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Daily Devotions for 24th March 2017

Morning

Look Upward and Pray to hear and receive from Jesus

Reading :   Matthew 5 verse 9

Meditation : take time and consider Jesus’ words as your day starts
What is He saying to you today?
Is there somewhere you need to bring peace?

Take time to Pray to the God of perfect peace

For yourself

For another person/situation known to you

For our world at this time

O God of peace,
I read
But
Help me believe
And trust in You.
Let Your Holy Spirit work in and through me
As You are doing across the world.
Amen – we pray together for peace.

Midday

Pray God’s blessing on believers caught up in troubled situations
Father God, hear our prayers and bless them real good we ask 

Evening

Reading : read this one verse again

Reflect on these words at the end of your day and pray in response
for your church, the church worldwide and the world

Lord Jesus, hear our evening prayers.

Language matters

Every language has a life of its own – picking up and discarding words as it goes along. Scanning down the list of the latest additions to the Oxford English Dictionary I noticed that some new words were political (‘brexit’), some were technological (‘browsability), some were quite personal (‘gobby’), and some were downright daft (‘sensibilization’). Some of the newer phrases were humorous (‘at full belt’), while others seem to have already been around for a long time (‘touchy-feeliness’).

As a church, the challenge is always to be aware of the language we use, what it conveys, and how well it is understood. As we move further and further into a post-Christian age, I have become conscious of the need to rethink some of our church language and culture, and especially to re-discover the language of mission.

Whereas, in the past, ‘church’ was generally thought to mean a building where Christians meet once or twice a week, these days we need to emphasise its original meaning – a community of believers who support each other as they live out their lives in the world. But how much of this is conveyed in the language we use? Here are some changes we could make. We could speak …

  • less of ‘membership’, and more of ‘discipleship’
  • less of ‘the minister,’ and more of ‘the body of Christ’
  • less of ‘being welcoming, and more of ‘being invitational’
  • less of ‘maintaining our existence’, and more of ‘building God’s Kingdom’…

Up to now we have focused on developing an ‘attractional’ approach to church – by making our Sunday services more open, welcoming, and attractive as possible. With less and less of the people in our community having any understanding or experience of church at all, however, we now need to focus on living out our faith more visibly beyond the walls of our buildings. We need to balance being ‘attractional’ with another new phrase, which grows in relevance with each passing year – being ‘missional’.

Much love

John

Daily Devotions for 14th March 2017

Upper Room day  –  time out with God

Morning

Look Upward and Pray to hear and receive from Father God

Reading : Matthew 7 verses 7-12

Meditation : consider these words of invitation from Jesus.
What do they mean for you today?
What is God saying to you from them?

And then turn the words into your morning prayer.
Asking…… Seeking…… Knocking…… and Receiving…… 

In Jesus’ Name
Amen.

Midday

Take time to listen for God to speak with you at this time of day
In the Upper Room….or where you are
Ask…… seek…… knock……….hear!

Father, thank you.  

Evening

Reading : read these familiar verses again

Reflect on the words and the promises given and then pray in response to what they say to you
Father God, I ask..seek..knock….and receive
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Daily Devotions for Sunday 12th March 2017

2nd Sunday in Lent

Morning

Look Upward and Pray to hear and receive from God, the Holy Spirit, on this Sunday

Reading : Matthew 6 verses 25-34

Meditation : consider these great words at the start of your day – read them again – and if needbe – again!
What is God saying to you from them?
What is your response to Him?

Pray in response – with praise – to this God!

Father God,
Thank You for….so much!
Help me to….trust You more for all You are doing!
I do worry
I do get anxious
I do so wish to see what’s coming around the next corner!
Thank you for these words this morning!
In Jesus’ name I ask.
Amen.

Midday

Pray for the Church around the world to know Sunday blessings
O God of mercy, hear our prayers!

Evening

Reading : read these verses again from Matthew 6

Reflect on the truths beyond the words and then Pray to our God …
O Father, Son and Holy Spirit, hear our prayers.

Daily Devotions for 7th March 2017

Upper Room day  –  time out with God

Morning

Look Upward and Pray to hear and receive from God, the Holy Spirit

Reading : Matthew 6 verses 1-4

Meditation :   consider the words spoken by Jesus in these 4 verses
What is He saying to you in particular today?
What is your response to Him?

Pray in response to be like this, to be like Jesus, even today

O Father God,
Our God,
Help us to make these words we read
A living reality…today,
With the help of Your Holy Spirit within us
For of ourselves we fail and fall.
Amen we say together.

Midday

Take time to listen for God to speak with you at this time of day
Ask…… seek…… knock……….hear!

Father, thank you.

Evening

Reading : read these verses again from Matthew 6

Reflect on the words again…and on your day…. and Pray in response, with confession

(Pray your own words at the end of this day
Words of worship and praise – for who God is
Words of confession and trust – for what God has done today for you
Words of hope and longing – for what God will do in and through you – even tomorrow)
Amen we pray together.