O God, make the door of this house wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship, and narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride, and strife. Make its threshold smooth enough to be no stumbling block to children, nor to straying feet, but rugged and strong enough to turn back the tempter’s power. God make the door of this house the gateway to thine eternal kingdom. -Bishop Thomas Ken (1637-1711)
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Prayer for a threshold
O God, make the door of this house wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship, and narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride, and strife. Make its threshold smooth enough to be no stumbling block to children, nor to straying feet, but rugged and strong enough to turn back the tempter’s power. God make the door of this house the gateway to thine eternal kingdom. -Bishop Thomas Ken (1637-1711)
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2 comments:
Hello Roberta! This reminded me of a couplet from one of the better-
known modern Greek poets - Elitis maybe? I don't recall. In Greece,
after the midnight Easter service, you come home carrying the candle
that was lit from the priest's gospel candle, and you smoke a cross
above your entry door. A lot of people quit doing this as they
became "modern" and wanted not to seem old-fashioned anymore. So,
roughly translated, the poet wrote:
This village has so many doors, but none seems to welcome me -
I seek a plain and humble house, Cross-marked for all to see.
God bless your goings in and your comings out - Brad
Again you send out the best quotes. Thanks for the daily quotes. Have a good day. Linnea
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