Week of January 25, Psalm 62:5-12

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from Psalm 62, verses 5 to 12:
5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah
9 Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
11 One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong,
12 and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.

Dear Lord, You are my God. I find rest in You alone, for You are my hope. You are my rock and my salvation. You are my fortress. Because of who You are, I will not be shaken, for I come to You at all times, and I see that You are that mighty rock, that great refuge.

I trust in You at all times, O Lord. When I see no way around my troubles, my worries, my frustrations, I still cling to You. When I pour out my heart to You, O God, and let You know all that concerns me, even though You know all about me, You welcome our time, and then You quiet me down, You tell me to rest, and You show me that when I am weary, You are strong.

Jesus, thanks for Your Word, showing me how profoundly and deeply and unconditionally You love me. Thanks for Your peace, Your hope, Your presence with me always. 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 prayer request by emailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.

May God, our great hope, be with you now and always.

Week of January 18, 2009, Psalm 139, 1-10, 13-18

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from Psalm 139. Here are some selected verses on the wondrousness of God’s creation as seen in a person, how You know us so well, with Your presence always with us:
1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in-- behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

Dear Lord, I praise You and thank You for the wondrousness of Your creation – especially as seen in people. Lord, You know each of us so well. You have searched us and know when we sit and when we rise. You know every one of our thoughts. You are totally familiar with everything we do, our going out and our lying down. Before we say anything, Lord, You know what we will say. You have laid Your hand on us, and You hem us in – You are behind us, before us, around us, walking with us wherever we go, directing and guiding.

You created me, and have known me from all time, before I was formed, when I was woven together, when I was born, and all of my future. Thanks for that intimacy, Lord, and thanks for the intimacy that You desire with me. Help me to understand and grow in my relationship with You, O God, and to see Your word in the New Testament and the Old Testament as a profound revelation of who You are, how much You love each of us, and care for every detail of our lives.

Thanks for Your love, Your peace, Your presence in my life – 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 great peace. In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may leave a message or prayer request by emailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.

May God be with you now and always.

Week of January 11, 2009, Mark 1:4-11

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 1, verses 4 to 11. We have concluded the Christmas season where God the Son, Jesus, has come into the world, and we begin the Epiphany season, the season of light, with Jesus, the light of the world coming into the beginnings of ministry with Jesus’ baptism account. There are six of these accounts in the Bible – the four Gospel writers, Paul in Romans, and in Acts. There are only two accounts of Jesus’ birth – in Matthew and Luke – possibly showing the importance of this event in the early Church. Mark writes:
4 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
6 John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
7 And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
11 And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Heavenly Father, thank You for the evidence and the details of this baptism. Thank You for our baptism – the beginning of new life. As Jesus heard Your words of being pleased in this relationship of Father to Son, now on earth, may we hear those same words for us – that You God are pleased with us – that we would be excited about a relationship with You – close, personal, powerful, exciting.

And as the Spirit descended onto Jesus and empowered Him for ministry, may we acknowledge the Spirit in our life because of our baptism, and know and be encouraged that the Spirit empowers us, fills us, enables us to serve in the kingdom, to help in areas we are led to help, and finally to grow and mature in our relationship with You, Lord.

Jesus, thanks for Your love, for coming to this earth, for Your presence in our lives, and for You, Holy Spirit, empowering us, using us to serve in ways that You lead and guide us. Thanks for the peace and strength that comes because of our relationship with You, and the joy that You bring as the Light of the world. 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 leave a message or prayer by emailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.

May God be with you now and always.