Being on Chains

liturgy

Dear Christ, hasten to me. Release me

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 46:1, Philippians 4:19, James 4:8, Hebrews 4:16, Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 34:18, 1 John 1:9

Dear Christ, hasten to me. Release me from my sins. Free my arms from the chains of evil, that I may embrace you. Lift the scales of ignorance from my eyes, that I may see you. Why do you delay? What ...

liturgy

Long-awaited Messiah

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 1:null

Based on the prayers of Mary and Zechariah found in Luke 1 Long-awaited Messiah Lord of Hope Have mercy Long-awaited Messiah Defender of Compassion Have mercy Long-awaited Messiah Provider, Protect...

liturgy

You Summon and Send Us

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

Keywords

Scripture

Mark 6:1-13, Luke 9:1-13, Matthew 10:1-42

This prayer can be voiced by a single speaker or responsively by a single speaker (light print) and group (bold). Jesus, you summon and send us You give us authority over all that is unholy and de...

liturgy

Prayer for All Needs (Excerpted)

Author

Clement of Rome

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 1:, Isaiah 45:7, 1 Samuel 2:6-7, 1 Peter 2:9, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Psalm 146:7-9, Isaiah 61:1, John 3:16, Colossians 1:13, Revelation 4:11, Ephesians 5:8, Acts 26:18, 2 Timothy 1:9, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Luke 1:51-52, Luke 4:18-19

*This is the earliest known prayer of the Christian Church outside of scripture May he who created everything keep the number of his chosen people, throughout the world, up to the strength he...

liturgy

Full, Full Nets

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 4:12-23, Mark 1:14-20, Luke 5:1-11, John 15:16, Luke 5:4-6

Jesus, You call us from what we know to something new From a life on this sea with this family From the nets of generations before us You call us to a new beginning A new being and doing You call us ...

illustration

Addictions Attach Desire

Author

Gerald G. May

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 7:15-20, John 8:34, Exodus 20:3-5, Matthew 6:24, 1 John 2:15-16, Psalm 115:4-8

For generations, psychologists thought that virtually all self-defeating behavior was caused by repression. I have now come to believe that addiction is a separate and even more self-defeating force t...

liturgy

Adapted from Deuteronomy 7:6-11

Author

Dustin Ray

Keywords

Scripture

Deuteronomy 7:6-11

Pastor: For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was no...

Quote

Author

Sarah Dessen

Keywords

"It's a lot easier to be lost than found. It's the reason we're always searching and rarely discovered-so many locks not enough keys.”

illustration

Caught on Camera

Author

Matt Chandler

Keywords

Scripture

Ecclesiastes 12:14, Genesis 39:6-12 , 2 Kings 5:19-27 , Luke 12:2-3, Psalm 139:1-4, Acts 5:1-11

Several years ago I saw a television show called Caught on Camera . It featured clips of people being secretly filmed doing all manner of horrific things, precisely because they thought they were...

liturgy

Gracious and loving God, you know the

Author

M. Robert Mulholland Jr.

Keywords

Gracious and loving God, you know the deep inner patterns of my life that keep me from being totally yours. You know the misformed structures of my being that hold me in bondage to something less than...

Quote

Author

Joseph B. Wirthlin

Keywords

Being Lost

We are commanded to seek out those who are lost. We are to be our brother's keeper.

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...

liturgy

Father of heirs and orphans, Salvation

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

Keywords

Father of heirs and orphans, Salvation of saint and sinner, Draw near and forgive us. Forgive us for clinging to law more than grace. Forgive us for choosing slavery when you offer us adoption. Forgi...

Quote

Author

Latin Saying

Keywords

Scripture

Joshua 24:14–15, 1 Kings 3:5–14, Proverbs 4:10–19, Matthew 7:13–14, Philippians 3:12–14, Psalm 1:1–2

Quod vitae sectabor iter. Translation: Who do I want to be? And: What path will I take?

liturgy

Leader: We worship in the name of God the Father:

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Ephesians 1:3-14, Ephesians 5:20-6:9

Leader: We worship in the name of God the Father, People: who, through Christ, has chosen us and blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer. Leader: And of the S...

illustration

Choose Your Rut Carefully

Author

Keywords

I read somewhere that in the early days of the Alaska Highway, tractor-trailer trucks would make deep ruts in the gravel as they carried construction equipment to boomtowns up north. Someone posted th...

Quote

Author

Martin Luther

Keywords

I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess.

Quote

Author

J. R. R. Tolkein

Keywords

All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light fro...

liturgy

We Worship in the Name of God

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Ephesians 1:3-14

Leader: We worship in the name of God the Father: People: who, through Christ, has chosen us and blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer. Leader: And of the Son...

illustration

Discipleship Begins with Active Listening

Author

Adam S. McHugh

Keywords

Scripture

1 Samuel 3:9-10, Deuteronomy 6:4-5 , Matthew 4:19-20, John 10:27, Luke 11:28, Psalm 85:8

The interplay between listening and obedience expresses itself in our lives all the time. Sound has the ability to “command” us, to summon a response in us, forcing us to take notice. Unlike visual ...

illustration

C. S. Lewis and Despairing in Sanctification

Author

C. S. Lewis

Keywords

Scripture

1 John 1:9, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 1:6, Psalm 51:10-12, Galatians 6:9, Jude 1:24

As we try to live a life in obedience to God, the stubbornness of our sins can discourage and frighten us. If we are supposed to have a new heart, why are we still so broken? C.S. Lewis struggled with...

lectionary

12th Sunday after Pentecost

Author

Andrew Van Kirk

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 14:1, 7-14, Luke 18:14

Guests? Or Hosts? After picking up the first verse of the chapter in order to provide a setting for Jesus’ words, this week’s gospel reading contains two teachings. The first (v. 7-11) is addressed t...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Luke 12:32-40

Author

Bradley Long

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 12:32-40

Context This passage takes a number of turns that may, at first, seem disconnected from one another. Our text is part of a larger teaching discourse of Jesus in Luke’s gospel that has been causing te...

liturgy

Inspired by Deuteronomy 29

Author

Dustin Ray

Keywords

Scripture

Deuteronomy 29:null

Pastor: God our Redeemer, you have saved your people through Jesus Christ, your Son. You have delivered your people out of slavery to sin and have freed us into new life. Yet, we still wander through ...

illustration

The Deepwater Horizon Crisis and Our Need for a Savior

Author

Ryan Bundrick

Scripture

Romans 3:21-31, 1 John 1:7, Philippians 1:6, Ephesians 2:8-9, Colossians 2:13-14

In 2010, an oil rig named “Deepwater Horizon” suffered a catastrophic failure. Due to improper installation of the cement seal, a malfunctioning blowout preventer, and cost-cutting decisions by corpor...

lectionary

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Author

Bradley Long

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 12:32-40

Context This passage takes a number of turns that may, at first, seem disconnected from one another. Our text is part of a larger teaching discourse of Jesus in Luke’s gospel that has been causing te...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Matthew 25:1-13

Author

Cody Sandahl

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 25:1-13, Jeremiah 1:10

Ancient lighting took Work I remember watching a movie (I think it was The Mummy ) where the protagonists descended into an underground structure built by the ancients. The structure was completel...

Quote

Author

Richard Rohr

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 13:8-12 , Ruth 1:16-18, Jonah 3:10, Luke 10:38-42, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Psalm 133:1

The True Self is all about right relationship, not requirements. It’s not about being correct; it’s about being connected, which you always were—you just didn’t realize it.

Quote

Author

Alan J. Roxburgh

Keywords

What is God up to in our neighborhoods and communities? How do we join with what God is doing in these places? Church questions are a subset of these far more important questions.”

Quote

Author

W. H. Auden

Keywords

We would rather be ruined than changed We would rather die in our dread Than climb the cross of the moment And let our illusions die.

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