International Presbytery of the Church of Scotland
Madeleine L’Engle writes:
We need the prayers of words, yes: the words are the path to contemplation; but the deepest communication with God is beyond words, on the other side of silence.
From the blog
3 Prayers while waiting
In the school of prayer with St Francis of Assisi
Healed from the inside out
James tells us the wisdom from heaven is – amongst other things – considerate (James 3:17).
Here’s a quote from a recent sermon I preached entitled Be wise in God’s eyes that references this verse:
True wisdom, the wisdom that comes from heaven looks like Jesus: Pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
The more we let Jesus shape our lives, the wiser we will be. Pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Lord, help me to understand what it truly means to be considerate of others and put their needs above my own. May I recognize the little things I do that reveal I am thinking more of myself than of others. Help me to see the blessing that comes from putting others first.
May I see that everything I think doesn’t need to be said. May I understand that an affirmative smile is better than speaking my mind. Please give me insight into where others need to be lifted up and encouraged in you.
Putting others first means that I listen to others and hear what they say even if I don’t agree with them. If you would have me speak truth then enable me to do it with gentleness and compassion, not with antagonism and force. In all things, remind me to examine myself first to see if there is any wrong way in me.
Lord, teach me to keep my words few and my heart full of you. May my mind be aligned with your mind and may I see into the souls of others and know what you know. May I recognize that all people need you and may the words I speak to them reveal a little of who you are and all that you have done for us.
Lord, at the heart of putting others first is the dying to self. It isn’t important what I want and think. What is important is what you want and that should be at the forefront of my mind. Lord may my thoughts and words be considerate of others and pleasing to you. May I learn to speak as you speak and love as you love. May all that I do be done in your name and bring glory to you.
Amen
~ written by Marty Elwell, posted on www.ultimateoutcomes.org
“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.” (Luke 12:27)
inspired by Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalm 146:5-10
For the speechless tongues of those oppressed
For weak hands, feeble knees, widowed, spirits
Made lame, we pray
For those orphaned from war, violence, fear
Parentless children, silent, stifled cries. For the
Hungry, we pray
For wives, beaten, abused, trampled, shot
Spirits abandoned, imprisoned by fear. For
Women, we pray
In the dry land of desert wilderness, parched
Stranded spirit, a deer that cannot leap. For the
Broken, we pray
Blessed are those whose help is God
Happy are those whose hope is God, for the
Good News, we pray
For the Good News of God, born human, who
Comes to live and love us, as us, be glad, rejoice,
Singing, we pray
For hope, like blooming flowers in a dusty desert
For hope, compassion bursting forth, be strong!
God is with us.
Amen.
~ written by Terri C. Pilarski, and posted on RevGalBlogPals. Originally published in a prayer resource for Sixteen Days of Prayer Advocating for the End of Domestic Violence, 2010.
Those who were at the October 2021 Presbytery meeting might recognize this verse from Isaiah 40:26, which I posted in the chat to encourage us.
(inspired by Psalm 147)
Celebrate God’s grace!
How comforting it is to know God always accompanies us.
Approach God in awe!
How amazing it is to consider that God has created each of us
and each star in the heavens.
Praise the living God!
How good it is to sing praises together.
~ written by Ana Gobledale, and posted on Worship Words.
The story behind the card
I made this card towards the end of a two-week stay at Dutch L’Abri, returning home in time for our October 2021 Presbytery meeting (via zoom). This card is one of a whole pile of cards I made on my last full day at L’Abri, to give away to the staff and guests. I took photographs of all the cards I made, but I only kept this one, and happened to have it on me during our Presbytery meeting, tucked into a notebook.
In our discussions around the future of our Presbytery and the different charges, it seemed a timely reminder, worth sharing: If not one of the stars is missing because of God’s great power and mighty strength, surely we can trust ourselves and our congregations to God’s care and sovereignty too.