On the road affirmation


“Lesrijtuigen”: A string of trams awaiting their trainee drivers

 

Creed

We believe that our lives are held within the encircling love of God,
who knows our names and recognises our deepest needs.

We believe that Christ is the divine Child of the living God,
and that his grace is like living waters that can never be exhausted.

We believe in the birthing, renewing, enabling Spirit of God
who yearns over our welfare as a mother yearns for her child.

We believe that God is in the arid desert as well as in green pastures,
and that hard times and disciplines are also loving gifts.

We believe that our journey has a purpose and a destination,
and that our path leads to a human glory we cannot yet imagine.

We believe that in the church we are fellow pilgrims on the road,
and that we are called to love one another as God loves us.

This is our faith and we are humbled to profess in Jesus the Christ.
Amen

 
~ from The Order of Saint Columba, posted on re:worship
 

From the blog
To Emmaus and back
In the school of prayer with Pádraig Ó Tuama
In quietness and trust is your strength
 

Roadside assistance


Car on the tramrails on the Erasmus Bridge, Rotterdam
 

Prayer Litany

Jesus of Bethlehem and Nazareth and Calvary
We celebrate your birth
Come and be born in us

Jesus of the manger and the inn
Jesus of the workshop and the temple
Jesus of the lakeside and the city
Jesus of the fireside and the roadside
We celebrate your life
Come and be born in us

Jesus of Mary and Joseph
Jesus of shepherds and angels
Jesus of children and animals
Jesus of fishermen and priests
Jesus of women and men
Jesus of tax collectors and prostitutes
Jesus of all who will receive you
We celebrate your resurrection
Come and be born in us

— adapted from a prayer by Doug Gay. Posted on re:worship
 

Company on the road

 

Emmaus Road Call to Worship

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
 

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
 

In quietness and trust is your strength


 

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.”

(Isaiah 30:15)
 

A creed

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 …
 

Settle yourself into the quiet

 

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
 

Blessing of Rest

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 HEART

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.
 

Blessing

(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
 

In the quiet of God’s smile

 

A prayer

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
 

Perfect balance of grace and truth


Spotted in the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam  (Photo: Irene Bom)

 

The Voice took on flesh and became human and chose to live alongside us. We have seen Him, enveloped in undeniable splendor — the one true Son of the Father — evidenced in the perfect balance of grace and truth.

 

John 1:14, The Voice

 

 
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
 

Kingdom of grace


Museum Park, Rotterdam – getting ready for spring

 

Your Kingdom Come

May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done here on earth,
just as it is in heaven.

 
 
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