A reflection on prayer:
"Prayer is not as much inner as outer. It is the most practical thing anyone can do. It is not mystical escape, it is historical engagement. Prayer participates in God's action. God gathers our cries and our praises, our petitions and intercessions, and uses them. The prayers that ascend to God now descend to earth. God uses our prayers in his work. 'Prayer,' wrote Pascal, 'is God's way of providing man with the dignity of causality,'"
-- Eugene H. Peterson
This week's requests:
- Pray that God would help us to experience the love of Christ in our midst as we worship, knitting us into a deeper and closer community of God's people.
- Pray for Katie as she leads our children's ministry. For her to be encouraged and emboldened in her faith. For God to give her more and more vision for our children's ministry and the faith to lead toward that vision. For our members to support her and serve with her.
- Pray that God will give us wisdom in terms of outreach opportunities we should pursue in the community. Pray for the Spirit to embower us to reach out.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Mid-Week Prayer, May 21
A reflection on prayer:
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
~Ephesians 3:14-21
This week's requests:
- Pray for the preaching of God's word. That God would give the pastor (and guest preachers) insight into his word and his world so that he (and they) can preach effectively. For God to give them good illustrations and applications in their preaching.
- Pray for the children of Redeemer to be nurtured in our great faith. For them to experience the risen Christ as they participate at Redeemer. That our children would see Jesus fleshed out before them as they watch us worship, love each other, and serve in Christ's mission to Memphis.
- Pray for baby Reid, who was born Saturday and has had some trouble breathing. Pray that the air pocket in his lung would be resolved and he would be able to go home soon, happy and healthy.
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
~Ephesians 3:14-21
This week's requests:
- Pray for the preaching of God's word. That God would give the pastor (and guest preachers) insight into his word and his world so that he (and they) can preach effectively. For God to give them good illustrations and applications in their preaching.
- Pray for the children of Redeemer to be nurtured in our great faith. For them to experience the risen Christ as they participate at Redeemer. That our children would see Jesus fleshed out before them as they watch us worship, love each other, and serve in Christ's mission to Memphis.
- Pray for baby Reid, who was born Saturday and has had some trouble breathing. Pray that the air pocket in his lung would be resolved and he would be able to go home soon, happy and healthy.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Mid-Week Prayer, May 7
A reflection on prayer:
"Somehow Jesus wanted his followers to live with the tension of believing that the kingdom was indeed arriving in and through his own work, and that this kingdom would come, would fully arrive, not all in a bang but through a process like the slow growth of a plant or the steady leavening of a loaf... We who live after Calvary and Easter know that God did indeed act suddenly and dramatically at that moment. When today we long for God to act, to put the world to rights, we must remind ourselves that he has already done so [through Jesus' death and resurrection], and that what we are now awaiting is the full outworking of those events. We wait with patience, not like people in a dark room wondering if anyone will ever come with a lighted candle, but like people in early morning who know that the sun has arisen and are now waiting for the full brightness of midday." ~N.T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone, p. 170
This week's requests:
-Pray for the healing touch of Jesus Christ to spread in Memphis.
- Pray that in our homes as well as in our church we would be habitually confessing sin and repenting of it. Pray that we would habitually believe the gospel of God's grace in Christ on our behalf and on behalf of others. That we would be a community rich in forgiveness and restoration.
- Pray for us to be a church that is alert to the needs of the members of our body. Pray for God to help us to care for one another in practical ways. Help us to serve each other especially in times of need.
"Somehow Jesus wanted his followers to live with the tension of believing that the kingdom was indeed arriving in and through his own work, and that this kingdom would come, would fully arrive, not all in a bang but through a process like the slow growth of a plant or the steady leavening of a loaf... We who live after Calvary and Easter know that God did indeed act suddenly and dramatically at that moment. When today we long for God to act, to put the world to rights, we must remind ourselves that he has already done so [through Jesus' death and resurrection], and that what we are now awaiting is the full outworking of those events. We wait with patience, not like people in a dark room wondering if anyone will ever come with a lighted candle, but like people in early morning who know that the sun has arisen and are now waiting for the full brightness of midday." ~N.T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone, p. 170
This week's requests:
-Pray for the healing touch of Jesus Christ to spread in Memphis.
- Pray that in our homes as well as in our church we would be habitually confessing sin and repenting of it. Pray that we would habitually believe the gospel of God's grace in Christ on our behalf and on behalf of others. That we would be a community rich in forgiveness and restoration.
- Pray for us to be a church that is alert to the needs of the members of our body. Pray for God to help us to care for one another in practical ways. Help us to serve each other especially in times of need.
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