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Prayer of the People, 26 June 2023

Prayer of the People, 25 June 2023

Heavenly Father,

You have been our help – an anchor through storms wrecking our souls. Thank you for calming the storm. Thank you for carrying us through the storm. And even when the storm was of our own making you have restored our souls and given us rest. 

When shame weighed us down you have lifted us up. You put a new song in our hearts and raised our chins from the depths. You invite us to gaze on your glory and goodness. 

Who is like you?

You took our place at the Cross through Jesus Christ and have graciously poured your Spirit into us so we may enjoy life with you now and forever. This new birth delivers us from the destruction wrought by Satan, from guilt, from shame, and from fear. Now you usher us into the  peace, righteousness and joy of your Kingdom.

Thank you.

Lord you have empowered us to be neighbours to those who need one. We turn our faces with you to consider our campus, our city, and the countries of our day — give us your heart for people.

Raise up students who love you and grant them courage and wisdom to speak up with you.
Raise up men and women who will lead with loving kindness in their fields of work.
Raise us up as a generation that will follow Jesus.

Even here — we know —  powers and principalities prop themselves up against the knowledge of You. They seek to destroy people by denying their dignity and their worth as bearers of your image. 

Today as we look at our world with you: 

We lift up the Uyghurs in NorthWest China; 
We lift up to you the many people displaced by violence in Syria and Ukraine.
We lift up to you the troubles our brothers & sisters in Iran are facing. 

Oh Lord, Come quickly — please orchestrate release for the captives, homes for the displaced, and enduring peace for neighbours.

Please give our leaders humility and the wisdom that comes from Heaven.
We pray today as Jesus taught us — ( Join me in the Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one;

for yours is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory, 

forever.  Amen.

When I’m Impatient for Growth

When I’m impatient for growth I’m likely to miss what is going on now.

This past week I was listening to a podcast on the Order of the Mustard Seed and was delighted to hear
Nina Schuurman Drenth from Canada talk about following Jesus and becoming comfortable with the space in-between from here to “there.” This is such a great line: “accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.”

She quoted Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s poem Patient Trust and I was encouraged to keep trusting the Lord for transformation in my own life. I was also drawn to turn it into a prayer for so many of the people who are part of Origin Church. While it feels slow, as we surrender to Christ, we are daily being transformed to be like Jesus!

Here’s the poem.

Patient Trust

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.

And yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—
and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you;
your ideas mature gradually—let them grow,
let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don’t try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give Our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.

—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ
excerpted from Hearts on Fire

Prayer of the People, 18 June 2023

Heavenly Father,

We enter into your communion — the communion of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — through your amazing grace. Your Son has opened up the way for us through His own obedience, his own life and death, by laying down His own body. Now through his body we enter into the delights of relationship with you.

We know Christ Jesus came down. 

He came down from the throne. Praise you Lord.

He came down as a child. Praise you Lord.

He came down to the feet of sinners. Praise you Lord.

He came down to the cross. Praise you Lord.

He came down to the grave.    Praise you Lord.

Hallelujah. Death could not hold Him!

Oh Lord you lifted Him up and now though we are baptized into His death we are also baptized into His life. You have lifted us up with him. Though sin has brought us down, you have forgiven us and appointed us to your salvation.  Fill us with your new life and transform us through and through.

Lord we grieve for the many precious people who died off the shores of Greece this week as they sought refuge and a new life. Awaken the conscience of our world to the plight of many people on the journey for refuge. Renew our confidence in the abundance of your Creation.

Lord we pray for your peace in Metro Vancouver and particularly in the downtown Eastside of Vancouver. Recent fires and gun violence has set the community on edge. We ask for you to  intervene and to intercept the people who are intent on killing their so-called enemies. Bring justice and mercy to them for the glory of Jesus.

Lord we pray for Canada, where though we in Vancouver get lulled into the common gift of your rain, we know the rest of the ten provinces are in a drought. The fires are evidence of the dryness of the land. But what else is evident Lord? Perhaps the dryness of our souls? Come Lord Jesus and renew our hearts. Surely we do not need rain fires in our forests — we need your fresh fire in our hearts for you and your Kingdom.

So, we pray as Jesus teaches us: (Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one;

for yours is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory, 

forever.  Amen.

Fight Like Jesus

Have you ever wondered, “Was Jesus a peacemaker and should His people take up His ways”? Maybe you have wondered, “Was Jesus a pacifist?”

If you are not reading Jason Porterfield’s book, Fight Like Jesus during Lent, there is still time to order it and start reading before Holy Week. His subtitle “How Jesus Waged Peace throughout Holy Week” sets us up to take a journey with Jesus through the seven days leading to the cross and the resurrection.

Jason began working out the realities of peacemaking in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. In the preface he confesses that he was young and naive, but that’s not the real problem. He goes on: “The combination of so many destructive forces at work in the Downtown Eastside soon proved too much for me… Over the course of a few short months, my neighbourhood’s brokenness had broken me. Despite my claiming to be a peacemaker, it was now readily apparent that I had no idea how to make peace.” p. 16.

Most of us are ill-equipped to actually make peace in conflictual settings, but Jesus affirmed the place of peacemaking among His followers as a response to His Kingdom. “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:6) As well James, one of Jesus’ brothers who became a leader in the church in Jerusalem, affirms a distinctive quality of Jesus’ followers in the world when they have the “wisdom that comes from heaven.” He writes that we will be “Peacemakers who sow in peace” and that we will “reap a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:18)

So how?

Jason takes us through the lessons Jesus delivered to His disciples on each day of the week as He journeyed to the Cross in Jerusalem. I found myself at times surprised and delighted by Jason’s observations of Jesus’ journey and teaching. I learned something new in almost every chapter. Jason challenged the internal assumptions and reflexive movement toward violence that most of us have learned from our culture, our society and perhaps even from our churches. He shows how this reflexive movement toward violence colours how we read the witnesses of Jesus’ life, ministry and teaching. 

I imagine that most of us, as Jason notes, race through Palm Sunday into Holy Week and miss the announcement of Jesus’ theme for the week. The crowd is waving palm branches joyfully but Jesus is weeping. He cries out, “If only you knew on this of all days the things that make for peace.” (Luke 19:42)

Jason writes, “What if Jesus’ lament is more than just an intriguing glimpse into his innermost thoughts and desires? What if it was placed at the start of Holy Week as a marker so that it might guide us down the correct interpretive path? What if Jesus spoke these words on the first day in order to introduce his primary objective for the week?

Jason goes on: “This book makes a bold claim: Jesus’ lament is the interpretive key to Holy Week. His lament suggests that the events of Holy Week are best understood when viewed through the lens of peacemaking. And it encourages us to see the central struggle of Holy Week as a struggle for peace.” (p. 21)

In Fight Like Jesus, Jason Porterfield writes in a very approachable style as he examines the events and teachings of each day to draw out lessons for the peacemaker. He shows us how Jesus himself corrects our tragic approaches to life and conflict. He show us how Jesus makes it possible for us to live into and out of the love of God in a world that desperately needs His peace. 

Jason Porterfiled, Fight Like Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace throughout Holy Week, 2022, Herald Press.

Prayer of the People, 19 Feb 2023

Heavenly Father,

You have made it possible for us to live in your kingdom now as brothers and sisters drawn together through our confession of Jesus, “He is Lord!” How is it that we share in your communion except by grace? Thank you for doing everything necessary for us to enjoy your communion — the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Help us Lord.

As you have forgiven us may we also forgive one another.
As you have accepted us may we also accept one another.
As you have mercy-ed us may we also grant mercy to one another.
As you have spoken truth to us may we also speak sincerely to one another.
As you have loved us may we also love one another from the heart.
Come Lord Jesus.
May the prevailing ministry of your Spirit continue to free us from the grip of sin and our old deathly habits. Transform us Lord according to your will and your Word. May we become more like Jesus together.

Oh Lord, we lift up to you our government leaders and representatives in this region and country; please grant them wisdom from heaven. Turn good ideals for service into reality.

We lift up to you city-planners, social workers, police, fire and ambulance service providers, medical providers, and teachers and staff at our schools. We pray that you would fill them with a vision of your love, a delight in the truth, and a persistent hope that makes them aware of your nearness and therefore fills them with gentleness. 

We lift up to you our work-places and pray that you would fortify us with grace and wisdom to do good work and to be steady, watchful, servants in your Name and for your Kingdom.

We lift up our friends on retreat this morning with Origin and pray that you would continue to give them rest and restoration. May your word, like seeds of grace and truth take deep root in them and bear the fruit that you desire.

Oh Lord we need you and so we pray…

(Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer.)

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one;
for yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, 
forever. 
Amen.

Prayer of the People, 5 Feb 2023

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for bringing us into your communion — the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This costly grace formed in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus has granted us the faith in which we stand and has changed our lives forever. Thank you!

In Christ Jesus you have radically altered our past, present, and future.

You have forgiven us of our sins.
You have wiped the slate clean.
You have loved us.
You have brought us out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of Your Son.
You have given us a new heart.
You have filled us with your Spirit.
You are making us new.
You are renewing our minds.
You are transforming our attitudes and actions.
You are giving us new desires.
You are fulfilling your word.
You are pouring your love into our lives.
You will cause every promise in Christ to be a Yes.
You will return to set all things right.
You will redeem our lives.
You will be praised forever!

Oh Spirit, Come— Gather the Church of Jesus into praise and into intercession with you.
We long for every tear to be tenderly wiped from our faces.
We long for our faith to be sight. But even now Lord fortify us with the disciplines and rhythms that tap deeply into your life and your Word.

Oh Lord, we set before you peoples who feel forgotten and crushed by greed and poverty. We plead with you for healing across the whole planet. We seek You for peace in homes and the transformation of relationships fractured by neglect or even violence. We pray that the love of Jesus would abound so that our neighbours experience love and not accusation, hate or violence. May your grace bring more us into your joyful communion.

We seek You & your Kingdom so we pray as Jesus taught us:

(Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one;
for yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, 
forever. 
Amen

A New Year and Jesus’ Name Day

We begin the New Year in 2023 with a reflection on the name of Jesus. It’s name day in our celebration of Christmas.

“On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.” Luke 1:21 

When the angel appeared to Mary, he told her that the child to be formed by the Holy Spirit within her womb would be called “Jesus.” The name “Yeshua,” like Joshua in the Old Testament, means “Yahweh saves.” The name given to this body formed in mystery is the revelation of God’s salvation to us. Indeed, the apostles would speak of Jesus the Messiah, saying, “Salvation is found in no one else. There is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 

On his name day, a new day of creation, Jesus enters into the covenant of Israel through circumcision. He not only becomes a participant in God’s promises to Abraham and Israel, Jesus also now embodies this promise. He would later say of his blood when sharing the cup with his disciples, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:27-28

The early church honoured the name of Jesus in the hymn written by the Apostle Paul in the Letter to the Philippians. … Christ Jesus

Who being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God 
something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a 
servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a
man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Therefore, God exalted him to the
highest place
and gave him the name that is above 
every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under
the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11

At the name of Jesus every knee should bow. At the name of Jesus — On this first day of the year and for every day of this year, may the name of Jesus be on your tongue. May we live yielded and surrendered to Jesus our Lord. May we speak the name of Jesus over all who need healing, comfort, and grace. May we lift up the name of Jesus in conversation with all those who seek truth. May we praise the name of Jesus with all his people.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.