Tag: I Am

LET US PRAY FOR 2026

The Word of God within the Holy Bible gives us amazing guidance on prayer, instructing us to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). It also says the following:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

“I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.” (First Timothy 2:1-2)

So, I’d like to offer the following extended prayer that I wrote for the New Year ahead:

Brothers and sisters in Christ, LET US PRAY for this Year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty-Six…

Almighty and wonder-full God, we give you our thanks for your all-encompassing Presence as the One Source of all that is, both seen and unseen. We also give you thanks and praise for the birth, life, teachings, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. O God, in you we live, move and have our being, and by your grace in Christ we receive eternal consolation, assurance, wholeness and renewal.

As you are the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit), you are in charge and you lead the way. You never leave us nor forsake us, and your steadfast love endures forever. Whether we live or die, in this life or the next, we are in your hands. You lead us, O Lord our God, on paths we do not yet know. There is a tomorrow we cannot see, and there are bends in the road we cannot know. But we know you will faithfully lead us according to your plan and purpose, because you are the Faithful One.

In this merciless world, you give mercy. In this graceless world, you give us grace upon grace. By your grace, we live a God-conscious life, which is a daily relationship of moment-by-moment dialogue with you and trust in you, no matter what happens or doesn’t happen. And by your grace, we follow you and abide in you. What amazing peace and joy you grant us!!!

And in response to your unlimited grace and steadfast love, we live lives of worship, prayer, Holy Scripture study, tenderheartedness, lovingkindness, hospitality and charity. Help us, therefore, to use times of crisis as opportunities for serving those in need and sharing your truth in love. And in times of adversity, we pray that you will draw us closer to you all the more.

O God, the great “I Am” of the Holy Scriptures, we pray these things in the saving name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The grace and peace of Christ be with you all in 2026!!! Pastor Tim

MARY, DID YOU KNOW?

“Mary, Did You Know?” is the title of a famous Christmas song, and the following is a stanza from this beautiful song:  

Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations? Did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb? That sleeping child you’re holding is the great I Am…

Of course, the biblical answer to the question “Mary, did you know?” is a resounding Yes and No. By the angelic decree from the Archangel Gabriel, by the miraculous testimony of Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, and by the power of the Holy Spirit within her, as well as by the report of the Bethlehem shepherds, Mary the Mother of our Lord did know that the infant Jesus in her arms would be the Messiah and Savior of Israel. However, she could not have known at that early point the full extent of the meaning of her firstborn baby boy. In fact, it wasn’t until forty days later that Mary started to get a greater awareness of the cosmic significance of Jesus’ conception, birth and life.

After Yeshua (Jesus) had been circumcised and incorporated into the Abrahamic Covenant at eight days old, Joseph and Mary later took the forty-day-old Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem “to present him to the Lord” as it says in Luke 2:22. For it was there in the Jerusalem Temple that the Prophets Simeon and Anna gave to Mary and Joseph the first prophetic glimpse of Jesus’ universal mission and ministry for all humanity. As Simeon and Anna beheld the infant Messiah, it was revealed through them that Jesus would be the salvation and redemption of “all peoples” (Luke 2:31), including both the Nation of Israel and the Gentile Nations. Moreover, it was revealed that day in the Temple that Jesus would be opposed by many, and that this opposition to Jesus would be “a sword” that would pierce Mary’s soul as well (Luke 2:35).

Many years later, with the events of Holy Week and Pentecost, all these prophecies came to pass. For Mary’s heart was pierced as she witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion as Heaven’s Perfect Lamb every agonizing step of the way to the Hill of Golgotha. Then she witnessed his post-resurrection appearances, and she was there at Pentecost when the Universal Church of Jesus Christ was born.

This year during the Season of Advent leading up to the Twelve Days of Christmastime, we will ponder Mary’s experience with Heaven’s Perfect Lamb at our midweek “Holden Evening Prayer” worship services at 7pm on the Wednesdays of December 4th, 11th, and 18th.

Good Advent & Merry Christmas!!! Pastor Tim