The thing about saying to someone “I’ll pray for you,” is you’d better do it right away, lest you get busy and forget. Also, when the tag line for the worship items you make is “Prayerfully Handwoven,” you’d better do that too.

I sat down to start weaving on the tallit the other night - finally! What is the appropriate prayer, I wondered, for starting to weave? Treadle, the shed raises …

There’s a lot of pushback right now about the phrase “thoughts and prayers.” I get it. Thoughts and prayers are not a substitute for action, but they are a prelude to it. They are a chance to process - to cry, to talk, to listen. They are a time to build insight and understanding.

Today I started weaving the purple Star of Bethlehem stole. It seems appropriate on this day to weave in the color of prayer and penitence.