Sunday, October 26, 2008

Reformation Day Celebration



This Friday (Oct 31st) is Reformation Day! We'll be celebrating by wathing the movie Luther. You are most welcome to come and join us. Just let me know. Don't forget to read your 95 Theses too in honor of our great heritage.
Mighty God,

What debt of love we do owe you. How can we repay? You have loved us with a matchless love. You have poured out mercy upon mercy. Torrents of grace have come down and we have been swallowed up by a deluge of love.

Yet you were not satisfied with that. You would not be content with a mere reconciliation. You would not stop until our hearts had been fully subdued and we made your children. This being so you have hounded us and hunted us. You have sought us and saved us.

So we stand here today as princes—heirs of eternity. We look to inherit a rich treasure, a great kingdom, a life of constant pleasure and happiness.

And so we call upon your Name, that name that is above all names, and ask that you might meet with us here. And continue to affirm your love for us. Bind us to yourself with that matchless devotion. For there is no one like you. There is no one who can even begin to imitate the bounty of your affection.
God of all grace,

You have set us in this world to be salt and light. You called us to be separate from the world and a witness to the world. But we acknowledge that we have failed this holy calling.

Despite having received from you blessing upon blessing, we have grumbled and complained. We have despaired and doubted. Our faces have not reflected the joy that ought to characterize those who have been sanctified by your grace. And our lives have been filled with corruption.
We acknowledge the fact that we are defiled with the stain of sin. And we pray that you would forgive us for continuing to go back to wallow in the cesspool of our sin.

We ask that you would purge from us the iniquity that still litters our hearts. We ask, O God, that you would renovate these barren temples. Make them suitable for your divine presence. Clear away all that is vile. Melt away our longings for unrighteousness. Make us strong against temptation and shield us from evil.

We thank you for Jesus, and the promise of the gospel. We thank you that he did suffer and die upon the cross to bear the penalty of our sin.

And now, Father, we ask that you could cause our souls cleave to you and you alone. We pray that we might be testimonies to the Spirit’s work. That we might be your epistles to this world, having the gospel of grace written on our hearts. That others might find grace with you through us. Make it so, for Jesus sake.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Our King and Our God,

To you we come this day wishing we had a thousand tongues to sing your praise. Even then it would not be sufficient to voice what we owe you. Neither then would we be able to express how glorious you are.

Your majesty is radiant. You are robed with honor. Yet we are limited creatures, we are but worms in comparison to your greatness. But we come as you have commanded. We shrink not back from our duty of worship. No, we come with glad hearts and jubilant spirits. For you are our all in all. We live because of you. We breath in this air because you have permitted us this simple grace.

And as we come to draw near to you, we pray that you would draw near to us. Come to us and abide with us. Make your dwelling place within us. Renew your love to us and shine your face upon us we pray. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Our God and Savior,

We realize that we have broken covenant with you and have transgressed your law. We have not been humble enough to walk with you. We have not delighted ourselves in you. When you called us out of the storm of sin, we refused to come. We were more content to wallow in our iniquity and enjoy the pleasures of the flesh.

You have called us to walk in your way, to enjoy peace of conscience, and to find the bounty of eternal happiness. But we have not listened to your voice, nor heeded the beckoning of your Spirit.

But we turn to you now with grief in our hearts and sorrow for our sins. We are pained that we have left our first love and sought our own way. We cannot even explain why we were tempted to find our fulfilment in anything else. For you are the chief good and man’s supreme pleasure.

So, O God, we pray that you would not turn us away. As we turn to you we pray that you would turn again to us. Be gracious to us and forgive us. Mend us and restore us. Fill us and renew us with your grace. For we long to walk with you in newness of life. We long for the day when these chains of sin will be broken and ask that it would be this day that the remnants of sin would be continually splintered and put away forever.