Introduction & Prayer
led by Liz Pinnock, Licensed Lay Minister
There is a Latin inscription on the front of the memorial building to Scott and his party in Cambridge that reads;
"Quaesivit Arcana Poli Videt Dei"
Freely translated it says, "He sought the secrets of the Pole and now he sees the secrets of God."
Shortly before that last journey, Capt. Edward Wilson wrote a prophetic poem called 'The Barrier Silence'
Here are a few lines by way of introduction to a prayer.
"And this was the thought that the silence wrought
as it scorched and froze us through,
though secrets hidden are all forbidden
till God means man to know;
We might be the men God meant should know
the heart of the Barrier snow."
PRAYER
Almighty God,
We gather this evening as those whose lives have been touched by the glistening jewel you created, Antarctica.
You know the secrets of our hearts and that tonight we hold in them our memories and experiences of that unique place.
We thank you as we remember the good times, of comradeship, of achievement and adventure.
We acknowledge that we will also call to mind the tough times; the pain of separation from those we loved, the isolation and hardship and, perhaps most of all, those who never made it home or who have since been lost to us.
As we hold all these memories before you, we thank you that you are not totally hidden from us, but are to be found in the beauty of this planet and its universe, in questioning and creative minds that ask, 'how' and 'why', and in the joy of human love and friendship.
So as we feast together, we ask your protection on those at Halley now and on the fellowship of the friends gathered around these tables.
Amen.
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