Liturgies for Wholeness: 60 Prayers to Encounter the Depth, Creativity, and Friendship of God in Ordinary Moments

by Audrey Elledge, Elizabeth Moore

Sixty modern and inspiring liturgies that offer compassionate insight to nurture your soul, from the bestselling authors of Liturgies for Hope.

“A voice of reassurance and a much needed reminder of the hope we have.”—Joshua Luke Smith, performing artist, pastor, and author

What if my current life is preparing me for something I can’t see?
Oh God, when I feel overlooked and forgotten,
when I ache to be important,
redirect my heart to You who remembers me.

When your spirit is restless and you can’t find the words, these modern-day liturgies help you articulate your brokenness to the God who calls you beloved.

The lyrical prayers in Liturgies for Wholeness name our longings—the ache for physical rest, the grief over something we never had, the desire for healing in a relationship—even as they call us to notice the blessing of washing our face and watching nightfall and sink deep into an awareness of God’s presence.

Divided into eight sections—including Mind, Senses, Body, Home, and Community—these liturgies can be read communally or individually to bring you into greater intimacy with God. Each prayer includes related Scripture references to offer you further opportunity for meditation and reflection.

With each liturgy in Liturgies for Wholeness, may you sense God’s deep desire for you and may you delight in the only One who can make you whole.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Christian, Faith

209 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 20, 2024

Reviews

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book invites all of us – in suffering and in celebration – into a loving communion with God.

What a joy it was to experience cover to cover, even if some of the liturgies were not applicable to the current period of my life. I can see myself reaching for so many of these prayers when I’m at a loss for words.

This collection of liturgies ranges from the broad “A Liturgy for Anger” to the more niche “A Liturgy for Browsing a Museum” or “A Liturgy for Washing Your Face.”

In addition to the prayers, there are also blessings, which feel like being encouraged and mentored by a wise friend.

Overall, this book is stunning. It would make a great bedside table book or a thoughtful gift!

Thank you to WaterBrook Multnomah and NetGalley for the e-arc!

[Sami Grace Danley · Rating 4 out of 5]

These words are powerful, intentional, welcoming, and encouraging. They helped me see and understand the Lord better. They are gentle but strong and trustworthy. I recommend this to anyone!!!!! The sections gradually expand from “for the mind” to “for the world,” breathing life into any experience you might undertake

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prayers in this book are so relatable and cover a wide range of topics. This would be a wonderful book to come back to again and again. A quote I love: “May we give and receive grace in generous doses, for the journey to wholeness will take time and creativity and a multitude of mistakes, but the work will surely be completed. We are led by a faithful Guide.”

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first encountered authors Audrey Elledge and Elizabeth Moore with their debut book LITURGIES FOR HOPE, and I was delighted to see they followed that up with LITURGIES FOR WHOLENESS. I have been drawn to contemporary liturgies, and LITURGIES FOR WHOLENESS fits the bill with a host of welcome readings to suit a wide range of contemporary circumstances.

The liturgies are ordered by the mind, senses, body, heart, soul, home, community, and world. Within those sections, we have blessings for air travel, washing your face, weary parenting, found community, roommates, a dinner party, healthy boundaries, loss of a pregnancy, browsing a museum, unplugging, imperfection, and dozens more. Each one concludes with a list of bible verses that influenced the liturgy.

I read this as a reviewer, from beginning to end, and yet time and again I found myself pausing to rest on a timely reminder, marking it to return to again later. This would be a perfect resource to have at hand, undoubtedly bound to have suitable words for many situations. What a gift to bring together words for circumstances when we might be at a loss. 

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)  

[Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this throughout the year! Some prayers in this one were meaningful to me and carried me through some tough times. I liked picking it up over and over whenever I had moments that needed prayer and I wasn't quite sure where to start.

"Thank you for revealing yourself through these small wonders. Open our eyes even more to these daily miracles so that we may join them in their song."

[Nadiya Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fast read that I want to sit with before fully rating! Loved reading and would recommend. A good companion to Liturgies for Hope!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It never occurred to me that they might write another book but I am SO GLAD that they did! This one had so many prayers that will bless a lot of my friends in their current seasons. A lot of these prayers are more specific than the last book, but there are still plenty that can be prayed by anyone. Just as beautiful and touching as the previous book, Liturgies For Wholeness will bless you. I will be buying this book when it comes out and I hope to use it sometimes in my Bible study!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own and favorable review was not required.

[Sara Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many different prayers that relate to all seasons of your life! When you don’t have the words to say picking up this book is such a sweet form of comfort and praise to our Father.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having received Liturgies for Hope, I was delighted to see Liturgies for Wholeness become available. It is a gift. A balm. An invitation to direct our focus to Christ in every situation - in overthinking, in imperfection, in panic, in unplugging, in napping, in diagnosis, in healing, in acceptance, in confusion, in grief, in weariness, in anger, in the mundane, in home, in challenging times. These liturgies are gentle and full of wisdom. It is a blessing to have sisters with whom we can worship God. It's a blessing to pray in their footsteps, to reorient our hearts, to consider how to bring these things to the Lord and see Him rightly. I am happy to recommend this book to you all.

[Sam Files · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Waterbrook Multnomah Publicity team and Netgalley for this opportunity to read this book early as an advanced reader copy. I LOVED Audrey and Elizabeths first liturgy book and bought a copy for everyone I knew. I was PUMPED to hear them announce their second volume.

This volume brings me to tears easily. The first book was more situational - so some liturgies applied to my life whereas a lot of them didn't and just weren't the season I was in (I loved reading them still and sending them to other people!). This book I feel will have many many liturgies that apply to each reader. The book is segmented into sections: For the Mind, For the Senses, For the Body, For the Heart, For the Soul, For the Home, For the Community, and For the World.

Some of my favorites so far include: a blessing for imperfection, A liturgy for the morning, A liturgy for loving your body, A liturgy for falling in love, a Liturgy for forgiving a parent, A liturgy for accepting yourself, A liturgy for unanswered prayers, A liturgy for grieving the loss of something you never had, a blessing for a dinner party, A liturgy of gratitude for your community, A liturgy for those overwhelmed by the news- just to name a few.

Go buy this book when it releases (February 20, 2024)- then buy a copy for everyone you know.

[Kaitlyn Bouchillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I reviewed the first book of liturgies from Audrey and Elizabeth (titled Liturgies for Hope), I ended with "5 stars. Please, write another." I'm so glad they did.

Once again, this collection of liturgies is fresh, lovely and honest. I smiled. I cried. I bookmarked/highlighted 30 sections (that's a lot for any book, but especially considering the length of 60 liturgies). I finished the digital ARC and went right over to pre-order a physical copy so I can mark up the pages and set it on my bookshelf -- right next to Liturgies of Hope, a collection that I hope continues to grow. Here's a small sampling of liturgies (one from each section) you'll find within the pages:

A Liturgy for Right After a Panic Attack
A Liturgy for Napping
A Liturgy for a Diagnosis
A Liturgy for Waiting for a Response After Putting Yourself Out There
A Liturgy for New Seasons of Life
A Liturgy for an Ordinary Day at Home
A Liturgy for a Trip to the Grocery Store
A Liturgy for Those Overwhelmed by the News

5 stars. Please, write another. (Again.)

[Marylou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this book. It is a series of prayers presented as poems or psalms for a variety of occasions. The categories are for the mind, for the senses, for the body, for the heart, for the soul, for the home, for the community, and for the world. I am reading it slowly and pondering each prayer. The sixty prayers cover a lot, and are beautiful. I particularly enjoyed the liturgy for aging and a blessing for loving when you don't feel like it. The liturgies for napping and for visiting a museum were also very good. I highly recommend this as an addition to anyone's library.

[Tristann Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly loved this book. Beautiful and touching, these liturgies give voice to prayers and praise in multiple areas and circumstances. Even in liturgies that don't really apply to my current circumstances I found thoughts, prayers, and praises that that spoke to me and touched me in this season of my life. I can see myself returning to book over and over again.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to sharing it with friends and family once it is released.

[Julia Shelburne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains liturgies/prayers for a wide variety of circumstances - from going to the grocery store to being overwhelmed by the news to being a new parent and so much in between. This is meant to be read according to the applicable situation rather than straight through in one sitting. The writing is beautiful and I appreciate the verse references for each liturgy to take the prayers a step further.

Thank you NetGalley and WaterBrook for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

[Caroline Ragsdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved “Liturgies for Hope” and am loving “Liturgies for Wholeness.” Both provide words to pray and meditate upon for a variety of life experiences - from the lighthearted to the deeply broken. (At a party last month, we read “A Liturgy for Dancing” before teaching a line dance - ha!) Each liturgy has a set of corresponding scripture references, which are also great resources. Both books make great gifts!

[Jess Debanné · Rating 5 out of 5]

gentle, generous and thoughtful. these prayers have carried me when words fail me. this collection of liturgies—for the mind, the senses, the body, the heart, the soul, the home, the community, the world—speak to the heart cries of countless ordinary moments that make up our lives. i’m so grateful to its authors for the gift of their imagination and their words.

[KJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not to be read in one sitting, but easy and gentle enough to do so. Generous prayers, poems, and prose for those trying to each area of their lives (and dreams, celebrations, and even griefs) an offering.

[Gea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully prayerful book to guide through all the seasons of life, with Liturgies for the ordinary events of life such as sleeping, getting a haircut, falling in love and even washing your face.

[Hagan Gross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strealy showed me this book last summer and what a blessing it has been! I have jumped around reading the liturgies that apply to certain situations but desired to read them all through!!

how sweet to sit and read these liturgies about our common experiences and life’s highs and lows!

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the liturgies & writing out some/all of the included scripture references has been one of the best quiet time tools I've yet to experience. What to do while I wait for the authors to write another book?! 🤔

[Audrey Elledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

☀️

[Elizabeth Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

💛🧡

[Ann Herrold · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not the target audience

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful tool for conversation with the Lord and study of scripture. It was given to me by a friend and I have been using it in my daily quiet time each morning. So encouraging!

[hendersweet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some lovely lines. The prayers I resonated with outweighed the ones I didn’t. Overall, though, I prefer their first book to this one.

[Addy Gaines · Rating 5 out of 5]

A balm for the soul. I especially love the liturgy for teachers. There has never been a truer prayer written.

[Hannah Stovall · Rating 4 out of 5]

“May awe be the filter through which we experience the ordinary.”

[kaitlin sides · Rating 5 out of 5]

yay this book was so awesome!! finishing this book in the prayer tent was a sweet ending to reading this awesome book!!

[Drew Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this collection of liturgies for everyday life. Similar to Every Moment Holy.

[Bella Seelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Also have read this throughout my summers at camp. So great to remind yourself of the Truth of the Gospel