{"id":5158,"date":"2018-06-03T16:23:20","date_gmt":"2018-06-03T14:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/?p=5158"},"modified":"2018-09-10T20:28:13","modified_gmt":"2018-09-10T18:28:13","slug":"a-new-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2018\/06\/03\/a-new-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"A new nature"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\n(Photo: Irene Bom)<\/span>
\n <\/p>\n

Walking through the Trompenburg Gardens and Arboretum<\/a> in Rotterdam I came upon this cracked stone table, with moss growing in the grooves, marking the damage and in some way repairing it. <\/p>\n

It reminds me of kintsugi<\/a>, the centuries-old Japanese art of fixing broken pottery, with beautiful seams of gold filling the cracks, visibly incorporating the repair into the new piece instead of disguising it.<\/p>\n

Here is a prayer of confession by Cheryl Lawrie<\/strong> that invites us to bring the cracks in our lives and in our world to God for his radical restoration.<\/p>\n

This is the first post in the new series, “Nature”.
\n \n<\/p><\/div>\n

Prayer of Confession<\/h3>\n

(inspired by Mark 1:21-28<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

God,
\nwe thank you for this extraordinary world
\nand its reminders of resilience, grace, hope and life:
\nfor when grass shoots break through concrete
\nwhen the sun emerges after storms
\nfor when people offer laughter in deep sadness
\nIn these moments we see glimpses of who you are \u2013
\nand we are grateful.<\/p>\n

Yet if we reduce you to being like the cycle of nature
\nor the best of humankind,
\nwe diminish your power to make the impossible real:
\nto break apart the impenetrable evils of oppression,
\nto cast out the very real fears that paralyse us
\nto banish the insidious demons of judgement and worthlessness.<\/p>\n

Forgive us God when we do not trust you to deal with the unspeakable awfulness in our lives and world. In the silence we name the parts of our lives and our world that we believe are too broken to ever be made whole.<\/p>\n

Cast out our demons, Lord,
\nMake us new again<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forgive us when we contribute to the brokenness of the world and the lives of people around us. In the silence we name the things we have done that separate us from you and from others.<\/p>\n

Cast out our demons, Lord,
\nMake us new again<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forgive us when we trust darkness more than we trust your light. In the silence we name the things we think we need to keep hidden.<\/p>\n

Cast out our demons, Lord,
\nMake us new again<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scripture says that those who are in Christ are a new creation;
\neverything old has passed away;
\nsee, the new has come!<\/p>\n

Hear then Christ\u2019s word of grace to us:
\n\u2018Your sins are forgiven.\u2019<\/p>\n

Thanks be to God.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 
\n~ written by Cheryl Lawrie and posted on [hold this space]<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\n

see also<\/strong>
\nTheme: God makes all things new<\/a> (Prayer sheet)
\n3 Prayers for endings and beginnings<\/a>
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Photo: Irene Bom)   Walking through the Trompenburg Gardens and Arboretum in Rotterdam I came upon this cracked stone table, with moss growing in the grooves, marking the damage and in some way repairing it. It reminds me of kintsugi, the centuries-old Japanese art of fixing broken pottery, with beautiful seams of gold filling the … Continue reading “A new nature”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[136,3],"tags":[137],"class_list":["post-5158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-confession","category-prayer","tag-nature"],"yoast_head":"\nA new nature - Prayer matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Photo of a cracked stone table with moss filling the grooves. 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Prayer of confession Lord, You are only as far away as the sound of our whispers will travel, yet we so often struggle\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "confession"","block_context":{"text":"confession","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/confession\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/grass_and_legs.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/grass_and_legs.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/grass_and_legs.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/grass_and_legs.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16998,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2026\/02\/23\/the-path-of-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":5158,"position":3},"title":"The path of Christ","author":"Irene Bom","date":"February 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Prayer of confession Almighty God, Creator of the heavens and earth, we confess that we do not always live into the message of hope and salvation, the promise of eternal life. We live in ways that make the here and now more important than the future. We live in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "confession"","block_context":{"text":"confession","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/confession\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/shoe_prints_in_the_snow.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/shoe_prints_in_the_snow.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/shoe_prints_in_the_snow.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/shoe_prints_in_the_snow.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14217,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2023\/06\/14\/make-us-a-chalice\/","url_meta":{"origin":5158,"position":4},"title":"Make us a chalice","author":"Irene Bom","date":"June 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Collage by Irene Bom \u00a0 Prayer of Confession (inspired by Matthew 25:31-46) God of the people, you have called us to walk humbly before you and to share in the struggle with the least of these, yet we have failed to live up to this call. Today, we come before\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "confession"","block_context":{"text":"confession","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/confession\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/wij_en_onze_collage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/wij_en_onze_collage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/wij_en_onze_collage.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/wij_en_onze_collage.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17094,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2026\/04\/13\/free-gift-of-forgiveness\/","url_meta":{"origin":5158,"position":5},"title":"Free gift of forgiveness","author":"Irene Bom","date":"April 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Prayer of Confession We have failed to love you with all our heart and to be good stewards of your creation: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. We have failed to take up the cross of discipleship and to be good stewards of your gospel: Christ, have mercy. Christ,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "confession"","block_context":{"text":"confession","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/confession\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/glass_display.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/glass_display.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/glass_display.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/glass_display.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Irene Bom","author_link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/author\/irenebom-com\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/confession\/\" rel=\"category tag\">confession<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/prayer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">prayer<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"(Photo: Irene Bom)   Walking through the Trompenburg Gardens and Arboretum in Rotterdam I came upon this cracked stone table, with moss growing in the grooves, marking the damage and in some way repairing it. It reminds me of kintsugi, the centuries-old Japanese art of fixing broken pottery, with beautiful seams of gold filling the…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5158\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}