Losing my idols...

Good Thursday morning, my friends.

The prayer below is challenging and dangerous.  It hands everything over to God, and strips us of our idols.  I don't even recognize the idols in my life sometimes until I am forced to give them up.  Personally, I pray this with trepidation, and perhaps not completely sincerely.  But with His Grace, this prayer will become more sincere, and the trepidation will decrease.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. 

All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. 

Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more.

--Ignatius Loyola Suscipe

(http://www.yenra.com/catholic/prayers/offeringandprayerofstignatiusloyola.html)

Bruce MacPherson  macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821 You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.  Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.

Keep us at tasks too hard for us that we may be driven to Thee for strength

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.

How often do we look at ministry or serving opportunities, measure our abilities to accomplish it, and make a decision on whether or not we will participate based on that assessment?

How often do we pray "Keep us at tasks too hard for us that we may be driven to Thee for strength"?  My record shows much more of the former, and few of the latter.  

Maybe it's time to re-examine how we determine what Kingdom work we will be involved in.  Maybe it's time to ask the Holy Spirit to make those decisions for us.

Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance,

Bruce

Our Father, who has set a restlessness in our hearts and made us all seekers after that which we can never fully find, forbid us to be satisfied with what we make of life. 

Draw us from base content and set our eyes on far off goals. 

Keep us at tasks too hard for us that we may be driven to Thee for strength. 

Deliver us from the fretfulness and self-pitying; make us sure of the good we cannot see and of the hidden good in the world. 

Open our eyes to simple beauty all around us and our hearts to the loveliness men hide from us because we do not try to understand them. 

Save us from ourselves and show us a vision of the world made new. 

-- Eleanor Roosevelt

(http://www.bukisa.com/articles/349775_great-prayers-for-strength)

Bruce MacPherson  macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821 You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.  Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.

You were the Life and had come to bring it to the dead

Good Tuesday morning, my friends.

Easter will be upon us in a few weeks.  As we journey through Lent towards this celebration, we should have our eyes and hearts fixed on the Cross and the Resurrection.  Meditate today on this prayer, and the Gospel contained therein.

Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace be yours,

Bruce

O Lord, you received affronts without number from your blasphemers, 

yet each day you free captive souls from the grip of the ancient enemy. 

You did not avert your face from the spittle of perfidy, 

yet you wash souls in saving waters. 

You accepted your scourging without murmur, 

yet through your meditation you deliver us from endless chastisements. 

You endured ill-treatment of all kinds, 

yet you want to give us a share in the choirs of angels in glory everlasting. 

You did not refuse to be crowned with thorns, 

yet you save us from the wounds of sin. 

In your thirst you accepted the bitterness of gall, 

yet you prepare yourself to fill us with eternal delights. 

You kept silence under the derisive homage rendered you by your executioners, 

yet you petition the Father for us although you are his equal in divinity. 

You came to taste death, 

yet you were the Life and had come to bring it to the dead. 

Amen. 

Saint Gregory the Great

(http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/pray0540.htm)

Bruce MacPherson  macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821 You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.  Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.

Pascal's prayer of surrender.

Good Monday afternoon, my friends.

Accepting Jesus Christ as our Saviour implies surrendering our lives to Him.  The prayer below by Blaise Pascal captures the essence of this surrender beautifully.  Use it to re-affirm your commitment today.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

O Lord, let me not henceforth desire health or life, except to spend them for Thee, with Thee, and in Thee. 

Thou alone knowest what is good for me; do, therefore, what seemest Thee best. 

Give to me, or take from me; conform my will to Thine; 

and grant that, with humble and perfect submission, and in holy confidence, I may receive the orders of Thine eternal Providence; 

and may equally adore all that comes to me from Thee; 

through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

-- Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

(http://kenanderson.net/bible/html/march.html)

Bruce MacPherson  macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821 You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.  Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.

How do we "keep holy the Sabbath day"?

Good Friday morning, my friends.

You may (or may not) have noticed that the Prayer wasn't sent out yesterday.  It was an interesting time here at my "day job".  We were doing a major software release of all components of the Human Resources software I work on for a client.  The problems started with a few hiccups, then a few burps, then a few other bodily function noises that won't be mentioned.  By the end of a rather long day we ended up rolling back two major components of the system.  With all the fires to put out, to mix the metaphor, there wasn't much time for finding something to write, but I did manage to say a few prayers!

A couple of days ago, I wrote about how God lays out in Isiah 58 how he wants us to be concerned about the suffering of others, and He tells us quite bluntly that all the "religion" in the world won't help us if we ignore those in need.  But the last two verses of that chapter talk about something else:

"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, 

    if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, 

and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, 

    then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land 

and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." 

            For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 58:13-14)

This convicts me.  But of course, that is why it was written: to convict those who are guilty of this trespass.  But it also contains a wonderful promise.

What does it mean, in this day and age, to "keep holy the Sabbath day"?  To be honest, I am not really sure, but I will spend some time thinking and praying about it.   As far as I can see this day has two purposes:  The first would be to set aside time to worship God and fellowship with other believers.  The second would be for rest (remember God rested on the seventh day?) and rejuvenation.  If you are like me you may do fairly well with that first purpose, but what about the second?  On any given Sunday it would be not unusual for me to go to the grocery store, perhaps Walmart or Home Depot, do some repair work around the house, cut the grass or shovel snow (depending on the season).  Where is the rest?  Is it any wonder that I (should I say "we"?) am so tired so much of the time?  Maybe it's time for us to take another look at the 4th Commandment. (Remember the Ten Commandments? - the original "Top Ten" list!)

And this isn't just Old Testament stuff:  Jesus said "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).  God says if you keep the Sabbath "you will find your joy in the LORD".  Works for me!

The beautiful prayer below is an Evening Prayer for the Sabbath from Jewish Liturgy.

Grace and peace (and rest) be yours in abundance,

Bruce

 

In this moment of silent communion with Thee, O Lord, a still small silent voice speaks in the depth of my spirit.

It speaks to me of the things I must do to attain holy kinship with Thee and to grow in the likeness of Thee.

I must do my allotted task with unflagging faithfulness even though the eye of no taskmaster is on me.

I must be gentle in the face of ingratitude or when slander distorts my noblest motives.

I must come to the end of each day with a feeling that I have used its gifts gratefully and faced its trials bravely.

O Lord, help me to be ever more like Thee, holy for Thou art holy, Loving for Thou art love.

Speak to me, then, Lord, as I seek Thee again and again in the stillness of meditation, 

until Thy bidding shall at last become for me a hallowed discipline, 

a familiar way of life.

 

(http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/jewish/evening_prayer/)

Bruce MacPherson  macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821 You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.  Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.

Prayer for peace

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.

Considering the state of the world today, and particularly in the Middle East and Northern Africa, I thought this prayer appropriate.  This prayer has us step outside of ourselves and our own circumstances to ask God to help those who are thousands of miles away.  Let us with one voice lift them up.

Grace and peace be yours (and theirs) in abundance,

Bruce

Most gracious God, look upon the world you have made with the same love from which you formed it. 

Stamp upon every heart the knowledge that all human beings in every place are made in your image, and that we can never renounce our membership in the human family. 

Present and preserve peaceful means of resolviong the strife of nations, and give to all leaders the courage and grace to lead toward a good greater than their own immediate interests. 

Bless those who do not plan wars, but must wage them, and bless those caught in their crossfire. 

These things, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, who lives with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, maker and lover of the world.

(http://www.greatprayers.com/ListPrayers.Asp?Category_ID=32)

Bruce MacPherson  macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821 You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.  Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.

Let Justice Flow Like Streams

Good Tuesday morning, my friends.

Isaiah 58 contains a pretty strong condemnation of the people of Israel at that time, and, I would suggest, has some similarities to the church today.

 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back.  Raise your voice like a trumpet. 

Declare to my people their rebellion  and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. 

For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, 

as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. 

They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. 

'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? 

Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?'

   "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. 

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. 

You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. 

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? 

Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? 

Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?

 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, 

to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 

Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— 

when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; 

then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

"If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 

and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, 

then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. 

You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. 

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; 

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, 

if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, 

and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, 

then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land 

and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." 

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

This incredible piece of scripture is a strong endorsement for social justice in our world: free the prisoners, feed the hungry, clothe the naked.  Sounds very much like what Jesus says in the parable of the sheep and the goats: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." (Matthew 25:34b-36). 

There is a caveat to this - some mainline churches have taken on social justice to such an extent that it overshadows the Gospel.  There are two types of suffering we must be concerned with (because God is concerned with them):  suffering in this life - the social justice causes; and suffering in the next life - eternal separation from God.  We must not abandon concern for the latter for the immediate need of the former. They go hand in hand.

Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace be yours today,

Bruce

Let Justice Flow Like Streams. 

Let justice flow like streams

Of sparkling water, pure, 

Enabling growth, refreshing life, 

Abundant, cleansing sure.

Let righteousness roll on

As others' cares we heed,

An everflowing stream of faith 

Translated into deed.

So may God's plumbline, straight, 

Define our measure true, 

And justice, right and peace pervade 

This world our whole life through.

(Jane Parker Huber, 1984.)

Bruce MacPherson  macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821 You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.  Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.

The prayer of Harry S. Truman

Good Monday morning, my friends.

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States (1945–1953).  According to President Truman: "The prayer on this page has been said by me--by Harry S. Truman--from high school days, as a window washer, bottle duster, floor scrubber in an Independence, Mo., drugstore, as a timekeeper on a railroad contract gang, as an employee of a newspaper, as a bank clerk, as a farmer riding a gang plow behind four horses and mules, as a fraternity official learning to say nothing at all if good could not be said of a man, as public official judging the weaknesses and shortcomings of constituents, and as President of the United States of America." (8/15/50)

The perspective of this prayer really shows when you consider all of the circumstances in which he prayed it.  We should be likewise able to pray it, no matter ours.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

Oh! Almighty and Everlasting God, Creator of Heaven, Earth and the Universe :

Help me to be, to think, to act what is right, because it is right; 

make me truthful, honest and honorable in all things; 

make me intellectually honest for the sake of right and honor and without thought of reward to me. 

Give me the ability to be charitable, forgiving and patient with my fellowmen - help me to understand their motives and their shortcomings -- even as Thou understandest mine!

Amen, Amen, Amen

(http://www.trumanlibrary.org/kids/prayer.htm)

Bruce MacPherson  macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821 You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.  Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation

Good Thursday morning, my friends.

In Acts 2:38 Peter says "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."  

What is true repentance?  Well, one might say, it is being sorry for our sins.  But we have to be careful what we mean by "being sorry".  There is a distinction between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow.  Note the words of Paul in his second letter to the believers in Corinth: "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death" (2 Corinthians 7:10).  Worldly sorrow occurs when we get "caught in the act" and feel badly that someone got hurt.  It may lead us to ask for forgiveness, but it does not lead to salvation.  Godly sorrow, however, is a gift from God.  It is what leads to true repentance - realizing how we have grieved Him, acknowledging our desperate need for His grace, and prompting us to away from the sin in our lives. 

Since godly sorrow is a gift from God, it is not something we can achieve on our own. We have to ask for it, pray for it.  And that is the kind of prayer God loves to answer.  This is how He truly sets us captives free.

Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

p.s. Are you following the 40 Days with Jesus?

O merciful God, full of compassion, long-suffering and of great pity, make me earnestly repent, and heartily to be sorry for all my misdoings; 

make the remembrance of them so burdensome and painful that I may flee to Thee with a troubled spirit and a contrite heart; 

and, O merciful Lord, visit, comfort, and relieve me; excite in me true repentance; 

give me in this world knowledge of Thy truth and confidence in Thy mercy, and, in the world to come, life everlasting. 

Strengthen me against sin, and enable so to perform every duty, that whilst I live I may serve Thee in that state to which Thou hast called me; 

and, at last, by a holy and happy death, be delivered from the struggles and sorrows of this life, and obtain eternal happiness, for the sake of our Lord and Saviour, Thy Son Jesus Christ. 

Amen.

-- Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

(http://kenanderson.net/bible/html/march.html)

Bruce MacPherson  macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821 You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.  Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.

The end of winter ...

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.

As we approach the end of another wonderful (?) Canadian winter, I thought this prayer appropriate.

The sense of anticipation at the beginning of spring is palpable.  But when we are "experiencing a season of winter" in our souls, do we have the same expectation?

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

Lord:

In the midst of Winter, when the days are cold and wind can pierce

 .. remind us of the warmth of your love.

In the midst of Winter, when days are short, dawn comes late, and dusk arrives early

 .. remind us that in the darkness your light still shines.

In the midst of Winter, when the flowers of spring still lie hidden in the earth, when leaves are off the trees, and the world can seem bleak

 .. remind us that Easter is but a short time away.

And when in our lives we feel as if we are experiencing a season of winter, reach out to us with the power of your resurrection so that we may feel the warmth of your love and see your light that alone can take away the darkness of our soul.

Amen

Cal Wick

(http://www.greatprayers.com/ListPrayers.Asp?Category_ID=26)

Bruce MacPherson  macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821 You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.  Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.