Bible Based Readings for Reflection and Worship.
An extract from the book
26. Be Still
Be still and know that I am God.
In the rush and the bustle,
In the traffic and the queuing,
Be still and know that I am God.
In the stillness and the boredom,
In the frustration and the pressure,
Be still and know that I am God.
We take a moment, a single moment,
A second to re-orientate ourselves,
Be still and know that I am God.
We open our eyes, unstop our ears,
Look and listen for signs of his presence.
Be still and know that I am God.
The one who treats us so differently,
The one of hope, compassion and respect.
Be still and know that I am God.
Slow to anger, rich in love,
Full of kindness and endless mercy.
Be still and know that I am God.
Psalm 46 v 10
27. For All Time
For a moment all else pauses.
For an eternal split second all sound is gone.
All but the rasp of his single breath,
Encapsulating a billion gasps for air.
His scream, a history of screams.
His cry, an age of weeping.
His aching loneliness, a world of aching, lonely people.
His prayer, an endless stream of pleas.
His being, our being, his pain, our pain.
His hope and longing, our hope and longing.
This moment capturing every last moment of time.
In a gasp.
In a split second.
In an eternal moment.
Dying for all time.
His head bows.
His spirit slips away.
And a quiet tomb awaits resurrection.
John 19 vv 28-30
28. Don’t Give Up
Strengthen the weak hands,
And make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those with aching, fearful hearts,
“Hold on, don’t give up! Your God is on the way.”
The God of strength and justice,
Compassion and salvation.”
Say to those who are struggling,
To those whose light is dimming,
To those whose blood runs cold at times,
To those who wonder about tomorrow.
To those who long for something better,
To those whose prayers have long dried up,
To those who cry from the depths of despair,
To those whose feet seem stuck in life’s mud.
To those who labour and sweat to help others,
To those who refuse to tire of reaching out,
To those whose smiles lift the people they meet,
To those who refuse to let go
Of faithfulness and love.
To those battered by life’s relentless blows,
To those whose days are nothing but desert,
To those whose faith is small,
And to those whose faith is strong,
To those with aching, fearful hearts.
“Hold on, don’t give up! Your God is on the way.
The God of strength and justice,
Compassion and salvation.”
Isaiah 35 vv 3-4
29. Wilderness
The wilderness will blossom, the desert will bloom.
The dry places will break out in songs of praise.
In the mountains and the valleys,
And the plains in between.
In the streets and the cities,
In the towns and the villages.
In the pubs and the churches,
In the sports stadiums and back gardens,
In the lounges and kitchens,
In the bedrooms and hallways.
At school, at work,
And in the places of unemployment,
In the churches and pubs,
In the nightclubs and cinemas,
In the alleys and back streets.
In the schools and the precincts,
In the underpasses and walkways,
In the shouting and silence,
In the busyness and bustle.
In the days and nights,
Through the minutes and years.
The desert will bloom, the wilderness will wake,
And hope will arise as the God of peace arrives.
Isaiah 35
30. My Ways
My ways are not your ways, says the Lord,
My thoughts not yours.
My ways are beyond anything you can imagine,
My thoughts more extraordinary, more wonderful.
My thoughts wiser,
My love richer,
My patience longer lasting.
My faithfulness unending,
My compassion inexhaustible,
My forgiveness always reaching out.
My plans ever-hopeful,
My mercy uncontainable,
My presence limitless,
My light always more powerful than the darkness.
My song for you is a good one,
And my singing of it will never end.
My ways are not your ways, says the Lord,
My love has no limits.
It never ends.
Isaiah 55 vv 8-9
31. Your Song
To be in your song,
To hear your singing of it,
To know it is about me.
To live in its melody,
To understand the lyrics,
To walk in its ways.
To hold onto its purpose,
To be filled with its hope,
To take courage from its meaning,
And direction from its themes.
To know it in the darkness,
The soothing melody of its peace,
To be stirred to action,
To be shaken sometimes.
To know its power,
And absorb its compassion.
To be in your song,
And to hear you singing it.
Zephaniah 3 v 17
32. Creed
We believe we are not an accident.
We believe this world is not as it should be.
We believe in hope.
We believe in truth and kindness.
We admit we are flawed and in inconsistent.
We admit our faith ebbs and flows.
But we believe in a God who has lived on earth.
In a God who understands.
We believe there is more to life
Than we can see and touch.
We believe in Jesus.
In his life, death and resurrection.
We believe these things matter,
And make a crucial difference.
We believe in more than we can describe
In these few lines.
We believe that we have only glimpsed
A fraction of the things of God.
We believe there is more to come.
We believe…
33. Small
My love is small.
My generosity is small.
My strength, my loyalty, my courage,
All small.
My dedication, my patience,
My self-control, my forgiveness,
All small.
My peace, my hope,
My faith, my honesty.
All small.
But you are a God who takes these small offerings
And magnifies them.
In you I have hope.
34. Free Captives
We find ourselves captive to this message,
This story which has set us free.
Prisoners of grace and truth.
The divine jailer setting us free to live with him,
To live for him.
Freed from the restricting principles
Of life without you.
Like slaves on the huge ship of life,
Rowing is hard,
Keeping moving forward is demanding.
But the freedom of your gentle grip
Inspires us,
Breathes life,
Keeps us going.
Keeps us moving towards
Freedom.
2 Corinthians 2 v 14