Some of you may be saying an evocation? Don't you mean invocation? These words are very closely related though. Most of us that have been to any religiously based worship service may notice that the opening prayer is called "the invocation." By definition, an invocation is an appeal to a higher power for assistance. However by definition, an evocation is the summoning of a spirit, or imaginative recreation. I look at it like this, if I am visiting my mother and she needs me for something, she calls to where I am. "Karsten, can you take out the trash?" She knows where I am, and has summoned that I come assist her. However, if I am needed by a love one, say my nephew for example, he will call me and say: "Uncle Karsten, can you pick me up from school today?" That is an invocation, because, I am not readily accessible to my nephew and he had to call me and invoke my assistance. Now that we've cleared that up, let's get on with it.
One of my newly found heroes of the Episcopal Church, is the Reverend Canon Robert C. Wright, Pastor and Rector of Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Atlanta. A couple weeks back, during the Baccalaureate Service of Commencement Exercises for Morehouse College. He offered a powerful evocation to God based on Psalm 139, in which I will paraphrase what he said. Before I begin, let me summarize some key points from Psalm 139 for you. In this particular psalm, David writes: "You have searched me and know me. where can I go from your spirit? I am fearfully and wonderfully made. How precious to me are your thoughts? Pretty powerful psalm, read it sometime.
The Paraphrased Evocation of Father Robert C. Wright
Psalm 139 suggests to us that there is no place that God is not. His presence is with us as we are assembled here today. Therefore since the spirit of God is in this place, we don't have a need for an invocation, but rather an evocation. So, listen with your hearts then, since God is already here, there is no need to invite God here. God is here. We are here, the hopes and dreams and answered prayers of abolitionists and slaves alike. We are here. And because God is here, love is here. We give thanks for all of God's immeasureable love for us, for our creation, our preservation and for all the blessings of life. Because God is here, there are no strangers among us. We are closely knit by the most precious blood of Jesus. Since God is here, dignity must abound, and respect for every human being. Since God is here, there are no strangers among us, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us show God our praise not only in our lips, but in our lives. Because God is here, let us pledge to offer ourselves to God, the only true worship. So, our evocation then should be: Spirit of the living God fall afresh on us! Spirit of the living God fall afresh on us! Spirit of the living God fall afresh on us. Make us, mold us, use us, meld us, mend us. Spirit of the living God fall afresh on us. We ask this in the name of the one they call Jesus the Christ. And all God's Children said; Amen.
May the spirit and the peace of God fall fresh on you,
Karsten
No comments:
Post a Comment