Seraphim, Catalan Art, by seriykotik1970 via flickr CC by-SA 2.0
O God,
You are holy,
and deep within ourselves
where our souls touch the ground,
where our being meets your being,
we are on holy ground
and your holiness surrounds us
and calls our name.
Your holiness is your goodness,
your generosity towards us
and the silence which waits
and hopes and is glad
and disappointed – and waits.
You wait to meet us,
to make us holy with your holiness,
to make us loving with your love,
to make us hopeful with your hope.
In your presence we bow our heads
in shame where we have failed others,
failed ourselves and failed you.
Touch us with the tenderness of your forgiveness.
In your presence we breathe new life
when we dare to be still, to be centred,
to be whole, to be holy.
Set us free to be holy.
Set us free to be for ourselves a place
where sacredness is joy and peace.
And let us be a sacred space for others
and make sacredness for them.
Dwell in us as in a holy temple,
that we may know stillness
and that we may sense the fragrance of your love
and bring that fragrance to
where life is a stench and putrid and stale,
within ourselves and within our world.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
William Loader, 1944- , Australian minister and professor
http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/HolinessPrayer.htm
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“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
prayer & verse 