Day 37 of 40 (Days of Prayer)

By
Today is Wednesday of Holy Week.
...(sometimes called "Spy Wednesday") because it's the day when Judas started plotting to betray Jesus.


Psalm 22:12-21
Luke 22:1-6

Today we especially pray for:





News reports here in our community
(stories of hope as well as tragedy) 

"Judas' Kiss" by Petra

*Don't forget about the 6:30pm worship service tomorrow and the prayer stations on Friday*
--Prayers for Holy Week--
 
Morning Prayer
God of resurrection mornings,
This is the day that you have made. Let me rejoice in it. 
And this is the week to remember that you made the ultimate sacrifice.
Let me live into it.
Shape me, today, by the story of the cross.
Keep me humble and mindful and servant-hearted,
 bearing all things, yet rejoicing still.
In You, I live. Amen.



Mealtime 'bread' Prayer
(adapted from Prayers Plainly Spoken by Stanley Hauerwas) 
God, you created us hungry; we need to eat, which reminds us that we are creatures. And you sent Jesus into our creature-ness as the bread of life and the host of our Communion with you. Give our eating purpose, make us participants in your sacrifice and service to all your creation. Thank you for making us hungry. 
May we eat in peace. Amen.

 
Evening Prayer


As this day comes to a close,
I remember the last few days of Jesus’ life: He worked to cleanse the temple, he washed feet, suffered rejection from friends, and faced the cross until it was finished.
He was obedient to the end.
God, I don’t want to face that kind of suffering, but I do want to be faithful and obedient…
So I offer myself to you:
Not my will, but Yours be done. Amen.


#PictureLent Word for the Day: reject

As we live this Holy Week,
May we return to you with all our heart!
As we live this Holy Week,
Reveal yourself in the ordinary and give us eyes to see.
As we live this Holy Week,
May our lives reflect more of you, and less of us!
As we live this Holy Week,
Forgive us for all the ways we reject you-and the ways
we deceive ourselves.
As we live this Holy Week,
May we remember your faithfulness through ages past!
As we live this Holy Week,
Replace that which feels old, stale, and dead with something
new and surprising.
We live this Holy Week in you, O God. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seventh Symbol of the Jesse Tree: 12 Tribes of Israel

By
Image
Seventh Symbol of the Jesse Tree: 12 Tribes of Israel And Israel (previously named Jacob) had 12 sons who didn't all get along (despite their Father's dying attempt to gather them together for blessing and peace...). These sons became the 12 tribes of Israel. Genesis 49:1-28  God could have chosen any tribe or any family lineage--God could have skipped the family drama and tribal violence of the Old Testament tribes, but God chose to remain faithful to those ancient promises. God chose to root new  life and new  peace in a previously violent story. Praise be to God!  Just for fun: Which of the Twelve Tribes of Israel are you? (online personality quiz)  Tribe of Jesus: · Matthew 1:1–6 and Luke 3:31-34  describe Jesus as the tribe of Judah . ( “Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” ~Revelation 5:5) ·   Mary, Jesus’ mother, was also related to ...
Read more

Eleventh Jesse Tree Symbol: Gideon's Clay Pitcher

By
Image
Eleventh Jesse Tree Symbol: Gideon's clay pitcher The Israelites enter the promised land, but the next generation stops worshipping God. When enemy armies attack and conquer them, the  Israelites turn back to God and cry out. God--in grace--raises up a judges (like Gideon) who leads Israel back to victory.  Gideon 6:11-16, 7:19-23 (or all of 6-8 if you're feeling ambitious)   Gideon--Peace by Karlie Harper I love the story of Gideon because it is an underdog story. In this story we see a man who is so full of doubt of himself that he does not recognize the Spirit of the Lord sitting right in front of him. For someone like me who battles doubt and anxiety, this story is particularly meaningful.  In the verses we see the Lord trying to build up Gideon’s courage by calling him a “might warrior” and telling him “Peace, do not be afraid”. But Gideon, not unlike myself, doesn’t listen to his Lord right away. If we read the story we go on to learn how Gideon—...
Read more

Twelfth Symbol of the Jesse tree: Ruth's wheat

By
Image
Jesse Tree Symbol #12: Ruth, shaft of wheat I n the days of the Judges, famine left an Israelite woman named Naomi widowed and without both her sons. As she moved back to her hometown, one daughter-in-law (Ruth) stayed with her. This  penniless  foreigner--this outsider--Ruth was cared for and brought in to the Israelite family tree... the roots of Christ  Ruth 1:6-9,15-18; 2:1-12 and 16 Matthew 1:1-5                                       Reflection b y Peg Powell After reading these passages in Ruth, I was reminded of one of my favorite stories. Long ago, there was a mayor who lived with his only son in the hills of China. None of them in this village owned a horse, but one day, out of the blue, a stallion appeared at the mayor’s home.  All of the people exclaimed, “How lucky you are.” The mayor said, “We’ll see.” A few days later, the stallion disa...
Read more