June 2008

Dear sisters and brothers in the Faith,

Greetings to you in the name of Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Would you join us in a season of meditation, prayer, and fasting for the Church and for the gospel of Jesus Christ? Specifically would you pray and fast for:

• Those contending for the faith in various contexts including their families, communities, workplaces, local congregation(s), and ecclesiastical bodies including the General Assembly of the PCUSA.

• The EPC General Assembly in Bethesda, Maryland, June 17 - 21, for all who are traveling, for the speakers and preachers, for the fellowship of believers, and for the work of the commissioners.

• The PCUSA General Assembly in San Jose, CA, June 21 - 28, for all who are traveling, for the speakers and preachers, for the fellowship of believers, and for the work of the commissioners.

• All of us, for one another, that in these long, drawn-out struggles over theology, property, the meaning of orthodoxy, and the quest to uphold The Truth, that we do not lose sight of Jesus’ final command to each individual disciple, to go out of our safe places and into the world, starting in our own neighborhoods, to tell the Good News about Jesus Christ, and to make disciples of all nations.

• Laborers for the harvest (“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest’” from Matthew 9:37-38). May of the gospel of Jesus Christ prosper! Amen!

Meditation, prayer, and fasting are described by Richard Foster as:

Meditation is the ability to hear God’s voice and obey his word. Prayer is ongoing dialogue with the Father about what we and God
are doing together. Fasting is the denial of an otherwise normal function for the sake of intense spiritual activity.

Would you join with us? As a starting point, consider Psalm 40 below. Although written as “I” and “my”, it also works for “we” and “our”.

“You are our help and our deliverer; do not delay, O God!”

Yours in His service,
Renee Guth
Executive Coordinator
New Wineskins Association of Churches

________________________________________

Psalm 40
To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.

1I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
3He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.

4Happy are those who make the Lord their trust,
who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.
5You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts towards us; none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted.

6Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt-offering and sin-offering, you have not required.
7Then I said, ‘Here I am; in the scroll of the book, it is written of me.
8I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.

9I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation;
see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord.
10I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.

11Do not, O Lord, withhold your mercy from me;
let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe for ever.
12For evils have encompassed me without number;
my iniquities have overtaken me, until I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails me.

13Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me.
14Let all those be put to shame and confusion who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor, who desire my hurt.
15Let those be appalled because of their shame, who say to me, ‘Aha, Aha!’

16But may all who seek you, rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation, say continually, ‘Great is the Lord!’
17As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 13th, 2008 at 1:27 pm and is filed under New Wineskins. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.