⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, ¹⁰ your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ Matthew 6:9-13

The Lord’s Prayer is one of the most recognized prayers in all history.  Jesus gave us this prayer as a gift.  Having difficulty in praying?  Say the Lord’s Prayer.  Need to pray with a group?  Say the Lord’s Prayer.  Want to know how God wants us to live?  Say the Lord’s Prayer. 

Once I made an emergency visit to a church member actively dying.  He had dementia and did not know who I was, nor did he say anything to me during the visit.  Until I prayed the Lord’s Prayer.  He joined with me in every word.  This was the last time we spent together on this earth, and it was powerful.  This prayer was a gift of grace from Jesus at that moment.

When we slow down and focus on each line of the prayer, we are not praying in vain or repetition, rather we are declaring our faith in God, and our desire to follow God’s will.

As you journey through this week, consider the Lord’s Prayer.  Say it slowly, meditate over each line, each word and allow the prayer to change you.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

 Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. ⁴⁷When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. ⁴⁸Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” ⁴⁹The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” ⁵⁰Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. ⁵¹As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. ⁵²So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” ⁵³The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole household. ⁵⁴Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.  John 4:46-54.

The sermon on Sunday charged us all to pray for our neighbors and co-workers, even people we do not know, even people who do not believe in Whom we believe.  Here is a foundational scripture for this.

The royal official, probably a Roman citizen, had a sick son.  He heard about Jesus, but there is no reason to believe he was a follower.  He just asked Jesus to heal his son. 

Jesus doesn’t even ask him to follow, he just heals the son.  This is one of the many times in John’s gospel where Jesus heals outside of Israel.  Jesus’ ministry is world-wide, He is there for everyone, even those who do not know him.

Today, say a prayer for someone you know, even if they do not believe in God.  Pray for their needs and ask God to bless them. 

Peace,

Pastor Bill

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. Psalm 145:8-9

We have begun a new week, one filled with great possibilities.  Maybe you start out your week thinking it will be the same as last week, or you have a situation that has not been resolved.  Maybe your weekend was filled with less than blessed activities, or you had difficult issues with loved ones.  Fear not because God is the God of new beginnings.

The psalmist reminds us that God is forgiving and loving.  God is compassionate.  Start your week with God, turn yourself back towards the Lord.  Seek the Lord with your heart and mind, ask for compassion and believe that you will receive it.  Then go out and make it a great week.

Pastor Bill

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Ps 41:1-2

Now that the Christmas lights are dark, the music no longer playing on the radio, the trees lining the streets for pick up and the assorted shepherds, wise men, animals and the Holy Family are packed away, it is easy to get into a funk.

The Christmas season is certainly exciting, but in the end it’s not about the excitement, it is about the incarnation, God coming to us as one of us. 

Do you thirst for God as that deer longs for the flowing streams? 

As you journey through this new year, seek God, thirst for God, take time to truly embrace that relationship and grow with God.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

May your Christmas celebration be filled with hope, peace, love and joy.

Pastor Bill

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. Luke 1:46-50

As you went to bed with flooding rains, and woke up to a steady drizzle, wet roads, flooded fields and a miserable sky this morning, did you think about what God has done for you?

We are one week away from the celebration of the birth of the Savior, and I am sure there is a lot of work to do.

But in the midst of your hustle and bustle this week preparing for the celebration, take a moment, reflect on all the blessings of your lives and allow your soul to glorify God.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.
Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation.

Psalm 85:4-7

Do you need a fresh start this morning?  Do you need to repair a relationship?  Do you need to make a change? 

There is good news for you.  We do not have to wait for a special day, or a special ritual, rather we can just turn to God and start over. 

God’s unfailing love is there for you.  No matter what. 

Maybe you just need a little boost this morning, or you have serious situation that needs to be changed.  It does not matter; God is waiting for you.

May you find hope and peace in this upcoming week.

Pastor Bill

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
    We are the clay, you are the potter;
    we are all the work of your hand.  Isaiah 64:8

The season of Advent is upon us.  Advent is a time of patient waiting, a time to remember the hope, peace, joy and love God brings us.  It is also a time to remember who God is, what God has done for us, and who God calls us to be.

Isaiah’s words are a great reminder that God is the potter, molding and shaping us, and when we allow this to happen, God will do wonderful things with us.

We just have to allow God to be the potter.

As you begin your Advent journey, be pliable, be willing to allow God to transform you.  Start by taking some quiet time each day with God, time to give up the busy-ness of the season and just be in God’s presence.

May you find hope, peace, love and joy this Advent season,

Pastor Bill

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving  and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100

Thanksgiving has come and gone, Advent is before us and the world is in Christmas mode.

Yet we need to remember to be thankful for all our blessings every day.  While this time of year is filled with wonderful things, we cannot get so wrapped up in the secular celebrations that we forget who made us and to whom we belong. 

During this busy season, pause and reflect on your blessing.  If you do not routinely go to worship, do so.  Go for a walk away from the lights and decorations.  Spend some extra time with God and experience the joy.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 107:1

As we enter into the beginning of the holiday season, we pause to give thanks.  Thanksgiving is more than a special meal, it’s more than a parade, it’s more than a football game.  It is a day we set aside for a specific purpose; to give all thanks and praise to God for all we have.

Actually, every day is thanksgiving – every day is an opportunity to pause and give thanks because we are blessed beyond belief for God is good and his love endures forever.

So, as you sit around the table on Thursday, give thanks.  And do so Friday (and Saturday, and Sunday…) for God is good and God has blessed you.

Peace,

Pastor Bill