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Prayer of the People

August 2, 2022 0 Comments

Heavenly Father, you are the Lord of all Creation; You spoke, “Let there be light” and there was light. Your Son Jesus is the Light of the World. And now, by His Spirit, His Word illuminates our lives. Thank you for this grace in which we sit, walk, and stand. 

In view of your mercy we ask that you would speak again Lord, to our hearts. “Let there be light.” Awaken us to you. Teach us to walk in Your light and to fellowship with each other in this world according to your grace and truth. 

We confess that we may fear having the truth exposed in your light. First we tremble at the thought of your holiness. Save us according to your Word and not our word. Forgive our sins and may willful sin not rule over us. Second we tremble at the thought of being out of step with our world. Your light invites us into what is unfamiliar and makes us look peculiar. Please replace our fear of people with your perfect love. 

We long for leaders who walk in the light, who lead with wisdom and who pursue justice. We ask that You will bring Your comfort and help to those traumatized by violence, greed, and cold apathy. Both the one who raises the hand in anger and the one who receives it have suffered. Your revealing light that can usher us all into healing and reconciliation. Have mercy Lord.

In view of your mercy, Lord, we offer ourselves to you as that which has been made alive. By your resurrection from the dead you have lifted us up with you. May your love be evident in our lives for the glory of God.

We pray now as you have taught 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

DR: Finding A Voice

July 29, 2022 0 Comments

Read Luke 3:1-6

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar… the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.”  vs. 1

While the average person was going about their lives in John’s day the drama of empire, or “the game of thrones,” went on around them. The centre’s of power were occupied by people who would try to make a name for themselves. But the word of God found a young man in the wilderness, a no-body in a no-place, and formed in him a voice that would be heard, a voice that would prepare people to see God’s salvation — Jesus the Christ, a voice that would call people to repentance from sin and point them to God’s forgiveness for sin.

That was God’s call formed in John. God’s word must be embodied. To find our own voice in the midst of empire requires that we know who we are, where we came from, and what matters most. Otherwise we will just go with the flow of empire— power and security seeking domination over others. Oh, Word of God come! 

Heavenly Father, grant me courage to sit with you in the wildernesses of my life — the desolate and alone spaces. Form within me clarity about who you are and who I am. May clearness of heart before You, generate clarity of speech before people. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Daily Readings, Discipleship, Leadership, Society

DR: Misunderstood

July 28, 2022 0 Comments

Read Luke 2:36-52

“Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

How often are children not understood? The experience of not being understood can be frustrating and alienating. Jesus does not seem to respond this way. He does seem to wonder at the anxiety contained by Mary and Joseph. His presence in the Temple seems reasonable and even necessary. Mary and Joseph’s anxiety seems reasonable too as parents. Jesus though even at twelve demonstrates a calm presence. He does not try to rescue his parents from their sense of being victimized by His pursuit of God.

In our pursuit of God and by aligning ourselves with His will we may be misunderstood. Our anxieties about that could produce resentment. But Jesus shows us another way.

Our Heavenly Father, grant me the grace of a character shaped by You. Help me manage my internal world and anxieties so that I may fully enter into relationships and the realities of this world fully responsive and obedient to You without fear, rage, or bitterness.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Daily Readings, Discipleship, Relationships

DR: Who are you waiting on?

July 27, 2022 0 Comments

Read Luke 2:25-35

“For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel.” v. 30-32

Simeon was responsive to the Holy Spirit and moved when prompted to recognize Jesus — He was waiting for “the consolation of Israel.”

Lord I’m thankful for the grace of knowing you. Give me more grace that I may I recognize you in the comings and goings of my day. Move me by your Spirit as you moved Simeon.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

Daily Readings, Discipleship

Prayer of the People, 24 July 2022

July 25, 2022 0 Comments

Heavenly Father, We praise you the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. You have never abandoned your Creation. You have set your plans and purposes in place from the beginning. You have persisted in the revelation of your glory. You are the origin of all life, all truth, and all love. Thank you for the grace that has brought us into your communion — the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Thank you for revealing your life and love in Jesus Christ your Son. 

He is before us and so we praise you.
He is after us and so we aim our lives at Him. We know every knee shall bow and every tongue  confess that He is Lord to your glory forever and ever.

You are also present with us: Our good shepherd, the lover of our souls, the author and perfecter of our faith, the God who sees us and the God who saves us.

You are with us in our tears. We have lost the illusion of invincibility.
You are with us in our fears. We have lost the thin promises of our self-designed security.

O Immanuel — God with us. Our only assurance — you are behind us and before us and above and below us all the days of our lives. You are our hope.

Grant your church courage today to rumble with the offences carried out by those who draped themselves in the banner of Jesus. Grant us wisdom to acknowledge our own weakness, to mourn with those who mourn and to hear the account of misapplied power and position from those who survived. 

Lord we lift up your servants serving in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. We pray that you would grant them joy in their life with you and with your people. Sustain them Lord, in this seemingly never-ending press against the powers and principalities sucking the life out of people. These are our sons and daughters, parents and elders who suffer so but there are also glimpses of your Spirit there and we pray that the beauty and glory of Jesus Christ would shining through.

And so we pray together in Jesus Name as He taught 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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