07/03/2023
The Lord is my Constant Companion
Each week we are featuring a prayer that sets an
example for the answered prayer we are emphasizing. This
week we’ve got a prayer, based on the 23rd Psalm, which is
called: The Lord is my Constant Companion. I invite you to
make this prayer yours as you ask for God to give you peace.
You, O Lord, are my constant companion.
There is no need that You cannot fulfill.
Whether Your path for me points
to the mountaintops of majesty
or to the valleys of suffering,
continue to be by my side.
I hold You to Your promise to be beside me
when I walk the dark streets of danger,
even when I flirt with death itself,
I know You will not leave me.
When the pain is severe, Lord,
Be near with Your comfort.
When the burden is heavy,
Help me to lean upon You
And not try to carry it by myself.
When depression darkens my soul,
touch me with joy.
When I feel empty and alone,
fill my aching heart with Your power.
My security is in Your promise
to be near to me always,
and to remind me, over and over,
that You will never let me go.
Amen.
Archived Posts
One Final Scene About Scrooge
There was one more scene in Dickens’s novel that reveals something of what has happened to Scrooge over the years. I did not have time to share it on Sunday, but I believe it reveals a great deal about the regrets in Scrooge’s life....
What Jacob Marley Would Do,
If He Could Do It…
I thought about using the following for a benediction—since Jacob Marley was warning Scrooge about the danger of loving money and what it could buy. Ends up with the Cantata and everything else going on, I didn’t have the time. So here is what you might have heard if the sermon itself was 5 minutes shorter!
A Confirming Word on Old King Herod
I just want to echo what Rick said in his fine sermon yesterday (Nov. 23). Herod was a ruthless tyrant and skilled politician. When the Magi don’t report back to him, he decides to kill all the male children of Bethlehem under the age of 2. That’s one paranoid dude.
Power Without Conscience?
I ran out of room for this vignette in Sunday’s sermon. Remember the quote that could be the headline for Ahab and Naboth: “All that’s needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” The following reinforces that truth.
The Cars Are Looking for A King
I don’t have a thing to add to Pastor Jessica’s excellent sermon this last Sunday. The fable/parable she shared has been one of my favorites for all the lessons she pulled from it in her message. I was playing around with my friend Chat GPT and after several abortive attempts, we came up with the following modernized version of Judges 9:7-15.
The Lost Benediction
Depending on the length of the sermon, I try to add a little something extra in my benedictions. This week I wrote up a benediction but then realized we’d be singing and waving our umbrellas to some New Orleans jazz.
Change of Focus This Week
Instead of sharing with you about yesterday’s sermon I’d like to invite you to do some background reading for next Sunday’s “Only Murders in the Bible.” Seeing that it is All Saints Day this Sunday, we are going to look at the very first Christian martyr, Stephen.