Prayer

Guarding

/ The Pastor

I am preaching on Romans 10:8-17 this morning. Earlier i posted, A Gospel Poem, that flowed from this sermon prep. Now, i have written this Holy Communion liturgy that was inspired by that text. To God be the glory, always and forever, Amen.

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you,
oh God,
for You have given us the word of truth that saves us our souls –
Jesus Christ,
Your only Son,
our Lord.
And through Jesus, You have given us a “good deposit” that is to be guarded with our lives, not hidden away and protected as gold or silver, but maintained in all its integrity. For it is only through the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ that people are saved.
And so,
may You send our feet to people who have not heard –
that faith may come through their hearing of the Gospel that flows from our lips and may those who hear this Good News come to call upon Your most holy name.
Oh Lord,
my God,
You are mighty to save and thus we join with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise…

Alignment

/ The Pastor

Holy God,
You are Lord almighty.
You are my Shepherd and Guide.
You are my Rock and Refuge.
You are by my side.
You have redeemed me.
I am alive.
You have saved me.
Your love You don’t deprive
You’re worthy of all praise.
You’re worthy of all worship.
My soul has been renewed.
Your Spirit in me, please stir up.
You give Life.
You give peace.
You give hope.
Your love will never cease.
So You sent Jesus,
My Lord and King.
He is my Savior.
What a beautiful ring.
I am Yours.
And You are mine.
Fill my heart,
For with You I want to be aligned.

Open

/ The Pastor

Open the eyes of my heart that I may see and respond.
Open the eyes of my heart to see the hurts of others.
Open the eyes of my heart that I may join You in mission.
Open the eyes of my heart that I may bring You glory.
All that You want me to do is clear – if only I would see.
All that I am to say is clear – if only I would listen to Your Spirit.
Opportunities abound.
Hurts are all around.
People are lost.
People are searching.
Open my eyes that I may lead them to know they are found.
May I not stall.
May I not turn away.
May I not give excuses.
May I not seek my own way.
Open the eyes of my heart that I may see You and follow You –
Anywhere and everywhere.
Open, oh Lord, open.
Open the eyes of my heart.
Amen!

Life

/ The Pastor

Life is fragile and delicate.
Life is valuable and precious.
Only You, Lord, can be entrusted with it.
Only Your mighty and gentle hands can handle it.
But even though these fragile shells – shells that we call a body – will eventually crack, it doesn’t mean that You are careless.
These bodies are precious, from the moment we are conceived, but there is something even more precious, that which Jesus died to save –
my soul.
That’s what’s in Your hands forever.
I hate to see shells
crack,
die
and decay
but I praise You that which is inside is perfectly safe and sound in Your mighty and gentle hands.
My life is precious.
My life is saved.
All praise be to You through Christ Jesus my Lord.
Amen.

Morning Glory

/ The Pastor

I wrote the last stanza of this poem yesterday morning as a short prayer as I prepared for worship. This morning, I share it with you – with a couple more stanzas. To God be the glory!

Hold me with Your grace.
Bring me from disgrace.
My sins please erase.
For Your glory!
For Your glory!

Hear me when I pray.
Each and every day.
With You I want to stay.
In Your glory!
In Your glory!

Jesus is my King.
What an awesome ring.
My heart will loudly sing.
Your great glory!
Your great glory!

Bless me as I preach.
Guide me as I teach.
Many souls may I reach.
To Your glory!
To Your glory!

Doer

/ The Pastor

The preaching text for today is James 1:19-27 as I continue working through the Epistle of James. The following is the Holy Communion liturgy I wrote with this James text in mind and heart. To God be the glory.

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God, for You and You alone are worthy. But words are not enough to fully express our worship, and so may we not get caught up in only spouting off words of doctrine – falling into complacency – but may we also be doers of the Word. May we control our tongues, care for the vulnerable and be holy as you are holy. Oh Lord our God, Creator and Redeemer, Shepherd and Fortress, our hope and salvation. You call us to action and thus grant us Your Spirit that we may respond and so glorify You. And so with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven we join in singing Your unending praise.

Abundant Wisdom

/ The Pastor

1 Timothy 2:1–4 (ESV) ~ First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

James 1:5 (ESV) ~ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Oh God of all wisdom,
Wisdom seems to be in short supply,
But people stepping up to the microphone are abundant.
People raise themselves up to be leaders.
People raise others up to be leaders.
But rarely is it considered: Are they wise?
Rather, what is considered are qualities that are flawed and fleeting:
Appearance
Power
Money
Intelligence
Ability to make people feel certain things
Ability to manipulate words.

But wisdom, oh wisdom, is in short supply.
Without wisdom, we can not lead Your people to fear you – to live peacefully.

Oh God, You give generously to those who ask for wisdom.
Oh God, I now ask that you may give wisdom generously to:
Our president
Lawmakers on every level
Judges
Lobbyists
Teachers
Law enforcement
Media professionals
And so on and on…

And, oh God, I ask for wisdom for myself.
May I be a wise leader:
in my family
in my church
in my community
May I strive to glorify you and be obedient.

Oh God, wisdom is indeed in short supply, but not with You. So please give generously out of Your infinite supply that we may lead peaceful lives glorifying You. I don’t ask for my glory or for my comfort but for Your glory.

Oh God of wisdom, please give generously – please give generously.

Through Jesus Christ my Lord I pray,
Amen.

Creation Chorus

/ The Pastor

As the morning sun rises above the horizon, shining it’s life-giving light for the world to see, may my rising this morning shine the glory of your love and grace.

As the birds sing their beautiful song, filling the air with joy and peace, may I sing Your praises of joy and peace that comes only through Jesus my Lord.

As the flowers open to receive the sun’s light, soaking up every ray, may my heart be open to receive Your Word, soaking up every promise.

As Your creation is faithful in returning praise to You, may I not cease to worship You and thus be put to shame by the rocks crying out.

And so, as this new day begins, fill me with Your Spirit that I may join the creation chorus as we joyously sing Your praise in beautiful harmony.

To You be the glory, oh God, this day and always.

Amen.

Being Built Up

/ The Pastor

This is the liturgy I wrote for Holy Communion today based on the preaching text, James 1:1-18. To God be the glory…

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God, for, of Your own will You brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of Your creatures. (James 1:18) You brought us forth through Jesus Christ and thus You have promised to bring us to completion and place on our head the crown of life. You put us through trials in order build us up that we may remember who we are and whose we are – becoming more and more Christ-like. You do not desire our destruction but rather our salvation. May our endurance bring You the glory that You rightly deserve. And so, with the Church on earth – redeemed sinners through the blood of the lamb – and the hosts of heaven, we join in singing Your unending praise.

Beginning the Day

/ The Pastor

Holy God,
You have redeemed me through the blood of Your Son –
my Lord Jesus Christ.
You have set me apart to be a light in this world.
You have seasoned me to be the salt of the world.
You have filled me with Your Spirit.
Oh God,
may I stand apart from this world –
shining a “strange” light within it –
one that makes people take notice as it shines the way to Life eternal.
May my dealings with the world open eyes and my love draw people to You.
May my conduct be holy and my words speak the Truth.
May I see the trials in my life as Your holy plan to bring me to maturity so that I may show the world Your glory through my faith.
Bless this day, oh God, as I engage my mission field.
May my life be all about You.
All praise be onto You, always and forever. In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.