New Song Church
We come here today to hear Your Word and to be reminded that whatever it is that we have lost is nothing compared to what is found in Jesus Christ. We pray that You would help us to read and then look up from the pages of the bible so that we can stare into the face of Jesus and confront the truth and the impact of the cross. Infuse us with what we cannot see during this journey to Gethsemane, to Golgatha and the resurrection.
Remind us that even though we revel in Epiphany we do not live there, but we remain forever in Emmanuel, God with us. “The Law says, ‘do this,’ and it’s never done. Grace says, ‘believe in this,’ and everything is already done.” (Heidelberg Disputation). So even if we do not have perfect faith let us have honest faith in a God that we so desperately need.
We are people of bread and water who hunger and thirst because we are limited by our own humanity and beholden to confront our need for the cross. You have called us to this place, and not one of us knows what our journeys will do but we pray that we will commit to those journeys knowing that the greatest guide that we have is the guide of love: the love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
(This prayer was based on a sermon by Pastor Stan Mitchell of Gracepointe Church in Franklin, Tennessee)
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, gay christian, GLBTQ Christian, Gracepointe Church in Franklin Tennesse, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, love of God, Pastor Stan Mitchell
Very powerful and compelling story of this faith community in Franklin Tennessee. God bless this pastor and his congregation for taking this step and joining the marginalized. I walk with you in faith and spirit knowing that the love of God guides us all.
Bravo to these men for standing up and speaking up for the marginalized instead of casting stones.
Bondings 2.0
Although a Swiss bishop has asked a Catholic pastor to resign from his parish, after learning that the priest had blessed a lesbian couple, the parishioners of the community are supporting the cleric.
Reverend Wendelin Bucheli
According to Gay Star News:
“Wendelin Bucheli, a priest in the municipality of Bürglen in the west of Switzerland, gave his blessings to a lesbian couple in October 2014 after discussing it with other members of the clergy.
Bucheli gave careful consideration to the action, and decided that blessing a couple was the right thing to do:
” ‘There was no considerable difference between this blessing and a wedding ceremony,’ the priest told Swiss newspaper Urner Wochenblatt, speaking about the occasion last October.
“Bucheli said he carefully considered his options before discussing the matter with a Jesuit priest.
“His main question was: ‘Can I give this blessing in the name of God and…
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Cross at Community Lutheran Church, Las Vegas NV
Lord, we come into Your presence today with all of the joys and sorrows that come with this life. Open our hearts so that we can talk with You about the intimate feelings of our heart. Let the prayers and questions that need to be said rise up to You like incense. Silence the whispers of ego and self-righteousness. Help us to forgive what needs to be forgiven and to let go of whatever holds us back from receiving and reflecting Your love. Give us the faith to know that You will “restore what is broken and change it into something amazing” (Joel 2:25)
“Faith is not believing in (our) own unshakable belief. Faith is believing in an unshakable God when everything in (us) trembles and quakes” (Beth Moore). There are no easy answers in this life but there is a God who will not forsake us. There is the Word of God that will not return void. And there is the love of God that knows no end. So Lord, give us the wisdom to be able to preach the gospel with our life and not our lips.
Tags: Beth Moore, bible, Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus Christ, Joel 2:25, lutheran, Prayer, Son of God
Awesome! I love being part of the ELCA.
MichaelRinehart.com
Dear friends,
You are welcome in congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
We are a church that believes it is wrong to discriminate against anyone based on sexual orientation. All are welcome. We celebrate diversity.
While Lutherans in the U.S. are not of one mind about sexual orientation, the ELCA, the largest Lutheran denomination in North America, has taken a stand as an open, affirming church where all are welcome.
I recognize that some of you have been wounded by churches. On behalf of the church, I apologize for the hurtful comments, exclusion, and discrimination you have experienced. Churches are filled with hurt people who sometimes hurt people. We are not a perfect church, nor filled with perfect people. We follow Christ who forgives and calls us to be part of a new community beyond race, gender, and social status. The church is an imperfect community of hope.
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St. Joseph Catholic Church, Las Vegas, NV
Lord we come into Your presence as “citizens of a kingdom that cannot be shaken and as children of the (One who knows) no limitations” (Godfruits). We lay down our burdens at Your altar for we all come with scars of a broken heart or of regrets of the things we did or didn’t do. We release all these things to You because You are “merciful towards our iniquities, and (because of the intercession of Your Son) You will remember our sins no more” (Hebrews 8:10). We’ve failed a thousand times and will fail again but You’re always there to pick us back up to face the world knowing that our mistakes do not define us: our salvation does.
Our “faith (in God), is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light” (Helen Keller). “So (let us) be careful how we live. Don’t let us live like fools, but (let us be) wise (so that we can) make the most of every opportunity… Don’t (allow us to) act thoughtlessly, but (allow us to) understand what (it is that) You want us to do” (Ephesians 5:15-17)
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, Ephesians 5:15-17, Godfruits, Hebrews 8:10, Helen Keller, Jesus Christ, lutheran, Prayer, Son of God
Poster at VerveLV
“Because You turn Your ear to us, we will call on You for as long as we live.” (Psalms 116:2) You alone can see into the window of our minds and understand the snapshots of our life. You see the joys and the fears, along with all of the victories and the losses. “Though our feelings come and go. God’s love for us does not.” (CS Lewis) So when everything we know falls down to the ground, let us remember the hand that will pull us back into the possibilities that God has planned for all of us.
In a world gridlocked with fear and confusion “we need to be brave with our stories so that other people can be brave with theirs.” (Katherine Center) Reveal to us just how much of an impact our lives are to others. Because “now is the chance to choose the right side. (For You, Lord,) give us that chance…(but) we must take it.” (C.S. Lewis)
Tags: bible, C.S. Lewis, Christ, Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus, Katherine Center, lutheran, Prayer, Psalms, Son of God
A text book that my Pastor, Reverend David Poling-Goldenne, wrote for seminary students. We will honor his life and ministry today at his memorial service.
Lord God, “the earth is Yours and “You have made everything beautiful in it’s time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Usher us into Your presence and shield us from a world of easy answers and false solutions.
Present the hard truths of this life so that we can think, ponder and dwell in the Word of God and it’s meaning in our lives. Our life is our message to the world just as the life of Your Son is Your message to us: Love all and love God.
Our faith does not rest upon on who or what we are, but in who Jesus is, what He has done and in what He is doing now. So Lord, guide us to wherever You are and “if we can’t fly, then let’s run, if we can’t run, then walk, if we can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever we do, we have to keep moving forward” (Martin Luther King, Jr.) into the future that God has planned for us.
Tags: Christian, Church, Ecclesiastes, Jesus Christ, Jr., lutheran, Martin Luther King, Prayer, Son of God
Artwork at St. James Lutheran Church in MN
Lord God, we stand at a new doorway with new possibilities and challenges. Help us to start believing in Hope again so that we can do what You have written on our hearts. As we leave yesterday behind, remind us that “Your mercies are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-24) and that You hear more than we say.
Everything changes all around us except You. You are the constant, so quietly descend into our hearts and give us the courage to face these giants that our fears create. Remind us that “the giant in front of us is never bigger than the God who lives (with)in us.” (Christin Caine)
Let everything we do lead others to the cross and to the path of grace, mercy and love. “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. (So) Let us begin.” (Mother Teresa)
Tags: Christian, Christin Caine, Church, ELCA, Jesus Christ, Lamentations, lutheran, Mother Teresa, Prayer, Son of God
Stained Glass from St. James Lutheran Church in Mounds, MN
Eternal One, because “Your love is better than life, we glorify You” (Psalm 63:3) and lean on Your compassion. Guide us so that we may “move from illusion to truth, from darkness to light, (and) from ignorance to wisdom…” (Varun Soni). Lead us and we will follow.
For wherever we go, wherever we are…it is You who goes with us. It is You who provides rest. It is You who soothes our fears. You make us complete again by restoring us through Your grace, mercy and love. Our faith in You, Lord, doesn’t just change our reality. It reveals it.
You enthrone the truth of our lives in the person of Jesus Christ. The truth that You compare us to no one else and that our mistakes have been paid for in the life of the Son of God. “Despite all (our) flaws, (it is God who) continues to write (our) story. (And) it’s beautiful (Rochelle Griffin).
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus Christ, lutheran, Prayer, Psalm, Rochelle Griffin, Son of God, Varun Soni
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