Give Up Pettiness for #Lent

This season of Lent, my congregation is taking on the study Give Up Something Bad for Lent by James W. Moore.  The focus of this Lenten study is very practical.  Rather than giving up stuff that you like (chocolate, cokes and the like), why not give up something that's actually causing a problem for you?  Why not give up something that's actually coming between you and the relationship God really wants to have with you?

This week we're praying that God can heal us of our pettiness, that God can move us from hurt feelings and ill will towards better relationships with one another and the God on high.  Let us pray these words from Rev. Moore:

Dear God, thank you for showing us that pettiness is not an answer for a healthy and wholesome life.  Thank you for showing us a better way to live.  Help us to be big rather than small, generous rather than stingy.  May we strive to prevent hurt feelings in others and learn to share your love with all who are in our lives.  Amen.

Give Up a Bad Habit for #Lent

This season of Lent, my congregation is taking on the study Give Up Something Bad for Lent by James W. Moore.  The focus of this Lenten study is very practical.  Rather than giving up stuff that you like (chocolate, cokes and the like), why not give up something that's actually causing a problem for you?  Why not give up something that's actually coming between you and the relationship God really wants to have with you?

This week of Lent we're looking at bad habits ... Are there habitual behaviors in your life that are holding you back?  God can give you the strength to overcome.  Let us pray these words from Reverend Moore:

Dear God, thank you for the many good habits we have that outnumber our bad habits.  Help us to replace the bad with the good.  Encourage us and help us to take positive action to make a positive change in behavior   Give us patience to go forward and help us when we fall.  Show us that we can give up bad habits with your help.  Amen.

Give Up Running Away for Lent

This season of Lent, my congregation is taking on the study Give Up Something Bad for Lent by James W. Moore.  The focus of this Lenten study is very practical.  Rather than giving up stuff that you like (chocolate, cokes and the like), why not give up something that's actually causing a problem for you?  Why not give up something that's actually coming between you and the relationship God really wants to have with you?

This week our in our scripture lesson we take a look at the feeding of the 5,000.  At the beginning of this story, Jesus is attempting to retreat to rest and pray.  But the people in need follow him and what could have been a problem turned into an opportunity to minister to hungry people.  Christ could have kept going, but instead he stayed and showed us that in not running away from a problem a real opportunity for good presented itself.

In that spirit, let us pray these words from Reverend Moore:

Dear God, thank you for giving us the wisdom and courage to face our problems and not run away from them. Help us to deal with problems productively and to help others do the same.  Remind us that you are always just a prayer away and eager to advise us on how to solve our problems.  Amen.

Give Up the Enemies Within for Lent

This season of Lent, my congregation is taking on the study Give Up Something Bad for Lent by James W. Moore.  The focus of this Lenten study is very practical.  Rather than giving up stuff that you like (chocolate, cokes and the like), why not give up something that's actually causing a problem for you?  Why not give up something that's actually coming between you and the relationship God really wants to have with you?

Our passage for Sunday worship this week comes from Luke, chapter 11, verses 37 through 52.  In this passage, Jesus confronts Pharisees who only seem concerned with outward appearances - not on the inward change that comes with being a follower of Yahweh.  In that spirit, with a longing for a complete life turn-around, let us pray these words by Rev. Moore:

Dear God, thank you for opening our eyes to the enemies around us, especially the enemies within.  Help us to look inside ourselves and replace our enemies with love, hope, and faith.  Show us the way to make this Lent a beginning of positive change in our lives and the lives of others.  Amen.

Give Up Harsh, Condemning Judgments for Lent

This season of Lent, my congregation is taking on the study Give Up Something Bad for Lent by James W. Moore.  The focus of this Lenten study is very practical.  Rather than giving up stuff that you like (chocolate, cokes and the like), why not give up something that's actually causing a problem for you?  Why not give up something that's actually coming between you and the relationship God really wants to have with you?

This week's study is focused on giving up judging others, remembering that judgement truly belongs to God.  Rev. Moore's scripture reference for the week is Matthew 7:1-5, when Jesus points out the fact that we often worry about the speck in another's eye, when in fact it's the plank in our own that needs to be dealt with.  The chapter closes with this prayer, and I offer it to help us prepare for our worship on Sunday morning:

Dear God, thank you for reminding us about the dangers of rumors and gossip.  Help us to refrain from judgment and explain the actions of others in the kindest way.  May we treat others the way we wish to be treated.  Amen.

Give Up Something Bad for Lent

This season of Lent, my congregation is taking on the study Give Up Something Bad for Lent by James W. Moore.  This study gives us a very practical view of the season during which we don't just give up things that we like (chocolate, cokes, etc.), but we give up the things that are actually creating barriers between ourselves and the Lord.  We'll be attempting to give up judgmental attitudes, gathering enemies, bad habits, pettiness ... and any number of other things that can come between what we want and what the Lord wants for our lives.  At the close of each chapter, Rev. Moore offers a short prayer, and the prayer for this week is what I offer to you today:

Dear God, thank you for the season of Lent.  Remind us of the importance of preparing for and anticipating Easter.  Help us to use this season wisely as we make positive changes in our lives.  Amen.

Prayer for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

From the United Methodist Book of Worship:

We remember the conviction of Martin Luther King, Jr., that "freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."
Therefore, let us pray for courage and determination by those who are oppressed ...

We remember Martin's warning that "a negative peace which is the absence of tension" is less than "a positive peace which is the presence of justice."
Therefore, let us pray that those who work for peace in our world may cry out first for justice ...

We remember Martin's insight that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.  We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny.  Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly."
Therefore, let us pray that we may see nothing in isolation, but may know ourselves bound to one another and to all people under heaven ...

We remember Martin's lament that "the contemporary church is often a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound.  It is so often the arch-supporter of the status quo.  Far from being disturbed by the presence of the Church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the Church's silent and often vocal sanction of things as they are."
Therefore, let us pray that neither this congregation nor any congregation of Christ's people may be silent in the face of wrong, but that we may be disturbers of the status quo when that is God's call to to us ...

We remember Martin's "hope that dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty."
Therefore, in faith, let us commend ourselves and our work for justice to the goodness of almighty God.  Amen.


Quotations from Letter From the Birmingham City Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Epiphany

e·piph·a·ny n. pl. e·piph·a·nies

1. A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi.

2. A revelatory manifestation of a divine being.

3. a. A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.

    b. A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization

My faith family has gotten a little off of the beaten path with our Advent/Christmas season in following the sermon series "A Different Kind of Christmas" as laid down by Rev. Mike Slaughter.  In keeping with this study, this Sunday we'll be observing Epiphany, that day when the Magi, those wise men from the east found who they long travelled to see - the Christ Child.

From the East they came, following the star that led them to Bethlehem.  The journey may have taken them years - but still they came, bearing gifts to the King.  The arrival of the Wise Men was another sign that this Messiah was special, a Messiah sent not just to save Israel, but the whole world.

On Christmas Eve, as part of our worship we heard from the adult Christ.  As we read from Matthew 25, we listened to Jesus tell us what was at the top of his "Wish List" - for us to love one another and take care of one another.  Christ wants us to treat others with the respect and love one would offer to King; he wants us treat others as we would treat him.  Of course, there's a certain amount of irony here - by Matthew 26, Jesus has been given up to the high priest and then to Pilate, by Matthew 27 Christ is on the cross.

Where do we begin to meet the command of the Lord, "Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."?

It first starts with commitment to Christ, as the Magi traveled from afar to see the Christ Child, many of us come to Christ after a long faith journey.  But when we arrive before Christ, what do we have to offer?  We can't give him gold, frankincense, or myrrh...

At this point, I find inspiration in stanza four of  the hymn In the Bleak Midwinter, by Christina Rossetti:

What can I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

yet what I can I give him: give my heart.

As you get ready for Sunday worship, what  will you bring Christ?

We Pray to Christ the King

Today is Saturday ... Which makes tomorrow Sunday.

What if we took a little bit of time today to get ready for tomorrow?  What if we took just a few minutes right now to pray, to prepare, to get ready to experience something amazing. 

Tomorrow is Christ the King Sunday - the last day of the Christian year before we enter that great in-between time known as Advent.

As many of us of given thanks this week and shared wonderful meals, let us give thanks today for our one true King and leader.

Christ the King

Almighty and everlasting God,
it is your will to restore all things to Christ,
    whom you have anointed priest for ever and ruler of creation.
Grant that all the people of the earth,
    no divided by the power of sin,
    may be united under the glorious and gentle rule of Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.  Amen.*

*UMH 721, from the Book of Common Prayer

Serving the Poor

As I searched for a prayer to pray today, I feel that simple is good.  Ask yourself this:  what would the world be like if Christians lived out the Gospel?  What would your life be like?  How blessed would your church family be if it took the Life of Christ unto itself and gave it all? 

Tomorrow we will follow the story in worship of the Widow's Mite (Mark 12:38-44), and I find these words of Mother Teresa (UMH 446) to be a heart-filling way to prepare and receive the message:

Make us worthy, Lord,
    to serve those throughout the world who live and die in poverty or hunger.
Give them, through our hands, this day their daily bread;
    and by our understanding love, give peace and joy.  Amen.

Don't underestimate the power of prayer to change the world.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving - For All the Saints

This week in my faith family, as in many of yours, we will be observing All Saints Sunday.  It's a special day, set aside for us to remember the Saints, those who have died in the faith and gone before us to show us the way to the Father.

It is for them that we pray and give thanks this weekend, and as we remember them, we remember that we to are victorious in Christ Jesus.

We give you thanks, our God and Father,
   for all who have died in the faith of Christ -
   for the memory of their words and deeds
      and all they accomplished in their time,
   for the joyful hope of reunion with them in the world to come,
   and for our communion with them now;
      in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

Christmas Prayers of Intercession

I've been planning this year's annual Christmas cantata since last December.  Literally.  It's one of my favorite things to plan, our annual big-choir event, a chance to dwell on the music and message of the Christmas season.  I love putting things together, but as a student of Perkins School of Theology, I'll never be able to put together a simple concert.  We always strive together to put on an evening of worship, with a point threaded through from beginning to end.  Sermons in sounds to celebrate the birth of Christ.

This year I felt convicted to bring a message of peace, to sing for it, to pray for it - to remember Christ's purpose in coming down among us to begin with: bringing down the Kingdom time with all of the peace, love, hope, and joy.

In planning for this year's program, I came across the following prayer.  If you haven't heard of the Iona Community, I highly suggest you Google them to see what's what.  Our prayer for this weekend comes from one of my favorite resources of the community, Cloth for the Cradle.  When we offer it in worship during the cantata, we will be singing (praying) the Taize chorus Jesus, Remember Me between the stanzas of the prayer.

It's not to soon, even in October, to pray for Christ to come down and intercede on our behalf just as he did at Christmas.  Let us call Christ down to us again, and show us the meaning of the incarnation, to bring the world the healing and wholeness that we have always longed for:

When the World Was Dark

When the world was dark
and the city was quiet,
you came.

You crept in beside us.

And no one knew.
Only the few
who dared to believe
that God might do something different.

Will you do the same this Christmas, Lord?

Will you come into the darkness of today's world;
not the friendly darkness
as when sleep rescues us from tiredness,
but the fearful darkness,
in which people have stopped believing
                       that war will end
                   or that food will come
                   or that a government will change
                   or that the church cares?

Will you come into that darkness
and do something different
to save your people from death and despair?

Will you come into the quietness of this city,
not the friendly quietness
as when loves hold hands,
but the fearful silence when
                    the phone has not rung
                    the letter has not come,
                    the friendly voice no longer speaks,
                    the doctor's face says it all?

Will you come into that darkness,
and do something different,
not to distract, but to embrace your people?

And will you come into the dark corners
and the quiet places of our lives?

We ask this not because we are guilt-ridden
or want to be,
but because the fullness our lives long for
depends on us being as open and vulnerable to you
as you were to us,
when you came,
wearing no more than diapers,
and trusting human hands
to hold their maker.

Will you come into our lives,
if we open them to you
and do something different?

When the world was dark
and the city was quiet
you came.

You crept in beside us.

Do the same this Christmas, Lord.
Do the same this Christmas.
AMEN.

My prayer is that we give ourselves the freedom to be bold in our prayers, not just in the time of Advent and Christmas, but at all times.  Peace be with you as you worship this weekend!

A Prayer for True Singing

As we prepare ourselves to worship, let us remeber that we were never called to be pew-sitters.  As those who call ourselves Christian, we are called to model the Way of Christ - a way of love in action.  Let us pray that we can put that love into action during this weekend's worship - that the Body might pray together in the songs that we sing and wholly engage our hearts and minds to hear the Spirit's call:

We are people who must sing you,
    for the sake of our very lives.
You are a God who must be sung by us,
    for the sake of your majesty and honor.
And so we thank you,
    for lyrics that push us past our reasons,
    for melodies that break open our givens,
    for cadneces that locate us home,
    beyond all our safe places,
    for tones and tunes that open our lives beyond control
        and our futures beyond despair.
We thank you for the long parade of mothers and fathers
    who have sung you deep and true;
We thank you for the good company
    of artists, poets, musicians, cantors, and instruments
    that sing for us and with us, toward you.
We are witnesses to your mercy and splendor;
    We will not keep silent ... ever again.  Amen.

                                                    -Walter Brueggemann*

*pg. 185 in Worship and Song

A Prayer for Strength in the Midst of Change

My faith family is in the middle of something, of course, who's faith family isn't?

We're in the process of reestablishing our identity has a community of believers.  We're asking hard questions, and preparing to hear the hard truth.  I offer this prayer today, reminding us that no matter where we are today, God does have good things ahead for us, for those who wait, for those who work:

Almighty God, change is bittersweet.  In order to change we are forced both to leave something behind and to embrace something new.  Grant us the grace on this day to do both with humility.  Help us affirm the good things of our past as we lean into a future where there will also be good things.  As we contemplate the changes that will come, remind us that all good things come from You.  Today we commit ourselves to the necessary work ahead.  Be present with us, work in us and through us, we pray.  Amen.

-Safiyah Fosua

#li2012 Benediction

As I write this out my wife and I are sitting in the Southwest Terminal of the KCI airport, decompressing from a long but wonderful continuing ed experience at the Church of the Resurrection Leadership Institute.

While there will be much to break down in future posts, I thought it would be great today just to leave you with the simple benediction that Rev. Adam Hamilton closed worship with at the final session.  There will be more to come, but for now, here's this:

Lord, I offer my life to you.
Help me to walk in your way.
Make me the person you want me to be.
Lead me in your path that I might lead your people.
In your name, Amen.

A Prayer for Guidance

As we seek this day to be more of Jesus and less of ourselves, I find this Korean prayer, #366 in the UMH, to be something I need to pray:

O God,
   just as we look into a mirror to see any soiled spots on our face,
      so let us look to you
         in order to understand the things that we have done amiss.
   We are like a reed shaken in the wind;
      we are inexpressibly weak.
   Leave us not to ourselves,
      but dwell in our hearts and guide our thoughts and actions.  Amen.

A Prayer of Saint Patrick

Every once in a while, in true liturgy nerd fashion, I like to thumb through my United Methodist Book of Worship and search for prayers.  Sometimes it's part of my work, sometimes it's just because I need a few words for myself.

As we get ready to worship the Lord this weekend, I invite you to pray this prayer I found in this week's studies:

Christ be with us, Christ before us, Christ beside us,
Christ in us, Christ beneath us, Christ above us,
Christ on our right, Christ on our left,
Christ where we lie, Christ where we sit, Christ where we arise,
Christ in every heart of every one who thinks of us,
Christ in every eye that sees us,
Christ in every ear that hears us.
    Salvation is of the Lord,
    Salvation is of the Christ,
May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.*

As we learn how to put on Christ in worship, may we put on Christ for the whole world around us.  Amen.


*Attributed to Saint Patrick, Ireland, 5th Century, UMBOW #529

A Prayer for the Church

Let us pray for Christ's Worshipping Body - the Church:

Most merciful Father,
  send your heavenly blessing upon this your Church,
  that all its members may dwell together in unity and love.
Keep far from us all self-will and discord.
Endue your pastors with righteousness,
  and enable them faithful to fulfill their ministry,
  to bring again the outcasts, and to seek the lost.
And grant to us so to receive their ministrations,
  and to use your means of grace,
  that in all our words and deeds
    we may seek your glory and the advancement of your kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.*

*From the Book of Common Prayer

Are You Ready?

As we prepare for Sabbath worship, may we tonight pray with John the Baptist, the one for whom Isaiah prophesied, and who came to be the Prophet of the Most High God.  He who was the voice in the wilderness, crying out:

“Prepare the way for the Lord;
        make his paths straight.
Every valley will be filled,
    and every mountain and hill will be leveled.
The crooked will be made straight
    and the rough places made smooth.
All humanity will see God’s salvation.”*

As it was in John's time, it still is in ours: it is up to us to make the way ready for the Lord.  John called to the people of the time, and to us to repent, and make ourselves ready to meet the Lord.

Almighty and Merciful Lord,

On this day, we pray for readiness.  Readiness to hear the Your word preached and ready to sing Your songs. 

That we may then be ready to go out into the world and make the paths straight and the way plain for You, the Lord of Lords, to move into the lives of our loved ones and neighbors.

Amen.

A Prayer for Tomorrow

Let us join together today in prayer for tomorrow - that the Lord will come down into our midst right now and prepare us for Sabbath worship. 

Let us appeal to the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us, and make us ready to hear the Word in worship this weekend:

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

O Great Spirit,
   whose breath gives life to the world,
   and whose voice is heard in the soft breeze:
We need your strength and wisdom.
Cause us to walk in beauty.
Give us eyes
   ever to behold the red and purple sunset.
Make us wise so that we may understand
   what you have taught us.
Help us learn the lessons you have hidden
   in every leaf and rock.
Make us always ready to come to you
   with clean hands and steady eyes,
so when life fades, like the fading sunset,
   our spirits may come to you without shame.  Amen.

A traditional Native American Prayer, UMH 329