LENT SOUL SONG VISUAL PRAYER
Psalm 23
Hospitality
“Anoint my head,
and fill my cup to overflowing.” – Psalm 23
Read Psalm 23
- What parts of this Psalm speak to you? Inspire, resonate or call to you?
- What feelings, longings, hopes are evoked in you as you pray this Psalm?
- In what ways is your heart stirred by praying, “I shall not want” or “Nothing needful shall I lack.”
- The shepherd metaphor speaks to a Middle Eastern rural scene. It offers images of green and growing places and deep water that comforts and sustains. It raises the reality of the dangerous places. Where are you finding nourishment for your soul these days? What helps you get through times of being scared?
- The table spread, the cup overflowing, and the anointing with oil speak to an ancient tradition of hospitality. A traveller welcomed in a desert tent was offered protection, shelter and hospitality. Where in your life do you experience protection, shelter and hospitality? Are there ways this Psalm calls you to offer welcome or hospitality to others this week?
- In his organization of the Psalms, Bruggemann names this as a Psalm of “New Orientation.” In these unusual days, how are you giving space to lament. How are you practicing holding hope?
Prayer for Entering this Week
O Gracious One
Sometimes cradling
Holding us deep.
Sometimes splashing
Making us whole.
Sometimes winking
Inviting us close.
Sometimes weeping
Pouring us out.
Sometimes leaving
Giving us space.
Sometimes beckoning
taking us in. (Janice MacLean)
