Psalm 14

When Christmas just feels Mehhh...
Psalm 14 

Our Father,
We pray, with the people of God through the centuries, that salvation would come from Zion.
We pray restore the fortunes of your people.
Make us rejoice,
Make us glad.
All that we hear is the rejection of God.
All that we see is corruption,
Evil deeds,
No one doing good.
We see the oppression of people.
No one calls upon the Lord, we have all turned aside.
But you are a God who sees,
who looks down from heaven,
And you have acted to save us,
In sending your Son to save and redeem us.
Thank you for sending Jesus.
We rejoice in your salvation.
May we lovingly share it.
Amen

I don’t need saving! Do I?
Acts 16:25-40

Our Father,

You are the God of greatness

And we are far from you.

We don’t think there is anything wrong.

Our city is facing hell.

Our loved ones are facing hell.

O help us to believe in the Lord Jesus!

May we be full on in with Christ,

Not just intellectually connected,

Nor sentimentally religious,

But full on in with Jesus our Lord and our saviour.

Thank you for doing all that was necessary to save us.

Amen

Hope is Born #2 - Matthew 1:18-25

           

You promised!

You said it would happen!

A teenager would become pregnant.

She wouldn’t abort.

She would carry him despite the shame and the sniggers.  

And he would be born.

Simply, ugly and poor. 

She would call him ‘saviour’.

And she would call him ‘God with us’.

Because that day,

You came!

You kept your promise!

You did what you said you would do.

You came to be with us.

And to save us.

You have promised that you are coming again!

You said it would happen!

And today we are looking and we are longing and we are waiting…for you to keep your promise again…

Come King Jesus come!

Hope is Born - Christmas 2018 - 1 Peter 1:3-9

Father of Jesus,

You deserve our praise,

You have showered us with mercy,

Injected life into our dead souls,

Given us a sure and living hope,

Through the cosmic act of the resurrection of your Son.

Now our inheritance is sure,

We are shielded by your power,

And we are filled with joy.

Though now we suffer,

We are being refined,

Proven genuine;

So that you will be praised, honoured and glorified when Jesus is revealed.

You have filled us with joy,

For we are receiving the goal of our faith the salvation of our souls.

Psalm 1

Our Righteous Father,

The man who never walked with the wicked,

Who never stood in the way of sinners,

Or sat with the mockers.

The man who delighted in your law,

And meditated on it day and night,

Perished like the wicked,

Was blown like chaff,

Was subjected to your judgement;

So that we who deserve to perish,

Might be blessed,

Might flourish,

Might prosper,

And might be watched over by you.

We praise you for your mercy to us.

Amen