Beloved, be blessed


 

Litany

based on the life and ministry of Jesus

Come to Galilee and be blessed.
Come, see, and be blessed.
Hear him calling, and be blessed.
Stay with the Lord, and be blessed.
Take root in his land, and be blessed.
Walk along the lakeshore, and be blessed.
Bathe your feet in the water, and be blessed.
Listen to his words, and be blessed.
‘Be merciful and be blessed.’
‘Be a peacemaker and be blessed.’
Marvel at the crowds that follow him, and be blessed.
‘Feed them yourselves’, and be blessed.
‘But I have only five loaves and two fish’, and be blessed.
Watch the sunrise together, and be blessed.
Know the darkness and the light, and be blessed.
Say ‘I love you, Lord’, and be blessed.
Say ‘You know I love you’, and be blessed.
Throw out your nets, and be blessed.
Confront your fears, and be blessed.
Cross over to the other side, and be blessed.
Face into the storm, and be blessed.
Accept your weakness, and be blessed.
Acknowledge your sin, and be blessed.
Ask for healing, and be blessed.
Come to the water of life, and be blessed.
Drink deep of the Lord, and be blessed.
Walk with him on Tabor*, and be blessed.
Know yourself beloved, and be blessed.
Live in the Lord, and be blessed.
Give him space to hold you, and be blessed.
Breathe in his Spirit, and be blessed.
Let go of past pain, and be blessed.
Celebrate your joy, and be blessed.
Sing out your praises, and be blessed.
Stay a while in this place, and be blessed.
Know too when it is time to move on, and be blessed.
Take his love with you, and be blessed.
Set your face for Jerusalem, and be blessed.
 
~ written by Dr. Gareth Byrne, posted on re:worship

 
* Mount Tabor, traditionally identified as the Mount of Transfiguration


From the blog
A healing blessing
Grace upon grace
How good, how pleasant
 

To love as Jesus loved


 

Opening prayer

O God,
you broke down the barriers when you crept in beside us.
In Jesus, your hands touched all, and touched us.
You opened our eyes
to see how the hands of the rich were empty,
and the hearts of the poor were full.
You took the widow’s mite and the child’s loaves
and used them to show us the Kingdom.

Here in the company of the neighbour whom we know
and the stranger in our midst,
and the self from whom we turn,
we ask to love as Jesus loved.

Make this the place and time, good Lord,
when heaven and earth become one,
and we in word and flesh
know ourselves beloved.
Amen.

 
~ from the website of Old South Church in Boston, posted on re:worship


From the blog
3 prayers for the New Year
Table grace
Germinate and grow
 

Deeply loved

 

Litany

(inspired by 1 John 4:19, John 15:12)

How deeply you have loved us, Jesus;
how willingly you stepped into our experience,
how completely you empathised with all that we endure.
Teach us to love as you have loved us.

How sacrificially you have loved us, Jesus;
how completely you gave yourself for us,
how courageously you suffered for our sakes.
Teach us to love as you have loved us.

How restoratively you have loved us, Jesus;
how generously you share your life,
how extravagantly you make yourself available to us.
Teach us to love as you have loved us.

We praise you for your love
which is given so freely and so unconditionally.
And we thank you for believing
that we could learn to offer such love
to each other.
Amen.

 

— written by John van de Laar, posted on Sacredise


From the blog
All my days and forever
In small ways
Theme: Good shepherd  [prayer sheet]
 

Loved


 
Many years ago I spent an hour or so meditating on a short phrase from God’s word to his people as recorded in Jeremiah 31:3:

“I have loved you”

 
As I reflected on my life in relation to these words I was humbled and amazed. Truly, God had loved me, and protected and guided me. Also – maybe especially – in the dark times.

Meditating on these words will do you good too, I’m sure.


From the blog
Show me the way
Theme: Good news  [prayer sheet]
Balm to heal the world
 

God so loved the world

Call to Worship

(based on John 3:16)

For God so loved the world;
the sparrows, the mountain lions,
the fish and the people.

For God so loved the world;
in success and failure,
in sickness and health,
in mediocrity and extraordinary.

For God so loved the world;
enough to become one of us,
enough to suffer along with us,
enough to offer new life for us.

For God so loved the world;
let us worship God!
 

~ written by Katherine Hawker, posted on re:worship


From the blog
3 prayers for the New Year
On the threshold of tomorrow
Looking forward looking back