This Church Will Not Be Silent

Last Sunday, I suggested that a timely Lenten discipline would be adding daily prayer to your life, or increasing the amount, or number of times, you pray each day. I also promised to repeat the list of types of prayer I shared in the sermon. They are…

…PRAISE to God — for the wonder of life, the beauty of creation, and every blessing and benefit you receive each day…

…CONFESSION to God — for the ways your thoughts, words, and deeds are unfaithful to the Great Commandment to love God above all others and to love your neighbor as yourself; and the ways your actions or inaction perpetuate human suffering…

…THANKSGIVING to God — for years, my first prayer each day is, “Thank you, O Holy God, for the gift of life; for well being; for my home and my family; for the Gospel to which you call me and the congregation I serve…

…INTERCESSION to God — this is prayer for others, for the world, for peace and justice…

…SUPPLICATION to God — this is prayers for oneself (and, yes, this is a God-blessed thing to do!).

While I was out for a walk on Sunday afternoon, I literally felt the Holy Spirit pressing on me (it was a physical sensation). The word I heard in my heart was to focus the Lenten worship services on speaking up about the danger and injustice toward which the Trump administration is leading the country. I am not, by nature, a confrontational person. I tend to be quiet and still when danger looms. But this Spirit-led calling is not to be avoided.

The church sign will stand throughout Lent, displaying the Lenten theme:

This Church Will Not Be Silent.

Please pray that “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,” to which Christ calls us, and for which he went to the Cross, "will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

 In Christ,

Lee