jeff's blog

Holy God, your word declares that you have taken away our iniquity, and that you remember our sin no more. But we confess that we focus so much on ourselves, and our failures, and our feelings and our merits that we choose to be consumed by our guilt and shame, and refuse the salvation you offer us freely through the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ.

Forgive us when we forget the comfort of your love, our fellowship with your spirit, and the tenderness and compassion you have called us to show to a world in need. Forgive us when we care so much about ourselves and what we want that we forget to love our neighbor, and in so doing forget to love you.

Almighty Father, take from us all hatred and prejudice and discord. Remind us that there is but one Body and one Spirit, and one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, so that we may all truly be of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and that with one mind and one mouth we may glorify you, through Jesus Christ our Lord who reigns together with you and the Holy Spirit, in a Kingdom without end. Amen.

May wisdom guide your actions.
May peace guide your hands.
May love rule  your heart.

And may Christ consume your life,
a new creation
blessed for blessing
His faithful servant
in a reign without end.

May you remember the words of Christ:

Blessed are the poor in spirit
the pure in heart
the peacemakers.

Don’t worry about tomorrow
today has enough worries for today.
Life is about more than food,
your body more than clothes.

Love your enemies.
Ask,
seek,
knock.

Do for others
as you would have them do for you.

And whatever you do
even for the least of these
you do for me.

May God create in you a clean heart,
a transformed heart,
a heart that knows and seeks and loves
the justice and mercy of the Lord.

May you accept the gift of salvation -
not your personal possession to be coveted,
but His work, accomplished in the destruction of Sin
on the cross of Jesus Christ.

And may you humble yourself before the Lord,
coming before Him with a broken spirit,
a contrite heart
receiving from His hand
great compassion
and unfailing love.

As you approach the throne of God,
may you open your heart to the Lord,
not thinking of yourself more highly than you ought,
not seeking to cover your transgressions
from the one who knows all things.

May you treat every person with grace
knowing at one time we all lived
under the dominion of sin.

And may you remember the Lord Jesus Christ,
born of the Virgin Mary,
who entered into the world of suffering,
whose death and resurrection declares to all creation
that suffering will not be the last word.

May you walk in the paths of righteousness,
may you stand in the truth of the Word,
may you dwell in the house of the Lord.

May you know God,
not by his title,
but by his name,
the I will be who I will be,
the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

And may he also be your God
watching over your ways
as you walk in his footsteps.

Holy God, we come before your throne and admit that most of the time we are too busy singing and praying and feeling goood and feeling bad and feeling so-so to stop and listen for your tiny, little whispers.  In your word you paint for us a picture of full and abundant life, life that can only be had by drinking your living water, knowing you not as a title, but intimately, a mystery, as a wife knows her husband.

We pray that our lives would be planted near you – that we would send our roots deep into your word and your life, that we would draw nourishment from you, and that with the life you give we would in turn provide shelter and comfort and blessing to whoever comes under our branches.

We pray that we would not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor abide in the house of hte scornful, but that our delight would be in you, in your truth, in your grace, now and forevermore.

May you live a life of integrity
careful to walk a blameless path
in the sight of God.

May you sing of God’s love and justice,
a messenger of the stories
of his deliverance in your life.

And may you search for faithful companions
as you journey through life
partners in joy and sorrow
blessings from God
for those who trust in Him.

May you trust in God’s promises to his people
peace
security
blessing
even when they are difficult to believe.

May you know that God’s news is good news,
nourishing
true
even when people tell you it is not.

And when you encounter doubt,
may you strengthen your belief
guiding you in his perfect wisdom and counsel.

Holy God, we proclaim that you are good, and that for us there is nothing better than to be near you, to hear your voice, and to speak of the wonderful things you have done. We confess that like the psalmist we sometimes are seduced by the lives of people who ignore you and prosper, and we wonder whether we have kept ourselves pure for no reason at all.  We ask that you lead us into your sanctuary and remind us of the destiny of the wicked.

Above everything, we desire to belong to you – to cling to your right hand.  We declare that we have nothing in heaven but you, and desire you more than naything else on earth.

We pray all of these things in hte name of Jesus, who rules over all powers and principalities, now and forevermore.

May you serve God freely
for no reward
simply because He is the Lord.

May you walk with Him
speak with him
share your life and soul with Him
as a friend speaks with a friend.

And may you cling tightly to God
serving him both through good times and bad
giving him your joys and sorrows
opening your heart and mind
to the one who holds you in his hand.

Lord, God most High, we come before your throne and speak with you as a friend speaks with a friend, knowing that you yourself sit in heaven and speak on our behalf.

We confess that many times the relationship we share is shallow – that we serve you out of selfishness, believing that you bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.

We look at Job and wonder whether we would react as he did – recognizing your Sovereign right to do what you wish, accepting both good and bad from your hand with grace.  We take comfort that you were pleased with Job, and declared that he spoke rightly of you – even in his bitter complaints, and we ask that you teach us to speak honestly with you – that we would approach your throne with honest and sincere hearts.

Teach us to seek your favor, and not only your blessing – your wisdom, and not only your rewards.  Make our lives so intertwined with you that we cannot let you go, even in the depths of despair – in the land of darkest shadow.

Remind us that wherever we are, even there your hand will guide us.

We come to you and speak only by the name and the power of Jesus Christ, our advocate and Lord, who reigns with you forever.

Amen.

May you approach the throne of God with humility,
trusting not in your own righteousness
but in the power of a mighty God.

And may you find the mercy and grace of Christ
delivered to you
given freely to those who earnestly seek him.

May you seek the justice of the Lord
with passion and persistence
trusting his ability to render a fair verdict
in all things.

May you be a voice of change
crying in the desert
speaking for those who have no voice.

And though there are no grapes on the vines
and no cattle in the fields
may we be a people
who beat swords to plowshares
who rejoice in the Lord
who are joyful in the God of salvation.

May you accept with grace the blessings of Christ.

May he heal you -
restore your sight,
cure your sores
soothe your soul.

And as you encounter Jesus,
may your life be transformed
by his healing power -
a new creation in the service of heaven.