Prayer for the Week 17 August 2024
Read Philippians 4:15-20
A fragrant offering
In this reading Paul praises the Philippians for being the most generous church in all his ministry. They have given him financial support from the beginning. Paul never asked them for funding, but they gave to him out of their own desire to share his ministry of work. Paul describes their gift-giving in terms of a pleasing sacrifice to God, a fragrant offering, which they will be rewarded for when Jesus returns.
Many of you will know that I visited Bolivia in December 2022. Whilst I was there it was my pleasure to meet Pastor Anita Lang the Global Ministries Chair from Wisconsin, USA. Rev Anita is Chilian by birth and a native Spanish speaker, so she was a Godsend to me as a translator. We both attended the 27th General Assembly of the Evangelical Methodist Church of Bolivia and when I was asked to address the assembly and preach it was Anita who stood beside me on the stage and translated, giving me confidence by her physical presence and language skills.
After the Conference she took me to visit a project her church in Wisconsin was supporting, the completion of a part built old people’s home, Albercue Metodista Adulto- Major. I helped her film a video in which she aimed to show her members what was still needing to be finished by way of the building and then its fitting and fixtures. She was inviting her church members to become a fragrant offering by their giving to the older members of the Evangelical Methodist Church in Bolivia who will benefit on the home’s completion, the first in this region on the outskirts of La Paz. Albercue sits in the most beautiful landscape with a large walled area that one day will have a beautiful garden with a splendid backdrop of the Andes. But is in a similar situation to Tabitha House, the women’s refuge in El Alto that we at MWiB are trying to support, although further on in its construction thanks to Methodist members of Wisconsin’s generosity.
Albercue Rev Anita with Sister Gregoria who plans to be the first resident
UK Visit 18-25 August 2024
I am excited as Rev Anita Lang along with her eldest son, Orlando, fly into Newcastle airport tomorrow evening, 18 August, on their first visit to the UK and are coming to stay with me for the first couple of days of their visit, my way of saying ‘thank you’. On Tuesday we are going to visit Epworth Old Rectory which was at the top of Anita’s wish list!
A quote from Susanna Wesley “Help me, Lord, to remember that Religion is not to be confined to the church…nor exercised only in prayer and meditation, but that everywhere I am in thy presence.”
Scripture tells us that prayer is a practice that brings pleasure to God and is likened to a sweet-smelling incense offered up to Him daily. In fact, in Revelation, it talks about an angel adding incense to the bowls full of the prayers of God’s people that are being offered up to the Lord in Heaven.
Psalm 141:2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
True prayer is fragrant to God so here is our prayer for this week.
Prayer
Almighty God we pray for the World Church, especially our Methodist Church and its women’s movements throughout the world.
May we be Rooted and Grounded in Love. May we have a passion for the Lord to know Christ and to make Him known.
May we continue to support our sisters in poorer nations to develop their skills, talents and faith.
Thank you for creating us with a sense of smell. Thank you for beautiful smells like roses and lavender and newborn babies. You Lord gave yourself as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God for our sake. We pray you will surround us with the fragrance of your love and come to dwell inside us like a beautiful perfume.
Help each one of us to respond to your call to be your fragrance in this hurting world.
We ask this prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Debs Coggrave – Area Trustee for Darlington, Newcastle & Cumbria
