A Prayer for Baltimore

At dawn as she began to rise

To a brand new, hope-filled day

She knew she was wounded, yet full of pride,

Wanting a brand new way.

"It's only part of her that's hurt,

Only that street, that corner, that place."

Yet Baltimore knows that all of her

Feels the wounds, the cutting injury to her fine face.

The world is watching, this is true.

The world waits to see if Baltimore's own

A right spirit will pursue.

Angels of Baltimore, O God,

Are there your will to obey

As the city starts each and every new morning

Help all like Mary and Daniel to trust you, I pray.  

Lead us, Lord. Lead us in your righteousness. 

Make your way plain before our face.
Amen.

Fear Not, Pray, and Help the Young Who are Afraid.

Maryland USA

Since the Boston Marathon bombings in April, many people around the world have felt burdened for children affected by these very hard days. As a Christian, a teacher, a mom and a grandmother, I know that children experience fear that is much like our fear, only their youth limits the perspective of experience. For some, this is "the first worst thing" to happen.  
  Nothing is more important now to Christian families than awareness, calm, and being present to the children. God is helping. Who sees this? Evil may strike and severely wound, but it must not be allowed to overtake. God helps us overcome fear.  

   From Isaiah 41:10: 

Fear not, for I am with you; 

be not dismayed (confused), 

for I am your God. 

I will strengthen you; 

yes, I will help you; 

yes, I will hold you up 

with My righteous right hand. 

   Horrible news is not new, yet why were the recent Boston bombings allowed to happen? Habakkuk, a prophet of long ago, also wondered. He cried out to God, "Violence! Violence everywhere!" Violence tortured that faithful man of God. His conclusion was that he would trust the living God, no matter what happened. His hope, he realized, must remain steady. God strengthened, helped, and upheld him in his trials.     

   Prayer and helping, alone and with others, are like water and food to nourish and refresh us, to keep us alive in strength and hope. We must pray for this nation's parents and families. We agree that the future, immediate or otherwise, is now different. God is able to sustain, to  make resilient, to help, and to hold up when the knees try to buckle permanently.    
  "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). That is a place to begin, if anyone needs a place to start praying. 

Copyright (c) 2013 Opinari Writers.

Prayer

Image via Wikipedia

Dear Lord, 

Draw us to You as the sun draws the orbiting planets to its warmth and light, needed by all. 

The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand....The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore (Psalm 121: 5, 8).

(c) 2011 Opinari and Jean Purcell

Related articles to encourage the reader:

• Psalm 21 (dwinger.wordpress.com)
• Bless God! (truth4today.wordpress.com)
• Psalm 14 (dwinger.wordpress.com)
• Cry Out!. (greatriversofhope.wordpress.com)
• Psalm 7 (dwinger.wordpress.com)

Lent History, Facts, and Contemplation

**"Our Lamb has conquered. Let us Follow Him."

Re-posted - second week of Lent, 2012.
First posted during the First Week of Lent, 2011. Bookmark if you wish to return to review thoughts and facts here.

  All churches that have a continuous history extending before 1500 observe Lent.

-Loretta Sword, Pueblo Chieftan

"Some people give up things during Lent. Others choose to develop a new habit, such as daily Bible verse, or reading, or a devoted time for prayer, and so forth."

Lent through History

1. Lent through history has been recorded differently. Some say it began in the first century (see list below), while others say it began in 325 A. D. (Anno Domini [Latiin], "Year of the Lord") as part of the Council of Nicea (hence, Nicene Creed). 

2. When Lent began, it was a 40-hour period of preparation, in keeping with the three days between Jesus' bodily death and bodily resurrection and appearance to His followers.

3. Third century, Lent became a six-day period called Holy Week. Holy Week extended to more than one month, 36 days, which are one-tenth, a tithe, of the 365 days of a year. 

4. Eighth century, reign of Charlemagne, saw four days added, making Lent 40 days. Added days included Ash Wednesday (repentance) plus three days leading up to the First Sunday of Lent. 

5. The Sundays of Lent are excluded from the 40-days counted for Lent, "for they are the Lord's Day, which includes a celebration of the resurrection..."*

Lent is a preparation.

Lent is set aside to help believers in Jesus Christ, Redeemer of the world, as they
prepare, worldwide, to rejoice in worship, remembering 

the Resurrection of Jesus, bodily, on the third day after His bodily death

on the Cross of crucifixion.

Facts of Contemplation during Lent

 We repent of our sins. 

Daily we are sorry for our sins. 
During Lent, as at any time, we make a special renewal of thanks to God
for relieving us of the burden of sin. 
Jesus began His public teaching saying, "Repent"; we search our hearts regarding 

hidden sin, known and deliberate sin, against God in the 

things we do, say, or think that our true lives as

children of God. 

We contemplate the forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ.  

We daily receive forgiveness from God as we confess and repent, desiring to keep ourselves
open to the Life and Light of God. During Lent we continue to

rejoice over the Lamb of God, "slain for the sins of the world." 


"...so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.
To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time,
apart from sin, for salvation (Hebrews 9:28-NKJV).

We joyfully, and with amazement, contemplate the Gift that God
gave the world:
His only begotten Son.


"For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life.

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn
the world, but that the world through Him 
might be saved" (John 3: 16, 17-NKJV).

We contemplate forgiveness, acceptance, 

and Eternal Life, through Christ

We strengthen our devotion, by faith (Acts 15:9).

We rejoice in Christ's Resurrection
and pray (John 17:17; 1 Tim. 4:5). 

We share.

We rejoice over the Resurrection of Jesus. In Him, we have love, hope, faith, fellowship, and service,
with the help of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.

 
We rejoice in salvation, which we have by faith in Christ, the Lamb that was slain (Revelation 13).

We rejoice that in Christ we overcome whatever is against God: 
"Yet the devil's power and success are
limited. Christ has a chosen remnant, redeemed by his blood, 
recorded in his book, sealed by his Spirit; and though the devil and antichrist may overcome the body, and take away the natural life, they cannot conquer the soul, 
nor prevail with true believers to forsake their Saviour, and join his enemies. 
Perseverance in the faith of the gospel and true worship of God, in this great hour of trial 
and temptation, which would deceive all but the elect, is the character of those 
registered in the book of life. This powerful motive and encouragement to constancy, is the great design of the whole Revelation."
(from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the book of Revelation, chapter 13)

Sources

*Lent through history

**"Our Lamb Has Conquered"- the seal of the Moravian Church (photo),
Agnus Dei [Latin], meaning "Lamb of God."

(c) 2011-Opinari and Jean Purcell
Opinari [Latin]-think, reason, believe

Lord Ashley, Charles Gutzlaff, and biographer A. J. Broomhall on China

Cover of China's Millions for 1885 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Prayer to begin, prayer to accompany and prayer to close any undertaking for His service is the secret of all prospering in our ways. --Lord Ashley, UK  Parliament, 1800s, a turbulent century of British-China tea trade, diplomacy, and foreign influences. 

 

 A. J. Broomhall's biographical work is a series I recommend, on the lives of missionaries to China in the 19th century. The series introduced me to Charles Gutzlaff, also a writer and an outstanding and controversial 19th century German missionary to China and Macao. 

Nineteenth-century China, Catholics, German, British and American protestants, European diplomats and civil servants before and into the 1800s... their story deserves attention in the history of the ever-changing China. Very different people and paths converged there in the 1800s. They were present in somewhat safer port cities where the "barbarians," as the Chinese called the British and all foreigners, docked East India and other ships. A few ventured north into areas unknown to foreigners, where foreigners were odd sights for Chinese in remote places. Everyone, the century was a dangerous one due to internal upheavals and power grabs and challenges.

For his series on mission personalities in China, A.J. Broomhall applied solid research efforts and avoided putting halos on heroes. Charles Gutzlaff wrote from direct experience before his death on Macao. 

Source of prayer quote: Broomhall, A. J., Hudson Taylor & China's Open Century; Book One: "Barbarians at the Gates," Hodder and Stoughton and The Overseas Missionary Fellowship, page 267. First published 1981.

Gutzlaff, et al. on China-see cover image above-is available in German and English.

Related articles

• Ely Diocese Prayers August 3 (bpdt.wordpress.com)
• China to U.S.: We're also No. 1 (theglobeandmail.com)
• Homily for July 25, 2010: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (beliefnet.com)
• Missionaries are a force for good | Joel Edwards (guardian.co.uk)
• The 'C' Should Stay in the YMCA (online.wsj.com)

Good writers pay attention to: 

Mission—The chief strains or threads of their promise to readers

Message—The writer zooms in on words capable of carrying the most helpful tone and meaning in ways that are clear, interesting, and reliable.

Motive—The invisible dynamic; self-indulgent writing lends weakness

Meaning—Factual and symbolic meaning that fits mission and message

Movement--The writer's personal reading habits show through. It has been said, for example, that Winston Churchill's oral cadence matched that of the psalms.