Note: This Sunday (October 31st) there will be an in person service at Springford Baptist Church as usual at 10:30 am. There will not be an emailed message and online service for Sunday, October 31st. Online services will resume on Sunday November 7th when we will observe Remembrance Day as part of our Sunday Service.
Birthdays are something that we generally like to celebrate! Young children seem especially pleased to celebrate their birthdays and to have the date of their birth marked as an occasion to receive gifts and special attention. Sometimes successive years of age signified by a birthday are less welcomed as age progresses. However, there is another phase of life when much older, when each new year is recognition of the blessing of a long life and it is highlighted with pleasure. When we greet people with “Happy Birthday”, we are wanting them, whatever their age, to really enjoy the day that is the day that life here began for them. There is a Scripture in I Peter 1:3,4 that celebrates the new birth that comes through faith in Jesus. We read, “3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.” In our prayer time this week, we can thank God for this remarkable gift of new birth made possible by His Son Jesus. When we consider the gift of faith that gave us new birth into a living hope through Jesus, that is to be celebrated again and again. You can choose to pause to pray this week’s prayer included below and to add your own prayers of thanks to God for new birth into a living hope because of Jesus. We will join for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER, October 27th at 1 pm.
Thanking God for the gift of life we have been given and for the possibility of new birth through Jesus, Pastor Lola
Our Loving God, we thank You for birthdays that remind us that we have been given the gift of life and the possibility of discovering so many enjoyments in each new day. Thank You for family and friends with whom we can celebrate birthdays. Thank You for those who send cards and greetings and celebrate our birthdays with us. Birthdays are a time for us to appreciate that we were born into this world and that You give our lives meaning and purpose. We recognize that now. At the same time our God, today we want to celebrate the miracle of new birth that comes through faith in Your Son Jesus. Thank You for this gift You provide of new birth into a living hope. Our God we claim this promise of hope that comes to us because of Jesus. We find hope in You for each new day and ultimately we anticipate the hope of our inheritance in heaven. Only You God can guide us in living our lives here as You intend. Then You alone can secure for us this hope of what is yet to come in heaven. God of great mercy, we never want to become casual about this new birth into a living hope. We want to celebrate this gift every day. We see the potential for new beginnings with each new day that are made possible by the grace of Your forgiveness. We want to embrace the new days You give and to experience the new hope that You offer. And God as much as we look forward to our inheritance in heaven, we do want to be giving our attention to Your plans for us here and now. We want to live every moment of our lives here until You do call us home to heaven. When we are living every moment focused on You and what You have done for us, we expect that our lives will influence others for Your kingdom and that is what we want and for which we pray. God, remind us willingly to share the wonder of our faith in You with those around us. We want to be able to celebrate new birth into living hope with those who will discover you through the work of Your Holy Spirit and our faithful living in obedience to You. We regret time wasted and our sometimes obsessions with what does not matter and is not of eternal significance. Where necessary God, please adjust our outlook to reflect what You care about. Thank You for giving us reason to celebrate our birthdays and thank You for giving us reason to celebrate our spiritual birth into fullness of life through You. In light of Who You are God, help us to live our lives looking for you and listening for You every day. You alone have the words of truth God and we look to You to guide us into all truth. We Praise you Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in the Name of Jesus. AMEN