Tag Archives: image of God

A Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving for the Thai Cave Rescue

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Thailand Cave Rescue

Merciful and Mighty God, we rejoice with people all over the world for the rescue of the boys and coach from the cave in Thailand. May your name be glorified for the miracle of their survival, the heroic efforts of their rescuers, and a world in prayer for their deliverance.

We see you at work in the cooperation and compassion of so many. We see you at work in the perseverance and sacrifice of the rescuers. We especially remember the Thai diver, Saman, who lost his life in this valiant effort. There is no greater love than to lay down your life for another.

Thank you for the evidence that we live in a world where so many care about strangers in dangerous situations. Thank you for creating us in your image so we may honor and value one another no matter where we are from. Thank you for inspiring us and empowering us to live the fullness of your saving love. Hallelujah! We praise you and honor you in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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A Prayer for the Thai Cave Rescue © 2018 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting with proper attribution.
Leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in any form.

You are the Light of the World (Matthew 5.14-16)

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light of the world robbie quinn

You are the Light of the World by Robbie Quinn

Matthew 5:14-16 NRSV
Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

Reflection
You are the light of the world
Not hidden, never hidden
You let it shine
You share it with the other
With all

What do they see?
Goodness
Light overcoming the darkness

What happens?
God is glorified
The Kingdom comes

Prayer
Jesus,
Your light makes us light
What a gift to be made in your image
To reflect your grace and hope
Your power and peacemaking
Hallelujah!

Help us shine
Share your light with all
Near and far
Beyond our imagining to your imagining
And desiring
A beam worthy of the stretch of your embrace
Worthy of your glory

Jesus, help us shine
Unveiled, Bright
Shining before others and for others
So others see you in us
and are drawn to your Light

You are so very good and generous, Jesus
You bathe us in the light of your grace, that we may be grace
You fill us with the light of your truth that we may be truth
You flood us with the light of your love that we may be love

Hallelujah! Glory to You, Lord of Life and Light!
Hallelujah! Come Glorious One
Dispel the darkness
Reveal what is real so we no longer fear the night
nor the light
Dawn a new day and a new us and a new Earth
Hallelujah! Amen!

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Click here for the post Reflecting God’s Light, more resources on this scripture

You are the Light of the World  © 2017 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting with proper attribution.
Leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in any form.

Prayer: Rekindle the Gift (2 Timothy 1:6)

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light-matchThis prayer was adapted from a post by Steve Garnaas Holmes on his wonderful site, Unfolding Light. A single voice reads the regular print while all present read the bold print. (2 Timothy 1:6) Consider following this liturgy with each person lighting a candle or striking a match. – Lisa <><

You have a treasure in you,
a seed of glory planted from stars,
a song written for only you to sing.
You have gifts to give.

The treasure is buried,
and it may take some digging to recover.
The song is forgotten,
but still hidden in your bones.

Rekindle the gift of God that is within you. 

Nothing that happens to you
can remove it, no fear or shame
destroy it, no failure ruin it.
It is who you are.

Rekindle the gift.
Listen for the quiet voice,
the Spirit of Life
singing in you.

Rekindle the gift of God that is within you.

Listen… and sing.
Tune your life to its melody.
Let it sing in you,
let it sing you into life.

Rekindle the gift
that is God within you.
Give God this joy— for it is
God who is singing.

Rekindle the gift of God that is within you.

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Be sure to check out another wonderful prayer by Steve Garnaas Holmes on the theme of spiritual gifts entitled Not Lacking based on 1 Corinthians 1:4-7.

Prayer- All Lives Matter

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2016 summer violence collageThis prayer was offered 7/10/16 during worship at Trinity United Methodist Church, Sarasota Florida in response to a month of overwhelming injustice and violence. 

The vows we make at our baptism, and the vows we renew when we make public commitments to Christ, seem especially poignant given the events of this past week. I remind you of them.

I renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil power of this world, and repent of my sin.

I accept the freedom and power God gives me to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.

I confess Jesus Christ as my Savior, put my whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as my Lord, in union with the church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races.

According to the grace given to me, I will remain a faithful member of Christ’s holy church and serve as Christ’s representative in the world.

This week will mark the 1 month anniversary of the Pulse Orlando Massacre. 49 killed, 53 injured. Most young, Latino/Latina, and most from the gay community.

Two weeks after the massacre, Tuesday June 28, a terrorist attack consisting of shootings and suicide bombings occurred at the international terminal of the Atatürk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey. More than 230 people were injured. 45 people were killed in addition to the 3 attackers. The victims were from 11 different countries.

A few days later, last Sunday July 3, at least 298 people were killed and over 246 were injured after a large car bomb explosion in the middle of a busy market in Baghdad. The blast occurred in the Karrada area, the home to many Shia Muslims and a large Christian minority. The attack was part of series of Isis attacks during the holy month of Ramadan.

Two days later, Tuesday July 5, Alton Sterling was fatally shot by police outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was a 37 year old black man. The officers were each 28 year old white men.

A day later, Wednesday July 6, Philando Castile was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop. He was a 32 year old black man. The officer is white.

A day later, Thursday July 7, two black snipers ambushed and opened fire at the end of a peaceful protest in Dallas. 7 officers and two civilians are injured. 5 white officers are dead- Lorne Ahrens, Michael Smith, Michael Krol, Patrick Zamarripa, Brent Thompson.

Genesis 1:27
God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Lord Jesus, help us accept your gift of life
All lives matter
All lives matter because all are made in your image
All lives matter and should be protected and respected
for their worth and dignity are from you
All lives matter and should come home safely to their loved ones
It’s not us and them, it’s just us

Lord Jesus, help us live your gift of love
All lives matter
Yet some are targeted with prejudice and violence
because of the color of their skin
the zip code of their home
their sexuality
what they do for a living

So we speak and pray specifics
Black lives matter
Muslim lives matter
Foreign lives matter
Christian lives matter
Law enforcement lives matter
Latino/Latina lives matter
LGBTQIA lives matter
The Poor, their lives matter
The Young, their lives matter
All lives matter

Break our hearts Jesus that we may weep as you weep
Break our hearts Jesus that we may love as you love
Break our hearts Jesus and raise our voices
that we may speak and act so all may be safe
so all may have opportunity
so all may know belonging

Lord Jesus, take away our fear, our apathy, our silence
Grant us your courage
Grant us your strength
Grant us your perseverance
That we may be your sanctuary, your safe place
That we may live your justice
That we may use your power with wisdom and humility
That we may be your whole and holy people
A people of integrity
That we may speak and act and love again and again and again
Till every dividing wall of hate, fear and mistrust
comes crashing down in your Powerful Name

Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace
Fill us with your hope
Fill us with your salt
Fill us with your light

Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace
Teach us to pray and teach us to live your prayer
Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer

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Prayer- All Lives Matter © 2016 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting with proper attribution.
Contact Lisa for posting and publication considerations.

It would be easy to modify this prayer so different parts could be led by different worship leaders.

The 2016 TED Talk Experiment- Week 11

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A week with brave, wise persons who share their stories of prejudice and discrimination. In doing so, they break down the dividing walls and draw us together.

The Beauty of Human Skin in Every Color
Angélica Dass
TED2016 Vancouver BC, February 2016
“In the end, with this color and this hair I can’t belong some places.” Dass’s experiences inspired her international portrait project, Humanæ, which documents humanity’s true colors rather than the untrue white, red, black and yellow associated with race. Simple. Powerful. Game-changing.

What do you think when you look at me?
Dalia Mogahed
TED2016 Vancouver BC, February 2016
After 9/11 “I went from a citizen to a suspect.” A moving story of the power of media in promoting prejudice and the greater powers of empathy and solidarity.

What I’ve Learned from my Autistic Brothers
Faith Jegede
TED@London, April 2012
“Normality overlooks the beauty differences give us. The fact that we are different doesn’t mean one of us is wrong, it just means there’s a different kind of right. … You don’t have to be normal, you can be extraordinary. Because, autistic or not, the differences we have are a gift. Everyone’s got a gift inside of us. And in all honesty, the pursuit of normality is the ultimate sacrifice of potential. The chance for greatness, for progress, for change dies when we try to be like someone else. “

Why I love a country that once betrayed me
George Takei
TEDx Kyoto, June 2014
During his childhood in WWII, Takei and his family were imprisoned by their fellow Americans in America. His wise father and the heroics of an all Japanese-American fighting unit in WWII, gave him a rich understanding of democracy and what it really means to be an American. “They gave me a legacy and with that legacy comes a responsibility. I am dedicated to making my country an even better America.”

A powerful poem about what it feels like to be transgender
Lee Mokobe
TED Women 2015 Monterey California, May 2015
“I was the mystery of an anatomy, a question asked but not answered, tight roping between awkward boy and apologetic girl. And when I turned 12, the boy phase wasn’t deemed cute anymore…. No one ever thinks of us as human because we are more ghost than flesh…. And now oncoming traffic is embracing more transgender children than parents.”  Listen several times, letting the heartbreak and wondering wash over you.    

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I’m trying an experiment in 2016. Maybe you’d like to try it with me.

Here’s where I am
I’m tired of the spin. I’m tired of ideas, news, and entertainment really being one long sales pitch for profit or power.

I’m longing for creativity, curiosity, and inspiration. I’m in search of passionate people willing to speak to the truth and complexity of living with a heart of hope. I want to hear from authentic humans who are in the trenches working for the greater good.

I think I’ve found them in the TED community.

“TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. On TED.com, we’re building a clearinghouse of free knowledge from the world’s most inspired thinkers — and a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other, both online and at TED and TEDx events around the world, all year long.”

TED’s been around for 30 years. I’ve heard about them and even watched a couple of talks, but I’ve never spent any concentrated time mining the good stuff. So….

Here’s the plan
Watch 5 enthusiastic, inspiring TED Talk presenters a week for a year.
Apply and share the goodness.

Sermon Recording- Our Father

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Sermon Series: 57 Words That Changed the World
Messages on the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6:5-15

Message: Our Father
Scripture: Matthew 6:5-15
Offered 4/03/16 at Trinity United Methodist Church, Sarasota Florida

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.

Study Resources for this Message
Lord, Teach Us: The Lord’s Prayer & the Christian Life
by Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon

The Lord and His Prayer by N. T. Wright

Fifty-Seven Words that Change the World: A Journey through the Lord’s Prayer
by Darrell W. Johnson

A Layman Looks at the Lord’s Prayer by W. Phillip Keller

Our Heavenly Father: Sermons on the Lord’s Prayer by Helmut Thielicke
Read it for free online!

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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.

© 2016 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
Contact Lisa for posting and publication considerations.

Dear Rummage Sale Volunteers

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rummage sale stock photoDear rummage sale volunteers,
Thank you for your service and sacrifice for this event. You are making blessings possible.

Thank you for welcoming our community with peace and grace even when you are tired or they are tired, when you are stressed or they are stressed, when you are cranky or they are cranky. Be Jesus. Many have never met him.

Thank you for helping us to live simpler lives, for helping us share, for meeting the needs of many who shop this way all the time. Be Jesus. Many have never met him.

Thank you for being present to what’s going on around you- to noticing the look in someone’s eyes, the shuttered sigh, the weariness, the distraction, the grasping. Take time for conversation. How may I help you today? How may I pray for you today? Take your time. Let it be a different experience. They may think they’ve come for a bargain, but God has other plans. You are a part of that plan. Be Jesus. Many have never met him.

You being human, being grace, being Christ, will be a surprise and a healing balm to all who come here. Your prayers and presence have opened the doors to the very presence of God. Make space in you for others to sense it and be drawn to Jesus through it.

The joy of the Lord is your strength.
The hope of Jesus is your purpose.

Thanks be to God and thank you my dear sisters and brothers. – Lisa <><