​6  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;7 rather, he made himself nothing  by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.                 Philippians 2:6-11
 
Paul tells his readers that the example of Jesus is set up before us. His existence was divine, but still, He humbled himself to a more human-like state, a lowly one at that. And He endured the pain and upset of dying on the cross, surrounded by upset and scorn from others. By confessing with our hearts, minds and mouths that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we can bring glory to God the Father for the work He has done – death and sin are conquered, once and for all !
 
Let us pray together :  Eternal and Giving God , we worship You as the one True God of our lives , You are the source of all true and lasting joy. As we read and contemplate Your Word, we pray that we will hear Your voice of instruction, of compassion to us all.
Lord Jesus, You are the resurrection and the life, the door where we may enter into Your Father’s presence. We, the church, are Your body here in this world. Help us to be strong, be vigilant for what is right and true. All these things we pray in Your Blessed Name.   Amen.
 
Yours in Christ  ,  Rollie

​Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12: 1-2
 
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he speaks of “offering your bodies as a living sacrifice” – said another way : because God has shown amazing mercy to us, through the saving power of Jesus over death, is appropriate for all of us to be dedicated to God, to give Him our lives as a sacrifice to use for His purposes right now on this earth.
 
Let us pray together :  Holy and Loving God, indeed Your mercy, grace and kindness flows to us like a river.  We are thankful for all of it Lord. We desire that we be what you need us to be in this world today : help us to be the church you need, a church that reaches out to our fellow citizens , righting what is wrong, showing love instead of anger and upset, and telling the world of Your saving mercy in Jesus, The Risen One, in whose Name we pray.       Amen
 
Yours in Christ  ,  Rollie

​Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked “Where are you going?” He answered me “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and long it is” When he left, an angel came to meet him, and said to him “Run and tell that young man ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. And I myself will will be a wall of fire around it, ‘ declares the LORD, ‘and I will be the glory within’           Zechariah 2:1-5
 
In today’s reading of the prophet Zechariah, it tells of the appearance of angels, one of them declaring the protection of God for all who enter into His holy presence ; the “wall of fire” will surround everyone and everything in it, His glory will be there. Where we are, where the body of Christ is, God abides with us. His power and love is ours, for all who are believers in The Good News of Jesus – He lived among us, was crucified, and conquered death through His Resurrection. God our Father will be our Protector !
 
Let us pray :  Creator and loving God – You are all powerful and all knowing. You tell your people – I am the LORD your God. We worship you and you alone. We bring our thoughts, prayers, songs and acts of praise to You, to bring You the glory You deserve. Please continue to hold us, Your church, close and guide us so that we can be what You need here in this world – the voices of compassion and love. Through Jesus, Your Son, we pray.   Amen
 
Yours in Christ  ,  Rollie

​ Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”           John 4:20-24
 
Today’s reading from John’s Gospel is a portion of the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. He speaks to her of a time coming when God will be revealed as the Father of all believers in every nation. He also says that people must worship Him, as influenced by The Holy Spirit, and have communion with Him. Prayers , supplications and acts of thanksgiving from the heart makes up the heart desirous of being closer to God, which gives Him the glory He deserves.
 
Let us pray :  Living and Holy God, we thank you for being in this world, as you are within us. Help us to continue to build and grow Your church, help us to be true and loving church out in this sometimes distressing world, I world that so needs more caring, more compassion, more brotherly and sisterly love. We pray these and all thing through Jesus, The Anointed One, our Savior.  Amen
 
Yours in Christ  ,  Rollie

​This is what the Lord says--
    your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:  “For your sake I will send to Babylon and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians,in the ships in which they took pride. I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King.”                   Isaiah 43:14-15
 
In today’s reading from the prophet, God proclaims to Israel what He will do. He speaks both of His mercies and tells His nation to seek Him, not dwell on past happenings, to look ahead to the newness of life that He will bring, a new chapter in their life, as it were. The old days are not going to reappear, the prophet says. This will be different, exciting, new – and we need to be ready to go together with God into this “new life”
 
Let us pray please :  Holy One, Creator God – you indeed brought everything into being, and proclaimed that it was good. You are the God of Love, the God of power and might, the God of our lives. Help us all Lord, guide us through these troubling and scary times. Show our world the path that You desire we follow – the path of light, of compassion, of caring, and of redemption, through the saving blood of Jesus, in whose Name we pray.  Amen.
 
Yours in Christ  ,  Rollie 

​5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.                          Exodus 3:5-6
 
Our reading today from Exodus is the story of The Burning Bush and of Moses’ initial encounter with God. This happened at Horeb, the mountain of God.  As God instructed him, Moses removed his shoes as a sign of respect and submission both to the Lord and to His holy place. In our way today, as we see more of God’s grace and the abiding love He has for us, the more reason to worship Him with reverence and godly awe.
 
Let us pray together please :  Holy One, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – Your children bow before You in wonderment of Your splendor and glory. Through Your great power, You created the heavens and the earth, and all that is within. We pray for a world caught up in a pandemic of illness, of fear, and anger and upset. Please help us, Your church, to be the voices of healing, of compassion and respect for all, continue to show us Your will for us as we seek to better serve You.    It is in Your Blessed Son’s Name we pray.     Amen.
 
Yours in Christ  ,  Rollie

​4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.           1 Timothy 4:4-5
 
In this brief reading in Paul’s letter to Timothy, Paul states quite clearly that “everything God created is good” – a statement that echoes what we read in Genesis, where it says that “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed, it was very good” (1:31). Paul is trying to make the point that, while there were teachers in their time trying to tell the people that there were things that were evil and should be avoided, they are not bad or evil , because God, as The Creator and Provider, brought them into being, and they should be received through thanksgiving and prayer.
 
Let us pray please :  Creator and Ever Giving God, you bring blessings to our lives every day – Your provision for us in all things is kind and loving – we are indeed grateful for all. Teach us Lord to follow You in the paths that you would have us walk – paths of kindness and justice to others, paths of compassion for the less fortunate. As Your church here in this world, we desire to provide others with the knowledge of You and Your Son Jesus, who was victorious over sin and death.    We pray all in His Name.  Amen.
 
Yours in Christ  ,  Rollie

​14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”          Exodus 4:14-17
 
Our reading today tells of the commissioning of Moses by God to be mediator or leader for the Israelites in Egypt. As we see in the reading, Moses is reluctant, using excuse after excuse not to be chosen. God agrees to team him up with Aaron, his brother. Aaron speaks well to others – combined with Moses’ heart and intelligence, they would work well for God in guiding the Israelites.
A question we can ask :  sometimes, are we like Moses , pulling away from tasks for Him that are tough or perilous ? In life, would we rather go on a smooth path, not one with twists and turns ?
 
Let us pray together :     Lord of All Heaven and Earth, thank you for Your presence in our minds, our hearts, our lives. We pray that you will equip us for “the journey” – our daily walk with you. Help us to learn, grow, teach others, be Your church in this world that needs You so badly. Bring us the knowledge we need to teach, help us to show Your compassion more freely to others who need love, where there are wrongs and hatred, help us to replace that with justice and caring.
We pray all in Your Name, Jesus…………..     Amen.
 
Yours In Christ  ,  Rollie

7 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
Exodus 33:7-11  
 
In today’s reading, it explains that Moses set up the “tent of meeting” separate from the main camp, and the inhabitants were very aware both when Moses was in the tent, and when God appeared with Moses to speak to him. After their days of idol worship ( the golden calf, for example),which created distance and space between them and God, they wanted to be back in good graces, to be closer with their God. In our own way, as we desire to reach out to God, He lets us know that He is with us, and will meet us.
 
Let’s pray together please : Eternal One, Your love falls like rain down on us, refreshing us. Your Presence is steadfast, we take comfort and strength with the knowledge that You will continue into the ages to be our Guide, our Tower. Help us Lord to continue the work here is this sometimes scary world to show this world Your love, telling the world of Your promise to always be here for us. All things are possible with You !!  We pray all this in Your Son’s Name.   Amen.
 
Yours in Christ  ,  Rollie
 
 
 
 

42 “For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the tent of meeting, before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you; 43 there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.44 “So I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45 Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. 46 They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.
Exodus 29:42-46
 
In today’s reading, God speaks of bringing sacrifices to the altar – in a like way, we are to come to God each day with our devotions, and meet Him with the prayers from our hearts. In this reading , God makes the promise that He will indeed dwell among the people and be their God – a promise that continues to be ours as well, as He lives in our souls and our daily living.
 
Let’s pray together – Holy One, our Living God – please accept our prayers and praise offerings to You. Help us to never forget that indeed You are near to us, always. During these ever-challenging times, be that strong presence for each of us, help us to be the church you need us to be. It is through Your Son Jesus we pray.   Amen.
 
Yours in Christ , Rollie
 
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