The Advent prayer for Saturday, December 10, 2002, comes to us from: Hark the Herald Angels Sing: Daily Prayers for Advent by Stephenie Hovland
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19 NRSV
Friends,
Matthew 28:19 is often referred to as the Great Commission, empowers people of faith to go into the world and share the gospel of Christ. The call to go and make disciples is clear, but how the call has been implemented has been a subject of debate. How we make disciples is as important as the call to make disciples. What is implied is not a forcible coercive campaign as history records in the colonization of Africa and expansion into the west of the United States. Christ commission’s his disciples to make disciples the way he made disciples. Christ invited the disciples to share life’s journey, to listen, learn, and then do what he taught them. Simply, the call to make disciples is a call to model, mentor, and apprentice. In the coming year, we will learn how to listen and connect with others, so that we might share the journey of life and mirror the love of Christ.
--Pastor Anthony
Advent Prayer – Day 14
Lord, you know our desires. Sometimes we want to see the world, but you call us to serve our close neighbors instead. Sometimes we think big dreams are better than serving others in ordinary ways. Keep us humble, Lord, looking for ways to make disciples no matter where we are – across the ocean or just across the street. Please help us to be content in our current circumstances, being thankful for the day-to-day blessings all around us. Amen.
-Stephenie Hovland