Restart The Vision

“Come, Thou long expected Jesus 
Born to set Thy people free;
 From our fears and sins release us,
 Let us find our rest in Thee.”

Charles Wesley

God of promises made and promises kept come again into our hearts. Come in such a way that our fears do not stand a chance against faith. Come, thou long expected Jesus in a way we need the most. Help us rejoice again for divinity clothed in human flesh.

Open our hearts so that we will continue to rescue the lost, strengthen the weak and support your call to this ministry of reconciliation.

Awaken old discarded dreams, restart the vision and reset the goals for the coming new year. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Dance In Your Presence!

O God, we open ourselves with great anticipation to the experiences of a brand new day. Create in us a clean heart, renew a right spirit and a boldness that keeps us lifting the name of Jesus in the world.

Strengthen our conviction to incorporate your teachings about love, grace, and service into our lives. Thank you for creating channels of service in the marketplace and around the dinner table.

May we dance in your presence embracing a love so divine. In the name of whose way we follow and in whose name we pray, Amen.

VMM

A SEEKING SEASON

First Sunday in Advent
It's Advent! This is the four-week season to prepare us spirituallyfor the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The sounds of Christmas will be everywhere. Carols will be sung in church, heard on the radio and while shopping in over crowded malls.

The sound of Advent is the sound of prayer, fasting, study, meditation and worship that seeks the face of God. The sound of Advent is a longing for God to appear. It is the anticipation of the arrival of God's promise and at the same time looking beyond what we can see.

This is the time of year when I seek to increase my prayer time. I listen intently to the voice of God seeking instruction for the celebration preparation as well as guidance for the coming new year.

Advent is more than which grinch will try to steal Christmas or how many sugarplums should be dancing in our heads. It is a concerted seeking season to dig into the Word of God, increase prayer time, worship abundantly and practice authentically your Spiritual Disciplines.

Start with Seleh, a companion for those who want to go deeper in Christ and practice spiritual disciplines, now through Christmas. (Seleh, formerly called Praycation is under construction) Stay with Seleh in the coming new year to grow stronger in the things of God. Many will watch faithfully a favorite television show, football or basketball game. It only take a minute to stick with Seleh daily. Make it a part of the regular devotions.

VMM

Anxious Anticipation

Gracious God,
We await the coming of Christ with anxious anticipation during this advent season. We thank you Lord that for over two thousand years Jesus comes and that through Jesus coming we remember that you love us so much that you sent Jesus so that through our belief and our faith we will never perish. We thank you Lord for this time of waiting and Hope. We know Lord that in the midst of all that happens around us, sickness, job loss, indiscretions, fear and depression we can put our hope in Christ that through Christ coming, again, our living will not be in vain.

Dear God we ask for blessings for our nation and for our world. As 30,000 troops are being prepared to go off to war, we ask that you give their families the hope that comes from knowing you in the full pardon of our circumstances. We ask you Lord that we learn to be just people. Teach us to be just people who operate in your justice, in your equitable distribution of resources, in your love and in your guidance. We put all our hope in You, because you are our God.

We praise your Holy, your Righteous and your Loving Name as we prepare our hearts and our minds and our souls for the coming of Christ.
Amen

Toni Belin Ingram