Prayer for Saturday, March 14

March 14, 2009

Day 16 : Creation’s testimony

Scripture for reflection: Psalm 8

Prayer: God of heaven and earth,
I am amazed at the wonder of your creation. The beauty of your earth is a feast
for my eyes. The stars at night sparkle like my tears of gratitude. I thank you for
the gifts that sustain life; for the air I breathe; for the water I drink; for the food I
eat. Lord, allow these wonders to feed my heart and soul. May my life be a song
of praise unto you, wondrous Creator. Amen.

Prayer for Friday, March 13

March 13, 2009

Day 15 : Strength to the Soul

Scripture for reflection: Luke 12:13-21

Prayer: Only through spiritual transformation do we gain the strength to fight vigorously
the evils of the world in a humble and loving spirit. Martin Luther King, Jr
Holy and loving God,
Society encourages me to focus on the material aspects of my life. Advertisers
offer many tempting ways to indulge my senses. But my soul thirsts only for you.
Gracious God, strengthen me for the inner battle to re-orientate my priorities.
Break down the barriers I have erected that keep you at a ‘safe’ distance.
Change my heart, my words and my actions in the likeness of Christ. Amen.

RACE FOR THE CURE is April 19

REGISTER for our team: Go to http://tinyurl.com/komensaz and click “join a team”. Under “join an existing team” look for Catalina Refuge in the drop down menu and click it. Click the “continue” box. Follow the directions. Registration is $30, and then $35 after April 14.
DONATE to our team: You can contribute online to our team at http://tinyurl.com/catalina-race, or you can give donations to Richard or Mindy Jones. You can write your check to RACE FOR THE CURE.

The Third Sunday in Lent: March 15

This Sunday, we consider John's account (John 2.13-22) of Jesus cleansing the Temple. This story explodes our concept of meek and mild Jesus as he forcibly expels animals, merchants, and money changers from the Temple.
What do we take away from this story? There are several interpretations and many implications. [We will discuss some of these Sunday.] But the focus we will take on Sunday is: What is a Christian response to injustice? Jesus ACTED against injustice, he didn't just complain or moan about it. He DID something about it. What injustices exist in our city, in our state, in our country, in our world, in our church? What is God calling YOU to DO about it?
The worship bulletin is here.

Prayer for Thursday, March 12

March 12, 2009

Day 14 : Prayer for the people of Timor-Leste

Scripture for reflection: Isaiah 58:6-12

Prayer: We look north to the nation of Timor Leste, a country emerging from pain
and foreign rule, a people in whose culture and life you, deep God, have
invested yourself. We invite you to remember them, their yearning for
peace toughened through Dili fires, their desire for security deepened by
homelessness, their hope for a positive future shaken as a wounded leader
struggled for life and faith so evidently present. We pray for cooperation
between clans, medicines for healing, staff to listen and respond and
international solidarity that sustains the spirit. We pray for our partner Igreja
Protestante iha Timor Lorosa’e (the Protestant Church in Timor-Leste)−
for sound and responsive leadership, openness to all people and a life shaped
by your Word, Jesus Christ himself, through whom we pray. Amen.

Prayer for Wednesday, March 11

March 11, 2009

Day 13 : ‘Let my people go’

Scripture for reflection: Exodus 3

Prayer: God of grace,
So many people still live under the tyranny of oppression. I pray that you would
raise up peacemakers and prophets to speak your words of truth, justice and
grace. May your words ‘Let my people go’ rumble like thunder to unsettle
despots and governments aligned to the politics of menace. God of peace, do
not let me sit by − empower me to petition for and work towards peace. Amen.

Prayer for Tuesday, March 10

March 10, 2009

Day 12 : The year of the Lord’s favor

Scripture for reflection: Luke 4:14-19

Prayer: Jesus the Liberator,
You began your ministry by proclaiming good news to the poor, freedom for
the prisoners, sight for the blind, release of the oppressed and equality and
justice for all. I pray that Australia becomes a place where such good news
is a reality for all. May we become a nation marked by forgiving attitudes, real
reconciliation and costly love. Amen.

Prayer for Monday, March 9

March 9, 2009

Day 11 : Leaving things behind

Scripture for reflection: Luke 19:1-10

Prayer: Liberating God, I pray that like Zacchaeus I would be able to leave behind those things that are not really mine. So often the possessions that I think I own turn out to own me. Free me from those things that bind me. Heal my soul that I might experience a lightness of spirit. May I learn to dance the liberated dance of the unburdened. Amen.

Prayer for Sunday, March 8

March 8, 2009

2nd Sunday : What does it mean to be a ‘Christian’?

Scripture for reflection: Mark 8:31-38

Reflection – Nero

(Nero was a Roman emperor who is rumoured to have played his fiddle as he watched
Rome burn)
All I need has been provided. In Jesus there is bread from heaven as well. Yet the
‘hedonic treadmill’ says more is needed. This is the trap of the developed world. More
is enough!! In truth, less is needed. More is obesity of the spirit, less is healthy. Do I
trust more in consumerism than I do in poverty of spirit?
Surely in today’s affluent first world, discipleship requires giving away and letting go. Too
often I hang onto treasures that rust away or are devoured by moths. Too often I want my
bank balance high and my stomach stretched. Am I not a Nero who plays while the less
fortunate suffer?

Prayer for Lent Event project : East Timor

Scripture for reflection: Mark 2:23-28

Prayer: Farmer God, you tend your creation, care for your people and invite us to be
pilgrims on your way. We can imagine our brother Jesus walking in fields, caring
for animals and working with wood, the sun on his neck, a splinter in his thumb
and, sometimes, in his throat a raw cough from blowing sand or scratchy seed.
We remember before you people among whom he lives still, people who each
day must submit themselves and their families to what weather gives. We stand
with him among people whose too common experience leads them to worry
whether there will be enough food. May farmers in East Timor and Australia
gain skills that make the most of their gifts, support when they need it, markets
for their produce and fair reward for their effort. We look for the day when the
systems that shape our lives embody your fairness, the day when all your
creation honours you, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer for Saturday, March 7

March 7, 2009

Day 10 : Trusting the Spirit

Scripture for reflection: John 16:5-16

Prayer: Holy Creating Spirit, Help me to know what a responsible and faithful lifestyle is. The testing times in which we live demand a rethinking of the way that I relate to your world. I need
your wisdom and guidance. I need your courage and your conviction. I need to
be reminded that it’s not all about me. Thank you for showing me a new way.
Thank you for journeying with me, and for the assurance that I, along with all
humanity, am within your care. Amen.

Prayer for Friday, March 6

March 6, 2009

Day 9 : A tempted people

Scripture for reflection: Hebrews 4:14-16

Prayer: God of grace and love, I give you thanks that Jesus was tempted as I am tempted. Help me not to see temptation as a sign of weakness and defeat but as an opportunity for obedience. Gracious God, strengthen me in the times that temptation comes and grant me the assurance of your forgiveness for those times when I have failed you. May the image of Christ grow in me, that I might faithfully live out the life of discipleship. Amen.

Week 2 of Lent: March 8

This is the second Sunday of Lent. We will continue our themes from Lent Event. This week, the theme is "What Does It Mean to Be Christian?". The Scripture is Mark 8.31-38. To get the full impact of the story, read also Mark 8.27-30.

[Quick Bible study tip: Mark 8.31 starts with the word "Then". Then? When? Read the immediately preceding verses to get the context and to understand why the Bible writer felt that one event connected to another. In this case, "then" tells us that Peter and the disciples had just confessed Jesus as the Christ. In this next section, Jesus foretells his death and Peter begins to rebuke him. Can you see how these two events would seem incongruous next to a confession of the deity of Jesus?]

The worship bulletin is here.

Keep up with your Lent Event resolutions!

Prayer for Thursday, March 5

March 5, 2009

Day 8: Prayer for the people of Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea

Scripture for reflection: Romans 12:3-15

Prayer: From many languages, centuries-old cultures and an enriching gospel, over
forty years ago you loved into being the United Church of Papua New Guinea.
On strung-out islands, coffee growing hills and among overcrowded settlements
there are people who serve you, love their neighbour and steward your creation.
Cast out powers that privilege some and impoverish others; that under-pay
growers, that extract resources without adequate payment; that limit access
to education, health and basic support; and that deepen conflict. We pray for
safe water and good sanitation for all people in Papua New Guinea and around
the world. Sustain those susceptible to nature’s blessing and cruelty amid the
effects of climate change. Open hearts to people whose land is disappearing
and who are forced to relocate. Convert us to live within the limits of creation,
honouring the earth and valuing the water. We thank you that in Christ you
shorten the distance between us and gather us to eat and drink at the same
Lord’s Table, justly and equitably, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer for Wednesday, March 4

March 4, 2009

Day 7 : A Baptised people

Scripture for reflection: Romans 6:1-14

Prayer: God of new life, You have taken your people through the waters of baptism. The old has died and the new has come. I pray that in my life and in the lives of the baptised
around the world, the fruit of the new life would be seen. In the words of Bishop
Desmond Tutu, remind me every day that ‘Goodness is stronger than evil;
Love is stronger than hate; light is stronger than darkness; life is stronger than
death; victory is ours through him who loved us. May the church be constantly
renewed to live out the values of your kingdom’. Amen.

Prayer for Tuesday, March 3

March 3, 2009

Day 6 : Prayer for creation

Scripture for reflection: Romans 8:18-27

Prayer: Saviour Jesus, You came into this world to save all creation. I pray for the strength to stand with you against the environmental abuse of this world. I look to join with others
who seek a more sustainable pattern of living. Encourage me as I seek ways to
walk more lightly on your earth. Holy Spirit, when I am lost for words, intercede
for me with groans that speak of the fragility of this beautiful world. Despite my
weaknesses, help me never to lose hope. Amen.

Lent Event Prayer and Scripture for Today

Monday March 2, 2009
Day 5 : Prayer for the downtrodden
Scripture for reflection: Matthew 22:1-14

The issue is not what we will give to the poor. It is when will we stop taking
from the poor? Jim Wallis

Prayer: God of mercy,
Many people in this world are trodden down under the weight of our
materialism. I pray today for those who stand on the fringes of the world
economy. I pray that those on the streets will find shelter, that those who
hunger will find room at your banqueting table. Holy Spirit of God, challenge
me to confront and overcome demons of greed. Spirit of God, challenge me
about the areas of my life where I contribute to social injustice. Don’t let me
forget those who are forced to live at the edges, for forgetting is a luxury your
kingdom cannot afford. Amen.

Lent Event Prayer and Scripture for Today

Sunday March 1, 2009 1st Sunday : With whom do we stand? Scripture for reflection: Genesis 9:8-17 Reflection – Covenant The drenching rain lessens− then drizzles to a halt. The sun peeps through the broken clouds and a shot of light bathes the landscape in gold. A rainbow arches across the sky and speaks of the wonder of God. Cockatoos screech into flight while cicadas start their drumming. Frogs are croaking – wallabies go back to their grazing. If you listen carefully you can hear the footsteps of God in this place. If you listen carefully you can hear a whisper on the breeze – ‘Behold, it is very good.’
Prayer for Lent Event project - Papua New Guinea
Scripture for reflection: Revelation 21: 1-6
Prayer: Pure loving God, as we turn a tap, drink from a glass or are massaged by freeflowing shower water, we thank you for the gift of pipes bringing water to homes, the skill of plumbers, infrastructure built up over years and money to pay for it. We remember before you women and children in Papua New Guinea who trudge for hours to fetch poor grade water and whose arms and heads ache from the containers they carry. We celebrate what our connections, a little money and a few basic supplies help achieve: children who can now go to school, mothers who have time to offer community leadership, infants safe from water-borne bugs, and an ecology further protected, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lent Event Prayer and Scripture for Today

Saturday February 28, 2009 Day 4 : Thankfulness for organisers Scripture for reflection: Ephesians 4:1-16 Prayer: Holy Spirit of God, I give you thanks for the ways in which you bless us as your people and call each of us to be a part of what you are doing in this world. We, across your worldwide church, praise you for imagining a world without extreme poverty. Thank you for the vision of Lent Event and the connections it makes between congregations and communities of the Uniting Church and with our partners around the world. Thank you for the organisational gifts of those who have made Lent Event possible in my community. I pray that all those involved in developing Lent Event are blessed by the knowledge that the lives of many have been touched by their efforts. Amen.

Lent Event Prayer and Scripture for Today

February 27, 2009

Day 3 : Letting go

Scripture for reflection: Matthew 6:19-24

Prayer: Creator God, All that I have belongs to you. You call me to be a good steward of all you have entrusted to me. But I confess that sometimes I want to hold it for myself. So easily it becomes precious to me. I think of myself as having ‘earned’ it by my own hard work, or ‘deserved’ it due to my own good nature. Then your good news can sound like bad news to my ears. Spirit of grace, continue in me your transforming work this Lenten season. Grant me the strength to let go of the things of the world, that I may gain abundant life. Amen.

Lent Event Prayer and Scripture for Thursday, February 26

February 26, 2009

Day 2 : Thankfulness for traveling companions

Scripture for reflection: Matthew 4:18-22

Prayer: Holy God, Thank you for all who are joining together as part of Lent Event. May walking
together show us what it means to participate in the community of faith. May
we all hear Jesus’ words ‘Follow me’ and remember that we are his disciples.
May we reach out to others with the love you have so freely offered us. Loving
God, grant us the generosity of spirit to be an encouragement to others and
the grace to allow others to encourage me. Amen.