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From the Rev: Goodnight Prayers

Aug 24, 2014

Through the course of my life’s work, there have been many moments in which I have been confronted with death. Perhaps this has made me more melancholy as I age; however, there is for me a realization that many of these places – difficult as they may be, are sacred spaces or “thin places” as the Celtic people use to call them. Thin places were those places where heaven and earth seemed to touch – there is a solemnity to many of these moments and sometimes there is a strange sense of relief, even joy for those that are present when someone they love dies.

In more recent years, there have been several babies and young children whom I have had the privilege to meet, to hold, to bless, to say words over, and be present during those difficult moments. Those are perhaps some of the most difficult for me because of my own children. While many of my years as a hospice chaplain were spent at the bedside of the dying, I found that I began to appreciate my children, especially, in new and profound ways. I watch as the dysfunctional died. I listened as CEO’s expressed regrets for missing out on their children’s lives. I saw powerful stories of reconciliation. I saw hopeless and lonely men and women. I watched many rivers of tears pour from eyes young and old.

One of the motivations from my work has been to bless my children every night that I home to lay them to bed. For today’s post, I leave you with my prayers for my children and often times my prayer for the many whom I have held and have yet to hold who make their way from earth to their Father in heaven.

(Name),

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine up on you. May the Lord lift the light of his countenance upon you and may he bless you with his peace as you sleep this night.

Amen.

(Name),

May you rest and rise in the great peace of the King of all kings. May he grant you all that you need and the desires of you heart that are the desires of his own. May you meditate on him in the watches of the night and know that he comforts you, he quiets you with his love, his rejoices over you with singing.

Amen.

Blessings,

Rev. Brad Kenney

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