Prayers and Devotionals

Welcome!  God has some incredible things in store for us!  What a great opportunity we have to partner with the work that God is already doing!  And so the journey begins…

Each week we will be studying a new part of “Prepare the Way” on Saturday nights or Sunday mornings.  To continue in our study you will have the opportunity to dig deeper into what God has in store for us through the verses presented.  Take some time and read through the passage listed.  Pray that God will be a part of opening your heart and eyes to something new.  Then, read a short devotional thought.  This won’t take more than a few minutes and will be one more way to stay connected.  Ask others what they thought or how they understood the passage.  Engage and be changed.

Week 1:
Prepare the Way (Big Picture)

Luke 1:5-25 (NLT)

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

 5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

 8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

 11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.[a] 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,[b] and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

 18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

 19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

 21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.

 23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. 24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”

It seems to me like the little things in life are the most upsetting.  The things that seem to just eat at you.  It’s easy for me to focus on the little things, especially when a task seems unmanageable.  I think this is common thread in humanity. 

If I were to go to an art gallery and stand a few inches away from the painting (besides getting dirty looks from people around me and “a good talking to” by the security guards), I would not be able to see much.  I could see brush strokes.  Maybe I could make out a piece of the painting.  I could tell there were browns and greens.  I could probably see some of the time and effort put in, but I would never have an understanding of the broader image because I am standing too close.  I simply don’t have perspective.

Zechariah doubted what the angel told him, so vicariously, he doubted God’s plan.  He got caught up on the small things without being willing to accept the big picture that God had for him.  Often we are only given a small view of what God has in store, but the longer we remain faithful to completion, the more we see His glory come through.  That way we can affirmatively say that, “it wasn’t about us.”     

Now, that is certainly not to say that doubting is a sin, but losing our vision for the big picture that God has for us is.  What big picture is God trying to show you?  How do you get past the small details to see the grander image?

Week 2:
Prepare the Way: Courage (Hands-on Mission)

Luke 1:39-45 (NLT)
 39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

 42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

“Blessed is he/she that has believed what the Lord has said.” 

Here are a few questions to ponder from these verses.  Take some time to write out some answers.  Writing will force you to own what you think.

What has the Lord said to you recently?  Now this may not be an audible voice, but just maybe something that God has been impressing on you or teaching you.  What has the Lord said to us as a church? 

It says blessed is he/she that believes what the Lord has said.  How do we believe it?  How do we own what God has said to us?

Does belief mean action or intellect or both?  If it means action, what kind of action?  If it means intellect, how does that effect others?  And if it means both, do you work out your beliefs both in your head and with your actions? 

Week 3:
Prepare the Way: Freedom (Debt Elimination)

Luke 1:57-66; 67-79 (The Message)

The Birth of John

 57-58When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her.

 59-60On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and were calling him Zachariah after his father. But his mother intervened: "No. He is to be called John."

 61-62"But," they said, "no one in your family is named that." They used sign language to ask Zachariah what he wanted him named.

 63-64Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, "His name is to be John." That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah's mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God!

 65-66A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else. Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, "What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this."

67-79 Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

   Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
      he came and set his people free.
   He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives,
      and in the very house of David his servant,
   Just as he promised long ago
      through the preaching of his holy prophets:
   Deliverance from our enemies
      and every hateful hand;
   Mercy to our fathers,
      as he remembers to do what he said he'd do,
   What he swore to our father Abraham—
      a clean rescue from the enemy camp,
   So we can worship him without a care in the world,
      made holy before him as long as we live.

   And you, my child, "Prophet of the Highest,"
      will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways,
   Present the offer of salvation to his people,
      the forgiveness of their sins.
   Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
      God's Sunrise will break in upon us,
   Shining on those in the darkness,
      those sitting in the shadow of death,
   Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
      down the path of peace.

Has something ever happened to you that was so incredible you had no words to describe it?  Has there been a time you have just sat in awe of God’s love?  His majesty?  Here is another opportunity to do that…

There is an ancient practice of studying scripture called Leccio Divina.  It can be done both in groups and in your own personal study.  There are many ways to go about Leccio Divina, but I want to share a short, simple version as a way to be in God’s presence through these verses.  Leccio Divina is simply letting the words of scripture wash over you.  Read the verses of 68-79 again.  Say them out loud.  Read them again, silently.  As you read them again, listen for words that stick out to you.  A thought that resonates in your own life.  A phrase that stands out over all the others.  Do you have one?  Once a word or phrase or idea stands out, take a few minutes to think about it.  Sit with it.  Let it seep into your mind.  Now, the final step is this, take a few minutes to creatively share the word of phrase that caught your attention.  Do it in whatever way you usually express yourself.   Maybe you write a short story, a poem.  Maybe you paint.  Maybe you simply go out and do some yard work while you allow those words to meditate.  Find a way, a physical, tangible action to express the words you’ve just received. 

Week 4:
Prepare the Way: Potential (Our Future)

Luke 3:1-18 (NLT)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

 1 It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler[a] over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler[b] over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. 3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 4 Isaiah had spoken of John when he said,

   “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
   ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
      Clear the road for him!
 5 The valleys will be filled,
      and the mountains and hills made level.
   The curves will be straightened,
      and the rough places made smooth.
 6 And then all people will see
      the salvation sent from God.’”[c]
 7 When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 9 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

 10 The crowds asked, “What should we do?”

 11 John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”

 12 Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?”
 13 He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”
 14 “What should we do?” asked some soldiers.
   John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”
 15 Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. 16 John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with[d] water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.[e] 17 He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” 18 John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people.

The phone rang, waking John up from his Saturday afternoon nap. 
“Hello.”
“Hi, John?  This is Sharon.  I’m bored and wondered if you had plans for the afternoon.”
Still groggy, he said, “No, no plans.  Do you want to come over?”
“Sure, I’ll be there in an hour.” 

At that moment John awakened to what had just happened.  Sharon, a girl he had been mildly flirting with at work was now going to be driving over to hang out with him.  They had never spent much time together.  He dashed around the room picking up dirty clothes and putting books away.  An hour would hardly be enough time to get his room from disarray to arranged.  From disaster to masterful.  The transformation would have to be substantial.  John was up for the challenge, though.  As he picked up each article and put it in his place, he did it while thinking about this girl.  She was important and he wanted to make a good first impression.  He wanted the care that he showed his house to be a reflection of the kind of care he would show her.  He wanted her to want to be there and to feel comfortable. 

As he scurried around he checked every corner and crevice to make sure it was immaculate.  The doorbell rang. 

At Church at the Crossing, who are we preparing for?