Prayer & Praise
The promises roll off your lips
and into our ears:
I will be with you;
I will love you faithfully;
I will be your God;
My covenant is forever.
We count on your words that flow from our ears
to our hearts, and we are glad.
But even while we listen,
we live much of our lives underneath the table.
We read these old stories, and
we know about intrigue and fear and
anxiety and near violence
and deception.
We mostly do not act out our violence
but we imagine and ponder and scheme;
and then we, too, must cover up
and the cover-up ferments;
our lives become complex and burdened.
We keep inventing ourselves and our underneath selves turn out
to be less than adequate
and we wish we were other than we are.
We juggle your good purposes and
our hidden yearnings and
try to serve two masters,
try to live two narratives,
try to live two dreams,
and we are weary.
Because we know our hearts of anxiety so well,
we seem fated to disease.
But because we know your heart of fidelity so well,
we know you will defeat our demons
and make us new.
We know about your abiding fidelity in
Jesus of Nazareth.
Give us patience and steadfastness as we
process the ragged edges of our lives.
Amen.
Walter Brueggemann
Be praying for Dread…apparently he did something to his Achilles tendon at church this morning and was taken to the hospital. Praying for healing and ease of pain!
Praying for Dreadly.
Nomans posted a pic today of a newborn in her arms on FB. Another member here commented on the pic, “There was a tiny baby at the church we attended and it was beautiful to watch the mother carry her, sleeping in her arms, up to the altar as mama partook of communion and baby received a blessing.” I was holding out the cup today, saying, “The Blood of Christ shed for the forgiveness of sins” when a mother with her newborn walked up to the Priest and I. I almost broke down when he gave the baby the blessing.
There is no greater honor.
And, its a small world.
Praise the Lord.
Praying for Sister Christian. She is facing a tough and trying day tomorrow.
Praying for our beloved Dread and Sister Christian.
Reuben, also blessed to hear how the Lord is ministering a renewed peace and joy into your heart as you minister to others.
Prayers for Trey would be greatly appreciated…the Lord knows the needs and has the answers.