Vision and Commitment Sunday (2 Peter 1:3–11)
Corporate Prayer Generous God, we come together today to celebrate life and godliness, coming to us from your glory and goodness. Loving friend, we praise you that through Jesus we are called into a deep personal relationship with you. Powerful Lord, we step out in faith to claim your precious promise that we can be free from the contamination of the world around us and receive the blessing of sharing your divine life. Open our eyes to see your possibilities. Enthuse us with a passion to know you more. Reassure us of your ability to help us to stand firm and become more like you each day that we live. Amen.
Prayer Points
Rejoice in the generosity of God and his ability to meet all our needs. Spend time in thanksgiving for the many blessings that you have in Christ.
God gives us everything we need to live a life pleasing to God, and his grace is not rationed. Seek forgiveness for doubting that living a life of victory over sin, living like Jesus and growing in faith, are possible for you.
Humbly ask God to help you build your character, and allow him to supply you with what you need at this particular time in your life.
Prayer Activity
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Prayer Mathematics: Following the reading of 2 Peter 1:3-9, give everyone a sheet with maths symbols on it and ask them to respond to the accompanying questions while suitable music is played.
What do you need to add to your life?
What needs to be subtracted from your life?
What has God given you that you could share with others?
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How is the Lord using you to multiply his blessings to others?
Musical Prayer
‘For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith…’ (2 Peter 1:5 NIV) The word translated ‘add’ is a pictorial term which refers to a choir or an orchestra of different voices and instruments being blended together to form a harmonious sound. Although each of the attributes Peter mentions are of value in themselves, each one complements the others, and together they produce the life that is truly pleasing to God. The following reading leading to prayer blends voices and percussion instruments to illustrate this point. From verse 5, as each voice or group of voices is added, add on a percussion instrument. It is best to start with a quiet instrument such as a triangle, and it might be helpful to practise, perhaps more than once, so that a rhythm can be established before beginning. Voice 1: Female voice 1:
Read 2 Peter 1:3-4. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness… (v5)
Add female voice 2: And to goodness, knowledge… Add male voice 1:
And to knowledge, self-control…
Add male voice 2:
And to self-control, perseverance…
Add group 1:
And to perseverance, godliness…
Add group 2:
And to godliness, mutual affection…
Add group 3:
And to mutual affection, love.
STOP the instruments. Voice 1: Lord, help us to discover the vibrant melody that you have written just for us, to deepen our understanding of how to achieve inner harmony and to submit to your rhythm and pace for our lives, so that we display your divine life in everything we do. Make our lives into a symphony of praise to you. Amen.
‘Putting First’ (Prioritising our relationship with God as disciples) (Mark 6:45–-46 NIV) Corporate Prayer Father, I realise that there are times, when I am so busy, that often I am guilty of saying I have no time to pray. Yet when I spend time with you in prayer, I feel re energised and I hear you speaking to me through your word. Those are the moments that give me the courage to face what lies ahead of me. As your disciple, I cannot say I have no time to pray. I cannot do your work unless I pray. Jesus was so busy with the demands of the crowds that flocked around him, but he left them and looked for places of solitude to commune with you, away from all that would distract him. Without spending time with his Father, he could not have done his Father’s will. He needed to be re-energised and given the courage to face what was ahead of him. I, too, need that place of solitude, away from all that would distract me, so I can commune with you, to grow in my relationship with you as one of your disciples. Father, thank you for loving me so much that you desire this relationship with me. Amen. Prayer Activities
(You will need: pieces of thread, small colourful beads, scissors) Cut a piece of thread to go around your wrist. Tie one end and choose some beads to make a prayer band with. Once it is firmly tied to your wrist, use it as a reminder to pray throughout the day. Additionally, you could set a ‘prayer alarm’ either on your phone or watch, to go off at hourly intervals. As you are reminded to pray, tell God of your desire to spend the day with him, taking time to be in his presence, rejoicing, praying and giving thanks.
Listen to the song ‘As the Deer’ or read the words (SASB 571). As you meditate on the words, imagine you are sitting beside a clean, cool, fresh water stream. Imagine you are very thirsty. You reach down and draw the water to your mouth. Taste it. Enjoy the refreshment it brings as it trickles down your throat. Then pray that God will help make that the image for your soul. (From 7 Spiritual Habits That Can Cchange your Life by Joey Clifton.)
Consider keeping a prayer journal of your prayers. Keep one page for prayer requests and the opposite page for answers to prayer.
Make a prayer space in your corps or home. Keep your Bbible, devotional books, music and perhaps a small cross and candle there to help you focus on God.
Prayer Points Pray for God to increase our desire to spend time in his presence. Pray for the discipline to overcome the distractions that would take us away from being in God’s presence through prayer and his wWord.
Pray that, as his disciples, God would grant us with the persistence to keep on meeting with him. Pray that, as disciples, we would experience the transformation of character that comes through being in Jesus’ presence.
‘Opening Up’ (Including others in the journey of discipleship) (Luke 19:1-10) Corporate Prayer LEADER: RESPONSE:
With open arms God welcomes you into his presence. I choose to walk into God’s arms and feel his embrace.
LEADER: RESPONSE:
With an open heart Jesus wants to show you his love. I am willing to discover more of Jesus’ love for me.
LEADER: RESPONSE:
With power and glory the Holy Spirit waits to bless you. I am waiting with anticipation for blessings in the hope that I too can be a blessing to someone.
LEADER:
We give thanks for people who teach us how to interact with Jesus; people from the Bible and people we know today. Thank you, Lord, for Bible characters who, just like us, were imperfect in many ways yet found a new way to live through an encounter with you.
Response:
LEADER: Response:
Together:
Lord, we meet together to deepen our understanding of being a disciple of Jesus in this world today. Shine on us, we pray, with your glorious light and show us the way to glorify you through our friendships and relationships. In Jesus’ powerful name we make our prayer. Amen.
Prayer Topics
Pray for people who feel ignored because of their lifestyle or situation:. mMaybe through poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, mental illness, unemployment or as victims of abuse.
Pray that the Lord will help you to see everyone through his eyes, a person uniquely created with potential and promise. Be honest about your own prejudice and pray for understanding and healing.
Pray for people who think they are unworthy of love; for those with low self-esteem or those who have been told they are worthless.
Pray that you will be able to speak words of encouragement and even love when you have the opportunity. Pray that your desire will be to build others up in the Lord.
Prayer Activities Imagination prayer
Jesus met Zacchaeus in a crowd, yet he spoke with him personally. When you have a personal encounter with Jesus you realise how much he knows about you and how deep is his love for you is. Choose a quiet space and breathe in and out deeply, until you feel calm and relaxed. Breathe in the presence of Jesus with you, and breathe out any anger, frustration, worry etc. Offer a prayer asking God to protect your mind and bless your thoughts as you enter into this prayer encounter. Imagine yourself in one of your favourite places; somewhere you feel safe. Next, imagine Jesus walking towards you. What is he wearing? What is the expression on his face? How does he greet you? How do you greet Jesus? Jesus asks you to play a game;, what do you choose to play? Jesus asks you when was the last time you were really happy and why.? Jesus asks you when was the last time you cried and why.? Jesus asks you what you are worrying about right now. You have a gift for Jesus;, what is it? Jesus has a gift for you;, what is it? End your prayer time by thanking the Lord for being with you in those special moments. This personal encounter will strengthen your own Christian life and enable you to pray for others in a more meaningful and deeper way. Try imagining that someone you need to pray for is meeting with Jesus, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts. If you are brave enough, share your prayer thoughts with the person you have prayed for. It will encourage them more than you will know, and will help you to discover how prayer makes a difference. Postures in prayer Simply opening our hands before the Lord suggests we are open and ready to receive from him. Folding our arms in prayer suggests we are placing a barrier between ourselves and God. Thinking about our prayer position before we commence can make a difference. Kneeling suggests reverence and humility, while lying prostrate suggests complete surrender. Standing suggests we are in the presence of the King of kings and we honour hHim. Raising our arms in praise suggests we are giving God the glory. Think about how your posture reflects your attitude. It may not be physically possible to achieve the position you choose, but you can imagine yourself in that position as you pray for the prayer topics above.
‘Getting Together’ (Gathering as disciples) (Based on Acts chapters 2 to– 4)
Corporate Prayer All:
Father, Son and Spirit, we worship you – you are aAlmighty, all- loving, all- powerful. We gather together in your holy presence, in your name, as your followers did on the day of Pentecost – together in worship, community, focus and intention. Father, may your Spirit fall upon us again today –- your Spirit that draws us to you, to each other and to the world outside this building.
Leader:
May we, through your power, speak out boldly for Christ, the only Saviour. We pray that our community, our country and our world may truly believe that people need the Lord.
All:
‘Salvation is found in no -one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved.’
Leader:
May we, through your power, lift Christ up. It’s all about him!
All:
‘Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your Hholy Spirit.’
Leader:
May we, through your power, reveal Jesus in all we are and do.
All:
May people ‘recognise us as being companions of Jesus’.’
Leader:
May we, your people, live in unity with each other. May the centre and focus of that unity be Christ and Christ alone. May we be one, as Christ and his Father are one.
All:
May we live in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common.
Leader:
We now take time to listen to what God is saying to us, as individuals and as a worshipping community (… a period of silence…)
All:
As we pray, may this place be shaken, may we all be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak the word of God boldly. Amen!
Prayer Points
May we each become true disciples of Jesus – following him in every aspect of his life and living. May we become one with him – through prayer, Bible reading, obedience, repentance, Christ-like living and repentance – and one with each other – through enthroning Christ as Lord of our individual lives and this worshipping community. As people enter these doors during the week, may they see and sense Christ here. May every activity be about Jesus –- and may hHis name be spoken freely in this place, where we live, work, study and socialise. May the broken, fragmented lives within this place, this community, this country and this world be healed. May God gather us, and all he has laid upon our hearts, to himself.
Prayer activities
Encourage the congregation to pray together in small groups during worship. Some congregations will be comfortable doing this – for those who are not, introduce a ‘fun element’. Hand out Celebrations or Quality Street chocolates, asking those who have a certain colour of wrapper to sit together – you may need to print out the prayer points and ask someone in each group to read them out.
Encourage each member of the congregation to quietly think of and pray for someone less fortunate than themselves – and then to ask God what they can do to bless that person, in his name over the coming week. It could involve offering to help clean their flat, weeding a garden, DIY, baking a cake, taking them for a game of golf, inviting them for a cup of tea etc.
Encourage your congregation to gather together in small groups to pray during the week – this could be before coffee morning, after lunch club, during sectional practices, in youth cell groups, in someone’s home.
Encourage people to share a meal/refreshments with each other during the week – either at home or in a coffee shop – or if possible, invite the whole congregation to join in a ‘Faith Meal’ after worship. Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer.
‘Acting Out’ (Practiscing discipleship) (Luke 13:10-17)
Corporate prayer Lord, if we had a small part of the faith you have in us, our world would be transformed. Lord, if we showed a fraction of the love that you show to us, our world would be transformed. Lord, if we possessed a part of the patience that you give to us, then this world would be transformed. Lord, if we shared just a portion of the blessings that we receive from you, then this world would be transformed. Lord, if we showed as much trust in others as you have shown in us, then this world would be transformed. Lord, if we claimed just a fraction of the power you promised to your Church, then this world would be transformed. Transform us, Lord, that we might transform this world.
Prayer Activities
You will need a popcorn machine and popcorn. While the corn is popping the congregation can pray onesingle- word praise prayers. The prayer time can conclude when the corn stops popping. (Iif it is hard to provide a machine, encourage people to pray ‘popcorn’ prayers, ie one prayer quickly after the other instead.). Give the group an opportunity to pray simple one- word prayers of praise as you guide them, encouraging them to pray more than once in the prayer time. Model for them what you would like them to do. For example: ‘Almighty’ or ‘Comforter.’ When everyone has finished praying, share out some popcorn and close in prayer: ‘Father, you are God above all else in this world. We love you. We praise you for all that you’'ve done in our lives. We confess that sometimes we aren't not where we should be spiritually;, we leave you behind; we make poor choices. Forgive us, Lord. We pray that you would fill us with your Holy Spirit. Amen.’
You will need wool, knitting needles or paper and pens This activity is best for an individual setting, small prayer group or craft group. If there are keen knitters, get the group to each knit or crochet a shawl while praying for the intended recipient of the shawl. The shawl could be for someone who is sick or struggling, for a new baby or for someone moving home. Whatever the reason, the shawl steeped in prayer is given as a gift. Instead of knitting, encourage people to draw/write their prayers on paper.
Prayer Points Jesus was ready to do the will of the Ffather 24/7. If we are committed to being 24/7 disciples we must be ready to do good wherever and whenever we are presented with need. In Christ we have all we need to transform our communities, our corps, our centres and our world.
Lord, may I be a source of peace, a hand to hold, accessible, generous, loving, a blessing within the circle of my family and friends.
May I be a steady rock, a ready shoulder, dependable, trustworthy, caring, a blessing within the circle of my acquaintances.
May I be a light that shines, a love that flows, discernible, accessible, healing, a blessing within the circle of my community.
Confess to God the things that prevent us from moving towards a deeper relationship with Jesus. Pray that God will move in your life by hHis Holy Spirit for the sake of others.
Our business or busyness can sometimes get in the way of meeting the needs of those around us; it can prevent us from connecting with God’s stillness. Pray that we find God’s rhythm, his pace, in the every day. Perhaps consider setting an alarm daily for a time to relax with God.
Christ’s deep compassion for those who are suffering is evident. Take some time to think of those who are suffering. We may think ofn those who are in dangerous war zones;. tThose who are sick or diseased, perhaps even those who we know personally. Pray for their healing and freedom from suffering.
Pray for the people you come in contact with during your week:. yYour friends, family, neighbours, work colleagues. As you become aware of their needs of others, bring them to the cross.
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‘Speaking Up’ (Testifying to others as disciples) Matthew 21:12-17
Responsive Prayer Dear Lord, we bring before you those moments and situations where we struggle to know how to respond. We pray for your wisdom and strength as we seek to be good stewards of your word in our corps, communities, homes, schools and places of work. We ask that you equip us to be the people you have called us to be, so in those moments of challenge we can stand as your people of peace. We pray for the confidence to speak out against injustice and corruption and that our actions and deeds will be a reflection of our love for you and an expression of our praise and prayer. In the stillness of this moment we bring our prayers before you. Overturn in our lives all those things that are not of you. Free us from all that binds, so that our lives will be a fragrant offering. Cleanse us from our sin, so that we can draw closer to you. Teach us to be your faithful servants. In the stillness of this moment we bring our prayers before you. You know the needs and concerns of all your children. In moments of silence we bring before you all those who are known to us who are in need at this time. We pray especially for our brothers and sisters who are persecuted for their faith. We give thanks for their bravery and for the conscience they give to a broken world. We pray for those who are battling illness, for those who are providing care and support to loved ones, and for those we know who are coping with loss. May they and others known to us feel your presence and healing peace this day. In the stillness of this moment we bring our prayers before you. As we head out from this time of prayer, we ask that you remain with us. Enable us through your Spirit, Equip us through your wWord, And direct us through your love. In your Son’s precious name we pray. Amen.
PRAYER POINTS:
Are there things in our lives that we need to overturn, just as Jesus did with the tables in the Ttemple? Are there habits, attitudes or broken relationships that are getting in the way of our walk of faith? In the verse from Matthew 21: 12-17 (RSV) Jesus speaks of ‘perfect praise’. What would this look like to you? How can we live our lives as an offering of perfect praise? What would we need to change? Pray about this. Jesus reacted to the situation he saw before him as he entered the Ttemple. Are there situations we have encountered where we are called to act? Are there positive steps we can take to make a difference in our homes and communities to address a specific need? Pray about this.
PRAYER ACTIVITY:
Table- Turning Prayers You will need the template, scissors and Ssellotape This activity provides an opportunity to create a simple visual representation of the tables overturned by Jesus in the Temple. It can be used as a trigger for prayer and calls us all to consider those things we need to overturn in our lives. As you physically turn the table over, think about those things that get in the way of your walk of faith.? Pause and bring these before the Lord in prayer. Template attached.
Newspaper Prayers You will need current newspapers or printed news articles from the internet In the Ttemple, Jesus recognised the injustices that were occurring around him. As Christians, we are called to be in the world, but not of the world. We need to direct prayers for healing and peace in troubled times. Many of these injustices occur globally and we encounter themse through a whole range of media including newspapers and the internet. Rather than feeling dismayed and helpless at the news, let us use this as an opportunity to bring wider injustices before God in prayer. Take a copy of a newspaper or print off pages from articles on the internet. Begin this activity by asking God to lay on your heart (as you read) any particular issues or situations that require prayer. As you read through the paper and feel called to respond, pause and reflect and bring this issue to God in prayer. If you wish to extend this activity, invite all members of the corps, or prayer group, to identify one or two articles to bring as a focus for intercession.
Marbling Prayers You will need a tray of water, paper and a set of marbling inks. Paper marbling provides an opportunity for worshippers of all ages to reconnect with a childlike time of ‘perfect praise’,. pPausing to spend time with the Father and letting the images produced shape our time with him. Marbling inks work because rather than dissolving into the water they sit on the surface. Just a few drops are sufficient to create unique patterns, which can be captured by placing the paper on to the surface of the water. The effects are incredible, each one unique, and it is because marbling inks remain pure that their interaction with the other inks create vibrant, wonderful images. In just the same way we are called to remain faithful to the gGospel in every aspect of our interaction with the world. As you place inks on to the water, think about the issues or challenges these could represent. As you stir and create patterns with them, pause to consider our responses and actions. And finally, as you place the pure white sheet of paper on the water to absorb the inks and create the image, reflect upon how God sent his only Sson to take away the sin of the world.