Prayer: “O Christ, of Your fullness we have all received. You are our eternal hope. You are patient and full of kindness. You are generous to all who call upon You. Lord hear our prayer. O Christ, fountain of life and of holiness. You have taken away our sins. You were loaded with insults and crushed beneath the burden of our faults. Lord hear our prayer. O Christ, obedient unto death, source of all comfort, our life and our resurrection, our peace and our reconciliation. Lord hear our prayer. O Christ, salvation of all who hope in You, hope of all who die in You, and bliss of all the saints. Lord here our prayer. Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world, Lord forgive us. Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world, Lord hear us. Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world, Lord have mercy upon us….. We give our thanks to God. Amen. " (Taize “Praise in all our Days” Mowbray, 1981, pg. 178 – 179)
Sunday, 3 March 2013
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Saturday - Lenten Retreat
Prayer: Jesus, I come into Your presence today knowing that You love me for who I am. Jesus, I come into Your presence today knowing that You listen to all I say. Jesus, I come into Your presence today basking in Your love and glory. Jesus, You have brought me to this moment and I love You.
Reflect over the Scripture readings of this past week. Ask yourself:
* How do these Scripture readings apply to me?
* Ponder the actions, gestures and emotions of Jesus from the Scripture readings this past week.
* What touched my heart about this scripture? What did I find difficult?
* Was there something I would like to return to?
* Was there a phrase of verse that I would like to remember?
Prayer: Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour, You call me to follow You and to become like You. You call me to live in communion with God and with each other. I do not always know where you are leading me but I know that You lead me beside green pastures. With thanksgiving, we come to You and You heal our aching hearts and minds and souls. Thank You! Jesus Christ, Son of God, I love you with my whole heart and soul and mind. Amen.
Friday, 1 March 2013
Friday -
Friday March 1 – World Day of Prayer
Prayer: Great God, take us out of our comfortable pew and provide us with a new perspective. Be with those who worship You today through the World Day of Prayer. May all our prayers rise up to You with great love. May all our prayers rise up to You with our great joy. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Read St. Luke 9: 28 – 32
After Peter’s confession of Christ, Jesus takes Peter and John and James up a mountain to pray. Why did they go up a mountain? Could the men not have stayed where they were and prayed together?
Some times one has to leave the comfortableness of one’s life and go to a new place in order to gain a perspective or a new perspective. As Jesus is on the mountain praying, Moses and Elijah come to support Jesus.
As Jesus continues to pray and seek guidance, his face and garments become bright. Jesus is in the presence of God.
The three apostles had started to drift off to sleep. This isn’t the sleep of boredom or late afternoon sugar lows but sleep of being overwhelmed. They are overwhelmed with Jesus’ words in Luke 9: 23 - 27. They are gaining a fuller understanding of the Messiahship of Jesus. Interesting when we go through a life changing event, sleep either comes easily or too difficultly. For the apostles, they needed the sleep.
The apostles wake up out of their sleepiness and discover Jesus is glowing. By Jesus is Moses and Elijah. Moses brought the law and Elijah brought the repentance to return to God. As the apostles wake up out of their slumber, the Messiahship of Jesus is confirmed yet again for there stands Moses and Elijah.
How does this story relate to us? First we are given the example by Jesus to pray. Pray when you are happy, pray when you are sad, pray when you are making a decision, pray for others. But in all things, pray. When we pray, we need to remember that we aren’t praying a request list. If you have ever been involved in a prayer chain or online prayer request sites, most of the prayer requests are for God to give the person something. We need to remember that first and foremost we come into God’s presence in Adoration, Confession our Sins, with Thanksgiving, and only then with prayer requests (also called Intercessions), AND THEN the words “May Your will be done”.
The second example that Jesus gave to us is we never do ministry alone. Life in God means sharing ministry with others. Jesus did not go up the mountain all by himself but took with him, Peter and James and John. And then while on the mountain, these four men were not alone either. For with them came Moses and Elijah (and the glorious presence of God!). By sharing the life and work of God with others, we are sharing the love of Christ. What could be better than that! So today, if you hear Ministers or Elders or Sunday School teachers or Choir Directors or Janitors saying they are so busy and they have so much work to do remind them that they are not doing the Work of God all alone and to communicate what work needs to be completed in the Church with the congregation.
Prayer: God of life and love, thank You that You are always with us as we minister to others. God of love and peace, thank You that we are never alone doing Your work. God of peace and justice, remind us that together we create Your Church so that all can come and learn of You. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Thursday - being a disciple
Prayer: You called us into Your Church to be Your servants in the world in the name of Jesus Christ. You promised to be present among us, to direct and defend Your people by the power of the Spirit. And now we give You thanks, for Your faithfulness to us. By the power of Your Spirit continue in all of us the good work You have begun so that we may willingly serve You in love and joy with courage and truth in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
(The Book of Common Worship. The Presbyterian Church in Canada
Read St. Luke 9: 22 – 27
Phew. Difficult words to read. What, do you think, the Disciples thought when they heard Jesus saying these words? Do you think they were surprised and astonished?
Today read this portion of scripture through again and ponder these things:
1. how does Jesus calls the Disciples (and us) to be disciples of Christ
2. what is our daily duty
3. what is the example of Jesus and how do we example this same life in our lives today
4. what does the word “serve” mean for us today
Read through this portion of scripture again and jot down any word or phrase that leaps out at you. Ponder why these words or phrases are important for you as a Christian.
Prayer: Great God, we now go out into the world in peace. We go out in good courage. We hold fast to that which is good. Strengthen those who are faint of heart. Support the weak O LORD, and help the afflicted. May we love and serve You each and every day of our lives. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday
Monday February 25
Prayer: Great God may the peace which passes all understanding keep our hearts and mind in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Read St. Luke 9: 10 – 11
When the Disciples return from their journey they, together Jesus, withdrew to Bethsaida
This verse is so important, yet we frequently zoom over the words to get to what we think is the real story of Jesus and the Disciples.
When one has completed a time of serving God, one needs to spend much time in prayer.
Today we call these times a Retreat. A Retreat is a scheduled time away so that we can become aware of God’s loving presence.
As Jesus took the disciples away to spend time in prayer and meditation, how important then, is it that our congregations provide the Minister with a Retreat? Hugely important.
When was the last time that your Minister went on a Retreat?
Frequently people think that Retreats are just a holiday…. a time away from the congregation and the ministry. But this is not what a Retreat is at all. Retreats are times spent centring oneself in God through prayer and meditation. Retreats are times giving the burdens that one tends to carry around in ministry to God through prayer and meditation. Retreats are actually hard work but Retreats are so important for re-balancing those who minister to others.
Then in the midst of the Retreat, the crowds followed them. What did Jesus do? Did he tell the crowds he was too tired and couldn’t respond to their needs and requests? Nope, not at all. In fact, Jesus welcomed them and spoke to them about the Kingdom of God
Jesus welcomed them! Wow! Hospitality and serving others without whining. We indeed need to follow Jesus’ example.
Today, ask your Minister or Elder when was the last time they went on a Retreat.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, instill peace, clarity, fulfilment, and love within our hearts. We lift up to You those things that block the way for Your love. May You change our disappointments into Your strength. May You change our whining into Your joy. May You change our selfishness into Your hospitality. This we ask in Your name. Amen.
Tuesday February 26
Prayer: Divine Healing God, we thank You that You feed us through our daily bread and through our daily reading of Your most Holy Word. May we take what You have given us and share it with others so that everyone may eat of Your Word and be filled. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Read St. Luke 9: 12 – 17
Feeding the Five Thousand. This is a beautiful story. The crowds are still listening to the words of Jesus and it gets to be meal time.
The Disciples first thought is to send the crowds away so they can find their own food and lodging. Wow. The Disciples who had just been out sharing the Good News and discovering the hospitality of each town are suddenly being poor party poopers and not sharing their hospitality with others.
Hospitality was first and primary importance in the Middle East and still is today. When one visits a family in the Middle East , one is offered food and drink and shelter. But here are the Disciples not offering these three basic things to the crowd.
How does Jesus respond? He gently reminds them of their hospitality obligations and says, “You give them something to eat”. The Disciples look at their resources and find that they have five loaves of bread and two fish. Now the loaves of bread, made of barley, were probably flat breads like our Pita breads of today. And two fish…. Probably fish that Peter had in his bag J There is no way this small amount can feed so many people.
Jesus says to the Disciples to have the crowd sit down into groups of fifty.
Jesus then takes the food, blesses the food, gives thanks for the food, broke the food and then asked the Disciples to distribute the food to everyone.
Everyone ate and was satisfied…. and there were twelve basketfuls of food left over. A miracle. Some Biblical Scholars suggest that the twelve baskets of left over food is to remind the people of the twelve tribes of Israel Israel
Ponder today this miracle. Jesus took the bread and fish, blessed it, gave thanks for it, and then shared the food with others so that they could be satisfied. How does this relate to the work we do in the Church?
Prayer: Great God, Holy God, Holy Immortal, have mercy upon us. We thank You that You feed us through our daily bread and through our daily reading of Your most Holy Word. May we take what You have given us and share it with others so that everyone may eat of Your Word and be filled. May we, as Your Church, serve all Your people with unending enthusiasm and love. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Wednesday February 27
Prayer: Gracious God, we praise You for calling us to be Your people, and for gathering us to be the Church, the Body of Christ. May we live in Your Spirit, grow in faith, hope, and love, and be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, to whom, with You and the Holy Spirit, we give honour and glory, now and forever. Amen.
(The Book of Common Worship. Presbyterian Church in Canada
Read St. Luke 9: 18 – 20
Peter’s Confession.
Jesus had been spending time in prayer. Suddenly he looks up and says to the Disciples, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
The Disciples respond that the crowds say John the Baptist, Elijah, a prophet.
Then Jesus asks them, “But what about you. Who do you say I am?” Peter says, “The Christ!” Some Bible translate this phrase as “The Messiah”. Peter knew that Jesus was the long expected One of God.
In the Presbyterian Church in Canada
Back in the day, we used to have to memorize the Shorter Catachism of Faith and the Apostle’s Creed. While some people say that memorizing a document means nothing, frequently memorizing a document means we can put what we believe into words.
Ponder today what you believe. Can you put what you believe into easy words and phrases?
Throughout the day today, repeat the Apostle’s Creed. Let the words flow over you and be aware of how these words have influenced your life lived in Christ.
Prayer: I believe in God the Father Almighty, Marker of Heaven and Earth. And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into Hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. He is seated on the right hand of God the Father Almighty and will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Sunday, 24 February 2013
Sunday - Lent 2
Lent is always an interesting time. While it is a time of repentance and returning to God, it also is a preparation for Easter. The Glorious Resurrection. Soon in our house we will be making Ukrainian Eggs called Pysanky. We are not experts by any means but we make pysanky each year to remind us of the joy of the Resurrection. The eggs take a long time to create as one waxes over one colour and then dyes the egg and then waxes over the other colour. Getting the wax to flow over the egg is a skill all on it's own. The kiska (wax writer) is filled with a bit of wax and then heated over a candle. The wax is beeswax. Often when one is creating a design, a blob of wax will suddenly make a change on one's design. Pysanky are created by saying prayers at each step of the creation. Pysanky really makes one slow down and focus upon not only the wax and the design and the colours but also on the time of Lent... the time of preparing for Easter.... the glorious Resurrection. When the Pysanky are completed, the egg is totally black with wax and with dye. Then comes the time of holding the Pysanky over the candle and wiping off the black wax. A single swip unveils colour. This is Easter. From the darkness of our sins comes a time of repentance and then when all seems dark and hidden, the Glory of Easter is revealed.
Prayer: Lord God of Hosts, we pray for all who are lonely and sorrowful, who bear heavy burdens , who face hardships and suffering. Grant that they may know the love of Christ which never fails, and be strong for Your sake. Hear us O Lord. We pray for every family. May the love of husbands and wives embody the love of Christ. May the care of parents for their young be the instrument of Your disciple and tenderness. May the young have a greatful, loving and obedient regard for those who have borne them. And may all be quick to forgive one another failings and glad to help one another in faith and obedience. In the name of Your Son, who loves us and gave Himself for us. Amen.
(Book of Common Order of the Presbyterian Church in Canada
Saturday, 23 February 2013
Saturday - Preaching the Gospel
You will need a Bible, comfy chair, paper and a pen/pencil.
Before we begin today’s Lenten Retreat, settle yourself into a comfy chair. Once you are settled take a slow breath inward. As your breath inward, think of this breathe as the love of Jesus. When you breath out, think of this breathe as the love of Jesus being shared with everyone.
Breath in the love of Jesus.
Breath out the love of Jesus being shared with everyone
Breath in the love of Jesus
Breath out the love of Jesus being shared with everyone.
Prayer: Here I am Lord Jesus Christ. I am here in Your presence. You have brought me to this moment. Speak Lord for I am listening to You.
Picture Jesus sitting beside you and Read St Luke 9: 1 - 9
Breath in the love of Jesus.
Breath out the love of Jesus being shared with everyone
Breath in the love of Jesus
Breath out the love of Jesus being shared with everyone.
Meditate upon St. Luke 9: 1 - 9 with these questions
* I see or contemplate each person in those events, especially Jesus himself.
* I listen to the words, spoken or implied. I ask myself what they might mean. Do they apply to me?
* I ponder the actions, gestures and emotions of Jesus. Ask Jesus how I can share His hospitality.
* What touched my heart about this scripture? What did I find difficult?
* Was there something I would like to return to?
* Was there a phrase of verse that I would like to remember?
Jesus, you shared with me today hospitality. Help me to share Your hospitality this day. Help me to share the Gospel.
Breath in the love of Jesus.
Breath out the love of Jesus being shared with everyone
Breath in the love of Jesus
Breath out the love of Jesus being shared with everyone.
Closing Prayer: Thank you Lord for the time spent in meditation and prayer. May I come to see You more clearly. May I come to love You more dearly. May I come to do Your work You have set for me to do. Amen.
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