Prayer

Turn Me Back

/ The Pastor

Father God,
I am ever mindful
that You are holy
and I am not.
I go our own way
and chase after other gods.
I am a sinful creature;
seeking my own glory.

Oh God,
heal my heart and turn me back to You,
in the name of Jesus,
for I am a miserable sinner.

And as I seek after You
may I always find a rich mercy
and an abundant grace
to fill my heart and heal my soul;
overflowing to Your glory.
May the joy of Your forgiveness ooze from my being
and infest the lives of others.

Through Jesus Christ I pray,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Unending Praise…

/ The Pastor

Holy God,
it is indeed right and salutary
to give You thanks and praise,
oh God,
our giver of life.
Through Jesus Christ You made us righteous in Your eyes
and thus redeemed our lives from the grip of death.
You sustain us through Your Holy Spirit
and lead us into all Truth.
You have revealed Your glory to us
that we may reflect that Light unto the world around us.
And so,
we go with boldness into this world
to shine the light of Your love and grace.
And as we go,
we join with the Church on earth
and the hosts of heaven
in singing Your unending praise…

The Pastor -|—

The Mission

/ The Pastor

Holy God,
what a relief it is that my
strength,
abilities,
knowledge,
credentials,
and the like
are not what you are looking for
to advance the kingdom of heaven.
As Luther said in his sacristy prayer,
“if it were left up to me I would surely bring it all to ruin”.
That is so true.
Rather,
you call the unqualified to proclaim Your Good News;
qualifying us through the Holy Spirit.
May we keep our eyes on You
and not turn inward; thinking either
“I am not qualified” and thus turn away from the mission,
or think,
“I am pretty good” and thus focus on our abilities; derailing the mission.
Holy God,
through Jesus Christ You redeemed us and empowered us.
May we not abandon the mission
but rather proclaim from the mountain top,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.
All praise, honor, glory and worship be unto You,
oh God,
through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen!

The Pastor -|—

The Call

/ The Pastor

Holy Father,
through Jesus Christ,
You call us to follow and to make disciples
despite the fact that we are sinners;
unqualified.
But You qualify the unqualified;
sending us out to do important work;
announcing that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Oh God,
may we remember
that it’s not about our abilities or knowledge
but rather about Your Spirit giving us what we need.
May we never disqualify ourselves
but rather trust in You,
who qualifies the unqualified,
and that all quality is of Your doing.
And through the quality of Your work in and through us,
may the quantity grow to Your glory.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Qualified

/ The Pastor

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
[Matthew 4:18-20]

Think about it for a second (or two), Jesus called a group of unqualified men to follow him and be the beginning of the Church. No small task, so one would think Jesus would look for only the best. But Jesus doesn’t ask for a resume or a list of references. He doesn’t quiz them to check their knowledge of scripture. He doesn’t inquire about any advanced degrees. Jesus simply approaches these men and says, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men“. Their only qualification was their un-qualification. JESUS made them qualified to be fishers of men. It wasn’t about oratory skills or knowledge or street smarts or financial savvy. It was only about Jesus. He called, they followed and once Jesus died and rose, the Holy Spirit guided them into all Truth.

And so think about it again. If Jesus can use a group of unqualified men to continue a movement of sorts, don’t you think that Jesus can do something amazing through you. Never think that you are unqualified to follow Jesus or be a leader in the church. If you are called, then you are qualified. Just trust in him and follow.

Awesome God,
You called a group of unqualified fishermen
to walk with Jesus
and to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
As Your Spirit led those first disciples
may Your Spirit lead us now in serving You in this world.
May we not bow to the temptation
that we are not good enough
but rather trust in You
that we may give glory to Your holy name.
May we leap out in faith when Jesus calls,
and may we go with the strength and courage of the Holy Spirit.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior we pray,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Desires

/ The Pastor

There’s a Bible camp song that I remember singing that goes something like this:

Lord You are, more precious than silver.
Lord You are, more costly than gold.
Lord you are, are more beautiful than diamonds.
And nothing I desire compares to You.

I never really understood these words then; either as a young camper or as a young, immature camp counselor. We sang the words and for me they flew over my head. But now I read these words and I pray that they are true in my life now. I know there are times that I desire other things over God. There are times I desire other activities other than praying or reading scripture. There are possessions that I have that I value more than God. I reflect on this and I am ashamed. I guess it is therapeutic to write (and read) these words and think about such desires. It forces me reevaluate things and thus realign my desires, because, really, there is nothing more costly, precious or beautiful than God. If you truly think about it you have to agree with me. If you can’t, then you don’t know God through Jesus Christ. And so…

One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
[Psalm 27:4]

Oh God, may I know You better that my desire be for You and for You alone. May I seek Your face. May I desire Your presence. Oh God, You are more precious, costly and beautiful than anything. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Reveal

/ The Pastor

Father God,
I remember at Christmas how
the shepherds hurried from the manger
glorifying and praising You;
revealing Jesus birth to the world.
The wise men revealed Jesus
through their gifts of three.
During this season of Epiphany
may you reveal yourself to me,
through Jesus,
each and everyday
and beyond.
May I see Christ in others.
May I see you in all of creation.
May your light shine through my life.
And as I read your holy Word,
may your promises fly off the page
and into my heart;
revealing over and over again
the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Oh God,
I need constant remembers of your
love.
Continue to reveal Jesus to me.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen!

The Pastor -|—

Much To Do

/ The Pastor

Father God, there’s so much to do;
more presents to buy,
traveling arrangements to make,
sermons to write,
details to nail down,
packing to do,
loose ends to tie up.
and other things that I haven’t thought of yet.
Father God, there’s so much to do.

And in the midst of this “much to do”
I often find myself to focused on the “much to do”.
Help me to take a step back
and gaze into the manger,
to look upon Jesus,
and remember the gift that he is.
May the “much to do” not become my Christmas.
Jesus is the reason.
Jesus is the season,
ALWAYS.

Father God, there’s so much to do,
to make me more like Jesus.
Take me.
Form me.
Mold me.
Shape me.
Transform me.
Make me more like Jesus.

Amen.

The Pastor -|—

The Promise of Christmas

/ The Pastor

Holy Father,
You came bursting onto scene in holy Love
and You paved a way through the wilderness;
straight into Your holy courts
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Your power has defeated
Satan,
sin
and death
and Your love has redeemed your lost children.
May we cling to the promise of Christmas
as we bask in Your glory.
Through Jesus Christ we pray,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Reverberate

/ The Pastor

Father God,
may the song of my praise
reverberate throughout my being
and into all those around me.
May my words about You
reveal my deep love for You.
May my actions
reflect a faith that points to You.
May people know the joy of Your
love
through Christ Jesus my Lord.
And as people receive the Good News of
Jesus,
may the cares of this world
melt into oblivion
as we bask in the hope of the resurrection.
This is my prayer and hope as I being a new day.
All praise and glory and worship and honor
be unto You,
oh God,
through Christ Jesus my Lord.
Amen.

The Pastor -|—