Many blessings on this day when the Holy Spirit came to renew the face of the earth! “Christ is risen from the dead and he carries the suffering of all of us and the suffering of the world today.” Br. Alois from Taizé invites us to join together and be renewed by the Spirit. “May it help us to deepen our trust in life and in God…. The Holy Spirit will come and renew the face of the earth and help us to have imagination and courage to change what needs to be changed in our world and in our personal lives.”

In Atlanta churches have had to pause their Taizé prayers due to Covid-19. As we wait for time to come back together, I encourage you to explore praying with people from around the world through the Taizé Community live-streamed prayers. You can join the brothers in France each day at 2:30 EST for their evening prayer. They will continue to stream the prayers throughout the summer. Here is the link to the daily service and a song list for the prayer.

This past weekend the Taizé Community hosted a virtual Pentecost retreat with prayers, Bible reflections, a workshop and a small group reflection for young adults joining in from home. Here is the page where you can see each of the events and connect to the recordings. The retreat will give you a taste of the bible reflections and meetings that are typical of Taizé. Enjoy!

Here is a beautiful virtual Pentecost choir that was posted today. 54 young people from 36 different countries sing together “Veni Sancte Spiritus” from their homes.

As we continue forward in this time full of uncertainty and unrest, may we listen deeply to those around the world and in our communities who are most in need of hope and may our imaginations be lit on fire by the Holy Spirit who was sent to us to guide us.

Blessings,

Lisa Persons