poems, prayers, meditations and reflections to console and uplift the spirit
O Tree of Life, You scatter Your grace Falling as it does In radiance around You Bearing beauty’s blessing. Let it stir in me an awe Savoring sight and scent Of Your descending Awakening in me Your call to the same Marvelous motion Of radiating love Without exception. Let Your petal blossoms Bearing fragrant incense […]
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There are two sides to every picture, the front and the back, looking out and looking in; the picture is seen differently from different perspectives. I remember a time of waiting – a time of frustration and of hope, a time of planning and re-planning, a time of not knowing. I remember thinking, ‘What do […]
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God, fill me to overflowing. Empty me of the bile of disdain, the sour taste of harsh judgement, the hurtful bite of sarcasm, the sharp nettle of scorn. Open my mouth and my hand that all the bile juices might flow out and away, that I might be free, left clean. Fill me now with […]
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Today’s lament What’s this pit in my stomach, God? Where has my equilibrium gone? Why does my trust waver? Events, some which have not yet transpired, fill me with fear. The writing – bold crude graffiti – seems to be on the walls Surrounding my thoughts Love, break through Hope, shine relentlessly into this darkness […]
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While this was originally written for the First Sunday of Advent, it might be used any day. God doesn’t ask us to believe in the future. God calls us to believe the future in! Without vision, people perish. God doesn’t ask us to believe in love. God asks us to believe love in, by what […]
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Water falls from the ledge, Cascading rhythm. Marking time, pacing life, Upstream, downstream. Flowing shower, rainbow maker. Sunshine splinters, renegade drops That glitter on leaves, flowers, ferns And plunge roaring into the depths Where waves pulse the shore Dancing to the tune Of your perfect time. Summer flower birthed from the spring button Warmth and […]
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Inspired by a ‘Shamanic Journey’ into the Dordogne Caves of France to respectfully view the 30,000 year-old prehistoric art, paintings and etchings buried beneath mud, perhaps from a landslide, for 18,000 years. This might be used in an Eco-spirituality service, inviting participants to reflect on their experiences of God through/in nature and history. The animal […]
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‘Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos’ – Matthew Fox ‘Love-giver’ — Kate McIlhagga, UK By what name shall the unknowable be called? More names for the Holy One Image: ColourWeaving, created by David Yeo Poulton, UK
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Where do you live, God? Where can I find you abiding? I find you in moments of awe – breathing in the odour of lavender I find you in moments of wonder – looking across the icy waters toward the snow-covered hills I find you in moments of anxiety—lighting the flame of a devotional candle […]
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I am the wick You are the flame I am the silence You are the presence I am the space You are the stillness I do not know how to pray as I ought But I hold still and you pray in me. I am the seen You are the rest Visit Steve’s blog, Unfolding Light, […]
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Day’s beginning O God, You have birthed the world And us. You have washed us, Dressed us, Fed us, Set us on our way in the school of life. Give us courage to stand strong, To meet all that comes our way with kindness, Learn from all with an open heart, And remember always That […]
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God of my breath, may the leaves of your trees in their billions open in me. The waves of the sea eternally bowing in prayer move in me. The cry of the hawk echoing in the canyon resound in me. The blessing rain coming down like tears, like hair, like a mother’s milk, come down […]
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Daily Prayer, by Shantideva, Buddhist sage 700 A.D., India Prayer performed each morning by His Holiness the Dalai Lama May I be a guard for those who need protection A guide for those on the path A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood May I be a lamp […]
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Along the dirt path, past golden grasses nodding in the breeze and stubby juniper trees studded with pale blue-green aromatic berries, through narrows the water rushes, falling over steeps in smooth sheets. Around bends it tumbles, creating backflows that spin into eddies. We are whirlpools in the stream of the universe, eddies consisting of eddies […]
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This could be read by numerous readers (perhaps passing it around a circle) or in the traditional one/many responsive reading style. It might be used for a nightime reading with a child or with a group out under the summer stars. One: Holy darkness, hold us. Many: Gentle darkness, soothe us. One: Peaceful darkness, heal […]
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Loving God, Draw everything of me Into the mystery of You Bending the barrenness Of winter’s weary wait Toward Your leading light Hinting at things to come. Let everything of me Be swayed toward You Resisting every wind Of the world’s uprooting Often blowing within Daring to break my resolve To follow Your Christ-love Wherever […]
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The singular (me/I) might be replaced with the plural (us/we) for a prayer to include in corporate worship. Your hands hold me They meet me in prayer They comfort my spirit They show me that you care Your hands reach out to me They tell me that love forgives They lead me to a place […]
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God, who wanted and willed me into life, so often I come to you with needs to be met. Seldom I come with joy for all that has been given. Re-sensitize me today to the silent ministries of your quiet gifts, the rest and renewal of last night, the freshness and feeling of this morning, […]
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Thoughts upon watching a small child dance with a handful of fallen leaves Fallen Wind-blown Brittle Cracked, cracking An autumn leaf Lifted in the fingers of a child Awed at the brilliance of fire orange And the prominent vein tracks Held high During the dance Twirling Eyes upturned to the heavens Delight In the face […]
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This might be used as a corporate prayer, substituting ‘we’ for I’. It might also be used at a service of affirmation — an induction, ordination, baptism, re-commitment or confirmation, substituting ‘you’ for ‘I’. May I…. Hands at third eye centre: May I see things as they really are, and not as how I want […]
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Mothering God, Love me anew into life Bearing the birth Of a new beginning I cannot yet see Nor fully understand Yet know I need. Press into me a pulse Enlivening every deadness Shedding every fear Bearing necessary pain For new beginnings Required for this life You renew to rise. Grant me grace O Mothering […]
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This reflection might be read on Easter morning, or during a time of meditation, having distributed a hazelnut for each participant to hold. Text: Wee, wizened pod of latent life, dormant hope protecting, I hold your power entire within my hand and wonder […]
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Before you know it, your kid’s childhood is over and she’s gone off to college. Before you know it, your vacation is over and it’s time to go back to work. Before you know it, the storm has passed and the sky is clear. Before you know it, way too much of your life has […]
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Loving is sharing in beauty. Living is sharing in the earth’s great cycles–life and death, crucifixion and resurrection, germination and bloom, sorrow and wonder and solace. Our sorrow is deep. Our connection, pulsing too. Practicing resurrection is recognizing the love that flows through the heart of the world. Being alive is a gift. Tuning into […]
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The Phenomenon of Prayer I’d love to say that I pray without ceasing, but I do, cease that is. I would love to say that I pray with understanding, but I often pray from a place of not-knowing. I would love to say that I pray with a deep sense of connection to the Spirit, […]
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So how do I know what you intend for me? What can I draw on to find the strength that I need? What word can comfort, what arms can embrace So I hear your words calling and look at your face? So how do I go from where I find myself now? How do you […]
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Inspired by words of Julian of Norwich: ‘All shall be well and all manner of things shall be well for there is a force of love moving through the universe that holds us fast and we never let us go.’ Never let go Though it’s hard to hold on This love will hold you And […]
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The nights are closing in, And darkness descends. Sometimes I feel lost in the dark, Wondering where you are; If you’ve left me. At times like these, Remind me of your presence and love And help me, Gently, to educate my feelings To fall in line with the truth of your promises. Enable me to […]
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Pentecost 8, Year A Matthew 13: 31-33 Let us prepare our souls to receive the sacred myth of scripture. Breathe deep, keep a moment of silence; release any preconceptions you might have about the meaning of the passage, open your heart to new revelations that may arise. Then read the text aloud: Jesus put before […]
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Let this be a sacred time, O God, in which I let what has begun, gradually grow, finding within me the patience and trust that allows me to tend my concerns with wisdom. This prayer by Annie Heppenstall was distributed at Gloucester Cathedral during the ‘Museum of the Moon’ exhibition in October 2019.
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When I lit a candle in Hereford Cathedral, I picked up a card that reads: The shrine of St Thomas of Hereford: a place where pilgrims have left their prayer for hundreds of years. Lighting a candle is a prayer When we have gone it stays alight — continuing our prayers of thanksgiving and intercession […]
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Eternal God, we turn to you knowing you are the source of the living water for which we thirst. Living water, In faith, we lift our prayer to you. We pray for those, like the woman by the well, confronted by their own reality and being invited to step boldly into the unknown. May they […]
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New voices from Zambia… In times of despair I look to Victoria Falls and the mighty Zambezi river, Where does my help come from? My help and comfort come from you, Creator of all things. You protect me from any form of accident. You are ever alert, watching over me. I will never be harmed […]
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Thank you for my eyes that help me see the world. Thank you for my ears that bring music to my soul. Thank you for my feet that keep me on the ground. Thank you for my hands that I can wave around. For fingers and toes, Mouth and nose, Chin and hair, And even […]
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In the silence The clarity of your voice, Climbs high Upon the eagle’s wings. The chains of doubt That imprison my soul, Fall away beneath my feet. In the freedom and majesty Of the sentinel’s gaze, Faith is strengthened And hope returned To a weary heart, Upon the silent flight Of eagle’s wings. Chris posts […]
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Inspired by Psalm 23 God is my shelter, my protection, and my guide. I want for nothing, and I will practice thanksgiving! God invites me to places of peace and beauty where wildflowers bloom and mountain streams flow. God will restore me, and I will practice sabbath rest. Even when anxiety and fear threaten to […]
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Written April 2018 during a time of personal reflection in the Lady Chapel, Ely Cathedral, UK, following the bombing of Syria by the US and the UK. Broken Bombed Darkness descends How did it come to this? God groans The world whimpers. We cower Fearfully crying out, ‘Which way?’ What about our grandchildren? Follow the […]
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Stilling the storms of life, a guided reflection Text: Mark 4:35-41 NRSV (Lection 5th Sunday of Pentecost, Year B) Prior to reading the passage, set the scene: Jesus’s days, filled with healing and teaching by the lakeside, have tired him and the disciples out. In chapter 3 he asks for a boat to stand […]
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Ever felt uncomfortable praying ‘Lead us not into temptation’? Ever wondered why God would need to be asked to refrain from leading us toward that which tempts us? The French Catholic Church (Bishops, March 2018) has altered their translation of this troubling petition to read: ‘Ne nous laisse pas entrer en tentation.’ In English: ‘Do not […]
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