Tag Archive: Advent

Prayer of the People – 8 December 2019

December 10, 2019 0 Comments

Heavenly Father,

You have brought us into your communion — the communion of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We praise you for this grace. You have brought us from darkness and into your light. Our souls have been made alive by you. In fact — you woke us up.

Praise to the Father.
Praise to the Son.
Praise to the Spirit.
Praise to our God — the great Three in One.

Our souls glorify You; You are magnificent!

Thank you! Jesus when we heard of your great love for us — faith in you rose up in us. Finally There is someone worthy and fully able to heal our souls. 

You delivered us from slavery and into freedom from sin at such great cost. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for taking up flesh. Thank you for laying  down your life for us at the cross. 

Our senses were so numb — we did not know were slaves to sin till the good news quickened our conscience and we grieved the death we could not shake off. Now you are making us new creations. Now our trust is in you. Now we have a hunger for your Word and a desire to do your will.

Come Lord Jesus. Have mercy on us. Grant us the joy of your salvation.

Heavenly Father, we are concerned — for the tasks we have taken up weigh on us. Help us with our studies. This world you have made is so beautiful! There’s more to it than facts and figures — yet there are a lot of those to learn! Help us develop the skills to steward what you have entrusted to us, help us develop the character needed for courageous love.

Lord we lift up people whose dignity and glory as dearly loved and precious creations of God has been forgotten. We lift up the families of ISIS fighters living in camps on the edges of Syria and Turkey. Oh Lord would you reveal yourself to them? Please send your kindness to these children and free them from hate and despair. Let your peace reign that a generation would walk in the joy of your love and delight. Reveal Yourself to them in the night and in the day ‘till hearts are softened and the Holy Spirit has His way.

Now we pray with them and for ourselves with the requests you taught us:

(Please pray the Lord’s prayer with me:)

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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Dancing with The Middle Kingdom

December 9, 2019 0 Comments

So the dance continues, but no one rejoices. And no one really believes the detainees “have completed their studies, found stable employment with the help of the government and have improved their quality of life and live a happy life.” (The Guardian)

So instead we shall lament for and with the Uighurs. #Advent

Dancing With The Middle Kingdom

New neighbours were sent to be with us. We 
know they can’t stand us.

Throw your doppas down they told us. Your 
songs are forbidden they told us.

Contempt, it rises like a lunar compass
shackling us both in a silk road conquest.

Home comforts have been taken from us. Our 
children are lost so utterly lost to us. 

Who surveils freedom’s death for us? Who 
hears the child’s cry far from us?

With pork dumplings they torment us. With 
baijiu they seek a ruckus.

Divine irony may make them like us. Swine
flu may make spare ribs as rare as mercy for us.

Empire building requires faces barbarous. So 
according to their hearts they see us.

We are nothing except what they want from us. They 
seek a solution for us, a solution for

Poetry

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Prayer of the People, 1 December 2019

December 4, 2019 0 Comments

Heavenly Father,

We cry out to you, 
“Come.” Come and be with us Immanuel   – today, 
In this Christmas season, 
In this exam season.  
Be with us in our struggles and in our joys.

We are waiting for You. Reveal to us the glory of being with you in your  communion — the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We yearn for Your counsel, Your strength, Your guidance, Your peace , Your justice and righteousness.  

And yet we are busy, sometimes too busy to stop and pay attention to Your counsel and to receive Your strength, Your guidance, Your peace, Your justice and righteousness.  

Right now we quietly sit before You to reaffirm our longing for You and our willingness to walk with You.  (pause)

We pray over others who are not paying attention to Your kingdom or are unaware of Your goodness, and greatness, light for life;  Reveal to these dear ones in darkness — Your counsel, Your strength, Your guidance, Your peace, Your justice and righteousness.  

We ask for hope and justice for the patients impacted by the Zimbabwean doctor’s strike, for the doctors and nurses. Grant them your wisdom and generosity.

In many places Peace seems far away and pain seems more powerful. We look for You, the Prince of Peace to show yourself to those impacted by shootings in Mexico, by political changes in Namibia, and by struggles in Iraq and Iran. We need Your guidance to steward the earth so people experience your love and care. Come Lord Jesus, Come.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen

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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Loving first again and again and again and again

December 14, 2017 0 Comments

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:10

 

I have long been delighted with the prevenience of God. God acts first. God moves first. God loves first. Before I awaken, He is awakening me. Such grace abounds. This view of God’s pre – action, before my awareness, is evident even in Mark 4 in the parable of the sower or soils. God is sowing good seed into our lives; in fact God is always sowing good seed that would awaken us to Him and His Kingdom.

 

Recently while reading James Bryan Smith’s book Embracing the Love of God, I was introduced to one of Soren Kierkegard’s prayers. I’ve been reflecting on it and praying it for the past week as an advent reminder. Here it is for you. I hope you will be reminded of God’s ever-present unceasing kindness and faithful love towards you.

 

You have loved us first, O God, alas! We speak of it in terms of history as if You loved us first but a single time, rather than that without ceasing. You have loved us first many times and everyday and our whole life through. When we wake up in the morning and turn our soul toward You — You are there first — You have loved us first; if I rise at dawn and at the same second turn my soul toward You in prayer, You are there ahead of me, You have loved me first. When I withdraw from the distractions of the day and turn my soul toward You, You are there first and thus forever. And we speak ungratefully as if You have loved us first only once.

Discipleship

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