O Holy God, our Emmanuel. Here we are in June, about as far from Christmas as we can get; so it seems a good time to remind ourselves that you sent Jesus to us, not just at Christmas, but forever as Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” Sometimes when we need you most, God, we forget you are with us always – on the mountaintops and in the valley of the shadow, when the pain is so bad we don’t think we can stand it anymore, there you are at our bedside.
When we are afraid the storms of life are going to drown us, there you are napping in the back of the boat waking to tell us “Peace, be still; I’ve got this.” When our legs are so tired we can’t go another step, you carry us. When it feels like the world is going to hell in a handbasket, you’re right there in the basket with us.
The Psalmist says there is no place in all creation we can flee from your presence. You’re up there with the astronauts in the Space Station showing off your breathtaking creation. And if we visit Mars or other planets, you’ll be waiting there for us, too. Even when things are going great and we’re tempted to think we don’t need you, you wait patiently in the wings like a mother hen ready to take care of her chicks.
Forgive us, Holy One, when we forget you are our constant companion and friend. Life is hard at times. That’s why we need times of worship and prayer to feel the peace that surpasses anything else life can offer. How can we thank you, Lord? We certainly don’t deserve your unconditional love and grace! We just pray that you will speak to each one of us right now and assure us that whatever cares or concerns are on our hearts just now we do not have to deal with them alone.
And so we praise you for your presence. We ask that you show us how to be that same presence with others. And we thank you most for sending the one called Emmanuel to show us how to live and how to conquer even death itself. And so we pray together the prayer he taught us to pray.
O Holy God, our Emmanuel. Here we are in June, about as far from Christmas as we can get; so it seems a good time to remind ourselves that you sent Jesus to us, not just at Christmas, but forever as Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” Sometimes when we need you most, God, we forget you are with us always – on the mountaintops and in the valley of the shadow, when the pain is so bad we don’t think we can stand it anymore, there you are at our bedside.
When we are afraid the storms of life are going to drown us, there you are napping in the back of the boat waking to tell us “Peace, be still; I’ve got this.” When our legs are so tired we can’t go another step, you carry us. When it feels like the world is going to hell in a handbasket, you’re right there in the basket with us.
The Psalmist says there is no place in all creation we can flee from your presence. You’re up there with the astronauts in the Space Station showing off your breathtaking creation. And if we visit Mars or other planets, you’ll be waiting there for us, too. Even when things are going great and we’re tempted to think we don’t need you, you wait patiently in the wings like a mother hen ready to take care of her chicks.
Forgive us, Holy One, when we forget you are our constant companion and friend. Life is hard at times. That’s why we need times of worship and prayer to feel the peace that surpasses anything else life can offer. How can we thank you, Lord? We certainly don’t deserve your unconditional love and grace! We just pray that you will speak to each one of us right now and assure us that whatever cares or concerns are on our hearts just now we do not have to deal with them alone.
And so we praise you for your presence. We ask that you show us how to be that same presence with others. And we thank you most for sending the one called Emmanuel to show us how to live and how to conquer even death itself. And so we pray together the prayer he taught us to pray.
Northwest United Methodist Church, Columbus, Ohio
Peacefully Harsh 