Holy God,
through the good work of Jesus Christ You have sent me on a good mission for Your glory,
works prepared by Your good, mighty and holy hands.
Help me to see the good work You have for me
and may I never take credit for any good work I do.
It is all for Your glory,
as any good work I do is empowered by You.
Oh God,
thank you for beginning in me this good work,
as I long to bring it to completion.
Until then,
help me by Your Spirit.
In Jesus good name I pray,
Amen.
Jesus
Come
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)
Father God,
Expectations, to-do lists, physical limitations, selfish desires competing with godly desires –
they, and so much more, all weigh me down.
They all weary my soul.
Thus,
I lay them down before You in the name of Jesus. Take it all, O God, take it all.
Release me
Free me
Unburden me
Send me out unfettered. Let nothing weigh me down. Let nothing hold me back. Let nothing get in the way. Let nothing stop me from giving You the glory that You deserve and desire.
Oh God, I come to You and You alone.
In the name of Jesus I pray,
Amen!
Yes, Jesus Died For You, O Sinner
The following is my article that was published in The News Tribune (Tacoma) yesterday (Easter Sunday). To God be the glory!
He has RISEN! He has RISEN indeed! ALLELUIA!
Yes, Jesus has risen, and he reigns on high with the Father. Jesus, though crucified, rose and defeated death and thus gave all believers the hope of the resurrection to eternal life. And Jesus did this because you needed to be reconciled to the Father.
From the prophet Isaiah, the 53rd chapter…
Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—everyone—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
This prophecy from Isaiah, written about 700 years before Jesus, foretells Jesus’ death and resurrection for sinners. Jesus was pierced. Jesus was crushed. Jesus died as God laid upon him the iniquity of us all. Yes, you are a sinner. Like sheep, you have and continue to go astray. Like sheep, when given the chance, you turn to your own way. And, like sheep, you are defenseless against the wolf – Satan.
You may think you are fine. You may think you are faithful. You may even think that at the very least you are not as bad as some other people out there. This Easter thing is just a tradition you do that includes the pastor preaching the same ole message about Jesus rising from the grave. But let me tell you something – there is much more to Easter than that. In fact, you are worse than you think. I love the quote from one of my favorite pastor/theologians – Charles Spurgeon – that says, “If any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him; for you are worse than he thinks you to be.”
Peter thought he was a faithful follower of Jesus and would even die for him. But of course, Jesus knew better. From Mark 14:27-31…
And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.
The fact was, Peter was not faithful. He denied Jesus three times as Jesus said. And neither are you faithful. You deny/sin at least three times before the rooster crows. Yes, you. You are a sinner, but praise be to God, that Jesus is faithful and that YES, he even died and rose for you. No amount of sin will ever drive Jesus away from you. And so, say it with me: Jesus is RISEN! He has RISEN indeed — for me. ALLELUIA and Amen!
Prayer ~ My Hope
O Lord, as the hymn goes,
“My hope is built on nothing less,
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”
And that is a hope that is rock solid.
Nothing can stand against.
Nothing can take that away.
Nothing can rise higher.
Nothing can ever replace…
…at least that is my prayer.
May I not be seduced by the fear of this world.
May I not be distracted by political ideologies.
May I not be lured away by the fast talk of elected leaders.
May I not be enticed to satisfy the perceived wants of man.
O God, Father Almighty,
May I stand,
Always,
On the rock solid promises of Jesus.
May I cling to Your love which clings to me.
May I bask in Your peace which washes over me.
May I embrace the hope of the resurrection to
Eternal life
in YOUR kingdom.
This kingdom is fading away,
But,
Yours, O God, never will.
Yes, O God,
“My hope is built on nothing less,
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.“
And therefore,
May my hope in and through Jesus resonate loudly for all to hear.
In Jesus’ holy and righteous name I pray,
Amen.
Morning Prayer ~ Turning My Eyes
Father God,
I turn my eyes upon You this morning;
seeking You.
I long to see Your face that I may not sin –
defiling this temple,
this jar of clay.
I long to know You better that I may not stray –
seeking after other gods,
placing my hope in them.
I long to be held by You and feel Your embrace –
knowing I am secure,
being at total peace.
O God,
Surround me.
Hem me in.
Guard me.
Protect me.
The Evil One seeks my demise and I am weary of fighting.
Fight for me.
Strike him with a devastating blow.
Glorify Your name in victory.
O God,
I praise You that the ultimate battle has been won –
the battle over sin and death,
the battle for me.
I praise You that Jesus is Lord, my Savior –
that he took my sins to the grave
and You forgive me.
I praise You that through him I will wear the crown of life.
O God,
You are mighty –
mighty in love,
might in mercy,
mighty to save.
Father God,
I turn my eyes to You this morning
and always.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.
Worship Prayers ~ Your Perfect Word
Holy God,
Your Word is mighty to save.
Your Word never fails.
Your Word is powerful;
it kills and it gives New Life.
O God,
Your Word is perfect and alive and thus there is nothing we can do to improve it.
Yet,
many try.
They tinker and distort the Word;
making it something that it is not.
They turn it into a lifeless word;
useless for salvation.
O God,
may we as a Church be faithful with the Word;
proclaiming it in all its truth and purity.
May we always take heart and trust the power of Your Word;
rejoicing in the fact that the results of the Word are squarely in
Your mighty hands,
because it is about
Your glory.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen
Worship Prayers ~ Those Who Are Homeless
As temperatures dip and snow falls,
I remember before You,
O God,
those who have no homes –
Precious ones of Your creation who are forced to scramble to find shelter and warmth.
O God, have mercy.
Send resources and people into their lives.
But,
may weather not be the only reason I remember those who are homeless,
rather,
may they always be on my heart,
leading me to search for ways to show mercy and compassion
in practical ways.
May I never turn a blind eye or a deaf ear.
May I never dismiss them as someone else’s problem.
May I never judge them as lazy, irresponsible or as troublemakers.
O God,
transform my heart that I may have a heart for
PEOPLE,
who happen to find themselves homeless.
Transform my heart to love and care
for Your children.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.
Worship Prayers ~ Hear My Prayer
Father God,
Lord of heaven and earth,
King of all creation,
Redeemer and Sustainer,
I praise Your great name.
You are worthy of all worship and then infinitely more.
Your great name is holy and therefore I seek honor it.
Your majesty is awesome, it leaves me speechless.
You reign on high and know every last star,
every grain of sand,
and every hair on my head.
You know all of this and yet You know the desires, joys and sorrows of my heart,
and not only know them
but deeply care about every last one.
O God,
I give You thanks and come before You with my prayer,
knowing that You hear me and give according to Your perfect and holy will.
You give me daily bread
and sustain me for Your glory.
And so here I am, O God in the name of Jesus.
Lord in You mercy,
Hear my prayer…
Never Done
Good morning and Happy New Year 🙂
It is that time – my Sunday article for The News Tribune (Tacoma) is due to be published this morning, so that is what you will see below. To God be the glory!
Merry 10th day of Christmas (on this 3rd day of January) and Happy New Year. I hope and pray that you had a wonderful Christmas, even amid this pandemic, and I also hope and pray that your 2021 will be filled with joy and peace; a joy and peace that only comes through Jesus Christ our Lord. But let us get back to Christmas, because it is still Christmas, at least for my family and me.
On the 4th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me — I am just kidding — I am not going to sing. On the 4th day of Christmas (December 28) my wife and I finally got the kids away from their toys and went for a drive to look at Christmas lights. Normally at this time, we are in the Midwest and in Arizona celebrating Christmas with our families. This year, due to the pandemic, we had to stay home but decided we would make the most of it. Our HOA and many neighborhoods around us had such wonderful Christmas light displays. So, during the time before Christmas, we spent many nights going for family walks to enjoy the lights. Now we thought we could enjoy these lights even longer.
As we toured our HOA we quickly noticed how dark it looked. Many homes had already taken down their lights or just did not turn them on. Some houses that had a Christmas tree prominently displayed in their front window had taken those down as well. We continued driving and only found a small sampling of Christmas lights. We went to another neighborhood and found the same thing. Some of our favorite displays were gone for the year. It almost felt like someone was trying to rip Christmas from our hands. For us, the festive lights were a reprieve from our pandemic-filled world. Now, it felt like darkness was trying to regain its grip. I did not like the feeling and neither did my wife. When we returned home, we noticed that half of our lights on our house were not on. “What is going on?” we thought. Thankfully, it was an easy fix and now our home is lit up again, and it will stay lit up through January 5 (the 12th day of Christmas).
Yes, the day on our calendars labeled “Christmas Day” has now passed, but Christmas is never done. The promises are not something you pack away. The light that came on that first Christmas cannot be extinguished. And more importantly, the darkness will never, ever regain its grip, for the light of the world, Jesus, has defeated the darkness and reigns on high.
Yes, the day will come when I will turn off my lights and pack them away. Our tree will come down and the decorations will be neatly stowed in their tubs. But Jesus lives and so will I. Jesus lives, and so you can too. Christmas is not over. It is never, ever over. So, I am keeping the Christmas lights on and the tree up, but more importantly I will cling to Jesus – lights or no lights. Merry Christmas, today and always. Amen.
Where Are You Christmas?
The following is my Sunday article for The News Tribune (Tacoma). This one definitely hit close to home as I reflect on Christmas and how the pandemic has changed things this year. To God be the glory!
I am beginning to accept the reality that Christmas will be different this year. I think part of the issue was that I was living in a state of denial. Can you relate to that? But I was snapped out of my fantasy world the other day, when my wife started menu planning for Christmas for just the four of us. “What?!? Wait a second, we do not menu plan for Christmas, we are supposed to be packing.” You see, normally we would be preparing for our two-week Christmas break that would take us to the Midwest (Minnesota and South Dakota), Arizona and then back here to Western Washington. It is the “Christmas triangle”, as we affectionately call it. It was quite a trip as we had to book a total of four flights to complete our family adventure. Now, we are menu planning which just does not seem right. And then this morning, I heard on the radio the song, “Where are you Christmas?” This is how it begins: “Where are you Christmas? Why can’t I find you? Why have you gone away? Where is the laughter, you used to bring me? Why can’t I hear music play? My world is changing. I’m rearranging. Does that mean Christmas changes too? Where are you Christmas? Do you remember, the one you used to know? I’m not the same one. See what the time’s done. Is that why you have let me go?”
That song begins with a harsh reality as Christmas will be upon us soon. And with the arrival of Christmas, another holy day celebration in the midst of a restrictive pandemic. Maybe you, too, are asking “Where are you Christmas?” So much has been taken away from us this year: Families having to settle for virtual gatherings, loved ones being isolated for their safety, church traditions being altered, and so much more. A vaccine is on the way, but the end is still a ways off. I almost do not remember what life was like before the pandemic. But with all the lamenting about what we do not have or cannot do, there is one constant that will never, ever change: God’s love for you through Jesus Christ. That is what Christmas is all about and that is something the pandemic cannot take away. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow – and forever.
Christmas has not gone anywhere. Christmas is here, every day and always. The promise of Christmas belongs to God and He has given it to you through Jesus Christ. As the song ends, “Oh, I feel you Christmas. I know I’ve found you. You never fade away, oh, The joy of Christmas, Stays here inside us, Fills each and every heart with love. Where are you Christmas? Fill your heart with love.” Cling to that truth – the truth that the promises of Christmas, through Jesus Christ, are for you every single day, pandemic or no pandemic. My friends, God loves you. Where are you Christmas? You are right here, always and forever. Merry Christmas everyone and Amen.
The Heart of a Pastor 