Category: bible

Holy face. Holy everything


Artwork by Irene Bom

 

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives among you?

 

 

Blessing the body

This blessing takes
one look at you
and all it can say is
holy.

Holy hands.
Holy face.
Holy feet.
Holy everything
in between.

Holy even in pain.
Holy even when weary.
In brokenness, holy.
In shame, holy still.

Holy in delight.
Holy in distress.
Holy when being born.
Holy when we lay it down
at the hour of our death.

So, friend,
open your eyes
(holy eyes).
For one moment
see what this blessing sees,
this blessing that knows
how you have been formed
and knit together
in wonder and
in love.

Welcome this blessing
that folds its hands
in prayer
when it meets you;
receive this blessing
that wants to kneel
in reverence
before you:
you who are
temple,
sanctuary,
home for God
in this world.

 
written by Jan Richardson
from paintedprayerbook.com

From the blog
One body, different gifts
Simple things have special significance
Fearfully and wonderfully made
 

In the face of endless options


 

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life …”

 

Prayer for discernment

Loving God,
We pray for the wisdom to discern your call in our lives.
Hear our prayer, O God.

We pray for the wisdom to make healthy choices
in the face of endless and confusing options.
Hear our prayer, O God.

We pray for the grace to redefine our relationships
with our parents and our friends as our lives change.
Hear our prayer, O God.

We pray for the grace to form new relationships.
Hear our prayer, O God.

We pray for the courage to swim against the current of society
as we seek to follow where you lead us.
Hear our prayer, O God.

We pray for the courage to take a stand with you
for justice and peace in this world in this time.
Hear our prayer, O God. Amen.

 
~ by Katherine Hawker, posted on re:Worship

From the blog
Desire and transformation
Beloved, be blessed
In times like these
 

Your name is your bond

 
“Your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.”
(Psalm 138:2, New Living Translation)

 

Prayer of intercession

inspired by Psalm 138

Gracious and eternal God,
you have raised up your name and your word
above everything;
your steadfast love endures for ever.
In a world where every day
some division or strife arises
we bring our prayers for others
and for ourselves.
Do not turn from the work of your hand,
your human creation
and the world in which you have set us:
by your holy breath
comfort the lonely;
bind up the broken-hearted
and those who mourn;
calm the fearful;
rejoice with those who celebrate;
be present to those who call on your name,
to those we named on our lips,
and in the silence of our hearts,
those whose concerns are known only to you;
in Jesus’ name we pray …

 
~ from The Billabong website

From the blog
Deep and hidden things revealed
Bend down low
Hear and answer
 

In the name


clouds and vapour trails through a grubby train window

 

… whatever you do,
      whether in word or deed,
do it all
      in the name
            of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks
      to God the Father
            through him.

Colossians 3:17

Call to Worship

We gather this morning
in the name of the Creator,
who creates time and space,
galaxies and stars and planets.

In the name of Jesus Christ,
born on planet Earth,

and in the name of the Spirit
who fills Earth with his presence.

Creator God,
in this time we call ‘now’
in this space we call ‘here’
we worship you.
Make your presence felt among us.

 
~ from Third Space, posted on re:Worship

From the blog
Theme: Still small voice  [prayer sheet]
Planted together
Grace notes
 

Hashem, the Name


 

Another prayer poem written by Christine Colliar as part of our Presbytery project, Prayer Poems for Lent 2026.

Held in Your Word

by Christine Colliar

I wait for Hashem, my nefesh doth wait, and in His Devar do I hope. 
(Psalm 130:5, Orthodox Jewish Bible)

 
Out of the depths I call to You, Eternal One,
from the unlit places where words fall away,
from the hollow where breath gathers and breaks;
there, my whole self turns towards You.

I wait for Hashem,
I wait in the quiet that stretches and holds,
I keep watch where nothing seems to move,
and yet everything leans towards Your coming.

My nefesh waits,
my life drawn out like a thread towards Your light,
my breath suspended between what is
and what You have spoken into being.

I wait for the Eternal,
as the dark leans towards morning,
as the earth opens to rain unseen,
so I remain, turned towards You.

In Your devar I place my hope,
in the Word that does not fade into silence,
in the promise that gathers form in hidden ways,
in the speaking that becomes what it declares.

So I wait for You, Eternal One,
with the whole of my being held open,
for what You speak is already on its way,
and Your faithfulness is rising, even now.

 
Christine writes,

Hashem – 
Literally ‘the Name’.
This is a reverent Jewish way of referring to God without speaking the divine name.

Nefesh – Often translated ‘soul’, but it’s more than that, it’s the whole self, one’s life, breath, inner being, even physical existence.
 So, this is not just spiritual waiting, it is deep, embodied longing.

Devar – Word, but also promise, matter, or event.
 In biblical Hebrew, a ‘word’ is not just speech, it is something active and reliable, something that does what it says.

So, I wanted to capture an active waiting, longing with the whole self, and hope grounded in what God has said and will do.

 

Tip
Bible Project podcast: What is God’s name?
 

Grace-full


 

A few grace-full verses to ponder.

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
 
John 1:16
Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.
 
Colossians 4:2-6
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

A prayer for Ordinary Time *

* the season between Pentecost and the beginning of Advent

Creator Redeemer Sustainer God,
How extraordinary is Your “ordinary time.”
How uncommon is the commonplace in Your Kingdom.
The mundane is made miraculous,
full of holy opportunities.
The smallest joy a jubilee!

Created anew may we grow tall and
“grace-full” in Your likeness.

Redeemed by Your sacrifice may we come
to know the depths of Your love.

Sustained by Your Spirit may we be steadfast
and shining in Your service.

We humbly ask that You continue to bless us
with all we need for
the living of these days—
these wondrous ordinary days—.
that our everyday lives may be gifted
to experience the vitality of Christian community,
to share Your message of hope,
reaching out to the poor and hurting,
and bringing glory and honor to You, our God. Amen.

 
~ written by Deborah Harris, posted on re:Worship

DAY OF PRAYER: 31 October 2026

Light in the darkness

On Saturday 31 October, congregations, presbyteries and small groups across the Church of Scotland are invited to come together for an hour of prayer, praying for the light of Jesus to transform our Church, our communities across Scotland, and the places around the world where the Church worships and serves.

See the Church of Scotland website for details and resources.
 

Safe circle


 

This week I feature a prayer poem inspired by Psalm 32:7, written by Christine Colliar as part of our Presbytery project, Prayer Poems for Lent 2026.

 

You Surround Me

by Christine Colliar

You are my hiding-place;
    you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.
 
 
You are my escape room.
When I crawl into myself,
find a nook ready –
chair, hearth, book, tea –
you are there already.
I can wear myself,
    no pretence
    no brave face
    you see me
        know me.

I can sit
    on the floor if I want
and there you are
    to talk to
    or just sit with me,
door closed,
    until I’m ready
    to go back
    to the world
    emptied,
    filled.

And when I can cope
with more than silence,
you cover me with song
round and over and through me –
so I see,
    I feel,
        I taste
your music,
thrill
    and complete
        and mend.

Words that join – a daisy chain,
fragile and true,
    full
        and wide –
words that encompass,
    encircle
that hold together
    a fragility
    deep within,
and keep me
whole.

 
~ written as part of the Presbytery Project, Prayer Poems for Lent 2026

 

From the blog
In the school of prayer with Pádraig Ó Tuama
One body, different gifts
Change … like little children
 

The perfect circle

Blessing in the Round

For those who want to save their life will lose it,
and those who lose their life for my sake,
and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.   Mark 8:35

 
This blessing
cannot help it;
it’s the way
it was designed.

Lay it down
and it rises again.

Release it
and it returns.

Give it away
and it makes a path
back to you.

There is no explaining
how it delights
in reappearing
when you have ceased
to hold it,
no hiding the sly smile
it wears
when it shows up
at your door,
no mistaking the wonder
when it circles back around
just at the moment
you thought you had
spent it completely,
had poured it out
with abandon
where you saw
the deepest thirst for it,
had put it entirely
in the hands
of those desperate
in their hunger.

But here it is,
the perfect circle of it
pressing into your hand
that curls around it
and then lets go,
receiving
and releasing
and receiving again
like the breath
that does not belong to us
but sets us in motion.

 
~ written by Jan L. Richardson, and posted on The Painted Prayerbook.

Prayer

It is too easy, God,
for faith to become an escape
    — a way to avoid the pain of being human and alive;
or a path to success
    — a way to persuade the universe to give us the things we want;
or a system of control
    — a way to bend others to our will

But the faith you offer is different, Jesus,
    more dangerous and compelling;

It’s the faith that carries the cross,
    that embraces death
        and lays itself down for the sake of others;

It’s the only faith that can lead us to resurrection
    to life renewed and overflowing.

We praise you for this faith, God,
    and open our hearts to receive it.

Amen.

 
— written by John van de Laar, posted on Sacredise

From the blog
To Emmaus and back
May we know the hope – here, now
Theme: Change my heart, O God  [prayer sheet]
 

Jesus’ circle goes deep and wide


 

“Then Levi gave a great banquet for Jesus in his house and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table with them.”

A prayer

Jesus of the table,
You gathered unexpected people around
hearths of hospitality.
You stretched out your hand
for grapes and bread, for wine and welcome.
May we populate our tables
with all kinds of people.
Because at the table
our hearts can be glad
for a while.
Amen.
 

To ponder

“Jesus traces his circle wide, calling us all to be kinfolk to him by doing what God desires us to do. And if kinfolk to him, then kinfolk to one another, with all the delights and aches that come in learning to be a family.”

~ from a blog post by Jan Richardson
 

God with me lying down


 

In peace I will lie down and sleep,
      for you alone, Lord,
      make me dwell in safety.

 

Evening prayer

God with me lying down,
God with me rising up,
God with me in each ray of light,
Not I a ray of joy without Him,
      Nor one ray without Him.

Christ with me sleeping,
Christ with me waking,
Christ with me watching,
Every day and night,
      Each day and night.

God with me protecting,
The Lord with me directing,
The Spirit with me strengthening,
For ever and for evermore,
      Ever and evermore, Amen.
            Chiefs of chiefs, Amen
 

from Carmina Gadelica, Vol 1, p. 5,
included in The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #660

From the blog
In the school of prayer with Pádraig Ó Tuama
“A Good Night’s Sleep” inspirations
Up to us