Ephesians on Tired

liturgy

Everyone: Holy God, we live our lives

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 5:8, Luke 15:11-32, Luke 10:25-37, John 4:1-26, John 3:16, Ephesians 4:32, 2 Timothy 1:9

Everyone: Holy God, we live our lives struggling in our own burdens and failing to trust You with all the things that hold us down. Leader: Your Scripture says, "Come to Me all you who are wear...

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"The Batman Effect" The Power of Identity

Author

Ryan Bundrick

Scripture

Romans 13:14, Colossians 3:9-10, Ephesians 4:22-24, Hebrews 12:2, Colossians 2:6

A group of researchers sought to study the nuances of self-control. They conducted a study with a few dozen kindergarten students and gave them a painfully boring, repetitive task designed to test how...

blog

Football, Fame, and Family: The Beckham Docuseries

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 52:null, Ephesians 4:null

Who is David Beckham? Is he the self-absorbed, fame-seeking, Calvin Klein underwear model, husband of a former Spice Girl, always looking to be the center of attention? Or is he something else? Were ...

Quote

Author

Leo Roberts

Keywords

The Holy Spirit

Scripture

John 14:26, Acts 1:8, Romans 8:14, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Ephesians 4:30

I talked to the Holy Spirit last night and he didn’t look all well. He was pale as a ghost.

illustration

Yesterday I was a Dog…

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Ephesians 4:22-24, Galatians 6:9, Lamentations 3:22-23, Psalm 40:1-3, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Philippians 3:13-14

Some people find themselves stuck in a rut. Without challenge or new opportunities, they begin to sound like Snoopy from the Peanuts cartoons: “Yesterday I was a dog. Today I’m a dog. Tomorrow I’ll p...

illustration

Stepping Over our Wounds

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 4:6-7, 1 Samuel 1:6-8, 18 , Luke 15:28-32, Jonah 4:1-4 , Ephesians 4:31-32, Psalm 55:22

Sometimes we have to “step over” our anger, our jealousy, or our feelings of rejection and move on. The temptation is to get stuck in our negative emotions, poking around in them as if we belong there...

liturgy

A Prayer for Patience

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 130:5-6, Ephesians 4:1-16

Holy One, grant me Patience in the waiting Raise in me Steadfastness Resilience Persevering Make me a child of hope and becoming New life takes time to root and grow and bear fruit It takes trus...

liturgy

Holy God, we confess that we have been

Author

Cody Sandahl

Keywords

Scripture

Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:1-2, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 5:22-23, James 2:17, Romans 12:1-2, Revelation 3:15-16

Holy God, we confess that we have been lukewarm about living our faith in Jesus each day. We put off to tomorrow what we know in our hearts you want to happen today. We go through the motions of relig...

Quote

Author

Jerry Bridges

Keywords

Scripture

Ephesians 4:2-3, Colossians 3:12-13, Matthew 6:14-15, Luke 6:37, 2 Peter 3:9, Psalm 103:8, 1 Timothy 1:16

Every day God patiently bears with us, and every day we are tempted to become impatient with our friends, neighbors, and loved ones. And our faults and failures before God are so much more serious tha...

Quote

Author

Frederick Buechner

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 27:41, Exodus 15:23-25 , Job 10:1, Ephesians 4:31 , Hebrews 12:15 , Psalm 73:21-22

To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you...

Quote

Author

Rupi Kaur

Keywords

Scripture

1 John 2:9-11, Ephesians 4:31, Proverbs 10:12, Luke 6:27-28, 1 John 3:14-15

To hate is an easy lazy thing but to love takes strength everyone has but not all are willing to practice.

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Author

Darren Pollock

Keywords

Christian Calendar

Scripture

Matthew 11:16-19, Ephesians 4:14, Mark 10:14, 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Thessalonians 2:4, 1 Corinthians 6:14, 2 Timothy 2:15, Proverbs 23:12, Proverbs 3:5, Acts 26:24

The Missing “Advent” Text A lectionary preacher moving from the fifth to the sixth Sunday after Pentecost in Year A will notice that a familiar chunk is missing, sent back in time to the third Sunday...

liturgy

Heavenly Father, forgive us when we

Author

Allen Thompson

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 25:31-46, Ephesians 4:29, Matthew 6:33, Luke 10:38-42, Ephesians 5:15-17, Haggai 1:5-9, 1 Corinthians 10:31

Heavenly Father, forgive us when we become so consumed with the details of life that we do not see the opportunities that you have placed before us. Open our eyes to your call to extend love, by commu...

liturgy

Lord Jesus—the same yesterday, today

Author

Richard Herman

Scripture

Matthew 5:9, Ephesians 4:32, James 5:15-16, John 14:27, Psalm 34:18

Lord Jesus—the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and the author of change, who’s constantly doing “a new thing,” which makes us sit up and take notice. We admit, we’d be more comfortable with a pred...

liturgy

We confess, O God, that the Christmas

Author

Chip Hardwick

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 26:30, Ephesians 4:31-32, John 15:11, Hebrews 4:15, Psalm 46:10, Colossians 3:17, Luke 2:13-14

We confess, O God, that the Christmas rush is typical of our efforts to live the Christian life. We pursue peace on earth, but we end up with frayed nerves and short tempers. We wish good will to all,...

liturgy

Lord God, you call us but we do not always hear

Author

Jacob Traeger

Keywords

Scripture

1 Timothy 1:9, Romans 8:28, Ephesians 4:4, Luke 9:26, Matthew 9:26, Mark 8:38

Leader: Lord God, you call us but we do not always hear. Sometimes your word comes to us in unexpected ways. Sometimes we mistake your voice for something else. Sometimes we just don’t want to listen....

liturgy

Almighty God, harsh words and personal

Author

Laura B. Murray

Keywords

Scripture

1 Peter 3:9, Matthew 5:5, Romans 12:17-19, Colossians 3:12-14, Proverbs 15:1, Matthew 5:44, Ephesians 4:29, Proverbs 18:21, Matthew 12:36

Almighty God, harsh words and personal attacks can bring out the worst in us. We find ourselves spending energy on thoughts of retaliation and plans to protect ourselves. Father forgive us. We long to...

illustration

A Sign that Something is Wrong

Author

Caroline Leaf

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 34:18, Ephesians 4:26-27, Proverbs 3:5-6, James 1:2-4

Anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress are all ways of describing natural human responses to adversity and the experiences of life. And we all face adversity in many different ways: challengin...

illustration

Holding on to Everything

Author

W. Tamra Chandler

Keywords

Baggage

Scripture

Psalm 55:22, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 43:18-19, Ephesians 4:31-32, 1 Peter 5:7

Poet Donald Hall told the story of a hermit in New Hampshire, a man who passed away leaving behind sheds full of hoarded stuff. In one of the sheds was a box labeled, “string too short to be saved.” ...

liturgy

You, O Lord are holy and worthy of

Author

Bud Thoreen

Keywords

Scripture

Colossians 3:12, Psalm 51:10, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Ephesians 4:22-24, Leviticus 20:26

You, O Lord are holy and worthy of worship and praise. But we your people are sinful and unworthy. You have called us to be a holy nation of your own people but we mostly think only of ourselves and...

lectionary

10th Sunday after Pentecost

Author

Gabe Fung

Keywords

Scripture

Ephesians 4:1-16, Galatians 5:22-23, Psalm 68:18, Philippians 2:5-11, Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 1 Peter 4:10-11, Acts 14:4, Romans 16:7, 1 Corinthians 15:7, Galatians 1:19, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 1 Thessalonians 2:6, Romans 12:3-5, 1 Corinthians 12:14-27

Preaching Commentary Background to the Letter and Passage Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was probably intended for wider distribution and use among the various churches around Ephesus. As such, the...

lectionary

11th Sunday after Pentecost

Author

Allen Thompson

Keywords

Scripture

John 6:24-35, John 6:23, 2 Samuel 11:26-27, 2 Samuel 12:1-13, Psalm 51:1-12, Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15, Psalm 78:23-29, Ephesians 4:1-16

Ancient Lens What's the historical context? The Lakeside Community On the Sea of Galilee, it is not unusual to see from one shore to the other. It is essentially a lake, and as is often the ...

liturgy

Loving Father, You receive all who come

Author

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 23:11-13, Luke 14:7-11, Colossians 3:23-24, Ephesians 4:2, Proverbs 3:34, Philippians 2:13, Romans 12:1

Loving Father, You receive all who come humbly before You. Yet we approach You far too often with much satisfaction and inappropriate pride. We think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. W...

Quote

Author

Jonathan Swift

Keywords

Blindness

Scripture

2 Peter 1:9, Ephesians 4:18, Revelation 3:17, Romans 1:21, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Matthew 15:14

There's none so blind as they that won't see.

Quote

Author

Samuel Johnson

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 15:1 , Job 6:24-25, Ecclesiastes 5:2, James 3:9-10, Ephesians 4:31-32, Psalm 141:3

Never trust your tongue when your heart is bitter.

lectionary

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Author

Darren Pollock

Keywords

Christian Calendar

Scripture

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30, Ephesians 4:14, Mark 10:14, 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Thessalonians 2:4, 1 Corinthians 6:14, 2 Timothy 2:15, Proverbs 23:12, Proverbs 3:5, Acts 26:24

Preaching Commentary The Missing “Advent” Text A lectionary preacher moving from the fifth to the sixth Sunday after Pentecost in Year A will notice that a familiar chunk is missing, sent back in t...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, John 6:24-35

Author

Allen Thompson

Keywords

Scripture

John 6:24-35, John 6:23, 2 Samuel 11:26-27, 2 Samuel 12:1-13, Psalm 51:1-12, Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15, Psalm 78:23-29, Ephesians 4:1-16

Ancient Lens What's the historical context? The Lakeside Community On the Sea of Galilee, it is not unusual to see from one shore to the other. It is essentially a lake, and as is often the ...

liturgy

Gracious God, you have given us great

Author

Laura B. Murray

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 5:7, Luke 5:36, Ephesians 4:32, James 2:13, Colossians 3:12-13, Micah 6:8, Lamentations 3:22-23

Gracious God, you have given us great mercy through Jesus, yet we have withheld mercy from others. Our hearts have been hardened by the world and our sin. Would you soften our hearts? And give us a de...

Quote

Author

Jerry Bridges

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 4:6-7 , Proverbs 14:29, Job 5:2, Ephesians 4:31-32, Hebrews 12:15, Psalm 37:8

Uncontrolled temper is soon dissipated on others. Resentment, bitterness, and self-pity build up inside our hearts and eat away at our spiritual lives like a slowly spreading cancer.

liturgy

LORD, too often we live for ourselves

Author

Austin D. Hill

Keywords

Scripture

Philippians 2:13, Micah 6:8, Ephesians 4:22-24, Isaiah 55:7, Psalm 51:10-12, Matthew 6:33, Romans 12:2

LORD, too often we live for ourselves instead of how You have called us. Please forgive us for the times when we don’t strive to bring about Your kingdom here and now. Forgive us for the lack of imagi...

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