|
|
By SBC Webmaster, on July 26th, 2023
While we have been hiking on the Bruce Trail, I have been so grateful for cool breezes. Sometimes the up and down terrain on a hot summer’s day can seem quite daunting. A cool breeze makes such a difference. It refreshes and makes the journey seem possible. The interesting thing is that the climbing of the heights and the deep descents are not any easier, but the cool breeze comes as an encouragement that we can keep going. This reminds me of the truth of what God offers to us described in Isaiah 40:28-31, 28 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary,
and His understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” On our Bruce Trail excursions, we will often pray for God to send cool breezes to renew our strength and we give thanks when He does. This week, I want to invite us to think about those we know who have grown tired and weary and who need the cool breezes of God’s sustaining hope to renew their strength. Our prayer time this week can also be a time to recognize our own weariness and need for God’s refreshment. We can come ourselves seeking God’s cooling refreshment for us. This weekly prayer time that we share is God’s gift to us. God welcomes us to come and hear that He is the everlasting God who longs to lift us up and give us strength for our journeys. Please plan to join us for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow July 26th at 1 pm.
Praying that we will admit our weakness and come to God for strength, Pastor Lola
Our everlasting God and Creator of the ends of the earth, we are so grateful that You do not grow tired or weary. Your capacity to give us strength is unlimited. We see people all around us who are weighed down with the cares of life. We come to You now praying for those who are dealing with ongoing illness and treatments. We think of the fatigue of endless appointments and trying to get attention needed. We do offer our prayers for the cooling breezes of Your refreshing hope to come to them. Today we also pray for those dealing with dementia and decreased memory and cognition. We pray for the uncertain places of not remembering and retaining and how unsettling this can be. We pray not only for those experiencing dementia personally, but also for those supporting family or friends on this difficult journey. Our God please send cooling breezes of hope here as well. Our prayers also turn to those dealing with disappointment. In some cases, it is profound disappointment of unfulfilled dreams. For some it is the pain of broken relationships and misunderstandings. We know our God that You are One Who does understand and so we ask that You will visit with Your compassion and understanding. As You know the disappointment and how it has affected each person, we pray for healing relief when yet again You send cooling breezes of hope. We come to You now God confessing the sin of envy. There are times that we consider others and see all that seems so good for them and how much easier their lives seem. We acknowledge that we do not know all that people face. Sometimes we are just seeing the surface and do not know what is going on deep inside. Thank You that You do know and can touch those places of pain to bring relief. Please God send Your cooling breezes needed here. Our God we come to You now to admit our own weariness and need for Your renewing strength. Sometimes our tendency is to just keep going even when our resources are very depleted. Thank You that we do have another choice and that is to come to You as our Source of hope. Oh God we crave the cooling breezes of your Holy Presence. We ask You to come and sit with us in our need and to provide Your sustaining strength. Thank You for the times You have met our need by sending cooling breezes before and we look forward to Your loving provision again. Rather than push ourselves to the point of exhaustion, we are praying for wisdom to come to You and to keep coming to You openly admitting our need for You and what You provide to sustain us. Praise you God that You can make it possible for us and those for whom we pray to soar on wings like eagles; to run and not grow weary, to walk and not faint. Thank You for always accompanying us on our life journey. In the Name of Jesus Who loves us and gave Himself for us. AMEN.
By SBC Webmaster, on July 23rd, 2023
By SBC Webmaster, on July 16th, 2023
By SBC Webmaster, on July 11th, 2023
With all the new homes being built around us, we can regularly see and be reminded how a house is constructed. We can witness the foundation being laid and the walls being raised and all the other aspects of a dwelling that make it a secure structure. If there is not careful attention given to each aspect of a house in its construction, then it will not stand the test of time. There are some houses that have been standing for a very long time that remain sturdy because they are well built. Jesus, in Matthew 21:13 quotes Old Testament Scripture from Isaiah when He speaks about the temple: “My house will be called a house of prayer…” It is God’s intention that when His people gather together for worship that prayer is a central part of our activity. Our opportunities to pray are not reserved to when we gather for worship in our churches. We can turn to God in prayer wherever we are and know that the prayers we pray are part of building a sturdy structure that will stand the test of time. Eventually, the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, but the prayers that had been faithfully offered up to God could never be torn down. Likewise for us, if our lives are building a house of prayer through our daily praise and petitions presented to God, that is something that can never be destroyed. Each week when we participate in our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER, we are choosing to build a lasting house of prayer. Please plan to join us tomorrow for this set aside time of prayer at 1 pm.
Trusting God to build a strong and lasting structure that draws attention to Him through the prayers that we pray, Pastor Lola
Our God we thank You for this gift of prayer. Thank You that we can come with our honest thoughts and feelings. We come recognizing how much we need You. We want to build a sturdy house of prayer. We pray for our lives to be focused consistently on praying for Your will in all things. Thank You God that when we choose to commit ourselves to prayer that this is an indestructible structure. Please keep revealing to us the power of prayer. We pray for Your grace to bring our true selves into the light of Your Presence. It is clear to us that every day we need You to help us in answering the question, “What would Jesus do”? We also seek Your Divine help in living the answer to that question. In particular this week, we are praying for our words to be the words that Jesus would speak. Please guard us against a quick response that has not been prayed over and surrendered to You. We pray to be set free from self absorption that leads us to respond with defensiveness or anger instead of compassion. We see potential for our words to bring healing and understanding and we pray for us to choose those words that do reflect the love of Jesus. When we are tired, please guard us against speaking words that we later regret. We are asking for the wisdom to know when not to speak. When our words are spoken out of resentment, we pray that You will do Your work of transformation to change that attitude. And God when we find that we are feeling sorry for ourselves, we pray to move from that dwelling place to live instead in a house of prayer. Thank You for the firm foundation of Your Son Jesus. Thank You for walls built with the outpouring of Your love for us our love for You and our constant dependence on You. Thank You for a roof of Your mercy to cover us and everyone for whom we pray. When the outcome of our prayers is not that for which we hoped, we pray that we will not give up on utilizing this gift of prayer. We pray that we will not abandon construction of a house of prayer. Where other pursuits draw us away from this essential commitment to pray, we are asking You God to clear away whatever interferes with You having first place in our lives and in the words that we speak. We offer our prayers now for those who are facing difficulties and disappointments. We pray that our prayers will support their faith in You and that the house of prayer being built will be strong and enduring. All of this we commit to you in prayer in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
By SBC Webmaster, on July 9th, 2023
By SBC Webmaster, on July 5th, 2023
I think of all the effort that went into the Canada Day celebrations in Springford. There was a team of people who worked hard to bring this together. Often we are not aware of everyone who has given time and supported in various ways what we are then able to experience and enjoy. On Canada Day in Springford and across our country, several individuals and families were able to have happy times of enjoyment because others had given and planned and carried out the special activities. This reminds me of a commitment to care about what happens for others. If all we care about is ourselves, then we would not contribute to what brings blessing to others. God does intend us to give of ourselves for others. It is the example of Jesus. When we sincerely consider the question, “What would Jesus do”? then the answer will always centre around giving and loving. In the words of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) With this in mind, we can know that prayer is a significant way of giving. Praying for others is not to draw attention to ourselves. Our quiet and consistent prayers for others lifts them up and God works His love in the lives of others as a result of our prayers. When our hearts are moved by the heaviness of what someone else is carrying, we can help to lighten that load by praying. Engaging in prayer for someone else is a loving and effective way to give and we too are blessed when we choose to give by praying. Please join us for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow July 5th at 1 pm.
Asking God to strengthen our commitment to give in meaningful ways by praying for others, Pastor Lola
Thank You God for this gift of remembering others in prayer. Thank You that prayer is powerful and effective. We consider the ways that we have seen You bring answers as a result of our prayers. We are aware that praying is an ongoing commitment and we pray that You will strengthen our resolve to pray. Thank You for others who also trust You and pray along with us. Our God, we are grateful that our times of praying are times of drawing close with You. We acknowledge our dependence on You when we pray. We do not pretend or imagine that we can live our lives without You. For the cares and concerns of our lives and the lives of others that lay heavy on our hearts, we find relief when we bring them to You in prayer. When we are asking, “What would Jesus do”? we recall that Jesus spent a great deal of time in prayer. We want to follow that example. Today we pray that You will guide us in all of our thoughts and prayers. We pray for those who are discouraged, for those who have waited so long and are still waiting for hope to appear on the horizon. We pray for those who have been hurt by the words or actions of another. We ask for Your persistent and gentle healing for those hurts that at times cripple the life of the one who has been hurt. Our prayers extend for ourselves to guard us against hurting another, sometimes without awareness. We are praying that our communities will be places of care and concern for each other where we are willing to give to bless and benefit others without seeking recognition. Our loving God, we do pray for newcomers to our country of Canada. We pray for them to grow to feel at home and we pray for us to be warm in our welcome. We want people to have a comforting sense of belonging and we pray for our part in that. In these summer months, we pray that we will not get caught up in our own plans and past times and overlook those around us. We continue to pray for those who are sick in hospital or hospice care or at home. Please sustain those who are ill and those who travel to visit and to support. We pray now for those who have been touched by loss and pray that they will know the consolation of You with them. Whatever You want us to do to accompany them in their sorrow, we pray that You will guide us in this. Thank You God for the gift of giving in prayer. Where people feel forgotten, we pray that they will know we remember them. Where people feel unloved, we pray that our love for them will be evident. Where people have lost sight of You, we pray they will see You again. Where people do not know which way to turn, we pray they will turn to You. For those who have been recently married, we pray Your blessing over their commitment to love each other always. For those who have been married several years, we pray for the sweetness of ongoing faithful love and commitment. For households where new babies are expected, we pray for blessing. For the new things You want to birth in our lives we pray with gratitude and expectancy. Yes, God we affirm that it is a blessing to give as we pray and we thank You in advance for the ways that Your Spirit will bring Your wise and loving answers to the prayers we have prayed together today. In the name of Jesus our Saviour, AMEN.
By SBC Webmaster, on July 2nd, 2023
By SBC Webmaster, on June 28th, 2023
As we look toward Canada Day weekend and give thanks to God for this country which we call home, please consider with me two words from our Canadian national anthem, “God keep”. This is from the line, “God keep our land glorious and free.” These words remind me that ultimately, we all need God to do the keeping of whatever we bring to Him in prayer. We are not able to determine what will be held in a place of keeping and what will not. God alone has this ability. This is why we choose to pray and to commit people and circumstances to God’s keeping. We can be confident that God does have the power to keep what we commit to Him. In Scripture we read, “You will keep in perfect peace those who are steadfast, because they trust you.” (Isaiah 26:3). This is what we can expect when we pray. We can expect that God will keep us in peace because our minds and hearts are steadfastly relying on God. This is a prayer to extend beyond ourselves. We think of prayers for peace in our world. Certainly we are grateful that our country of Canada is currently at peace. Yet, we know of countless people who do not have peace in their hearts. Peace can be so fleeting and the thought of being kept in perfect peace might seem impossible when we wonder what will be the next thing that will happen to us that will shake our sense of settled peace. The key here is being kept in perfect peace by God. As we pray this week, we will pray for ourselves and for those across our country who long to be kept in a place of peace. We will acknowledge that God alone can bring this about. Please plan to pray about this with us when we pause for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow, June 28st at 1 pm.
Praying that God will keep our land and each of us in peace as we trust Him, Pastor Lola
Thank You God for our country of Canada. We do not pretend that we are without challenges and that there is not anything in our country that needs to change. Still, we come to you today with gratitude for this our country and the freedom we have here to live our faith in You. Thank You for those who have gone before us who have built churches and sacrificed so that we today can still gather to worship You. Thank You God for the impact on our everyday lives of our faith in You. We are well aware that our ability to keep is so limited. With this awareness, we are inviting You to do the keeping of all that needs to be kept. We admit to You that sometimes our motivation for what we want kept is selfish. We do feel confident in praying that You will keep us in perfect peace as our minds are stayed on You, as we are steadfast in our desire to trust You. We extend our prayers now for those who long for You to keep them at peace. We include those who are facing illness and their caregivers. We lift up to You those who are undergoing tests and treatments. We also commit to You those who are waiting for results. We pray for those who struggle to hold on to hope with no answers on the horizon for the urgent needs they bring to You. God, we do wonder if our ideas of trusting You may need adjusting. Please reveal to us what it means to trust You when we cannot see where You are in what is happening for us. When we do not understand, we still want You to keep us in a place of trusting. When being kept in perfect peace seems impossible, we turn to You for reassurance. And our God we do pray for those who have recently celebrated school graduations. Thank you for the hard work that has resulted in these accomplishments. We pray for those who are young, who are pursuing their ongoing plans for the future. We pray that you will guide them and keep them in a place of trust in You and what You know will result in blessing for their lives. We pray that not only will they be blessed, but also that they will be a blessing. We consider living in our country of Canada a blessing and we do pray that You will keep our land free for all those who seek You to have the freedom to find You. In Jesus Name, AMEN
By SBC Webmaster, on June 25th, 2023
By SBC Webmaster, on June 21st, 2023
Last week I was speaking at a church women’s group in Woodstock when cell phones started sounding with the warning of a potential tornado issued by Environment Canada. We paused to pray that God would keep everyone safe and as the wind and rain continued outside, we continued our meeting. We were talking about how we can give community to others as we are prompted by our faith in Jesus to care beyond ourselves. Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:13-14 urge those who choose to follow Jesus: ”You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world…”. This is a challenge for us to flavour the world in which we live with the taste of God’s love for them and for us. If we are to be light in our world then we will need to reflect the light of God’s own Son Jesus. In order for this to happen, it is necessary for us to “LET GO OF WHAT WAS” in order to “TAKE HOLD OF WHAT IS”. Afterwards, we were sharing experiences of when a tornado struck the Woodstock area back in 1979.At that time, people did respond with care and concern for each other. People’s homes had been destroyed and some churches were heavily damaged. In the process of rebuilding, neighbours and strangers reached out to help each other. I am aware that we are called to pray for and to love each other and this does have us moving beyond the walls of where we feel safe and secure. I am very grateful that people were safe that night last week both inside and outside the walls of that church. If we are going to build community that is both loving and caring in God honouring ways, then it does begin with prayer. It will involve us getting to know people in our communities and not just making assumptions about them. We can spend time thinking about how things used to be and times when more people seemed committed to being more committed to God. What we have to work with is how things are now and how God calls us to be salt and light in our world now. Will we take hold of what is and the opportunities that God presents us with now to offer His love and care to those around us? Please plan to join us in our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow June 21st at 1 pm when we pray the prayer below and invite God to show us how to build community as He intends.
Thanking God that He is the One Who inspires us to build loving community, Pastor Lola
Thank You God that You call us to be salt and light in this world in which we live. Thank You for our personal encounters with Jesus Who came to be Light in the darkness. We know how much we need Your grace in order for the Light of Jesus to shine through us. Thank You for ongoing reminders of what it can look like to be salt and light where You have placed us. We do understand that this cannot happen unless we are praying for and caring for people around us. When we consider what it could look like to give people community, we know that we need You to guide us in how this will happen most effectively. We pray that we will take time to notice what is happening with others and how they feel. When people we encounter are sad, please remind us to take time to listen and to sit with them in their sadness. When people we know feel misunderstood, please guide us to take time to understand. When we disagree with someone else, we pray that will not be an excuse not to love that person as Jesus loves. Our God we see such potential for you to impact us and those around us, if we are praying for Your will and way. Forgive us for the times that we huddle inside where we feel safe and comfortable instead of being willing to go where You need us to go and to be with people with whom You want us to share Your love. We think of ways that those of all ages can receive Your love through us. When the flavour of Who You are is missing, please help us to bring that distinct taste to conversations and activities. When the Light of Your loving Presence seems hard to discern, please reignite our light to burn brightly for You. When we keep returning to previous experiences of faithful living for You, challenge us to move into new territory in order to embrace what You are doing now. We will need courage to take hold of what is and our part in it. Please do Your Divine arranging in order for this to happen. With all the other demands that whisper and clamor for our attention, please establish within us a commitment to prayer and action. We look to see how You will continue to use each of us to give community and a place of belonging to You through faith. Yes, Lord we do want to become more like Jesus Your Son in Whose Name we offer this prayer. AMEN.
|
|
