The following are prayers taken from worship bulletins printed in the 1960's.
God our Father, forgive our sins, calm our hearts, and strengthen our faith. May Thy Spirit guide our paths by teaching us Thy will. Help us to grow in Thy grace through Thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Adapted from a Worship Folder:
Our Father, forgiver of sin, healer of sorrow, vanquisher of death, draw us close. You are our salvation and our unending hope. Bring us into your Kingdom, transforming us into children of goodwill, builders of a world where righteousness shall reign, and the law of love shall triumph over hate and strife. Increase in us true devotion to you, nourish us with all goodness, and keep us steadfast through your mercy and through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Adapted from the same Worship Folder:
Almighty and everlasting God, who is always more ready to hear than we are to pray, and who wants to give more than either we desire or deserve, pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things we fear to even tell you. Give us those good things we are not worthy to ask. Through Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
Thanks to Betty Long for the loan of her notebook of Worship Folders.
Adaptations made by Kim Matthews
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Devotional 11-13-09
Having taught school for over for over twenty years before retirement, hundreds of students visited my language arts classroom. When I became ill in June 2007, I heard from many former students and also from some of their parents. Their kind words regarding time spent in my classroom while wishing me good health warmed my heart; however, Jimmy's words always caused a lump to form in my throat whenever I received his letters.
When Jimmy attended middle school, he was usually in trouble. He greatly annoyed most of his teachers by not doing his work, causing classroom disruptions, or fighting with other students. I vividly recall Jimmy being suspended from school for walking into the girls' dressing room while girls were changing clothes, and another time for setting fire to astroturf that was rolled-up in the school's courtyard. He was suspended many times for various violations; however, Jimmy never caused me any trouble; for some reason, unbeknownst to me, Jimmy liked me and I liked him.
As Jimmy grew older, he never quite figured out how to stay out of trouble. Due to committing a violent crime while under the influence of drugs, Jimmy presently resides in the Mount Olive Correctional Center in Mount Olive, West Virginia. Two years ago, when Jimmy heard I had cancer, he wrote to me telling me how much he appreciated my kindness to him, and that he was keeping me in his prayers. Jimmy found God in prison and has been involved in Christian fellowship and Bible study while serving his sentence. He continues to write to me from time to time and recently included the following poems he had written for my family and me.
Love Him Most of All
All ye lovers of the Lord
in all things great and small,
Give him thanks and sing his praise,
but love him most of all.
While we were yet sinners hopelessly lost,
walking this world alone,
Jesus visited this wretched world
leaving his heavenly throne.
He suffered, bled, and died for us
with pain no man could bear,
Bruising the serpent's head with his heel,
he proved that God really cares.
Upon his body he bore our sins
as his innocent blood was shed,
Doing for us what we could not do,
for we were all spiritually dead.
Now we've been quickened and made alive
by the only begotten son,
As long as you've accepted Jesus as Lord
and accepted the work that he's done.
So, all ye lovers of the Lord
in all things great and small,
Remember to thank him and praise his name,
but love him most of all.
(written April 3, 2009)
The Warrior's Call to Freedom
The warrior's call to freedom
is revealed in the blood of the lamb;
It is written by the hand of God
and delivered by the great I am.
It is carried across the ages
and heard by the great and small;
It bears the message of eternal peace
for those who will answer this call.
"Take up thy cross and follow me,"
the Spirit speaks to our hearts;
These resounding words of Jesus
from within us should never part.
Down in the valley of the shadow of death,
you can hear those words ring out;
Almost as though he's standing before you,
urging you further on up to the Mount.
Today is the day to answer this call,
please don't make the Master wait;
Answer the warrior's call to freedom,
for tomorrow may be too late.
(written September 19, 2009)
Hearing from Jimmy these past few years has blessed my life in so many ways. Although Jimmy's body is confined behind the bars of prison, his soul soars as he maintains a deep and trusting faith in God, our Father. Please join me in keeping Jimmy in our prayers.
Theo Tippett
When Jimmy attended middle school, he was usually in trouble. He greatly annoyed most of his teachers by not doing his work, causing classroom disruptions, or fighting with other students. I vividly recall Jimmy being suspended from school for walking into the girls' dressing room while girls were changing clothes, and another time for setting fire to astroturf that was rolled-up in the school's courtyard. He was suspended many times for various violations; however, Jimmy never caused me any trouble; for some reason, unbeknownst to me, Jimmy liked me and I liked him.
As Jimmy grew older, he never quite figured out how to stay out of trouble. Due to committing a violent crime while under the influence of drugs, Jimmy presently resides in the Mount Olive Correctional Center in Mount Olive, West Virginia. Two years ago, when Jimmy heard I had cancer, he wrote to me telling me how much he appreciated my kindness to him, and that he was keeping me in his prayers. Jimmy found God in prison and has been involved in Christian fellowship and Bible study while serving his sentence. He continues to write to me from time to time and recently included the following poems he had written for my family and me.
All ye lovers of the Lord
in all things great and small,
Give him thanks and sing his praise,
but love him most of all.
While we were yet sinners hopelessly lost,
walking this world alone,
Jesus visited this wretched world
leaving his heavenly throne.
He suffered, bled, and died for us
with pain no man could bear,
Bruising the serpent's head with his heel,
he proved that God really cares.
Upon his body he bore our sins
as his innocent blood was shed,
Doing for us what we could not do,
for we were all spiritually dead.
Now we've been quickened and made alive
by the only begotten son,
As long as you've accepted Jesus as Lord
and accepted the work that he's done.
So, all ye lovers of the Lord
in all things great and small,
Remember to thank him and praise his name,
but love him most of all.
(written April 3, 2009)
The Warrior's Call to Freedom
The warrior's call to freedom
is revealed in the blood of the lamb;
It is written by the hand of God
and delivered by the great I am.
It is carried across the ages
and heard by the great and small;
It bears the message of eternal peace
for those who will answer this call.
"Take up thy cross and follow me,"
the Spirit speaks to our hearts;
These resounding words of Jesus
from within us should never part.
Down in the valley of the shadow of death,
you can hear those words ring out;
Almost as though he's standing before you,
urging you further on up to the Mount.
Today is the day to answer this call,
please don't make the Master wait;
Answer the warrior's call to freedom,
for tomorrow may be too late.
(written September 19, 2009)
Hearing from Jimmy these past few years has blessed my life in so many ways. Although Jimmy's body is confined behind the bars of prison, his soul soars as he maintains a deep and trusting faith in God, our Father. Please join me in keeping Jimmy in our prayers.
Theo Tippett
Friday, November 6, 2009
Devotional 11-6-09
Please read Mark 12:38-44
The second half of the Gospel reading from the lectionary this week is probably familiar to many of us. Jesus is sitting in the temple, watching as people place money in the treasury. A widow comes and deposits two copper coins, equal to about one penny. Jesus tells his disciples that she gave everything she had – “all she had to live on.” He contrasts that to the many people who had contributed out of their abundance.
What is it that the widow contributed? She gave a very small amount of money in the “grand scheme” of contributions given to the temple. For her, it probably represented all of her money. For her, it was not a “small” contribution.
But that’s not all she gave. She gave EVERYTHING. When she offered the two copper coins, she was offering them to God in faith. I imagine that she believed what she was doing for God was going to make a difference – what she was giving to God had POWER. Can you imagine that? Could you place yourself in her shoes and actually believe that giving a penny to God would make any kind of difference at all? That’s radical faith.
What difference DID it make? The gift of her faith brought her closer to God – it brought her the joy of living in relationship with her creator. When we step out in faith – when we take any kind of action that is in response to a call from God – we are brought closer to Him. I imagine it made a huge difference in her life, and I know it can make a huge difference in our own lives. Joy comes with radical faith in God.
Did the penny make any difference? When we step out in faith, and move to the calling of God, it’s not a stretch to believe that God gives our actions power. She might never have known how lives were changed through her penny; we may never know the consequences of our actions done in obedience to God, but we can believe that God knows, and that what he calls us to do in His name makes a difference to someone else.
Do you think the widow could have imagined that we would be learning from her actions, even today, over 2000 years later? Could she have dreamed that her donation of a penny – everything she had – would inspire you and me to faithful generosity?
What difference does it make? It makes all the difference in the world!
Kim Matthews
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