HW18 #1: He suffered scheming


(Photo: Lindy Twaddle)

 
Mark 14:1-2
Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

 
Psalm 22:6
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.

 
1 Peter 2:1-3
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Prayer for Holy Week

Jesus said,
“Can you be baptised with the baptism I must be baptised with?”

Lord, we seek to feel your sadness,
we seek to share your tears.

O Christ, help us to become one with you.
In your defenceless love,
      teach us the grace of self-offering.
In your weakness,
      teach us the grace of acceptance.
In your betrayal,
      teach us the grace of forgiveness.
In your testings,
      teach us the grace of believing.

source: Prayer Rhythms: Fourfold patterns for each day
(The Celtic Prayer Book, Volume One), by Ray Simpson, p. 288
 

Precious dust

Hello Beautiful
Tramstop outside Rotterdam Central Station  (Photo: Irene Bom)
 

A prayer by Paul Sauer that mentions God’s presence with us in “our wilderness journeys” and reminds us we are dust – God’s “precious dust”.

Prayers of the People

(based on Numbers 21:4-9, Psalm 107, Ephesians 2:1-10, John 3:14-21)

Heavenly Father, when we feel that we have lost direction as a people, or even as a person, help us remember your presence in our wilderness journeys.

The day of the Lord is coming: He abounds in steadfast love.

Great Deliverer, your steadfast love and wonderful works have spared us of troubles known and unknown, for you are in love with us.

The day of the Lord is coming: He abounds in steadfast love.

Holy Spirit, help us remember the great work that Christ accomplished for us, which no other person could perform. Help us confess with gladness, “by grace we have been saved.”

The day of the Lord is coming: He abounds in steadfast love.

Lord Jesus Christ, gift of mercy from God the Father, you love us even when we are most unlovable, lost, and afraid. Thank you for your grace.

The day of the Lord is coming: He abounds in steadfast love.

Lord Jesus Christ, lifted up on the cross like the serpent in the wilderness, lift up our eyes to see you as the Lord and Savior, loving God’s whole world.

The day of the Lord is coming: He abounds in steadfast love.

We bring before you those whom you love with special needs, known to us as family and friends ____.

The day of the Lord is coming: He abounds in steadfast love.

Though we remember we are dust and to dust we shall return, we remember that we are your precious dust.
Amen.

 
written by Paul Sauer, and posted on the Lutheran Forum website.
sourced from re:worship.blogspot.com
 

Wilderness encouragement

 

Three short pieces, by way of encouragement.

#1

God did not say,
“You shall not be tempted;
you shall not be troubled;
you shall not be distressed.”
 
God did say,
“You shall not be overcome.”

 
from the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways Archive and posted on https://re-worship.blogspot.nl

#2

In the darkest night,
in the valley of the shadow of death,
 
even there
we find shadows
bearing witness to the dawn
 
for it is in the pile of fallen leaves
that we find the acorn.

 
from http://www.liturgyoutside.net

#3


(Photo: Irene Bom)
 

The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
 
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

 
Isaiah 35:1-2a

 

Seen any crocusses lately?

See also: Theme: Do not lose heart (Prayer sheet)
 

Testing ground


(Photo: Lindy Twaddle)

 
The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery has a lengthy entry on Wilderness, ending with the following summary:

“… the wilderness is an ambivalent image in the Bible. If it is a place of deprivation, danger, attack and punishment, it is also the place where God delivers his people, provides for them and reveals himself.”

 
Some of this tension is found in this short reading that ties together the baptism and temptation of Jesus, with the Holy Spirit playing an active role in both:

Mark 1:9-13: The Baptism and Testing of Jesus

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’

12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Litany for Lent

Because temptation is woven into the fabric of our lives,
and we know the weariness of forty days in the desert,
and the beckoning power of sweet fruit,
and the vain promises of the world,
we need you, God.
We need you, God.

Because we see the broken before the whole,
and the half empty cup, and the unfinished task,
and the thirst in freedom’s quest,
we need you, God.
We need you, God.

Because we trust in what we can see,
and we are blinded by our prejudices,
and we do not know what we do not know,
we need you, God.
We need you, God.

Because our need for correctness exceeds our need for truth,
and our excuses preempt the cry of the wounded,
and our celebration of blessing is mindless of those displaced,
we need you, God.
We need you, God.

Because you came among us,
and breathed into our sinewy souls,
and healed our pain and let us wound you,
and loved us to the end,
and triumphed over all our hatred,
we need you, God.
We need you, God.

written by Katherine Hawker (inspired by Iona Community Worship Book, 2002). Posted on re:worship. 

From the blog
see also Theme: Ever sustaining (Prayer sheet)
 

Wilderness woes


(Photo: Lindy Twaddle)
 

While searching for ‘dry wilderness’ on my go-to online prayer resource – the treasure trove, re-worship.blogspot.com – I found this call to worship by Rev. Nathan Decker.

It is inspired by Isaiah 35 and recognizes both the reality and pain of the wilderness experience and our sustaining hope in God for a life beyond the wilderness.

 

Call to Worship

(inspired by Isaiah 35: 1-10)

Too long have we walked this dry desert wilderness
    searching for salvation.
 
We’ve drunk the cup of sorrow,
burned our feet upon the sands of misery,
and watched as our children were devoured
    by jackals, lions, and beasts.
 
“Be Strong! Do not fear! Here is our God!
God will come and save you!”
Today, we walk in the Holy Way,
    the highway of the wise!
 
Where the lame leap as deer!
Where grateful blind eyes see colors!
 
And the speechless sing out to our merciful Lord!
Blessed be the Lord our God!
 
Praise the Lord, O Zion!

 
written by the Rev. Nathan Decker, and posted on the Discipleship Ministries website of the United Methodist Church in the US.

Tips on searching re-worship blog

The search box on the website is very powerful. Type in a string of keywords to find posts that contain all the words you’ve specified. To exclude words like ‘index’ or ‘resource’ (handy lists of posts arranged by type or theme), add -[keyword] to the search box, e.g. -index -resource, and those posts will be filtered out.

Also check out Christine Longhurst’s tips on How to use the re:worship blog.
 

From the Prayer Matters blog:
also see Call of the wild ones and Wild animal praise

Prepare a way


(Photo: Lindy Twaddle)
 

This is the first post in our March series, “Wilderness”.

In this short, but evocative litany John Birch captures some of the atmospherics of the wilderness as physical and emotional terrain.

Prepare a way

(referencing Isaiah 40:3-5, Mark 1:3, Matthew 3:3, Luke 3:4)

In the lonely places
The wilderness
Where we stand forlorn
Windswept and alone
Your voice calls out
Prepare a way for the Lord

In the dark places
The shadows
Where we hide our fears
Embrace our tears
Your voice calls out
Prepare a way for the Lord

 
written by John Birch and posted on the Faith and Worship website

see also People of the way
 

Wild hope #2


Shaped by the wind  (Photo: Irene Bom)

 
I wonder: What is the relationship between hope and waiting? Maybe Psalm 130 can give us some clues.

Psalm 130 features on a CD called Send us a Friend that I made with Friends and Neighbours in 2013. The song is called “My soul waits for the Lord”. It’s in English and in Dutch. I’ve included a link below.

Psalm 130

A song of ascents.

1  Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
2  Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

3  If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

5  I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6  I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7  Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8  He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

My soul waits for the Lord

My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning
Watchmen for the morning
My soul waits for the Lord.
For with Him there is mercy.
Hope in Him.

Mijn ziel wacht op de Heer
meer dan wachters op de morgen
Wachters op de morgen
Mijn ziel wacht op de Heer
Want bij Hem is genade
Altijd weer.

 
Backstory

The Dutch verse came first. It was surprisingly easy to translate into English – all except for the last line, “Altijd weer”.

“Altijd weer” means “every time again – when and as you need God’s mercy”. There’s no 3-syllable way of saying that in English, so eventually I chose “Hope in Him.”

See also Wild hope #1

 

Wild hope #1


On the coast near Belfast, Northern Ireland (Photo: Irene Bom)

 
On 25 February (Lent 2) I preached in my home church in Rotterdam. One of the strands of my sermon was about being in “God’s waiting room”, like Abraham and Sarah were.

As part of my sermon I shared this helpful comment from an article by Pete Wilson entitled “The Spiritual Benefits of Waiting”. He writes: “Faithful waiting involves actively seeking contentment, even amid less-than-optimal circumstances.”

Here is a prayer entitled “Waiting” by Jonny Baker that looks to God to help us in the waiting, as he helped countless before us.

Waiting

As Sarah waited…Ninety years for a son to fulfill God’s promise.
We wait in hope for what we thought had been spoken to us.

As Moses waited…40 years in the desert,
being prepared by God to lead his people.
We wait for emptiness and humility;
for bravado to wither.

As Israel waited…40 years of wandering,
hungry, depressed, thirsting, unsure.
We wait for the right time to act.

As the Prophets waited…1000 years of promises
that God would raise up a Saviour.
We wait for the signs that God has not forgotten.

As Mary waited…9 months of her 14 years for the child of God.
We feel the birth-pains, yet fear for the child.

As John the Baptist waited…
Scanning the crowds for the one whose sandals
he would not be worthy to untie.
We long for an experience of the Divine.

As Jesus waited… 30 years of creeping time.
40 days in the desert of temptation.
3 years of misunderstanding.
3 days in the depths of hell.

So we wait for God’s time.
Preparing the way.
Our turn to toil on leveling mountains
and straightening paths.
Our turn to watch the horizon.
Our turn to pass on the hope
that He who promised is faithful and will come back.

 
Source: Worship Trick No.67 on Johnny Baker’s Worship Tricks website.

See also blog post For all the saints
 

Fierce love #2


Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles  (Photo: Irene Bom)
 

Here’s a prayer inspired by Genesis 32:24-28, where Jacob wrestles with God.

O Wrestler
contending with us until daybreak,
holding us in the grip of your argument,
grappling with our questions and doubts,
You who strive to deepen us through struggle,
and strengthen us through adversity:
Hold on to us now
in that fierce love that will never let us go.
Bless us, as you name us, as those who have prevailed.

~ posted on Third Space

Go deeper

– follow the Third Space link above for more on Genesis 32:24-28
– see also Fierce love #1
 

Call of the wild ones


Last year’s clutch of Egyptian goslings behind Rotterdam Central Station
 

On the eve of Ash Wednesday and a new season of Lent, here is a “wild” poem by Joel McKerrow that I found on the Northumbria Community website.

 

As the tamed horse
still hears the call of her wild brothers
and as the farmed goose flaps hopeful wings
as his sisters fly overhead,
so too, perhaps,
the wild ones amongst us
are our only hope in calling us back
to our true nature.
Wild ones
who have not been turned to stone
by the far-reaching grasp of the empire
and its programme of consumer sedation,
the killing of imagination.
Where, my friends,
have the wild ones gone?

Joel McKerrow
 

Can you hear the wild ones calling?

Jesus: ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’ (Mark 4:9)

More Joel McKerrow

Curious to find out more about Joel McKerrow, I found this youtube video featuring another of his “wild” poems: We Dance Wild by Joel McKerrow

You can find the words to “We dance wild” and some backstory on the Abbey of the Arts website.