“Like a rose trampled on the ground…”
Lord God, the broken come to You today because “no stone, nor steel, nor diamond is so hard as the impenitent heart of man(kind)” (Martin Luther). Soften our hearts and open our vision to a world larger than ourselves. Anchor our lives in the steadfast truth of Your love so that we will know that “a few bad chapters does not mean that our story is over” (TobyMac). Remind us that we were meant to be human and that we all fall short of the glory of God. Give us the wisdom to just pause and be silent, so that the truth of God can be heard.
Yes, there will always be disagreements within the body of Christ, here on earth, but there is one thing that we can always agree on…love. “Love is God manifested. To lead with Love is to go with God” (Claire Danna). “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can” (MLK). The world can change and it will. And as it changes, let us respond with the same Love that was first given to us when God was crowned and crucified by an angry mob.
Tags: Christian, Church, Claire Danna, ELCA, God, Jesus, lutheran, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Prayer, TobyMac
Cross at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Mounds, Minnesota
Lord God, “be in our head and our understanding” (Sarum Primer, 1558), for You are not so much the object of our knowledge as you are the cause of our wonder” (Kallistos Ware). Let Your good news come crashing down into the deserts of our hearts and invite us to join in the flow of the Holy Spirit.
Like a wind, take us to where it is that You go, so that we can live beyond ourselves. Communicate to us the mystery that is God and the truth that we don’t have all the answers. Give us the strength to dream and the courage to inspire others on their journey towards salvation and everlasting life.
You give us the gift of living in between the now and eternity. Let us dare to fight for the weak, poor and the forgotten. Jesus extends grace, love and mercy for all people. So shall we. Jesus identified with the outcast, the lowly and the despised. So shall we. Jesus gave healing and forgiveness. So shall we. Lord, “don’t let us transmit our wounds unto each other, but instead help us to transform others and to change the world” (Rev. Ed Bacon).
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, God, Jesus, Kallistos Ware, lutheran, Prayer, Rev. Ed Bacon, Sarum Primer
My friend’s car decal
Almighty God, You are the engine that caused creation and life. Out of chaos you stepped into our experience so that we could experience You. Move in us today and help us to sense the prompting of Your Spirit so that we can go above and beyond what is expected.
Usher us into a vision larger than just our egocentric view, so that we can share in the perspective of the whole and not the few. Give us the words to speak across boundaries and the mind to transcend our differences. Don’t let us ever place ourselves above others. Let us always be led by the truth of God’s amazing and radical grace for all.
You forgive us and give us the power to forgive. “There is no future without forgiveness” (Desmond Tutu) and “the work of God is never static” (Dr. Amy Butler). “With the Holy Spirit by our side, we can do so much more than what we could have ever hoped for by ourselves” (Rev. Ed Bacon).
Tags: Christian, Church, Desmond Tutu, Dr. Amy Butler, ELCA, God, Jesus, lutheran, Prayer, Rev. Ed Bacon
Lord God, You are forever creating something new and unexpected each and every moment of our lives. Let the “wind of Your Holy Spirit blow through (the walls) of staid tradition… (and) spin us around to see our circumstances in ways that we’ve never seen before” (Rev. Dr. Amy K. Butler, Riverside Church). Let us respond and react to Your Word now because life is too short to wait to be captivated by the heart of God.
Stop us from fighting each other so that we can start fighting for each other. Let us stand up for the sick, the poor, the needy and the marginalized. For as long as there is one person in need of kindness and compassion then the ministry of Christ is far from over.
Let us not close our eyes to the brokenness of this world or shut our ears from the truth of God. Because the way that we live our life can be seen by the blind and heard by the deaf. Let us live and love with the same mercy and grace that was given to us by God’s only Son.
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, God, Jesus, Prayer, Rev. Dr. Amy K. Butler, Riverside Church
Front of Container Park, Las Vegas
God of everything seen and unseen let Your infinite love flow through us as members of one community, one body, and one church. Flush out the fears that linger in our minds by breaking down all of the barriers so that we can see each other as You see us: forgiven sinners redeemed by the same God.
Lord, transform our potential into Your now. Interrupt our routine, interrupt our life, interrupt our religion and lead us into radical growth so that we can fall in love with life again and make decisions based on integrity, respect and grace.
Your ascension into heaven is our glory and our hope. You lead us into eternity and we follow You into the new creation, the new covenant, between us and our Creator, so that all will know that life is not meant to be endured. It is meant to be enjoyed, and it is meant to be lived within and surrounded by the loving arms of God.
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, God, Jesus, love, Prayer
Lord God, bring us together as children of God. Shield us from this dysfunctional world. Through Your Son, Jesus, You connected us to God and to each other. Remind us today of that connection. Remind us that we are all sinners redeemed by the same God.
Give us the wisdom to stop fighting battles that don’t need to be fought and to let go of the things that just need to be given to God. Give us the patience and the strength to just simply wait for You because “You can do more in one second that we could ever do in an entire lifetime” (My Emmanuel Prayer Team).
You are the Alpha and Omega. You are the source of everything that we are and will ever be. It is because of You that we have hope. It is through You that we have love. It is by You that we can live.
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus, lutheran, My Emmanuel Prayer Team, Prayer
Gracious and Holy One, come into our lives and minds today. Let us return to Your truth. Remind us, that even in the ordinary moments of life, that we are surrounded by God’s extraordinary presence.
Don’t let us just return to business as usual, but instead lead us into the new possibilities of God’s amazing grace. Do not let us do good works simply to earn Your favor or the favor of others, because we’re not in this life for business. We are in this life to be among the living, and because of Your Son we can truly live as children of God.
You laid down Your life for this mess of a world because “in our desire to control love, we lost our way” (Jeff Hood). But love found us and continues to guide us. Each time we mess up and fall, the cross reminds us that the Holy Spirit lives and dwells within all of us, and that we are never ever alone.
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus, lutheran, Prayer, Rev. Jeff Hood
Creator God, we meet You at this point in our life because we want a connection with the truth. Flood our minds with the wisdom to stop thinking as the world does. Challenge us to apply Your Word in every aspect of our lives. Don’t let us look elsewhere for recognition, love or value for “the mind and the heart will be restless until we rest in the arms of God…and God is the totality of Love” (Rev. Jeff Hood), so we don’t need to fear life’s challenges but instead trust in the One who is the source of our strength and our hope.
Love has been spoken loudly, clearly and definitively the through the life, death and resurrection of God’s only Son. It is through Jesus that we are transformed from sinner to saint and receive the gift of eternal life. It is His Love that surrounds us. It is His Love that will sustain us. And it is His Love that will deliver us evil.
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus, lutheran, Prayer, Rev. Jeff Hood
Local Art Sculpture at Village Square Las Vegas
Lord Jesus, thank You for this life. This journey that started at the foot of the cross: the place where darkness lost to the light of God’s amazing love. You gave us more than just words on a page, You gave us a new life. You gave us hope. You gave us love. And because You live, we will live in the Love of God forever and ever.
“Nothing is permanent in this world, not even our troubles” (Charlie Chaplin), so we need to stop looking at our problems and start looking at our God because in Christ there are no good byes and in Christ there is no end. Because of His sacrifice on the cross, we are free from sin and death. The battle is won. God is with us…always. Christ is risen, He is risen indeed. Hallelujah!!
Tags: Charlie Chaplin, Church, Easter, ELCA, Jesus, lutheran, Prayer
I saw this picture at an office complex. You can see my reflection behind Jesus. I kinda like that.
We welcome You Messiah and we also walk in the shadow of Your cross. We pray for wisdom to see beyond the cheers of the crowd demanding an instant miracle. If we build our faith on the crowd, then we build on a sinking foundation. So instead of empty words, let’s build on the solid rock of Christ and live out our faith in the One who paid the price so that we would know that God is always with us.
“We’re not saved because we’re good. We’re good because we are saved” (Rich Mullins). So when the Hosanna’s fade, let us not be moved but instead let us hold on to the truth. The truth that “Love is always going to be far more dangerous than power” (Jeff Hood). The truth that Jesus died for us so that there would be no emptiness between us, and the love of God. Lead us to the cross Lord, where Your love is and will always be…one scarred hand to the other.
Tags: Christ, Christian, Church, ELCA, Jeff Hood, Jesus, lutheran, Palm Sunday, Prayer, Rich Mullins
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