ordination song

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending Tom Ryberg's installation at First Congregational Church of Battle Creek. I didn't get to to go his ordination, so I was particularly glad to be present for this event.

In the past month or two, four good friends of mine (and many others too!) got ordained. I wrote them a song. It was particularly interesting to write, because one friend was being ordained to be a pagan high priestess, one to be a local church pastor, one to do international peace work, and one to be a hospital chaplain.

Here it is:

Ordination Song

May you be comfortable in hospitals
and honest at your desk
may you have enough hunger
may you have enough rest

May you have find your joy in loving
may you find your hope each day
may you shout with the afflicted
and with the dying pray

It's not about who you are, it's about what you do
but the work to which you're called will be the birth of you

May you bring to this your full self
your ugly and your great
may you be forever faithful
may you share from every plate

May you bring some names to babies
may you bury beloved dead
may you join hearts and hands together
and may you break the bread

May your words fall like raindrops
or hammers or homes
may the Spirit be in front of you
may you follow where she roams

May your community build safety
and hilarity and peace
may its walls stand for welcome
and its windows for release

May your people love like crazy
may you love them full and free
may you know when to hold on as hard as you can
may you know when to let them be

it's not about who you are
it's about what you do
but the work to which you're called
will be the birth of you

may your wield your power gracefully
may you wield your grace with power
may the years keep you strange
and may you keep strange hours
may your family be glad of
the ministry you do
may you leave the work for others
when you rest and when you're through

this is not a life for glory
it's not wealth or fear or pride
but may it be the best life
and may I be by your side

may you be comfortable in hospitals
and honest at your desk
may you have enough hunger
may you have enough rest.






This link might work to download a rough .wav recording of a slightly-earlier draft of this song:

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B7IjK0aIDVA6ZGEzYzE3NGQtYjZkMi00N2FmLWIxYTUtMmVhMmVmYmM5MjQ0&hl=en