Month: July 2021

Just over a week ago, Gloria and I had the privilege of visiting the St. Jacobs Market. While the plan was to pick up some pickles for canning, the list of items gathered seemed to grow. A beautiful bouquet of flowers, some fresh blueberries, new potatoes (baked potatoes with a few garnishes….what a joy) and yes, a basket of early peaches from Niagara. Can you feel the juice running down your chin?

How fortunate we are to live in a land of such plenty and variety….all kinds of fruit and vegetables to fill our tables. Yes, that experience got me thinking about the fruit that the Spirit of God desires to produce in your life and mine. The fruit of joy, peace, faithfulness and so much more.

What fruit does God desire to grow in you during this season of your life? May the following become your prayer. (Voices Together, #1028)

Nuturing God, root us in Your love and grow us up to bear

the fruit of Your Spirit:

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness and self-control.

Amen

For a portion of our time together on Friday, we will read and share reflections from the Psalmist David’s prayer of praise in Psalm 145. Read and rejoice in our God.

¹ I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.
² Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.

³ Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
⁴ One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.
⁵ They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—

        and I will meditate on your wonderful works…….

⁸ The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

⁹ The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
¹⁰ All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you…….

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.^[c]
14 The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down….

¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

²¹ My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name
    for ever and eve

May God bless and encourage you in your walk with Him this week.

This week I have been reminded of the issues around our world with climate change and the impact on our environment. Flooding in Europe, China and now India, forest fires across the West of North America, tornados and storms that bring devastation etc.

As such, I would encourage you to share in offering the following prayer to our Creator & Sustainer God.

Source and sustainer of life, we cherish the myriad works of your hands.

Water, earth, and sky are yours, as are all their inhabitants, wild and tame.

We thank you for creatures that nourish and serve us,

     befriend, enrich, entertain, and protect us.

May we, who are made in your image, care for them well.

And may your groaning yet wondrous creation rally and thrive,

    revealing to all who come after us your wise, redemptive,

   transforming love,

   through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen     (Voices Together #1009)

Phil. 4:4-8

Rejoice in the Lord always, I say it again: Rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers & sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent of praiseworthy – think about such things.

Thank you for being a congregation that hears and responds to God’s call through the scriptures to pray. There is power in prayer.

Prayer Requests:

·       Pray for our neighbours in Barrie who have lost homes, possessions and security as a result of the tornado. Pray also for those across our country who have been evacuated due to forest fires, who have lost homes & possessions.

And as we pray, may God grant us wisdom of how we can love in practical ways.

Psalm 100

¹ Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
²     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

–        ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Our Hope is in the Lord…

What is it that God desires to do in and through you today? Invite Him to speak into your mind and heart; listen carefully and then choose to respond in obedience.

I appreciated this prayer as recorded in Voices Together #984….make this your prayer today (or tomorrow.)

This day, God, may I dream your dreams;

This day, God, may I reflect your love;

This day God, may I do your work;

This day, God, may I taste your peace.

For a portion of our prayer time together on Friday, we will read and share in the Psalmist David’s prayer and rejoicing in his awareness of the presence of God and the miracle of our creation. The concluding 2 verses are a beautiful prayer of submission. Can you identify with any of the feelings expressed by David written here in Psalm 139?

¹ You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

We repeatedly hear the call to pray in scripture. It is a vital part of the call to us as believers and followers of Jesus. What a privilege to lift individuals, situations, crises, or victories to our God in prayer and with thanks. Praying is one of the joys of being a part of the Body of Christ.

Here are a few reminders:

Romans 12:12-13

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Col. 4:2

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

1 Thess. 5: 16-18

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Eph. 6:18

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Phil. 4:4-8

Rejoice in the Lord always, I say it again: Rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Yes, God prods and reminds us to pray. Thank you for responding as such.

Zephaniah 3:17

“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

Psalm 95: 1-7

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.

For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.

In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.

The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.”

Phil. 4: 4-5

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Do not be anxious about anything, BUT…….”

As we as the Body of Christ here at Wellesley Mennonite Church come to God in prayer this week, it is my encouragement to spend some time in praise and rejoicing. Challenges do come; grieving and loss is a part of our lives; we will face hardship, yet scripture consistently calls us to persevere and here in Phil 4, Paul challenges us to “Rejoice in the Lord always”. And yes, I struggle with his use of the word “always”. But it is only in God’s strength and by the work of the Holy Spirit that I can rejoice, that I can “delight in the Lord”, even when circumstances are not what I would desire.

So, focus your heart and mind on rejoicing, giving thanks to God for all that He has done and continues to do in your life. Then, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God as well.

Prayer Requests:

·       Pray for all who grieve loss these days, whether loss through death recently or in the past, loss of relationship, loss of health, loss of job, or those who have lost focus and purpose during these days of COVID.

·       Pray for those seeking medical help, surgery or appointments, and continue to wait. Grant patience and peace, and we pray that God will bring answers at exactly the perfect time.

·       Pray for Pastor Kara that these will be days of renewal and rest, that she will be able to complete the work needed on her doctoral thesis, and that God would speak deeply into her heart and soul. We praise God for her!

A Call to Prayer

· Please pray for and with MCEC congregations, Famille Assemblée de la Grâce, Anjou, QC and Ma Destineé, Montreal, QC, as they pray for family and friends in Haiti in the wake of the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Many in the congregations are from Haiti. Pray for God’s peace and for the safety of the Haitian people. Pray also that the violence will not setback efforts to fight Covid-19 in Haiti. Haiti is one of only a handful of countries worldwide that has yet to administer coronavirus vaccine.
 

· Pray for the country and the people of Myanmar. Amos Chin, leader of the Bible Missionary Church (a Mennonite World Conference denomination) says, “The death toll has risen to the highest level in Burma’s Kalemyo, which is suffering from the third wave of Covid. There is a shortage of oxygen for our patients. We have to supply our patients with oxygen and treat ourselves because there is no government treatment. 63 Christian pastors, including two of our pastors, have died in Kalemyo. People are suffering and dying because of the civil war and Covid.”

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.” Phil. 4:23

Thank you for your many prayers, your loving support, and your gracious care this past week. You have demonstrated what it means to be the Body of Christ.

However, as many of you know, the walk down the road of grief will continue and as such I would ask that you continue to lift up others through your prayer and acts of love in the weeks ahead.

May this be your prayer. (Voices Together)

God,

make me an instrument of Your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

    where there is injury, pardon:

    where there is doubt, faith;

   where there is despair, hope;

   where there is darkness, light;

   where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Spirit,

   grant that I may not so much seek

   to be consoled as to console,

   to be understood as to understand,

   to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

   it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

   it is in dying that we are born

        to eternal life. Amen

May you be an instrument of God’s peace this week, within your family, your community and your workplace. May God go before you, His presence behind you, over you, and under you…..may He hold you in His Hands.

This Friday as we gather to pray we will also look together at portions of Psalm 51, David’s prayer of confession. Thank you Lord for your forgiveness!!

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight……..

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me……

O Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise.

You do not take delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

May God bless and encourage you in your walk with Him this week.

Romans 12: 9-13

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Amen

Prayer Requests:

·       Pray for those who are struggling with loneliness and fear during this season of COVID. May God grant encouragement and peace, and may the Holy Spirit open our hearts and minds to those who need our support and love.

·       Pray for all those in our church and local community who are grieving as a result of the death of a loved one over the past months or the loss of a relationship. God, wrap them in your arms of love.

·       God, for those waiting for medical treatment or an appointment, or for a second vaccine, grant patience and peace. God open the door to answered prayer and do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine.

Households of Faith:

·       May God also bring healing and restoration to all who have been wounded through these school experiences.

Prayer  (Voices Together)

Gracious God,

when there is nothing we can say,

we give you thanks

that your Spirit intercedes for us

with sighs too deep for words.

Loving God,

when there is nothing we can do,

we give you thanks

that you are working for good

in this world of struggle and pain.

Holy God,

when there is nothing else we know,

still we give you thanks

that nothing in life or in death,

nothing in heaven or on earth,

nothing in this world or the world to come

will ever separate us from your great love;

through Jesus Christ.

Amen

Let me share this Prayer with you (adapted from Voices Together)

God, in our grieving

let your peace rest on the Wagler family

and all who love them.

For the fullness of life together,

for shared sorrows and joys,

for the blessing of treasured memories,

we give you thanks.

For words unwise or left unsaid,

for things done or left undone,

grant your forgiveness,

and help us to forgive.

During our time of mourning and gratitude,

comfort our hearts and strengthen our faith

as we await the day of our reunion,

in the power of the risen Christ.

Amen

I also invite you to spend time over these next days, reading and praying Psalm 23, a familiar and beautiful Psalm.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me,

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

May God encourage you as you pray and lift others up to the Lord.

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

     come before Him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is He who made us, and we are His;

     we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;

    give thanks to Him and praise His name.

For the Lord is good and His love endures forever, His faithfulness continues

    through all generations.

Hear Our Prayer:

Everlasting God, in whom we live and move and have our being:

You have made us for yourself, so that our hearts are restless

     until they rest in you.

Give us purity of heart and strength of purpose,

     that no selfish passion may hinder us from knowing your will,

     no weakness keep us from doing it,

that in Your light we may see clearly,

     and in Your service find perfect freedom, through Jesus Christ,

who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God

      now and forever. Amen

               #343 Voices Together

The congregations of Mennonite Church Saskatchewan sit in a season of grief in the wake of the discovery of a further 751 unmarked graves near a former Indian residential school close by the Cowessess First Nation. We also join with them in lament, in solidarity with the sorrow of Indigenous neighbours and communities throughout southeast Saskatchewan and southwest Manitoba whose children were abducted to the Marieval Indian Residential School. We too grieve with those who are impacted by the news of these deaths, and we pray for all those who bear the wounds of the residential school system, as well as for those who have been retraumatized by this discovery. God bring healing to minds and hearts.

God we pray for your peace, comfort and presence in our community, in our families and in our church family. We give thanks for your leading in our lives, and rejoice in the strength and grace your provide each day.

We pray for our Households of Faith.

Oh God, hear our prayers for those in need of healing, hope and wholeness.

Oh God, we also pray for others in our church family who are in need of healing, who need your encouragement Father, or simply need the hope that comes from your presence. We pray for your healing grace and for your strength to all who today are serving as caregivers.

Oh God, we confess our need of you. Hear our prayers.

We rejoice and give thanks.

In the Name of Jesus we pray.

Amen