March Day of Prayer

Tomorrow, March 2, will be our monthly day of prayer. As always, I encourage you to devote yourself to prayer. There are at least three reasons why this day of prayer is more significant than most.

The Church Calendar

First, our day of prayer is also Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Lent is the 40-day period the church has historically set aside to prepare for Easter. We are going to find extra ways to acknowledge the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in our worship gatherings and on social media. I hope regular reminders of Jesus “setting his face to Jerusalem” will orient you to the joy and beauty of his sacrifice and the glory of his resurrection. 

Pray that God will increase your love and esteem for Jesus during this season!

The World Situation

Second, the situation of the world invites us to pray. Of course, the invasion of Ukraine is cause for prayer. The Bible gives us great language to pray about these kinds of things. Psalm two starts off with the very question many of us are asking. “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” (Psalm 2:1)

Many of the psalms also give us language not only to lament evil done in the world but to affirm God’s sovereign rule over the world, and also to pray that God would exercise justice in the world. Please don’t miss this opportunity to pray for God to do big things!

As you pray for our own leaders, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” (1Tiimothy 2:1-2)

Needs of Our Church

Third, the needs of our church are another good reason to pray now. We are close to selecting a youth pastor. We have had the first round of interviews. We are hopeful that we will be able to make a decision this month. Please pray for God’s guidance. 

Also, Oregon’s mask mandate is ending on March 12. We have only one more Sunday for which masks will be required. Please pray that the principles with which we began this pandemic would still carry the day. You may remember we used 1 Peter 2:17 as a guide.  Pray that we would still “honor everyone, fear God, and love the brotherhood,” even though the “honor the emperor” piece may not be as onerous as it has been. (1 Peter 2:17) 

Please pray, too, that the Kingdom Initiative would make all of us more aware of our kingdom citizenship and more active as ambassadors of the kingdom of heaven. 

And finally, the West Linn congregation is planning to reach out to the staff and teachers at West Linn High School in a couple of weeks.  Please pray that we will be a blessing to them and that they will feel the love of Jesus. Pray, too, for other opportunities for New Life Church to represent the kingdom of heaven in our neighborhoods.

Thank you for praying!

Full of Faith,
Pastor Scott