Confessional Prayer – Eastertide Week One

Remember to take some time to ask the Holy Spirit where He revealed God’s goodness to you this week. Where did you experience the power of the resurrection? (I am working on another post that will help make this more practical).

Almighty, eternal God! Forgive us our sin and lead us to eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Ulrich Zwingli

Begin by centering your heart in God’s presence… Give thanks to Him that you do not need to hide anything from him. Affirm that He is faithful and good, and his mercy and grace are “new every morning.” The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23). 

Now let Him begin the process of searching your heart. Are there ways you have not honored Christ this week? Where were your thoughts and desires not centered in Him? How have you failed in obedience to Christ?

Then, simply confess in as specific a way you can the sins that trouble you. Don’t rush through this process. Simply rest in God’s presence as He does this.

Now choose to let this go and receive Christ’s forgiveness for you. Remember – “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)

Receive His assurance of pardon –  7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ . (Eph 1:7-9 ESV)

And finally commit this confession to the Lord. As you rest in His forgiveness ask Him how to walk this out. Ask for the supernatural power of His Spirit to give you what you need to move forward. Thank Him that you “have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer [you] who live, but Christ lives in [you]” (Gal. 2:20).

Who is like a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression For the remnant of his inheritance He does not retain his anger forever, Because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers From the days of old.  Micah 7:18-20

Lectio Divina: Eastertide – A Heritage of Glory

Below you will find the lectio passage for this week; but I would encourage you to not only read this reflectively but take time to look at the context of this passage and then look for other passages in Paul that sound the same note. I’ve said this before (probably too many times!), Paul has taken the events of Christ’s death and resurrection, and made theology out of them! And then he makes that theology the language of our sanctification, our becoming in Christ. We can follow him in this as we read the Scriptures, identity the theological truths, and then let the Spirit form Christ in us through them. What a gift Paul was!

This is a fairly lengthy passage but it’s so good! It is probably a translation you might not be familiar with. May God “bring us to full knowledge of him!”

Ephesians 1:17–23 – May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, how rich is the glory of the heritage that he offers among his holy people, and how extraordinarily great is the power that he has exercised for us believers; this accords with the strength of his power at work in Christ, the power which he exercised in raising him from the dead and enthroning him at his right hand, in heaven, far above every principality, ruling force, power or sovereignty, or any other name that can be named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. He has put all things under his feet, and made him, as he is above all things, the head of the Church; which is his Body, the fullness of him who is filled, all in all. 

Step One – Read the passage slowly, attentively. Allow yourself to be taken in by the words – pay attention to any word or phrase that strikes you in the passage. (If you haven’t studied this passage, you may find this first reading will stir observation questions in you – such as who, what when, where, how).

Step Two – Read it again. Meditate and reflect on the passage. What is it in your life that needs to hear that word or phrase? Sit in silence for a time, attending to the thoughts, images and impressions that begin to come to you. Turn that into prayer.

Step Three – What is God saying to you? What do you begin to feel called to?

Step Four – How does God want you to live this passage out? What are you resolved to do?

I hope you are remembering to pause during the week or during each day to reflect on where you experienced God’s goodness and his resurrection power!

The Lord’s Prayer – Gethsamane

I’ve chosen to do something different with this Lord’s Prayer. Since Jesus taught us this prayer, I can imagine his teaching rose out of his personal relationship with the Father. I see this prayer unfolding in the way I think he might have prayed in the garden on the eve of his crucifixion.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed by thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread,
And forgive us our sins,
As we forgive those who have sinned against us.
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
And the glory, forever. Amen.

My heavenly Father, to whom I yield my greatest praise, you indeed are holy. More than all, I desire to see your kingdom to come in full – and you know I want your will to be done – as hard and painful as it is for me in this place, on this night. If you could spare me this… yet my being craves one thing only – Your will. In this garden Lord, I confess my great need for the strength to face what is to come tomorrow. Forgive my enemies, Father – for they don’t even know what they are doing. I have pleaded that you spare me this trial, this testing, but again, I choose You. Deliver not only me, but the whole of creation from the evil one – whose being is set only on annihilation. I will do this which You have asked of me and so bring fully into your kingdom those you have given me. “I glorified you on earth, and now I pray that you would glorify me in your own presence with the glory I had with you before the world existed. (John 17:4) May all that you have given to me receive the gift of eternal life.  Amen.

Confessional Prayer – Holy Week

Friends, as we approach Good Friday it’s appropriate that we take time to ask God to search our hearts, “to see if there is any offensive way in us, and to lead us in the way everlasting (Psa 139). May God grant us discernment, compunction, and contrition as we make our way to Calvary. What a tragic yet glorious phenomenon. We do not have to beat ourselves up, we don’t have to dissect our lives so that we might feel bad enough to think about Christ’s crucifixion. How can it be, that He became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God? Today, tonight, as we sit quietly in His presence, may the Holy Spirit bring to our hearts those sins we long to lay down. I have been cranky, and judgmental, and angry when things did not go my way today. Those sins and so much more I long to be cleansed of. I long to see the “power of the Cross” work its way into my heart. As long as He is nailed to that cross – may our sins be thrown onto Him. Can we release to Him our shame? Our wounds? Our suffering? Of course, we know that He died once, once and for all – but may we, this day, take into our hearts the reality of His suffering and His death.

Begin by centering your heart in God’s presence… Give thanks to Him that you do not need to hide anything from him. Affirm that He is faithful and good, and his mercy and grace are “new every morning.” The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23). 

Now let him begin the process of searching your heart. What is the Holy Spirit revealing to you? Is there anger in your heart? Bitterness? Unforgiveness? Pride? Take time to let the Spirit help you be specific about your sin. How have you not honored God this week? Know that “the grace of God prepares the way for the confession of sin” (Rutledge).  

Then, simply confess in as specific a way you can the sins that trouble you. Don’t rush through this process. Simply rest in God’s presence as He does this. Keep before you the Cross and what Christ has done for you. You may want to hold a cross, or a crucifix in your hand as you confess.

Now choose to let this go and receive Christ’s forgiveness for you. Remember – “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

And finally commit this confession to the Lord. As you rest in his forgiveness ask him how to walk this out. Ask for the supernatural power of His Spirit to give you what you need to move forward. Thank him that you “have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer [you] who live, but Christ lives in [you]” (Gal. 2:20).  

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in me a new and contrite heart that I, worthily lamenting my sins and acknowledging my wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Book of Common Prayer.

The Power of the Cross – Sovereign Grace Music

Holy Week Lectio Divina

Friends, there is so much to consider in Holy Week. It’s a dramatic week and the events pass by so quickly! I feel inclined to take our time this week to consider Good Friday (and then Resurrection Sunday) so I might not write about Maundy Thursday – the Passover meal Christ shared with the disciples and his vigil in Gethsemane. I’m very torn about this and might change my mind!

I’ve written about this before, but I want to put it before you again. Paul took all of what happened in the life of Christ and then of course in the disciples’ lives and made it theology. As I said before, he went even further than that. The Cross, the Resurrection, baptism, death and life became a language of sanctification – it became for us who follow Christ – a way of life. And it wasn’t just Paul. You see this in Peter and other writers of the epistles.

My sense is that it would be worth our time reading reflectively these passages I’m including that use that language, especially as we approach Good Friday. How was our old self crucified? How is it that in Christ we are now the righteousness of Christ? What is it about His crucifixion that made that a reality? What does it mean that our sins were nailed to the cross?

I think as well, it would be good to read all four Gospel accounts of the crucifixion. If you read them side by side, you’ll see the way each writer brought his own personal perspective to it. Spoiler – Luke’s account made me think of Christmas!

Lord, may Your Word go down deep in us. I’ve included a song called “Show Us Christ” which might be good to listen to before reading the Scriptures.

Rom 6:3-7 – 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For whoever has died is freed from sin. (NRS)

2Co 5:21- 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (NRS)

Col 2: 13-14 – 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Step One – Read the passage slowly, attentively. Allow yourself to be taken in by the words – pay attention to any word or phrase that strikes you in the passage. (If you haven’t studied this passage, you may find this first reading will stir observation questions in you – such as who, what when, where, how).

Step Two – Read it again. Meditate and reflect on the passage. What is it in your life that needs to hear that word or phrase? Sit in silence for a time, attending to the thoughts, images and impressions that begin to come to you. Turn that into prayer.

Step Three – What is God saying to you? What do you begin to feel called to?

Step Four – How does God want you to live this passage out? What are you resolved to do?

Lectio Quote

Friends, please forgive the length of the second quote! But what a quote. If you can, take some time this week and read this out loud. Have someone else read it to you. And let its truth sink deep into your soul as you prepare for Good Friday. (The first quote is also so very good!)

The Cross is the abyss of wonders, the center of desires, the school of virtues, the house of wisdom, the throne of love, the theatre of joys, and the place of sorrows; It is the root of happiness, and the gate of Heaven. 

Thomas Traherne

Of all the things in Heaven and Earth it [the Cross] is the most peculiar. It is the most exalted of all objects. It is a sign lifted up for all nations, to it shall the Gentiles seek, His rest shall be glorious: the dispersed of Judah shall be gathered together to it, from the four corners of the earth. If Love be the weight of the Soul, and its object the center, all eyes and hearts may convert and turn unto this Object: cleave unto this center, and by it enter into rest. There we might see all nations assembled with their eyes and hearts upon it. There we may see God’s goodness, wisdom, and power: yea His mercy and anger displayed. There we may see man’s sin and infinite value. His hope and fear, his misery and happiness. There we might see the Rock of Ages, and the Joys of Heaven. There we may see a Man loving all the world, and a God dying for mankind. There we may see all types and ceremonies, figures, and prophecies. And all kingdoms adoring a criminal: An innocent criminal, yet the greatest in the world. There we may see the most distant things in Eternity united: all mysteries at once couched together and explained. The only reason why this Glorious Object is so publicly admired by Churches and Kingdoms, and so little thought of by particular men, is because it is truly the most glorious: It is the Rock of Comforts and the Fountain of Joys. It is the only supreme and sovereign spectacle in all Worlds. It is a Well of Life beneath in which we may see the face of Heaven above: and the only mirror, wherein all things appear in their proper colors: that is, sprinkled in the blood of our Lord and Savior. (Traherne)

The Lord’s Prayer in Lent – Temptation

A word on temptation. In the New Testament we find the same word used in Greek for both temptation and testing in several passages, although there are other verses/passages that use a different word altogether. In the Lord’s Prayer, we find that what is translated as temptation could more likely mean “tested”. In fact, the New Revised Standard translation translates this verse as – “And do not bring us to the time of trial but rescue us from the evil one.” (Mat 6:13 NRS) (I like that!)

James 1:13 – ‘When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.’ This is the same word used in Matthew 6:13. But in John 6:5-6, the same Greek word is used as in both the Matthew and James passages, but it’s translated as test. – 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.”

Some scholars say the best way to translate it as either test or tempt is to look at the context. I’m not sure why the more recent translations of the Bible (like the NIV or the ESV) use the English word, temptation. One other thing to note here is that the NET Bible, like the NRS personifies evil – “deliver us from the evil one.” *

There is another passage which uses this word and it’s found in Matthew and Mark in the garden of Gethsemane. In Mark it reads:  38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mar 14:38 ESV) It is also interesting to note that Jesus, in one sense, is asking the Father to not test him in the trial to come (two verses just prior to this – v. 36 of Mark 14). But He says, “Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Our Father, who art in heaven, 
Hallowed be thy name. 
Thy kingdom come; thy will be done. 
On earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day, our daily bread, 
And forgive us our sins, 
As we forgive those who have sinned against us.  
And lead us not into temptation. 
But deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, 
And the glory, forever. Amen. 

We pray to you, Father, as Your Son has instructed us to pray – You have called us your children and have given us the right to call you Abba. You, with the Son and the Spirit alone are holy. May we truly worship Your holy name. Abba, we pray, especially in times of temptation, that your kingdom would come, and that Your will alone would be done. Feed us with the rich sustenance of Your Word and Your presence and thus give us what we need to stand in the face of temptation. Do not bring us to the time of trial but deliver us from evil and keep far from us the snares of the evil one. We are eternally grateful for Your kingdom and Your power and Your glory! May You reign for all time!

* NRS – New Revised Standard, ESV-English Standard Version, NIV- New International Version, and NET – New English Translation.

Confessional Sin and Temptation

A word here about confessing sin. We know of course that we can simply bring our sins to Him, and He forgives us. Yet there is power in praying with others and confessing to God in the presence of another. There can be divine objectivity in having others pray with us. They might have a word, or a picture of what God is doing. Sometimes, just having another person witnessing our confession is healing in itself!

Begin by centering your heart in God’s presence… Give thanks to Him that you do not need to hide anything from him. Affirm that He is faithful and good, and his mercy and grace are “new every morning.” The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23). 

Now let him begin the process of searching your heart. Are there particular temptations that are really difficult to withstand? Have you given in to sin and now want to confess that?

Simply confess in as specific a way you can the sin.  Don’t rush through this process. Simply rest in God’s presence as He does this.

Now choose to let this go and receive Christ’s forgiveness for you. Remember – “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Receive His assurance of pardon –  8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.  (Psa 103:8-12 ESV) 

And finally commit this confession to the Lord. As you rest in his forgiveness ask him how to walk this out. Is God asking you to do anything in regard to your struggles with temptation? Ask for the supernatural power of His Spirit to give you what you need to move forward. Thank him that you “have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer [you] who live, but Christ lives in [you]” (Gal. 2:20).

Lectio Divina – The Scriptures and Temptation

Hebrews 4:15-16 – 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (ESV).

Step One – Read the passage slowly, attentively. Allow yourself to be taken in by the words – pay attention to any word or phrase that strikes you in the passage. (If you haven’t studied this passage, you may find this first reading will stir observation questions in you – such as who, what when, where, how).

Step Two – Read it again. Meditate and reflect on the passage. What is it in your life that needs to hear that word or phrase? Sit in silence for a time, attending to the thoughts, images and impressions that begin to come to you. Turn that into prayer.

Step Three – What is God saying to you? What do you begin to feel called to?

Step Four – How does God want you to live this passage out? What are you resolved to do?

Lectio Quote

“Hence the importance of patience in the New Testament, which becomes the basic constituent of Christianity, more central even than humility: the power to wait, to persevere, to hold out, to endure to the end, not to transcend one’s own limitations, not to force issues by playing the hero or the titan, but to practice the virtue that lies beyond heroism, the meekness of the Lamb which is led”.  Hans von Balthazar

You can go through the same steps that we use for Lectio Divina for Scripture, or simply take some time and read this quote slowly and ask the Spirit to give you insight on the place of perseverance and patience in dealing with temptation.

The Lord’s Prayer in Lent – Forgiving Others

Our Father, who art in heaven, 
Hallowed be thy name. 
Thy kingdom come; thy will be done. 
On earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day, our daily bread, 
And forgive us our sins, 
As we forgive those who have sinned against us.  
And lead us not into temptation. 
But deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, 
And the glory, forever. Amen. 

As I thought and prayed about this week’s Lord’s Prayer, I felt that as we think about forgiving others, we would do well to sit for a time, and let the Holy Spirit reveal the Father to us. We need to let the words of Jesus from John 17:6 go deep into our bones. “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me, and they have obeyed your word.” A little further on He says “I pray… that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me, and I am in you. May they also be in us that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (17:21).

Our unity with others is rooted in the Father’s oneness with Christ, and They share that oneness with us.

We thank thee that we have a father, and not a maker; that thou hast begotten us, and not molded us as images of clay; that we have come forth of thy heart and have not been fashioned by thy hands. It must be so. Only the heart of a father is able to create. We rejoice in it and bless thee that we know it. We thank thee for thyself. Be what thou art — our root and life, our beginning and end, our all in all. Come home to us. Thou livest; therefore, we live. In thy light we see. Thou art — that is all our song.

George MacDonald

This quote from George MacDonald is so healing; so incredible. I even find it holy. How many of us did not have earthly fathers like MacDonald describes his Father in heaven? Yet Christ reveals Him to us, and we make our home with Them.

From that place, (the place of oneness we share with the Father and the Son), we are given what we need to forgive. So, take some time and listen to this recording of Andrea Bocelli singing The Lord’s Prayer. Then take any unforgiveness or bitterness or hardness of heart to your Heavenly Father, and receive the grace and freedom Christ has bought through His finished work on the Cross.

Confessional Prayer – Forgiving Others

Mirslov Volf wrote, “Forgiveness flounders because I exclude my enemy from the community of humans, and I exclude myself from the community of sinners.”

Begin by centering your heart in God’s presence… Give thanks to Him that you do not need to hide anything from him. Affirm that He is faithful and good, and his mercy and grace are “new every morning.” The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23). 

Now let Him begin the process of searching your heart. Are there people in your life you struggle to forgive? What stands in the way of forgiving them?

Then, simply confess in as specific a way you can the sin, or unforgiveness that troubles you. Don’t rush through this process. Simply rest in God’s presence as He does this.

Now choose with God’s help to forgive them. See them in the presence of God. Ask God for Hi s mercy to fall on them. Receive Christ’s forgiveness for you. Remember – “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)

Receive His assurance of pardon –  7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ . (Eph 1:7-9 ESV)

And finally commit this confession to the Lord. As you rest in his forgiveness ask him how to walk this out. Is God asking you to do anything in regard to your forgiving the one who sinned against you? Ask for the supernatural power of His Spirit to give you what you need to move forward. Thank him that you “have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer [you] who live, but Christ lives in [you]” (Gal. 2:20).