Month: July 2024

Loving Lord God of heaven and earth,

We bow our heads and hearts before you, in gratitude and praise, in adoration and petition; we worship you with gladness, for we are yours, you have made us, we are your people and the sheep of your pasture.

We trust in your grace, knowing your steadfast love endures forever, and your faithfulness to all generations.

And we lift up to you concerns that press upon our hearts; those close at hand in our church and family circles, as well as tragedies far away.

Lord hear our prayers . . .

For those caught in war zones – knowing hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands have perished on lands you once walked upon – we pray for a cease fire, and for the refugees suffering this great trauma; for food and medicine, for safety and security, for an understanding and desire to build peace with peaceful means.

Lord hear our prayers . . .

We pray for those in wild fire zones – fearing the loss of house and home, way of life and community.  They too are refugees, we pray for their safety and shelter, for resources to address their needs, for hope from day to day, and into the future.

Lord hear our prayers . . .

For those in our circles of family, friends, and church.  We thank you for opportunities to rejoice with those rejoicing, knowing each blessing is a gift of grace from your hand, and we lift into your care those with burdens to bear, as well as our households of faith for the week.

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TIMING AND TRANSITION

Hello God

We have many things in common with each other but if there is one thing we have in common more then anything is that we are all moving on in time and are constantly in a state of TRANSITION.  Whether as young people, young families, starting new job, working thru health issues, retiring, or even in a pastoral search we are all in a state of transition.  Winter becomes Spring, Spring becomes Summer, Summer becomes Fall, Fall becomes Winter. And then the whole process repeats itself.  This shows that times moves along. For the most part we do well and are satisfied moving along and transitioning thru life experiences. For that God, we give you thanks for blessing us. And sometimes God we can feel overwhelmed, frustrated and even scared about these transitions we are involved in . Sometimes we feel like we are doing these things all on our own and not sure where we will get the strength and energy to move forward.  These may be the times our boat takes on water and we begin to sink. We should remember how you responded to your disciples when their boat was rocking and taking on water.  When times are rocky, and life is challenging we actively seek words of encouragement and support.  We look to the Bible where there was much transition and movement of time . Here we can find words of wisdom and support .

Like in Joshua 1:9 where we read

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Or in ISAIAH 43:1-3

But now, this is what the Lord says—    he who created you, Jacob,    he who formed you, Israel:“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.When you pass through the waters,    I will be with you;and when you pass through the rivers,    they will not sweep over you.When you walk through the fire,    you will not be burned;    the flames will not set you ablaze.For I am the Lord your God,    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;” Isaiah 43:1-3a

God when we are burdened and bogged own with decisions and transitions may we turn to you and the Word where there is much support and words of wisdom that will buoy us and give us the strength we need to get thru these times.  Help us to be humble enough to depend also on fellow friends and family for support.  We know that even you relied on the support of your disciples while you walked this earth. God continue to give us wisdom and strength to continue to get thru .  We lean on you to make our transitions and time travel easier. 

We pray for our leaders in government. Whether Internationally, Federally, Provincially or Locally there are many decisions to be made and we ask that you give all our leaders, wisdom, integrity and clarity of mind to make the decisions they are faced with. 

We also pray for those in the world that do NOT experience the peace we feel here in Canada.  We ask that you hold close those that are powerless and are suffering from war. Stand by the innocent children and families in areas that are not safe.  Sometimes we feel so powerless, yet we know you hold all in your hand. 

As we move on with Pastoral Transition here at WMC we ask that you continue to guide the process.  We ask that you be with Matthew Dyck Bailey as he continues to ponder serving us here at WMC.  Be with leadership as we process new beginnings and reflecting on those who have supported and served faithfully over this time of transition.  Continue to give wisdom and support to Clare and Paul as they currently lead us.  We are so blessed for their leadership.  

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1

O God, we give you thanks and praise for your gift of life this day, for the amazing awareness that we are loved by you, the Creator of all we know and see. We rejoice in the privilege of being called your children and ask that you continue to enfold us in your arms of love.

Thank you for your presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit and we pray that as individuals and as a body of believers, you would continue to lead us, speak to us, and love others through us. We praise you for your Holy presence during this season of transition as a church, and as your children ask that you help us to grow in trust, in courage, and in deeper dependence on you.

We praise you for the privilege of being able to gather together in worship, to glorify your name, and to pray for each other, and our world. God, we pray for peace in our world and ask you to intervene where hatred and fear prevails. We pray for peace in Gaza and the West Bank, in Ukraine, Haiti, and in all areas of war and conflict. God, may your kingdom come and your will be done, in our world and in and through us. May we as your children be agents of peace, comfort, and hope in a hurting world.

Many Parts but One Body

Dear God we thank you for the words given to Paul in his letter to the Corinthians. We reflect on 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 where Paul beautifully illustrates how we are made up of many parts but are all one body.  In particular  Chapter 12 verse 12

¹² There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ

Thank you for the way that has been portrayed here at WMC.  We have had many moving parts thru this past year but with your presence and guidance we believe we have continued to function as one Body.  In naming a few of our parts that have been functioning thru this past year ;we are thankful for the ways that our Worship team, Care team, AV Tech team, BOD, Admin staff , Elders, our Pastoral Leadership, CE team, and many more have done their part to make us a functioning and hopefully productive body here at WMC.  We recognize that trying to do it all on our own would not be possible but with each functioning part we have been able to continue to find our way here at WMC.  We thank you for giving us the energy and drive to make this happen.  We are also thankful for and recognize the efforts of our body who are no longer with us but were very instrumental in establishing the life here at WMC. 

Thank you for the way you have continued to care for and guide us in the past year of transition.  You have allowed so many things to fall into place.  I am not sure we could have planned it to come together like it has.  Thank you for the teachable and yet sometimes raw moments along the way.  Thank you for the energy and messages you have sent our way.  We are thankful and blessed  for our Pastoral leadership in Paul and Clare.  Continue to bless them for all they bring to us. We will forever feel their leadership, care and presence among us .

And now as we look forward to what may lie ahead for pastoral leadership, we pray that you would continue to guide us and show us the way. May we be patient and flexible in this time of transition.  We know your ways are higher then our ways and we know that you already have a plan for us. Help us to be good servants and stewards of what and who you may send our way. 

God, we thank you for all those, of our members, who gave of their time and energy for this past weeks VBS at Crosshill.  Thank you for the many gifts of teaching, preparing, leadership, creativity and just plain energy required to create a beautiful environment for young children to hear your words.  May those who provided leadership, though weary, feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction for their efforts.  God, please Bless all those involved.

This week we pray for all our members who may have health concerns and are dealing with potential tests/medical procedures and are anticipating test results.  We know you have heard their prayers. Continue to provide healing for those who are dealing with acute health issues.  Thank you for the ways you have allowed healing to happen with medical issues and may healing continue.   

We also ask that you be with those who are missing loved ones and are still grieving the loss of a loved one.  God, we pray that you would especially hold them close as they deal with darker and lonelier times.  And for those dealing with deeper more personal issues we ask that you would stand close to them. Allow them all to feel the grace, hope and love that you can provide