The good news of Christ
I seek your face, O Lord, above all else. No good in the world is so great as your presence. Nothing is so precious as the hope you give us. Each day I desire you more. I pursue your wisdom as others devote themselves fully to riches or power.
I fear you and love you in all things. It hurts my ears to hear others use your name in vain. But let me eschew lack of respect by obeying the Lord Jesus in all that he has commanded. Continue reading “Each day I desire you more”
O God, I need you! Every hour and day, in every way!
Nothing, no one, can replace your presence in my life!
Keep schemes of Satan from crowding out the word of Spirit’s truth,
Or times of prayer — oh, needed season of prayer! — to praise and seek
Your blessed, holy face — encroaching thieves of precious time;
Lord, help me guard with care the hearing and speaking of our communion.
And let this conversation color every act and word,
That others may note that I have been with Jesus, my Lord and God!
With pangs of hunger do beggars ask why,
Or do the sufferers look to the sky?
One man seeks to learn from pain,
Another sees no obvious gain.
The body over time decays,
The aging mind has tricks it plays.
O God, where does existence lead?
And what is man’s most basic need?
Do not our hearts yearn most for you?
Where will we go when life is through?
Lord, still our hearts and wake our minds
To truth in Christ which in freedom binds.
His faithful answers satisfy,
To questions his silence the best reply.
None on earth has seen your face and lived,
Your fiery glory beyond the likes of man.
Before your throne of light we can’t endure,
We fall, trembling, to the ground in fear. Continue reading “Washed and Welcomed”
I thank you Lord with my whole heart, both in my private time and in the assembly of the godly, for revealing to us your great deeds of deliverance.
We remember your salvation and our forgiveness of sin in Christ. We remember your covenant and renew our pledge to follow the Lord in all things. Continue reading “Make that victory effective today”
Praise be yours for your eternal plan,
For faithful, selfless love shared freely with man,
For wisdom in your world, for truth to guide,
For giving a mind to think and a will to decide.
The power to do is yours, from you success —
We fail and stumble often, we confess!
Lord, give us deeper faith and make us strong,
Remind us, in our hearts, to whom we belong.
To you are glory, strength, and every praise,
O holy God, for perfect are your ways!
Heavenly Father, in our security, let us not refuse to listen to you. In our insecurity, let us not seek solutions which solve nothing but only exacerbate our tenuous situation.
We would lead others to you as a shepherd guides his sheep to water and pasture. Make us faithful followers by whose example and teaching others may reach you and hear your call. Continue reading “May none of your flock go missing”
We want to be perfect from the start, but you, O Lord, work in us to make us perfect in the end.
We open our hearts that you may have free rein and that your Spirit may work at will. Continue reading “Stiffen our spines against the Evil One”
Words are multiplied, O God, but acts of love are rare.
This world of war and hate know little of life that’s pleasant and fair.
I may not change the course of nations or cause the battle to cease,
Among my neighbors, though, I can promote a spirit of peace.
Give wisdom, Lord, that I might see the opportunity
To speak of Christ, to show his grace, to offer community.
Perfect in me that love of yours for saint and sinner both,
While fleeing sin, let me sow seed to spur the kingdom’s growth.
Each time beloved brethren meet,
Help me, O Lord, fulfill a need:
To wash a brother’s or sister’s feet,
To give a cup of water or feed
A hungry soul, to cheerfully greet
The lonely or broken heart, to guide
The lost and erring, for whom Christ died. Continue reading “Each Time We Meet”