Thank you to my friend, my colleague, my sister of the same Father, Tee Ormiston, who sent me this moving and powerful prayer in a time of need. Thank you also for permission to share it here. – Lisa <><
Lord With Us
Come by here
Enter In, we pray
Please Abba, Enter In.
We claim-
… the Very Light of the World,
Lord With Us
…transfigured…
to illuminate
the unnameable crevices…
Lord With Us
Come By Here
Enter In
Abba, Father,
Enter In.
Almighty Healer-dissolve
The encroaching dimming of Interior Joy…
Lord With Us
Come by here
Enter In
Abba, Father,
Enter In.
Redeemer, Savior,
Claim, again, the Borrowed, the Holy,
Ray of Hope
Lord With Us
Come by here.
Enter In.
Abba, Father,
Enter In.
Alpha and Omega
… now moisten dulled twinkle of eye…
Gradually, gently quicken the sadness of spirit…
Lord With Us
Come By Here
Enter In
Abba Father
Enter In.
Author of Love, Only, especially…
Whisper, call into weighted heart…
Lord With Us
Come by here
Enter In
Abba Father
Enter In.
Hallelu, Lord With Us, Come By Here…
Enter in…
Again…
And, yes Lord, again…
Hallelu, Lord With Us
Come by here.
Heavenly Father, Mother
You understand the heartbreaks of parenting
Silent Children
Hurting Children
Children far from home
We wonder and we worry
It’s torture not knowing
But you know
You are near to them and to us
Protect and Provide
Encourage and Empower
Bring wisdom and light
That we may love as you love
That we and they will make good choices
That we will see and hear you and each other
That we will be one as you are One
Parent, Child, the Love Between
Amen
The Lord’s Prayer informs, forms, and transforms us and the world. – Lisa Degrenia
God is the Father. Family is the church. – Willimon and Hauerwas, Lord Teach Us
Those who speak of having “a personal relationship with Christ,” are right, it is personal. But is it not private. We are all in this together. – Willimon and Hauerwas, Lord Teach Us
We ask you to begin by praying the Lord’s Prayer. This is the fount from which all Christian belief and action flows, the daily bending of our lives toward a God who has, in Jesus Christ, so graciously leaned toward us. – Willimon and Hauerwas, Lord Teach Us
Extended quote from Darrell W. Johnson, Fifty-Seven Words That Change the World
A number of years ago I was wrestling with this. I said to Jesus, “I like you prayer, but it would be so much more inviting for more people if you had taught us to pray the prayer to you. Where are you in this prayer?”
And in my mind I heard John 14:9, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” I sensed Jesus saying to me, The Father is just like me.” The Father, God the Father, is just as good, just as gentle, just as kind, just as approachable, just as vulnerable, just as welcoming, just as generous as Jesus. Jesus’ open arms are the open arms of his Father. Jesus’ open heart is the open heart of his Father. It is the passion of Jesus to help us know his Father as he knows him, to love his Father as he loves him, to trust his Father as he trusts him.
Worship Resources for this Message Make us your children by Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
Heavenly Father,
Your reach extends to every person, every nation
Offering grace, forgiveness, wholeness, and hope
A saving embrace
Drawing us to you and each other
Make us your children
Grateful for a place in your family
Humble before your love and generosity
Faithful in honoring and welcoming all
Joyful in sharing what we have found in you
Amen.
Prayer by Pamela C Hawkins from The Awkward Season:Prayers for Lent
Teach me to pray, O Christ,
That your kingdom will come,
That your will be done,
That earth will become like heaven
For the hurt and the hurting,
The wounded and warring,
The hated and the hating.
Teach me to pray, O Christ, for the power is yours.
Amen.
Prayer by Sam Hamilton-Poore from Earth Gospel: A Guide to Prayer for God’s Creation
Help me, dear God,
to see my brother with the eyes of Christ,
to hear my sister with the ears of Christ,
to taste my neighbor’s hunger with the mouth of Christ,
to smell creation’s beauty with the nose of Christ,
to touch the world’s pain with the hands of Christ
and to love life, each life, every life,
with the heart of Christ.
*****************
I’m excited to now offer mp3’s of my Sunday messages. A huge thank you to Leon and my brothers and sisters at Trinity United Methodist Church, Sarasota for all their help in making this possible. If you’re ever in Sarasota, please drop by for worship Sundays at 9am or 10:30am, or drop by during the week for a chat or small group. You and those you love are always welcome.
Loving God, Heavenly Father
Maker of all that is seen and unseen
We adore You and bless You
Thank You for the gift of life
Thank You for adopting us as Your children and heirs in Christ Jesus our Lord
Thank You for making a home for us in Your church and in heaven forever
Thank You also for the men in our life,
for our fathers and for those who have been like fathers to us.
We are grateful for their protection and provision,
for their encouragement and wisdom,
for their correction and persevering love.
We are especially grateful for the ways they guided us into Your saving embrace.
Too often we took their love and sacrifice for granted. Forgive us.
Help us to live in such a way
that our words and actions bring honor to them and to You.
Merciful One,
For many, this day is full of joy and celebration,
but for others it is an especially painful day.
Pour out Your healing, consolation and peace
on those who are grieving the loss of their father or the loss of their child,
on families separated by distance or disagreement,
on families plagued by disappointment, abandonment, addiction or abuse.
Compassionate One,
Bring Your healing, consolation and peace
to men whose desire to be a father has not been fulfilled,
to fathers and guardians who are exhausted
as they labor to balance work and raising children,
to fathers and guardians who are overwhelmed as they struggle
to bring up children in the midst of poverty, disease or war.
The need is deep. Come quickly. Our hope is in You.
At this point in the prayer, all the boys and men in the room are invited to stand as they are able. Those who are seated are asked to place a hand of blessing upon those who are standing.
Gracious God, thank you for the every man and boy here today
and for every one we have brought with us in our hearts.
Reveal Your purpose and plan for their life.
Bless them and protect them.
Deepen their love and trust of You.
Strengthen them, empower them, and anoint them with Your Holy Spirit
that their faith, influence and achievement would bring You honor and glory.
Receive our thanks and praise again for these men and men in the making
for they are precious to us and to You.
In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Thank you to my friend, my colleague, my sister of the same Father, Tee Ormiston, who sent me this moving and powerful prayer in a time of need. Thank you also for permission to share it here. – Lisa <><
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