Congregational Prayer (On Mother's Day) and Psalm 128 - 12 May 2024

 

From Psalm 128

Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Since Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, we pray for the church here and world over, for this congregation, as well as Santa Fe Presbyterian, Westlake, Stonegate, and All Saints Community Church. We ask that by the blessing of your Son, by the reforming and revitalizing work of your Spirit, by the faithful reading, preaching and teaching of your Scriptures, and by the right administration of your sacraments, Jesus might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:25-27). Further, we ask you to be with those in our families and in our congregation, who need heart or healing or help (…). 

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD. We remember the mothers in our lives today, the hours of often selfless toil, maternal worry, and tender care. We are especially thankful for the godly mothers who displayed humble, resilient and affectionate faith! We ask you to draw our mothers closer to you where there is fullness of joy. Give them hope. Strengthen, encourage and refresh them. Some here may have sad memories with regard to their mothers; please mend that sadness. Some mothers and their children may be at serious odds with each other; please effect repentance where either mother or child has sinned; and where at all possible, bring reunion and reconciliation. And though some have desired to be mothers but were unable; show them that you love and enjoy them just as much.

The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life! May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel! Look upon our country, our leaders, the citizens and inhabitants of this land. For the honor of your name, for the sake of your church, for the advantage of our nation, and for the interest of all who dwell within our borders; may goodness grow, justice thrive, liberty succeed, godliness prosper, education boom, lawfulness rise, civility spread, the economy turn up, and the job market enlarge. And that your people may be a blessing to their host countries, may peace and prosperity prevail through all the nations of this globe.  Further, please show us your mercy, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. Clothe your ministers with righteousness; and make your chosen people joyful. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world; for only in you can we live in safety. Lord, keep this nation under your care; and guide us in the way of justice and truth. Let your way be known upon earth; your saving health among all nations. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; nor the hope of the poor perish forever. Create in us clean hearts, O God; and renew us with your Holy Spirit. And now we pray as Jesus taught us, saying: Our Father…

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?" (Rev. Ed.) by John Fea. A Review

Image
  John Fea is a professor of history at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, PA. A university founded in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church. He originally published "Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction" in 2011, and it was revised in 2016. This 328-page paperback is packed full with Colonial and American history, drawing from original sources to answer that question. It is a book written "for the historically minded and thoughtful reader who is looking for help in sorting" out this question, avoiding polemics (xix). Since we live in a sound-bite culture, Fea recognizes that it is difficult to have a sustained dialogue on this topic, but he makes a valiant effort toward having that sustained dialogue. The book reads fairly straightforward, and doesn't seem to get bogged down in the contentious mudpuddles or bogs. In the end, Fea seems to get his point across. To answer the reigning question if America was founded as a Christian...
Read more

Union with Christ - An Application

Image
  (This was my weekly letter to my congregation on Wednesday, 21 February 2024) This morning in my devotional reading, I was working through 1 Corinthians 8. Though I’ve read these words a huge number of times over the years, today one verse caused me to stop and take stock.  Paul wrote, “ Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ ” (1 Corinthians 8:12). What struck me is a couple of things. First, in God’s saving work, we are – by grace alone – united (hitched, bonded, ingrafted) to Christ so much so, that what happens to us happens to him, and what is his becomes ours (think of Galatians 2:20, for example). As Sinclair Ferguson put it, “through union with Christ all that is his by incarnation becomes ours through faith” (“The Christian Life,” 110). Let that percolate in your heart for a while. Your fear, anxiety, tears, and so forth, he feels. And his “ Peace, be still ” is yours. Second, the way we treat one an...
Read more

"Ah, Lord! We are Animated by Anger and Anxiety, Fear and Fury..."

Image
I hesitate to put this out there because of the combative environment we are in at present. But I think some souls will take courage from this, and some will also join with me as we get to the end of this little composition. I am struck by the words of God in Zechariah 8. As he rehearses the waywardness and faithlessness of his people in the past, he clearly declares that he " set every man against his neighbor " (8:10). That got me thinking long ago. I started putting the pieces together and realized that one of God's acts of judgment is division, setting a man against his neighbor. That's what happened when he divided his people into the northern tribes and southern tribes (see 1 Kings 11:26-40). Because of Solomon's turning aside, allowing his wives to turn his heart away from the God of his father, David, the Lord brings about a rift in God's people. And this pattern of divisive judgment runs throughout Scripture. On the other hand, truthful unity is the g...
Read more