Category: bible

A strange sight

Exodus 3:1-5

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight — why the bush does not burn up.”

4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
 

You Break In

Into the daily cycle of our lives
When all seems well
With us and with the world
When our yoke is easy
And the burden light
You break in
And scatter our complacency

Into the daily cycle of our lives
When we are comfortable
And at our ease
When the fire is lit
But eyes are closed
You break in
And challenge our dependency

You break into
Our daily prayers
Humble hearts
Lay souls bare
You break in
You break in

You break in
When defenses are down
With an Angel’s shout
Or the quietest sound
You break in
You break in
And we change
And all things change
When you break in

 
written by John Birch, posted on the Faith and Worship website

From the blog
Prepare a way
Blessed assurance
Broken spirit sacrifice
 

Strange territory

Prayer

inspired by the Beatitudes

God of life and of truth,
Your Son invites us to see the world through your eyes and we find ourselves disoriented:

You bless the poor
You bless the meek
You bless the pure in heart.
You turn our world and its values upside down.

We have signed on to follow your Son
but this is strange territory.
It doesn’t look anything like
the life we have been taught to yearn for,
to work for,
to believe will bring us happiness.

Yet, You know the despair that besets
so many of our young people
who fear that their future has been mortgaged
by our greed and carelessness.
You hear the cries of those who
have traded their souls for power and money
and now have emptiness as a friend.
You see those who are caught in lives that
lead only to weariness and anxiety.

Set us at Jesus’ feet
so we can learn to judge our lives differently.
Awaken in us that hunger and thirst for you
which will lead us to your will
and your peace.

Open our eyes to see your unexpected blessings.
Open our hearts to welcome you
when you come to us in strange ways.

Then make us into a community of blessedness
that beckons this neighbourhood
into your joy.

We ask these things in the name of Jesus
who blesses us with your living presence
and fills our lives with your life-changing truth.
Amen.

 
~ written by Christine Jerrett, posted on her website

From the blog
Summer-friendly spiritual practices
St Patrick’s Breastplate embodied
In all seasons – grow
 

A simple “Yes. Amen.”

 
But as surely as God is faithful,
our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.”
For the Son of God,
Jesus Christ,
who was preached among you by us —
by me and Silas and Timothy —
was not “Yes” and “No,”
but in him it has always been “Yes.”
For no matter how many promises God has made,
they are “Yes” in Christ.
And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us
to the glory of God.
 

 

Prayer

Discerning God,
help me consider this day
how I live my life
and how I choose the direction I take.

Do I make my plans according to ordinary human standards,
ready to say ‘Yes, yes’ and ‘No, no’ at the same time? (2 Corinthians 1:17)

Discriminating God,
help me understand
how crucial are the words I speak to others
as I seek relationships in my life.

“Let your ‘Yes’ be your yes
and your ‘No,’ no,
or you will be condemned.” (James 5:12)

Disturbing God,
help me find clarity in my relationship with you,
with others, and maybe especially with myself.

Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’:
anything more than this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:37)
 

~ written by Kenn Stright, posted on re:Worship

From the blog
Amazing to consider
3 Prayers to our Father
Wonder-full psalm
 

Ever presence

 
Where can I go from your Spirit?
      Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
      if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
      if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
      your right hand will hold me fast.

 

Opening Litany

In the beauty of this moment
We worship you
In the fellowship of your people
We worship you
In the presence of your Spirit
We worship you
In the company of all creation
We worship you
Father, Son and Holy Spirit

 
posted on the Third Space website,
reposted on re:worship
 

From the blog
The Lord is near
Grace notes
3 Prayers for courage
 

Create a memory (game)

 

World Collage Day 2025 is this Saturday, 10 May.

I’m hoping (and praying) there’s a good turn out at our COME COLLAGE ROTTERDAM event. We will be creating mini collages in matching pairs, based on a series of prompts, to form a memory game.

World Collage Day is for everyone. There might be a World Collage Day event near you. Alternatively, set up an impromptu World Collage Day get-together where you are, with friends, family, people from your church or neighbourhood. It’s a great way to get creative and build community across the generations. You don’t need much: a place, a time, scissors, glue sticks, magazines and junk mail, and some cardboard you can cut to size to use as a base. Simple, fun and often profound.
 
For more information: kolajinstitute.org/worldcollageday/

Easter Prayer

You have made known to me the ways of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.
(Acts 2:28)

Risen Lord Jesus,
as the rising sun scatters the darkness,
let fear and the memory of failure
be scattered from our souls
that we may live in the glorious freedom
of the children of God

We raise up into your resurrection light
all who are excluded from fullness of life
by poverty, unemployment or stigma,
by injustice, criminality or neglect,
by homelessness, landlessness or war,
remembering in particular the peoples of
[names may be added here]

Risen Lord Jesus,
let us be baptized by your resurrection light.
May we trust in you above all else,
hope in you above all else,
seek you in all things,
find you in every place,
meet you among all people,
know you through everything,
and love you
beyond, beyond, beyond all telling.

We pray in your name, living Lord.
Amen.

 
~ from the Christian Aid website. posted on re:worship
 

Higher – this is why

 
Let Christ himself be your example as to what your attitude should be.

For he, who had always been God by nature, did not cling to his prerogatives as God’s equal, but stripped himself of all privilege by consenting to be a slave by nature and being born as mortal man.

And, having become man, he humbled himself by living a life of utter obedience, even to the extent of dying, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal.

That is why God has now lifted him so high, and has given him the name beyond all names, so that at the name of Jesus “every knee shall bow”, whether in Heaven or earth or under the earth.

And that is why, in the end, “every tongue shall confess” that Jesus Christ” is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
 

Philippians 2:5-11  (J.B. Phillips New Testament)

 

A prayer

Most wonderful God,
the beauty we see in Jesus
is your beauty veiled in human flesh,
the love we witness from Bethlehem to Golgotha
is your love contracted to a span.
If Christ’s life is so holy as to fill us with wonder,
how much more would your unveiled beauty
leave us overwhelmed and trembling?
You are more than the eye could bear,
more than the mind can ever fathom.

Yet you have so carefully made us
that although we cannot fathom you,
we can yet love you.
Gratefully we bring our little lives to you,
asking that our worship may arise from love and be shaped by love,
and be directed towards that larger loving which is our soul’s desire.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen!

 
~ by Bruce Prewer, posted on his website
 

Higher than I

 

From the end of the earth I call to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and weak; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I [a rock that is too high to reach without Your help].

Psalm 61:2, Amplified Bible

 

Litany

based on Psalm 34:1-10

Living Rock of Abundant Life,
the poor cried out;
you heard, and saved them from all their troubles.

To those who have nothing,
your promise is this:
whatever is needed will be given.

Your eyes are on those who do justice,
and your ears are open to their voice.

To those who yearn for peace,
your promise is this:
whatever is needed will be given.

Your arms enfold the brokenhearted,
and rescue those whose spirits are crushed.

To those who fear the future,
your promise is this:
whatever is needed will be given.

O taste and see how good God is!
Happy are those who take refuge in the Living Rock.

 
~ from Stone Soup, a liturgy on www.seekerschurch.org

From the blog
Lament
Prayer poem: Sweet words
Guest post: For peace with justice
 

Go where it is deeper

 
When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”

“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”

 

Prayer to the Spirit

Spirit of life
Fill our emptiness with your fullness

Spirit of power
Stir our hearts afresh

Spirit of love
Touch us, and through us, our neighbour

Spirit of creativity
Enable and empower the gifts you have given

Spirit of eternity
Draw us ever deeper into your Kingdom

 
— by John Birch, posted on re:worship

From the blog
The empty cup
Mightier than the crashing waves
In the school of prayer with Tish Harrison Warren
 

Look deeper


 

The deeper heart issue

Luke 9:46-48 (The Voice)
 
Later the close followers of Jesus began to argue over the stupid and vain question, “Which one of us is the greatest disciple?”

Jesus saw what was going on — not just the argument, but the deeper heart issues — so He found a child and had the child stand beside Him.

Jesus: See this little one? Whoever welcomes a little child in My name welcomes Me. And whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. The smallest one among you is therefore the greatest.
 

Call to Worship

Welcome to this place:
where children and seasoned citizens sit side by side,
where heaven and earth embrace in peace,
where God has been, is, and always will be.

Welcome to this place, as we gather with all of God’s children:
where we find God’s love,
where we hear the tender voice of Jesus,
where the Spirit teaches us new songs.

Welcome to this place, where all is made ready by our God:
where we bring our hunger, and find food;
where we bring our brokenness, and find healing;
where we bring our very selves, and find acceptance.

~ written by Thom Shuman, posted on Lectionary Liturgies

From the blog
The promise of carefree play
Quiet near a little stream
Continually curious