Hey friends - it's been a while since I posted anything. Sorry about that. Several of the folks who were in worship last week have commented on how beautiful Bruce Foster's prayer was and said they would like to have a copy. I agree. It was a powerful prayer. So I reached out to Bruce - and he graciously provided it. So here it is. It's in all caps because that's how he wrote it. Guess he really wanted us to pay attention! 😊 Thanks, Bruce!
ETERNAL GOD,
OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, WE ARE GATHERED THIS MORNING TO WORSHIP YOU AND PRAISE
YOU, AND TO OFFER THANKS FOR YOUR MANIFOLD BLESSINGS TO US, BLESSINGS WE CANNOT
DESERVE OR EARN. KEEP US MINDFUL OF USING
THOSE BLESSINGS TO BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS.
WE THANK YOU
FOR YOUR BLESSINGS TO THIS CHURCH – FOR THE WONDERFUL PASTORING OF PASTORS TIM
AND SARAH – FOR THE TALENTED MUSICIANS
WHO INSPIRE US, AND THE DEVOTED AND TALENTED STAFF PERSONS – AND WE THANK YOU FOR
THE LADIES AND MEN IN THE PEWS WHO HAVE STEPPED UP TO TAKE LEADERSHIP ROLES,
EVEN OUTSIDE THEIR COMFORT ZONES, AND TO SUPPORT THE CHURCH’S WORK FINANCIALLY
AND WITH THEIR PHYSICAL EFFORT.
WE LIVE IN A
STRANGE TIME, LORD, WHEN THE NORMS OF BEHAVIOR SEEM TO CHANGE CONSTANTLY, BUT
NEVER FOR THE BETTER – WHEN REFUSING TO CALMLY DISCUSS A MATTER OF DISAGREEMENT
IS PROCLAIMED AS STANDING ON PRINCIPLE
--- WHEN RUDENESS AND DIRECT PERSONAL CRITICISM IN NORMAL DISCOURSE MAY BE
APPLAUDED AS AN ACCEPTABLE TACTIC OF STRENGTH
------ WHEN A CONSTITUTIONAL
RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS HAS BEEN DISTORTED TO ALLOW WIDESPREAD OWNERSHIP OF
MILITARY-STYLE RAPID-FIRE WEAPONS.
TRUTHFULNESS IS OPTIONAL.
WE PRAY URGENTLY FOR INSPIRATION AND GUIDANCE
FROM YOUR HOLY SPIRIT AS WE TRY TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO - AND A WAY BACK FROM -
THE HORRIFYING RESULTS OF SUCH WIDESPREAD OWNERSHIP AND MISUSE OF GUNS. HELP US, LORD, TO RAISE UP STRONG AND
PRINCIPLED LEADERS AT ALL GOVERNMENT LEVELS WHO WILL PRAY AND LISTEN FOR YOUR
GUIDANCE ON MAKING THE NECESSARY CHANGES TO OUR LAWS TO RESTORE SAFETY AND ORDERLINESS
IN OUR SOCIETY AND TO CALM THE FEARS OF EVERYDAY CITIZENS.
FATHER, AS
YOUR APOSTLE PAUL SAID, WE FAIL TO DO WHAT WE SHOULD DO, AND WE DO WHAT WE
SHOULD NOT. WE SAY THAT WE WANT TO FOLLOW
YOU AND SERVE YOU, BUT THEN WE WANDER AWAY FROM THE PATH YOU CLEAR FOR US. WE AFFIRM OUR BELIEF THAT YOU, IN YOUR GRACE
AND WISDOM, ALLOW US TO BE TEMPTED AND TO EXPERIENCE CORRUPTION, SO THAT WE UNDERSTAND
HOW WE HAVE SINNED AND HOW DESTRUCTIVE THAT BEHAVIOR CAN BE, AND THAT WE WILL
BE MORE DEPENDENT ON YOU FOR SUPPORT --- BUT WE SEEM NOT TO LEARN FROM THOSE
EXPERIENCES AND WE CONTINUE OUR SINFUL AND SELF-DESTRUCTIVE WAYS. WE ARE SO THANKFUL, LORD, FOR YOUR GRACE,
YOUR MERCY AND YOUR PROMISE OF FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS, AND FOR YOUR CONTINUING
SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE THAT STRENGTHENS US AND HELPS US TO RESUME THE WAY YOU
HAVE SET FOR OUR LIVES.
IT IS
WINTERTIME, FATHER, WHEN THE SHORTER TIMES OF DAYLIGHT AND THE WEAKER SUNSHINE
GIVE US THE BLUES, AND MORE URGENTLY, WHEN OUR NEIGHBORS WITHOUT ADEQUATE
SHELTER OR HEAT, OR WITHOUT ENOUGH TO EAT, ARE SUFFERING. KEEP US ALWAYS MINDFUL OF OTHER’S NEEDS,
LORD, AND INSPIRE US TO OFFER SUPPORT FOR THOSE IN NEED, AS WE ARE ABLE.
FATHER, WE
ARE AWARE FROM THE BULLETIN, OF MEMBERS OF OUR CHURCH FAMILY WHO ARE IN NEED OF
HEALING, OF RESTORED STRENGTH, OF RENEWED COURAGE. WE KNOW, ALSO, THAT MANY OTHERS, GATHERED
HERE AND WATCHING THE BROADCAST, QUIETLY HAVE THE SAME CONCERNS. WE LIFT ALL OF THEM UP IN PRAYER FOR YOUR
ATTENTION TO THEIR NEEDS, YOUR CARE AND YOUR BLESSINGS.
OUR LORD
JESUS INSTRUCTED HIS DISCIPLES IN PRAYING, AND WE OFFER NOW A REVISED VERSION
OF THAT PRAYER AS CONTAINED IN THE BULLETIN:
OUR FATHER
IN HEAVEN, UPHOLD THE HOLINESS OF YOUR NAME.
BRING IN YOUR KINGDOM, SO THAT YOUR WILL IS DONE ON EARTH AS IT’S DONE
IN HEAVEN. GIVE US THE BREAD THAT WE
NEED FOR TODAY. FORGIVE US FOR THE
WAYS WE HAVE WRONGED YOU, JUST AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED US. AND DON’T LEAD US INTO TEMPTATION, BUT
RESCUE US FROM THE EVIL ONE.
FOR THE KINGDOM, POWER AND GLORY ARE YOURS NOW AND FOREVER. AMEN
