Pentecost Breath. Wouldn’t It Be Wonderful?! Didn’t have to preach this Pentecost but if I had I would probably have said something like this—with reference to Acts 2.1-21, Numbers 11.24-30, 1 Cor 12.3b-13 and John 20.19-23

Jesus. Risen. John’s gospel. Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on the disciples he loved and sent them on his way (John20.21-22). Pentecost breath is what Jesus breathed on them.

Acts 2. Pentecost. They were all together in one place then. Not us. Not this time. So how important is being in one place—being together—for the Holy Spirit to come? Not so much, as it turns out. 

Numbers. Chapter 11. The alternative first reading for today. The LORD took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on seventy elders who were distributed around the tent of meeting (vv24-25). But there were two other men, Eldad and Medad, who were back in the camp and the Spirit rested on them, too. They prophesied in the camp (v26). Joshua tried to get Moses to stop them, but Moses said No! “Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!” (vv28-29) 

I wouldest that, too, wherever you are. We can’t be in or around our tent of meeting this year, we’re all back in our camps like Eldad and Medad, but the Spirit of the LORD can rest on us anyway and we can prophesy—and speak in other tongues, too—if the LORD wills it. 

Back to Acts 2. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the LORD set off some Pentecost amazement in our homes, too. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people thought we, too, were all drunk at 9 o’clock in the morning because the LORD is pouring his Spirit out on us. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our sons and daughters started prophesying, our young men seeing visions, our old men dreaming dreams while the LORD shows accompanying wonders and signs (Acts2.17-21, Mk16.20). The LORD has done it before. He can do it now. 

1 Corinthians 12. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Holy Spirit’s presence and power working through us would cause us to proclaim that Jesus is LORD in word and deed with a new and sparkling conviction and clarity (v3)—you and me, young and old, female and male—by unmistakeable manifestations of the Spirit given to each of us by the Father for the common good (v7). Wouldn’t it be wonderful if—in addition to the Pentecost speaking in tongues and prophesying—the Father would also activate us to receive and use words of wisdom and knowledge, exercise the gift faith, perform miracles, distinguish between spirits, and interpret tongues—just as Jesus and the disciples did. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Holy Spirit filled us and set us free to prophesy over one another with all the love of 1 Corinthians, chapter 13—building each other up, encouraging one another, consoling and comforting one another (1Cor14.3)—and thereby building up the church so when we get to go from being together in a whole bunch of places to being together in one place again we’ll hardly recognize one another because we will all have been changed and become radiant with the light of a new knowledge and experience of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ! (2Cor4.6)

It’s Pentecost and these are gifts worthy of earnest desire (1Cor12.30, 14.1). God can do it, you know. He’s done it before and he can do it again. Wouldn’t it be wonderful?!

All for Jesus. 

Gene+

Two-tone Revival

During Prayer and Praise at St Mary’s last week we listened for a bit in case The LORD had anything to say to us. We had been praying and talking about revival. As we listened, the words “two-tone” came to my mind and I thought of a classic, shiny, car with white-walled tires and a two-tone paint job. One of the men in the group suggested a 1957 Chevrolet. That is what is pictured above—a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air two-door hardtop. Being Anglican, I chose a red and white two-tone colour scheme since red is the colour for the church season of Pentecost and Holy Spirit fire. White is for Easter and resurrection Power. 

What, other than shades of Easter and Pentecost, might an image of a two-tone red and white 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air have to do with revival? What, if anything, could The LORD being saying prophetically through it? Here are eight possibilities: 

⭕️1957 Chevrolet Bel Airs are attractive—well, to to me anyway. So is revival. Revivals draw people. They fill churches. People experience God’s beauty and glory. They can’t get enough of it. On the other hand, there is also a warning in this image about not trivializing revival by allowing ourselves to be mesmerized as if it were nothing but a bright shiny new toy. Although revival can be bright and attractive, it has a serious purpose—to reboot the church and bring people to saving faith. I’m earnestly praying for it and have been ever since my 2010-13 stint on The Anglican Church of Canada’s Council of General Synod. That bitter-sweet experience of the church’s workings and governance led me to the conclusion that revival is our only hope. 

⭕️1957 Chevrolet Bel Airs are streamlined. They were designed to move and to carry people from place to place in some style. Revival is like God streamlining his church so it will move through resistance more smoothly carrying people to where he wants them to go. Historical revivals have always encouraged and released significant missionary efforts. 

⭕️1957 Chevrolet Bel Airs are powerful and can go fast. Revival can push you back in your seat. Some people are frightened by how fast revivals get people moving. Revivals are exciting. The Winds of God can whip through your hair. When God moves in revival people experience God’s power personally. 

⭕️1957 Chevrolet Bel Airs have steering wheels, gas and brake pedals. Sometimes when revival happens some Church people and leaders want to take the wheel and steer it away from what they see as danger. Others just want to keep the gas pedal flat to the floor. Still others, particularly leaders, historically it seems, want to stomp on the brakes. For some reason, God in his mercy, gives us some control. The trick is to not stifle things, but to allow The LORD to do the driving and to take us where he wants to take us. 

⭕️1957 Chevrolet Bel Airs have big trunks. We can let a lot of baggage accumulate in there. Just as the word “repent” is the first word of the Gospel (Mk1.15), to confess all known sin was the first requirement Evan Roberts set in the Welsh Revival of 1904. Not only that, but 1957 Chevrolet Bel Airs come with lots of nice shiny chrome in which you can see your reflection. This helps with the revival self-examination which leads to repentance. 

⭕️1957 Chevrolet Bel Airs need to be properly maintained. Every now and then the gas tank must be filled. The oil (anointing?) needs to be changed. They need to be washed and waxed to protect the finish and keep it shiny. The windows need to be defrosted and keep clean and clear so we can see where God wants us to go and avoid running anybody over. Some focused worship and prayer is needed. 

⭕️1957 Chevrolet Bel Airs run on pneumatic tires—filled with air or pneuma which is the Greek for “wind” as in hagia (Holy) pneuma (Spirit). Have you ever tried to drive a car with one or more flat tires? You might be able to reach your destination but your car is hard to steer, your speed is drastically reduced, you will destroy the tire and, eventually, the rim. Holy Spirit wind in our tires gives us traction and makes us go. Smoothly and safely. 

⭕️1957 Chevrolet Bel Airs are classic cars. Revivals are nothing new. They are Spirit-filled classic events. Every now and then God’s Church needs a fresh Show & Shine. From Pentecost through the Reformation and the various Great Awakenings and Revivals in the last few hundred years God visits his people in bright and shiny ways. 

Okay. This, you might think, is stretching the whole “two-tone” thing a bit thin. Gene’s advanced years have rusted his side-panels, loosened some screws and caused his hubcaps to rattle. Perhaps what he ate for supper that Sunday led to vain, fevered, overwrought, two-toned imaginings. Even so, revival is real. Look up Pastor Bill McLeod of Saskatoon on YouTube. Check out Acts News Network’s DVD, From the River to the Ends of the Earth. I’ve also written more about revival here.

All in all, two-tone and shiny, or not, worth praying for. 

By the way, as I write, 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air pictured above is for sale. US$95,000—a pearl of great price! You can see it here. 

Gene+

Decline or Renewal in the West?

Some sobering stats including the graph above and an interesting read at the Church Growth Modelling blog here. I wonder where the Anglican Church of Canada would fall on the chart.

Interesting thoughts on the matter in a different post on the same blog where the writer wonders why the Church of England's decline is less precipitous including this:

Of the four denominations the C of E has been influenced more by Charismatic Renewal than the others, despite the “Renewal” starting with a US clergyman [10]. Additionally The C of E’s expression of charismatic renewal has also  been more evangelical, including a revival in expository preaching. Perhaps the C of E has been more open to revival than the others. (The rest here)

Something that blesses my Anglican Renewal Ministries heart and something for which to pray—that the Anglican Church of Canada would be not only influenced by Charismatic Renewal, but thoroughly refreshed and revived by it. Oh, yes!

Towards Another Great Awakening: 'Tis the Season to Pray for Revival—Decently, In Order and Daily—with The Church of England

It's official. The CofE is praying for revival! Morning Prayer from the day after Ascension Day until the Day of Pentecost begins with the usual,

O Lord, open our lips

and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Great first words for the day and then we pray,

Send your Holy Spirit upon us,

and clothe us with power from on high. Alleluia.

O, yes! And after the scripture readings we pray, 

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people

and kindle in us the fire of your love.

All who are led by the Spirit of God

are children of God and fellow-heirs with Christ.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people.

Renew the face of your creation, Lord,

pouring on us the gifts of your Spirit,

and kindle in us the fire of your love.

For the creation waits with eager longing

for the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people

and kindle in us the fire of your love. (cf Romans 8)

Let the renewed filling and kindling proceed!

Join in here. 

Towards Another Great Awakening: J Edwin Orr on the Welsh Revival of 1904-1905 and Some Anglican Connections

Listening again to J Edwin Orr, revival historian, in a talk entitled, “Welsh Revival: Facts and Fallacies.” I continue to be intrigued (encouraged, hopeful?) by how the Anglican Church was affected by such great movements of the Holy Spirit. For example:

Handley Moule was the Bishop of Durham. He wrote a prayer that was pasted into every prayer book of the Church of England: 

Revive, O Lord, we humbly beseech thee, the work of Thy saving grace in the Church universal, in our Church of England, in our diocese, in this parish wherein we dwell and in our own hearts; to the conviction and conversion of forgetful souls, to the quickening of thy true disciples in life and witness, and to the glory of Thy Holy Name, through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

I'm going to start praying that for "our Anglican Church of Canada," my diocese, parish and our hearts, too. It's what we need.

Orr goes on to describe how some Anglican bishops of the time responded to what was going on:

Thirty bishops of the Church of England met together to discuss what should be the attitude of the Church of England to the revival. The first speaker, a bishop, said, “Fathers and brethren, I’ve just come from Shropshire, where in a single parish church, I confirmed 950 new converts. The bishops voted for the revival.

I'm glad to hear it.  I wonder if the results would be the same today.

I love stories like this:

The Bishop of London was a high churchman but according the record it said he laid aside his mitre, cope and staff, and started holding evangelistic missions in London starting in Lancaster Gate with 2,000 people.

In response to a question, Orr also spoke of the earlier state of the society in the United States after the American Revolution and before the French Revolution:

The Lutherans were so badly off they discussed amalgamating with the Episcopalians to try and prop each other up. The Episcopal Church in the States was so moribund, that Samuel Provost, the Bishop of New York, quit functioning because he had confirmed no one for years. He decided to look for other work. 

I am uncomfortably reminded of how the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada are trying to work together these days. The language is "missional" and there's always some good in Christians working towards unity, but mutual propping-up of their "progressive" agendas is the reality, I fear. A real concern for people coming to old-fashioned saving faith in Jesus is either missing or buried so deeply that it would be little more than the unintended consequence of an afterthought.

Listen to Orr's whole talk here. It is one of a wonderful collection of his talks and writings here.

Towards Another Great Awakening: a Revolutionary, Revivalist Archbishop of Canterbury!

Photo Credit: New Wine UK

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, speaking at New Wine:

…when things in the Church are not going well, or in bits of the Church historically, God does not repair; He renews. He doesn’t just stitch it up; He gives us something new.   

…There has never been a renewal of the Church in Western Europe without a renewal of prayer and the life of religious communities; never. If we want to see things changed, it starts with prayer. It starts with a new spirit of prayer, using all the traditions, ancient and modern, of prayer. When it comes, it will be linked to what has gone before, but it will look different, because it is a new renewal for new times. God’s created community is perfectly designed for its time and place. It always comes from below; almost always. It comes from Christians seeking Christ, and is often - says I, looking at the one bishop I can see from here - is often opposed by church leaders, and especially archbishops. 

We must have a new movement of prayer, and I commit myself to opposing it, because that seems to work.  

…we are in a time of revolution, and we need another revolution in the Church. What it looks like, I do not know, but I want to be in it. What it feels like is Jesus-centred, fire-filled, peace-proclaiming, disciple-creating, and the Church word for this revolution is revival.

O, yes! Will you not revive us again, O LORD! Read the rest here.

Next Prayer for Revival at StB on Wednesday, August 14th, from 11am to 5pm. Come and go as you like.

Towards a New Awakening: Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Revival and its Results

Way back in August I shared some of JI Packer's thoughts in his foreword for Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Revival (Crossway, 1987)—a series of sermons on the subject. I’ve just finished the book. Here’s how The Doctor defines and describes revival:

A period of unusual blessing and activity in the life of the Christian Church. (p99) 

The essence of revival is that the Holy Spirit comes down upon a number of people together, upon a whole church, upon a number of churches, districts, or perhaps a whole country. That is what is meant by revival. It is, if you like, a visitation of the Holy Spirit, or another term that has often been used is this—an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And the terms are interesting because you see what the people are conscious of is that it is as if something has suddenly come down upon them. The Spirit of God has descended into their midst, God has come down and is amongst them. A baptism, an outpouring, a visitation. And the effect of that is that they immediately become aware of his presence and of his power in a manner that they have never known before. I am talking about Christian people, about church members gathered together as they have done so many times before.  Suddenly they are aware of his presence, they are aware of the majesty and the awe of God. The Holy Spirit literally seems to be presiding over the meeting and taking charge of it, and manifesting his power and guiding them, and directing them. That is the essence of revival. (p100)

It is a consciousness of the presence of God the Holy Spirit literally in the midst of the people. …It is all above and beyond the highest experiences in the normal life and working of the Church. Suddenly those present in the meeting become aware that someone has come amongst them, they are aware of a glory, they are aware of a presence. They can not define it, they can not describe it, they can not put it into words, they just know that they have never know anything like this before. Sometimes they describe it as ‘days of heaven on earth’. They really feel that they are in heaven—they have forgotten time, they are beyond that, time has no longer any meaning for them, nor any real existence, they are in a spiritual realm. God has come down amongst them and has filled the place and the people with a sense of his glorious presence. (p306)

And consider the results according to Lloyd-Jones

…thousands of people are converted to The Lord Jesus Christ and become true believers. The churches become too small and you have to build larger ones. Men and women crowd in and offer themselves to the ministry, and the gospel spreads in a most astounding manner. 141

Very much worth praying for as we celebrate the birth of Our Lord.

A Little Reviving (Ezra 9:8)

Those of you who visit this blog regularly will know that revival (or whatever you want to call it) is something which interests me. It interests me because I believe it is our only hope. We can restructure, develop programs and fund raise all we want, but a revived church and a transformed society only happens when the Holy Spirit energizes and galvanizes people into saving-faith-in-Jesus action.

Today I found an excellent sketch of what it looks like—excellent enough to reproduce in full:

1. A strong, ongoing awareness that God is at work. God is glorified rather than any leader or organization.
2. Uncommon, extraordinary prayer.
3. Lasting revivals are disciple-making movements.
4. Lasting revivals spread and grow through common people rather than magnetic personalities.
5. Revivals initiate new waves of sending. There is an emphasis on the “Go” part of the Great Commission. Lots of new missionaries.
6. There is a strong, clear preaching of the gospel.
7. There are strong convictions of sin and an awareness that the gospel is the only solution.
8. Deep gratefulness for the grace of God.
9. Transformed lives.
10. Revivals often happen among those on the margins of society.
11. Revivals are often opposed by those in positions of power.
12. Revivals often happen outside the physical meeting places of the church.

 …from Rick Dugan over at Honest to George. It lines up with what I've read (and described) from Edwin Orr, Timothy Keller and Martin Lloyd Jones.

The references to disciple-making and sending resonate with some things I heard at the Council of General Synod meeting over the last few days.

It comes when God decides. Our job is to pray.

Towards a New Awakening: JI Packer on Martyn Lloyd-Jones

In his foreword to Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Revival (Crossway, 1987), JI Packer writes how around the centenary of the great British revival of 1859, Lloyd-Jones was preaching for "a quickening divine visitation."

Revival for "the Doctor" meant more than evangelism that brings converts, and more than cheerfulness, enthusiasm, and a balanced budget in the local church. What he was after was the new quality of spiritual life that comes through knowing the greatness and nearness of our holy, gracious Creator—something that in former days would have been called enlargement of heart, and heart usually starts with a deepened sense of the power and authority of God in the preaching of the Biblical message.

I'm convinced that the only thing that can solve our denominational woes is the a new quality of spiritual life among the people in the pews.

I love the idea of hearts made large. See The Book of Common Prayer Prayers at Midday FOR MISSIONS p17—I referred to it yesterday in this post. A lovely prayer.

Packer continues:

The divine visitation that revives, he argued, cannot be precipitated by human effort, even though our not caring about it and not seeking it can effectively quench the Spirit and block it. To acknowledge our present impotence and cry to God for such a visitation is, as he saw it, a supreme priority for the church today. 

…and for today.

But we shall not do this until we grasp the need for revival, and that will not happen until we see that nothing less can help us.

The need remains fifty-two years later. The only thing which can ignite people for ministry and service across the church and the nation is the quickening divine visitation that revives. Rosters are filled, money flows, new Christ worshippers are created, churches are filled, justice wells up and society is transformed.

 

Prayer Day Continued…the tASK

One of the women who came to our Wednesday afternoon prayer for revival time thought Luke 11:10 is significant for what we're about. I was pondering it this morning and saw the words within the word:

…to receive, find and for things to opened.

Posted with Blogsy

Prayer Day

 Time for a little striving (Rom 15.30) and struggling (Col 4.12) in prayer.

Come, Holy Spirit, renew the heart of our city!

Silence.

Wonderful Prayers at Midday FOR MISSIONS in The Book of Common Prayer, page 16:

• That all mankind may look unto to thee and be saved.
• Illumine the world with the radiance of thy glory, that all nations may come and worship thee.
• Forgive, we pray thee, our unbelief, and so enlarge our hearts, and enkindle our zeal, that we may fervently desire the salvation of all, and with more ready diligence labour in the extension of thy kingdom.

Salvation, illumination, worship, largeness of heart, fervent desire. O, yes!

Posted with Blogsy

Towards a New Awakening: Bringing People to Spiritual Birth with No Money

No Money

Last time I was at our denominational national executive meeting (the Council of General Synod, or CoGS, for short) there was a report from our Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples (also known as ACIP—we Anglicans love our acronyms) which said they are having to find ways to do ministry in remote places with no money at all; with no paid staff and no buildings. As they go through this discernment process, National Indigenous Bishop, Mark McDonald, also described how important it is for them to remember that they are a spiritual enterprise and that they, therefore, must develop communities, not necessarily of administrative or financial or organizational coherence, but of people who can give spiritual birth to people.

A Spiritual Birth

That really impressed me because at that meeting, in my diocesan council and in my own parish we spend a great deal of time, perhaps most of it, dealing with money, buildings and things. While good, faithful stewardship of the those resources is important, I think developing the spiritual resources Bishop McDonald and ACIP  talking about are more important. Especially when I think of what Peter had to offer the man crippled from birth at the temple one afternoon:

Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. Taking him by the hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. (Acts 3:6-7)

Money was immaterial. It was the power in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth which was important. Moments later the man was “walking and jumping and praising God” (Acts 3:8). That sounds like a spiritual birth to me.

Being a Spiritual Enterprise

We need to develop what Peter had. That’s what Bishop Mark and his people are doing. That’s what prayer for revival and awakening is for.

See something from Bishop Mark on revival in this post.

If you need prayer points visit all my postings on revival here.

Towards a New Awakening: Anne Douglas on the Prayer Room Movement in "Faith Today"

Anne Douglas quoting Tim Hart, "a harp and bowl musician and intercessory missionary or 'modern monastic,'" in her excellent piece, "Sacred Spaces: How the Prayer Room Movement Brought Me to My Knees," in Faith Today: 

When you look through Church history, great moves of God are always accompanied by moves of prayer. I believe the prayer movement of the last 30 years is setting the stage for the greatest revival that history has ever seen.

O, yes please, LORD!


At StB we don't even have to set one up. Our sanctuary is already richly evocative sacred space. With a little imagination, our windows are already prayer stations, as are the altar, the pulpit, the lectern, the organ and the new children's area.

We just have to do it.

The whole Faith Today article here.

Towards a New Awakening: Anglican Communion Alliance Endorsement

I'm grateful that the Anglican Communion Alliance folk have endorsed the call to prayer for revival I've been on about for the last few months. President, Murray Henderson, writes:

Dear friends, 

Your Anglican Communion Alliance board is putting its weight behind the vision…of the Rev. Gene Packwood of the Diocese of Calgary. Giving due weight to the many excellent qualities of the Anglican church of Canada to which we are committed, he nevertheless recognizes that we are in a time of serious crisis. And he proposes to do something about it!  

What he proposes arises from a close reading of Scripture and Church History. When God’s people are struggling, God raises up small groups of them to pray. To seek God’s face, to humble themselves, to confess that we have tried to be the source of our own well-being, rather than seeking that from the living God and his Son Jesus Christ. 

Imagine the fulfillment of Gene’s vision: small groups of committed Anglicans meeting monthly to pray for God’s judgment and mercy to be poured out on his church. I suspect such gatherings would be exciting for the first couple, and then it would seem a bit tedious. The enemy would inculcate feelings of boredom and hopelessness. Not seeing immediate results, we result-seeking North Americans would be in danger of giving up. So if you launch this in your church or your area, be in it for the long haul. 

Let us know what you’re starting in your area. We can then publish on our website a list of what’s happening in all the areas across the country. At a time when we’re praying: “Come Holy Spirit”, let’s give the third Person of the Trinity willing minds and bodies to work with!

He's right about the emotional trajectory, but we at St Barnabas are continuing twice a month, an hour at a time, trusting in the LORD, no matter how we feel. There have been some small, local, surprising developments as a result. Please join us and and let the Alliance folk know when you're doing it using the email contact link at the bottom left of the page here.

This is not limited to Anglicans, by the way. We all need it. It needs to be cross denominational and across the land.

Towards Another Great Awakening: Praying the Marks of Mission—By the Mark, Three!

To respond to human need by loving service.

When revival happens loving service expands. When hearts are warmed by the Gospel compassion grows. William Wilberforce is a good example. A significant part of what propelled him into social justice ministry was the Second Great Awakening at the close of the Eighteenth Century. 

Prayer for more of the Third Mark of Mission: 

Since, "to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Cor 12:7), pray that 

• God will stir up and appoint many with the Holy Spirit's gift of helping (1 Cor 12:28), service (Rom 12:7) and doing acts of mercy (Rom 12:8)
• these people will use their gifts cheerfully (Rom 12:6 & 8) and well
• by our loving service, those in need would taste and see how good Jesus is.

Towards a New Awakening: Praying the Marks of Mission—By the Mark, Two!

To teach, baptize and nurture new believers 

1. Pray that, as part of the next Awakening, God will stir up and release the gift of teaching (1 Cor 12:28) across the church so the hearts of new believers will burn within them as the Scriptures are opened (Lk 24:32) and they learn to observe all that Jesus has commanded us (Mt 28:20).
2. Pray that as the new believers the Lord adds to our number (Acts 2:47) in the next Awakening are baptized, they will be filled with the Holy Spirit so our sons and daughters shall prophesy, the old shall dream dreams and the young shall see visions (Joel 2.28).
3. Pray that the new believers the Lord sends us will be well and deeply nurtured in The Way, The Truth and The Life (John 14:6) that Jesus is. 

Swinging the Lead: Towards a New Awakening—Marks of Mission Prayer—By the Mark, One!

I've been enjoying CS Forrester's Hornblower series for the fourth time, I think. Whenever Hornblower brought his ship close to shore he needed to know how much water he had under the keel so he would station a leadsman in the chains of a ship, up against the shrouds, as you see in the illustration. The leadsman would swing a lead line, a length of thin rope with a plummet, generally of lead, at its end. When the plummet hit the bottom, measuring by a series of marks on the line, the leadsman would call the depth out saying, "By the mark, five!" or whatever the line showed. 

The Marks of Mission are just as important as navigational tools for us. Carrying them out shows us that we’re still afloat and on course. Without them we’re at risk of running aground, unable to reach our destination.

Praying the Marks of Mission Mark by Mark: By the Mark, One!

To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God

…which is Jesus, of course. 

Here’s the challenge.  Paul says “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor 4:4). He’s right. People are literally unable to hear the good news. Sadly, our acrimonious behaviour in the church, between denominations and factions has helped the god of this world keep many from seeing the good light of that gospel. 

What to do? 

Pray for two things: 

1. Jesus says no one can come to him unless the Father draws them (John 6:44). So, ask the Father to draw them. Pray that he will open our minds and the minds of the people around us in our communities and across the land so we shall all see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ in another Great Awakening. 

2. This is what Jesus did for the deaf man with the speech impediment in Mark, chapter 7: 

…looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.

Following Jesus' example, pray deep and from the heart with the Spirit's "sighs too deep for words" (Ro 8:28).  Pray Ephphatha over ourselves and our church so that when the Father draws people to us, our ears, too, will be opened so we can hear his Word for them and what their needs are. Pray Ephphatha so that our tongues, too, are released to speak plainly of Jesus, of what he has done for us and what he can do for them. 

Swinging the Lead

Prayer is often hard work. Swinging the lead could be hard work, too, the plummets Hornblower's leadsmen swung sometimes weighed as much as fifty six pounds, but it was always worth the effort because it helped them, by those marks, to know where they were. 

It's worth the effort for us, too. The Marks of Mission will show us how deep we are. 

Towards a New Awakening: Concert of Prayer at St. Peter's Okotoks this Saturday June 9th

From Tim Webster at St Peter's in Okotoks: 

“Won’t you revive us again so your people can rejoice in you”  (Ps. 85:6)

As we look ahead to our next gathering and as the election of our new Bishop in the Diocese of Calgary draws near, I believe an important focus of our prayer continues to be that of revival.  We will pray for the clergy and delegates as well as the candidates, and against Satan’s interference, that our Lord’s Will be done.

Psalm 66:

16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will tell you what he did for me.
17 For I cried out to him for help,
praising him as I spoke.
18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19 But God did listen!
He paid attention to my prayer.
20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

Let us in faith hold fast to our Lord’s faithfulness in hearing and answering our prayers.

So come join us with knees rarin’ to go!
Sat. June 9
9:00 am   Coffee
9:30  Worship and Prayer
12:00 lunch.

rsvp Susan dot Torris at saint-peters dot com

Towards a New Awakening: On Our Marks!

…the Marks of Mission, that is (ACoC here). Thinking about them a lot these days.

First There Were Five

1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
2. To teach, baptize and nurture new believers
3. To respond to human need by loving service
4. To seek to transform unjust structures of society
5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth. 

Soon There May Be Six

A sixth was suggested recently by the Anglican Church of Canada:

   6.  To advance reconciliation and peace among all people.

On Our Marks! Get set! Go! 

Which brings Jesus and the Great Commission to my mind. "Go," he said. The starting block is prayer. Praying ourselves into revival and a new awakening in Marks-aligned action is the way to go.

Towards a New Awakening: Church of England OnLine Morning Prayer from the day after Ascension Day until the Day of Pentecost

Good prayers for revival from today's Church of England Morning Prayer online:

Send your Holy Spirit upon us,
and clothe us with power from on high. Alleluia.

Blessed are you, creator God,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your Spirit moved over the face of the waters
bringing light and life to your creation,
pour out your Spirit on us today
that we may walk as children of light
and by your grace reveal your presence.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

A Song of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36.24-26, 28b)
Refrain:
The Spirit of God fills the whole world. Alleluia.
1 I will take you from the nations, •
and gather you from all the countries.
2 I will sprinkle clean water upon you, •
and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses.
3 A new heart I will give you, •
and put a new spirit within you,
4 And I will remove from your body the heart of stone •
and give you a heart of flesh.
5 You shall be my people, •
and I will be your God.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
The Spirit of God fills the whole world. Alleluia.


Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people
and kindle in us the fire of your love.
All who are led by the Spirit of God
are children of God and fellow-heirs with Christ.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people.
Renew the face of your creation, Lord,
pouring on us the gifts of your Spirit,
and kindle in us the fire of your love.
For the creation waits with eager longing
for the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people
and kindle in us the fire of your love.

(cf Romans 8)

Almighty God,

give to all pastors the gifts of your Holy Spirit

that they may be true servants of Christ and of all his people;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

From here and here between now and Pentecost. 

Prayer for Revival at StB tomorrow, Sunday May 20th, in the hall.