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Showing posts from December 2, 2012

Short, Quick Thought: Prayer for Unity

This prayer has been on my mind and heart for a long while. I thought it time to post it with a few very short reflections: O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. It appears this prayer has roots that go as far back as 1714. It is found in the 1928 and 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Give us grace to lay to heart : It is the Spirit of God who gifts his church with unity (Ephesians 4.1-3), and so our dependence is on him to p

Watching with Isaiah: Do You See What I See? Pt. 2: Reflecting on Isaiah 11.1-10

“For anyone united to Christ,  there is a new creation:  the old order has gone;  a new order has already begun”   (2 Cor. 5.17 REB). “At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you,  which is true in him and in you,  because the darkness is passing away  and the true light is already shining ”  (1 John 2.8) . Spirit of Christ : “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD” (11.1-3a). The promise is of the one who will come as a 2 nd David (v.1). This special one, this long-awaited one will have the Spirit of the LORD resting on Him. The 7-fold Spirit [see Rev. 1.4; 3.1; 4.5; 5.6] will enable this 2 nd David in his calling and mission. “The angel answered and s

Pastoral/Congregational Prayer-2 December 2012

LORD God, the Almighty, whose eyes run to-and-fro throughout the whole earth to show yourself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to you (2 Chron. 16.9); whose eyes are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good (Prov. 15.3); and whose eyes are toward the righteous and whose ears toward their cry (Psalm 34.15). Please hear our voiced and silent prayers. We pray that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2.14); that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, and that your people may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith (2 Thess. 3.1-2). To that end, we ask that Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jews, as well as friends, family, neighbors we know …[Silently mention names]..., would be stirred up to place their utter confidence on your Son, Jesus Christ while renouncing their iniquity. Lord, hear our prayer. O Lord our healer, turn your face upon these who f