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Sunday's Child: The True King, a Reflection on Revelation 1:4b-8

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:18:00 -0600

Christ is the faithful witness.
Christ is the ruler of the kings of the earth.
Christ loves us.
Christ freed us from our sins by his blood.

Not only that but also, Christ mades us to be a kingdom. Kingdom. That might sound pretty empirical and empowering. Let us pause to remember what kind of kingdom is meant. We are to serve God and Father to whom glory and dominion belong.

Caesar may seem to be in charge of our lives, but Caesar doesn't last long. The Lord God, on the other hand, is the Alpha and Omega--the already and the one to come. The Lord God is the one who is and will be the Almighty One in our lives.

Dale Tedder: A Prayer for Thanksgiving

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:10:00 -0600

Most gracious God, you crown the year with your goodness. We praise you that you have ever fulfilled your promise that, while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest shall not cease. We bless you for the order and constancy of nature, for the beauty of earth and sky and sea, and for the providence that year by year supplies our need.

We thank you for your blessing on the work of those who plowed the soil and sowed the seed, and have now gathered in the fruits of the earth. And with our thanksgiving for these blessings, accept our praise, O God, for the eternal riches of your grace in Christ our Lord; to whom, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all glory and honor and worship, for ever and ever. Amen.

Taken from The United Methodist Book of Worship

Sunday's Child: The True King, a Reflection on Revelation 1:4b-8

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:04:00 -0600

We are reading from this letter that was written to congregations that preceded us--written to them at a time of stress and turmoil, a time when they needed to be reminded that Christ is King.

Verses 5 and 6 list some of the elements of Christian faith:
Christ is the faithful witness.
Christ is the ruler of the kings of the earth.
Christ loves us.
Christ freed us from our sins by his blood.

Not only that but also, Christ mades us to be a kingdom. Kingdom. That might sound pretty empirical and empowering. Let us pause to remember what kind of kingdom is meant. We are to serve God and Father to whom glory and dominion belong.

Caesar may seem to be in charge of our lives, but Caesar doesn't last long. The Lord God, on the other hand, is the Alpha and Omega--the already and the one to come. The Lord God is the one who is and will be the Almighty One in our lives.

Dale Tedder: Prayer for this Lord's Day

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:04:00 -0600

"By Thy grace, O God, I will go nowhere this day where Thou canst not come, nor court any companionship that would rob me of Thine. By Thy grace I will let no thought enter my heart that might hinder my communion with Thee, nor let any word come from my mouth that is not meant for Thine ear."

Part of a prayer that comes from John Baillie's Prayer Diary.

Dale Tedder: Prayer Requests

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:02:00 -0600

If you have a prayer request for this week that you would like to share with others and me, please click on "comments" immediately below this post and write it out in the provided space. Doing that will enable anyone who clicks on "comments" to read and pray for your request(s).

You may also want to check back later to discover how you can pray for someone else...or offer your support and encouragement.

If you have a prayer request that is more private in nature, then please do not hesitate to email me directly. My email address is DaleTedder@yahoo.com. It would be an honor and a blessing to pray for you.

Blessings,
Dale

Dale Tedder: Tozer Devotion for this Lord's Day

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:59:00 -0600

Effectively Communicating Truth

Many of us who preach the unsearchable riches of Christ are often pretty dull and hard to listen to.

The freshest thought to visit the human mind should be the thought of God. The story of salvation should put a radiancy in the face and a vibrancy in the voice of him that tells it. Yet it is not uncommon to hear the wondrous message given in a manner that makes it difficult for the hearer to concentrate on what is being said. What is wrong?

The conventional answer, "The speaker is not full of the Holy Spirit," does not tell us enough. Many who by every test of life and love are temples of the Spirit manage to sound like a worn-out phonograph record that was not very good in the first place.

It is true that only the Spirit-filled preacher can be morally effective at last; but for the moment we are thinking only of the ability of a speaker to command the attention of his hearers. And if the speaker cannot keep his hearers immediately interested, his message cannot possibly have a long-range effect upon them, no matter how spiritual he may be.

Verse: But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. 2 Timothy 4:17

Thought: Let's move beyond pablum formulas to spiritual food that contributes to maturity. Unless we do, believers may never grow beyond babyhood and our congregations will remain in spiritual infancy.

Prayer: What a solemn responsibility to proclaim Your truth, Lord! May I not hinder Your Spirit's work by lack of prayer, dependence upon You and thoughtful preparation.

Taken from the Tozer Devotional page at the Christian Missionary Alliance

Dale Tedder: Majesty

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:58:00 -0600

Dale Tedder: Scripture for this Lord's Day

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:55:00 -0600

John 18:33-37

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" [34] "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"

[35] "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

[36] Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

[37] "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

Dale Tedder: Go Make Disciples by John Piper

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:54:00 -0600

Dale Tedder: Heidelberg Catechism: Lord's Day 47

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:49:00 -0600

The Lord's Prayer

122. Question: What is the first petition?

Answer: Hallowed be Thy Name. That is: Grant us first of all that we may rightly know Thee,[1] and sanctify, glorify, and praise Thee in all Thy works, in which shine forth Thy almighty power, wisdom, goodness, righteousness, mercy, and truth.[2] Grant us also that we may so direct our whole life-- our thoughts, words, and actions-- that Thy Name is not blasphemed because of us but always honoured and praised.[3]

[1] Jer. 9:23, 24; 31: 33, 34; Matt. 16:17; John 17:3. [2] Ex. 34:5-8; Ps. 145; Jer. 32:16-20; Luke 1:46-55, 68-75; Rom. 11: 33-36. [3] Ps. 115:1; Matt. 5:16.

St. John's Rev Abi (Abi Carlisle-Wilke): prayer for Christ the King Sunday

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:24:00 -0600

Oh Jesus,
You are the King of Glory,
You are the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings.
And we pray that your Kingdom will reign forever in our hearts and in this world.

Lord, we pray for your Kingdom to come here now,
bringing a kingdom of justice, righteousness, hope, love,
peace, mercy and grace for all.
Lord, we ask that you rule in our hearts,
lead in this world and govern over your kingdom.

But Lord honestly,
We often have our own plans and agendas
And we want to be rulers of our world.
Forgive us for those times.
And Lord we live in a time that would rather idolize the King of Pop
Than worship you.
Help us to know how to live as your Kingdom People in these times.
And Lord there are a lot of Kings in this world who terrorize, over tax, humiliate,
Over exploit, and abuse those they are to lead.
Help us to spread the good news of the different kind of King you are.

Lord, thank you for being a different kind of King.
Thank you for your goodness and kindness in our lives.
Thank you for your generosity.
Thank you for loving us.
Thank you for your Kingdom that is unlike any
Kingdom in this world.

Gen-X Rising (Andrew Thompson): A Prayer for Christ the King

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:19:00 -0600

Almighty Father, who gave your Son Jesus Christ a realmwhere all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him;make us loyal followers of our living Lord,that we may always hear his word,follow his teachings, and live in his Spirit;and hasten the day when every knee shall bowand every tongue confess that he is Lord;to your eternal glory. Amen.(UM Book of Worship, 420)Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106andrew@mandatum.org0

Allan Bevere: A Prayer for Christ the King Sunday

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0600

Almighty and Everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Book of Common Prayer

Connexions (Richard Hall): Hymn of the day

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:24:56 -0600

Jesus — the name high over all, in hell or earth or sky; angels and men before it fall, and devils fear and fly. Jesus — the name to sinners dear, The name to sinners given! It scatters all their guilty fear, it turns their hell to heaven. Jesus — the prisoner’s fetters breaks, And bruises Satan’s head; Power into strengthless souls it speaks, And life [...]

Locusts and Honey (John the Methodist): Stained Glass d20

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:36:00 -0600

John F. Talarico of the podcast show Bloodthirsty Vegetarians created two 20-sided dice out of stained glass and black and copper patina. The orange one is called "Fire." There are more detailed images in the flickr photostream.

Image via d20 Blog | Flickr Stream | Official Website