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How to save a city?

February 7, 2020 0 Comments

Do you know the parable of the poor wise man who saved a city?

I’m reading through the Bible again. I love the moments where the Word of God catches me by surprise. What I used to blaze through quickly I find myself pausing over, praying over, meditating over, and bringing deeper into the marrow of my existence.

This week the Teacher of Ecclesiastes caught me by surprise. Is there anything that could truly impress this person equipped with all the privilege required to sample life without fear of social consequence? And then there is. He is “impressed with a great example of wisdom.” It’s an account of a poor wise man who saved a city. I’m sure I blazed through it in my former readings.

13I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: 14There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. 15Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. 16So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.

17The quiet words of the wise are more
to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.

18Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.

Ecclesiastes 9:13-18

When the church has a full-bodied vision of discipleship it will seek out men and women of Jesus who are full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit. These wise folk may not be on the platform. We will probably need to get off the public ramparts and poke around in the corners of our congregations to find them.

We won’t elevate the wise unless we are willing to share life with those who seem “poor.” Unfortunately we seem to be more inclined to elevate the people who are able to make a good show. So many folks are looking for a leader who will save the day; yet, they love the shouts of a ruler who gives them reasons to feel good about being bad. Such a leader is “a ruler of fools” says the teacher. This kind of leader is puffed up and full of the celebrated strengths of humanity, willing to be combative and rushing to implement the weapons of war. One leader like this “destroys much good.” For this leader everything is about competition, being the survivor whose existence at the top must mean they were right, and who reflexively treats another’s commitment to righteousness and integrity as “weakness.” This leader shouts and will gain more applause from his or her congregation of fools.

Unfortunately our visions of leadership and even of discipleship do not lean toward the wisdom of Jesus. We are being trumped by our desire for a show. 

For any who lead and for any who have the ambition to serve (to make a difference) by being the person who invites people to do what they would never do unless a leader was present, this parable will strike deep into the desire for applause and position. Am I willing to be the poor wise man who saves a city but may be forgotten, unnamed, and even despised?

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.

Leadership, Society

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Prayer of the People, 2 February 2020

February 4, 2020 0 Comments

Heavenly Father,

You have called us to walk in love with You. Thank you for bringing us into your communion — the communion of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

You have called us to be Your light. It is hard to do this when we feel unloved, forgotten, and unworthy.  We ask that You will help us receive Your goodness, forgiveness, and lovingkindness. Shine the light of your Word and your Presence in our lives. 

Light up the darkness we have hidden in because of shame, guilt, and fear. Cause us to see as you see. Heal us of blind-spots conditioned by our society, by our families, by our experiences, and by our choices.

And Lord give us courage fuelled by the experience of being loved by you. Sometimes we just don’t want to see — we are afraid it will be too painful to acknowledge and to enter into the pain some people are living with constantly.

We lift up people who are on the journey for refuge in Greece. Allow them to experience Your loving Presence and provision; show us how to join You in receiving them and in caring for them in your name.

On the continent of Africa people living close to the land are facing a food security crisis in several countries. Lord, the locusts swarm and eat harvests intended for people’s food; we ask for your intervention. We pray that you would stop the locusts.

Oh Lord you are like a tree whose leaves bring healing. You bring healing to the nations. There is lots of fear over the coronavirus.  We ask that you give health officials, doctors, and nurses wisdom. May you spring up like a tree of healing in Wuhan for those who feel trapped. Help us all to turn from fear to You and to receive Your strength, love, and wisdom. 
Help us, Jesus.

Oh Lord strengthen us so that the manners of fear do not keep us from being openhearted with others. Cause us to be a community of love and obedience walking by Your Spirit — an attractive light others desire to be in. Then, images of grief and struggle may move us, stories of hardship and overcoming may inspire us and we will live the story You envision for us: a people who walk together in the way of Jesus — loving each other through all our struggles and seeing your kingdom come.

In your name we pray.  Amen.

Please join me in praying the Lord’s prayer.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one;
for yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, 
forever. 
Amen.

Prepared by Ellen and Craig O’Brien

Prayer

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Prayer of the People, 26 January 2020

January 28, 2020 0 Comments

Heavenly Father, 

We acknowledge your faithfulness in love, provision, wisdom, and presence. You are gracious, glorious and good. Thank you for bringing us into your communion — the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We are often distracted, and sometimes unfaithful. Please forgive us. We are living among many and loving many who have no faith in You or in Your ways. Forgive us for forgetting you. We scatter our attention and our favour to many causes and relationships, yet our hearts become divided in their loyalty to You. Realign the affections of our heart to You.

We pause before You in consideration of this absurdity — our regular distraction from You.   (Pause)

We are asking you to raise up leaders after Your own heart, who will lead us with knowledge and understanding.  We pray for the Peruvian elections, the leaders of Iraq who must discern between many voices, the leaders deciding what to do about the unrest in Lebanon, the leaders addressing violence in Mali that is spilling into Niger and Burkina Faso, the leaders deciding policy for  India’s immigration, and the leaders in Canada impacting our daily lives. May all of these leaders seek Your face and Your ways.

We yield to You our sense of how things should be and no longer want to follow the stubbornness of our wayward hearts.  Make us a people who are faithful to You and to Your ways of living — Just as Jesus was.

You long to treat us as your children and to shower us with blessings; we long to receive your guidance and blessings. Make us a faithful people who trust You.  We return to You with all of our hearts and ask You to cure us of backsliding.

 Lord, there are causes for grief all around us – earthquakes in Turkey, locusts eating crops in Kenya, floods in Brazil, the coronavirus outbreak and so many people in China quarantined.  All of these pain inducing situations we entrust to Your wise response. We cast all of our worries on You because You care for us.

Oh Lord, forgive us.
Oh Lord, help us.
Oh Lord, strengthen us; make us faithful to You and to others.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

Please join me in praying the Lord’s prayer.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one;
for yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, 
forever. 
Amen.

Prepared by Ellen and Craig O’Brien

Prayer

Prayer of the People, 19 January 2020

January 22, 2020 0 Comments

Heavenly Father,

You have always been at home with yourself in the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Thank you for the miraculous grace that has made us at home with you too.

For most of us Lord— home, feeling comfortable in our skin— has been an illusive experience. We need the radical experience of being loved by you and being accepted by others.

For some of us Lord even the memory of home is filled with conflict and with damaging messages perverting the truth and deforming us with the enemy’s lies. We need your truth and grace to reform us.

Ultimately we are longing to be at home with you —  
For you to wipe away every tear  — 
For you to set all things right — 
For you to free us and the world from the infection of sin.

We have tasted the reality of goodness even now through Jesus Christ our Lord and through the gift of your Spirit. Even in our fellowship with the Church we get glimpses of your shallom and your power.  Thank you!

Forgive us Lord for acting as independent agents — we want to be our own gods.  Protect us from willful rebellion — may these sins not rule over us. By your grace our spirit is willing. Oh how we still need your grace — our bodies are weak. Our souls are drawn to the deceit of this world. 

We need a spiritual makeover every week — well we need one every day!

We lift up our friends at uVillage Church and the Point gathering today around Simon Fraser University. Fill them with your Holy Spirit. May your Word build them up and cause them to persevere. May you cause them to faithfully shine as a beacon of Jesus’ love.

We lift up the country of Lebanon. The country is host to many people seeking refuge from violence and oppression. Bless them Lord. They feel the strain of their hospitality and they feel the weight of their dreams. Cause the people to truly prosper — may the gospel of Jesus cause them to flourish like a tree planted beside the waters.

Oh how we long for your Kingdom to come — so we pray as Jesus teaches us:
(Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one;
for yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, 
forever. 
Amen.

Prayer

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Prayer of the People, 29 December 2019

January 2, 2020 0 Comments

Heavenly Father,

We are grateful for the grace that has brought us into your communion — the communion of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Glory to your name forever and ever.
You created us and gave us the breath of life.
You redeemed us from the ravages of sin and death through the Cross of your Son.
You have filled us with your Holy Spirit and keep pouring your love into our lives.
We cry out to you — Abba Father!

Thank you for your care for us in this past year.
You have given us wisdom when we didn’t know what to do.
You have brought strength when we felt so weak.
You have been our comfort when we felt alone in our grief.
You have provided what we needed when we did not know how our needs would be met.
You have disciplined us when we went astray.
You have sent friends to give us a word of encouragement or correction.
You have sourced love, joy, and peace through your Holy Spirit. 

In the world’s leaders we hear and see a pattern of domination. Lord, help us to choose humility and service in how we relate to all people just as Jesus did.

In the student movements and protests, we hear a cry for justice. Lord, show us specific ways this week we can act justly and live mercy for our neighbours.

In the cry of the poor, we hear indictment at our ease and greed. Lord, we want to live in a way that stores up riches in Heaven. 

While we look back on 2019, with the best photos of this and that, the best and worst moments being paraded out, we acknowledge how You are our best.  You are the one who knits together s our lives. Help us see Your hand in how this last year unfolded, and more importantly help us look to You to set how 2020 will unfold. We want to abide in You, to love others, and to pursue righteousness. 

We seek Your face.
In Jesus’ Name 

Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one;
for yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, 
forever. 
Amen.

Prepared by Craig & Ellen O’Brien

Change, Prayer

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