bible Archives - Page 16 of 18

Forgiven and forgotten

Downtown Lausanne (Photo: Irene Bom)

“How happy is the one whose wrongs are forgiven,
whose sin is hidden from sight.”

(Psalm 32:1, The Voice)

If we freely admit our sins when his light uncovers them, he will be faithful to forgive us every time. God is just to forgive us our sins because of Christ, and he will continue to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(1 John 1:9, The Passion Translation)

“All of our sins were paid for on the cross and we can do nothing to remove them, but confession acknowledges God’s faithfulness to restore our intimacy with him.” (source: The Passion Translation footnotes)

⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
       slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
       nor will he harbour his anger for ever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
       or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
       so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
       so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

(Psalm 103:8-12 NIV UK)

¹⁴ This is what the LORD says –
       your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

²⁵ I, even I, am he who blots out
       your transgressions, for my own sake,
       and remembers your sins no more.’”

(Isaiah 43:14, 25, NIV UK)

How remarkable that God has selective memory.

Prayer of confession

O Lord God, our Father most loving, we would not, even if we could, conceal anything from you, but rejoice rather that you know us as we are and see every desire and every motive of our hearts. Help us, Lord, to strip off every mask and every veil when we come into your presence, and to spread before you every thought and every secret of our being, that they may be forgiven, purified, amended, and blessed by you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Charles Vaughan (1816-97)

from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #350

Do this remembering

“Do this in remembrance of me,” Jesus said. (Luke 22:19)

Do this. Take bread and wine, and share it with the gathered people of God. Do this. As a memorial. Words and actions from long ago, re-enacted and made real in the present, so we too may be fed. Not just once a year, like Passover, but as often as we do this. What a privilege.

Here is a prayer by Katherine Hawker that captures some of the drama as we do this remembering and discover Christ in our midst and in each other.

Prayer at the Table

Welcome:
And so we gather at the table.
We come from many places,
differing in age, differing in race,
differing in orientation, politics and even religion.
As we come together around the table
we discover that our differences are not something we tolerate
but that our differences are indeed a blessing,
the more difference we bring, the more fully we experience
the presence of the sacred in our midst.
So come, children of God, just as you are.
Wherever you are on this journey of life, you are welcome here,
here in this place, here in this community, here at this table.
Come, children of God, come and remember with us.

Remembrance:
We remember the stories that Jesus’ friends tell,
stories of bread broken and shared, feeding a multitude,
stories of being gathered together, enemy and friend, around tables,
stories of unlikely guests revealing the face of the sacred.
They say that
it was on a night of both celebration and betrayal
that he took the bread leftover on the table,
blessed it and broke it;
reminding them that it is
in the breaking that we become whole,
in losing our lives that we find them,
in serving that we are served.
As the grain scattered becomes one in the loaf,
when we eat this bread, we become one with one another.
They say that he took the cup also leftover on the table,
poured out and sharing,
remembering with them, the life-giving breath
even now pounding a rhythm through our veins,
the breath of life from whence we come
the breath that precedes and follows all that we can see.
As the grapes find life in the vine,
when we drink this cup,
we become at one with the source of life itself.

Blessing:
And so we pray:
Come, holy Spirit, come.
Bless this bread and
bless this fruit of the vine.
Bless all of us in our eating and drinking that our eyes might be open,
that we might recognize the risen Christ in our midst,
indeed in one another.
Come, holy Spirit, come.

— written by Katherine Hawker, and posted on Liturgy Outside.

Also see Gift #3: Re-minder.
And check out Jan Richardson’s post on The Cup of the New Covenant.

Forget not

Shop front in Gibraltar (Photo: Irene Bom)

A few selected verses from Psalm 103 as introduction to our November theme of the month: Remember

¹ Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
² Praise the LORD, my soul,
and FORGET NOT all his benefits –
³ who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
he REMEMBERS that we are dust.

¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children –
¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
and REMEMBER to obey his precepts.

Digging deeper

Why not make time in the next few days to read the whole psalm and commit a few of the verses to memory, so the psalm can minister to you now and in the future?

Also, check out the Expanded Bible version. Not only does it amplify the words, it also includes cross references.

From generation to generation

Do you recognize any of the names? I certainly recognize a few …

This weekend I was part of a Presbytery Local Church Review team to St Andrews Church, Gibraltar. On Saturday, at the close our meeting with the church leaders, I read this benediction based on Psalm 103:

As you go from here, remember this:
God’s love is from everlasting to everlasting,
from generation to generation.
Just as a father has compassion on his children
so God has compassion on those who fear him,
who listen to his voice,
and who do his will.

Go out in the knowledge
that the everlasting love of God goes with you.
Amen.

I got as far as “from generation to generation” when I teared up and had to ask our team leader to take over.

Let us pray

We join the congregation in praying for God to make something happen so there will be many generations to come to witness to the everlasting love of God in this place. We pray the same for churches everywhere.

Pray too for life-giving relationships between the different generations in our congregations, as we seek to be faithful followers of Jesus in our time.

CREDITS

Benediction from re-worship.blogspot.nl

How good, how pleasant

The theme for October is “Together”.

To kick things off, a psalm that celebrates the rich blessing that flows from life-giving relationships amongst God’s people.

Psalm 133

A song of ascents. Of David.

How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even life for evermore.

Digging deeper

On the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship website I found this article on Psalm 133 in the “Psalms for Families: Devotions for All Ages” series. All ages … that includes me and you.

A prayer

after St Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200–258)

Lord, we pray for the unity of your Church.
Help us to see ourselves as rays from the one sun,
branches of a single tree,
and streams flowing from one river.
May we remain united to you and to each other,
because you are our common source of life;
and may we send out your light
and pour forth your flowing streams over all the earth,
drawing our inspiration and joy from you.

from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #527

Protection for hearts and minds

Quaker Meeting House, Edinburgh (Photo: Irene Bom)

When we worry, we leave ourselves vulnerable to attack. Here is Paul’s remedy to ensure defenses are in place so we can rest secure:

“Don’t worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7 (J.B. Phillips New Testament)

For more posts on the theme of Refuge, click here.

Circle me, Lord

Women’s Day 2016, Rome (Photo: Irene Bom)

Like a bird protecting its young, God will cover you with His feathers, will protect you under His great wings; His faithfulness will form a shield around you, a rock-solid wall to protect you.

(Psalm 91:4, The Voice)

When early Celtic Christians felt physically or spiritually threatened they turned to the Caim or “encircling” prayer as an act of faith in God as our refuge and protection.

Here’s what the book, Celtic Daily Prayer (p. 305-306), has to say about this versatile form of prayer incorporating both spoken word and a simple ritual:

EXCERPT

When words get in the way and it seems impossible to focus, the caim or “encircling” prayer can often be helpful. Draw a circle clockwise around yourself, using the right index finger as you say the prayer; this symbolizes the encircling love of God. (The situation may make this physical action impractical; in which case see the action in your mind’s eye as you pray.) See yourself and others encircled and be aware that the living God surrounds and encloses with His love, care and protection.

Two examples of caim prayers taken from Celtic Daily Prayer to outline the format. Substitute the words in italics as appropriate.

1.
Circle (name), Lord
Keep (comfort) near
and (discouragement) afar.
Keep (peace) within
and (turmoil) out.

2.
Circle (name), Lord.
Keep protection near
and danger afar.

Circle (name), Lord.
Keep hope within,
keep despair without.

Circle (name), Lord.
Keep light near
and darkness afar.

Circle (name), Lord.
Keep peace within
and anxiety without.

The eternal Father, Son and Holy Spirit
shield (name) on every side.
Amen.

A video in which 6-year-old Elliot shares how encircling prayer has helped him.

Who in your life needs to be encircled by the Eternal, Sacred Three? Why not pause and pray for them right now?

Note: The original Celtic Daily Prayer compiled by the Northumbria Community is now Book One of a two-volume series.

Abide

Bird houses from recycled billboards* (Photo: Irene Bom)

Hear Jesus’ gracious invitation in John 15:4a: “Abide in me, and I in you.” (King James Version) Or, to put it another way, “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you.” (The Message)

Somehow the word “abide” has the word “refuge” built in. An invitation to make refuge in God a constant, not just in crisis moments.

Here is a prayer by way of response.

Father,
In the awareness of your presence,
Beneath the shadow of your wings,
In the closeness of your love,
     May we abide.

Jesus,
In the fellowship of your saints,
In the communion of the faithful,
In the church called to mission,
     May we abide.

Spirit,
In the power of your love,
In the fullness of your gifts,
In the guidance of your wisdom,
     May we abide.

from The Open Gate: Celtic Prayers for Growing Spiritually
by David Adam, p. 98

A very present help in trouble

“More fear” billboard, Amsterdam (Photo: Irene Bom)

The theme of the month for September is “Refuge”. For the first post in this series I’ve selected a Call to Worship by Joanna Haradar posted on the Spacious Faith website in 2013, inspired by Psalm 46. The words could have been written yesterday.

Call to Worship

inspired by Psalm 46

The earth shakes, the mountains quake
— tempting our hearts to fear.
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Storms rage, winds swirl
— destroying schools, hospitals, homes.
Still, God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Violence comes to light in our communities
and violence continues around the world
— causing us to wonder if our prayers for peace are futile.
Yet God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
For those mourning and rebuilding after the storms,
God is their refuge.
For those living in fear of their neighbours,
God is present.
For the distraught and displaced and dismembered
in Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere,
God is a very present help in trouble.
Therefore, we will not fear.
Therefore, we will lay down our weapons
and worship our God.

In case you were curious about the last line, in her blogpost Joanna Haradar writes:

*A note on the last line of the call to worship: Psalm 46:10 is generally translated as, “Be still and know that I am God.” The Hebrew term translated as “be still” (raphah) more accurately means “let drop, let go, abandon.” It is a call for disarmament, not a request for silent meditation.

People of the way

Cracks in the road, Edinburgh (Photo: Irene Bom)

In the upper room, just hours before his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said:

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.’

Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’

Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’

John 14:1-7

I wonder

Is that why the early Christians were known as “People of the Way”?
(see Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22)

Saul of Tarsus – a radical young Rabbi – played an active part in persecuting followers of the Way until Jesus appeared to him on the Road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-18) and he had a change of heart and became a follower of the Way too. Through his missionary journeys and letters he touched many lives and communities and the movement spread, even to this day.

Digging deeper

Read Acts 16:16-40 about Paul and Silas’ night in a Philippian jail. Imagine you are one of the other prisoners. What can you tell about “People of the Way” from what you witness that night? What is your response?

Also check out this helpful study outline on “People of the Way”.

Prayer

inspired by Mark 14:12-15

Lord,
to those of us who sometimes find
your ways of doing things
and choice of messengers
puzzling and
perplexing;

may that unnamed water-carrier,
who led those first disciples to
the upper room,
alert us to the many
little-known people
who cross our paths,
and who,
if followed,
lead us through
unexpected
doors
of welcome and hospitality
to extraordinary
revelations
of your grace.

from A Procession of Prayers: Meditations and Prayers from Around the World by John Carden, p. 165