Weekly Prayer – April 24, 2024

,

Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of April 24, 2024

Written by Rev. Tim Best

This week’s prayer is sent from Rev. Tim Best as he serves as a Marshal for the 2020 (2024) General Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

God of all nations and peoples,

Our hearts are filled with thanks and praise for mercies of this day. As we look back over our day, help us discover the moments that you where your grace was especially present in our lives. Show us where conversations with others, quiet moments, the routines of the ordinary, and even the challenges of the day have held your voice and your love for us.

Lift from our spirits the burdens that have weighed us down and distracted us today. We ask your intervention where we have known tension in our relationships today, Where our hearts have been filled with anger and hatred today, transform and forgive us. For those of us who are depressed or anxious, be for us a balm and comfort. See our wounds and carry us when we are weary. As we look towards tomorrow renew us and help us to rest and wake with the hopeful promise that you will be with in all that we will face.

We continue to pray for our United Methodist Church and it’s General Conference. What a sign of your abundant love and grace that brothers and sisters in Christ can gather together and speak in their own languages, worshipping and working together. We ask that you would guide and direct all those delegates working together that they may know your will. Help them to rest, to see each day signs of your mercy and peace. Above all, help them, and all of us, to see that we are one in the body of Christ our Lord. May all speak with concern, grace, and patience as a sign of our obedience and discipleship.

Make us continually mindful of our calling and ministry. Help us to be a light and witness to the Christ’s kingdom in the midst of the world. Help us witness within our community of Knoxville. We lift up our leaders and civil servants. May they feel your guidance when they face difficult decisions, and may their hearts be shaped to serve others. Guide us all as we seek to solve the problems that face our community and the world. We pray for the leaders of our nation and of the world. We pray for and desire your peace and justice to reign through all the earth. When our hearts are bent towards war and hatred, transform us. Help us to see and experience a foretaste of your kingdom in our world.

As we close out this day fill us with your hope for tomorrow. It is in confidence of that hope that we lift our joys and concerns up to you:

We pray for the 2020 General Conference (which is finally taking place after delays from Covid) gathering in Charlotte, NC. Please pray for our delegates by name, along with our Bishop, Debra Wallace-Padgett:

Amanda Onks, Rev. Amy Sumrall, Anne Travis, Becky Hall, Rev. Caleb Frazier, Rev. David Graybeal, Dawson Kitts, Del Holley, Donna Mosby, Rev. Dr. Josh Kilbourne, Rev. Kim Goddard, Rev. Kristen Burkhart, Rev. Lauri Jo Cranford, Rev. Dr. Mark Flynn, Rev. Mary Thompson, Nate Roark, Rev. Paul Seay, Rev. Dr. Randy Frye, Reagan Kelly, Sam England, Rev. Sarah Varnell, Rev. Sharon Bowers, and Rev. Wil Cantrell.

We pray for …

  • A member recovering from Covid that turned into ear and throat infections
  • A young adult who is struggling with mental health issues right now
  • One who is going through a legal process; prayers for resolution
  • Those who are dealing with fertility concerns
  • Friends and family who are going through difficult times
  • Our youth and children’s programs as they prepare for summer

We continue to pray for …

  • Those who are in assisted living and rehab
  • Members who are in hospital
  • Peace

We give thanks for ….

  • Our sixth grade Confirmation Class and Rev. Rick Isbell
  • A couple who is getting married this weekend
  • A good finance report at Church Council meeting
  • Options for second opinions and further research for medical concerns

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

/0 Comments/by

Weekly Prayer – April 17, 2024

,

Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of April 17, 2024

Written by Rev. Catherine Nance

O God, we pause at the end of the day with others in our church family to offer prayer. As we read these words, we imagine members of our church and what they mean to us. Some are very dear friends and some we barely know. Perhaps there are those who have been long-time members and others who have recently started attending. But there is a comfort in knowing that others who worship where we do and sang the same hymns on Sunday are pausing now to say, “thank you for your gifts.”

We thank you for this gift of prayer and how it connects us to your heart and to others. We thank you for how prayer gives us a peace when we are troubled. Prayer renews our spirits when we are cast down. Prayer offers us strength when we are feeling weary. Thank you, O God, for the mystery of this act. Pausing to acknowledge, reflect, give thanks, intercede for others, and share our own burdens – this act of prayer gets us through the week.

We imagine others who are reading this, and we give thanks for them. We do not know the names and faces behind each prayer request, but we feel a closeness to them because they trust us with their vulnerability.

O God who hears our prayers, we wonder what your world would be like if the whole world stopped for a moment and felt a grateful connection to you and to neighbor. What power there would be in prayer!

Fill us with that assurance, O loving God, that this very act, praying together, for one another, has made a difference in our living today. It has made a difference in others’ lives. And will make a difference in how we face tomorrow.

Before we read through prayer concerns, we pause for just one more moment, and think of people around your world. We know there are those who have no ‘church family.’ There are those who are praying alone. Graft our prayers into theirs, O God. Let them know they are not alone.

We offer the prayer that Jesus taught us saying ….

We pray for ….

  • An expectant mother who has a very active little one inside! Prayers for good rest until due date!
  • All spouses who are dealing with the stress  of caring for their spouse who has dementia or other brain diseases. Prayers for comfort in the continuing grief.
  • Faithfulness; that God will keep us healthy and abundant in love! Keep us alive and well in Jesus name!
  • The family of a woman who died from ALS; she leaves a husband and two young adult children. Praying for a church member who is a dear friend to her.
  • A member’s aunt who is home on hospice care and near death after her cancer returned 
  • A family who is traveling this week
  • One experiencing difficult situation with family members with whom there has been no contact for years; prayers for a respectful resolution while maintaining healthy boundaries
  • A member’s 91-year old father whose quality of life is declining

We continue to pray for …

  • Peace in our world.
  • One looking for full-time employment; the stress of job searching is causing sleeplessness. 
  • Those dealing with mental illness; may they find God’s peace.
  • Those going through cancer treatments

We give thanks for …

  • A positive follow up appointment with surgeon
  • Finding a good solution for long term care
  • Our sixth graders at CSUMC who will be confirmed on Sunday

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

/0 Comments/by

Weekly Prayer – April 10, 2024

,

Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of April 10, 2024

Written by Steve Richardson

God in heaven and in our midst: 

Springtime surrounds our senses. Bright colors of flowers and trees’ green leaves, scents from fresh blossoms, sounds of singing birds (most of them always sound happy, except for the crows who seem to mimic fussiness!), increasing warmth from the sun moving closer and shining longer each day, and so many other sensory joys. This season brings the added sense of renewal. Thank you, Creator, for Spring’s wonders.   

Despite these blessings, we still tend to worry a lot. Jesus encouraged us to not be anxious for tomorrow. Often that’s easier said than done. We’re sure you know how difficult that can be for us in a world of randomness and pressures all around us. Culture-imposed calendars and schedules have ways of overtaking and setting our priorities. Please, comforting Lord, keep us mindful that you are always willing to be a calming source of reassurance and support.   

Jesus also shared the analogy that he is the vine, and we are the branches from which we might bear fruit.  Help us acknowledge that these grapes don’t suddenly grow all at once. Such growth happens over time, day-by-day. And some days are sunny, some are rainy; some are warm, some are cold; some are calm, some bring fierce winds and storms. But via your divine vine, we pray we produce fruit worthy of your acceptance. 

Guide and move us to seek justice, wholeness, healing, compassion, inclusiveness, hospitality, reconciliation and peacemaking. Even when we might think such goals are aspirational but not realistic, give us confidence that we can achieve them by doing our parts each day (starting now) within our own circles of family, friends and community. 

We continue to pray for your omnipotent healing touch on the brokenness of this world. Wars, natural disasters, diseases, hunger, social injustices, poverty, crimes – – the consequential human suffering from these troubles us. We pray again that your sacred will be done so that your peace which surpasses all understanding is known across the Earth. 

Thank you, God, for loving us, accepting us, sustaining us and being ever-present with us. Thank you for your grace, mercy, wisdom and promise of everlasting life. 

Merciful God, also hear these needs and prayers of others in our church community. Surround each person with your loving embrace and comfort… 

We pray for ….

  • Those who are grieving the death of husband and father after illness; thankful for love!
  • An adult child with mental illness; prayers for the mother to make best decisions for herself and family. Pray that the destructive voices will subside ….
  • A grandchild; praying for good health and discernment as diagnosis about seizures is discussed
  • A member awaiting test results from MRI
  • A young adult diagnosed with cancer
  • A young couple going through a difficult time
  • A family in Nashville in the death of their 42-year old wife/mother to cancer
  • A husband recently diagnosed with cancer; thankful for the excellent medical team. 
  • Christian unity
  • One who feels betrayed by his faith in God; searching for truth and answers
  • A friend whose twenty-year old daughter died after five-year battle with brain cancer. Prayers for this dear mother; she had already lost one child during birth. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
  • High school seniors who are making decisions about college
  • A son to find a job
  • A daughter having surgery this week
  • Adult children navigating health care for aging parent; prayers for discernment
  • A nephew who has been deployed to Middle East; prayers for safety for all
  • A granddaughter having medical tests
  • A nephew who is grieving the death of a much-loved uncle.

We give thanks for …

  • A new job!
  • Son and daughter-in-law moving back to Tennessee
  • The successful heart transplant surgery for a friend’s little girl
  • Safety! Thankful that a member is safe after tree fell on her house. Thankful for the prayers of so many people that bring peace and calm.
  • Thankful that our son found a good job!

We continue to pray for …

  • Peace in our world; especially the starving in Gaza.
  • One looking for full-time employment; the stress of job searching is causing sleeplessness. Dear Lord, help her find work!
  • The continued efforts in Baltimore after the bridge collapse.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

/0 Comments/by

Then…

,

Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Sunday, March 31, 2024 – Easter Sunday

By Rev. Catherine Nance

Then…

Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

“Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand…”

We all know the scripture reading for today – “He is not here. He has risen.” The next line of good news we hear is, ‘He appeared.’ We think of Cleopas and his friend in Luke’s Gospel and Mary Magdalene in John’s Gospel. We could think of these as stand-alone stories; events that happened in the past to someone else. But, we claim that WE are an Easter People. In the Epistle reading for today, Paul reminds us that the appearances keep happening. “Now, I would remind you,” he begins,” of the Good News that I proclaimed to you.” He reminds us that Jesus died, was buried, and raised on the third day. Then, the thens begin. Yes, the THENS. 

THEN he appeared to Cephas, 

THEN to the Twelve, 

THEN to more than five hundred, 

THEN to James, 

THEN to all the apostles. 

In dramatic storytelling style, Paul concludes, “Last of all, he appeared also to me.”

This is where we get to interrupt the story and say, No, Paul; you were not last of all, because THEN he appeared to me!

When we say we are Easter People, we are not simply retelling a story that happened over two-thousand years ago. We believe Resurrection continues to happen and Jesus appears to us! I have seen Jesus in your faces when you speak of your hope. I have seen Jesus in a hospital room. I have seen Jesus when a child served me communion on Christmas Eve. I have seen Jesus when someone offered grace.

THEN, he appeared to me. Where have you seen Jesus? 

Prayer

O God of Resurrection, thank you for being alive in our hearts and in our world today. Help us to see you and THEN, to tell others the Good News! Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

/0 Comments/by

Surprise

,

Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Saturday, April 30, 2024 – Holy Saturday

By John Eldridge

Surprise

Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” (NKJV)

I love Springtime; but then I love all the seasons. The earth warms and all the plants and trees begin to come alive again. All different shades of green begin to appear. 

My wife Phyllis and I have, through the years, planted a number of perennial flowers. We love to watch their progress as they shoot up through the mulch, coming out a little more each day until there is a Hosta or a new flower. It’s all a miracle! A miracle that unfolds right before our eyes. 

My Methodist minister father once preached a sermon about the Surprise Lily. The Surprise Lily is called that because there is nothing there until one day the Surprise Lily is suddenly a gorgeous flower. 

Lent is like that. Slowly we begin to “wake up” to the coming of Spring and soon know the joy of the Gospel reining in on us. Also a miracle. Then comes Holy Week and God’s greatest surprise – the Resurrection of Christ. Easter then comes and we celebrate.  

Prayer

Help me, Lord, to see the miracle of Spring, when the world comes alive after a season of sleep. Help me to know and feel that I am a special child of God. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

/0 Comments/by

God With Us

,

Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Friday, March 29, 2024 – Good Friday

By Rev. Tim Best, Senior Associate Pastor

God With Us

Psalm 22

I was in college when I learned that Jesus’s “cry of dereliction” was from Psalm 22. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that Jesus relied upon scripture to express himself in a moment beyond words. In the midst of suffering Jesus relies upon the wisdom and words of scripture. When we fail to acknowledge that Jesus is invoking scripture, we think he is just invoking raw emotion. Rather, Jesus is interpreting his own experience of suffering through the language of the 22nd Psalm. Any doubts that lingered about Christ’s humanity are dashed upon the hard edge of his cry of anguish. Yet, because he invokes this Psalm, we see that his trust and obedience to the Father remains steadfast. 

In his suffering Jesus shows us the way to encounter our own suffering, and how to seek God in the midst of that suffering. First, Jesus shows us that scripture gives us the words to be honest. It is not faithful to pretend as if our suffering isn’t real, or that it is not truly suffering. Jesus voices a sense of abandonment, calling out “My God, why have you forsaken me?” When we feel abandoned or dejected, we too can cry out to God truthfully. Second, Jesus demonstrates how thoroughly scripture can be a source of vocabulary and language for us. When we do not have words, we can pray through scripture. 

All this week it has been tempting to rush towards the victory of Easter. Yet, their is no victory if there is no Friday. We all experience suffering and pain. In Christ’s own suffering we see a solidarity with our humanity, another lived example of what “God with us” actually means. 

Prayer

O God, You who sent your Son into the world to know and endure our suffering; grant that in the midst of our own suffering we would know you hear our prayers and care about our plight. Prepare our hearts for Easter that we may know the joy of your love in the good times and the bad. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

/0 Comments/by

Turn Around and Repent

,

Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Thursday, March 28, 2024 – Maundy Thursday

By Dan Kelley

Turn Around and Repent

Read: Psalm 139

In January 1994, a 6.7 earthquake hit the San Fernando Valley of California centered on the Los Angeles suburb of Northridge. There were two major 6.0 aftershocks and hundreds of smaller ones. The quake had the highest ground acceleration measurement ever taken in an urban area.

The quake did major damage in the cities of Santa Monica, Hollywood, and Santa Clarita. It was felt as far away as San Diego, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. But most damage was done in Northridge. At between $13 and $50 Billion dollars of damage, it was one of the costliest natural disasters in US History. Fifty-seven people were killed and 9000 injured.

A young student at Cal State Northridge named Carl lived in the Meadows Apartment Complex. When the quake hit Carl’s apartment was destroyed. He was knocked down and trapped in the kitchen. He awoke hours later when he heard sirens blaring nearby. His hope rose. If he could free himself, he could be saved. But the room was full of dust and smoke from nearby fires. He could not see. He struggled from under the fallen cabinets that had pinned him to the floor and crawled to the front door. If he could get through the west facing door to the outside he could be saved. 

But the door frame was jammed and no matter how hard he pounded it would not open. He yelled. He cried but no one heard him. The fear of fire burning him frightened him. The smell of gas caused anxiety. The irrational thought of earthquakes causing a tsunami that might drown him drove him to panic. He smashed on the door again and again but to no avail.

Then he bargained with God. He negotiated what he would do for God if only He would save him. He made promises. He would atone for all his sins. With this hope, he again pushed on the door with all his might. But the door did not move. He cursed God in the dark. Why won’t you save me? He collapsed in exhaustion and despair. He felt totally abandoned.

Early the next morning Carl felt sunlight on his face. In confusion he turned around to see that the eastern wall of his apartment had fallen away and he could walk out to safety. 

The word repent means to turn around. When Carl turned around and opened his eyes he could see the light. He could see the way God had prepared for him to escape those things in his life that had trapped him.

Prayer

Dear Lord and Savior, You have prepared the Way for us with your own blood. Help us to turn away from the traps of the world and see the light of your love. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

/by

Weekly Prayer – March 27, 2024

,

Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of March 27, 2024

Written by Rev. Tim Best

Holy God,

During this Holy Week we seek your strength and your compassion. In each of the stories that we encounter about this week of your ministry which culminates in your passion and death, we see that when our love, our understanding, our patience, and our courage fails, you remain steadfast. As we read and remember the stories of your journey to the cross, open our hearts that we might be renewed in our discipleship. As our lenten journey comes to an end, prepare us to proclaim the hope and mystery of our faith after Easter.

As you taught in the temple, and prophetically challenged the powers of your day, challenge in us our love for the way things are. Where we have used talk of you to benefit ourselves and those close to us, lead us to repent. Help us to remain steadfastly committed to you, that we would abandon the appearance of devotion for the sincere commitment to you and the path you set before us. Make us mindful of those in our midst who suffer and are vulnerable. We pray for those whom we have ignored, those whose suffering has benefitted us, and those who have yearned to know your love, but have not found in us compassionate friends. Guide us that we may see the suffering of others and respond with the mercy and grace you have shown to us.

As you greeted those who arrived to arrest you with peace, help us to face our enemies with confidence in your kingdom and a resolve to greet force and violence with patience and trust in the final triumph of your kingdom. We pray for those who suffer from violence. We pray for all peoples afflicted by war. We pray for the ongoing war in Ukraine. We pray for Israel, for Gaza, for all those who are suffering. As your disciples we know that your desire is for all creation to be gathered into a peaceful and even joyful existence under the Lordship of Christ. Help us to treat our enemies as Christ treated those who saw him as an enemy. Soften hard hearts and direct the powerful so that your peace may reign.

Through your own suffering on the cross you teach us that we might cry out to you in our own trials. Deepen our faith that we might be so bold to name our suffering before you and before the world. We praise you that we are not required to hide our pain and suffering. We pray for those who are suffering. Our hearts are broken as we continue to learn details of the tragic bridge collapse in Maryland. In such moments we feel limited by words and our inability to undo such suffering. Hear us when we pray and hold those who suffer in your care.

As we come to the end of another day in this Holy Week, grant us peace and rest this night. Take from us the burdens of the day, and help us to recognize the simple mercies we have experienced throughout this day. Where we have failed to fully obey you today, help us tomorrow. In humble trust we offer all the cares of our hearts to you, including these joys and concerns of our church family….

We pray for ….

  • The city of Baltimore and all those affected by the bridge collapse. Praying especially for the families of the six workers. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer!
  • A sister who is going through divorce mediation; may all be calm and respectful.
  • A member’s nine grandchildren; may they know th ey are all loved by God and family.
  • One who is having trouble sleeping while looking for work; pray that someone would call for an interview!
  • Praying for family and friends who are going through difficult times; God knows the need.
  • Family and friends who are grieving the death of a special lady who taught us all about perseverance, hope, and trust in God.
  • A mother who has been hospitalized at Vanderbilt; thankful doctors are able to bring her relief
  • A colleague who is having health concerns; may she make good decisions
  • One who is waiting to hear results from MRI
  • Those who are prisoners of human trafficking
  • Family in Indonesia
  • A husband who has broken nose and and cannot sleep well
  • A family having to make decision about putting their mother in nursing home. Prayers for this 88-year old.
  • A cousin’s wife who has advanced kidney cancer; she begins treatments soon. Please pray for healing and peace.
  • The husband of a close friend whose throat cancer has returned. Prayers for him and for his wife who is caregiver.

We give thanks for ….

  • A daughter who has found a wonderful full-time job after years of being stay-at-home mom!
  • The beautiful musical offering on Sunday night, St. John’s Passion
  • For all the people who read these prayer requests and offer their time to pray.

We continue to pray for ….

  • A grandson who is healing from surgery on tibia and fibula
  • Those who have had surgery
  • One who is recuperating from leg surgery; praying that pain will be gone.

We offer our prayers in the name of Jesus, our Lord, who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

/by

A Time of Introspection

,

Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

By David Lineberger

A Time of Introspection

Read: Jeremiah 29:11

“Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.”

The first time I remember hearing about Lent I was amazed that there was a religious time to concentrate on belly button dust. Of course, I was 8 years old at the time. Later, I was curious to learn that this was not a celebration like Christmas or Easter, but something very personal and introspective, and that it was different for every person.

Historically, new Christians were baptized and confirmed at Easter. Leading up to that was a period of preparation centering around your relationship with God, how you were living your own life, and how you were sharing God’s love with those less fortunate. Doing these things gave you a renewed perspective of your faith and an appreciation of God’s love.

Today, we use the season of Lent to emphasize these same spiritual ideas. To focus on how important various things are in your life, imagine a blank piece of paper. Imagine there is a circle in the center of the page with your name on it. Now place  things or people that are most important to you nearest the circle in the center. Continue with other less important parts of your life and place them farther from the center, depending on their importance to you. Once this is complete, put God where He belongs in your life, being honest and not where He should be, but is in reality. This mental exercise should give you a picture of your life currently, and how important God is to you. Do you see anything that should change? Does God deserve better?

Now look at the paper and ask yourself how many of the items nearest you reflect selfishness or greed, or harm to yourself or others. Are there items that should move away from you in the center, or items near the edge of the paper that belong nearer the center?

And last, realize how many of your items focus on the needy or those who are desperate for help from those more fortunate. How close are they to the center of the page? How much are you sharing God’s blessings and love with others?

In doing these things, Lent can become a personal celebration of your faith in God and a renewal of what it means to be His disciple. Lent can also be a time of a renewed appreciation of His greatest gift to all of us. What could be better than making our lives all about sharing His love instead of all about ourselves?

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, forgive our selfishness and greed, our tendency to exclude you from our lives, and our willingness to look the other way when needs of others cross our path. Help us to see You in others,  and help to show You to others! In the name of your precious Son I pray, Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

/by

Go. And Do.

,

Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

By Steve Richardson

Go. And Do.

Read: Luke 10:29-37

“Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

These days, with all the turmoil happening across the world, there are times I just want to hunker down and hide inside a bubble. Everything seems safer that way.

But when looking at Biblical examples of Jesus, Paul, Peter and other God-led role models, self-preservation was nowhere near the top of their lists of priorities. In fact, self-preservation wasn’t even on their lists at all.

Maybe it’s amid social and cultural commotion that God looks to us to contend with it, and to use such times as opportunities to be God’s agents for peacemaking, advancing justice and building community.

At crossroads of hesitancy in my life, sometimes I’ve been nudged by a snippet of wisdom from St. Thomas Aquinas: “If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.” Like ships are made for sailing, we as God’s people need to be out in the tumultuous world sharing and living lives reflective of God’s grace and love. 

Granted, Lent is a time for introspection and reflection. This might imply that Lent is a time to pause or retreat, to moor our ship in a sheltered harbor for a few weeks. Likely, though, the full richness of the transformational power of Lent can be best realized when we augment the season by applying our resources and talents to building God’s kingdom, by giving of ourselves to God’s work, by venturing out into a troubled world with acts of kindness, mercy and justice. 

Prayer

God of fervor, God of opportunities, forgive our hesitancies to respond when action is needed, especially in service to others. Instill in us a passion for going and doing in Jesus’ name. Call us and use us to be conveyors of your Holy Spirit throughout all your creation, especially when everything seems turned upside-down! Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

/by