The Pastor’s Corner

Prayer: Grant almighty God that we as your people would learn to trust you in all things. We observe our lives and see that they are filled with manifold trials and difficulties. Those dark providences that you order are often difficult to withstand. Yet, we know that those things produce in your people perseverance and greater trust in you. We know that your Word highlights these things in the lives of your redeemed people and servants. Often you brought these great men and women of the faith through the floodwaters and fire to produce in them more and more of your image. We confess that there are times when we grumble and complain in the face of the refining fire of life. We know that this is an abomination before you, and we confess it openly with a great desire to submit to your will in all things. Thank you, our God, that you do not bring us through hardships because you don't care for us. We know that you do, and we know that even that troubles of this life are ordered by a loving Father who guides, directs, and upholds his people. Therefore, please help us submit to your will and allow those trials to perfect your goal of making us more like your Son in whose name we pray. Amen.

Meditation for the day taken from Everyday Prayer with John Calvin written by Donald McKim:

Scripture: Acts 1:12-14

The narrative before us today follows on the heels of the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 1:6-11). in that final discourse, endeavoring to answer the question of his disciples (1:6), he promises that they "will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." Of course, Jesus could have fulfilled that promise in an instant, but he chose to make them wait -- and wait, they did. Finally, after witnessing the ascension and hearing the comforting words of the two men (1:10-11), the disciples, along with a contingent of others, returned to Jerusalem and committed themselves to prayer. As they for the promise of Christ to be accomplished, they prayed.

Prayer: Grant Almighty God that you would bring all glory to yourself today and that men, made in your image, would honor and adore you and glorify you in all that they do. We pray that your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. Grant that your redeemed people, called by you and plucked from the world of sin and misery as a holy nation, would strive through all the means you have given to glorify you in every aspect of their lives. We confess to you that we rarely and consciously test our thoughts, words, and actions through the filter of your glory and what you command us to do. We are ashamed at how little we ponder your majesty and beauty. Though we are thankful for what you do for us, rarely do we sit still and meditate on who you are -- our God, full of glory and power, and might. Therefore, be pleased to help us through the eternal Spirit in that whatever we do, whether eating or drinking or whatever it may be, to honor and glorify you this day and every day. These things we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer: Grant Almighty God that we, as your redeemed people who you call the apple of your eye, might never lose our first love, that love we had for you and your Son at first. May we always be mindful of our sins that they are always before us to humble us and cause us to walk in dependence upon you. Grant to us, Father, a ready mind to meditate on the heart of Christ for his people and be pleased to then turn our hearts in warm affection for him and all that he has done, is doing and will do for us. We confess our weakness in this life as pilgrims in a strange land. Please grant to us perseverance that we might live as you have directed us. Be pleased to give us a willing mind and heart that we would dutifully and joyfully obey you in all things through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The events under consideration today are not unfamiliar to most. Here in John 11, we find the Savior raising Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus was a friend and one Jesus loved deeply. Mary and Martha are the sisters of Lazarus, and they are in mourning over their brother's illness. Upon the news, they immediately sent word to Jesus (11:3). Jesus determined to delay for a brief period before making his way to Bethany near Jerusalem (11:18). In the meantime, the illness of Lazarus had taken its course, and, as a result, he died (11:14). Upon the Savior's arrival in Bethany, he first met Martha, who emphatically declared, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Later in the narrative, Mary utters the same words. How strong their faith in Christ! As the narrative moves to its climactic end, we take note of the heart of Christ for his children. On two occasions, we read that he was deeply moved (11:33, 38), and we also read that he wept over the circumstances he was facing. The love of Christ for us has not wavered since his ascension. He still loves his people in this way. Determining to resolve the matter, he raises Lazarus from the dead because he was the only one who could. Mary and Martha were utterly insufficient to resolve the problem that grieved them.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, you have told us that our lives are brief, that they are a vapor. We are here today, and we are gone tomorrow. As your redeemed people, purchased with the blood of the spotless Lamb, your only begotten Son, we have been told by him to store for ourselves treasures in heaven where rust and rust will not destroy. In his great sermon, he has warned us that where our treasures are, there will our hearts be also. Forgive us, Father, for the numerous ways in which we value this fleeting life and store up treasures on this earth. Consciously or unconsciously, we create idols out of many things. We hold too tightly the material blessings of this world. So often, we seek to build our own kingdom and not the kingdom that you desire for us and command us to see. We labor for ourselves and not for that which is eternal. We groan and bewail our fleeting lives, knowing that you have ordered the very day of our death. Please help us to live with eternity always in view. Please grant us a zeal to do your holy will while it is still day because the night is coming when no man can work. Thank you for your abiding grace and continued presence, and cause us to persevere to your glory today and every day you grant to us. We pray these things through Christ our Lord. Amen.