Tune: Beach Spring 8.7.8.7.D. (As We Gather at Your Table) Click to hear the tune.

Hear the whisper of the pine trees as their needles catch the air
Trace the outline of the mountain with its soaring snowy glare
Feel your heartbeat pounding harder on the steep trail as you hike
Feel your breath swell with your footsteps as you’re climbing up the height

You are walking in your solitude but you’ll never walk alone
The One walking right beside you can’t be seen but can be known
You are led by inner Wisdom, you are seen through sacred eyes
You are known by an inner Knower who is listening as you sigh

Up the switchbacks on the mountain ever higher do you climb
As you scramble past the boulders, leaving forest far behind
On the narrow path you dangle o’er the wilderness below
Earth meets heaven at the summit, as they meet within your soul

Jim, previously Associate Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California, writes regularly for the ProgressiveChristianity.org liturgy project.  Many of his liturgical materials can be found in his book Birdlike and Barnless:  Meditations, Prayers, and Songs for Progressive Christians  (2008, St Johann Press).  Explore more on his blog, Musings .

Photo: Ponderosa Pine, Estes Park, Colorado USA — by Ana Gobledale