Sunday, November 1- All Saints Day

32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Jesus began to weep. John 11:32-35

Jesus WEPT! I can weep at the drop of a hat. Any little thing can set me off. You know how cleansing a good cry can be. I think it does you good to cry once and awhile. I’m sure that Jesus wept other times; I hope He did, but this is the only instance in the Bible where Jesus wept. This time, when Lazarus died, this time it was written down. He must have had great love for this man. It’s a very human thing to do which shows that side of Jesus we don’t always see. The human side, the side that made Him like us, as we in turn, try to be like Him.

Let us pray…
Heavenly Father, We thank you for coming down to us in Jesus. We thank you for His humanness as well as His divineness. Please keep us mindful of Jesus’ life that we may, in our humanness imitate His divineness. In Jesus we pray. Amen.

Monday, November 2

13 The LORD your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear. 14 Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are all around you, 15 because the LORD your God, who is present with you, is a jealous God. Deuteronomy 6:13-15a

God commands we have no other gods. But do we worship other gods without even knowing it? Do we worship money, possessions, our career? Think about it; are these things really that important? God reminds us that he will provide for us. These things will come and go, but God’s love and provision will be forever and ever after. Trust in Him, not in our earthly “gods.”

Let us pray…
Father in heaven, we desire to worship only you. Help us to see that everything else in this world is of Your giving, and that You are responsible for everything we have and desire to have. Save us from ourselves when we put possessions and desires before You. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Tuesday, November 3

1Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
Psalm 51:1-2

If we ask for forgiveness, and repent for our sin, God forgives that sin and blots it out. It isn’t always easy to accept God’s forgiveness. Sometimes we feel we don’t deserve it. We keep asking over and over for forgiveness of the same sins. We have to trust God. We have to trust that His love and mercy is greater than ANY sin that we repent and ask forgiveness for. God doesn’t keep records of our forgiven sins, He washes us clean.

Let us pray…
Our most merciful God, in you we have trust. In you we find forgiveness and grace, unconditionally and undeservingly. Find favor with us Lord, and forgive us all our sins. We pray this is the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Wednesday, November 4

34 Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. Acts 10:34-35

God shows no partiality. Do we? Are we accepting? I have to admit, I find myself relying on first impressions which seem to make an annullable mark on how I feel about, and treat that person. Do you find yourself doing the same? God doesn’t discriminate between Gentiles and Jews, He doesn’t care where you’re from, or the color of your skin. He made us, all of us. He loves and accepts us just as we are.

Let us pray…
Dearest Father, Help us to look beyond the physical, the first impressions, and see the child of God within. Inspire us to be accepting and loving of everyone in the community of all believers. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Thursday, November 5

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. 9 Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11 But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:6-11

I attended a funeral of a long standing very active member and wonderful friend of our congregation today. Our Pastor read this text during that funeral. I loved the way he tied in our reconciliation with God. We are all sinners, but Jesus died for us … sinners. He didn’t only die for the righteous but all of us – the righteous and the unrighteous. And in this knowledge and faith we are comforted that we will be reconciled with God in the everlasting life we have inherited from Him.

Let us pray…
Heavenly Father, we are all sinners, but in Your mercy and grace we are all made clean and are reconciled with you through your Son Jesus. We look forward to our eternal lives with you with comfort and reassurance. Amen.

Friday, November 6

15 For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant. Hebrews 9:15

When I read this text I am mindful of change. I picture God in the realms of heaven, looking at His creation and saying, It’s time for a change. And what a change it was. Jesus, in His dying on the cross, renewed our relationship with our God. Our sins were forgiven, past, present and future if we only repent and ask for forgiveness. It also makes me sad to think that our congregations have such a hard time changing even the simplest things. If God can make such radical changes, why can’t we move the organ 5 inches to the right!

Let us pray…
Our most merciful Father, thank you for change. Thank you for showing us that it is alright to change, and guide us as we make decisions that affect others. Please stay with us as we go through difficult times. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saturday, November 7

22 Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. 23 Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. 24 So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:22-24

Prayer is a powerful thing! It is through prayer that we maintain and grow our relationship with God. This is our intimate one on one with our Father and Creator. Pray with all your heart. It is the foundation of our faith. Our prayers aren’t always answered the way we want them to be, but be assured they are answered. Look closely, and remember, It’s God’s will not ours. And listen closely; God is always nudging us in the direction He wants us to go.

Let us pray…
God our Father, Jesus taught us to pray; Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.