CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Our wondrous and ever loving God, thank you for being with us always. Thank you for your attentiveness to our prayer. We confess that we don’t pray as often as we should, afraid we will embarrass ourselves in the speaking and tending to start our conversations with you in moments of frustration and fear, when we are confused or in dire straits. When we give you spontaneous thanks, it is often in the context of feeling a sense of relief that you have been with us and somehow the things we were worried about managed to turn out alright. Teach us not to be afraid to pray. Teach us to speak freely, openly with you and to say out loud what is on our minds. We know in our heart of hearts that you already know what we are going to say before we say it, perhaps even before we think it. It is good for us to listen to what we say, to hear our out loud prayer. Help us to trust in the presence of your Holy Spirit moving in and through us giving us the words of blessing, thanks, and praise. In the name of the Christ we pray.
OFFERTORY THOUGHT
Helen Hottenstein used to pray for a parking space that was close to where she wanted to shop. I don’t know if she put a time limit on the request or how many times she had to circle the block before God made a space available, but she always found one. I learned something significant this week as I prayed Tongsung Kido with Rev. Eun Pa Hong from Bupyeong Church, Korea: pray always and always pray for what you need for the furtherance of God’s kingdom. God I pray that everyone will support the current and future work of this, your welcoming church in Palm Springs.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
JUNE 13, 2010 "JUSTIFIED"
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Wondrous God, you have promised good to your creation establishing an everlasting covenant with us, your children. You, O Lord, have promised never to draw back, or change your mind, rejoicing in doing good to us with your whole heart and soul. We confess that there are times when we have drawn back from you, hesitant to trust that you will always follow through on promises made. We own up to our desire to be in charge, to decide our own destinies, to control the “horizontal and vertical” of life. Forgive us, Lord, when sometimes our devotion to expediency makes us short-sighted, implacable, and doubtful. Fill us with persistent faith, growing faith, flourishing faith, a mountain-moving faith, that propels us forward with a Christ-like heart toward your kingdom. Amen.
OFFERTORY THOUGHT
12 step meetings conclude with folks joining hands and repeating the Serenity Prayer. They finish their time together, hands still clasped, saying: “Keep coming back, it works if you work it.” In chapter 18 of his gospel Luke writes about the persistence of a widow who kept bothering an unjust and indifferent judge. She stood before him daily, until he could stand her persistent nagging no longer and granted her justice. Luke’s Jesus assures his disciples that God who is just will not delay in helping those cry out to Him day and night. In other words: “Be persistent in faith; it works if you work it.”
Wondrous God, you have promised good to your creation establishing an everlasting covenant with us, your children. You, O Lord, have promised never to draw back, or change your mind, rejoicing in doing good to us with your whole heart and soul. We confess that there are times when we have drawn back from you, hesitant to trust that you will always follow through on promises made. We own up to our desire to be in charge, to decide our own destinies, to control the “horizontal and vertical” of life. Forgive us, Lord, when sometimes our devotion to expediency makes us short-sighted, implacable, and doubtful. Fill us with persistent faith, growing faith, flourishing faith, a mountain-moving faith, that propels us forward with a Christ-like heart toward your kingdom. Amen.
OFFERTORY THOUGHT
12 step meetings conclude with folks joining hands and repeating the Serenity Prayer. They finish their time together, hands still clasped, saying: “Keep coming back, it works if you work it.” In chapter 18 of his gospel Luke writes about the persistence of a widow who kept bothering an unjust and indifferent judge. She stood before him daily, until he could stand her persistent nagging no longer and granted her justice. Luke’s Jesus assures his disciples that God who is just will not delay in helping those cry out to Him day and night. In other words: “Be persistent in faith; it works if you work it.”
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
June 6, 2010 "Scensing The Spirit"
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Ever-living, Ever-loving, Ever-present God, our desire is to fully realize your presence with and within us. Help us comprehend that you are part of each one of us in our every breath and every heart beat. The gifts we have cultivated, you have bestowed upon us. We confess that in our efforts to be practical and wise, we have a tendency to think that having faith in all things possible is a distant and even fanciful notion. Cause us today, by whatever means necessary Almighty God, to invest our energy, our whole selves in believing that we can and do serve your purposes. Indeed, some of us made our confession of faith so long ago, that we may have lost touch with how that moment of Spirit connection felt— that moment of fresh forgiveness, absolute assurance, manifest mercy, complete encouragement, and now presence. Renew us in the “nowness” of your presence, O Lord, in the name of the Christ we pray. Amen.
OFFERTORY THOUGHT
The practice of anointing with oils, perfumed or not can be traced back to Egypt where they were used to celebrate, elevate, deputize, consecrate, rehabilitate and embalm. Moses compounded oil to anoint his brother Aaron and his sons as Priests over Israel. In 1983 Rex Humbard sent miracle oil out to his followers: “Open this anointing oil. Don’t waste a drop. The spirit of Jesus is represented by this faith oil. Make a cross on your forehead with it, then by faith, go into a room by yourself and take out any money you have and make a cross on each bill. Do this in faith for God to heal your money problems. Anoint your check book if you have one.” I wonder if he has any of that oil left over.
Ever-living, Ever-loving, Ever-present God, our desire is to fully realize your presence with and within us. Help us comprehend that you are part of each one of us in our every breath and every heart beat. The gifts we have cultivated, you have bestowed upon us. We confess that in our efforts to be practical and wise, we have a tendency to think that having faith in all things possible is a distant and even fanciful notion. Cause us today, by whatever means necessary Almighty God, to invest our energy, our whole selves in believing that we can and do serve your purposes. Indeed, some of us made our confession of faith so long ago, that we may have lost touch with how that moment of Spirit connection felt— that moment of fresh forgiveness, absolute assurance, manifest mercy, complete encouragement, and now presence. Renew us in the “nowness” of your presence, O Lord, in the name of the Christ we pray. Amen.
OFFERTORY THOUGHT
The practice of anointing with oils, perfumed or not can be traced back to Egypt where they were used to celebrate, elevate, deputize, consecrate, rehabilitate and embalm. Moses compounded oil to anoint his brother Aaron and his sons as Priests over Israel. In 1983 Rex Humbard sent miracle oil out to his followers: “Open this anointing oil. Don’t waste a drop. The spirit of Jesus is represented by this faith oil. Make a cross on your forehead with it, then by faith, go into a room by yourself and take out any money you have and make a cross on each bill. Do this in faith for God to heal your money problems. Anoint your check book if you have one.” I wonder if he has any of that oil left over.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
TRINITY SUNDAY May 30, 2010 "WE'VE GOT VISUAL"
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Our Gracious Creator our source of life and breath, thank you. We are grateful for this day, for this church, and for this, our family of faith. We are reluctant to confess the fears, or doubts that hold us back from living fully in connection with your Holy Spirit. We confess, also, that we have never really figured out how the trinity works, or how we are to understand your triple presence in our lives. What we know for certain is that when you decided to be one like us, incarnated in Jesus, you wanted to feel the earth under your feet —like us, to feel the rain on your face and the wind in your hair —like us. You dearest Lord, chose to know just how it feels to be us, a man of joy and sorrow, of courage and fear, experiencing triumph and tragedy, comfort and pain. What wondrous love is this! What wondrous love is this, O God our Abba, Father; God the Son and God the Holy Spirit! Amen.
OFFERTORY THOUGHT
Three of a kind is a mediocre hand in poker. In the ranking Three of a kind holds 4th place beating two pair, a pair and high card. In a full house you want your three cards to be the high cards: aces or face cards. For example 3 kings and 2 deuces beats 3 Queens and 2 Aces. (Doesn’t seem fair.) On this Trinity Sunday we embrace God the three of a kind. God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit, three in one. This three of kind you can always bet on.
Our Gracious Creator our source of life and breath, thank you. We are grateful for this day, for this church, and for this, our family of faith. We are reluctant to confess the fears, or doubts that hold us back from living fully in connection with your Holy Spirit. We confess, also, that we have never really figured out how the trinity works, or how we are to understand your triple presence in our lives. What we know for certain is that when you decided to be one like us, incarnated in Jesus, you wanted to feel the earth under your feet —like us, to feel the rain on your face and the wind in your hair —like us. You dearest Lord, chose to know just how it feels to be us, a man of joy and sorrow, of courage and fear, experiencing triumph and tragedy, comfort and pain. What wondrous love is this! What wondrous love is this, O God our Abba, Father; God the Son and God the Holy Spirit! Amen.
OFFERTORY THOUGHT
Three of a kind is a mediocre hand in poker. In the ranking Three of a kind holds 4th place beating two pair, a pair and high card. In a full house you want your three cards to be the high cards: aces or face cards. For example 3 kings and 2 deuces beats 3 Queens and 2 Aces. (Doesn’t seem fair.) On this Trinity Sunday we embrace God the three of a kind. God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit, three in one. This three of kind you can always bet on.
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