It was her prayers that got me.
Several years ago, when the Rev. Linda Bird Wright served a short stint as associate pastor at First-Centenary United Methodist Church, she would occasionally give the pastoral prayer during Sunday morning worship.
Oh, her prayers always contained the mandatory pleas for healing for the sick, for peace in the world, for salvation for the lost. But she also uttered some of the most beautiful, heartfelt sentences I’ve heard from any pastor.
“Lord,” Linda might say, “thank you for the way the sunshine pushes through the winter clouds to warm a back porch on a weekday afternoon. Thank you for the straight and tall pine tree that provides shade over the beautiful dogwood as it flowers. Thank you for the laughter of children who laugh and giggle when a bunny hops through their midst.”
It was as if she and God were sitting in facing rocking chairs and having a conversation. And that’s probably how she viewed it. The love flowing through her words was palpable.