Dear Friends,

Thank you to all who braved the traffic resulting from the fuel truck spill at the Bourne Bridge Rotary in order to take part in last night's Glory of God prayer meeting.

 

Although we felt God leading us to emphasize repentance, I was nevertheless scared, not wanting in any way to encourage manipulation with emotion-driven calls for people to turn from their sins.  How do we do this, still keeping true to what we believe God wants and at the same time, not giving way to any excesses of the flesh?

 

After worship, I shared briefly.  During the winter and early spring, our cars are hitting ruts and potholes, resulting in damage to our vehicles.  From time to time, the front ends of our cars need to be realigned.  A front-end alignment will cost money, but without it, the consequences will easily become quite expensive.  In a similar way, our lives run into the potholes of everyday life and we need to be realigned.  Repentance is God's way of bringing our lives back into true alignment with God's purpose, allowing us to enjoy a free and unfettered relationship with Him. 

 

Pastor Myron Heckman shared as well, bringing a summary of Eddie Hyatt's recent teaching sent through the Glory of God email list.  It is true that we tend to see Jesus as a means to an end.  Jesus is the means to accomplish our happiness, our dreams, and our future in heaven.  While Jesus certainly is a means to an end, He is far more than that.  God intends Jesus to be everything to us, our "all in all."  Father God, help me to love Jesus, not just for what He can do for me, but simply because He is my Savior and Lord!

 

Several pastors had been invited to pray.  Pastor Nick Gatzke prayed for the areas in his life where he struggles.  Pastor Glenn Stone thanked God for His mercy, given that Jesus often does not possess first place in our lives.  Pastor Earl Roberts concluded by offering up the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart, confessing the ease with which we use those words.

 

An extended time of quiet prayer brought several to the microphone to pray prayers of confession.  God's presence made the time fly.  One person wrote of that quiet time that it "was a richly blessed evening.  During the prayer time I felt God's presence strongly; in the silences I heard His voice so clearly."  While we may have limped into His presence, God met us and we walked out into the night having felt His love. 

 

 

Join us in Marstons Mills!  Friends, if nothing else, please let these times of prayer serve to create a hunger in your souls that cannot be satisfied, a thirst in your hearts that cannot be quenched, apart from the gift of God's manifest presence.  

 

In Jesus,

Pastor Ed de la Cour, on behalf of our Congregation