1/30/2021 0 Comments Prayers of the People, E4BHoly Exorcist, Deliverer, Healer,
we are amazed by your healing power! With absolute authority, you silence the spirits of evil within us ... around us ... #sundayprayer E4B posted: https://revgalblogpals.org/2021/01/30/sunday-prayer-silence-our-demons/
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1/28/2021 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, E4BCall to Confession
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8) Let us confess our sin before God and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession Forgive us, God, for we have sinned. We do not renounce evil and its power in the world. Instead, we allow the evils of the world to inscribe itself on our hearts, changing us, disfiguring us, indoctrinating us by its use of fear and intimidation. We have allowed authoritarianism unchecked rule, and now, we are paying the price for our refusal to listen to one another, to love one another, and to create space for transformation. Lord, have mercy on us. Open our hearts to the authority of Christ, our teacher, to the way of love, to the heartbeat of compassion and grace, that we might truly become the people of God we have been called to be by the power of the Holy Spirit. Assurance of God's Grace God has promised that when we confess our sins, God -- who is faithful and just -- will forgive us our sins and remove them as far as the east is from the west, remembering them no more. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God! Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this day. 1/26/2021 0 Comments Call to Worship, E4BGod's word is like fire,
like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces. Indeed the word of the Lord is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. The Lord speaks with authority, bringing words of wisdom that no one can withstand or contradict. Never has anyone spoken like this! Listen! Listen for the word of the Lord our God! *This prayer constructed from supporting verses, cross-referenced on verse 22. 1/23/2021 0 Comments Prayers of the People, E3BFearless Prophet,
you picked up the mantle of truth-telling and went about the countryside proclaiming "Time's up! The kingdom of heaven has come near." ... #sundayprayer E3B posted: https://revgalblogpals.org/2021/01/23/sunday-prayer-times-up/ The Mark passage for this week is the story of Jesus calling Simon and Andrew and James and John. "The time is fulfilled," Jesus proclaims. "The kingdom of heaven has come near. Repent and believe the good news." Then he said, "Follow me."
In today's world, there are a number of competing voices calling to us to believe and to follow. It is easy to get caught up in the fury of louder voices, of voices that promise things that are -- in reality -- completely undeliverable or that play to our hedonistic or materialistic greed. These voices also claim that the time is fulfilled. How does one know how to listen with discernment in the midst of these worldly voices? The voice of God-with-us speaks to us above the din of rhetoric and calls us to repentance first before inviting us into faith and shared discipleship. When we still ourselves and listen -- truly listen -- for the voice of God in the midst of the chaos around us, we can hear Jesus issue an invitation to us as he invited the disciples on the beach beside the sea of Galilee. If any of the voices you hear are telling you that you are always in the right, you are not hearing the voice of God because all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) If any of the voices you hear are telling you to just take care of yourself and your own, you are not hearing the voice of God because God tells us to welcome the stranger (Matthew 25:31-40) and love our enemies (Matthew 5:44) and to care for the poor (Luke 14:12-14) and the sick (Luke 10:30-37) and the imprisoned (Luke 4:18). If any of the voices you hear are telling you that you should worship anything besides God or that you are superior to your neighbor in any way, you are not hearing the voice of God because God commands us to love God first and to love our neighbor as ourselves (12:30-31). This is discernment. Go back to the scriptures over and over, and when the scriptures contradict themselves (as they sometimes appear to do), go to the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The example of Christ is God-with-us, showing us ... teaching us ... how to live according to God's law of love. If the voices you are hearing do not align with the law of love lived out by Jesus Christ, then you are not hearing the voice of God. Get quieter. Listen more closely. The call to discipleship is for all people: Repent and believe the good news. Then, follow Jesus. 1/21/2021 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, E3BCall to Confession
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. (Matthew 3:2) Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, and confess our sin before God. Prayer of Confession God-with-us, forgive us. We are the ones who would silence those who speak truth to power, those who proclaim the Good News fearlessly, those who baptize without a license. We are the ones who refuse to call for repentance, to name the places where we have failed to live in love -- individually and collectively, and to hear the Good News of healing and wholeness for all God's people everywhere. We are tethered to the traditions we allow to define us. Open our ears to the call to leave behind that which confines us to limited exposure and to follow Christ into a new future, where our hearts are opened as well, by the Good News of salvation. May we also be fishers of people everywhere we go! Assurance of God's Grace The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:17-19) In the name of the One sent to release the captives from sin, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God! Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this day. 1/20/2021 0 Comments January 20th, 2021The time is fulfilled.
Repent and believe the Good News! The kingdom of Heaven is come near. Repent and believe the Good News! Follow me, said Jesus. I will make you fishers of people. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, let us worship God! 1/16/2021 0 Comments Sunday Prayer, E2BRabbi,
you are the one about whom Moses and the prophets wrote. Teach us to follow where you lead. Teach us the spirit of the law. Teach us how to speak truth to power, ... #sundayprayer posted: https://revgalblogpals.org/2021/01/16/sunday-prayer-rabbi-teach-us/ John 1:43-51 is the story of Jesus calling Philip and Nathanael. Philip claims to Nathanael that the one about whom Moses and all the prophets wrote, but Nathanael is skeptical. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" he asks. And Philip invites Nathanael to "come and see."
I'm super tired these days. Mostly because much of what is taking place in Washington D.C. is taking hours to unfold. It probably always does, but I'm not always watching. However, I've been making it a point to be watching and listening at critical moments like State of the Union addresses, both political conventions, presidential and vice presidential debates, election returns in November and again in early January, the certification of votes, and each of the recent impeachment hearings. It's important to me to hear both sides. It is important to me to not just hear, but to listen. Often I hear people around me declaring that nothing good can come out of DC. I disagree. I can often hear valid points in the statements made by people with whom I fundamentally disagree, and I sometimes find myself re-evaluating my position on certain philosophies in light of the statements made by people with whom I politically agree. Always, I am evaluating what I hear on the basis of what I hear God saying to God's people in this time and place through the dynamics of scripture and the law of love. It is not easy to be a listener. Sometimes, it means biting my own tongue ... hard ... especially when the persons to whom I am listening do not particularly care to listen to me or my perspective. I'm not always good at it, but I'm practicing. The spiritual practice of listening when we are skeptical -- or even in outright disagreement -- is critical to healing relationships and communities and nations. Karl Barth is credited with saying that Christians are called to pray with the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other. Prayer is about listening. We need to listen to what God is saying to us about how to apply the law of love to the events in the headlines, to the challenges our nation faces, to the pain we have caused/are causing, and to the brokenness within and among us. This week, I invite you to listen. Listen not just to people who agree with you, but also to people who disagree with you. Listen not just to the news but also to scriptures. Listen without interrupting with your own points. Cast aside fear and anger and just listen. See what God reveals to you in your listening, and notice if the space between you and "the other" can become a place of grace. Call to Confession
Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. (John 10:1) Let us confess our sin and plead for the mercy of the Lord our God. Prayer of Confession Forgive us, God, for we have chosen not to follow where you lead but to go our own way instead. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. Forgive us, God, for we have rejected the parts of scripture that challenge us and held fast to the ones that reinforce our positions. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. Forgive us, God, for we have ignored the rule of love for the manifestation of the common good. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. Forgive us, God, and open our eyes to the ways in which we fail to be the people you have called us to be. Open our hearts to your message of love, and our minds to your wisdom and truth, that our discipleship will reflect the One we call Master, Savior, and Lord. Assurance of God's Grace So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. (John 10:7) In the name of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd and Lamb of God, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God! Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this day. |
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Julie participated in the 25th Seminar for Certified Zentangle(R) Teacher Training in June, 2019, trained by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. In addition to creating art as a personal spiritual practice, Julie also incorporates the Zentangle(R) method in Prayer Art Retreats in a variety of contexts, including church groups, friend gatherings, and at a local art gallery. Check out the Upcoming Events page for a calendar of events, or use the Contact Us page to inquire about scheduling an event with your group!
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