Thursday, September 29, 2005
Preparing to Pray 9/29/05
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
(These verses are taken from Isaiah 61, a chapter quoted in this week’s reading on Paul’s first missionary journey—see below.)
News Articles for Prayer This Week
This week in worship, we remember:
- worshiping communities gathering in the wake of Hurricane Rita
- the new Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, John Roberts, and the great responsibility entrusted to him
- families of the victims of this week’s attack on a refugee camp in Darfur, Sudan
- families of the victims of suicide bombings this week in Iraq and Afghanistan
Themes for Prayer and Worship This Week
- What Do You Have? (1 Cor. 4:7), a worship service designed by CICW
- Paul’s First Missionary Journey: Acts 14, Calvin College Healthy Habits: Apostle Paul Pedometer Challenge
This prayer, based on Isaiah 61:1 and Acts 14:22, can accompany the devotional reading for Week 2(PDF) from the Healthy Habits site:
Lord, give us this week the courage to “bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
As you granted to your apostles, grant us a spirit of rejoicing in the face of the “many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.” We especially remember this week worshiping communities gathering in countries where they face oppression for their worship of you. In worship this week, strengthen the souls of your disciples and encourage them to continue in the faith.
- Lectionary Gospel Text: Matthew 21:33-46, notes and resources from the Center for Excellence in Preaching; Revised Common Lectionary resources from textweek.com
Pondering the Purpose of Worship
In addition to our prayers in preparation for worship, we ponder the purpose of worship. This week, we reflect on these words of wisdom about worship as we gather.
Paul is quite clear in his reminder in Romans 12 that worship extends beyond the bounds of the assembly into acts of service in the world. . . . there is more to worship than merely performing rituals . . . Walls separating the sacred and the secular, which were torn down by Jesus, are raised by human hands when worshipers separate the ritual waters of baptism from the table fellowship acts of service in the world . . . In true and authentic worship of God there is a dialectical relationship rather than a dichotomy between faith and practice, justice and ritual action, theological talk and doxological living, and sanctification and human liberation.
- Melva Costen, African American Worship, Abingdon Press, 1993, p. 126
Earlier: Preparing to Pray 9/23
More Resources for Preparing to Pray
Interdisciplinary Application • World • Worshipers • Worshipping Communities • (1) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink