9/28/2018 0 Comments Prayers of the People, OT26BO God, our Fortress and our Rock,
your children are terrified! The gut-wrenching fear that silences the stories that leave us shaking in our shoes is threatening to tear us apart. The politics of superiority damage the psyche and intimidate the child in us who is longing to be safe. We have donned our sackcloth -- our mourning clothes -- and shut ourselves away from the world to hide the pain on our faces, to cover our socially unacceptable tears. Angry and aching, we relive the attacks made on our physcial beings and our character even as we are dismissed as unimportant ... non-essential ... unworthy. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers! Depressed and disturbed, dismayed and disgusted, exhausted and enraged, we come to you in fervent hope that you will erase the ugliness that rears its giant head before us. Hear our desperate prayers for healing and wholeness, for compassion and justice and peace of mind, body, and spirit. Grant wisdom, O God, to those in power, that they might hear and be moved to act appropriately. Grant discernment, Source of all Truth, that all who seek your guidance will be strengthened and encouraged even in the darkest days, to lift their voice in the name of all that is holy to preserve the lives of those who stand in harm's way. Rescue your people, we pray, from destructive ambition and greed and from self-identifying bias. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.
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9/26/2018 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, OT26BCall to Confession
Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them. (Proverbs 24:24-25) Let us confess our sin before God and receive God's mercy and God's blessing. Prayer of Confession, OT26B We do not like it, Lord, when others disagree with us, when the world laughs at our bravado, when strangers refuse to bow to our way of being in the world. We hiss and rare and lash out defensively with angry words and untruths, and we rally our troops around us on the basis of sheer narcissism, and self-righteousness. Our egocentric attitudes block out any and all ability to see other humans as children of God, and we pray for their destruction, for their demise, and for our own victory. Almighty God, open our eyes to our own ignorance. Forgive our single-minded self-centeredness, and open our eyes to the lies we have perpetuated as truth. Transform our hearts, O merciful God, before we destroy ourselves and others with us, that hope will reign, and your eternal glory will be made known throughout the earth. Assurance of God's Grace If it had not been the Lord who was on our side— let Israel now say— if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; (Psalm 124:1-3) In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God! Since we have been forgiven in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to those whom you encounter this day ... especially those with whom you disagree. 9/25/2018 0 Comments Call to Worship, OT26BGive thanks to the Lord,
for God is good! God hears the voices of the marginalized, the oppressed, and the fearful, and answers! Thanks be to God! Let us worship the God of our salvation! 9/21/2018 0 Comments Prayers of the People, OT25BFor those in committed relationships
who find their covenants difficult to keep, for those who keep them and for those who determine they cannot, Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. For families of every size and shape, of every color and constitution, who strive to love one another in spite of differences and challenges, in spite of distance and pain, and for those who find it easy, Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. For merchants and for farmers, for business owners and for workers, as they labor for their living, sensing the worth of their efforts, even if they are not valued by others, Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. For those who have plenty and those who struggle to make ends meet; for those who give generously and those who hoard their resources, and for those in position to use their authority to make a difference, Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. For the homemakers and the parents whose tasks are endless and whose passion is as well, even when their patience wains and their fatigue is overwhelming, Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. For those who strive for perfection knowing perfection is permanently out of reach, and for those who have come close to giving up; For those who have known the freedom of grace-filled love in human relationship, and for those who are imprisoned by judgement -- their own and that of those around them, Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. Move your Spirit in and through and among us, we pray, that all our attempts at living our best lives will be guided by your wisdom and your covered in your grace. 9/19/2018 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, OT25BCall to Confession
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7) Let us confess our foolishness before the Lord, and see the Lord’s mercy. Prayer of Confession, OT25B For all the times we have betrayed the trust you have in us, and the trust that those we promised to love have placed in us, forgive us. For all the times we have given less than our best, failed to live our call, calculated the risk and decided not to trust in you, forgive us. For all the times we have taken ourselves too seriously, hoarded our resources, and cared only for ourselves, forgive us. Open our hearts to a new way of being, to a new ideal, to the promise of perfection that comes through Christ alone. Cover us in your grace, we pray, and in your righteousness, redeem our sinful selves. Assurance of God’s Grace The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. Psalm 147:11 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. Connect with me on LinkedIn for weekly references to the monthly spiritual practice. 9/18/2018 0 Comments Call to Worship, OT25BThe Lord calls
the courageous and the timid, the confident and the anxious, the equipped and the unprepared, the powerful and the vulnerable, the wise and the wandering. Everyone is welcome in God's family. Everyone is fearfully and wonderfully God's child. Click here to join the conversation about this week's focus scripture on Facebook. 9/14/2018 0 Comments Prayers of the People, OT24BCreator of the Universe,
Mother Nature, Sovereign God, the storm rails against us, and your people cry out in fear and frustration and grief, as the wind and the water that have given us life threaten to take it away. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. Comforter-in-Chief, Rescuer, Redeemer, tragedies break out indiscriminately in gaseous explosions injuring, killing, destroying, as the fire that is meant to refine us swallows up shelter and safety. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. Eternal Hope, Spirit of Wisdom, Peacemaker, violence reigns in city streets, and family homes and between nations who refuse to heed your call; in angry, selfish, inciting recitations and behaviors where people refuse to listen to those who are pleading to be heard. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. Send aid, we pray! Save your people from this time of trial, from the path of destruction, from devastation! Calm the storm. Protect the innocent. Speak wisdom to all who will hear it, and inspire action in the name of justice and of love. 9/12/2018 1 Comment Prayer of Confession, OT24BCall to Confession
“Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:6-7) Let us turn to God and confess our sin. Prayer of Confession, OT24B We are the simple who insist on wallowing in ignorance, the cynics who feed on cynicism, the fools who refuse to learn. We are the ones who have ignored God's blatant offerings of guidance, who have laughed at God's counsel, and joked about the consequences. We are the ones who have chosen not to accept training, but to continue on paths of carelessness and complacency ... paths of destruction ... for ourselves and others. We do not deserve the grace that God offers in Christ, the grace we cannot find it in our own hearts to offer our neighbor, yet we seek it fervently. Pour out your spirit upon us. Open our hearts, we pray, that we might hear and understand, and heed the call to love as we have been loved. Assurance of God's Grace For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-49) In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God! Since we have been forgiven 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 today. Click here to join in conversation about this week's passages. 9/11/2018 0 Comments Call to Worship, OT24BLady Wisdom calls.
Sophia herself urgently pleads, "STOP! Listen!" Take a moment, she implores, and sit with me. Be still, and know that God is God of all. Stop. Listen. Worship. Click here to engage in conversation about this week's passages! 9/7/2018 0 Comments Prayers of the People, OT23BYour people hide behind generosity, Lord,
afraid to let insecurities, failures and weaknesses be known. We are sure our friends and family members wouldn't love us if they knew. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. Help us to be authentic. Help us to be real. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, Lord, you have children who are struggling to make ends meet: children who are working tirelessly for less than a living wage, children who are at a disadvantage because they come from schools improperly funded, if they come from school at all, children who have fallen into difficult circiumstances beyond their control .... illness and injury and tragedy. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. Help us to lift one another up from the depths of despair, to support and to encourage, to listen, and to be voices for justice in a world where the poor and marginalized are too often unheard. Stir us from our comfort seats, O God. Open our hearts to your Word. Grant us wisdom and compassion. Lord, in your mercy, grant us compassion, and boldness, and teach us to love our neighbor as much as -- or more than -- we love ourselves. |
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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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