Tag: prayer

Prayer | Write your own collect

Sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth! (Psalm 96:1)

It is good to pray old prayers, tried and tested by generations of the faithful. It is also good to pray in new ways which reflect changing contexts and priorities, raise up our lives here and now, and anchor the biblical story to our own lives and places. We can, of course, pray freely. But as we create new prayers, sometimes it helps to have a structure.  What follows are instructions for writing your own prayer in a form called the collect. Continue reading “Prayer | Write your own collect” →

John | Slow reading | A promise to sick and tired people (and everyone else!)

On Sunday, more than twice as many people sent in apologies as showed up. If it wasn’t so serious, it would be comic. But we are surrounded by sickness, exhaustion and anxiety. Many of those who aren’t currently sick are worried about becoming sick, or sick again; while many of those who are sick are worried about the long term effects, as yet unknown. Continue reading “John | Slow reading | A promise to sick and tired people (and everyone else!)” →

Luke | The Good Samaritan: A guided meditation

Using sacred imagination to inhabit multiple viewpoints, and to experience healing at the hands of an enemy. (Listen.)

Today, we are going to use our sacred imaginations in a guided meditation. To make the most of this, set aside some time, and allow plenty of space between the questions to wonder and to notice what emerges in you. When you are ready, relax your body; uncross your legs; uncomplicate your heart. Ask God to help you surrender to whatever it is that God wants to do in you or say to you today. Breathe slowly and deeply in, then out. When you are ready, with sacred breath, push open the door. Continue reading “Luke | The Good Samaritan: A guided meditation” →

Psalms | Slow reading | Womb of life, our Sovereign

As we reel at the horror of yet another school shooting, and the obscenity of self-described Christians insisting on the right to carry semi-automatic weapons, it is clear that the sacrifice of children to idols is not a quaint Biblical problem. Instead, it’s a contemporary outrage which causes intense grief to God. But how do we speak, and thus think, of this God? Continue reading “Psalms | Slow reading | Womb of life, our Sovereign” →

Guided meditation: Jesus washes his disciples’ feet

A guided meditation. (Listen.)

Tonight, we are not physically gathered in a room. We cannot pass the peace with hug or handshake; we cannot wash each other’s feet. But our imaginations are not confined. So tonight, allow me to lead you in a guided meditation, and just as our Lord reaches out to us, let us meet one another in the communion of the Holy Spirit. Continue reading “Guided meditation: Jesus washes his disciples’ feet” →

Amos | Slow reading on 26 January

Today is 26 January. It’s a day of formal ceremonies and concerts; festivities and fireworks; citizenship oaths and wattle seedlings; parades and parties; lamb on the barbie—and even WA is invited! Workplaces will be closed, pubs will be full, and our favourite swimming hole will be a sea of flags printed on towels, bikinis and stubbie holders, as people celebrate the construct we call Australia. Continue reading “Amos | Slow reading on 26 January” →

Prayer | Consider creation

‘Do I not fill the earth?’ says God (Jer. 23:24b).
Our ancestor Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely God is in this place, and I didn’t know it!’ (Gen. 28:16). Like Jacob, people have sensed God’s presence in creation for millennia, and perhaps this is why Jesus so often prayed outdoors. What follows is a simple grounding exercise to help you observe God’s presence in the place where you are. Move through the steps in order, or float between them: they are just a tool. And remember, like all spiritual exercises, it gets easier with practice. Continue reading “Prayer | Consider creation” →

Luke | Slow reading | Consider the birds

A few weeks ago, after a hot afternoon gardening, I turned on the sprinkler then collapsed in the shade. Within minutes six New Holland honeyeaters came to drink and bathe. They flitted in and out between the sprinkler spray and the Tree everlasting we planted just over a year ago, and which is now thriving. I considered that these birds neither strive nor toil, yet all their needs are being met, right down to the punk feather haircut which always makes me grin. Continue reading “Luke | Slow reading | Consider the birds” →

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