How are you preparing for Easter?

In America, we have a tendency to prepare socially and pragmatically for Easter. How can we get ready spiritually? We buy ingredients for a big Easter meal. We prepare a room for family members who are arriving from out of town. We set extra chairs around the table. We buy chocolates and dye Easter eggs. Some families even plan a vacation, because the children have the week off from school. Historically, however, Christians have prepared their souls for Easter. It would be a benefit to us to learn from our spiritual fathers and also prepare ourselves spiritually for Resurrection Sunday. There are typically three elements to the preparation for Easter.

1. The first is fasting. This is usually connected with the season of lent. It is a remembrance of Jesus’ life. Philippians 2 tells us that Christ emptied himself to come to earth to be our Savior. Then Jesus says in Mark 8, “If anyone should come after me, he must deny himself…” When we fast, we are practicing a self-denial that mimics Jesus’ life. Fasting should always be accompanied by regular times of prayer and doing good works for others. I recently wrote an article on fasting for this blog (www.gpprayer.blogspot.com) on April 4.

2. The second habit to prepare for Easter is confession. This is the centerpiece of most worship services on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. We are remembering Christ’s death on the cross and our sin that put him there.

3. The third way to prepare for Easter by sharing our faith with others. The celebration of Easter is primarily about the gospel—that Jesus’ resurrection provides reconciliation with God and eternal life to all believers. Many irreligious people are inclined to go to church on Easter, if someone would invite them. Thus, an appropriate way to prepare for Easter is to invite non-believing friends and family to church.

I invite you to especially prepare for Easter this week through prayer, fasting, confession, and inviting friends to church.

Community Prayer Breakfast, April 17

Pastors and prayer leaders from local churches, including Grace Point, have formed a group to organize multi-church prayer efforts in our community. Langhorne United Methodist is hosting a community prayer breakfast on April 16, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Our time together will include breakfast, fellowship, prayer, and testimonies from a small group study called Acts 29. All are invited. This will be a great opportunity to pray and fellowship with other Christians in our community.

Also, you may be interested in doing the Acts 29 study for yourself or in your small group. Acts 29 is a prayer focused study of the book of Acts, and a copy is available for your to browse at the Prayer Resources Table in the church foyer. The community prayer group is suggesting that several people and small groups use this material as a means to pray for our neighborhoods between Easter (April 24) and Pentecost (June 12). We will be organizing a multi-church prayer service for Pentecost weekend. More information is to come.

Pray for the Grace of God

On Sunday we finished 8 weeks of sermons on the holiness of God. Chris finished the series with Titus 2:11-14. Grace is the catalyst for holy living. The following are prayer requests for the grace of God based on Chris’ sermon.

Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

1) Thank God for the salvation that is available by grace to anyone who believes in Jesus. Pray also for those who have yet to believe.

2) Pray that the grace of God will teach us to say “no” to evil all the time and to live morally upright lives every day.

3) Pray that the grace of God will fill us with hope for the future as we wait for the return of Jesus.

4) Pray that grace of God will encourage us to eagerly do good works for others in the name of Jesus.

First Wednesday Day of Prayer and Fasting

The first Wednesday of every month is designated as a day of prayer and fasting for Grace Point. I invite all of you to fast and pray with me. It is true that fasting is not required in the New Testament. However, Jesus allows his followers to fast as a means to pray seriously to God. In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus teaches that we should fast honestly, not for selfish reasons, and God will reward us. In Matthew 9:15, Jesus indicates that his followers will fast after his death and resurrection.

Personally, I have found fasting to be a healthy, spiritual activity. In America, most of our desires can be satisfied in an instant. We can take care of ourselves, and we don’t have to wait for anything. For me, my impatience and desire to be instantly gratified lead me to sin. On the other hand, God asks us to wait and depend on him. Most of good things in life require us to deny ourselves and wait for God.

Food is something that is instantly available to us whenever we want it. So, for Americans, fasting is a way to practice patience, waiting, and delayed gratification. When I fast, I remind myself that it is good to resist instant desires. It helps me to pray, because prayer is chiefly about dependence on God, waiting, and delayed gratification. I often sense a renewed closeness in my relationship with God, when I fast and pray.

So, Wednesday I invite you to fast and pray with me. Here are some questions that may help you.
1. Will you abstain from all food, or just some kinds of food?
2. How long will you fast?
3. What specific time and place will you pray?
4. Will you pray alone or with others?
5. What specific prayer request will you pray for?

Also, you are invited to the Wednesday Night Prayer Hour at Grace Point in the Heritage Room at 7 PM.

The GP Prayer Community

The GP prayer email list has been a terrific way to share prayer requests with one another concerning the Grace Point family and our friends. All of you represent a community of people who receive these emails and dedicate themselves to pray for our church. Thank you.

In addition to sharing prayer requests, I would like to enhance your prayer life even more through this email list. On a regular basis, but not too frequently, I will send an email to encourage your prayer life. It may be a short devotional concerning prayer. It may be a new prayer idea for you to try. It may also be an invitation to an upcoming prayer event, or it may be an opportunity for you to serve as a prayer volunteer at church. I hope you will find these emails to be valuable and encouraging.

I kindly ask you not to reply to these emails with comments. However, if you would like to comment, you may subscribe to the GP Prayer blog at the following address. The same content will be posted on the blog, and you may write comments. (http://gpprayer.blogspot.com)

Please continue to share prayer requests through this email list, so we may lift them up to God.