Springford Baptist Church

When we are sitting around our tables for our Thanksgiving gatherings and feeling grateful for the many blessings we enjoy every day, the conflict and despair in the Middle East seems far away. We feel safe and content and happy to be with family and friends. The turkey both smells and tastes so good. We eat and are satisfied and feel safe and warm and loved. News reports from the Middle East remind us that circumstances are very different for people there. At least 900 people have died in Israel and more than 680 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict broke out on Saturday when there was a devastating surprise attack on Israel. The history of this conflict is long and painful. Whether we think of nations at war or individuals and families who are committed to destroying each other, the outcomes are exceedingly tragic. Whenever people choose a path of hate instead of a path of love, there is destruction and anguish. Any political dispute is complicated. Any broken relationship has the perspectives of both sides of the severed commitment to each other. When there has been hurt and injustice, the desire for revenge is strong. How can we pray for God’s intervention in the circumstances that are humanly impossible to resolve? Our incapacity to understand and to know what in the world to do, draws us to recognize our deep and compelling need for God. Recall the words of Jesus, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” There have been repeated attempts at negotiating peace in the Middle East. There are those whose work is to counsel and meet with individuals in an attempt to bring some kind of reconciliation. We are reminded that what the world gives is not adequate. This week we will pray for the peace that only comes through Jesus. This is a peace we can all seek in every relationship. Please plan to pause wherever you are for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow October 11^th at 1 pm.

 Praying that we will pray for the peace of Christ and live the peace of Christ in our world, Pastor Lola

 Our loving God of mercy, please have mercy on our troubled world. Attacks and retaliation perpetuate the death and despair and blinding hatred. Oh God, as human beings, we cannot see a way forward when we look at the circumstances in Israel and Palestine. We want to imagine a very different picture, but then we hear the missiles exploding and the people crying and we know that the peace that the world would attempt to broker is sadly inadequate. We come to You today praying for the peace and reconciliation that can only come through Your Son Jesus. Please enlighten minds and hearts to admit that human attempts at peace are not sufficient. Our God we wonder how in small and persistent ways peace could permeate the hearts of hatred. We pray that people in the Middle East and we ourselves will be given eyes of understanding and compassion. Allow us the grace to admit the hurts we have caused to others. Only as You God break down walls of longstanding hostility, can there be hope for glimmers of understanding. We think of those who have lost hope that there can ever be peace in the Middle East or in their own hearts. We turn to You as the only hope we have for peace. Like a gentle trickle, we pray that a stream of peace can cross the desert of despair and begin to quench the parched and hardened ground. We do not pretend to comprehend all the details of what has led to this bitter conflict in the Middle East. Please increase this gentle trickle of a stream of peace to a river that gathers momentum as it rushes forward. Our God we are asking You to counteract the hate of this situation with Your love. For those who wake up in the morning and plot further attacks and killing, we pray that You will change their whole mindset. Even as we pray with longing for peace in the Middle East, we know that temporary measures still find the hatred simmering just below the surface. This really does require a Divine work of healing. Please God bring the peace of Christ to every thought and motive. Break the weapons of war and replace them with the means to work together for peace. We are asking that the peace of our Lord Jesus will inhabit us in every way and influence those around us. And may the lasting peace of Jesus move from person to person to extend around our whole world. You are our only hope for peace and we commit ourselves to wage peace in our troubled world. In the Name of Jesus, the Giver of Peace, AMEN.

When I was going to purchase something for our daughter’s birthday at the Canadian Tire in Woodstock, I saw a young woman sleeping on the sidewalk in front of the CIBC bank. She had a sign that indicated that she was homeless and that any help given would be appreciated. The other thing written on her cardboard sign was, “God Bless.” I stopped to talk with her on my way back to the car and to offer some small assistance. She told me her name and as I turned to go, she also told me that it was her 21^st birthday. I thought to myself afterwards that her birthday will be very different than our daughter’s. Our family members can look forward to special family celebrations and feeling the love of family and friends. This young woman was all alone and doesn’t even have a place to call home. When we are thinking about Thanksgiving this year and feeling thankful for the ways that God has blessed us, will we also think of those who are struggling for their day to day needs? We know that there are an increasing number of homeless people in our communities. Their stories vary, but without exception they, like us, need to receive love and care. I am reminded of Jesus saying as recorded in Matthew 25:34-40, ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Remember I indicated that this young woman in Woodstock had, “God Bless” written on her sign. We have been blessed and we can be thankful for all the ways that God has blessed us. We can also look for the ways that we can bless others and give them reason to believe that God is real and wants to bless and take care of them. We can thank God that He can use us to bless and care for others. This will be the focus of our prayers when we pause for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow October 4^th at 1 pm. Please take time to pray with us.

Thanking God for all the ways that He has blessed us and thanking Him that He can also use us to show His blessing to others, Pastor Lola

Our loving and generous God there are many ways that You bless us every day and we thank You. Beyond this Thanksgiving time, we want to be aware and thanking You every day for Your loving care for us. We do pray for eyes to see each person around us. Sometimes it is troubling to recognize the extent of the needs in our communities. We know that the number of those requiring assistance keeps increasing. Please show us practical ways that we can help and express Your blessing for them. Guard us against being grateful for our own blessings and not taking notice of how others also crave blessing. We pray that we will not enter into a place of blaming people for their circumstances. We know that there are various reasons behind where people find themselves when they are sleeping on the sidewalk and posting a sign asking for help. We pray today for those facing issues of substance abuse. We pray for those being affected by mental illness. Today we think of those who have become so discouraged by the adversity that they have faced that they see little hope for the future. Please use us to bless those who struggle just to get by day to day. Jesus we pray that our compassion will mirror yours. Thank You that You always regard us with love when we come to You with our pressing needs. Thank You that we do have more than we need and can share with others. Please do guide us in this whole matter of sharing. Even when we can only give a little, thank You that this makes a positive difference. This thought of extending ourselves for others as if we were doing it for You is transformative. You Jesus have known what it was to be despised and rejected. You have known what it was to be misunderstood. You have known what it was like to suffer because people were not willing to see You for Who You are. As You urge us to do for others as if we are doing for You, we do pray that we will see You in the homeless person. We pray that we will see You in the person in mental distress walking along repeating the same phrase over and over. We pray that in our preparations for and gatherings around our tables this Thanksgiving that we will consider how You invite us and urge us to give those who are hungry something to eat; to give those who are thirsty something to drink; to welcome the stranger; to clothe those who need clothes; to look after those who are sick; and to visit those in prison. Our God expand our vision to recognize all the ways that people are imprisoned, held captive by the injustices of our society and the harsh judgments of others. How will You God use us to see people set free? Yes, we are deeply thankful for our many blessings. We know that You want others to be blessed too and so we pray that our lives will help this expanded blessing to occur. Thank You that You are a God Who longs to bless and care for our troubled world where there are those who have no home. May we all discover our home with You! In the Name of Jesus Who calls us to love as if loving Him, AMEN

This coming Sunday, we will celebrate the 191st Anniversary of Springford Baptist Church. It is remarkable to think of all the people over the years who have trusted God and gathered together to have their faith nurtured. Our faith journey was never meant to be a solitary one. Through the really good times and the really hard times, we keep turning to God together. There is reassurance when we can support each other in what it means to trust God. There is urging in Scripture to meet together to bring each other encouragement. We can read in Hebrews 10:24,25 “And let us consider how we may spue one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” When we gather, we like people in the past, affirm our belief that God loves us and is available to help us. There have been countless ways that God has answered prayers over the years. In a time when some people no longer know what it is to trust God and to turn to Him in prayer, we still believe. We still believe that God is for us not against us. We still believe that God hears and answers our prayers. We still believe that God loves us and cares about every detail of our lives. We can declare this when we pause tomorrow September 27th at  1 pm for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER. 

Praying that we will not give up in trusting God and turning to Him in prayer, Lola

Our Loving God, thank You that we still have reason to believe in You and to trust You. We consider all the ways that You have moved to answer prayers in our lifetimes and before us in the lives of those who have walked by faith in the past. Thank You for churches where people have gathered together to be encouraged in their faith. Thank You for individuals being there for each other and lifting each other up in prayer. We know this has happened in the past and we are so grateful that it continues to happen today. We ask that whenever we come to You in prayer that our perspective will be to look not only to our own needs, but also to the needs of others. Thank You God that we can make it our goal to spur each other on toward love and good deeds. Thank You for the gift of encouragement. We want to use this gift when we pray. We think about the encouragement that others can experience when they know that we are praying for them. We think about how encouraged we are knowing that others are praying for us. Thank You for this mutual blessing. We also pray that as well as praying for each other that we will want to meet together to grow in our faith. Please prevent our faith from becoming unconsidered and stagnant. We pray that our shared faith will bring us encouragement and also challenge. Where are the places that You God want to stretch our faith? We pray that together we will see that happen. Where there are uncharted paths for us to explore, we want to be ready for this. We draw inspiration knowing that people over the years have held tightly to their faith. They have encouraged each other and we want to do the same. Help us to encourage each other through our prayers together, through our seeking You together and through humble lives of faith. In the Name of Jesus. AMEN 

When I was trying to choose some fall garden mums for our front porch at the Garden Centre, I seemed to take a very long time to select. There were various shades of colour and different sized pots. Selection was a challenge. There are times in our everyday conversations that we are not sure what to say. Someone has said something to us and we are not sure how to respond. Sometimes we witness the heartache or grief that another is facing and we feel that we cannot begin to find the words to speak to that person, There are certainly occasions when it seems that words cannot possibly express all the emotions that we are feeling. In our own journey of dealing with the concerns for which we persistently pray, what words can we use to convey the weight of the burden we carry for ourselves or for someone else? And with our limited perspective, there are times when we do not know how to put into words our longings for God to touch and restore and bring hope to seemingly hopeless circumstances. One of the uplifting aspects of our faith in God is that we do not have to have what we consider, “the right words.” We can know with confidence that even without words, when we turn to God, our loving God knows what is needed. I love that God listens to us with His heart and is able to interpret how we are and what we need from Him. When we are waiting for the light to shine in the darkness, God is waiting with us and is able to renew our hope in Him. Consider this Scripture from Romans 8, “²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27) The thought of God’s Spirit interceding and coming to God on our behalf can reassure us when words fail us in prayer. We will be relying on God’s Spirit to guide our prayers when we pause for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow September 20^th at 1 pm. Please plan to join us.

 Thanking God that with or without words, we can come to Him in prayer, Pastor Lola

Our welcoming God, each time that we turn to You in prayer, we are reminded of how much we need You. Thank You for Your mercy and care for us. We are grateful that this never fades and never fails. We have prayed many prayers before and we continue to realize that taking time to spend with You in prayer is so essential. We come to You today aware of many needs for ourselves and others. We are not sure what words to select to convey our love for You and our dependence on You. Thank You that we do not have to have a detailed description of how our prayers would best be answered. We know that You God have this covered. You know what is needed even before we breathe a word of it. As we approach You now in this attitude of prayer, we are trusting You to see us as we are. You recognize where we have been and where we are going. You recognize where our wider world has been and where it is going. Our hope is in You Lord. Our hope is in You. The understanding that Your depth of love for us is fathomless, gives us courage to approach You in prayer. We invite Your Spirit to help us in our weakness. We look to You for strength. We admit to You that there are things we do not understand and this challenges our faith. Today we are relying on Your Spirit to lift us up to You. When our steps falter, we ask You to show us the way. You, oh God, can search our hearts and know the truth that we may struggle to acknowledge. In the light of Your Presence, we discover the promise that You will guide us to choose You and Your plans for us. Sometimes our lives seem such a swirl of different possibilities and we wonder what to do. Consistently, we want to choose You. We want to trust You to bring about Your will in us and through us as Your Spirit draws us close to You. Without You, we are without hope. Spirit of God, we are asking You to intercede with God in accordance with God’s will. Our desire is to live for You God in every choice we make. We pause to confess that sometimes it is not possible to see Your will because we are looking for and wishing for something else. Where our will does not match Yours, we ask for Your realignment. Our ongoing prayer is for our willingness to trust You and to walk in step with Your Spirit. What do You God, want to bring about in each of us? How do You need to change us in order for us to be prepared to enter into what You are already doing. Thank You God for this gift of life and for the gift of communicating with You in sincere prayer, enhanced by Your Spirit’s wisdom. We offer this prayer and ourselves to You in Jesus’ Name. AMEN

How lovely to hold a tiny baby. I so enjoyed this at the baby shower we hosted for my new little great niece last weekend. When we hold a newborn baby, there is so much promise. We can think of the fresh beginning of this wee person’s life. There is something about holding a baby that reminds us of the beautiful and hopeful things of life. Sometimes that hopeful anticipation of good things to come can get blurred with all the cares of life that we carry. I recall when our girls were babies that people would comment on what a a blessing is that time of life. For babies who are loved and cherished, their early years are pretty uncomplicated. They eat and sleep and cry if they need something and laugh with delight at those around them. Sometimes people express a desire to go back to the simple times of childhood. We find in Scripture a hopeful indication of the possibility of God’s work of making us new creations. It is a gift from our loving God to know that, “Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) When our desire is to be “in Christ” and we keep on surrendering our lives to His transforming power, then we are made new. The birth of a baby is welcomed and celebrated. We also have reason to celebrate new birth that comes to us because of Jesus. Hope in God’s redemptive work is something we can pray for and receive when we are committed to becoming new creations as God intends. What new things is God wanting to shape in each of us and how will our prayers welcome this vital work? When we pause for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow September 12^th at 1 pm, we will pray for what is new that God wants to birth in us and those around us.

Praying that each of us will want to remain in Christ and to be the new creations that He invites us to be, Pastor Lola

Thank You God that You specialize in making new. Thank You that we are not held by the past because You have power to make us new creations. We want to surrender to You what has been in our lives that You want to change. Forgive us our sins and also make us new by empowering us to forgive those who sin against us. Where there are damaged relationships, we pray for healing. For people who are not speaking with each other, we pray for resolution of that and a releasing of bitterness. We want to value and honour the gifts of family and friends and to treat each relationship with careful consideration. When there are misunderstandings, please help us to move quickly to find a way forward so that understanding can be restored and we can be new creations. It is only in Christ that we see this possibility of us being new creations, so we ask You to keep us firmly established in Christ with all of our thoughts and motives and intentions. For the times that we pray and do not see the answers we longed for, we ask that we will not turn away from You. Instead, we pray that we will come even closer to You, not wanting to miss what You are saying to us and how You are working to make things new in these times too. And God we are trusting You to guide all the words that we speak so that they will be life giving and contribute to how You want to make each of us into new creations. Please remind us that we will never get beyond needing Your redemptive work of making us new. This process will never be complete this side of heaven. With our awareness of this truth, we ask for the wisdom to keep bringing all of who we are to you for Your renovating. We think of old houses we have seen that have been completely rebuilt and made beautiful again. Our gracious God, please do this same kind of work in us. Remove what is old and needs replacing and may we as new creations bring glory to You our Creator. At times we grow discouraged because of the need in us for ongoing renovation and restoration. Thank You God that You are willing to persist with this divine work. Thank You today for those who have completed their time here on earth and are now raised to be the eternal new creations that You have designed them to be. We pray for comfort and peace for those of us who remain here and continue to struggle with the reality of sin. Our God, we pray that as we are made into new creations that our capacity for love and compassion will increase. In becoming more like Jesus, we expect that the outcome will be visible that we are new creations because we are in Christ and wanting to remain there always. Make us new Lord. Yes, make us new we pray, in Christ’s Name. AMEN.