Monday, March 9, 2015

Lenten Prayer as CtK #Abide #lent2015

Prayer:
Gracious God,
  1. Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
    The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
    When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
    Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.
  2. Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
    Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
    Change and decay in all around I see—
    O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
  3. I need Thy presence every passing hour;
    What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
    Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
    Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
  4. I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
    Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;
    Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
    I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
  5. Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
    Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;
    Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
    In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
  6. Amen.
  7. Thought:
  8. The above prayer, is actually the words to the hymn, Abide with Me by Henry F. Lyte.
Sometimes, oftentimes, we may question, Where is God in All This? Where is God in this world? If there is a God, how could such bad things happen all the time.
In his hymn, Henry Lyte asks God to abide with him, to continue on with him without fading or being lost. The sacraments, Baptism and the Eucharist, are certain symbols of God's abiding presence with us no matter what, and they are such a gift because they give us this hoped for presence in a place we don't have to look or wonder about. These symbols provide a promise of a God that would pour out his life for us no matter and abides with us no matter what.

As you pass the baptismal font, reach in, touch the water, make the sign of the cross and feel this reminder that you are a Child of God. When you receive communion, eat the bread, drink the wine, and taste the life of Christ, poured out for you. And take this experience of touching, seeing, tasting, smelling, and hearing of God's love with you where ever you may go as a stark reminder of God's abiding and loving presence with all things, in all things, and through all things. 

About Lenten Prayer as CtK:
During Lent, I am inviting all of you at Christ the King, and anyone who would be willing to join us, to engage in praying together, seeking to hear God and be guided by Christ's life in our life together. To guide these prayers, I will be posting pictures centered around a word for the day. This comes from the facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/LENTPHOTOADAY. Please feel free to join me in posting pictures and thoughts to your social media accounts or to the comments of this blog.

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