Dear Intown Family,
As we continue our journey to be the community of Jesus that he's called us to be, I was pondering a bit more about who we are and how I might share that with others. My thoughts turned to what's already on our website, so I read it again and was reminded how it's a good, foundational summary of Intown.
It's not everything that we have to say, but it's right at the heart of it all. Go here and take a read so you'll be reminded, encouraged, and empowered to share more with others.
Speaking of "others," for those of you on our mailing list who are former Intowners or have moved on from us, but didn't really connect to another church, I hope you don't mind if I speak directly to you for a moment.
No doubt for a number of legitimate reasons you felt you couldn't continue here, and no doubt you felt those reasons deeply. If we were to sit down and talk it all out, perhaps most of us would even agree with your perspective.
Nevertheless, we grieve the fact that all of that disorientation has not resulted in a church home where you can thrive. We don't want that for you!
May I shamelessly invite you to consider returning for a visit, a bit of re-discovery? When a church goes through significant change, God often uses that to push away all the muck and re-gather his people together in the bond of the Spirit.
This is how you would find Intown today. And I bet you'd love it.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Jason
The Intown Newsletter, Issue #10
Dear Intown Family,
Following on from last week's newsletter, I'd like to offer another thought about "life on life discipleship." At the heart of what it means to be a mature disciple of Jesus is to be so satisfied with all that God is for us, that we don't use others to get what we think we want, nor do we defend ourselves against perceived threats by consolidating power, marginalizing opposition, or beating people over the head with our views (metaphorically, anyway). This may sound like a theoretical problem that might only pop up in a church every once in a while, but I assure you that's not the case. There are all sorts of ways this dynamic creeps into the body of Christ--through insecure leaders, battles over money, an ungodly urgency to build and grow a local church, which can result in being dismissive of, or unkind toward others. Stories have come to your mind, I'm sure.
A healthy Intown Church will be full of healthy disciples who are oriented toward receiving from the Triune God and unreservedly giving him away to others, so that they also will become mature disciples. This might cost us. It might cost us time and a bit of frustration, especially if people do not respond in faith and obedience to Christ. It might require extreme patience, and we might need to get comfortable with the idea of not becoming a big church with a strong online presence. This sort of discipleship is based on loving others and giving our lives and needs and preferences away for the sake of the body of Christ. If this was our aim and the focus of all our spiritual energy, what could Intown Church become?
Pastor Jason
A Prayer of the People
Our Lord God, What words do we have to say “We love you.” We have not learned the right words or the correct turn of phrase or the right image or symbol or syntax or sound that expresses what stirs within us.
We try to give expression to our thoughts and feelings -- words for this something so real yet so intangible -- so knowable yet so inexpressible.
But we have no words to speak of the unspeakable height and depth and breadth of that which we cannot measure, grasp, or understand. We come to say, “we love you Lord,” but the words worn out with use on lesser things feel so common and unholy.
At the mere hint of your presence our spirits leap within us like the infant John the Baptist still in his mother’s womb. Our spirits kick at the confines of human flesh and we are helpless to express what it knows – we are wordless.
At the mere thought of you, the Psalms teenage Mary locked away in her heart broke free and a melody beckoned her to sing “My soul exalts the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”
Your Spirit song lingers on the wind, sweeps through the trees, across the meadows, echoing down our dark streets and calls us to join with Mary to sing “… He has regard for the humble state of his servants ….”
Oh Holy Spirit, who searches our hearts and knows our minds intercede for us for we are like Mary looking in overawed silence at an infant face, stunned and speechless, pondering in her heart the great mystery that lay before her in a manger bed – God with us – Emmanuel.
Like her, we barely comprehend what you are unfolding around us and through us – unable to grasp how it is that you our God should reveal to us a light shining in the darkness that will never be extinguished. Nor that you should choose us to bear this light to others.
Dear Jesus, the world seems darker now and more unwelcoming than when you clothed yourself in flesh to live among us. Shine more brightly in this dark. We confess that in spite of your coming, in spite of your Holy Spirit we are often confused, uncertain, and afraid.
Forgive our timid faith. It is hard to see your thoughts and plans for us in a world that disgraces your good creation, defaces your holy image stamped on human hearts, and willingly descends into violence and chaos -- a dark world of corruption and intrigue, a world where infants and elderly and those too weak to run are ground beneath men and machines fighting proxy wars.
Satan is redoubling his efforts to destroy your Church, but we know you have put your Word of Truth in the mouths of all your children and covered us with the shadow of your hand and have said, “you are mine.” Help us then to follow the example of Mary who in the darkness of oppression and injustice of Roman occupation and in midst of her own confusion and uncertainty placed her confidence in you and said, “Behold the bondslave of the Lord.”
Believing that you have called us to shine your light in the darkness and will not leave us helpless, we continue to pray for family and friends and neighbors. We are hopeful but anxious because they do not know you. When we are with them guide our actions and choose our words. Teach us when to speak and when to be silent; when to act and when to refrain. Teach us how to yield to your Spirit so you can do your work in our weakness. Bring others close beside them who with gentle words and respectful action – who with grace and power – can show them the way out of the darkness.
May your abundant blessing be on those who abandon possessions and prestige and power and risk the love of father and mother and sister and brother and wife and child and all that the world holds precious in order to bear the light that the dark can never extinguish.
Today we continue to pray for the poor and vulnerable among us, young children, abused teens, mothers, grandmothers, and old men who have no home, nowhere to go, no way to help themselves and no one to turn to. Those whose earthly shelter consists of bits of cardboard, scraps of plastic and the threshold of a doorway. Those who lack dry socks to warm cold feet or gloves for icy fingers. Give us hearts of compassion that look beyond the smell and dirt and clouded minds to see you. Grant us thoughtful insight and teach us how to best participate with you to address their earthly and spiritual poverty.
Encourage those who, in your name, choose to live with the poor. Pour out your blessing on them. Renew their compassion. Strengthen their resolve. Bring them coworkers to share their burden and grant them moments of rest and refreshment.
Today we continue to pray for the two-thirds world – nearly six billion people who have not heard the Gospel and live in darkness, who like the people of the great city of Nineveh “do not know the difference between their right hand and their left.” We continue to pray for those born into a life of physical and spiritual hunger and distress; who sell themselves to idols and prostitute their bodies to fill their bellies. We continue to pray for the women and children who work in factories and workshops in far off places hidden from view – who make the shoes, the phones, the toys and gadgets we give each other on Christmas. We grieve that we have, as the prophet Amos has said, sold the poor for a pair of shoes.
Look with favor on those whose lovely feet “bring good news, announce peace, proclaim the good news of happiness: Our God reigns.” Protect those who like the Janssen’s in Taiwan, the Nelsons in Guatemala, and the Russian Pastors like Ioann Burdin who teach, and heal, and preach in dangerous and hostile environments unfavorable to your Church. Build a hedge of thorns around them and preserve their lives and the lives of their families for your name’s sake.
Bring us to repentance demonstrated in our patterns of consumption, in our financial generosity for your worldwide work, in our compassion for the helpless, and in our prayers for those who serve near and far in your name. May we embrace your will for us in your continuing work dispelling darkness, scattering the proud, pulling down rulers, exalting the humble, filling the hungry with good things, and declaring the year of your favor. “Behold your bondslaves, be it done to us according to your will.”
To the end of time and into eternity words will never be able to express what stirs within us as we wonder at what your mighty arm has done – Though words fail us, we will sing and we will pray. If the sun refuses to shine, and the stars fall from heaven; if the mountains tumble into the sea, and if angels fall silent before you, still we will sing – “We love you Lord. We love you Lord.”
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Written by Richard White for Sunday, December 11, 2022
A Prayer of the People
A Prayer of the People from June 19th, 2022, written by Richard White:
Father, Unbounded by all that binds us, unconfined by all that all that confines us, you are Wholly Other -- so different in being and character that the most creative artist, the most insightful poet, the most piercing intellect of philosopher or scientist cannot comprehend you, describe you, define you, or control you.
You set the course for the swirling gas rivers in the far reaches of the universe, ignited the stars, and shaped the planets. You called the birds to the sky and the fish to the sea. The mountains rose from the depths, the dust of the earth settled, and tree and flower sprang up at your voice. Before there was anyone to observe the seasons, and remember a day that was yesterday or hope for a day that is tomorrow, you were here. We cannot comprehend your vastness, your presence, your power or your timelessness.
Bend our unruly wills to yours we pray. Our best attempts at morality and ethics apart from you are failures. Though we mean it when we say "not my will but thine be done" -- we stubbornly resist your rule on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus, you are our daily bread. Your Word spoken to us, your body broken for us, sustains us for a journey that is too far for us, too hard for us. Help us travel light as bearers of the good news of your peace, your healing, your love, your strength. Help us lead lives of generosity and resist the sometimes overwhelming urge to gather more and more and more stuff that will be consumed by rust and rot and left for someone else to pack off to Goodwill when we are gone.
We dare not ask you to be more forgiving with us than we are of the surly barista, the cyclist who refuses to obey traffic laws, the homeless who offend us with their trash strewn camps, or the thousand petty things we harbor against each other. But we can ask you to give us discerning eyes to see beyond ourselves and into the hearts and minds and spirits of those who offend us. Help us to discern that which is truly sinful, that which truly offends you -- the arrogant disregard for the poor, lonely, ailing, and oppressed created in your image.
Preserve us from distraction -- whether good and ill. Fill our waking moments with thoughts of you and our sleeping with inspired dreams and visions. Stop us as we race from one task to another, one entertainment to another, one half-read book to another, one crisis to another. Still our troubled minds. Close the windows and doors to the shouting in the street calling us away from you. Deliver us from the evil one who means us harm, who whispers lies, and perverts all that is right and good and blessed.
Strengthen our sisters and brothers whose lives are under threat of violence whether from war or bigotry or an abusive partner. Send a holy messenger to expose the oppressors, stay their hand, and frustrate their plans. Should they steadfastly refuse to repent, bring them swiftly to their just end for the sake of your children.
Lift up the poor who carry the weight of corporate greed and government inaction. We plead with you to mitigate the effects of this economic downturn on those least able to endure it; lay their heavy burden on the backs of shareholders and CEOs; press lawmakers of all persuasions to act in behalf of the vulnerable among us; and bring to repentance those who have the power to protect the poor but refuse do so. Move us to act as well and keep us from participation in the exploitation of the helpless.
Grant all who proclaim the good news of the infinite riches of Christ power equal to their task. May their words pierce hardened hearts and shine light in darkened minds. May the proclaimers of your peace rise above religious trivialities to bring healing to the sin sick. Protect those who steadfastly labor in places of physical, emotional, and spiritual distress and danger. We pray especially for the Jensen family who will soon return to Singapore at a time of great uncertainty and danger. But also for indigenous pastors, teachers, physicians, and entrepreneurs who face oppression and persecution for your name's sake.
Guide us, your little church, as we face together whatever is before us. Grant the transition team wisdom beyond their measure to guide us through confusing times. Grant those who lead us in worship depth of spirit that breaks forth in praise that soothes our troubled minds. Grant those who serve in small ways or large a spirit of joy that makes serving attractive to others.
Guide us together in our journey inward that we may journey outward beyond this time together to serve you in our neighborhoods. Plant us in the center of the city where you have staked your claim as Redeemer of all that is lost.
Father, though you remain a mystery to us, we humbly come to lay these things before you because you revealed yourself in Jesus, your son, as loving, forgiving, generous and just. Even in this little room today, the grace and power of your Holy Spirit are on display. There is none like you. You take our breath away.
We come to worship you -- terrified because your otherness and holiness are a consuming fire. Yet because of the death and resurrection of Christ we believe that in the dying is the rising, in the rising is the living, and in the living is true joy. We come to worship you because when we fell at Jesus' feet, we heard him say, "Do not be afraid ..."
It is in Jesus name we proclaim, to you be the honor, and power, and glory forever,
Amen.
A Prayer of the People
Friends,
Below is the Prayer of the People from last Sunday written by Pete Sommerfeld.
Blessings,
Matt
Lord, as we bow we want to begin by thanking You that we do not have to evoke Your presence by speaking a phrase or an incantation, for You have never left, You have always been here. But, we confess that we frequently act as though You were not. So, with our hearts we acknowledge Your presence with us – always and in every circumstance of life. And for that, we thank You.
We also thank You, Lord, that like Your presence with us, You are sovereign -always have been, and always will be. That there is never a time when what faces us has caught You unaware, or is out of Your control. You who rule in the affairs of human beings and of nations, and of all things seen and unseen. You are certainly able to do whatever is necessary to accomplish Your will in all that concerns us.
What gives us confidence to trust in Your sovereignty is Your wisdom. You know Your plan, and You are working all things together to accomplish it. The problem, Lord, is that we don’t see as You do. Your eyes are on eternity, and ours – all too frequently – don’t go beyond the end of our noses. Lord, You know the end from the beginning, and You who created life knows how it is lived most fully – lived as You designed. You know what would best bring You the glory You deserve.
Lord, it is ridiculous to think that we who are finite can, in one sitting acknowledge and comprehend all of who You are, all the facets of Your character, Your being. We can spend the rest of our lives contemplating them, and never get to the bottom of them. There are too many for our minds to hold at one time. But, any time we try to do that, we must acknowledge at the root of all Your dealings with us Your motivation is love. You are love. In Your very character, the essence of who You are. We were called to worship this morning being reminded that Your love for us is higher than the heavens. Your banner over us is love. All Your thoughts toward us are for our welfare. At our core that is what we desire – to be loved. And You, the infinite creator god, do that most fully, most completely. How can we not thank You?
With all those thoughts in view, Lord, the first thing we are driven to do is give ourselves to You. Again. Flawed and broken as we are. We do this out of gratitude for how You have given Yourself to us in Jesus. As best as we know how at this point in time. We are Yours. Use us as You see fit, as You have designed, for Your kingdom work, not just on Sunday mornings, but in all that we do. In all our relationships. In our day to day dealings at work. As we contemplate a world around us that looks increasingly confusing and complex – and in some instances, out of control. We give ourselves to You. And, acknowledge how incredible it is that You, the infinite creator God of the universe, have chosen to accomplish Your purposes through creatures like us.
We also give our church to You. Flawed and broken as it is. Flawed and broken because it is made up of people who are flawed and broken. Use Intown as You see fit. As You have designed. Give those of us who call this congregation our home wisdom as we seek to do Your kingdom work, whatever that may be, however it may play out. Not just on Sunday mornings, moment by moment seven days of the week.
And, we will give You thanks for however You choose, in Your wise and loving nature, to deal with us. How You choose to use us in the days ahead, and for the rest of our lives. Trusting that our labor will not be in vain.
We pray these things gratefully, expectantly, because of Jesus, and in His name.
Amen.
My Shepherd Will Supply My Need: A Woodshed Hymn
Isaac Watts (1674-1748) was one of the world’s most prolific and revered hymn writers to ever live, he is credited with over 750 hymns! Kind of makes my 150 or so hymn arrangements seem measly by comparison :)
Once as a child he displayed his propensity for clever rhymes when asked why he had kept his eyes open when praying, saying:
“A little mouse for want of stairs ran up a rope to say its prayers.”
When punished severely for this, he responded with:
“O father, father, pity take, and I will no more verses make.”
Obviously a great hymn writer in the making, not to mention possessing a splendid sense of humor.
He is best known for the classics you’ve no doubt heard of and sung: Joy to the World, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed, and many, many more.
But upon doing a deeper dive into his work, I came across My Shepherd Will Supply My Need, an interpretation of Psalm 23. Now, I’ve composed a tune for Psalm 23 before, The Lord My Shepherd, with the lyric lifted from the 1912 Psalter, it’s one of my personal favorites. But something about the lyric for Watt’s version spoke to me in a new way.
My Shepherd will supply my need, Jehovah is His name,
In pastures fresh He makes me feed beside the living stream;
He brings my wandering spirit back when I forsake His way,
And leads me for His mercy's sake in paths of truth and grace.
When I walk through the shades of death His presence is my stay,
One word of His supporting grace drives all my fears away;
His hand in sight of all my foes doth still my table spread,
My cup with blessings overflows, His oil anoints my head.
The sure provisions of my God attend me all my days;
Oh, may Thy house be my abode and all my work be praise;
There would I find a settled rest, while others go and come;
No more a stranger nor a guest, but like a child at home.
It is the last line that gets me…No more a stranger nor a guest, but like a child at home.
The thought of finally being home, truly at home, not a stranger or even a guest…but as a child in the presence of my true heavenly Father.
It struck a deep chord of longing, of resting in the hope of the Lord preparing a place for me to live and abide in Him forever.
The last line of the Psalm itself says: “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (NIV)
But I love how Watts takes the line and somehow makes it more personal, more comforting, more viewed through the lens of having a relationship with Jesus as Savior, and resting in faith as a child would. Just as Jesus commanded us to come to him in Matthew 18:3:
"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (NIV)
This arrangement is only available on my patreon site, Woodshed Hymns. If you’d like to become a subscriber and support my work, check it out there and get access to all my latest recordings plus many extras, like chord / lead sheets, lyric videos, song archive, and much more! I sincerely appreciate your patronage, it is going a long way towards my goal of getting this music out to the world. Your patronage also benefits the Mill City Disaster Response, as a percentage of contributions will go towards that fund.
Enjoy this demo clip from the new tune below, and I look forward to hearing what you think of it!
— Matt
A Prayer of the People
Lord, we are a little church with a funny name
and we are here, more or less, this morning.
Be with us when we are confused
and sad
and glad
and grateful
and when we have energy
and when we don’t.
Help us to remember even as we’re in transition
that we are—as improbable as this seems—part of your plan for raising the world from the dead.
Do raise the world, Lord. We offer you our inadequate hands.
Give us, your church, something to give the world.
Remind us that we know
there are no good people
only broken people created in the image of a good God,
people under heavy reconstruction.
Build us from the bones out, into what we are: the body of Christ,
the children of God,
the ones who breathe Your Spirit.
Teach us to love this rainy city as you do. Be especially with all its children,
and most especially those whose families are sinking in the flood of this pandemic.
Teach us to remember that time
and life
and love
and hope
all move differently when we see them from inside your resurrection.
Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep
this year, and give your angels and saints charge over those who dream.
Tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ.
Rest your weary ones.
Bless your dying ones.
Soothe your suffering ones.
Pity your afflicted ones.
Shield your joyous ones,
and all for your love’s sake.
Amen.
— Written by Stephanie Ladd with and addendum by St. Augustine
A Homily Based on Psalm 139
This homily was shared with Intown during our church service on February 21, written and read by Stephanie Ladd.
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down in front of the computer and I do not get up again, because although I went to order diaper cream, I am now checking whether those rock climbing pants from the ad on Facebook come in size tall.
3 You search out my path from the kitchen to the bathroom and back to the bathroom, and are acquainted with all the ways I get irritable when Lucy, who bless her heart wants to wipe her own bottom, uses half a roll of toilet paper again.
4 Even before I open my mouth when I find Naomi on the kitchen table in a lake of milk, you know whom I will try to blame.
5 You surround me more than the wifi signal in all our rooms. You can see inside our walls to touch me with your hand.
6 This is amazing. And overwhelming. And incomprehensible.
7 What if I wanted to get away from you? How would I do it?
8 If I rode one of Elon Musk’s rockets, you’d be wherever we fly. If I lie down in the country of death, you are there too.
9 If I learn to rise up with the dawn if I get myself on the next manned mission into the Mariana Trench and figure out a way to stay down there with the sea cucumbers,
10 even there you will lead me, and I won’t have gotten outside your right hand.
11 If I say, “This is 2021, the place where 2020 went to die,”
12 even these dark years are not dark to you; their night is bright as daylight, because darkness cannot stay dark with you.
13 You made my white blood cells so they can learn the protein spike on a virus; you taught my blood to acquire antibodies from my mother’s blood when I was still breathing amniotic fluid.
14 I praise you, for I am an outrageous creature, wild beyond my own imagining. And you made me.
15 You saw how all the parts of me went together, how breath wove into my body deep inside the earth.
16 You saw me when I was shapeless. When time had not started for me, your book had an entry already for each of my days.
17 If it is beautiful, you thought it up. What must it be like inside your mind, God? How huge it must be.
18 It is big enough to hold dark matter, stuff we only know about because someone calculated that our galaxy would fly apart without it. You will never run out. I wake up. And I’m still here with you.
19 And God? The people who are evil— the people in charge of running secret syphilis experiments on Black men, and putting Coronavirus testing stations in all the rich white neighborhoods, and marketing formula to African moms to stop them breastfeeding, and kidnapping girls for brothels — and so much more — could you take them out?
20 Look how they desecrate the treasures you made. Look how they curse you.
21 I’m on the right side here. On your side. I think.
22 I hate the people who are setting your world on fire. Those people are my enemies. Even when they’re me.
23 Search me, O God. Look into my heart. And my racing, racing thoughts.
24 Show me what you find there. Make me strong enough to bear seeing.
Lead me on to be with you.
Song Notes: Beatitudes (Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven)
The Beatitudes have always intrigued me. Jesus’ first words of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) read like a poem and a series of proverbs, and I’ve always wanted to set them to music as so many composers have done in the past.
The word beatitude comes from the Latin beatitudo, meaning "blessedness." As Christian theologian and minister Mary Fairchild explains:
The phrase "blessed are" in each beatitude implies a current state of happiness or well-being. This expression held a powerful meaning of "divine joy and perfect happiness" to the people of Christ's day. In other words, Jesus was saying "divinely happy and fortunate are those who possess these inward qualities." While speaking of a current "blessedness," each pronouncement also promised a future reward.
The beatitudes introduce and set the tone for Jesus' Sermon on the Mount by emphasizing the humble state of humans and the righteousness of God. Each beatitude depicts the ideal heart condition of a citizen of God’s kingdom. In this idyllic state, the believer experiences abundant spiritual blessings.
Musically, I found the melody came to me almost immediately fully formed, as most of what I consider my best work seems to. I credit the simplicity of the words, the repetition of the phrasing, and how the lyric hangs on that one word: Blessed.
This latest work is also the kick off tune for my new project, Woodshed Hymns, a site where folks can sign up as subscribers and receive new music from me every month, plus lots of other musical nuggets. Supporting Woodshed Hymns will enable the recording, distribution, and archiving of my sacred music work, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart if you are inclined to do so. This first song is available to all, feel free to share!
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
For they will be filled
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they are called children of God
Blessed are the persecuted because of righteousness
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are the persecuted because of righteousness
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Chord Chart
Lyric: Matthew 5:3-12 (NIV)
Music: MH Curl
Produced by MH Curl
Vocals, Guitar, Keys: MH Curl
Electric Guitar: Christopher Sandison
Mixed by Clint Snow
Recorded by MH Curl at the Woodshed, 2020
A Prayer of the People
To you, O God, we have run for safety, we run to the protection of the Almighty. We say, “You are our Defender and Protector. You are our God in whom we trust.”
“You will keep us safe from hidden dangers and deadly diseases – You are our refuge. Cover us with your wings and we will be safe in your shadow.”
When we are near you we are not afraid of the terror in the night or sudden attacks during the day. When we are near you we are not afraid of the pestilence that stalks in darkness nor the sudden death that lays waste at noon.
Jesus, you made the Most High your Defender – your protector – and He put his angels in charge of you and they held you with their hands. You trampled the lions and the snakes – the young lions and the crafty serpents. You defeated the roaring enemy in the road and the viper hidden in the weeds.
Though you were crucified, dead, and buried you were not defeated, you were not disappointed, you were not abandoned. You, Almighty God, maker of heaven and earth, giver of life, judge of the living and the dead, said, “Because he has set his love on me, I will deliver him. Because he trusts and relies on me, I will not forsake him. Because he has called upon me, I will answer him.” And, dear Jesus, death tried in vain to hold you down. A tomb, a boulder, a guard, a Roman empire, not even militant unbelief nor the very gates of hell could hold you because your Father, our God, said “I will deliver him.”
Oh God, our God, you have said to us, “I will save those who love me; I will protect those who acknowledge me as Lord.”
You have said, “When they call to me, I will answer them; when they are in trouble, I will be with them, rescue them, honor them, save them.”
And we believe you because of Jesus – the resurrected.
If we have never called on you before, we are calling on you now. If our voices have been too feeble, our faith too weak, or convictions too shallow, we beg you “help our unbelief.” Look on us in our distress. Holy Spirit make your presence known – sweep through our lives and over our little congregation – so we might courageously face whatever is before us – even if it be our Golgotha – because we have put our trust in you.
The distresses before us as a congregation, a city, a nation, and a world are many. Their effects are so apparent they do not need naming. Some distresses hunt us in the road, some curl at our feet ready to strike from their hiding places; others -- the indistinct shadows and unformed faces of unnamed fears -- stalk us in our dreams, and a very real but unseen pestilence seeks us in the very air we breathe.
Almighty God, today we have run to you for safety, we have run to you for protection. Like chicks gathered – huddling – under their mother’s wings we believe if we can only stay close all will be well. We need to be near, to feel your presence.
And not we alone. There are our sisters and our brothers whose homes are no more – camped in hotels and motels and under tents and tarps along the road. There are nurses and doctors who treat the sick and the those who scrub the halls of hospitals. There are those who wait tables, who make beds and clean houses, who repair cars. There are teachers and children – our children. All seeking refuge like so many chicks peeping and crying and racing about.
And there are those, even as we pray, who are facing their last and greatest challenge alone, cut off, in unfamiliar surroundings. Beyond the reach of family whose loving hands would stroke and soothe and comfort. Beyond hearing a cherished familiar voice of assurance.
Today we are gathered and yet not gathered – huddled in our upper rooms, doors closed, praying but not yet realizing the power of the resurrection, not yet grasping the significance of holy guarantees, timidly contemplating the world outside our doors. Today we have run to you for comfort because tomorrow we must start again bringing hope to sister and brother, to friend and family, to neighbor and service station attendant and grocery clerk.
Look into our anxious hearts we pray and see our anger – our fear – of both the known and the unknown, the seen and the unseen, and grant us your peace. We ask for no miracles, we ask only for what you have promised. We are bringing you our anxieties, guard our thinking, guard our feeling. Help us measure our lives in light of the resurrection, so that in the vast sweeping swirling chaotic darkness of our time that our confidence in you will not be shaken; and that we have courage — might be bringers of hope – a light at least bright enough for one more to find their way to shelter.
In the name of Jesus,
Amen.
— Written by Richard White for Sunday Jan. 10th, 2021
Enough — A Meditation on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Enough – A Meditation on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
By Vicki Waineo
In all these long months
Rife with confusion, boredom, isolation,
The ho and the hum the same four walls
With only a square of blue light connecting us to our friends, neighbors, loved ones, strangers, trolls.
It’s been a long hard season
of death, reaping, killing, destroying, tearing down, crying,
Throwing stones, war, hate, loneliness
and Just. Not. Listening. We can sit in that and break and moan
and fall on our faces flat on the floor and holler out
Why Me to a God we often doubt and feel forgotten, rejected
So deep in the bleep of humanity’s nasty underbelly
But this is where we turn the page on the rage
And roil and calm the boil of our
Mistrust, our anger, our self-righteousness and panderings,
Pondering turns to wonder-ing and a single small spark
Just one spark is all and then we know in our soul that this is not the whole
Of the truth that there is and has been
Always so much more so much wonder to hold in awe
that we’ve chosen not to see but once you see you cannot un-see
Cannot turn away from the hope of the truth of the promise
Of tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.Then your sorrow drowns
down down it goes as hope flows
Free and joy floats all the way to the top with a pop
and we pause and give thanks
One foot in the mire, but hearts full, pounding strong and free
And we enumerate one two three
All the joys that have come even within this season of confusion,
seasoned liberally with delights unexpected,
New babies with toothless grins and chubby wubby cheeky weekies
Gardens we planted — small and large and okay
maybe we just stole some tomatoes from a neighbor, but still we gather together on that same blue box or along the blocks
six feet parted, smiling behind our masks, arms aching
to hug friends, neighbors, kind strangers.
We gather our stones, line them up at the ready for when we can
rebuild again, we find other people’s treasures
that we part with freely as we Kondo our homes
making space in our spaces so our minds
have room to think and plan, listen and share,
cry and laugh and weep, and dance. Yes, dance like no one is watching because nobody IS watching
Maybe the kids are watching.
Absolutely the Lord your God above all
and in all and thru all is watching and his love
everlasting eternal sets your feet on a rock
So you can Rock and roll
Rock the baby
Rock your fine self to a place of love and peace
Strength and truth
In the blessed assurance that the seasons will go round
And round and this, too, shall pass and nothing is new
under the sun, son, beloved one
Sit in your grief and stew and wail if that is what you need right now
But hope, take up hands with that grief, hold them together and know
Ultimately that God knows the ways and means and that,
That.
That, my family
Is enough.
Song Notes: Lead Me Home
In 1932, the prominent gospel songwriter and singer Thomas Dorsey traveled to St. Louis to perform at a revival. During the gathering a telegram arrived informing him that his wife had died giving birth to their son. Grief stricken, he was driven home to Chicago by a friend. When he arrived, he met his newborn son and was relieved that the baby seemed to be in good health. Tragically, the child unexpectedly passed away that very night.
In a letter penned to a friend forty-five years later he wrote:
“I buried my wife and little son in the same casket. I became despondent and filled with grief. A few days later I visited with my good friend. During my visit, I sat down at a piano and began to improvise. As I played, I began to say…
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I'm tired, I'm weak, I'm alone
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
When my way grows drear precious Lord linger near
When my light is almost gone
Hear my cry, hear my call
Hold my hand lest I fall
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
When the darkness appears and the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river I stand
Guide my feet, hold my hand
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home…”
Out of tragedy sprang one of the most revered gospel songs of all time. It has been a standard at funerals worldwide, with its most famous performance undoubtedly at Martin Luther King Jr.’s service after his assassination in 1968, sung by Mahalia Jackson. It was King’s favorite hymn, and in a twist of sad irony he had asked Dorsey to play it for him on the very eve of his death. Gospel recording producer and writer Anthony Heilbut writes that “the few days following (King’s) death, ‘Precious Lord’ seemed the truest song in America, the last poignant cry of non-violence before a night of storm that shows no sign of ending.”
Because of Dorsey’s influence, gospel transformed into a religious music that inspires a release from physical and spiritual pain and suffering, particularly in black churches, rather than just sacred song compositions. He has been called the “Father of Gospel Music” by gospel singer and historian Bernice Johnson Reagon, for what she called his “aggressive campaign for its use in black Protestant churches.”
I have humbly recorded my own arrangement of the hymn, originally known as “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”, and entitled my version simply “Lead Me Home”. There are some melodic elements that are similar, however, I tried to create a folkier and hopefully equally singable arrangement that doesn’t detract from the mournfully hopeful message.
The recording below is a demo that will be finished and released as part of an album I am working on. I re-worked the stanzas of the song to better suit my melodic arrangement. I hope it speaks to you during this trying time and reminds you that our Lord Jesus is always near. Enjoy!
Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand;
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light;
Hear my cry, hear my call, hold my hand lest I fall;
Precious Lord, lead me home…
When my way grows drear, precious Lord, linger near;
When my light is almost, almost gone;
Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light;
Hear my cry, hear my call, hold my hand lest I fall;
Precious Lord, lead me home…
When the darkness appears, and the night draws near,
When the day is past and gone;
Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light;
Hear my cry, hear my call, hold my hand lest I fall;
At the river I stand, guide my feet, hold my hand;
Precious Lord, lead me home…
Lead me home...
LEAD SHEET / CHORD CHART
A Prayer of the People
Heavenly Father, we bow our heads and pray for all of those affected by the recent fires and evacuations. Move through your people and open homes and hearts to comfort those in need. We also pray for the many putting themselves at risk to fight these fires. Give them protection, energy, for the fight. Lord Jesus, I also pray especially for that which seems the farthest away from our hearts and minds, and for which the Apostle Paul speaks about so often in times like this….JOY. May it transcend our circumstance, our time and place.
Because, Lord, if we have joy that transcends....if we’re able to rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit...then it came from you, not from us, you bought it, you made it available by your blood shed upon the cross. It is a grace from you and we thank you, if we have such a joy then we cannot only endure, but soar!
But Lord, how can we have joy when the joy that we know is built around all the things of this life? There is no substance to our joy when the things of this life are taken away. Time and time again this is proved. Build a solid rock, build substance, place yourself as the cornerstone beneath our joy.
James 1 says consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, that whenever you face trials of many kinds you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. Lacking nothing, Father…
1 Thessalonians 1 reminds us that even in the midst of severe suffering there is joy given by the Holy Spirit…
1 Peter 1 says we can greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, we grieve, in all kinds of trials…
Colossians 1 says to be strengthened, so that you may have great endurance and patience, and can give joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance…for he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption...
But what can we say? We have affliction everywhere...let there be joy everywhere Father! A joy that that is found in you is a joy that can’t be afflicted like our possessions can, our emotions, like our bodies can. When we have joy in you Lord we have freedom! Our hearts leap for the goodness found in you Father.
Some of us are weeping, many worrying, let us not forget these times. We need to remember what it was like. We often say, “I can’t wait for 2020 to be over”, but what will we be returning to Father? Our comfort? Our pleasures? Our property? Our health? As we look back on this year let us remember how it paled in comparison to when we discovered the unmitigated joy that we experienced. Let us not end 2020...Lord, let 2020 be redeemed, transformed; let it be as we just read in 1 Peter: though we have been grieved with trials our faith is magnified! It praises you Lord.
Paul in Philippians chapter 3 counts everything as loss compared to this. Success as loss, health as loss, democracy as loss, acceptance or being culturally connected as loss, our houses as loss, freedom from oppression?…..as loss. I can go on, family, friends, milestones, politics, vacation, power...as loss….loss in comparison to the joy we have in you. Let us remember Father that you give us these things to show that these, things, are not our treasure, Christ is.
May it be plain to the world that all of these things are not our treasure, you are! Psalm 30 declares "though weeping comes and endures through the night, JOY cometh in the morning." By your spirit, by your power, we are free people and we will not be cowed by loss. We rejoice! Yes, Lord…..we rejoice because of you.
Holy Spirit come and comfort, come and bring us joy. Joy that lasts, joy in you, for your glory. Hallelujah.
Amen.
— Written by Jason Downing for Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020
Song Notes: O Love that Will Not Let Me Go
“(The hymn) was composed with extreme rapidity; it seemed to me that its construction occupied only a few minutes, and I felt myself rather in the position of one who was being dictated to than of an original artist suffering from extreme mental distress, and the hymn was the fruit of pain."
George Matheson admitted to this shortly after penning this beloved hymn. The 19th century preacher and hymn writer felt that the Holy Spirit had impressed the lyrics on his heart, and he was merely the conduit of them.
Born in Scotland in 1842, Matheson was just a teenager when his failing eyesight took a sharp downward turn. As he followed his dream of a career in Christian ministry through graduate studies, his sight gave out completely and he became totally blind. He faced further trauma when his fiance’ rejected him at the last moment and broke their engagement rather than live with a blind man. When his sister became engaged, he shared in her joy, but his heart broke again remembering the searing pain of his own rejection. He later wrote that he was consoled by the thought of God’s love: limitless, unconditional, always there, and completely certain. Out of that promise he wrote the words to O Love that Will Not Let Me Go on June 6, 1882.
As he continued his ministry as a pastor in the Scottish village of Innellan, congregational attendance was often low, and one wintry night there was almost no one present for the service. Dejected but unflappable, Matheson delivered a powerful sermon to the mostly empty pews. Little did he know that one of the attendees was a visitor from the large church in Edinburgh, St. Bernards, which was currently seeking a pastor. Matheson was invited to interview for the position and consequently was called to St. Bernards in 1886 where he became one of Scotland’s favorite preachers. He later wrote about this unique blessing bestowed on him:
“Make every occasion a great occasion, you can never tell when somebody may be taking your measure for a larger place.”
O Love that Will Not Let Me Go
O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.
O Light that follow'st all my way, I yield my flick'ring torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine's blaze its day may brighter, fairer be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow thro' the rain, and feel the promise is not vain that morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life's glory dead, and from the ground there blossoms red, life that shall endless be.
LEAD SHEET / CHORD CHART
Song Notes: Come to the Savior Now
Come to the Savior Now is the first hymn I re-tuned, and it seems like ages ago. Something about the simplicity of the lyric and message fell perfectly into place with the likewise simple tune that effortlessly popped into my mind. I had been leafing through the red Trinity Hymnal, wondering if I had the chops (or right) to put a new melody to an old hymn, when I turned the page and saw the first three words from a verse under the hymn’s title:
“Come to me.”
The full verse is “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matt. 11:28
But it was those three words that rang out in my mind. Come to me… Nothing could be simpler, or more profound. Often when my faith has felt stale, or just by rote, automatic…I sense that Jesus is always there, near me, pursuing me, waiting for me to turn around and recognize and take hold of his grace and eternal promises. To come to him and rest in his abundant mercy and love.
The tune sprang out as if fully written and meant for the words printed there. I picked up my guitar and put a few chords to it…about five minutes later I had my first re-tuned hymn. Since then I’ve re-tuned dozens of hymns, but I don’t recall any of them falling into my head with such ease, as if it was a gift and a clear message to continue.
The words to the hymn were written by John Murch Wigner (1844-1911), a Baptist lay preacher from England. He was a compiler of the English Hymnal Psalms and Hymns for School and Home, and was active in the Children’s Special Service Mission. Makes sense since he and his wife loved kids and had twelve of their own!
Come to the Savior Now was written in 1871, and is considered a hymn of invitation. It implores sinners to turn to Christ, to cast all their burdens and cares on his infinite grace and love. I hope you enjoy this hymn and its beautiful message and promise.
— Matt
Come to the Saviour now, He gently calleth thee;
In true repentance bow, before Him bend the knee;
By grace He will bestow salvation, peace, and love,
True joy on earth below, a home in heav’n above.
Come to the Saviour now, you who have wandered far;
Renew your solemn vow, for His by right you are;
Come, like poor wand’ring sheep returning to His fold;
His arm will safely keep, His love will ne’er grow cold.
Come to the Saviour, all, whate’er your burdens be;
Hear now His loving call, ‘cast all your care on Me.’
Come, and for ev’ry grief in Jesus you will find
A sure and safe relief, a loving Friend and kind.
Lead Sheet / Chords
Lyric: John M. Wigner, 1871 / Music: M.H. Curl, 2002
Recorded by Jordan Leff
Vocals/Guitar: M.H. Curl
Classical Guitar: Jordan Leff
Background Vocals: Dana Dirksen
Accordion: Lanai Hoyt
Song Notes: In Mercy Broken
Welcome to the first Song Notes blog post! I had wanted to begin these postings with a new tune, but alas, due to the pandemic and scheduling difficulties I am postponing the previously intended song until the necessary final tracks can be added. This week we will highlight an older re-tuned hymn entitled In Mercy Broken.
The original hymn was written in 1827 by Reginald Heber (of Holy, Holy, Holy fame) and known by its longer name, Bread of the World, In Mercy Broken.
Reginald Heber was born in 1783 to a wealthy and educated family in Cheshire, England. He achieved fame as a poet at the University of Oxford. He was ordained in 1807 when he took over his father’s parish, and began writing hymns and general literature. After serving sixteen years, he became the Bishop of Calcutta until his death at the age of 42 in 1826, after serving less than three years. During that time he traveled widely across India, and worked tirelessly to improve the lives and living conditions of the people. He is perhaps most well known for his hymn Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, probably the most popular Trinity Sunday hymn of all time due in part to its famous tune (Nicea), written by John Bachuss Dykes.
Heber’s text for In Mercy Broken is a plea, asking God to look on us with mercy and feed us with His abundant grace. It is written in two stanzas, but is meant to be read/sung as one continuos thought. Using the poetic and concrete imagery of the “bread of the world” and “wine of the soul”, the hymn invites us to confess our sins and accept God’s divine grace through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
I included this hymn on the Intown record, Communion, Vol. I, as a meditation and devotional song to reflect on while partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
The gorgeous lead vocals are courtesy of Dana Dirksen, my friend and an incredibly talented singer/songwriter. Enjoy!
In Mercy Broken
Bread of the world in mercy broken, wine of the soul in mercy shed;
By whom the words of life were spoken, and in whose death our sins are dead.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Look on the heart by sorrow broken, look on the tears by sinners shed;
And be thy feast to us the token that by thy grace our souls are fed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Link to Lead Sheet / Chords
An Offertory Prayer
Dear God, your word says we love because you first loved us.
Today we pray that in your work of sanctification in us, you would make us more like Jesus in every way. That when when we reflect on your goodness, we would be good; when we reflect on your justice, we would seek your justice here on earth; when we reflect on your mercy, we would be merciful to others.
And we want also to be generous like you are generous. Giving freely of our resources knowing they are only ours to give because you first gave them to us. Giving sacrificially to the Church to support the mission of your Kingdom here on earth. Giving joyfully to share in the burdens of others. Giving in love to make your love known to the ends of the earth. Giving in obedience as we worship you this morning, throughout the week, and forever.
May our offerings be pleasing and acceptable to you.
Amen.
— A Prayer Written by Catherine Summers for Sunday, July 12th, 2020
A Prayer of the People from Sunday, July 12th
Oh Lord God, there is none like you in heaven, on earth, or beneath the earth who is a covenant-keeping God showing kindness to your servants who walk before you with all their heart (1 K 8:23).
We come here this morning to lay before you our distress and to seek your favor as your children.
The coronavirus has exposed our weaknesses – it has revealed a deeper and more deadly disease of the soul. It has revealed our selfish tendencies toward thoughtless disregard for community and the folly of individuality.
In our aloneness we are learning the importance of a living and caring community of faith. In our aloneness we are learning that no woman or man is self-sufficient, that no woman or man is a god unto themselves. And yet we are like and continue to be like the ancient Israelites in the time of the judges, of whom it was said, “in those days … everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)
The coronavirus has exposed our weaknesses – it has revealed a deeper and more deadly disease of the soul. It has revealed our arrogant reliance on wealth and personal gain. We are like and continue to be like the Laodiceans who said, “we are rich and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing” (Rev.3:17). The virus is stripping us of our wealth and exposing the fact that we like they are “wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”
The coronavirus has exposed our weaknesses – it has revealed a deeper and more deadly disease of the soul. It has exposed our foolish reliance on women and men in positions of power. Leaders who have proven themselves inept, unkind, and self-serving. Leaders who taking pride in power, have assumed themselves immune from their own actions. Like David numbering the fighting men of Israel, they have brought disaster on the innocent (2 Sam 24). Yet foolishly, we have leaned and continue to lean on the broken reed of human power though our hand is pierced through (2 Kings 18:21).
In this moment in history, whether this virus is the sad consequence of Adam’s sin or your messenger matters little. We have learned and are learning still that prestige and wealth and power are not our saviors and that we would do well to repent of our foolish reliance on them.
We pray that we do not harden our hearts to your call for repentance. We pray that we would heed your call to reach out to our sisters and brothers in Christ. We pray that you will raise up shepherds in our midst who not only know the sheep but tend to their injuries and ensure their well-being.
We pray that we do not harden our hearts to your call for repentance. We pray we would not count it a sacrifice to give what little we have that those who follow your voice into the wilderness might not faint. That we would not hold so tightly to the little we have that those whose need is greater lose strength on the way.
We pray that we not harden our hearts to your call for repentance. We pray we would not seek the preservation of power or position or wealth or honor above your call to leave what we have and follow you – even if you lead us into the wilderness, into the stormy sea, into the prison, into poverty, or even into death.
Today we pray – as we should – for the lost and wandering, the poor, the widow, the orphan, the discouraged, the disheartened, all the ones who live in the shadows of society whether in our fair city, this nation, or around the world. But today we are also praying for ourselves.
Save us from sheltering ourselves in pious words and lofty ideas -- from wrapping ourselves in the comfort of a false spirituality, from clever theology, and from self-pious progressivism that are unwilling to bear the consequences of their own proclamations.
Save us from feeling good about ourselves because we have said the right words or read the right book or have the right lawn sign or shouted the right slogan.
Save us from our unwillingness to act, to lift up our voice, to give up our comforts for the very objects of our prayers – for the spiritually destitute, for the poor, for the oppressed, for those who live in the shadows.
Be patient with us, we pray – as your Church and each one of us as members of that Church – as we strive to to learn these lessons. Encourage us as we commit all that we have and all that we are and all that we hope to be – our prestige, our wealth, our power – to follow you Jesus wherever you lead.
We confess these lessons are hard to learn, that a pandemic is a hard teacher, and that we fear the teaching and the learning are not yet over. Be our strength. We do not want to fail you in this time of testing and learning and opportunity, for we believe this too is what Paul meant when he assured us that in all things you work for the good of those who love you, who have been called according to your purpose. (Rom 8:28).
We turn to you Lord Jesus, our Hope and the Hope of the world, because we know that though we fail you in many ways that you fail us in none. To you be the glory and honor and riches forever,
Amen.
— A Prayer Written by Richard White
A Prayer of the People
Father, your Sons and Daughters come before you with our petitions and our praise. You are worthy, for we have seen your works. When the people were hungry you fed them all by your hand. When Thomas doubted you showed him your scars. Mary was crushed by the death of her brother and you wept with her. The Leper was sick Lord and you healed him. Peter rejected you but you restored and commissioned him. Zacchaeus was despised by all and you broke bread with him. Israel was in bondage and you freed them. Jesus was crucified yet forgave the murderers.
Earlier we confessed to you our sins, those things that we should do but didn’t and those things that we shouldn’t do but did. Lies, pride, sexual sin, drunkenness, greed, idolatry, violence, neglect of the poor, worldliness, slander, prayerlessness, lack of faith...prejudice...the list goes on…all forgiven, wiped clean by the mercy and grace found in you during our time of need. Blessed be the name of the Lord for you redeem us and call us to a new life where hope, truth, grace, and love reign. It is right and worthy to praise you Father.
Lord much of what surrounds us right now is full of fear and anger, desperation. The sick, the jobless, the victims of injustice…their voices cry out. Hear them Father, hear our prayers. Wipe the tears from eyes and give them strength. Bring righteousness to this world. Empower us by your Spirit to be a part of this work. Let us not forget all of the ones you care so much for. Thy kingdom come.
It is hard during times like these to ground our being, our place and identity. We can hear the siren of our culture reaching out to us. The promise of acceptance, fulfillment, justice, and happiness it offers. Serve me it says, and I will love you. Father, turn our eyes upon you. Remind us of who we are. We are yours! Crafted in your image, endowed with dignity and value. Save us from our tribalism Lord. We are not the world’s, or America’s, or somebody’s slur…we are yours. Secure our humanity in the ever loving arms of your embrace.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
— A Prayer By Jason Downing for 6/7/20
A Prayer of the People for 5/17/20
Here we are with eyes closed, resisting the temptation to look at others in this intimate moment, focusing our attention on you. May we sense your presence. We want to feel the light of your glory shining on our faces even in this unusual public yet private prayer when we are gathered and yet not.
We want to be filled, if only for these few passing minutes with the awe that rightfully belongs to this encounter with you our most Holy God.
We come to this holy place, our living rooms and laundry rooms and spare rooms and kitchens made holy because we gather in your name. Though we come with confidence, we are not so presumptuous as to believe that we may come by our own merit, but with confidence in the blood of Christ who has gone before us.
You alone are Holy and Just and Pure. You alone are loving and merciful and gracious. You alone are worthy of praise and glory and honor and we come to lay before you all our earthly treasures – our homes and families that give us comfort and a sense of security especially in these times. We lay before you our money to be used for the poor and for those sliding into poverty. We bring to you our words that you might use them to encourage the faint, to bring good news to the imprisoned, to instruct those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
All that we have, all that we are, all that we hope to be, all that gives us comfort we give to you in spite of our yearning for greater security in the midst of uncertainty.
Forgive us that we hug these things tightly to ourselves, seeking to find in them what can only be found in you.
Dear God we do not understand precisely what you have in mind for us as we stand in this liminal space, this threshold between the now and the next – nor do we understand what you have in mind for our city, our nation, our world, but we love you and trust you.
Don’t let us let you down in this. Help us to be what you want us to be – to learn what you want us to learn – help us not to waste this experience, but to show to our neighbors, our friends, our families, our children, our grandchildren the reality of knowing you.
Paul urged Timothy to offer supplications and prayers for those who are in high positions. But how can we pray, we wonder, or should we pray, we wonder, for leadership that doesn’t want to lead?
How should we pray for those who abdicate their responsibilities? How should we pray for those who by their inactivity or refusal to act create stress, chaos, division and harm? How should we pray for those who appear to deny their calling to ensure the health, safety, and prosperity of those in their care?
We will pray that you preserve us from harm; that you surround them with wise counselors and clear-headed prophets – even if they will not heed their advice nor admonitions. We pray that even if they will not listen to your voice, if they harden their hearts and are willfully deaf, that nevertheless, you will not withdraw from them for the sake of your people and for the sake of all those who have yet to hear of your Son their savior.
And, we pray with all of our hearts for your Holy Spirit to descend on our leaders in this congregation – that their hearts would burn with purpose; that they would be driven to lead with radical determination to help us grow; that they would guide us with confidence because they have spent time alone with you and time together with you in prayer.
We pray with all our hearts our leaders would become the radical leaders we have been learning about in the book of Mark. That the convicting power of your Holy Spirit would rest on them and on us; and as the wind and fire of Pentecost swept over the women and men closeted in the upper room in their moment of uncertainty propelling them into the streets, so may we too be driven from our hiding places.
We pray that we, so moved by your Holy Spirit, would become radical believers, proclaiming the resurrection without apology, bringing our goods to be shared by all. So radicalized as to willingly give up the comforts we hold in common. Perhaps even our beautiful place of worship. Giving up what comfort us, choosing instead to redirect our funds to the poor – first those in the body then those outside – so that none have need or want – to lay our most prized possessions before you to be blessed like loaves and fishes and shared with the hungry and faint.
We have become good at marking time, we are good at self-preservation, we are good at theology, we are good faithful attenders at worship – but we pray that we are not good scribes and pharisees or even good anti-scribes and pharisees – who are in all other respects the same but pride themselves on their difference.
Keep us from false security, pretending you make no radical demands on our time, on our possessions, on our knowledge, our skills, our experience.
With all that is within us we want to be the Church you have called us to be – not a congregation with a good Portland image – with the Portland imprimatur – the keeping Portland weird Church. We want to be your Church. Utterly committed in thought, word, and deed to you.
The radical church. From the roots up empowered, motivated and active because we have spent time with you and we cannot do otherwise.
Bring us through this social isolation with a sense of what is truly important. Sift us and show us our strengths and limitations.
Help us not waste this testing. We know this is not the end nor perhaps even the middle of this global ordeal. We know our neighbors and the world itself will need a church transformed, and we want to be that Church – a church turned outward, a church willing to give all it has, all it hopes to have, and all it will be in order that we might be your hands of healing and voice of encouragement and messenger of peace to the world.
We pray we would not attempt to extinguish your Holy Spirit, tame his flame, nor foolishly hide it under a bucket, rather you would blow on our smoldering wick and ignite your fire in us again. This is our prayer in this holy moment as we pray, gathered and yet not, descend on us – especially our leaders.
We pray this in the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior, Amen.
— A Prayer By Richard White for 5/17/20