Keep God's word in this way...

Image from the International Sand Sculpture Festival 2003

The scripture for Word for the Week of September 2 (sidebar) is shorter than usual but filled with potential for prayer and reflection nonetheless. In praying with this scripture, you might consider these reflections, drawn from very different sources.

Where is God’s word to be kept?
Obviously, in the heart, as the prophet says,
"I have hidden your words in my heart,
so that I may not sin against you."

Keep God’s word in this way.
Let it enter your very being,
let it take possession of your desires and your whole way of life.
Feed on goodness and your soul will delight in richness.
Remember to eat your bread or your heart will wither away.
Fill your soul with richness and strength.
If you keep the word of God in this way, it will also keep you.

-St. Bernard of Clairvaux




Lord Jesus,
take possession of my desires:
tame them, heal them,
shape them, mold them,
use them for your glory.

Take possession of my desires,
the rest of my day,
and my whole way of life.

- ConcordPastor




They say that it's never too late,
you don't get any younger
Well, I better learn how to starve the emptiness
- and feed the hunger…

- Indigo Girls

Word for the Week of August 26

Whether or not scholars or pilgrims can locate a particular sermon at a particular location is an issue worthy of discussion, however a number of factors lend credibility to the so-called "Mount of Beatitudes" being a place where Jesus taught the multitudes. Centrally located amidst the places of Jesus' Galilean ministry, it is a large hill with ample space for crowds, and early pilgrims built three churches at the base of the hill.

You'll see that I've posted the new Word for the Week at the top of the sidebar. The suggestion for this week's text came in a comment on one of the posts below.

Here are two articles on the Beatitudes by Jim Forest. The first centers on the meaning of the word blessed in this text and the second, The Ladder of the Beatitudes, is a brief but insightful commentary on this scripture. For Forest's book, The Ladder of the Beatitudes, check here.

Any suggestions for next week's Word for the Week?

Word for the Week

The illustration is by Susanne Moore and is from the St. John's Bible.

It's time to change the Word for the Week in the sidebar. I've chosen Philippians 4:4-9, a portion of which is sometimes read in the liturgy for Advent: The Lord is near!

The text includes a wonderful list of things we should ponder: whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, excellent and worthy of praise...

My hope is that we all might refer to these Word for the Week texts day to day and use them for prayer.

Remember: if you have a suggested text for this spot, I'd be happy to consider it for posting.

Word for the Week

(Click on the illustration above for a larger version of the illumination.)

You'll notice at the top of the sidebar a new entry titled Word of the Week. My plan is to post a new scripture quote each Sunday for our thought and prayer during the week. If you have a favorite scripture (not too, too long!) I'll be happy to consider posting it.

The structure of the illumination above (taken from the St. John's Bible, artwork by Donald Jackson with contributions from Chris Tomlin) reflects the seven-day progression of the Bible's Creation story, with seven vertical strips, one for each day. On the first day, fragmented shapes explode from the primordial void, expressed by the Hebrew words tohu wabohu (chaos). A vertical gold line marks the moment in the story when God ordered, "Let there be light." Day three contains satellite pictures of the Nile Delta, suggesting the division of land and water and the beginnings of vegetation. The creation of human beings on the sixth day is represented by images from aboriginal rock paintings in Africa and Australia. The snake implies dangers to come, in the Garden of Eden. The golden seventh day is given over entirely to the contemplation of the spirit. The raven flying across the composition is the traditional carrier of God's message to Saint Benedict. See the Library of Congress online exhibit of the St. John's Bible here and for more information here.