During the season of Lent, the community of Faith Lutheran will be reflecting on scripture and praying together for the renewal of our congregation through A Time to Renew. Each week new the Scripture selections and prayer prompts will be posted for the coming days. We invite you to find a prayer practice that works for you and spend time each day praying for the renewal of this community.
Begin your prayer practice each day with this prayer, which is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi.
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Prayers for the Week
Thursday, March 8 – 2 Corinthians 5:18-20
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
Pray that we may experience reconciliation with God, and that, in turn, we may reach out and touch others with the same healing message.
Friday, March 9 – Psalm 51:10-12
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.”
Ask God to make known the cleansing, purifying, and sanctifying work in the hearts of many people, not only in those of our congregation, but also in the lives of those we touch.
Saturday, March 10 – Mark 4:26-28
“He also said, ʻThe kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.”
Pray that God will grow the kingdom in your community as the seed of God’s word is spread.
4th Sunday of Lent, March 11
Numbers 21:4-9 – Judgement and healing in the serpent lifted up
Ephesians 2:1-10 – Though we were dead, God made us alive in Christ
John 3:14-21 – Jesus lifted up on the cross, granting life
Prayer of the Day: O God, rich in mercy, by the humiliation of your Son you lifted up this fallen world and rescued us from the hopelessness of death. Lead us into your light, that all our deeds may reflect your love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Monday, March 12 – Genesis 12:1-3
“Now the Lord said to Abram, ʻGo from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.ʼ”
Ask God to show you some people you could personally invite to worship. Pray for God’s guidance, and then invite them. Pray that the “blessing” work of God, promised through Abraham, is done in your community.
Tuesday, March 13 – 1 John 3:1-3
“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”
Take a few moments to let God reveal to you the love that has made you a child of God. Listen to the Lord.
Wednesday, March 14 – Psalm 19:14
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Pray for the congregation and leaders of A Time to Renew, that their work and words are pleasing to God, serving God’s call for our community.
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
Pray that we may experience reconciliation with God, and that, in turn, we may reach out and touch others with the same healing message.
Friday, March 9 – Psalm 51:10-12
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.”
Ask God to make known the cleansing, purifying, and sanctifying work in the hearts of many people, not only in those of our congregation, but also in the lives of those we touch.
Saturday, March 10 – Mark 4:26-28
“He also said, ʻThe kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.”
Pray that God will grow the kingdom in your community as the seed of God’s word is spread.
4th Sunday of Lent, March 11
Numbers 21:4-9 – Judgement and healing in the serpent lifted up
Ephesians 2:1-10 – Though we were dead, God made us alive in Christ
John 3:14-21 – Jesus lifted up on the cross, granting life
Prayer of the Day: O God, rich in mercy, by the humiliation of your Son you lifted up this fallen world and rescued us from the hopelessness of death. Lead us into your light, that all our deeds may reflect your love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Monday, March 12 – Genesis 12:1-3
“Now the Lord said to Abram, ʻGo from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.ʼ”
Ask God to show you some people you could personally invite to worship. Pray for God’s guidance, and then invite them. Pray that the “blessing” work of God, promised through Abraham, is done in your community.
Tuesday, March 13 – 1 John 3:1-3
“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”
Take a few moments to let God reveal to you the love that has made you a child of God. Listen to the Lord.
Wednesday, March 14 – Psalm 19:14
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Pray for the congregation and leaders of A Time to Renew, that their work and words are pleasing to God, serving God’s call for our community.
Join us tonight (March 14) for midweek Lenten Evening Prayer. The theme for this week's homily is Forgive and the Bible passage is Luke 15, where Jesus offers 3 parables of the joy and fulfillment in finding what is lost . The reflecting questions from this passage and homily are: Who is “lost” in our community? To whom is God calling our congregation to announce God’s gracious forgiveness?
Soup will be served in the Fellowship Hall at 6:00 pm and worship will begin at 7:00 pm in the Sanctuary.
