Tag Archive: Athens

Prayer of the People, 22 September 2019

September 23, 2019 0 Comments

Not to us, LORD, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.

We praise you O God, in the glory of your communion — the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Fill us and cause your name to be known among the peoples. For your sake raise up your servants in the forgotten corners of this campus and this city.

How forgetful and sleepy our spiritual life becomes when work for the disintegrating prize of our own fame, seeking to turn our names into a brand. Forgive us Lord. We want you to be the source of our comfort, our joy, and our zeal.

Free us from the idols we have raised for our own glory. Redeem the good work of your creation in our lives and establish the work of our hands. Unless you build the house we labour in vain, we stay up late, and we get up early for nothing.

So Lord, not to us. Not to us, but to your name be the glory. Let your love and faithfulness be the beauty of your people.

We lift up Zeidan and Dahlia and our friends at the Athens Ministry Centre in Greece. Encourage them Lord and grant them wisdom to serve people on the journey for refuge and to  make your kindness known. Fortify them with your love; let them rejoice in your lavish love and may the great truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ be an anchor for their souls even as turmoil washes over them and through their community.

We lift up uVillage Church and ask that you would bless Peter and Michaela, and Ian and Sophie, as they follow you and pour their lives into the next generation on campus and in Burquitlam. Make the freedom and power of your Spirit evident in their congregation and encourage your people today.

We lift up our campus Lord and thank you for the enthusiasm and energy with which many students and faculty lean into your Creation — exploring and learning, sharing concern for what people have done with it, and generating urgency about our common situation. Let your justice roll like a mighty river and revive us because of your love and faithfulness.

We seek you — for your glory.
We seek your Kingdom and righteousness — for your glory.
So we pray as Jesus taught us:

(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.

Change

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Prayer of the People, 23 June 2019

June 24, 2019 0 Comments

Prayer of the People

23 June 2019

Heavenly Father,

We enter into your communion, the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
 today by the blood of Jesus poured out at the cross. You have opened the way for us to come before your throne of grace in our time of need.

You are the One who brought the heavens and the earth out of the chaos.
You are the One who saved Hagar from her lonely tears.

You are the One who rescued Israel from Egypt’s oppression. 

You are the One who delivered David from Saul’s jealousy.

You are the One who lifted Jeremiah from the muddy pit.

You are the One who fortified Hosea in the face of unfaithfulness.

You are the One who has made our lives so precious. May your Word prevail in our lives.

We grieve today with the family of retired UBC professor, Peter Winterburn who died Friday in Chile during a robbery. May you comfort and help his family.  

We lift up to you the people of Sudan. Please let your peace prevail. May the violence stop and may the conflicted parties work out a way for good governance in the pursuit of common good.

We acknowledge the mindless ease with which we have benefitted from the domination of others. Across Canada this past week Indigenous peoples celebrated their continued presence among us and have invited us to appreciate aspects of your common grace among them. Help us Lord to listen.

We set before you the city of Athens, Greece and pray that you would bless our friends who are labouring to meet the needs of refugees even when such mercy is unpopular. Strengthen them. Fill them with your Spirit. Give them wisdom. Meet their financial needs and even today fill them with the joy of your salvation.

All truth is your truth O Lord. So we pray Lord Jesus that this place would be a community in pursuit of the truth in all our relationships. Even today Lord, Meet us in the conflicts this interchange creates. You have said Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness and who suffer because of your Name. Fortify us with your love Lord and Let us all be set free by the Truth. 

Join me now 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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Remembering to Serve People on the Journey to Refuge

April 19, 2018 0 Comments

Origin in Athens

Photo Cred: Reed Eaglesham

Dear Readers,

I’m doing something new, using my blog to ask for help.

 

Origin is headed back to Greece. We will be in Athens in May to serve alongside our friends with Canadian Global Response. Ten of us will be going to “remember the poor.” You can help them too. People on the journey for refuge have had to run, to leave, to survive, to witness. Its not a pretty experience and its worse than most of us can imagine.

 

Artist and activist Ai Weiwei, wants you to know that “Over 65 Million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes.” I watched the film and cried. This is what many of the dear people we met last year have gone through. What will our compassion do? Compassion comes alongside the human flow not to judge but to give hope. Though we are tempted to, I’m learning we must not underestimate the power of a cup of water, a smile, a listening ear, a gift, and a moment of care and kindness in a safe environment. We believe these are the small gestures affirming the incredible worth of each person.

 

Our team of ten is going to Athens but we cannot accomplish this alone. We need your help to extend the ministry of our friends there in city. We will be assisting with what they want to do in order to serve folks who had hoped to pass through the city but have gotten stuck there and who find themselves to be intensely vulnerable. Our strategy for supporting and extending the ministry of our partners on the ground in Athens requires about 1000 euro’s per day in ministry funds.

 

Help us serve people on the refugee journey in Athens, Greece.

Let’s move remembering the poor into real presence and action. Here’s how you can give. By clicking on the Origin in Greece button you will land on our Canadian Global Response project and giving page. Follow the instructions, making sure to to note “Origin in Athens.”

Thanks so much.

Craig

 

 

 

Change, Leadership

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