Monday - let us go up to the house of the LORD

Prayer:    Merciful God,  heal our Churches today so that we can be faithful witnesses to Your glory and love.   Heal our ministers today so that they can be faithful witnesses of Your Most Holy Word.  Heal our elders this day O Lord so that they may guide Your Church on the path to love.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Read  Psalm 122

Let us go up to the house of the LORD.    Psalm 122 is a Song of Ascents attributed to King David.  This psalm would be sung by the people as they made their way to the Temple.    There are fifteen psalms that are called “song of ascents”.  Fifteen different songs to be sung as the people made their way to the Temple.  

Read this psalm through again but  insert the name of your city/town/village where the Psalmist has written “Jerusalem”.        By reading the name of your city or town or village,  does it make this Psalm come alive?

How are we to go up to the house of the LORD?   Are we to go up with dragging feet and sorrowful attitudes?   The Psalmist writes that the people rejoiced as they went to the House of the LORD.     Do we sing as we go to Church every Sunday?   This Sunday as you head to Church,  repeat this Psalm either outloud or quietly in your mind.  

And remember that it is with great joy and rejoicing that we worship our LORD and maker.

Prayer: We pray this day for peace within our world.  Lord have mercy.  May we help bring peace into our world.   We pray this day for peace within our Churches and congregations.  Lord have mercy.  May we help bring peace into our Churches.   We pray this day for all Presbyteries that meet this month that they may discern Your will.   May there be peace within all our homes and Churches this day O Lord.  Lord in Your mercy,  hear our prayers.  Amen.

Saturday - Christ - truly divine and truly human

Prayer:   For love and laughter and  life here after  we give You thanks O Lord.  Amen.

Westminster Confession of Faith Shorter Catechism  Question #22: “How did Christ,  being the Son of God,  become man?”

Answer: “Christ,  the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without sin.”

Read Hebrews 2: 14 – 16

Hebrews 4: 15

John 1: 1 - 14

The easy answer to the question here is “because God said so”.   J   In order for us to gain salvation,  God created His son to be truly human and truly divine.    What a gift!      

But the Council of Chalcedon had the same problem.  How can Jesus be truly human and truly divine.   In 451, after a month of debate,  the Council of Chalcedon finally decided that Jesus is truly human and truly divine.  Jesus walked on this earth and lived life as a human but Jesus is from God and is part of God.   

Today,  celebrate that the Christ who has saved you and made you whole is God’s  gift to you.

Prayer:  Almighty God,  You have given us an amazing gift in Your Son our Lord.  May we accept this gift in all that we do and say.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Friday - Go, knowing you are in God's care

Listening Prayer :   O God,  be in our thoughts and actions this day.  Still our restlessness today so that we can live and move in You……

Read Acts 10: 30 – 48

Ask God to speak to you through the scripture that you have read today.    Remain in God’s  presence in silence for a few minutes. 

Read through this portion of scripture once again very slowly.  Let phrases of the scripture bubble up in your mind and pause for a moment over any phrase or portion of scripture that makes you go  “humm”.     Keep still and remain in God’s  presence in silence for a few minutes.

Thank God for this portion of scripture that you have just read.     Keep silent for a few minutes.

Tell God what you learned from this scripture.  Then keep silent for a few minutes and focus on the love of God as shown through this scripture.

Ask God if there is anything that you can do today to help further the love of God within your community and neighbourhood and world.     Remain in God’s  presence in silence for a few minutes.  

Keep silent for a few minutes and focus on the love of God.     

Thank God for this time of learning and prayer.    Keep silent and open your mind to hearing the voice of what God is saying to you today.  

Go out today knowing that you are in God’s  care and loving presence in all you do today and in everything you say today.

Thursday - Go and send men

Prayer:   Great God,  sustain and uphold those who do ministry in Your name.   Give strength and love to those congregations who are seeking a new minister.   In gratitude we thank You for those ministers who are Interim Moderators and help congregations into a new journey in Your love.  Uphold them in their work and times of prayer.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Read  Acts 10: 1 – 8

Go and send men.    In Caesarea there was a Centurion from the Italian Regiment called Cornelius.  He and his family were devout and God-fearing.  He gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.   Here is a Gentile who has heard the Word of God and has believed.  The Book of Acts of the Apostles does not say how  Cornelius first came to believe,  but he obviously heard the Word of God and was changed.

As Cornelius was in prayer,  God spoke to him in a vision.   An angel of the Lord came to Cornelius and said God had heard his prayers and saw his gifts to the poor.  Cornelius was to send for a man named Simon who is called Peter.   

Did Cornelius scoff at this vision?  Nope,  not at all.  Right away he called two of his servants and one of his soldiers who was a devote man and sent them to Joppa. 

Without question,  Cornelius did what God had asked him to do.     And how did Cornelius hear the voice of God?  Through his prayers and his gifts to the poor.  

Do we take time and make time to listen to the voice of God today?   Listening takes practice.  It is easy to say prayers and then spend a couple of seconds in silence.  But the listening that is needed is silent listening for minutes instead of seconds.    During those minutes,  we need to keep our minds clear of random thoughts and activities.  This is difficult but through constant practice and work,  listening will happen.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father,  hear our prayers today as we lift up to You in prayer all Sessions and Ministers as they make decisions for Your Church.  Be with them and strength them in every good word and work.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Wednesday - go and preach the Good News

Prayer:  Great God,  be with those who preach Your Word.   Surround them with Your love and Your peace so that they know they are preaching the Word of the Lord to all.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

 Read Acts 9: 19 – 31

The reading today is the perfect reading for those Ministers and Elders and congregations who are beginning New Church Development ministries.  Go and preach.   Saul begins to preach in the synagogues in Damascus and the Jews try to kill him.  But Saul escapes.  Then Saul journeys to Jerusalem and begins preaching again,  this time to the Grecian Jews.  And the Grecian Jews try to kill Saul.  They do not like his message.   New ministry is very much like Saul trying to tell everyone about the love of Jesus.   Not a lot of people listen and if they do listen,  they get upset and try to send the messenger away.   New Church Development is not easy. 

Scholars today often call this time of Saul’s  ministry as “unsuccessful”.  Yet Saul was doing the work God had called him to do.   It might have been called “unsuccessful” in today’s  language but for Saul,  God had called him to preach Christ to the community.  And that was exactly what Saul was doing whether the community listened or not.    

Today when we begin New Church Development,  we only look at the numbers of people sitting in the pews and how much money is in the pot to build a Church.  If there are a large number of people sitting in the pews and a large amount of money in the pot,  we call this ministry “successful”.       But are we are on the right track?   Shouldn’t we take our example of the enthusiasm of Saul and preach the love of Christ to everyone.  Saul’s  ministry was to share the Word of God with everyone he met.   …  even if the people did not like what they were hearing,  Saul still preached and taught about the love of Christ.   

In reading through this portion of scripture today,  you will also notice that Saul was not alone.  Saul spent time with the disciples.  Saul’s  friends helped lower Saul in a basket to get away from those who wanted to kill him.   While in Jerusalem,  Barnabas took Saul before the apostles and told them about Saul’s  journey and conversion.     When Saul get into trouble with the Grecian Jews,  the brothers took Saul down to Tarsus.   Today in New Church Development,  we can not do ministry alone.  We can not send in one minister and expect a congregation overnight.    As Saul’s  example of his journey,  ministry can not be completed alone.   New ministry needs the help of many believers.

Today,  keep all New Church Development ministries in your prayers.   Together may we go and preach the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ with our communities and neighbourhoods.

Prayer:   Almighty and Everlasting God,  be with the ministers and elders and people of New Church Developments.  Upon hold them so that they may gather to worship You in joy and enthusiasm.   Show us the way O Lord  that we can be a help and an aid to these new Ministries.  This we ask in Your Son’s name.  Amen.

Tuesday - Go and ask for ....

Prayer:  Divine Healer,  grant us the wisdom today so that we can discern Your call.   Grant us peace today so that we can bring Your love into our community.  Grant us  strength today so that we can do the work within our community that You call us to do.  This we ask in Your Son’s name.  Amen.

Read  Acts 9: 10 -  19

God appears to Ananias and tells Ananias to go to the house of Judas on Straight street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul.     Ananias isn’t sure he wants to go  and speak to Saul.  Ananias has heard about Saul being given authority from the Chief Priests to arrest all those who call upon God’s  name.  

God says to Ananias “Go!  This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel…..”  (Acts 9: 13  NIV  Zondervan  1983).    Wow.   Ananias’  jaw must have dropped in shocked amazement over these words he heard from the Lord.     Saul… the very man who was arresting people of the Way (early name for Christians)  was to become a missionary for God. 

What does Ananias do then?  Does he sit at home in stubbornness knowing that if he goes to talk to Saul  he will be arrested?  Does Ananias  go half way on the journey to the place where Saul is staying and suddenly turn around and go home without delivering the message from God?  Nope,  Ananias  goes to the house where Saul is staying and explains to Saul how he was sent by God in order to heal Saul’s  blindness and fill him with the Holy Spirit.     That took a lot of strength for Ananias to go visit Saul!    

One of the responsibilities of Session is to seek out those from the congregation who would be called to Ministry --  ministry of Word and Sacrament,  ministry of missions,  ministry of healing.      Session’s  responsibility is to discern who has the gifts needed for these ministries and then to help those who are chosen by God to fulfil their calling.    Today  keep in your prayers those in your congregation who might be seeking a call from God for ministry.

Remind the Session to seek out those in the congregation who might be discerning a call from God for ministry.    Like Ananias, we  need to go the distance in seeking out those who are chosen by God for ministry…. we can’t just leave the discerning to someone else.      

Through prayer and listening to the voice of God all things are possible.  But first we have to listen then we have to go and do God’s  instructions.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus Christ,  Son of God,  have mercy upon us.  Lord Jesus Christ,  Son of God,  have mercy upon us.  Lord Jesus Christ,  Son of God,  grant us Your peace in believing.  Great God,  we lift up to You today ______________    and  ____________  that they may recognize Your call to go forward to minister to others.     Great God,  we lift up to You today  our Elders.  Give them the strength to discern who in our congregation is called to serve You.    Lord hear our prayers this day.  Amen.

 

Monday - Go into the city and you will be told what to do

Prayer:  Holy God,  set our feet upon Your path of love and righteousness.   Enable our legs to carry us to do the work in this world that You would have us do.   Give wisdom to our minds so that  with great enthusiasm  we share Your love with others we meet this day.  Amen.

Read Acts 9: 1 – 9

This is the story of Saul’s conversion.   It is an extremely powerful story of God breaking into a religious person’s life and saying, “you are on the wrong path friend”.    Saul  was an extremely religious man who began persecuting those who believed in Christ.   

As Saul is nearing Damascus,  a suddenly light from heaven flashes around him.  Out of the light comes a voice saying to Saul, “Saul,  Saul  why do you persecute me?”   Saul responds, “Who are you?”   The voice from the light replies, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do”.

Wow.  Powerful words.   Go into the city and you will be told what you must do.   When we read of the conversion of Saul,  we frequently forget that he was a devote and religious man.  Yet he had gotten onto the wrong path of his religious conviction.  He began persecuting others who were not like him.   When he was led into Damascus by his friends,  he was blind.  And for three days he did not eat or drink anything.   Saul did not eat or drink anything because he was blind but because he was discerning God’s  will through prayer and fasting.   And during those three days  Saul would have spent much time in prayer asking God what sin he had committed to become blind.  (Remember in those days that blindness was considered a form of consequence for a sin that the person or their family had committed).

Today,  does our Church persecute those who live in our Church neighbourhood who are not like us?  Do our Church neighbours just view those in the congregation as those people who take up parking spaces on a Sunday morning?     How do we extend the love of God to those in the neighbourhood of our Church who are not of our faith?  

Go into the city and you will be told what you must do.   We too are told to go into the city…. God has told us to work with those in our city who need help.   But in order to do the work of God  we must wait and spent time in prayer to listen to God’s  voice.    Together as a worshipping community, through prayer,    we come together to do the work of God for all God’s  people.   When was the last time your Church got together to pray for the people living in the neighbourhood?

Prayer:   Great God,  we come before You today waiting to be told what we must do to further Your kingdom.  As we read Your Holy Word,  inspire within us a burning passion to discern Your work that is still needed to be done here on earth.  If we are to sit and pray,  then let us rejoice in this work.  If we are to stand and help others,  then let us rejoice in this work.  If we are to walk and travel to share Your Good News,  then let us rejoice in this work.  All for Your love’s  sake.  Amen.