill in your work that you would like to develop more. How can you develop it?
Think of yourself being filled with peace as you work. Allow yourself to dream of the future while resting in the work you are doing presently. What is a dream of yours and how can you depict an element of your dream in the work you are doing?
If you aren’t able to sit and work on these prompts due to the season of life you’re in (toddlers, work obligations, etc.), remember that we’re called to make our very lives a work of art! This week, reflect on the themes, reflection questions, and ideas in this week’s prompts during your daily activities.
(Psst…If you’re sharing updates of your creative process, be sure to tag @ScatterandSow on social media, and use #StirredToWonder.)
Evening Offering
Redeemed: An Evening Offering of the Day’s Beauty
Giver of good gifts, thank you for inviting me to participate in the mystery of your creation. Thank you for all I have received today. As I lay my body down tonight, I offer you the fruits of my labors, and with them, the shortcomings, failures, and fears that prevent me from resting in the beauty of your embrace. Creator of the universe, you are making all things new, even now. Help me to trust in your redemptive power so that when I rise I am ready once more to receive and serve you. Amen.
UP NEXT: Week 8: Music & Prayers