Week of April 29, 2007, Psalm 23

One of the Scripture readings for Sunday is Psalm 23 - a popular and meaningful psalm for us all:
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Dear Lord, thank you for the image of a shepherd – that You love and care and protect and guide us like a shepherd.

Heavenly Father, You encourage me to be a person that receives rest and quiet - in green pastures and beside still waters; and by resting You restore and renew my soul. When I have become drained and have nothing to give to others, Your restoring hand is strong when I rest in You.

Your guidance is sure; through every conflict and turbulence, I will not be afraid for you are always with me. The rod and staff that are used with the flock, You also use with me when my path becomes treacherous and rocky. You provide strong comfort. I have come to depend on you in every area of my life, Lord. And may I always be able to say that goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, so that I may dwell in your house forever. As I walk with Your Spirit, teach me to be kind and gentle and loving in all my ways.

Keep me safe and with you all my days on this earth – already being a part of Your kingdom. Thanks for Your love, Your presence, Your peace with me always. Amen.


May the Lord bless you as you go on your way. May He go before you to show you the way. May He go behind you to encourage you. May He go beside you to guide and befriend you. May He always be above you to watch over you. And may He be within you to give you peace.

In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may send me a message or a prayer request by e-mailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.
May God, our Great Shepherd, be with us now and always.

Week of April 22, 2007, Revelation 5:11-14

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from Revelation, chapter 5, verses 11-14. The final book in the Bible, it is a series of visions that the Gospel writer, John, had - these verses giving us a glimpse into worship in heaven.

11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.
12 In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"
14 The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Dear Jesus, the Easter season reminds us of the great sacrifice You paid for our sins when You died on the cross for each one of us. Thanks for the glimpse of worship that we are shown – for You really are the Lamb of God, slain and then risen in glory. You are worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise. We praise You, Jesus. We give You honor and exalt Your holy name. And may we all have a renewed sense of worship as we give You praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!

Thanks for Your love, Jesus. Thanks for Your presence with us always. Amen.


May the Lord shower you with His mercy; may the light of His presence be ever your guide; may He guard you and uphold you; may His Spirit be ever by your side. May He bless Your comings in and your goings out. When you sleep, may His angels watch over you; when you wake, may He fill you with His grace. May you love Him and serve Him all your days, and then in heaven to see His face forevermore.In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may send a message or prayer request by e-mailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.
May Jesus, the Lamb of God, be with you now and always.

Week of April 15, 2007, John 20: 19-31

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from John, chapter 20, verses 19 to 31 - a continue of the Easter story after Jesus' resurrection:
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.
25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Jesus – You change fear to joy. You bring spiritual wholeness and breath spiritual life into Your disciples by bringing them peace. You send forth Your disciples with the Holy Spirit that empowers them.

You seek each one of us to have that personal encounter with You that brings new life, that changes doubt to faith, sadness to joy, fear to power, depending on ourselves to total trust and dependence on You. Thanks for Your joy in the midst of troubling situations, Your peace in the midst of ordinary lives, Your presence that brings us to wholeness, Your love that was total sacrifice. Thanks, Jesus. Amen.

May the love of the Lord Jesus draw us to Himself;
May the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen us in His service;
May the joy of the Lord Jesus fill our souls;
May the fire of the Holy Spirit bring comfort, guidance and fervency;
And may the blessing of the almighty and most merciful God - Creator, Word and eternal Holy Spirit - be upon us and remain with us always. In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may leave a message or prayer request by e-mailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.
May the God of peace that erases all doubt and brings us to faith be with us now and always.

Week of April 8, 2007, Easter, Luke 24: 1-12

The Gospel lesson for this Easter Sunday is from Luke, chapter 24, verses 1 to 12 - the Easter story from Luke:
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.
2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.
5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?
6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:
7 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'"
8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.
11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.
12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

Jesus, You have risen. You have risen indeed! From death to life, You suffered, crucified on a cross and died – all for us, and You arose, in power, glory and majesty.

In reflecting on this mystery and this miracle, help us to understand this amazing love, and help us to respond with our own thanks and love. Jesus, You are truly alive. You are our Savior and Redeemer.

And today, each day, may we die to our sins and rise to new life, reflecting in our own life Your presence with us. Amen.

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you His strength and His great peace. In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may leave a message or a prayer request by e-mailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.
May Jesus, our risen Savior, be with us now and always.

Week of April 1, 2007, Good Friday, from Mark 15

One of the Scriptures for the last part of this Holy Week is from Mark, chapter 15, verses 1 to 39 - a narrative of Jesus' last hours up to His death:
1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
2 "Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate. "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
3 The chief priests accused him of many things.
4 So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of."
5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
6 Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested.
7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising.
8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9 "Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate,
10 knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him.
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
12 "What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.
13 "Crucify him!" they shouted.
14 "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"
15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers.
17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.
18 And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!"
19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.
20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.
22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).
23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.
24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
25 It was the third hour when they crucified him.
26 The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
27 They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.
29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,
30 come down from the cross and save yourself!"
31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself!
32 Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"-- which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."
36 One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.
37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

Dear Jesus, help me be more aware of Your sacrifice for me, the sacrifice on the cross, dying for me, to redeem me from sin – to redeem all of us from sin. Thanks, Jesus, for Your constant, overwhelming, unconditional love You have for each of us, and for Your presence with us. Amen.

May the love of the Lord Jesus draw us to Himself;
May the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen us in His service;
May the joy of the Lord Jesus fill our souls;
May the fire of the Holy Spirit bring comfort, guidance and fervency;
And may the blessing of the almighty and most merciful God - Creator, Word and eternal Holy Spirit - be upon us and remain with us always.
In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

If you would like to leave a message or a prayer request, you can e-mail me at: peacewm@tds.net.
May Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer, be with you now and always.