Jesus,

You were present at the foundation of the world, and then Psalm 118 tells us You are the foundation of the cornerstone of our faith, even though You were rejected by the Pharisees. You are the Righteous Branch from the line of David whose sacrifice shows the depth of God’s love for us. We are grateful You came to be with us, to offer understanding for our difficulties and our humanity, to heal the faithful, and to save the lost. We are thankful, dear LORD, for Your amazing grace and Presence in our lives.

AMEN.


Rev. Julie Wright

Most Gracious and Loving God,

We give thanks to you and praise your holy name because your love for us endures forever. Dozens of writers over thousands of years have written testimonies in honor of you, and we know they are faithful to your character. Bless us as we pursue you so that your nature will be revealed to us in all its glory. Help us to draw near to you so that we may witness your righteousness. We pray this revelation gives us peaceful assurance that you are our Lord and our Savior.

Lord, sometimes we stray from your ways. Forgive us, we pray. Thank you for your forgiveness. Allow your forgiveness to penetrate our being and fill us with your healing and renewal. Enable us to recognize that in following you, our fortunes are restored. Grant us wisdom to see that this restoration is of our souls. Bless us with the ability to give you thanks and praise for what you do in the world.

Lord, empower us with your divine joy as a result of our epiphany so that we may do your will every day. Bless us with intentionality in caring for those in need. May we bless others through our determination to give as well as we have received. Allow us to shine like stars and act in ways that are pleasing to you. In this way, your joy may be within us, and our joy may be complete.

In Jesus Christ’s name, we pray, amen.


Rev. Geoff Beakley

Heavenly Father, from the depths of our hearts, we praise You. You are a great and good God who is worthy of our praise.

Loving Lord, Your love for us is abundant and constant. You place no requirements on us to receive Your love. When we walk the straight and narrow path, You love us, but Your love is not diminished when we stray and go our own way. Your love is eternal. We don’t have to “deserve” Your love; it is given freely with no strings attached.

Help us to learn from You and to pattern our lives after You. Forgive us when we think and act like we are better than anyone. Create within us the desire to serve and love others unconditionally, just like You do. Teach us to live unselfishly, putting the needs of others above ourselves, following Your example.

In our sinful selves, we are prone to pursue paths that will enrich us rather than strive to live in such a manner that others will also benefit. Teach us to value all others and to recognize that they are also made in Your image, just as we are. Holy Scripture tells us that You loved the world and all its inhabitants so much that You sent Your only Son, Jesus, to live among us and model the unselfish life. Help us to follow His example and live our lives for others. Lead us to adopt the attitude of Christ and understand that instead of watching out for our own good, we should watch out for what is better for others.

Lord, help me live from day to day
In such a self-for¬get¬ful way
That even when I kneel to pray
My pray¬er shall be for—Oth¬ers.

Help me in all the work I do
To ever be sin¬cere and true
And know that all I’d do for You
Must needs be done for—Oth¬ers.

And when my work on earth is done,
And my new work in Heav’n’s be¬gun,
May I for¬get the crown I’ve won,
While think¬ing still of—Oth¬ers.*

In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen!

Others by Charles D. Meigs


Rev. Jamie Jenkins

Holy God,

We give you thanks for the ways in which you speak to us and teach us as we read scripture. Lord, today, we ask that you create in us a clean heart and put within us a new and willing spirit. Empower us as we dedicate our time and ourselves to prayer, fasting, worship, the reading of scripture, and the living out of our faith in you.

Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your holy Word
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your glory

Amen.

Speak O Lord by Keith Getty


Rev. Elizabeth Byrd

Blessed Lord,

This morning, we wake up praising you. For you are the treasure of our life. Even when the day doesn’t go our way, and even when the night keeps us tossing and turning, still we delight to say: “Blessed be the name of the Lord! Blessed be the Rock of Ages!” We will stand upon your Word today. Order our steps, Lord. Help us to see and to dream in a manner that is pleasing in your sight. Encourage us to call upon your name at ALL times, for you are Good. There is no one like you. Walk with us in the garden. Protect us in the wilderness. Draw us to streams of flowing water, for your name’s sake. We lift up our heads, our hands, and our hearts to you today. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and make us new!

In Jesus’ name. Amen.


Rev. Josh Miles

Gracious and Loving God,

It is not lost upon us how fortunate we are to be your children and to be created in your image. Everything you have done and are doing for us is completely unimaginable, as we are completely unworthy. We cannot express our gratitude enough! Even so, great God, suffering perplexes us deeply. The horrors of the past, the present, and, sadly, probably the future confound and anger us. So many things that happen are intolerable.

Gracious and Loving God,

In that vein, precious God, we are especially bewildered by the idea that you thought you had to and, in fact, did die for us. Thereby, someway, somehow, you absolve us of our actionable and unactionable thoughts, words, and deeds. Amazing God, we are left only being able to ask why? We are simply and completely awed that you dwelled among us as one of us, suffering with us, showing us that weeping and hurting and agony are all a part of our human condition. Yet, you also proved to us that these dark experiences and emotions are not the entirety of our human condition.

Gracious and Loving God,

You turned everything upside down, giving us the strength of conviction and purpose to transform the terrible, sad, distressful, depleting events and things of life if we will only let down our selfish, ego-driven ways in order to authentically care deeply for one another, walking humbly in your path by following your example. Help us to claim the promise that kindness, compassion, and love are the ways in which we will find wholeness, joy, purpose, fulfillment, and healing.

In Your Holy Name We Pray, Amen


Rev. Mace Hall

Loving God,

We give you thanks for your saving love. We live in gratitude because you have not left us trapped by the consequences of our sins but have made way for us with your forgiveness and grace. We confess that all too often, we forget the depth of your love for us and all that you have done to restore and renew our relationship with you. Forgive us our sins, particularly in this season in which we walk again the road to the Cross; remind us of your saving grace, and strengthen us with your Holy Spirit to trust in your love each and every day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Rev. Daniel Ogle

Gracious and Loving God,

With the dawning of a new day, we come before You now in praise and thanksgiving. We’re grateful for the people You place in our lives who love us and care for us — please help us to be a blessing unto them and, indeed, everyone we meet. Let us attest to our faith through the example of our living. You have called us by name — may our response shine forth with gratitude and joy as Your faithful people.

O God, during this season of Lent, grant us the courage to look into our hearts with honesty and clarity. We confess that we aren’t always proud of what we see. In Your mercy, forgive us when we’ve turned away from You. With David, we pray the penitent words of the psalm, restore us, and “wash away all our iniquities.” Pardon us when we have hurt others. Let us make amends where possible. Enable us to be forgiving of others as well, and even ourselves. “Create in us a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within us.”

O Lord, we’re thankful that even as You graciously provided the law for us to live by in relationship with You and with each other, You offered us a way to atone for our sins. From Exodus forward, You have given us the means by which to reckon with the injuries we cause so that not only may we continue to live but flourish as forgiven people. We praise You for the Great High Priest we have in Jesus who knows and understands our weaknesses. As we journey on to Jerusalem and Holy Week, let us take comfort that we may approach Your “throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.


Rev. Darren Hensley