Thursday, June 4, 2015

Ephesians 1:15-23

¹⁵ For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, ¹⁶ I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his

glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his

incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things

under his feet and appointed him to be head over

everything for the church,²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Prayer of Hildegard of Bingen

God is the foundation for everything 
This God undertakes, God gives.
Such that nothing that is necessary for life is lacking.
Now humankind needs a body that at all times honors and praises God.
This body is supported in every way through the earth.
Thus the earth glorifies the power of God.

Reflection

In today’s Scripture Paul is praying that we become the body of Christ. To truly be the body of Christ that Paul is praying about, we need to be a church that prays. Not only in private praying together and joining together in prayer. When we pray together we can pray through to the heart of God. God will answer and send the power that raised Christ from the dead.  What hurt do you see in the world that could be healed by the power of God if God’s people would pray?

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Colossians 1:9-14

⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the

dominion of darkness and brought us into the

kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have

redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

A Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console,
not so much to be understood as to understand,
not so much to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.

Reflection

In verse 10 , Paul prays that we might “live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way…” At our church this is why we ask everyone to follow our discipleship process of Connect , Grow, Serve, and Give. In this prayer from Paul as well as the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi there are a lot of

connections to our Connect Grow Serve Give. Reread both and write what verse you think match up with Connect Grow Serve in your life.  

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Jude 1:24-25

²⁴ To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— ²⁵ to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

A Prayer of John Wesley

O merciful Father, do not consider what we have done against you; but what our blessed Savior has done for us. Don’t consider what we have made of ourselves,
but what He is making of us for you our God. O that Christ may be “wisdom and righteousness, 

sanctification and redemption” to every one of our souls. That His precious blood may cleanse us from all our sins, and that your Holy Spirit may renew and sanctify our souls. May He crucify our flesh with its

passion and lusts, and cleanse all our brothers and

sisters in Christ across the earth. O let not “sin reign in our mortal bodies, that we should obey it in its lusts.”
But, “being made free from sin, let us be the servants of righteousness.” Let us commend our hearts to you,
and let all our ways be pleasing in your sight.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who live and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Reflection

Hear again the line from Wesley’s prayer.  “Don’t consider what we have made of ourselves, but what He is

making of us for you our God.” Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God is making

something wonderful out of you. To get a full glimpse of what marvelous things God is doing in you, ask yourself one question. Where would you be if not for the love of God in Jesus Christ? 

Monday, June 1, 2015

Luke 18:9-14

⁹ To some who were confident of their own

righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax

collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a

sinner.’¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who

humble themselves will be exalted.”

A Prayer of Martin Luther

Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it. I am weak in the faith; strengthen me.

I am cold in love; warm me and make me fervent, that my love may go out to my neighbor. I do not have a strong and firm faith; at times I doubt and am unable to trust you altogether. O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in you. In you I have sealed the treasure of all I have. I am poor; you are rich and came to be merciful to the poor. I am a sinner; you are upright. With me, there is an abundance of sin; in you is the fullness of righteousness. Therefore I will remain with you, of whom I can receive, but to whom I may not give. Amen.

Reflection

Both the parable of Jesus and the prayer from Martin Luther point to our need for humility in prayer.  We should not just go before the Lord in prayer and tell God everything is

alright. We should admit to God where we fall short and

admit when we have trouble trusting God. We are all human beings, we are not perfect. We are reliant on God. Like

 Martin Luther says, we are poor and God is rich. Where in your life do you need God’s help?