God of Strength

Loving God, full of strength and wisdom, ready to answer our prayers of hope. Thank you for always being there waiting to bless Your children. You are the source of all that is good. Thank for the opportunities You give us to show Your unfailing love to others. May we be aware of Your presence and the "Divine appointments" You have for us each day. May we say yes to Your Spirits prompting and step out in faith, being Your light bearers in a world that is in so much need of light. Show us whom You would have us serve each day and may we have the eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart that is open and pliable for You. May we be Your hands, feet, voice and love in the world.

God of Hope

God of Hope and Peace, full of compassion and healing, I pray for the gates of Heaven to be open and Your hope, peace healing and grace would pour down from Heaven upon Your people and Your land. We are thirst for Your showers of mercy to rain upon us...renewing us...redeeming us...flowing upon the dry parched land of our souls. We pray for Your grace to forgive those who trespass against us so that we too will be forgiven. Forgive us, we pray, for those times when we have ignored Your nudging to forgive others and hold onto anger and bitterness. Forgive us, we pray, for those times when we should have shown mercy but have taken on "self-righteousness". Help us to set aside our differences and our agendas and see each other as beloved children of the Most High God in order to understand and believe that everyone is of Sacred Worth to You. May we bring wholeness and healing, hope and peace, joy and healing, mercy and grace. Help us to be Your hands, feet, face, voice and grace to a world full of despair and chaos...

God of Christmas

God of Christmas, full of love and forgiveness, where true joy and hope are found, thank you for the ultimate Christmas gift that keeps on giving, the gift of that first Christmas when You became flesh and walked among us. May we accept that gift and not only accept it but open it each new day instead of leaving it on the shelf for the tomorrow that never comes. May we not be selfish and keep the gift to ourselves but share it with abandonment with those around us. May we help them to open and share Your gift of love that poured down from heaven in the form of a baby that was laid in a manger...a feeding trough...who became the Bread of life...eternal life with You. May the Bethlehem Star shine bright within us as we strive to live as Advent people each and every day of our faith walk with You. Amen

God of Peace

God of Peace, on this Sunday of Advent we are reminded of the Peace that You give all who believe. Thank you that even though the world around us is in chaos, You still offer that peace that goes beyond understanding. Thank you that that our Risen Lord Jesus taught us how to live in peace with one another. Oh, if we would just learn that lesson there would truly be a "Peaceable Kingdom" here on earth. May this Advent be one that we, as humanity, would embrace that peace and treat each other a little kinder, with more compassion and hope. May we, as humanity, learn that vital lesson that Jesus taught...everything and everyone is of sacred worth. You are our hope, our peace, our joy and our love. In You there is no fear of rejection...no fear of worthlessness, no fear at all for Your love and compassion casts out all fear... May we be at peace within our Spirit so that we may reach out to those in need of Your saving grace. May we be Your light bearers of change...of hope...and of peace...

God of Advent

Forever God of Advent, full of hope, peace, joy and love. Thank you that You loved humanity so much that You came down in a form that we would understand...the form of a human child...and taught us how You want us to live. Forgive us for those times that we forget the true meaning of this season. You are not found in the noise and confusion, You are not found in the tinsel and garland, You are not found in business of the season, You are found in the quiet, still, small voice of our hearts. Thank you for the most precious gift of Yourself found in our Risen Lord Jesus Christ. May we share the perfect gift of the season, You, with all those who live in darkness. May we be light bearers  for the world that still is in need of light for it's eyes.

Lord...You Are

God of my life, giver of all that is good, my Refuge and Rock, thank you for Your ever present love for me. Thank you that I never need to fear in my life because my life itself is in Your hands. May I trust and love You with abandon as I step out in faith and follow where You lead me. May I "free fall" for You so that I may soar on wings as eagles. As I take that "leap of faith" with You each and every moment of my days, I am so blessed by You. You will never let my foot slip as I take each step on the awesome journey You have orchestrated for my life. Help me in my times that I may doubt...strengthen me in those times when I feel I can't take another step...lead me into life eternal as we dance the dance of faith, hope, love and joy together. You truly are the music of my life...the song in my heart...You are the Lord of my dance...

One People Under God...Indivisible...With Liberty and Justice For All

Ephesians 2:11-22 Common English Bible (CEB)

The reconciliation of God’s people
11 So remember that once you were Gentiles by physical descent, who were called “uncircumcised” by Jews who are physically circumcised. 12 At that time you were without Christ. You were aliens rather than citizens of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of God’s promise. In this world you had no hope and no God. 13 But now, thanks to Christ Jesus, you who once were so far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us. 15 He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so that he could create one new person out of the two groups, making peace. 16 He reconciled them both as one body to God by the cross, which ended the hostility to God.

17 When he came, he announced the good news of peace to you who were far away from God and to those who were near. 18 We both have access to the Father through Christ by the one Spirit. 19 So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household. 20 As God’s household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 The whole building is joined together in him, and it grows up into a temple that is dedicated to the Lord. 22 Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit.

Loving God, full of wisdom and insight, full of mercy and grace. Forgive us Lord when we let our differences get in the way of our work for Your Kingdom here on earth. At times we seem to concentrate more our "rules" instead of the Law of Love You have given us. Help us, I pray, to set aside our differences and to come together as one body of and in Christ. Help us to break down those barriers that we have put up that separate us from each other. May we truly become the hands...the feet...the face...the voice...of Christ in the world as we stand together in brotherly and sisterly love.