Revitalize Your Church

Give us your Spirit, Lord. Grant us a peaceful day, — when evening comes we will praise you with joy and purity of heart. Give us your Spirit, Lord. Let your splendor rest upon us today, — direct the work of our hands. Give us your Spirit, Lord. May your face shine upon us and keep us in peace, — may your strong arm protect us. Give us your Spirit, Lord. Look kindly on all who put their trust in our prayers, — fill them with every bodily and spiritual grace. Give us your Spirit, Lord. Amen From Monday Prayer for Monday in Ordinary Time

The flags in town are half mast today .  It seems we've had more than our share of "half-mastings" recently. The flags represent our hearts -- they're at half mast too. As the flags go down, our prayers go up.

The other day,as we sat at the dinner table, I asked, "Have we prayed yet?" Saying a quick blessing over food does not necessarily constitute a prayer from the heart.. Prayer is profoundly sacred space,. A meaningful conversation with Almighty God, the Great Creator of the Universe -- the Group of all Being and Essence of Everything, is certainly something to remember. If we can't recall whether or not we've had such a conversation, then we probably haven't prayed yet. There's a significant difference between really praying and mumbling a few words with your eyes closed.

Explaining our new MorningSong worship service to my friend, Bob, I said,  "It will be a fresh expression of old traditions.  We will read passages from both Testaments, sing the great hymns, have communion every Sunday and recite ancient prayers." "Ancient prayers?"  Bob replied, "How about Luke 18:11?   'God, I thank you that I am not like other people -- robbers, evildoers -- an even this tax collector.'" "I think we will skip that ancient prayer." Just because it's old doesn't mean it's good.

All that I am, Lord, I place into your hands. All that I do, Lord, I place into your hands. Everything I work for I place into your hands. Everything I hope for I place into your hands. The troubles that weary me I place into your hands. The thoughts that disturb me I place into your hands. Each that I pray for I place into your hands. Each that I care for I place into your hands. . . Keep me close to you, Lord. Keep me close to you. I lift my hands to you, Lord, I lift them up to you. Hands, Lord, Your gift to us, We stretch them up to You. Always You hold us. Help me to find my happiness in my acceptance of what is Your will for me in friendly eyes, in work well done, in quietness born of trust, and most of all, in the awareness of Your presence in my spirit. -- Oswald of Northumbria (605-642)

O Lord and Master of my life, give me not a spirit of sloth, of despondency, of lost or of vain talking; but bestow on me, thy servant, a spirit of chastity, of humility, of patience and love. You, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own errors and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen -- St. Ephraim

I shared this prayer in church yesterday morning: Dear God, please untie the knots that are in my mind, my heart and my life. Remove the have nots, the can nots and the do nots that I have in my mind. Erase the will nots, may nots , and might nots that find a home in my heart. Release me from the could nots, would nots and should nots that obstruct my life. And most of all, dear God, I ask that you remove from my mind my heart and my life all of the am nots that I have allowed to hold me back, especially the thought that I am not good enough. Amen. (Author Unknown -- HT Fr. Austin Fleming )

Nosinan ishpimi eaivn, tvkkijiinenjigade iu kidishinikazouin. Kitogimauiuin tvpitvguishinomvgvt. Enendvmvn tvizhijigem oma aki, tibishko iuidi ishpimi. Mizhishinam sv nongum gizhigvk iu gemijiia. Gaie uebinamauishinam iniu nimbataizhiuebiziuininanin, ezhiuebinamauvidua igiu mejitotauividjig. Kego gvguedibenimishikaen ninguji jishobiziia, gaie mitaguenimauishinam mvjiaiiuishvn. Kin sv kitibendam iu ogimauiuin, gaie iu gvshkieuiziuin,gaie bishigendaguziuin, kakinik apine go kakinik. Amen.

RX For Spiritual Health: Starting Ash Wednesday (Feb. 25) and continuing though Easter Sunday (April 12) Take Two Spiritual Pills Three Times a Day 1) Before You Get Out of Bed: “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24) “Satisfy me in the morning with your unfailing love that I may sing for joy and be glad all my days. (Psalm 90:14) 2) At Mid-Day, During Lunch: “All things work together for good for those who love the Lord” (Rom. 8:28) “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13) 3) In the Evening as You are Preparing for Bed: “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you, alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." (Psalm 4:8) “When I lie down, I will not be afraid. When I lie down, my sleep will be sweet." (Prov. 3:24)

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far on the way; Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray. Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee, Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee; Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand, True to our God, True to our native land. James Weldon Johnson (Quoted in benediction prayer at the inauguration by Joseph Lowrey)

Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy Holy protection, that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of obedience, and to entertain a Brotherly affection and love for one another as fellow citizens. May we be pleased to do justice, to love mercy, and to conduct ourselves in charity, humility and gentle temper of mind, which were the charactistics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion , and without whose humble example we can never hope to be a happy nation. God grant us our supplication through Jesus Christ our Lord. Bishop Robinson would be HORRIFIED!

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, grant us peace

God be in my head and in my understanding; God be in my eyes and in my looking; God be in my mouth and in my speaking; God be in my heart and in my thinking; God be at my end and in my departing -- appeared in a 1514 "Book of Hours" (Cambridge) and then later published in Salisbury (Sarum) England in 1558

"The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything ." -- Julian of Norwich

In light of my last post fretting money issues -- I have an update. I spent some extra time with the Lord this morning in the sanctuary, praying about our church's financial situation. I opened my Bible to Lamentations 3 -- and this verse jumped off the page and into my heart: "Because of His great love for us, we are NOT consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness." That makes me want to shout!

"A man can not lead others where he is not willing to go himself. Therefore, beware of the prayerless church leader who no longer readily admits his own need for more of the person and power of Jesus Christ. Only a seeking, praying heart can truly encourage spiritual HUNGER in others!" – David Smithers

Here's a powerful article by Bob Hostetler, on how to pray specifically for your children. It's really good. I copied it off and put it in my Bible to enrich my prayers for my own kids-- 31 ways to pray, or one for each day of the month!

When the gospel first came to Africa, some of the early converts became so passionate about prayer that they built their own private prayer huts. Each hut was set aside for just one person, and a path used only by that person led up to its door. If someone neglected the loving discipline of prayer, guess what happened. Grass would begin to grow on his or her path. The straying brother or sister’s best friends were those with the courage to say, “I love you, and I see there’s grass growing on your path.” In other words, I love you enough to correct you. You’re not doing what God has called you to do. -- Craig Groeschl in Chazown

Three kings bow before the infant in a manger. The heartwarming image touches our hearts as we open our Christmas cards. Of course -- there's a lot to the story we don't know. 1. We don't know if they were kings. The Bible says they were "wise men" or "magi". 2. We don't know if there were three of them. Tradtion says so, but the only thing we know for sure is that they brought three gifts. 3. We don't know if they showed up at the manger. Again, the Christmas narrative tells us star appeared two years before. Some scholars say that Jesus, then, was two years old when the wise men showed up. As a sentimentalist, however, I'd like to think that there were three wise men and that the star appeared two years before his birth, so they actaully showed up at the manger on that special night along with the shepherds (can't prove it -- but then, nobody can disprove it either, and it sure helps with the logistics of our Christmas pageant) There...

I'm preaching a sermon series on the Prayers of Christmas. Last week, I spoke on Mary's prayer -- the Magnificat. This Sunday, I'm speaking on Joseph's prayer. Now, here's a challenge for you -- what was Joseph's prayer? Hint: You'll have to guess at his prayer, because he didn't speak it. There aren't ANY recorded words spoken by Joseph. Still -- I can guarantee you, he prayed! His was a silent, deep down prayer. I'll say what I think on Sunday morning -- and it's very similiar to the prayer I have in my own heart right now.