Soon and Very Soon ~ A Prayer

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

A prayer before preaching on Mark 13:14-31…

Heavenly Father,
Holy God,
Mighty Lord,

we praise you, this morning,
that through faith in Jesus Christ
we can sing with all confidence:
Soon and very soon,
we are going to see the King.
A place where there is no more dying or crying.

What great joy it is to sing this hymn;
hearing You speak words of reassurance through our song.

May we cling to this hope
and may we look
and wait
with longing expectation
the arrival of our King,
Jesus Christ.

May we not grow complacent
and may we not lose hope through tribulation.

And so speak to us.
May Your Spirit move through Your holy Word,
bringing faith to to those who do not believe
and increased hope and confidence
to those who call upon Your holy name.

And so may the words of my mouth
and the meditations of our hearts
be acceptable to You,
oh God,
through Christ Jesus our Lord
and coming King,

Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Sweet Malachi

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

Malachi, sweet Malachi,
today you are one;
growing up fast;
putting a smile on our face every single day,
and touching our hearts along the way.

Malachi, sweet Malachi,
it’s hard to believe, though,
that one year ago
we didn’t know you existed
but God did, and that’s what matters.

Malachi, sweet Malachi,
and even though we weren’t there when you were born,
God was there and that’s what matters,
and even though we weren’t the first to hold you,
God was the first to hold you and that’s what matters too.

Malachi, sweet Malachi,
you may not carry our DNA,
or look similar to us,
but you are our son, forever and ever,
but what matters even more is that you are a child of God.

Malachi, sweet Malachi,
one year ago you entered the world,
to make Mayah a big sister,
and mommy and daddy happy parents of two.
And we love you, sweet Malachi.

Malachi, sweet Malachi,
today we praise God for you,
for bringing you into our lives.
Today is your birthday and
so we shout “Happy birthday” and “God is great”.

Happy first birthday, our sweet Malachi.

The Pastor (Daddy) -|—

Prepare the Soil

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

Prepare the soil of my heart,
Lord,
prepare the soil of my heart
as the seed of Your Word is sown.

Satan lurks,
as a bird waiting for the grain truck
in order to snatch away any stray seeds.
Satan lurks,
as a prowling lion waiting for prey
in order to devour an unsuspecting soul.
Satan lurks,
as a thief scoping out a house
in order to rob it of it’s treasure.

Prepare the soil of my heart,
Lord,
prepare the soil of my heart
as the seed of Your Word is sown.

The world entices,
as a forbidden lover
looking to steal away someone’s love.
The world entices,
as a wolf in sheep’s clothing
looking to deceive unto death.
The world entices,
as a desert mirage
only to provide sand to quench a dry mouth.

Prepare the soil of my heart,
Lord,
prepare the soil of my heart
as the seed of Your Word is sown.

For…

Jesus saves,
that’s it.
Jesus saves.

So…

Prepare the soil of my heart,
Lord,
prepare the soil of my heart
as the seed of Your Word is sown.

The Pastor -|—

A Reformation Prayer

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Let’s pray…

Holy God,
nearly 500 years ago, one man,
Martin Luther,
started a reformation that would change the Church
and the world forever.

But…

we are not here to worship this man
but rather worship You through another man,
Your Son and our Savior,
Jesus Christ.
For it is through Jesus’ death and resurrection
that we are made righteous in Your eyes.
It is through the Holy Spirit
that we come to know this truth.
It is through Your love
that we even have hope in the first place.

So I ask that Your Spirit may move
in,
through and
around us today
as we hear this Word of Truth from Your Holy Word.
May Your Word create, sustain or strengthen faith
and may it not return to You empty.
And through this Word of Truth,
may we be modern day
reformers
as we lead people to Your Son,
Jesus Christ.

All honor
and glory
and worship
and praise
be unto You, holy God, through Christ Jesus our Lord,

Amen.

The Pastor -|—

The Future

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

The future lurks.
It lurks like that boogie man from childhood stories.
The future stalks.
It stalks like those scary Stephen King creatures.
The future waits.
It waits like a predator eyeing it’s prey.

The future is coming,
and all we can do is
wait and
wait and
wait…

And it’s scary,
the not knowing,
being out of control,
not being able to plan and
anticipate and
prepare.

But that’s how the future likes it.
It wants you scared so it can control
you.

But God says, “Fear not”
But I say, “The future is scary”
But God says, “I am your past, present and future“

“I love you, my child”
“I love you, more than you can imagine”
“I created you”
“I shaped you”
“I gave my Son for you”
“I love you, so do not fear“

[goose bumps, sigh, breath, smile]

Take that you lurking, stalking and waiting future.
My God is bigger.
My God is stronger.
My God is my refuge.

Oh God, I wait for YOU…

The Pastor -|—

Water Walker

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

I sit in the boat,
safe,
secure and
content.

I sit in the boat,
looking out,
waiting and
hoping.

I sit in the boat,
seeing Jesus
beckoning me,
and I shudder.

But…

we were not created to be boat sitters,
sight seers or
vacationers
in this dangerous cruise of life.
We we were created to be water walkers,
Faith seekers;
trusting Jesus.

Peter cried out to Jesus to walk on the water
and I sit by watching.
Beckon me to come,
Lord Jesus,
beckon me.
And may I keep my eyes on you, lest I sink.

Make me a water walker and not a boat sitter.
Make me a Jesus follower and not a Jesus spectator.

Oh Lord, Jesus,
I want to walk on the water with you.

The Pastor -|—

Lifeline

/ The Pastor

The ocean is wide and vast.
The ocean is deep and dangerous.
It is a scary place of desolation and death.

And there are people in the ocean

People are struggling to stay afloat.
People are gasping for breath.
People fighting for life.

Slowly drowning

And if you have a lifeline why not throw it?
Why not shout, “Here it is”?
Why not jump in and help people to the boat?

Why not?

Remember that you were once lost.
Remember that you were once drowning.
Remember that you were once dying.

But…

Jesus became your lifeline.
So I ask again,
if you have a lifeline why not throw it?
Why not shout, “Here it is”?
Why not jump in and help people to the boat?

People are drowning.
People are lost.

Toss the lifeline.

The Pastor -|—

Life

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

As I look out my window,
I see lifelessness.
I see naked trees
with fallen leaves;
that which had color now possesses
none.

As I look out my window,
I see lifelessness.
I see empty roads;
quiet streets.
Activity that once was bustling
has gone silent.

As I look out my window,
I see lifelessness
but
I am reminded of the beginning;
a beginning that was chaos and nothing;
nothing but Your Spirit, oh God,
hovering over the waters of the deep.
And so the lifelessness I see is really not lifeless.

You are hovering.

So as I look out my window,
I see Life.
I see beauty,
created by You.
That which I saw as lifeless
really is not.

As I look out my window…

🙂

The Pastor -|—

Intimacy ~ A Prayer before Preaching

/ The Pastor

Holy God,
To seek You in prayer,
is to seek intimacy with the Creator of the universe;
the lover of our souls.
May we not take this moment for granted through
worries or
distractions or
forward looking to some activity.
May we dwell in this moment
but
also be willing to leave this moment and transition back to the mission field. May we hear this proclaimed Word and take it to heart
and not hear these words as just information.
Heal our hearts, oh Lord.
Transform our hearts, oh Lord.
Now may the words of my mouth be Your holy and inspired word.
Grant me boldness and faithfulness.
Grant me the holy desire to speak and preach from the heart
that You may be glorified.
To You be honor and worship through Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Gathering Around Your Word ~ An Opening Prayer

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

Holy God,
mighty and merciful;

send Your Holy Spirit as we gather around Your most holy Word.

May You drive away all that clings to our hearts;
weighing it down.
May You direct our eyes to the cross;
wherein the King of glory died for us.
May we gaze into the empty tomb to see our Savior gone;
risen to New Life for us.

And as we have our attention redirected from the sinful ways of the world,
fill our hearts with Your peace
that we may grow closer to You and
fall into Your loving arms;
not the arms of this decaying world.
May Your word penetrate the hardest of hearts and
draw Your children back to You.

All praise and glory be unto You,
Holy Father,
through Christ Jesus our Lord

Amen.

The Pastor -|—