Poets & Saints

Scripture   Isaiah 30:21 (NRSV)    And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left,   your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,   “This is the way; walk in it.” Refrain   The voice of God is gentle and trustworthy. Poem   Macrina Wiederkehr    “O God,   help me to believe the truth about myself— ...

Scripture   Exodus 20:8–11 (NRSV)    Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.   Six days you shall labor and do all your work.   But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God;   you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter,   your male or female slave, your livestock,   or the alien resident in your towns....

Scripture   1 Kings 19:11–12 (NRSV)    Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains   and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord,   but the Lord was not in the wind;   and after the wind an earthquake,   but the Lord was not in the earthquake;   and after the earthquake a fire,   but the Lord...

Scripture   Matthew 6:25–27 (NRSV)    Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,   what you will eat or what you will drink,   or about your body, what you will wear.   Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?   Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns,   and yet...

Scripture   Psalm 46:10 (NRSV)    Be still, and know that I am God!   I am exalted among the nations,   I am exalted in the earth. Refrain   In stillness, I remember who I am. Poem   Howard Thurman    “There is in every person an inward sea,   and in that sea there is an island,   and on that island is an alt...

Scripture   Psalm 94:18–19 (NRSV)    When I thought, “My foot is slipping,”   your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.   When the cares of my heart are many,   your consolations cheer my soul. Refrain   Mercy is holding me now. Quote  Henri Nouwen , from The Return of the Prodigal Son “You have to trust that the place where you are b...

Scripture   Philippians 1:6 (NRSV)    I am confident of this,   that the one who began a good work among you   will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. Refrain   I am being shaped by grace. Quote Pierre Teilhard de Chardin    “Above all, trust in the slow work of God.   We are quite naturally impatient in everythi...

Scripture   Luke 18:13–14 (NRSV)    But the tax collector, standing far off,   would not even look up to heaven,   but was beating his breast and saying,   “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”   I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other;   for all who exalt themselves will be humbled,  ...

Scripture   Romans 8:26 (NRSV)    Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness;   for we do not know how to pray as we ought,   but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. Refrain   What I can’t say, God still receives. Quote  The Cloud of Unknowing    “Lift up your heart to God   with a gentle stirring o...

Scripture   Psalm 139:23–24 (NRSV)    Search me, O God, and know my heart;   test me and know my thoughts.   See if there is any wicked way in me,   and lead me in the way everlasting. Refrain   Even the broken parts belong. Quote  John O’Donohue , from To Bless the Space Between Us  “There is a quiet light that shines in every...

Scripture   Zephaniah 3:17 (NRSV)    The Lord, your God, is in your midst,   a warrior who gives victory;   He will rejoice over you with gladness,   He will renew you in His love;   He will exult over you with loud singing. Refrain   I am the object of divine delight. Poem   Julian of Norwich    “The greates...

Scripture   Psalm 23:5 (NRSV)    You prepare a table before me   in the presence of my enemies;   You anoint my head with oil;   my cup overflows. Refrain   Even here, I am welcome at the table. Quote Henri Nouwen , from Life of the Beloved   “The world says, ‘Prove that you are worth something—fight, climb, earn.’   B...

Scripture   Nehemiah 8:10 (NRSV)    Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine   and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared,   for this day is holy to our Lord;   and do not be grieved,   for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Refrain   Joy is not naive—it’s courageous. Poem&nbs...

Scripture   Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NRSV)    He has made everything suitable for its time;   moreover, He has put a sense of eternity into their minds,   yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. Refrain   Beauty blesses me when I slow down to see. Quote Makoto Fujimura , from Art + Faith “Beauty is not a luxury. &nb...

Scripture   Psalm 30:5 (NRSV)    For His anger is but for a moment;   His favor is for a lifetime.   Weeping may linger for the night,   but joy comes with the morning. Refrain   Even here, joy is still possible. Poem   Frederick Buechner , from Secrets in the Dark “Joy is home.   And I think the reason we sometimes ha...

Scripture   Genesis 32:24–30 (NRSV, abridged)    Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.   When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob,   he struck him on the hip socket;   and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.   Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.”   Bu...

Scripture   Luke 4:1–2, 13 (NRSV)    Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan   and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,   where for forty days He was tempted by the devil.   He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, He was famished...   When the devil had finished every test,   he dep...

Scripture   Psalm 18:28 (NRSV)    It is You who light my lamp;   the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. Refrain   Even here, Your light finds me. Poem   Christian Wiman , from My Bright Abyss “God goes, belonging to every riven thing He’s made   singing without sound,   a light so terrible it will erase the darkness you have k...

Scripture   Matthew 6:25–26 (NRSV)    Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,   or about your body, what you will wear.   Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?   Look at the birds of the air;   they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns,   and yet...

Scripture   Hosea 2:14 (NRSV)    Therefore, I will now allure her,   and bring her into the wilderness,   and speak tenderly to her. Refrain   The wilderness may feel empty but God is here. Poem   Barbara Brown Taylor , from *Learning to Walk in the Dark*   “New life starts in the dark.   Whether it is a seed in the gr...

Scripture   John 15:4–5 (NRSV)    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.   I am the vine, you are the branches.   Those who abide in Me and I in them bear much fruit,   because apart from Me you can do nothing. Refrai...

Scripture   Luke 15:20 (NRSV)    But while he was still far off,   his father saw him and was filled with compassion;   he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Refrain   You waited for me without shame. Quote Brennan Manning , from *The Ragamuffin Gospel*   “Jesus came not for the spiritually elite but for the wobbly and weak-k...

Scripture   Micah 6:8 (NRSV)    He has told you, O mortal, what is good;   and what does the Lord require of you   but to do justice, and to love kindness,   and to walk humbly with your God? Refrain   What is simple is often most sacred. Poem   Wendell Berry , from *The Mad Farmer Liberation Front*   “Love the quick p...

Scripture   Matthew 11:28–30 (NRSV)    “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,   and I will give you rest.   Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;   for I am gentle and humble in heart,   and you will find rest for your souls.   For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Refrain   I l...

Scripture   Psalm 139:23–24 (NRSV)    Search me, O God, and know my heart;   test me and know my thoughts.   See if there is any wicked way in me,   and lead me in the way everlasting. Refrain   In stillness, You show me who I truly am. Quote Thomas R. Kelly , from *A Testament of Devotion*   “Deep within us all there is a wonde...