International Presbytery of the Church of Scotland
We need your presence on the long road, Lord.
The road between fear and hope,
the road between the place where all is lost
and the place of resurrection.
Like the disciples walking the road to Emmaus,
we are in need of your company!
Jesus, stand among us, in your risen power,
let this time of worship, be a hallowed hour.
~ written by Carol Penner, and posted on Leading in Worship
From the blog
On pilgrimage
To Emmaus and back
Walk the walk
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
(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
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.”
We believe in God the Father, creator of heaven and earth.
The one who is full of patience,
who is not afraid of silence,
who does not need to fill each moment with activity and noise.
The one who is beyond bluster and flurry,
and who does not jostle for attention.
We believe in God the Son, Saviour of creation,
who slipped into Bethlehem one night, mostly unnoticed,
who lived thirty years without headlines or hurry,
who frequently took time alone with his patient Father,
who waited for the right time to become the suffering servant,
who stood quietly before the noise of his accusers,
whose silence overpowered their words,
who died, then rose again on a quiet Sunday morning.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who strengthens, empowers, renews and refreshes,
sometimes arriving with obvious power,
sometimes with the quiet breath of a whisper.
We believe in one God
who patiently waits for us,
and who longs for us to do the same.
~ by Dave Hopwood, posted on engageworship.org
From the blog
Pilgrims together
Germinate and grow
Pause for breath …
Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths, or the turning inwards in prayer for five short minutes.
~ Etty Hillesum
Curl this blessing
beneath your head
for a pillow.
Wrap it about yourself
for a blanket.
Lay it across your eyes
and for this moment
cease thinking about
what comes next,
what you will do
when you rise.
Let this blessing
gather itself to you
like the stillness
that descends
between your heartbeats,
the silence that comes
so briefly
but with a constancy
on which
your life depends.
Settle yourself
into the quiet
this blessing brings,
the hand it lays
upon your brow,
the whispered word
it breathes into
your ear
telling you
all shall be well
all shall be well
and you can rest
now.
~ by Jan Richardson, from paintedprayerbook.com
Visit Jan Richardson’s 2012 blog post for the backstory to this blessing.
Quiet my heart, quiet my mind
Gentle Jesus, I seek and I find
I rest in your presence, Prince of Peace.
Shepherd, lead me beside quiet streams
I wrote this song last month, as part of the current 12 Song Challenge hosted by resoundworship.org. The recording features my friend, Margriet van Overbeeke, singing harmony.
(inspired by Psalm 37:3-9)
Trust in God, and do what is good;
live with quiet confidence where God has placed you.
Delight in God’s presence,
and you will have all that your heart desires.
Commit everything you do to God — trust Him completely —
and He will never let you down.
Be patient.
Don’t worry or get upset when things don’t go well.
Instead, learn to rest in God’s presence.
For those who trust in God will have everything they need.
~ from re:worship
From the blog
Big strong tree
God of solid joys
Balm to heal the world
Sometimes You speak, Lord,
in tongues so strange
that I must pray
for grace to obey
without understanding.
Sometimes You sing
such a lovely song
that I must laugh
at the silly tune
I thought was wisdom.
Sometimes You shout
in a voice so loud
that I must awake
and confess again
that I was sleeping.
But in this moment
when silence is Your word to me
and stillness is my prayer
I rest within a confidence
born in the quiet of Your smile:
I am beloved.
~ by Paul Thigpen, posted on re:worship
From the blog
Quiet near a little stream
Quiet / rest
In the school of prayer with Ignatius of Loyola
Spotted in the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (Photo: Irene Bom)
Commentary (from the Introduction to John 1, The Voice translation)
John’s use of logos is unique and has often been rendered as “Word.” While this is a useful translation, even a casual understanding demonstrates that “Word” reflects only part of its meaning. Most readers will interpret “word” as a unit of language—a combination of sounds generally spoken but also written—that carries meaning. To understand what John means, readers need something more than their cultural understanding of “word”; they need a new way of thinking about it. This is why we have chosen to offer another rendering, an interpretive, poetic translation, of what may be one of the most theologically loaded words in Scripture. Since logos essentially refers to the act of speaking or bringing thoughts to expression, we have decided to use the word “voice” to capture that reality. John declares that truth has culminated in the person of Jesus. No single word captures the complete meaning of logos, but “voice” has a number of advantages …
To find out more, click here.
From the blog
Word study: Shema
I hear you
Tree of life
Museum Park, Rotterdam – getting ready for spring
The Kingdom of God is at hand – You proclaimed it, Jesus;
But, it often feels like it’s a million miles away.
You demonstrated its grace and showed its power,
but the signs often appear faded or absent in our world.
We need Your Kingdom to come, O God,
in all its fullness, in all its glory;
This waiting, this “now and not yet” experience of Your reign
is hard and frustrating.
And so we pray for Your Kingdom to be revealed in our lives,
turning our sickness and sin, our brokenness and fear
into friendship and compassion, wholeness and joy.
May Your Kingdom come to us now.
We pray for Your Kingdom to be revealed in our neighbourhoods,
turning our division and suspicion,
our judgement and our competition
into fellowship and care, compassion and service.
May Your Kingdom come to us now.
We pray for Your Kingdom to be revealed in our world,
turning our war and our disparities,
our consumption and our self-interest
into peace and collaboration, stewardship and reverence.
May Your Kingdom come to us now.
Your Kingdom is here, and it is coming, O God.
Make us faithful heralds of its message
and tireless practitioners of its ways.
For Jesus sake.
Amen.
~ written by John van de Laar, posted on Sacredise.com.
From the blog
All my days and forever
In small ways
Ding! Dong! Curiosity
~ Source unknown
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #686
More grace
Theme for January 2019: Grace
Theme: Still small voice [prayer sheet]
God of grace
Go. Speak. Love. Forgive. Receive.
Continue by grace
For courage and grace
Within the ranks of caring angels
Slow time
A holy space
Balm to heal the world
For some years now I’ve taken part in various editions of the 12-song challenge, a songwriting initiative hosted by resoundworship.org. The challenges and the supportive songwriting community have kept me writing at least one song a month. even during busy and trying times like vacancies and the pandemic.
This month the assignment was to write Assembly Bangers:
assembly – gathered, collective worship in schools, supposed to be daily and of a broadly Christian character. Though not so common throughout the school experience as it once was, it remains a staple of many children’s experience in primary school (ages 4 to 11)
bangers – a British colloquial terms for great song that make you want to get up and dance
songs that:
– are repetitive and hooky
– have a simple structure
– are easy to play and lead on piano (or guitar)
– have an accessible vocal range
– have words that children can read/memorise/understand
To start with I revamped an existing song called “God is my refuge”, also based on Psalm 46. Slowly but surely the revamp evolved into a song in its own right, including a new verse that references war and peace and a bridge based on “Be still, and know that I am God” (v.10).
I don’t know if I hit the brief exactly. Perhaps the song is too confessional and belongs in the church, more than the school assembly. Time will tell.
CHORUS
God is our help in times of distress
God is our refuge and strength
God is with us always
No need feel afraid
for God will keep us safe.
VERSE 1
Even if the earth starts to tremble
and mountains start to slip and slide
even if the waves start to roar like lions
God is by our side
(Chorus)
VERSE 2
One day God will stop all the fighting
All weapons will be scrapped and burnt
One day God will reign over all the nations
Peace will come on earth
(Chorus)
BRIDGE
Be still and know God is on the throne
Be still and know, God is in control.
(Chorus)
From the blog
Big strong tree
Prayer poem: Not forsaken
Circle me, Lord