Category: bible

This far, no further

Praying for Wisdom

based on Job 38

Lord, you laid the earth’s foundations;
    you placed its cornerstone;
while the morning stars sang together
    and all the angels shouted for joy,
you set limits for the sea and said,
     “This far and no further!”

You gave orders to the morning
    and showed the dawn its place;
you moulded the earth until it took shape.

You alone know the springs of the sea;
    you alone comprehend the vastness of the universe;
    you alone know the laws of heaven:

Lord, give wisdom to our hearts
    and understanding to our minds.
Amen.

 
~ written by Michael Perry, and posted on re:worship

From the blog
Song in the night
In the school of prayer with Eddie Askew
Continually curious
 

Good, how good

 
Psalm for Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, RCL Year A

Psalm 133

A litany: a sung response alternating with spoken word (preferably with feeling)

 

 

 
Good, how good, so good, so pleasant
when the people of God come together as one

v 1
1 How good and pleasant it is
      when God’s people live together in unity!

Good, how good, so good, so pleasant
when the people of God come together as one

v 2
2 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.

Good, how good, so good, so pleasant
when the people of God come together as one

v 3
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
      were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
      even life forevermore.

Good, how good, so good, so pleasant
when the people of God come together as one

 

From the blog
Theme: Good news  [prayer sheet]
Quiet my heart
Change … like little children
 

Ever blooming

 

Kindness, peace, love —
may they never stop blooming
in you and from you.
Jude 1:2,  VOICE

 
 

Opening prayer

God of small seeds and mighty plants, you take our meager lives and with your love cause them to produce acts of loving kindness for you in this world. You hear our cries and find us when we are lost and wandering in fear. You bring us home with you so that we may be made whole, rejoicing in your goodness. Help us to joyfully serve you all our days, knowing that you are always watching over us. Prepare our hearts to receive your word and our spirits to respond in eagerness to serve you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN

 
~ written by Nancy Townley, posted on www.ministrymatters.com
 

From the blog
Theme: He heals the brokenhearted  [prayer sheet]
The Gift #12 : Recreator
Walk the walk
 

Bloom where you’re planted

“There are times to bloom where we are planted, and times for us to be transplanted so we can bloom even better elsewhere. Just follow the Lord where he leads.”

(Danielle Bernock, from an article on www.christianity.com)
 

Benediction

inspired by Colossians 2:6-7

Just like you receive Christ Jesus the Lord,
so go on living in him — in simple faith.
Grow out of him as a plant grows out of the soil it is planted in —
becoming more and more sure of your faith.
If you do this,
your lives will overflow with joy and thankfulness.
And the mercy of God,
the love of Jesus Christ,
and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit
will surround you and uphold you
wherever you go.
Go in God’s peace.

posted on re:worship

From the blog
Quiet near a little stream
Slow learners and bright ideas
Theme: Part of creation  [prayer sheet]
 

Ask for more

Benediction

(based on Ephesians 3:16-21, The Message)

I ask God to strengthen you by the power of the Spirit —
not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength —
that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in.

And I ask God that
with both feet planted firmly on love
you’ll be able to take in with all Christians
the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love.

Reach out and experience the breadth!
Test its length!
Plumb the depths!
Rise to the heights!
Live full lives — full in the fullness of God.

God can do anything, you know —
far more than you could ever imagine or guess
or request in your wildest dreams!
Not by pushing us around
but by working within us,
through the power of God’s Spirit.

All glory to the God of Creation!
All glory to the Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ!
And all glory to the Spirit of God, at work among us and within us!

Go in the love of God!
Amen.

 
~ from re:worship

From the blog
A very present help in trouble
In the school of prayer with Terry Hinks
3 Prayers for wayfarers
 

Ask and receive

” … everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Luke 11:10)

 

A prayer

Lord, we expect good things from you because you are good and you promise to give to those who ask. Teach us to know not only how to ask but also for what we should ask. May all our asking, seeking, and knocking be to further your kingdom in some way, no matter how small or mundane.
Amen.
 
~ from Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Enuma Okoro, p. 298
 

From the blog
Offer your bodies
Desire and transformation
The empty cup
 

Burdens to carry


 
Paul writes, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal 6:2). Then a few verses later he writes, “each one should carry their own load.” (Gal 6:5)

A paradox. Something to ponder, as we approach Pentecost and contemplate what a difference the Holy Spirit makes in carrying one another’s burdens and in carrying our own.
 

A prayer

God, our Heavenly Father, we draw near to thee with thankful hearts because of all thy great love for us. We thank thee most of all for the gift of thy dear Son, in whom alone we may be one. We are different one from another in race and language, in material things, in gifts, in opportunities, but each of us has a human heart, knowing joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain. We are one in our need of thy forgiveness, thy strength, thy love; make us one in our common response to thee, that bound by a common love and freed from selfish aims we may work for the good of all and the advancement of thy kingdom. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

 
by Queen Salote of Tonga (1900-1965)
from 2000 Years of Prayer compiled by Michael Counsell, p. 456
 

 
From the blog
The Gift booklet
a 12-part series of readings and prayer poems on the Holy Spirit – originally created for Pentecost 2017.
 

A quiet act of kindness


 

A small but monumental gesture

There’s a vegetarian takeaway place in Brighton called Infinity, where I would eat sometimes. I went there the first time I’d gone out in public after Arthur* had died. There was a woman who worked there and I was always friendly with her, just the normal pleasantries, but I liked her. I was standing in the queue and she asked me what I wanted and it felt a little strange, because there was no acknowledgement of anything. She treated me like anyone else, matter-of-factly, professionally. She gave me my food and I gave her the money … As she gave me back my change, she squeezed my hand. Purposefully.

It was such a quiet act of kindness. The simplest and most articulate of gestures, but, at the same time, it meant more than all that anybody had tried to tell me … because of the failure of language in the face of catastrophe. She wished the best for me, in that moment. There was something truly moving to me about that simple, wordless act of compassion … I’ll never forget that. In difficult times I often go back to that feeling she gave me. Human beings are remarkable, really. Such nuanced, subtle creatures.

* Nick’s son
 
from Faith, Hope and Carnage by Nick Cave, quoted on themarginalian.org
 

The Beatitudes

(see Luke 6:20-22, Matthew 5:3-12)

The poor, and those in solidarity with them –
God is on your side.

Those who mourn and feel grief about the state of the world –
God is on your side.

The non-violent, gentle and humble –
God is on your side.

Those who hunger and thirst for the common good –
God is on your side.

The merciful and compassionate –
God is on your side.

Those characterized by sincerity, kindness and generosity –
God is on your side.

Those who work for peace and reconciliation –
God is on your side.

Those who keep seeking justice –
God is on your side.

Those who stand for justice and truth as the prophets did,
who refuse to be quiet even when slandered,
misrepresented, threatened, imprisoned or harmed –
God is on your side!

 
~ by Brian McLaren and Rob Bell, posted on re:worship