Susan Dixon

'Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from all my sin'    Psalm 51 verse 2

We have been using water so much more than usual in the last few months, washing our hands so frequently, keeping surfaces and clothes clean.   Water is so important to us, we need it to keep us alive, sustaining us and all of God’s creation.  

But we also need water to inspire us and put us in touch with God.   Some people find the sound of water flowing in streams, or waves crashing onto the beach, a helpful way to connect with God.

Some years ago, at Penmon on Anglesey, I sat between the twelfth century church built where St Seiriol had had his monastery and the well which bears his name.   I sat in a space next to the well on a stone bench where other people had sat over hundreds of years.    I thought of those who had been there before me, quenching their thirst, washing in the clear water, praying, and I was quite overcome.   I washed my face and asked God to clean my heart too.

St Sieriol was a Celtic saint and Christians then thought it was quite normal to accompany everyday actions with prayer.   At that time many of the actions would have been simple ones like lighting a fire, looking after the cow or the goat, spinning or weaving, and some of these are not common in Ealing today!   But we have plenty of actions that we perform everyday – brushing our teeth, opening the curtains, putting on shoes, eating meals.    So asking God that we should speak only love to those we meet that day, while we are brushing our teeth, or asking that we should see the world as He sees it, as we first look out of the window, would be prayers in the celtic tradition.

Prayer: Father we ask you to bless our rising and our sleeping, our working and our downtime.   We ask you to bless us and those we love and those who love us, today and always.   Amen

Prayer request:  Pray for those who have no running water at their fingertips, who have no sewage system, and for the agencies working to improve their situation.