Prayers of the Church, Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2018

written by Cathy Ammlung | February 14, 2018

Ash Wednesday, Cycle B (February 14, 2018)

THE PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH

Let us humbly beseech God for his mercy upon the Church, the world, and one another.

A brief silence

Have mercy on your Church, O Lord. Cleanse it from false teaching, feigned holiness, and fake discipleship. Form it in the likeness of your dear Son, fill it with your Holy Spirit, and use it to draw all people to yourself.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Have mercy on your persecuted servants, O Lord. Cleanse them from bitterness, hatred, or thirst for revenge. Form them into the likeness of your dear Son, fill them with your Holy Spirit, and use them to lead the enemies of Christ to repentance and salvation.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Have mercy on this congregation, O Lord. Cleanse us from apathy, inattention, and contention. Form us into the likeness of your dear Son, fill us with your Holy Spirit, and use us to draw our families, friends, and communities to the foot of Jesus’ Cross.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Have mercy on all who doubt your existence or your goodness, O Lord. Cleanse them from spiritual darkness, intellectual pride, or emotional despair. Form them into the likeness of your dear Son, fill them with your Holy Spirit, and bless them with faith and trust in you, their Savior, Lord, and Friend.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Have mercy upon all who are entrusted with power and authority in this sin-shadowed world, O Lord. Cleanse them from cruelty, lust for power, and worship of self. Form them into the likeness of your dear Son, fill them with your Holy Spirit, and use them to bring your blessings of peace, prosperity, and concord to all people.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Have mercy upon all who stand in harm’s way on behalf of others, O Lord. Cleanse them from wrong judgment or base motives in the execution of their duties. Form them into the likeness of your dear Son, fill them with your Holy Spirit, and use them to bring a measure of safety, justice, and freedom in places of chaos and danger.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Have mercy on all whose lives are shadowed by suffering, sorrow, or any kind of evil, O Lord. Cleanse them from all that troubles them and prevents them from turning to you, their Strength and their Redeemer. Form them into the likeness of your dear Son, fill them with your Holy Spirit, and restore them to wholeness and hope, in the company of all who love them.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Most holy and gracious Father, we commend into your mercy all our beloved dead. We who are but ashes and dust humbly beseech you for your mercy upon us as well. Cleanse us from every sin which separates us from you and from one another. Form us into the likeness of your dear Son, fill us with your Holy Spirit, and use us to help lighten our neighbor’s burdens throughout our earthly pilgrimage. Lead us, with all whom you have redeemed by the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, into your Kingdom, where, untroubled by sin, evil, or death, we may rejoice in your goodness and gaze upon your glory forever.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For these things, and for whatever else is needful, dear Father, we pray in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Blood of Christ

written by Steven Gjerde | February 14, 2018

“And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people.” (Exodus 24:8)

It sounds like the start to a really bad day, but it was, in fact, a glimmer of the Best Day to come: the day when Christ would redeem the world by His blood, shed on the cross for sinners. That blood was made for throwing.

What good is the blood of Christ if it never touches you, on your skin, in your ears, up to your lips? Even as the sacrifices of Israel preached God’s pleasure to that nation, so does the touch of this blood, cast onto you in the ministry of His Church, carry the promise that God has taken pleasure in you.

Washed in the blood, secured in that same blood by its preaching, and nourished with it by the Lord’s own command, we live in the freedom of canceled sin. Better, we live in the freedom of our Father’s good pleasure. “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased”—He spoke those words for Jesus, and now this Jesus has touched you, making those words yours.

LET US PRAY: O Jesus Christ, Lamb of God: I praise and thank You for Your precious blood, shed for my sake, and the sake of the whole world. Enliven and keep me always in this saving flood, and bring me through its currents to the fullness of Your kingdom. Amen

Pastor Steven K. Gjerde

Zion, Wausau

Devotion for Wednesday, February 14, 2018

written by Jeffray Greene | February 14, 2018

“Pour out Your indignation on them, and may Your burning anger overtake them. May their camp be desolate; may none dwell in their tents.” (Psalm 69:24-25)

In this world we often think in eye-for-an-eye terms. People hurt us and we want them hurt. Yet the ways of the Lord are good and right and fitting always, and this world is filled with sin. Those who go their own way walk on the wide road to oblivion. The appearance of prosperity will turn to a vapor with the passing of time. Only in the Lord is there a hope and a future.

Lord, I see things in the moment and forget not only Your promises but all of the good You have done for me. Help me, Lord, to see as You see and to know that all things are in Your hands and that You will provide over time all that needs to be done. In love, not anger, do You deal with us; for I too have been, at times, one who walked the path of desolation. Cause me to dwell in Your tents.

Lord Jesus, You call us to Yourself that we would walk with You, learn from You and become like You. You went to the cross, and yet it was not anger, but your love that shone forth. Lead me, O Lord, in the way I should go and then help me go that way, Guide me according to Your goodness to be lifted up into the way of thinking that would let me see Your hand at all times and in all things. Amen.