Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Every Perfect Gift

James 1:17-18

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Generous,
Perfect,
Father of Lights,
Consistent in Character,
Fulfill-er,
Purposeful,
Birthing Mother,
Word of Truth,
Fruit Planter,
Fruit Picker,
Creator,

thank you for your generous giving!
Thank you for every act of generosity
inspired by your acts of generosity.

Fulfill in us
your fruitful purpose
that we might share
generously
planting, birthing, growing
your Good News
in the lives of others,
in the life of the world.
Amen.

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

God's NEW Thing

Isaiah 43:16-18 (The Message Translation)

This is what God says,
the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
they lie down and then can’t get up;
they’re snuffed out like so many candles:
“Forget about what’s happened;
don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.

Lord God,
you are new and ever re-newing!
And your newness scares us.

We prefer
old, comfortable, well-worn
like an old pair of jeans,
even if they don't really fit our changing bodies that well any more,
like an old rutted road,
even if it's become hard to drive down,
like an outdated operating system,
because we know where the settings are,
like an old grudge,
because even the pain has become comfortable,
like an old addiction,
because we're afraid letting go will be too painful.

We want predictability.
We want to know what to expect.

Newness is scary;
we're afraid of change,
even healthy change.

Remind us, O God, that
YOU are the One making new.
YOU are the One creating and recreating.
YOU are the One drawing us into newness.

And YOU can be TRUSTED.
The stories of the scriptures demonstrate
over and over and over
consistency of your compassion for your creation.
YOU keep covenant when we fail.
YOU deliver when we enslave.
YOU forgive when we turn away.
YOU are faithful when we break faith.

The Newness you create
will extend from your
consistent character of compassion,
seen in Christ.

Teach us to trust you,
enable us to let go of the past,
And open our hands to receive your new gifts
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Monday, August 6, 2018

Back-to-School Prayer


Learning is a gift from God.

As we begin this new school year, we give thanks that God has given us the ability to learn many things in many ways.
Loving God, sometimes a new school year seems exciting or scary or both.
Help us remember to show our thanks for your gifts of learning by doing our best every day.

We ask that you bless our schools, teachers, classmates and friends.
We ask that you bless those who prepare our lunches, those who drive us to school, and those who keep our schools clean and safe.
We ask God's blessing on this new school year, that it may be a time when we appreciate and fully use God's gift of learning.

Amen.


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The above prayer shared from