Poets & Saints

Scripture   Luke 2:6–7    While they were there, the time came for Mary to deliver her child.  And she gave birth to her firstborn son  and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place in the guest room. Refrain   God is found in the ordinary. Quote / Poem   Madeleine L’Engle , from Walking on Water “There is n...

Scripture   John 1:14 (NRSVUE)    And the Word became flesh and lived among us,   and we have seen his glory,   the glory as of a father’s only son,   full of grace and truth. Refrain   God is closer than I imagined. Quote / Poem   Meister Eckhart    “God is nearer to me than I am to myself.   My being depend...

Scripture   Luke 1:38 (NRSVUE)    Then Mary said,   “Here am I, the servant of the Lord;   let it be with me according to your word.”   Then the angel departed from her. Refrain   I make room for God. Quote / Poem   Jan Richardson    “This is a season   for making room—   for letting the heart ...

Scripture   Deuteronomy 33:27 (NRSVUE)    The eternal God is your dwelling place,   and underneath are the everlasting arms. Refrain   I am held in God. Quote / Poem   Julian of Norwich    “For I saw no wrath in God,   only mercy.   And I saw that we are all held,   and shall be held,   in love—&nbs...

Scripture   1 John 4:16 (NRSVUE)    So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.   God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God,   and God abides in them. Refrain   God’s love moves through me. Quote / Poem   Howard Thurman    “When love is present,   it does not force its way.   It cre...

Scripture   Philippians 2:3 (NRSVUE)    Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,   but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Refrain   I am free to be small and loved. Quote / Poem   Meister Eckhart    “The more completely you are able   to empty yourself,   the more room God has to act within you.&n...

Scripture   Habakkuk 2:3 (NRSVUE)    For there is still a vision for the appointed time;   it speaks of the end and does not lie.   If it seems to tarry, wait for it;   it will surely come, it will not delay. Refrain   I trust the slow work of God. Quote / Poem   Parker J. Palmer , from *Let Your Life Speak*   “Before...

Scripture   John 15:4 (NRSVUE)    Abide in me as I abide in you.   Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself   unless it abides in the vine,   neither can you unless you abide in me. Refrain   I choose to abide in love. Quote / Poem   Evelyn Underhill    “The spiritual life is not a career of effort   bu...

Scripture   Romans 15:13 (NRSVUE)    May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,   so that you may abound in hope   by the power of the Holy Spirit. Refrain   Hope rises within me by the Spirit of God. Quote / Poem   John O’Donohue    “Hope is not a prediction of the future.   It is a companion fo...

Scripture   Psalm 103:8 (NRSVUE)    The Lord is merciful and gracious,   slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Refrain   God’s love is patient with my becoming. Quote / Poem   Julian of Norwich    “God is never surprised by our weakness,   never offended by our slowness.   For He sees us not merely as we are,&...

Scripture   Psalm 34:17 (NRSVUE)    When the righteous cry for help,   the Lord hears   and rescues them from all their troubles. Refrain   God hears me in every breath. Quote / Poem   Teresa of Ávila    “Prayer is not thinking much,   but loving much.   It is the quiet turning of the heart   toward...

Scripture   Psalm 16:5 (NRSVUE)    The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;   you hold my lot. Refrain   In God, this moment is enough. Quote / Poem   Richard Rohr    “We do not find God   in the future we are anxiously building,   but in the present we are constantly overlooking.   Grace is not what we earn...

Scripture   Psalm 143:10 (NRSVUE)    Teach me the way I should go,   for to you I lift up my soul. Refrain   God leads me even when the path is unclear. Quote / Poem   Macrina Wiederkehr    “Guide me, O God of the journey,   for in the mystery that lies ahead   I cannot travel by sight.   But if You walk with...

Scripture   Revelation 21:5 (NRSVUE)    And the one who was seated on the throne said,   “See, I am making all things new.” Refrain   God is making all things new—including me. Quote / Poem   Thomas Merton    “There is in all visible things   a hidden wholeness—   a divine seed   waiting for the moment &...

Scripture   Genesis 28:16 (NRSVUE)    Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said,   “Surely the Lord is in this place—   and I did not know it!” Refrain   God is here, in this very moment. Quote / Poem   David Whyte    “Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity.   To walk the world awake   is to see the...

Scripture   John 17:21 (NRSVUE)    “…that they may all be one.   As you, Father, are in me and I am in you,   may they also be in us…” Refrain   I am invited into union with God. Quote / Poem   Meister Eckhart    “God is always at home.   It is we who have gone out for a walk.   Yet the soul that returns to i...

Scripture   Romans 8:16 (NRSVUE)    It is that very Spirit   bearing witness with our spirit   that we are children of God. Refrain   The Spirit speaks within me. Quote / Poem   St. Symeon the New Theologian    “God is not far away.   The fire of the Spirit   shines within your heart,   warming, ill...

Scripture   Acts 17:28 (NRSVUE)    For “In him we live and move and have our being,”   as even some of your own poets have said,   “For we too are his offspring.” Refrain   God is in all things, and all things are in God. Quote / Poem   Teilhard de Chardin    “By virtue of creation,   not one of us is ever far from God...

Scripture   Genesis 12:2 (NRSVUE)    I will make of you a great nation,   and I will bless you, and make your name great,   so that you will be a blessing. Refrain   The blessing I receive becomes the blessing I give. Quote / Poem   John O’Donohue    “May the gifts you have been given   find their way into the world.&n...

Scripture   Isaiah 41:10 (NRSVUE)    Do not fear, for I am with you;   do not be afraid, for I am your God.   I will strengthen you, I will help you;   I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Refrain   God holds me when I cannot hold myself. Quote / Poem   Frederick Buechner    “Faith is not a clenched fist&nbs...

Scripture   Psalm 32:10 (NRSVUE)    Many are the torments of the wicked,   but steadfast love surrounds   those who trust in the Lord. Refrain   I am surrounded by mercy. Quote / Poem   Julian of Norwich    “God is nearer to us than our own soul,   for we are endlessly held   in His vast and tender mercy.&nbs...

Scripture   Jeremiah 17:7–8 (NRSVUE)    Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,   whose trust is the Lord.   They shall be like a tree planted by water,   sending out its roots by the stream.   It shall not fear when heat comes,   and its leaves shall stay green;   in the year of drought it is not anxious,  ...

Scripture   Psalm 119:105 (NRSVUE)    Your word is a lamp to my feet   and a light to my path. Refrain   God guides me one step at a time. Quote / Poem   Eugene Peterson    “God’s direction is not a spotlight   that floods the horizon with certainty.   It is a lamp—   small enough to carry,   bright...

Scripture   Psalm 51:10 (NRSVUE)    Create in me a clean heart, O God,   and put a new and right spirit within me. Refrain   God renews me from the inside out. Quote / Poem   Howard Thurman    “There is in every person   a quiet center,   a place of renewal   where God whispers life again.   Return...

Scripture   Isaiah 43:1 (NRSVUE)    But now thus says the Lord…   “I have called you by name,   you are mine.” Refrain   I am the one God loves. Quote / Poem   Brennan Manning    “Define yourself radically   as one beloved by God.   This is the true self   every other voice tries to silence. &n...