Month: September 2021

Pastoral Prayer: Double the Thanksgiving

Father in Heaven,

Before we came to know you in Christ, we ran from you. But now, in love and reverence, we run to you. We look for you in all of our lives. And everywhere we look, we see you. 

Father, we see you in the gift of a new day, showing us patience and mercies.

We see something of you in the faces of those we meet, for you made man in your image.

As we eat our meals, we know it is your hand that has provided for us.

Father, we thank you and we ask that all our life would be a prayer of thanksgiving. We are surrounded on all sides by weighty and substantial blessings. You have preserved us, supported us, given us success at our work, placed us in a nation of opportunity, and redeemed us from the bondage of sin.

Help us, Father, to take all of these blessings in hand and thank you for them. Give us a greater vision of your mercies, than we have of our worries. For every anxiety we express, may there be double the thanksgiving. Give to your church to model faith and contentment to the world.

Father, you told your Son that the nations would be his heritage—so we ask that those who are living in the darkness of sin would see the light of Christ. Add to your church today in every nation. Call to your lost sheep until all are safely home in Christ.

Father, in our own nation we see many who love life and desire to protect children in the womb. Sadly, we also see those who are indifference and even hateful towards the most vulnerable.

So, as we thank you for governors and state legislators who are courageously defending the weak, we also pray against those who seek to legislate death. Break their power to act out such wickedness in our nation. 

Father, we know this cannot happen without national repentance, and so we know that our greatest need is the spread of the gospel. We pray that our nation would fear your holiness and justice, confess sin, and take hold of your mercies which are freely offered in Christ Jesus.

To that end, Father, we ask that you bless the reading and the preaching of your Word. You have said that faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ. So, by your Spirit, give us faith today.

We ask all this in Jesus’ name, and for his sake. Amen.

Prayer of Adoration: You Control History

CALL TO WORSHIP – Malachi 1:11

11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

PRAYER OF ADORATION

Our God & Father,

We praise you for you are the God of sunrises and sunsets, the God of seasons and years and all of history. Because you are everlasting, you fill all times. And because you are invisible, you fill all space. There is no place we could go where you are absent or distant. 

Father, we know that we don’t control history, but you gladly choose to use us to accomplish what you are doing in history. We come before you knowing our worship is being used by your Holy Spirit to equip us for your ends and purposes in the world. 

We know the weapons by which you are conquering the world are the prayers, songs, and sermons of the saints. Truly, you use weakness to overtake strength, and foolishness to disarm the wisdom of this world. As we take up those weapons this morning, we pray you’d first use them on us. Conquer our unbelief and go on to redeem the entire world.

Nothing exceeds your power. Nothing is too great for you. Your might is infinite, your love is boundless, your grace has no limit, and your name is mighty to save.

So, we worship you, O Great God, Father, Son & Holy Spirit. Forever and Ever. And Amen.

Confession – A Trio of Exhortations

EXHORTATION

In 1 Thessalonians 4 the Apostle Paul gives us a trio of exhortations:

“aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands”

First, aspire to live quietly. We live in an age of “Hot Takes.” The way to get noticed it to say something crazy, and if that doesn’t work, try screaming it. But Biblical Christians aren’t seeking attention for themselves. Jesus Christ must increase, and we must decrease. 

Second, mind your own business. God has put weighty responsibilities in your hands. Responsibilities that, if you are good stewards, will require as much of your focus and daylight as you can give them. Meddling in the lives of others is gambling with time that God intends you invest wisely.

Finally, work with your hands. Darwin says you have hands due to random accident. Paul says you have hands because God ordained you to work, to teach, to embrace, to protect, and to discipline. Your hands are charged with divine significance and purpose. How are you using them to create and then improve what has been created?

All three of these exhortations remind us that the Christian life is embodied. It isn’t abstract. The end goal of Christianity isn’t to become less human and therefore more spiritual—it’s to become fully human. It’s to train both our soul and our bodies to image Christ.

So, let’s confess our sins.

CONFESSION

Almighty Father,

You have called us to live a quiet life, focused life, and hard-working life. We confess to you those times we’ve brought attention to ourselves so we could feel more important than we are. We have coveted the lives of others instead of minding our own business because we aren’t grateful for the life you’ve given us. We confess our own laziness and idleness when you have created us to be creators and producers in the world you made.

Father, all of these sins have robbed you of the glory we could have given you, they have robbed others of the community, care and provision they could have provided, and they have robbed us of the joy of living out your design for us.

Father, forgive us for all these sins and many more. Teach us to live as Christ lived—bringing you glory, always serving others, and working diligently at everything he did.

We know if we say Amen to this prayer while ignoring it in our hearts, this prayer will have no effect, so hear us now as we confess our individual sins to you in silence.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen!

ASSURANCE OF PARDON – Colossians 1:13-14

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13–14, ESV)

Prayer of Adoration – Most High

CALL TO WORSHIP – Psalm 47:1-2, 5-7

“Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. 

God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!” (Psalm 47:1–7, ESV)

PRAYER OF ADORATION

Our Gracious God & Father,

You are the Lord, the Most High. You are higher than any earthly king, more worthy of honor than any dignitary. And for that reason: We come into your presence in humility and lowliness. We come near to your presence and know that you are to be feared.

We praise you, Father for, as great and terrible as you are, we also see you defending your people in grace. In every age, you have been our shield and it is only by your loving protection that we are here this morning.

Father, as we direct our eyes and hearts toward heaven, we know that you are there, reigning over the nations, sitting on your throne, keeping a perfect record of every act done on the earth. From the executive orders and legislations of governments down to the silent and hidden thoughts of our hearts.

And we praise you the on the Day of Christ you will gather the nations before you and render just judgement. We praise you that on that day the innocent will be vindicated, and the wicked will be punished.

Finally, we praise you that you have dealt with our own sin in the death of Christ for us. Your grace has conquered our rebellious hearts and stubborn wills.

In all things, you are perfectly holy, supremely good, and incredibly patient. So, we worship you Father, through Jesus Christ the Son who rules and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. 

One God, world without end. And Amen.