My Prayer For You

Colossians 1:9-14 “Pastor, would you pray for me.”  I have cancer.  I’m struggling in my marriage.  I’ve got this big decision to make and I don’t know which way to go.  My child is on the wrong track.  “Pastor, would you pray for me.” 

I’m always glad to do that.  In fact, I’m blessed to be able to share your joys and sorrows and struggle.  I want you to have every good gift that God bestows upon his children in this life and so I am happy to take these things to the Lord in prayer, confident that God will always answer for your good.

But my prayers for you don’t end there because there is much more to our existence than just being healthy, wealthy, and wise.  My job as your pastor is to help you have a life with God—in this world and in the world to come.

And so my prayers for you do not stop at material blessings—but also include spiritual blessings.  I pray that you would have a knowledge of God and his will so that you would live holy lives here on earth.  I pray that God would give you his strength so that you could face the challenges of life with faith and joy.  And I pray that you would be filled with thanksgiving to God for his gift of salvation.  The Bible says:

We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

God is Your heavenly Father.  Jesus has saved you at the cost of his own life.  The Holy Spirit has been working in your life from the very beginning to make you God’s child.  No one knows you better or loves you more than God.  And the Lord has a will for your life—every part of your life—and that will is not hidden.  It is plainly revealed in his Word.

As your pastor I am thankful to God that you know and believe that Jesus is your Lord and Savior.  There is no substitute for that.  There is no life with God without that.  But God wants you to know what that means—not as some intellectual agreement with the truth and not as merely some dogma that we say correctly in the creeds.  But he wants you to have a living, heartfelt knowledge of his will for you.

There is one way to come to that knowledge and that is through the Word of God.  That is why I pray for you to be faithful in church and bible class attendance—that you would hear the Word of God read and preached on and taught. 

God has a will for how you order your priorities and how you deal with money and how you manage your family and unless you hear and study his word you will not know be able to live the holy life that God expects of those he has redeemed.  The Bible says that we are to grow in our knowledge of his will so that we can:

walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

That is a high calling indeed—to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.  Just think of that!  Our lives are to be lived in such a way that all of the care and concern and time and love that God has lavished upon us has been worthwhile to him. 

We have been saved for a purpose—so that we can live lives that are pleasing to him.  We see that so clearly in our Old Testament lesson.  Again and again God says:  I am the Lord—the God of your salvation—and so this is how you are to live.  And as we walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and as we do good works—our knowledge of God himself will grow.

This is something that Christians are confused about.  We can learn about God’s will from the Bible ( and that is the first step) but a knowledge of God himself—filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding-- comes as we step out in faith and begin to actually live out what the Bible says.  That takes courage and conviction and so I pray that God would give you the strength to do so.  My pray for you is that you:

…be strengthened with all power, according to God’s glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,

Throughout these verses we hear the high calling of our Christian life—that we are to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord—that we are to live our lives in such a way that they are fully pleasing to God—that we are to bear the fruit of good works and patiently endure all things.

None of us naturally have the strength or resolve or faith to do any of these things.  And yet the Lord calls us to do them.

Is this high calling an act of cruelty on God’s part, seeing that we have no strength in ourselves to do it?  No!  Rather, it is an invitation to be strengthened by the Lord—to have his glorious might active in our lives—rather than relying on our own strength.  Let me give you an example.

Paul struggled with something he called “a thorn in his flesh”.  We don’t know what that was but it was a real sign of his own frailty and he prayed earnestly for it to be removed.  But God wanted him to have strength far greater than his own and so the thorn remained but along with it Paul was given God’s strength.  God told him:  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”.

That power that is perfected in our weakness—that power that strengthens us for the high calling of the Christian life is the Gospel—the Good News of Jesus.  The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. 

The world thinks of power only in terms of earthly strength and might and so has little regard for the power of the Gospel.  But it is only the Good News of Jesus Christ that has the power to deliver us from the dominion of darkness and transfer us to the kingdom of God.  It is only the Good News of Jesus that has the power to change enemies of God into his children.  It is only the Good News of Jesus Christ that has the power to defeat death and the devil.

The Gospel is the power of God that strengthens us for the Christian life and we receive it over and over when we hear the story of salvation in the sermon and receive Holy Communion and when we are forgiven of our sins in the absolution. 

We need every bit of God’s strength that we can possibly receive, every time we have an opportunity to receive it, so that we can patiently endure the challenges we face as Christian people because we now that many will fall away and it is only those who endure unto the end who will be saved.

As your pastor I want you to come to church on Sunday because I know that this is the place that God has appointed where you can receive the strength you need to face the challenges of living as a Christian.  And those challenges are many.

We live in a world that scorns our values.  The devil prowls around like a roaring lion.  Our own flesh wages war against the new people we are in Christ. 

In our own strength we are hopelessly outgunned in the spiritual battle that we must wage and win throughout our lives if we are to finally enter into heaven.  That is why the Lord has generously promised to empower us through the Gospel so that we can not only endure—BUT ALSO A LIFE OF JOY.

God does not want our life with him to be drudgery and disappointment—Jesus came to give us life and give it to the full—and yet there are struggles and setbacks. 

The key to joyful Christian living is the promise that we are God’s own children, forgiven of our sins, and part of his family—no matter what we face-no matter how often we fall—God loves us.  Strengthened by this Good News we can live a Christian life that is joyful and thankful.  And so I pray that you would:

give thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered you from the domain of darkness and transferred you to the kingdom of his beloved Son,  in whom you have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

I’ve met a number of people who are bitter.  Their life has not worked out like they planned.  They feel like they’ve missed out on some things that mattered.  No matter what is going on in their life—even if it is a blessing—it’s just not quite good enough—not the right timing, etc.  There is no joy because there is no thankfulness.

I can’t think of anything worse for a Christian than to lose the capacity for thankfulness.  And so the question is:  in this life where there are struggles and setbacks—where things don’t always go as planned—how can we retain our thankfulness and joy? 

The secret to thankfulness and joy is whatwe have set our hearts on and wherewe have fixed our hopes.  If the object of your life- is this life- you will finally be disappointed because even a life that is blessed materially will end and then eternity.  Jesus said that it is the worst kind of trade to gain the world in this life if we lose our souls for eternal life. 

Of course we know that there are plenty of people sitting in pews that try to have it both ways—people that are really focused on this life thinking of their faith as an insurance policy for eternity.  But this is not really faith and there is no joy or thankfulness for them because it is impossible to love God and mammon.

The only cure for this is to refocus our lives on what truly matters—what will never disappoint—and that is the gift of salvation.  God has rescued us from the devil at the cost of his Son’s life.  He has made us members of his family by the power of the Holy Spirit.  He has forgiven all our sins.  A life of thanksgiving comes from the joy of our salvation—God’s promise that we are his children who have an eternal home waiting for us.

Knowledge of God’s will.  Strength for the journey.  A life of thanksgiving.  This is my prayer for you.  Amen.

Proper 10 Pentecost 8 General Prayer

Gracious heavenly Father, as we come to You in Jesus’ name, asking for those things we need, we pray that You would be gracious to us and lift us up:

We confess and believe that You are the LORD—the God who has delivered us and saved us by the death and resurrection of Your Son Jesus Christ.  Help us to live as Your people and love our neighbors as ourselves by caring for those in need and living justly with others and forgiving others as we have been forgiven by You. 

Fill us with Your Holy Spirit so that the seed of the Gospel which has been implanted in us through word and sacrament would bear fruit and grow strong.  Continue to raise up faithful ministers of the Gospel like Epaphras who will make known to us the truth of Your grace and Your love for us in the Sprit.

Empower the mission and ministry of our congregation so that many in our community would leave the domain of darkness and be transferred into the kingdom of Your Son where there is forgiveness for their sins.

When we are tempted to justify ourselves in Your sight by the things we do and say, remind us that Your standard is perfection and then point us to Your Son Jesus in whom this perfection is found and through whom we are truly justified in Your sight.

As we  look upon a world in need grant us compassion and a willingness to help and so prove that we love our neighbors as ourselves.  Help us to walk in a manner worthy of You, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in knowledge of You.  Especially do we pray this for Timothy, James, and Jonathon as they celebrate their birthdays.

Prevent our enemies from shouting in triumph over us.  Empower and protect all of those who bear the sword as Your ministers for our good.  Help them to exercise their duties in a way that is right in Your sight.

Gracious heavenly Father, we know that we have a hope laid up for us in heaven through the glorious resurrection and ascension of Jesus.  Grant us the wisdom and the faithfulness and the endurance to walk the narrow way to our eternal home.

Whatever else You see that we need; whatever is good for our neighbor and gives glory to You; whatever will work for our salvation; grant to us dear Father in heaven for we ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, confident that You will hear and answer us for his sake.  Amen.

Bear One Another's Burdens

Galatians 6:1-10 In every human relationship—marriage, family, church, the workplace and school-- there are going to be times when someone sins—and someone gets hurt by that sin.  A spouse commits adultery.  Angry words are spoken between family members about a will.  A fellow employee takes credit for our work.  Gossip destroys a friendship. 

The temptation is to wash our hands of that person or to give back just as good as we got.  We have a terrible human capacity to carry around grudges for years and lash out in anger.  But that is the way of the world.  What are to do as Christ’sdisciples when sin has hurt a relationship? The Bible says: 

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him…

Like so many things in the Kingdom of God—this is counter-intuitive.  When we have a conflict, we expect the one who was wrong to come to us and try to make things right—preferably on their knees.  “I’m not going to her—she’s gotta come to me!”  But Jesus says it’s to be just the opposite with his disciples:  “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.”       

As God’s people we are called to work for the sinner’s restoration—to bring them to that place where they can be reconciled to those they have hurt and reconciled to God. 

That reconciliation always begins in the same place—with the hard truth about the sin and the sinner revealed in the Law.  That is why Paul tells us that we are to restore those who have fallen into sin with a spirit of gentleness. 

It is a painful thing to see the truth about ourselves when we’ve sinned.  None of us enjoys having our failures pointed out.  That is why we are to be gentle with others when they fall short of what God expects them to be so that they can come to the place where they can say:  You’re right.  I’m sorry.  What I did was wrong.  Please forgive me.

At that moment, the most powerful words that we will ever speak are spoken:  “I forgive you”.  Jesus promised his disciples that if they forgave the sins of anyone—they were forgiven—not just on earth but in heaven. 

That promise of powerful forgiveness was not just for the twelve- and it is not just for pastors- but the call to forgive is for all of Christ’s people because those words find their power in the cross of Jesus Christ where all forgiveness is found.

When Christians say “I forgive you” to those who have sinned we assure them that our relationship with them- and their relationship with God- has been restored by the atoning death of Jesus on the cross.  And in speaking those words to others we remind ourselves that we too need the forgiveness of Christ.  The Bible says we are to:

Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted-for if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.    

When someone has sinned and there has been a conflict we like to tell ourselves “that of course we would never treat someone that way”—“I’m not that kind of person”.  But we must not kid ourselves that we are somehow magically immune from the failures of our fellow human beings--we are in this sin-mess together with all people.  That is why Paul tells us that we are to Bear one another's burdens…

   There are all kinds of things that people use to identify themselves as true Christians.  In Galatia it was circumcision and keeping the Mosaic Law.  Today it’s worship style—denominational affiliation—clothing—school choice—personal piety--and so on that people mistakenly use to identify themselves as Christians. 

But there is one thing that is a sure sign of whether or not we are Christ’s people:  whether or not we are people of forgiveness.  It is in our willingness to forgive that we show true Christ-likeness because forgiveness is the story of our own salvation.

Our heavenly Father looked upon a world full of people that were alienated from him—a world full of people that sinned against him—and He loved them and longed for their restoration as his children. 

He sent his Son Jesus into this world of sinners and he carried our sin burden to the cross where it was forgiven in his shed blood--speaking the words that changed our lives for times and eternity:  “Father, forgive them” spoken to every person into the world whose sins burdened him and brought him to the cross that day.

“Forgive them.”  That is how we do good to all people—that is how we bear one another’s burdens—that is how we fulfill the law of Christ. 

The word “law” in this verse does not mean an oppressive command that must be obeyed but an example that is followed by Christ’s disciples.  And so the question for us this morning is this, “How are we doing showing the forgiveness of Christ to others”?  The Bible says:   Let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 

            When we test our lives in this (in forgiving others just as Christ forgave us) how do we measure up?  Do we still carry some ill will in our hearts towards someone that has wounded us?  Are we constantly bringing up some past hurt that we have told someone has been forgiven?  Are we still bearing some grudge against this person or that? 

If we are, it does USno good to say:  “Well, they made me mad” or “It’s all their fault” or “They shouldn’t have done that or said that.”  The Bible says that “Each will have to bear his own load.” 

That means that it is we, and we alone, who bear the responsibility for the anger and bitterness in our heart.  Yes, that other person genuinely hurt us and sinned against us.  Yes, they have a responsibility to repent and confess and seek God’s forgiveness.  But all of that is between them and the Lord.  We are the ones who have to deal with our own spiritual life and what we have in our hearts.

When we measure our lives as Christ’s people against the pure standard of our Savior’s forgiving love—when we try to fit our actions and attitudes into the mold of the cross--we can’t help but see that we haven’t always followed Jesus’ example.

We have carried grudges—we have kept others at arm’s length—we have looked for opportunities for revenge—we’ve put the worst construction on what others have said and done. 

Today is the day to be done with that—to confess it for the sin that it is and to seek Christ’s never-ending forgiveness and the Spirit’s help to began again as his people to live out his life in this world.

It is not easy to do—this forgiving thing-- and we would never even begin to realize that we needed to do it if the Holy Spirit did not speak to us about it in God’s Word.  That is why the Bible says that the “One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches.”  

What a blessing it is for me to commend this congregation in the way that you gladly fulfill this apostolic command in sharing with your pastor and so there is nothing self-serving in my pointing out how important the office of the Holy Ministry. 

Left to ourselves we have a terrible capacity (even when it comes to our own private study of the Word of God) to seek out those words that validate our own behavior and those words that judge the behavior of others.

That is why we need the office of the Holy Ministry—so that we can hear that Word of God that is outside of us—maybe a word of rebuke that we would just as soon have avoided—maybe a word of forgiveness that we would have never dared to apply to ourselves—but we needed to hear it for what it is—a Word from the Lord--because what’s at stake in our spiritual lives is serious and eternal.  The Bible says: 

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.   And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.  

These words of Paul point us to the Last Day when there will be a final judgment for the living and the dead—with eternal life or eternal death as the judgment-- and when it comes to conflict and hard feelings between ourselves and others that is a helpful thing to remember because what we sow in this life we will reap in eternity. 

What does our fussing and fighting and feuding with one another in our marriages, homes, friendships, and congregations look like in the light of eternity but a bunch of petty, childish silliness?  Now picture this in the light of eternity:  a life of Christian love spent doing good to others, bearing their burdens, and forgiving their sins.    

There is nothing easy about the Christian life.  It is not an accident that Jesus likes it to taking up a cross because this kind of life requires us to die to ourselves and live for Christ and others.  But we have the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us and is strengthened in us today through God’s gifts of Word and Sacrament. 

And so we begin again today to live lives of forgiveness, doing good to all because our hearts have been transformed by the cross and our eyes are fixed on the Last Day when all of Christ’s faithful people will receive the reward of eternal life.  Amen.

General Prayer Pentecost 7c Proper9

Gracious heavenly Father, the heavens declare Your glory and the sky above Your handiwork.  As we come to You in prayer, hear us for the sake of Jesus for we ask all things in his name:

Let Your peace flow to us like a river, comforting us with the promise that You graciously count us Your children through faith in Jesus Christ.  Especially do we pray that Your peace would calm the hearts and minds of those who are mentally ill and those who suffer from addiction.

Empower the witness of Your church as we bring the good news of salvation to all people and spread Your Word to the ends of the earth.  Especially do we pray that you would continue to raise up pastors and missionaries to preach the good news.

In our lives as Your people deepen our humility and strengthen our love for others so that we do not grow weary in doing good, but gladly bear one another’s burdens and fulfill the law of Christ.  When we sin lead us to repentance and when others sin grant us compassion and a desire to see them restored.

Remind our fellow citizens and the leaders of our nation that you will not allow Yourself to be mocked, but that we will reap what we sow.  As a nation let us sow peace and righteousness and holiness and a concern for all human life.  

Keep before our eyes the day of judgment and the necessity of enduring in faith unto the end so that we are exalted to heaven rather than brought down to Hades.  Prepare us for that day with a willingness to repent of our sins and a heart that trusts in Jesus for salvation.  Especially do we remember and give thanks for the faith that You granted to our sister Nancy who now rests from her labors in Your presence.

Lord, let Your almighty hand be known to Your servants and grant us all those material things You know that we need.  Cause our heart to rejoice and our bones flourish like the grass.  Show Your indignation against our enemies and protect our lives from harm.

Whatever else You see that we need; whatever gives glory to You and serves our neighbor; whatever works to our eternal salvation, grant to us dear Father in heaven for we ask it confidently in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Amen.