Ps. 19:1-6 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. (2) Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. (3) There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. (4) Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, (5) Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. (6) His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
Father in Heaven, we gather at the gates to praise your name. We praise you as the creator who has hidden wisdom throughout the world, the cosmos, the depths, and within us. We praise you for hiding wisdom and understanding for us to find. We praise you for the sun and the rain, the cloud, the fog, and the wind. We praise you for the sun and the moon and the stars. We priase you for creating the giant salamander, the domodo dragon, the platapus, the kangaroo, the giraffe, the elephant seal, and the cow.
Your wisdom is beyond our praises. We honor you as the creator of our digestion, our heart, our thumbs, eyes, and toe nails. We know so little about what you have made, and yet we are amazed at what we see and know.
We praise you and thank you for this past week of thanksgiving, this season of advent, the aproaching feast of christmas. We see your wisom in the season and whant to learn that wisdom as we order our lives according to these season.
We praise you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And God's people said, AMEN.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Prayer of Confession - 10/29/09
Scripture Reading of Confession: Proverbs 16:6 – “In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.”
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Congregation
Father in heaven, we come to you seeking mercy solely based on the Work of Christ. Your Spirit prompts us, and we hear your call. Please forgive us for our functional atheism in how we look at the world. We do not see your hand all around us because our sin has blinded us. Please forgive us Lord, and send your Spirit.
Broader Church
and Father, we have fallen in with the idols of secularism and have rejected the way you made the world, trying to replace it with the self salvation of bureaucracy. Please forgive us Lord, and Send your Spirit.
We confess to you now, our individual sins, Selah.
Hear our Plea for mercy because Jesus died for us and was raised by your Spirit. Amen.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Congregation
Father in heaven, we come to you seeking mercy solely based on the Work of Christ. Your Spirit prompts us, and we hear your call. Please forgive us for our functional atheism in how we look at the world. We do not see your hand all around us because our sin has blinded us. Please forgive us Lord, and send your Spirit.
Broader Church
and Father, we have fallen in with the idols of secularism and have rejected the way you made the world, trying to replace it with the self salvation of bureaucracy. Please forgive us Lord, and Send your Spirit.
We confess to you now, our individual sins, Selah.
Hear our Plea for mercy because Jesus died for us and was raised by your Spirit. Amen.
Exhortation - 10/29/09
Pro 3:19-21 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. (20) By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. (21) My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
On the first Sunday of Advent, today is the first Sunday of the Church calendar. The Church calendar is an attempt to organize the year around celebrations of the life of Christ, which is our hope and salvation. By celebrating the life of Christ, which is our salvation, in a yearly cycle, we are trying to listen to the scriptures in places like this. Solomon Explains that if we want to find wisdom, then look at creation. God made earth wisely, and the heavens he made according to understanding. The circulation of the waters and the shiftiness of the deeps, those are all examples of God's knowledge.
God made the world a certain way, and he did it on purpose, and we are supposed to dig in and search out the wisdom that he has hidden there. He put things together in such a way that there are concealed wonders, wisdom to be searched out. The scientific endeavor is not just about money, or knowledge, or power over nature. It is about finding wisdom.
When we order the calendar according to a yearly rhythm, we are trying to live according to God's creational wisdom. When we talk of natural law, this is what we are talking about. Natural law doesn't mean the laws of nature that exist somehow apart from God, but how God's wisdom, knowledge, and understanding is revealed in the natural order.
And one of the things that we learn from the creational order is that unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. Let us now humble ourselves before our God and bury our sin in repentance.
On the first Sunday of Advent, today is the first Sunday of the Church calendar. The Church calendar is an attempt to organize the year around celebrations of the life of Christ, which is our hope and salvation. By celebrating the life of Christ, which is our salvation, in a yearly cycle, we are trying to listen to the scriptures in places like this. Solomon Explains that if we want to find wisdom, then look at creation. God made earth wisely, and the heavens he made according to understanding. The circulation of the waters and the shiftiness of the deeps, those are all examples of God's knowledge.
God made the world a certain way, and he did it on purpose, and we are supposed to dig in and search out the wisdom that he has hidden there. He put things together in such a way that there are concealed wonders, wisdom to be searched out. The scientific endeavor is not just about money, or knowledge, or power over nature. It is about finding wisdom.
When we order the calendar according to a yearly rhythm, we are trying to live according to God's creational wisdom. When we talk of natural law, this is what we are talking about. Natural law doesn't mean the laws of nature that exist somehow apart from God, but how God's wisdom, knowledge, and understanding is revealed in the natural order.
And one of the things that we learn from the creational order is that unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. Let us now humble ourselves before our God and bury our sin in repentance.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Prayer of Confession - 10/22/09
Scripture Reading of Confession: Nehemiah 1:7 – “We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.”
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Congregation
Lord God our Father and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We come to you seeking mercy. We have looked in every place for wisdom except in Jesus, which is where you have told us to find it. We have been greedy and selfish, using our bank accounts like temple that hold our savior. Please forgive us Lord, and send your Spirit.
Broader Church
and Father, your broader church in our land has turned to mammon, thinking that our influence and money will buy us souls, but we are losing our own souls in our sin. Please forgive us Lord, and Send your Spirit.
City
And Father, our city is foolish, but Father, they have followed your peoples foolishness. We ask for mercy. Rescue Santa Cruz and all of California from foolishness Please forgive us Lord, and Send Your Spirit.
We confess to you now our individual sins as well. Selah.
Hear our Plea for mercy because Jesus died for us and was raised by your Spirit. Amen.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Congregation
Lord God our Father and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We come to you seeking mercy. We have looked in every place for wisdom except in Jesus, which is where you have told us to find it. We have been greedy and selfish, using our bank accounts like temple that hold our savior. Please forgive us Lord, and send your Spirit.
Broader Church
and Father, your broader church in our land has turned to mammon, thinking that our influence and money will buy us souls, but we are losing our own souls in our sin. Please forgive us Lord, and Send your Spirit.
City
And Father, our city is foolish, but Father, they have followed your peoples foolishness. We ask for mercy. Rescue Santa Cruz and all of California from foolishness Please forgive us Lord, and Send Your Spirit.
We confess to you now our individual sins as well. Selah.
Hear our Plea for mercy because Jesus died for us and was raised by your Spirit. Amen.
Exhortation - 10/22/09
Pro 3:13-18 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. (14) For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. (15) She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. (16) Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. (17) Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. (18) She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
As we pick back up our exhortation from the book of Prov. We come to Solomon's reminder to his son that money isn't everything.
Our life can not be reduced to a balance sheet. We are not simply units of buying power. The primary thing that defines our life is not what we make and spend. Our quality of life, Solomon explains, is has more to do with wisdom and folly than it has to do with money. The rich fool is not to be admired. She has no pleasantness, he has no peace.
If you think that earning more money would change your life, then Solomon teaches here that you are wrong. A poor miserable fool that wins the lottery just become a rich miserable fool. Do not pursue money as a savior. Every idol, even if made of silver, gold, or greenbacks, will not save you.
But notice what Solomon also says comes with wisdom. Length of days and riches and honor. Pursuing riches instead of wisdom gets you neither riches now wisdom. Pursuing wisdom, very often brings riches with it. Pursue wisdom and find pleasantness and peace. She is a tree of life and brings happiness with her. Pursue wisdom.
And according to Paul in the 1 Cor. 1:30, Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God. We are told over and over to pursue wisdom, and we find wisdom in the where wisdom became a man. We find wisdom in Jesus because Jesus is wisdom. And when we follow Jesus, the first lesson that we have to learn is to repent of our sins and come to Jesus for mercy.
Let us confess our sins as we approach God.
As we pick back up our exhortation from the book of Prov. We come to Solomon's reminder to his son that money isn't everything.
Our life can not be reduced to a balance sheet. We are not simply units of buying power. The primary thing that defines our life is not what we make and spend. Our quality of life, Solomon explains, is has more to do with wisdom and folly than it has to do with money. The rich fool is not to be admired. She has no pleasantness, he has no peace.
If you think that earning more money would change your life, then Solomon teaches here that you are wrong. A poor miserable fool that wins the lottery just become a rich miserable fool. Do not pursue money as a savior. Every idol, even if made of silver, gold, or greenbacks, will not save you.
But notice what Solomon also says comes with wisdom. Length of days and riches and honor. Pursuing riches instead of wisdom gets you neither riches now wisdom. Pursuing wisdom, very often brings riches with it. Pursue wisdom and find pleasantness and peace. She is a tree of life and brings happiness with her. Pursue wisdom.
And according to Paul in the 1 Cor. 1:30, Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God. We are told over and over to pursue wisdom, and we find wisdom in the where wisdom became a man. We find wisdom in Jesus because Jesus is wisdom. And when we follow Jesus, the first lesson that we have to learn is to repent of our sins and come to Jesus for mercy.
Let us confess our sins as we approach God.
Prayer of Praise - 11-22-09
Rom 11:33-36 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (34) For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? (35) Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? (36) For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Lord, though our praise can not reach the depth of your praiseworthiness, though our worship can not touch the height of your strength, though our thanksgiving can not touch the hem of your grace, we come to you now with adoration and worship. We praise you for your and mercy. We praise you for creating and redeeming. We praise you for choosing Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. We praise you for rescuing us from Egypt, and Assyria, and Babylon. We praise you for sending your son Jesus to be incarnate as a man. We praise you for the binding the strong man. We praise you for Jesus' death on the cross, we praise you for raising him from the dead. We praise you for breaking the shackles of darkness, for raining down plagues on sin and death. We praise you for translating us out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of your Son Jesus.
We shout our praises now,
Hallelujah - HALLELUJAH
Hallelujah - HALLELUJAH
Hallelujah - HALLELUJAH
And God's people said AMEN
Lord, though our praise can not reach the depth of your praiseworthiness, though our worship can not touch the height of your strength, though our thanksgiving can not touch the hem of your grace, we come to you now with adoration and worship. We praise you for your and mercy. We praise you for creating and redeeming. We praise you for choosing Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. We praise you for rescuing us from Egypt, and Assyria, and Babylon. We praise you for sending your son Jesus to be incarnate as a man. We praise you for the binding the strong man. We praise you for Jesus' death on the cross, we praise you for raising him from the dead. We praise you for breaking the shackles of darkness, for raining down plagues on sin and death. We praise you for translating us out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of your Son Jesus.
We shout our praises now,
Hallelujah - HALLELUJAH
Hallelujah - HALLELUJAH
Hallelujah - HALLELUJAH
And God's people said AMEN
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Exhortation - 10/18/09
Pro 3:11-12 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, (12) for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.
When we are gathered before the Throne of God, we are gathered before our Father. And our father loves us. In fact, he loves us so much that teaches us and trains us what the world really is like. He disciplines us because we are his children.
Heb 12:5-12 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. (6) For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." (7) It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (8) If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. (9) Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? (10) For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. (11) For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (12) Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,
Faith sees the hand of the Lord in trials, but not just any hand, a fatherly hand. A father with our best in mind. A father that has claimed us as his own.
This reminds us that our sin is against our Father, and that our confession is welcomed with a tender heart. Let us turn to the Lord and confess our sins.
When we are gathered before the Throne of God, we are gathered before our Father. And our father loves us. In fact, he loves us so much that teaches us and trains us what the world really is like. He disciplines us because we are his children.
Heb 12:5-12 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. (6) For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." (7) It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (8) If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. (9) Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? (10) For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. (11) For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (12) Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,
Faith sees the hand of the Lord in trials, but not just any hand, a fatherly hand. A father with our best in mind. A father that has claimed us as his own.
This reminds us that our sin is against our Father, and that our confession is welcomed with a tender heart. Let us turn to the Lord and confess our sins.
Prayer of Praise - 10-18-09
Ps. 150:1-6
Praise ye the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary:
praise him in the firmament of his power. (2)
Praise him for his mighty acts:
praise him according to his excellent greatness. (3)
Praise him with the sound of the trumpet:
praise him with the psaltery and harp. (4)
Praise him with the timbrel and dance:
praise him with stringed instruments and organs. (5)
Praise him upon the loud cymbals:
praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. (6)
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
And Lord, we know that we are not in a place to follow this psalm, and yet we have breath Lord, and so we have gathered here, where you have promised to meet us to use all of the breath that you have given us to praise you. And so we praise you now with our whole selves asking that you would change us and grow us up that we might someday have more to praise you with. We pray that your Spirit would knit us together into a choir that our praises might be worthy of you because they reflect your triune nature. We are thankful for our salvation Lord, and we are thankful for the great and glorious work that you sent Jesus, our messiah and judge, to do for us. We thank you for freeing us from slavery. We thank you for ramsoming us from our oppressor, even when we were our own oppressor.
We praise you Father, We praise you Spirit, We praise you Jesus, Three in One, and One in Three, God of all of the universe.
Praise ye the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary:
praise him in the firmament of his power. (2)
Praise him for his mighty acts:
praise him according to his excellent greatness. (3)
Praise him with the sound of the trumpet:
praise him with the psaltery and harp. (4)
Praise him with the timbrel and dance:
praise him with stringed instruments and organs. (5)
Praise him upon the loud cymbals:
praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. (6)
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
And Lord, we know that we are not in a place to follow this psalm, and yet we have breath Lord, and so we have gathered here, where you have promised to meet us to use all of the breath that you have given us to praise you. And so we praise you now with our whole selves asking that you would change us and grow us up that we might someday have more to praise you with. We pray that your Spirit would knit us together into a choir that our praises might be worthy of you because they reflect your triune nature. We are thankful for our salvation Lord, and we are thankful for the great and glorious work that you sent Jesus, our messiah and judge, to do for us. We thank you for freeing us from slavery. We thank you for ramsoming us from our oppressor, even when we were our own oppressor.
We praise you Father, We praise you Spirit, We praise you Jesus, Three in One, and One in Three, God of all of the universe.
Prayer of Confession - 10-18-09
Scripture Reading of Confession: 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Congregation
Father, we confess to you now that we have not treated as a Father. We have acted as if you are out to get us. We often treat your gifts and your discipline as if you are harsh and overbearing. Teach how to welcome your fatherly hand as a sign and token of your lovingkindness. Please forgive us Lord, and send your Spirit.
Broader Church
And Father, your people have forgotten the nature of fatherhhod because we have turned away from your fatherhood. Please forgive us Lord, and Send your Spirit.
City
And Lord, our city is full of the fatherless because so many Fathers have rejected their responsibility. We know that to reject being a Father is to reject you as Father. We know that they are following your people's lead. Please forgive us Lord, and Send Your Spirit.
Also Father, we confess our individual sins to you now. Selah.
Hear our Plea for mercy because Jesus died for us and was raised by your Spirit. Amen.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Congregation
Father, we confess to you now that we have not treated as a Father. We have acted as if you are out to get us. We often treat your gifts and your discipline as if you are harsh and overbearing. Teach how to welcome your fatherly hand as a sign and token of your lovingkindness. Please forgive us Lord, and send your Spirit.
Broader Church
And Father, your people have forgotten the nature of fatherhhod because we have turned away from your fatherhood. Please forgive us Lord, and Send your Spirit.
City
And Lord, our city is full of the fatherless because so many Fathers have rejected their responsibility. We know that to reject being a Father is to reject you as Father. We know that they are following your people's lead. Please forgive us Lord, and Send Your Spirit.
Also Father, we confess our individual sins to you now. Selah.
Hear our Plea for mercy because Jesus died for us and was raised by your Spirit. Amen.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Exhortation - 10/11/09
Prov. 3:9-10 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: (10) So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
While we work our way through Proverbs, we come to the kind of passage that has made proverbs famous. Proverbs is the kind of book that would say something like “check the air pressure on your tires and change the oil. It is a very ‘unspiritual’ in the sense that it is concerned with normal life. But the scriptures are, more often than not, concerned about normal life. It is concerned about regular life.
Here Solomon points something out to his son that he has observed. There is a relationship between who is served with a person’s money and what kind of return the person gets on their money. He tells his son to honor God with his substance. He tells him when he makes an increase, when a harvest comes in, to honor God with the firstfruits. To first dedicate and honor God with the money, and honor God with your increase will lead to increase. When God is honored with our income, then the income will lead to full barns and full wine cellars.
This is not because God is greedy. He already owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He doesn’t need your money. God loves a cheerful giver that loves to remember that all increase, and all income, and everything that we have is a gift from the Lord. The Lord in kind and gracious and generous and God wants us to say thank you. The Lord wants us to honor the Lord with our finances.
This reminds us to confess our sins to the Lord.
While we work our way through Proverbs, we come to the kind of passage that has made proverbs famous. Proverbs is the kind of book that would say something like “check the air pressure on your tires and change the oil. It is a very ‘unspiritual’ in the sense that it is concerned with normal life. But the scriptures are, more often than not, concerned about normal life. It is concerned about regular life.
Here Solomon points something out to his son that he has observed. There is a relationship between who is served with a person’s money and what kind of return the person gets on their money. He tells his son to honor God with his substance. He tells him when he makes an increase, when a harvest comes in, to honor God with the firstfruits. To first dedicate and honor God with the money, and honor God with your increase will lead to increase. When God is honored with our income, then the income will lead to full barns and full wine cellars.
This is not because God is greedy. He already owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He doesn’t need your money. God loves a cheerful giver that loves to remember that all increase, and all income, and everything that we have is a gift from the Lord. The Lord in kind and gracious and generous and God wants us to say thank you. The Lord wants us to honor the Lord with our finances.
This reminds us to confess our sins to the Lord.
Prayer of Confession - 10/11/09
Scripture Reading of Confession: Psalm 32:4-5 – “For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Congregation
Father in Heaven, as in Hosea’s Day, we are slain by your Word as it comes out of your mouth. We cry out to you and ask for relief. Forgive us Lord and resurrect us. We have been self centered with what you have so freely given us. We have been stingy and greedy. Please forgive us Lord, and send your Spirit.
Broader Church
And Father, your people have turned your church and your worship into a racket. Your church has not led the way in serving you with her substance and we know that it is sin. Please forgive us Lord, and Send your Spirit.
City
And Father, our city and our land, the people that you have given us to bring to you have used their substance to dishonor you. Lord, their sin is great, but as the priests of the world, we cry out to you to have mercy. Do not destroy them Lord, instead, bring conviction of sin and repentance to the people of our city. Please forgive us Lord, and Send Your Spirit.
We lift up to you all of our individual sins as well, Selah
Hear our Plea for mercy because Jesus died for us and was raised by your Spirit. Amen.
Prayer of Praise - 10/11/09
Hos. 6:1-5 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. (2) After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. (3) Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. (4) O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. (5) Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.
Oh Lord, our dwelling place, we are here this morning to return unto you. We are here looking for home, and we know that you are our dwelling place, you are our home. We are here because we know that we need you to return to us like the former and the latter rains. We like in a dry land, with a parched people and a parched land. We know that just a drip of water on our tongues would offer refreshment, but we don?t want just a drop of refreshment. We want to see the whole desert bloom as it is soaked with you presence.
Father, we are in need. We cannot rescue ourselves, but we are you people. Please Lord, come down. Refresh and renew and revive us.
In Jesus name we pray, AMEN
Oh Lord, our dwelling place, we are here this morning to return unto you. We are here looking for home, and we know that you are our dwelling place, you are our home. We are here because we know that we need you to return to us like the former and the latter rains. We like in a dry land, with a parched people and a parched land. We know that just a drip of water on our tongues would offer refreshment, but we don?t want just a drop of refreshment. We want to see the whole desert bloom as it is soaked with you presence.
Father, we are in need. We cannot rescue ourselves, but we are you people. Please Lord, come down. Refresh and renew and revive us.
In Jesus name we pray, AMEN
Prayer of Confession - 10/4/09
Scripture Reading of Confession: Psalm 106:6-8 ? ?We have sinned with our fathers, We have committed iniquity, We have done wickedly. Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, But rebelled by the sea - the Red Sea. Nevertheless He saved them for His name?s sake, That He might make His mighty power known.?
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Congregation
Lord, we have been prideful and self-centered. We have acknowledged ourselves before you. We have not turned from evil but have, instead, sought it out. We especially confess the party-spirit of Calvinism. Even the doctrine of total depravity has been bent out of shape to be used to pat ourselves on the back. Please forgive us Lord, and send your Spirit.
Broader Church
And Father, we confess the sin of using marketers on your gospel. We have no right to treat your word like a product we own. We do not own your message, we are owned by it. We don?t own your church and we have overstepped our bounds. Please forgive us Lord, and Send your Spirit.
City
And Father, our city has sought to not acknowledge you in any of its ways and so there is no health or life here. Please have mercy on our city. Please let your grace flow down like cool streams of water into the dry and dusty lands. Please forgive us Lord, and Send Your Spirit.
Hear our Plea for mercy because Jesus died for us and was raised by your Spirit. Amen.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Congregation
Lord, we have been prideful and self-centered. We have acknowledged ourselves before you. We have not turned from evil but have, instead, sought it out. We especially confess the party-spirit of Calvinism. Even the doctrine of total depravity has been bent out of shape to be used to pat ourselves on the back. Please forgive us Lord, and send your Spirit.
Broader Church
And Father, we confess the sin of using marketers on your gospel. We have no right to treat your word like a product we own. We do not own your message, we are owned by it. We don?t own your church and we have overstepped our bounds. Please forgive us Lord, and Send your Spirit.
City
And Father, our city has sought to not acknowledge you in any of its ways and so there is no health or life here. Please have mercy on our city. Please let your grace flow down like cool streams of water into the dry and dusty lands. Please forgive us Lord, and Send Your Spirit.
Hear our Plea for mercy because Jesus died for us and was raised by your Spirit. Amen.
Prayer of Praise - 10/4/09
Ps. 133:1-3
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (2)
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard:
that went down to the skirts of his garments; (3)
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion:
for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
So Father, we come to you as a united people to worship in Spirit and Truth. We are united because we are united to the great High Priest, the New and Greater Aaron, The High Priest that you provided, Jesus of Nazareth.
We praise you for giving Jesus for us. We praise you for ending the wars and feuds that kept us separated. We praise you for breaking down the middle wall of partition between us. We praise you for undoing all of the food taboos and racial taboos and tribal taboos that divided us and bringing us into your people so that we could partake of this blessing.
We praise you Father, We Praise you Spirit, We praise you Jesus.
In your name we pray AMEN
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (2)
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard:
that went down to the skirts of his garments; (3)
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion:
for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
So Father, we come to you as a united people to worship in Spirit and Truth. We are united because we are united to the great High Priest, the New and Greater Aaron, The High Priest that you provided, Jesus of Nazareth.
We praise you for giving Jesus for us. We praise you for ending the wars and feuds that kept us separated. We praise you for breaking down the middle wall of partition between us. We praise you for undoing all of the food taboos and racial taboos and tribal taboos that divided us and bringing us into your people so that we could partake of this blessing.
We praise you Father, We Praise you Spirit, We praise you Jesus.
In your name we pray AMEN
Monday, October 05, 2009
Exhortation 10-4-09
Prov. 3:5-8 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (6) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (7) Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. (8) It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Solomon here gives his son an undergirding principle; a foundational principle. Don’t trust yourself. Trust God and do not trust yourself. Do not acknowledge yourself in pride, but instead, acknowledge God, and he shall direct thy paths. Depend on God’s wisdom. Trust in God’s word. Don’t be self-congratulatory, but honor the Lord and leave evil behind. There you shall find health and liveliness. In the wisdom of God you will find the path of life.
There is no narrower path that the path of no self –flattery. The path without self-congratulation. The path that doesn’t lean on your own understanding, but instead acknowledges God in all of our ways. Following Jesus means that everything that we do, we do as Christians. Everything that we do we do as followers of Jesus, and that means acknowledging Jesus with our whole lives. This is the way of the fear of the Lord. This is the way to depart from evil. Fill your life up with Good things. You can’t put away evil things in your life without filling the void with good. You can’t put off the old man without putting on Christ.
So as we enter into the presence of the Lord, begin to acknowledge God in all things by acknowledging him here. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
And that is what repentance is, it is humbling ourselves and acknowledgeing that we have leaned on our own understanding rather than departed from evil. We have not acknowledged God with all of our ways.
So come now let us confess our need for grace to the Lord.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Friday, February 08, 2008
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