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A liturgy for the slow drip of relationship. oh, Shepherd, Great and Kind, how my soul aches in this place. the months, semesters, & years have drawn on and I have lost count of all the coffee cups, bowls, & plates that words & hearts have been shared over. how my soul aches in this place. some days I see an understanding of You in their eyes, yet, other days, it’s as if they have heard nothing at all. some days I see a beautiful trust between us deepening, yet, other days, I feel like a transaction & see a great indifference to the Deeper things. all the while, my Good, Good Father, the world around me cascades with darkness that suffocates. it ’s dissonant humming fills the streets & pours from windows. my friends, neighbours, & community are clouded by it as it drips from voiceless beings laden with gold, voices in temples, & smoke that rises in futility. did you not call me, oh Faithful One, to be a burning flame of what You have spoken? did you not also call me to lose my life so that others might also find the path of life? why, then, oh Overseer of all, does it take so long? when I tried to understand all of this, it troubled me deeply till I entered Your Sanctuary, oh Strength of my Heart. You’ve allowed me to walk every with You & You guide me by Your Word. after all these things, You will take me into Your Promised Land by Your timing. though the Days feel like a crescive evil, You are Greater. from this, Oh Keeper of the Times, may patience, endurance, & perseverance flow from the Seal of the Inheritance within. may it cause me to remember that all the moments invested in a body leads to trust in a mind yielding depths in a soul. for she plants & he waters, but You are the one who causes the growth. though wondering remains & the weight of these thoughts is pressing at times, You, oh My Portion Forever, remind me gently that the slow drip of relationship building is worth it all because Your Word & Testimonies declare You shape drips into waterfalls. אָמֵן Amen

A liturgy for celebration. Celebration! You speak of this repeatedly. It seems to be in Your very nature, and I often forget the joy of it. I forget that You want us to live life abundantly, enduring with You through the sorrows as well as dancing with You in the joys. My heart rejoices in these things! Today I choose to celebrate what’s around me. I celebrate the unique beauty in the faces that I pass each day - each with their story, each with their dreams. I celebrate the honor of walking these streets, of meetings so many - all made in Your image; the fruit stands and sweet aunties selling their vegetables on the side of busy intersections; the little ones strapped in wicker baskets on their grandparents’ backs; the businessmen and women with their minds on the to-do lists of the day; the sweet older gentlemen playing cards while their wives dance with their friends in the park. What beautiful stories they could each tell. My heart rejoices in these things! I celebrate the honor bestowed on me in a workplace by many who outrank me in education, experience, and wisdom, yet who treat me as an equal. The smiles in the market, the welcoming comments that I sometimes brush past. I celebrate this unique opportunity to be like a child again. I get to learn from this culture, asking questions, leaning on others, and even leaning into my own weaknesses. My heart rejoices in these things! I take time to celebrate the hospitality that is shown to me on a regular basis, knowing that this is truly not my home. The welcoming smiles, the innocent questions, and the many gifts to bring me into their world. I have been welcomed by many, and that is a kindness I never want to overlook. I celebrate the friendships that You’ve provided, the meals together, the random conversations with strangers, the unexpected moments of depth in budding friendships, and the open welcoming spirit of so many in my host country. My heart rejoices in these things! I celebrate this home away from Home, reminded that - even in all of these joys - I don’t belong here. Ultimately, I celebrate how I see the fingerprints of Love. How it is sung by the most graceful of swans down to the smallest of swallows, displayed with the rise of the sun and repeated with its faithful setting. How it is shown in the diversity of experiences, personalities, and opinions. It’s in every heartbeat, every longing for something deeper. A truer purpose, and identity greater than ourselves. It calls out to the oppressed, the weary, and the abandoned. Ultimately, may I never forget to celebrate how this borrowed home is just a small taste of my true Home. My heart rejoices in these things! Amen.

A liturgy for reimagining traditions as a holiday reflection. Holy King, We come to the end of another year, carrying the 365 days of learning, growth, sorrows, joys, and everything in between. Let us embrace every thought and hope that comes along with this time of reflection.  Those emotions that feel so complicated and difficult to understand.  The grief of missing home. Leaving behind family and friends and traditions that we have grown up with.  The grief of feeling distant from it all and understanding that celebrations still happen without us.  Those emotions of joy that come along with the snow and decorations of Advent. The joy of embracing new cultures and different celebrations. Embracing our newly made traditions and the found family around us.  The joy of sharing a season often dear and near to our hearts as we celebrate the long-awaited coming of our King of Kings.  May we embrace the missing of beautiful mountain tops and replace it with the joy of vast, mysterious deserts. May we embrace the loss of white winters and replace it with the joy of tropical warmth and humidity. May we embrace the grief of leaving familiar climates and replace it with the joy of new experiences. In this season where we look back and think through the moments that have shaped our year, We ask that you meet us where we are. May You see all the sensations we have walked through and guide us. For we rest in this promise – we are a people shaped by You. A King whose very being brings unimaginable joy, Yet also weeps and grieves the brokenness of our world.  May we embrace them both.  We breathe out worry Breathe in peace. May we reflect on this past year, accepting any and all emotions that may come with it.  The joy and laughter, The worries and sorrows, The hardships and growths, The learning and endurance. May we give each feeling the time it needs and grace for each one to guide us on our journeys. And in the tension of it all, between what was and what will be, Let our hearts be surprised by, shaped by,  Warmed by, remade by,  The joy that dwells forever within and stretches out its hand to hold us gently. May we be made whole in You, O God.  Amen.

A liturgy for the heart of TCKs. This precious life you’ve entrusted in my care -  may their heart be inclined toward You, their Creator; in their joy, grief, and loss a tender heart ready to receive Your love.  As they wipe off tears on their pillows in the wake of constant hellos and goodbyes, their hearts scattered in different countries, questioning, “When will I see them again?” In the unsettledness, yearning, longing -  may they hear Your voice of… Beloved; Beloved; Beloved.  A soft heart thirsty for the Father’s never-ending love, the One who holds them through it all; when they feel different from those around them, when they don’t understand what’s spoken -  give them hearts ready to welcome Your song of… Beloved; Beloved; Beloved.  Their gaze beholding You as they embrace multiple cultures; privileged to experience more dimensions of You in what’s reflected; endowing them with -  eyes to view others the way You see them, a heart filled with compassion, hands ready to love in action,  a mouth speaking Your words of truth… Beloved; Beloved; Beloved.  No matter what lands they go to, whatever horizons explored -  may the fullness of Your love invade their soul, Anchoring them to the Rock, their feet firmly rooted in You as their Home… Beloved; Beloved; Beloved.  Known,  received,  embraced,  as Your face shines upon them - delight! Amen

A liturgy for meandering through the market. Father, thank you for the abundance of food around me. From the street vendors who roll out dough to fry, to shops with sliced fruit packed for immediate consumption, and for drink carts that help satisfy that desire for a little something hot or cold. Bless the hands of those who labor here, as they wake up early or  work long nights, waiting for customers to arrive. Dad, you see their labor just as you see mine. May I be sensitive to you as I move through the market, with eyes open ready to engage with kindness and curiosity, as I marvel over their harvest or the skillful work of their hands. Dad, you see their labor just as you see mine. Cleanse me of any attitude of pride or self-importance as I engage with those who labor in markets. Help me to think well of them as we negotiate for the best price. All the while trusting you to meet my needs and theirs. Grant me the patience to see them as you do—people in need of grace, and perhaps a Shepherd, too. Dad, you see their labor just as you see mine. As I walk through streets lined with various goods and the smell of food fills the air, may my words and interactions with those who labor here be  filled with salt and grace. Amen.

A liturgy for surrendering and receiving. As I find myself in a new place, I catch myself thinking I’m alone facing this world and trying to do things for You, but the truth is You go before me, wanting me to do this with You. With all things, You are inviting me to say, “I surrender, and I receive all that is before me.” I surrender  the old, and all I knew.  I receive  this invitation to trust that you allotted all my days and relationships.  I surrender  time in order to know you more.  I receive  this invitation to commune with You by valuing space and time for stillness.  I surrender  my unhealthy self-reliance.  I receive  the beauty of being limited by asking You and my community for help.  I surrender  my pride and my agenda. I receive  Your invitation to have an open heart and mind to go with Your speed and Your lead.  I surrender  my expectations of colleagues, work, and friends.  I receive  Your eyes and heart to see and love people where they are.  I surrender  the desire to be known, noticed, and praised.  I receive  this invitation to behold You and honor others.  I surrender  my felt need to pack my calendar with people, appointments, and tasks. I receive  Your invitation to a patient, purposeful life of Your presence, peace, and pace.  I surrender  to embracing new people and places.  I receive  this invitation to explore and be stretched.  I surrender  imposing my sense of busyness that squeezes out Your counsel and purposes.  I receive  the invitation to delight in Your will, walk in Your ways, and trust the community You’ve placed me in.  As I enter this new season, I surrender and receive all You have for me. I know You are good, and all Your ways are steadfast love and faithfulness.  Amen Jessica Y.

A liturgy for knowing and being known in community. As my routines settle into place , I thank You  for the friendships that will develop and for those that will continue to mature. Community is such a big part of Your heart. May it continue to grow in importance in mine. Father, teach me the balance of seeking a sense of belonging in my city while also being rooted in where my true belonging lies. Co-workers, shop owners, students, neighbors, guards, baristas, waiters, other expats - whoever You have for me, may I welcome them with Your hospitality and peace. Wherever I go, may those around me feel seen, known, and loved.  As I press forward to know and be known by others , guard me from self-protection  that has the potential to get between me and those around me. As You were a servant, may I be a servant. As You invited others to share in the joys and difficulties of Your life, help me as I seek to let others in. As You displayed the truest kindness and love, may my hands, feet, words, and expressions display Your heart.  As I press forward to know and be known by others , guard me from seeking to show a perfect version of myself  - as I cannot show True Love while creating a mask of flawlessness. Instead of self-protection, may I die to myself daily. As You chose us, may I choose others. Teach me to have healthy boundaries, not leaning too far on the side of solitude nor filling my time in a way that tangles my soul in knots.  As I press forward to know and be known by others , guard me from attempting to build friendships in my own power . As working without Your leading is futile, so too is pouring myself out without Your love. Teach me to be a conduit of Your peace, protection, loyalty, encouragement, and love. And may I never forget the One who goes before me.  As I press forward to know and be known by others , guard me from making assumptions . May I follow You in asking questions. May I listen with attentiveness. May I follow Your example of being willing to stop, to see, to feel, and then and only then to act. May I have the discernment to know when to offer help and when to quietly listen. If I must assume, may I assume the best. If I must confront, may it be done through care. When I don’t know what to say, give me the words. When I can’t seem to connect, help build a bridge.  As I press forward to know and be known by others , may I first rest  in the beautiful truth that I myself am seen, known, and loved perfectly and fully by You.  Amen

A liturgy for seeking daily bread in the ways we eat and dine. Glorious One,  You are all that is good.  You meet us where we are,  You seek us and draw near to us.  You are intentional,  You are patient,  You are ever present.  Beloved One,  we come into this space to bring You glory, not our own.  Hallowed be Your name. As we find ourselves in spaces where things are unfamiliar,  help us to have your Kingdom vision before us.  Your kingdom come, Your will be done.  As we eat together,  may we strive to reflect Your agenda.  In the spaces You have brought us to,  may we take part in every opportunity to sow seeds.  May Your kingdom come at every table,  every meal,  every treat,  every coffee shop encounter.  May Your will be done in restaurants,  in tea shops,  in homes,  in canteens.  As we meander through snack streets or busy food courts,  we bless the ones who walk around us and serve us.  Over every meal,we bless the ones who sit with us.  Even in the seemingly insignificant food deliveries or coffee runs,  we bless the ones who prepare the food  and the ones who travel the distance.  Give Your people the eyes to see the Kingdom at hand.  We strive to see the harvest grow in this place.  We seek to see the ones around us at the table of the wedding feast.  Give us this day our daily bread.  At every table, may we be reminded that You satisfy.  You are our Bread of Life, the one who sustains  and the one who gives all that we need.  As we dine with our dear community members,  may we also lift the needs of our students and friends.  Help us to see beyond the physical daily bread before us.  One who Helps and refines us,  stir in our hearts a longing for eternal contentment found in the Bread of Life.  Equip us with boldness to ask and petition.  Give us eyes to see and ears to hear.  Give them their daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.  As we come before You and re-align our hearts with Your ways,  we seek forgiveness in our stubbornness, pride, or impatience.  Gracious One,  reveal to us the times where we have been quick to assume or quick to speak.  Make known to me my offensive ways and lead me in the path of your delight. In our own discomfort and lack of familiarity with newness of food or different cuisines,  we have failed to see the culture of love experienced in this space.  In our language acquisition and difficulties in understanding,  we confess that we have been impatient when ordering food, and frustrated when deliveries were less than satisfactory. Helper, refine our posture to be one that is open-handed and compassionate.  Wherever we gather for a meal, may we be quick to try new things, quick to speak and act in Truth, and slow to judge or push away.  May we be quick to serve one another and may we be slow to anger.  Remind us to extend the grace You have graciously given to us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  Lead your beloved in hungering and thirsting for righteousness as we walk to meet with students or co-workers for meals and as we converse and eat together.  Lead us in the ways that the Son would dine with people from all backgrounds.  Keep us from the temptation to regard meals as simply a time to eat, to see the food as “weird” or inconvenient, or to see the ones we commune with as distant or too different.  May we share the value of food in this culture beyond the dishes set before us.  We surrender our sense of what is “normal” to consume or to do at the table.  May we zoom out and see the significance of eating together as Your Son did in the homes of those who were curious.  Keep us from feeling fear or hesitant to engage – not just in the diversity of plates spinning around, but more importantly, towards the people sitting with us.  Holy One,  Yours is the kingdom.  May we not forget who we serve as we eat with those You have blessed us in knowing.  Yours is the power.  We trust that You go before us as we interact with new foods, curiosity, and the generosity of the culture we live in.  Yours is the glory.  Whether we eat or drink, we strive to do all things for Your glory and Yours alone,  Forever and ever. Amen.

A liturgy for remembering our leaders. Father, you are One of order. I thank You for the leaders You’ve put in charge of the affairs of me and my team-- from residence permits, to airport pickups, to welcome dinners, providing an office space to work and meet with students, and help with finding housing- I thank You for them. I ask You to bless them and the work You’ve given them. Give them wisdom as they navigate relationships at home and  At work  bless the task they’ve been given to maneuver cross-cultural relationships with foreign staff. When situations arise that are out my control and theirs, help me to remember that You are Sovereign. Instead of trying to push for my will to be done, may I pause and seek Your wisdom for each situation- great or small. May I remember that You rule and reign over class sizes, textbooks choices, cancellations, leaky faucets, start dates, unexpected moves, visa runs, and every other thing that concerns Your beloved. I ask You to bless and deepen my relationship with those in leadership over me. Help me to remember that they are people with hopes, fears and limitations, just like me. Help me to remember that we are in this broken world together striving to make a difference, take care of loved ones, and live at peace with those around us. Dad, have mercy. For the leaders who are thoughtful in their preparations for me,  I thank You for their diligence and the ease of working with them. For the leaders who are not as conscientious, I thank You for them too. Their weaknesses or inattentiveness remind me that I too need grace in areas where I am lacking in ability or  for the times when I too leave  tasks undone.  Dad, have mercy. Thank you for the ways I can grow in learning how to show respect and kindness to the leaders over me, even when it’s challenging.  Thank you for the patience they show toward me and my team,  when our requests and lack of cultural understanding frustrates them.  Help me remember that I’m not the only one being stretched.  Dad, have mercy on me, on them, on us. Amen

A liturgy for the start of a new semester. I look around and see and hear signs of a campus coming back to life after a break: students rolling their suitcases to their dormitories dining hall staff unloading goods the sound of brooms sweeping across pavement clearing fallen leaves teachers chatting as they walk to class Each person valuable and filling an important role It’s exciting. Yet, if I’m honest the new start also brings anxiety about the unknown. Just what will this semester be like? Giver of peace, quiet these questions of doubt and anxiety that fill my mind: Am I really equipped to work in this place? Can I teach and manage all of these classes? Will I get along well with my new co-workers? Will my students like me? Will the work I do here make a difference? When my heart gets anxious may I speak to my soul and say: The one who called you is faithful, He will do it. He has prepared good works for you to do, and in His timing He will bring them to pass. I am not alone. He will strengthen me and help me. I am held by His mighty right hand. I am loved with an everlasting love that is not rooted in how I perform. One who knows all, You lack nothing. Everything I need is in You. Would You change these anxious thoughts about myself and turn my heart and mind toYour greater purposes. Please show me where You are at work. Open my eyes to the needs around me: in my classroom, in my department, on my team, and in the community You’ve placed me in. May I not be overwhelmed by the needs around me, but instead may the vision You provide be my guide. One who created all things, help me to design a curriculum that equips students for the work that is ahead of them. Grant me the ability to know how to both encourage and challenge them. One who determines my steps, would You allow me to cross paths with just the people You want me to befriend. May I be ready to serve the stranger- old or young, friendly or unfriendly, charismatic or odd. You love all. Giver of life, make me and my co-laborers a sweet fragrance of You to those we meet. May the resources, gifts and talents You’ve placed in us bless those we encounter, no matter how long we are here. Master, unless you build it, we labor in vain. I ask for you to do the building through us. Give us a  vision for what You want to accomplish this semester, and may we not just  do what is familiar or comfortable for us, but what will benefit others and lead to flourishing for those around us. May Your will be done. Amen.

A liturgy for personal health. I walk the halls of the hospital again. It was all new to me when I first arrived years ago. I wanted comfort, but its comfort felt so uncomfortable to me. It came not at the hands of my loved ones but through the help of my new colleague.   Many times after, it has come, not through the familiar but through the foreign. It has come through the words of students, reminding me of my body’s need for more of this and less of that and through texts from friends, insisting I rest more. Their reminders echo Your call to Wisdom. Help me heed Your wisdom. It has come through hospitality from teammates who make an extra pot of soup or watch my children. Their kindness imitates Your humble service. Help me receive Your service.   It has come through health care workers who have taken time to send texts out of hours or who have even gone the extra distance to check in on me at my own home. Their faithful presence in time of need reflects Your own unchanging nature. Help me reflect on Your nature.    It has come through the hands of the nurses and doctors who encounter every disease, tirelessly working for the lives of others. Their healing hands are a whisper of Your kingdom, their patience and meticulous care a mirror of Your loving-kindness, and their courage to face sickness, brokenness, and death, an allusion to the One who conquered these realities once and for all.   Help the foreign become familiar and the uncomfortable become comforting. Help me receive their hands as Your hands, a gift given in my time of need. As they reach out to embrace me, the foreigner, may I reach out to embrace them, loving them as myself. And as they touch the brokenness of my body may the reality of Your body broken manifest in our interactions, touching them back, healing their  brokenness, For not one of us is well; we all cry out for a Doctor. May the broken body serve as a reminder of the body broken. For us. For them. Amen. —Jean Morton

A liturgy for transitions in the staying. Father, they say that change is the only constant. Maybe this saying is meant to provide me with comfort, yet I am not consoled. One more year ends, another season of life comes to a close, and more major shifts ensue. But because you, O Eternam One, are the same yesterday, today, and forever, I will not fret the transitions in life; I will proclaim that You alone are the only constant, and that knowledge carries much joy and assurance for the road ahead. However, sometimes I am weak. I am not sure I can bear another move, a new team, a change in role. My self-defined search for permanence and stability always seems to escape. Another term ends, goodbyes are said, tears are shed, all while preparing for the newness to come. I should always be joyous at the new ways you are using my skills and gifts to bless others, and thankful for the ways new people and circumstances are being used to form and shape me more into the image of your Son, but I admit that at times I am anxious about the unknown. I confess that this is one area of imitating your Son in which I am unlearned. I look for a home on earth; he had no place to lay His head. I lay out disturbance-free plans; he saw the opportunities in the interruptions. I seek to keep my friends close; he blessed His friends to go and tell. Teach me Your ways, O Master, for You are in the changes before me. Thank you for delighting in using me, your servant, as you deem best. You are my Rock and the Overarching Constant that sustains me in the transitions. What joy it is to follow Your leading because that is where goodness awaits me! You are good and You never change; You will be good in this next season. You are kind and You never change; You will be kind to me in this next season. You are faithful and You never change; You will be faithful to me in this next season. I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know You hold tomorrow. Amen Written by Michael