When the earth shakes, the lightning flashes, the tsunami rolls across the waters; when the snow whites out the roads, the floods wash out bridges and homes, the wildfires rage across the ridges; when the tornados race through town, the hurricanes churn up the coast, the heat waves wipe out crops— then, […]
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Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning’s hush I am the swift uplifting […]
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Dearest Friend, gentle Spirit, breath of live, source of our being, from the peacefulness of silence, the silence that preceded Creation, your Word entered the void and said, ‘Let there be light.’ This afternoon we sit mindful that we are kin and covenanted to that Word and to your light. We are grateful to you, […]
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Appropriate for sharing at a funeral, crematorium service or at a memorial service We give our loved one back to God And just as God first gave them to us And did not lose them in the giving, So we have not lost them in returning them to God. For life is eternal, And love […]
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Inside hopelessness darkness Nothing more, impossible to be less silence, deafening Only fears and despair Echoing off cavern walls I’ve been there, lived there Have you? A hole so deep, so cold No one to hear the screams Hopeless Alone Exhausted longer the stay deeper it becomes The darkness becomes thick Suffocating hopes Choking out […]
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God loves a try-er or so ‘they’ say. And God, you know that I’m trying. But somehow I never feel good enough. There’s always something just beyond my reach; something I can’t get right. And somehow I always seem to let me – and you – down. Living Spirit uplift me, I pray. Breathe a […]
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God, we give you thanks for sending Jesus to give us life. In the midst of wealth we are crushed by poverty, and while we are offered Christ-life in all its fullness, we are surrounded by disease, death and destruction. We are tempted to despair, and yet keep hoping, knowing that you care. At times we […]
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Ezekiel 37:1-14 Breathe on me, breath of God, till I am wholly thine, until this earthly part of me, glows with thy fire divine. Breath of Life, can these bones live? Valleys of dry bones confront us, threatening to separate us from you. Each day, our newspapers highlight the numerous and extensive dry-bone-valleys […]
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Loving, embracing Spirit We strive and we fall often, straight into the safety net of your compassionate embrace. We pick ourselves up and try again, secure in the knowledge that you will always be there for us, and that we are so much more than our successes and failures. Help us to learn from our […]
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Though the original words are exclusive, the sentiment is eternal. The bracketed phrases have been inserted to include everyone… I dream a world where [each person] No other [person] will scorn, Where love will bless the earth And peace its paths adorn I dream a world where all Will know sweet freedom’s way, Where greed […]
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Call and Response One: Humans of God’s creation, we are diverse. Many: We are beautiful. We are unique. We judge each other’s differences, yet our diversity is an illustration of the infinite mystery of God. All: The God in me sees the God in you. One: Humans of God’s creation, we are political. Many: We […]
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God, you are not distant from us You came to us in vulnerability You offered yourself as a gift of love. We pray today for those who are in the midst of darkness The darkness of poverty The darkness of loneliness The darkness of grief The darkness of despair Wherever shadows threaten to overwhelm Wherever […]
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Spring We should celebrate This wildest Erupting In Spring. With colours recklessly Splashed everywhere In this the season of new Daily episodes Of wonder And delight. Autumn is turned on its head: Not the richness the life’s ebbing, But buds bursting Hearts thirsting Green shoots on grey branches Marking Not the end, But a million […]
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Life winds in many connected strands, Most controlled by other hands, We’re often pulled this way and that, Minds changing like the drop of a hat. Their expectations running high, We can only strive and try, Comes a time we clearly see, This is not a life meant for me. The things that matter beyond […]
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World Day of Prayer (formerly Women’s World Day of Prayer) highlights the connection between prayer and action. ‘Informed prayer flows into prayerful action.’ Click here for resources on Prayerful Action from the World Day of Prayer International Committee
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O Holy Spirit, Spirit of God You are Love. Fill our hearts so that we may know how to forgive. How to understand. How to cherish and how to let go. Holy Spirit, you are truth. Teach us the way of Christ. Expose all falseness in our values and cleanse us from prejudice. Give us […]
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The mystery of matrimony “Who brings this woman to be married?” We do. To be married To be coupled To be knotted, twisted together Today tomorrow to death Joining a heritage of still-married Great grands through alcoholism and a debilitating stroke The hospital bed at living room centre Year after year Today tomorrow to death […]
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Year A: Third Sunday of Easter A Prayer based on Acts 2:14a,36-4 God of new beginnings, Today we remember our baptisms: A day shrouded in an infant’s hidden memory A day chiselled in the sharp memory of a teenager A day gloriously shining in the memory of a new convert. Your promises live in […]
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Brittle chilled branches Revealing sacred presence streaked with winter sun –haiku by Ana Gobledale Words for worship and reflection during the winter season: Free images of winter: All photos posted on the Worship Words website may be used for worship and devotional purposes. Please acknowledge the photographer/artist.
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We ask that when we are tired and weary and longing for rest, you come and provide for us. When we cannot find your peace in our country and long for your blessing, provide for us. As we join the great circle of prayer with all the saints, we ask you to come into our […]
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We pray for Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, especially for the Programme of Ecumenical Accompaniment in Colombia which works to support communities affected by the Colombian conflict between government and the FARC rebels. We pray for the farmers of the Finca Alemania co-operative and their children also affected by the current political situation. Amen. The Ecumenical Prayer Cycle […]
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O Christ, you lived as an ordinary man not in style but simply, yet still you caused uproar, and questions everywhere; you drew the expectations of hungry crowds, and brought buried conflicts to the light. May we, who are sometimes swayed by the crowd’s approval, and who often avoid conflict for fear of its cost […]
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