Tomorrow's Sermon and Prayer

Sunday is closing-in on us. Tomorrow I start a series on the Sermon on the Mount. I chose this series for a couple of reasons. The Beeson students spent last semester on this this text from the Gospel of Matthew so it's been on my mind for awhile. Also, as disjointed as the summer months can be, I think I can make the series work even if people are sort of coming and going.

Each sermon title this summer begins with the word "True." This reflects Jesus' focus on how life works in God's economy--the true and real world, whether we recognize it or not.

Tomorrow we start with the Beatitudes. The sermon title is "True Power." Next week's sermon is "True Murder."

I have tomorrow's prayer ready. Some of you mentioned that these would be good to post on the blog. And, since it requires almost ZERO extra work, I'll try to do that. I got stuck when writing this one so I turned to Psalm 145 for help.

Prayers of the Church for Grandview, June 10, 2007

Eternal God, before you how can we stand? Before you we are poor, and yet you make us rich. Before you we mourn over our inabilities and sins, and yet you fill us with joy and forgiveness. Before you we know our need to be reliant upon you, and you offer us the whole earth. Before you we are made pure by the gift of your Son, through whom you show us your nature and the core of your being.

You are great because you give us life continually. You are great because you love us even when we don’t love ourselves. You are great because you sent your Son to stand with us in the joy and the suffering of human existence, to die for us, and to be raised from the dead for us—the first sign that everything humanity has taken for granted about death is changed.

With the psalmist we cry:

We will exalt you, O God our King, and bless your Name for ever and ever.

Every day will we bless you and praise your Name for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, there is no end to your greatness.

One Generation will praise your works to another and will declare your power.

We will ponder the glorious splendor of your majesty and all your marvelous works.

We will speak of the might of your wondrous acts, and tell of your greatness!

And so, O God, we pray for clear voices to sound the call of your greatness. We pray for ears that are ready to hear of your deeds on the world’s behalf. And we pray that we will be family and church in such a way as to prove that you have, indeed, done these things.

Bless our brothers and sisters who are in need of healing, strength, comfort, protection, and peace. We remember our prayer list before you. We remember the sick, the lame, the blind, the deaf, the dying, and the people who think that your love is not as overwhelming as our sins.

We pause to be silent before you, O God, as we confess our sins to you, sins you already knew about when you sent your Son:

silence

Glory to you, O God, whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to you from generation to generation in the Church, and forever in Christ Jesus who taught us to pray with one voice:

The Lord’s Prayer