A PERSONAL PRAYER O God, loving Jesus, transforming Spirit, I read again this week the words of Gabriel to Mary in Luke 1: “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” So he reigns over Jacob’s descendants, but does he reign over me? Jesus, will I let you in my mind to control my thoughts? Will [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER O God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, “Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come. Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.” Like so many others, God, I love that hymn because it speaks to my heart so well. Honestly, I feel like a cat with nine lives. You have seen me through so much already, through twists and turns, both mountains and valleys. Even when I was confident and I thought I was doing it myself, I know it was you at work. And especially when I saw no way [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER My prayer today an excerpt from a prayer by Dr. Durwood Fleming in 1948, attached to a sermon entitled “The Future Belongs to Those Who Choose.” It was sent to me by Mrs. Herschel Wood. Perhaps it will speak to you as it has to me. O God, our Father, in whose almighty hand our future lies, bring us into the peace of Thy Presence that we may consider the deep meaning of our origin, reflect on our purpose in life, and view in sincerity and soberness our personal destiny… All the world is darkness, and we [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God of Grace and God of Glory, I stand in awe of the way you as the Holy Spirit have worked, breathing life in and through St. Luke’s church for the past 75 years. I looked again at the pictures of those early days – women in hats and men in fashionably short ties, all full of dreams and hopes and visions. Children with white gloves and Sunday School teachers standing tall and beaming beside them. But I suspect even they had no idea what you had in mind for this particular community of followers of your [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, I could use your help today. In these tumultuous times, grant me: Perspective to step back and see things and people with kingdom eyes, as you see them. Perseverance to stay true to my values, to live, and love like Jesus. Passion for you rather than for the things of this world. Power to join in the work of your kingdom, to make a difference, and not just make a point. Peace when anxiety or fear take hold of me. Thank you. Amen.

A PERSONAL PRAYER Gracious God, Someone asked me yesterday, as we stood at the graveside, “how are people welcomed into heaven? Are they greeted by St. Peter at the gate? Is it Jesus himself? Or is that a dumb question?” Not a dumb question, of course. It is a question we all have. But I had no good answer for him. All I could tell him is that the Scripture says we are “with the Lord,” seeing him “face to face” and “in Paradise.” And I could tell him that while we are running the race here, the saints in the church triumphant are [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, Last week, a friend passed away. He was a deeply generous and loyal friend, and I am so grateful to you for putting him in my life. He and I were so different in so many ways but had been through many things together. We worked side by side on projects. We went through loss and renewal, and he was the picture of resilience, never giving up, fighting all the way. But through all of it, I remember the laughter. Lots of laughter. Thank you for laughter, God. Laughter at how people are. The laughter that comes from a place inside, knowing [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, Tell me what to do with my money. (Oh shoot, just at the start of the prayer, I reveal much of my own problem. It isn’t my money. It’s yours. Everything I have belongs to you, and you have put me in charge of it. So let’s start over.) God, tell me what to do with the money I am to manage. I know it is provided for a purpose. Show me how to make wise decisions when using it to care for my family and our needs, our wants, our hopes, our dreams, and for the needs of those [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, I’ve been looking again at how your son Jesus spoke to people. I’ve always been drawn to his words of kindness and grace. These are the words he spoke to the grieving, the poor, the outcast, the sinner. But I can’t deny that there are other times the words he spoke were harder to hear. These are the words he spoke to the religious folk of the day, the Pharisees and Sadducees, the Herodian leaders, the rich and the powerful, sometimes even to his own disciples. He called people hypocrites. He called them a [...]