December 15, 2017 WILLOW CREEK CHURCH IS SENDING CHRISTMAS GIFTS TO EVERY INMATE IN ILLINOIS

Transcription

1 December 15, 2017 WILLOW CREEK CHURCH IS SENDING CHRISTMAS GIFTS TO EVERY INMATE IN ILLINOIS Thank God for the ministries and churches who minister to prisoners, especially during the holidays. Pray that God will touch hearts through the outreach of this church and Prison Fellowship s Angel Tree ministry. Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world... I was in prison and you came to visit me. (Matt 25: 34, 36) Willow Creek Community Church, a megachurch in the Chicago suburbs, will be distributing Christmas gifts to every inmate in the state of Illinois this Christmas season. Willow Creek pastor Bill Hybels has said that church volunteers are ensuring that every inmate in the entire state will be receiving a Christmas gift bag. According to RelevantMagazine.com, Hybels started the effort as part of a larger effort to reach out to those who are spending Christmas in prison. I follow God s son, Jesus Christ, who was blindingly clear about how I should engage with prisoners, Hybels told his congregation. If I had passed away at 55 despite all that clear training and additionally because I m a pastor, I would ve had to explain to God that I didn t pray for prisoners, that I had never visited one, I had never lifted a finger to help prisoners in any way. Willow Creek is not reaching out to prisoners only during the holidays, however. The church regularly sends volunteers to local prisons to conduct Bible studies and minister to inmates. One inmate who received one of Willow Creek s gifts stated, Those bags are phenomenal It gives us a sense of love, of joy. We get a sense that somebody out there that love us that don t even know us. That love is very strong and profound. (Excerpted from article in Christian Headlines, by Veronica Neffinger.)

2 TEXAS CHURCH SHOOTING SURVIVOR WANTS CHRISTMAS CARDS Pray for this boy, who survived the shooting, but lost his mother and two of his sisters and is still hospitalized. Pray for the whole church, First Baptist of Sutherland Springs, still grieving the terrible tragedy as they go through the holiday season. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Ps 34:18) One of the youngest survivors of last month s shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas is still stuck in the hospital recovering, and people are sending him Christmas cards to help bolster his spirits. Five-year-old Ryland Ward lost his mother and two of his sisters on that tragic day, and was shot several times himself, sustaining an injury to his kidney and badly shattering his femur. His recovery has been slower than doctors had hoped, and it looks like he will be in the hospital for another six to eight weeks. Sandy Ward, the boy s grandmother, told KSAT-ABC (San Antonio) that she still cries often and it s been tough, missing her daughter-in-law and two granddaughters as the Christmas holidays have approached. The cards people have been sending Ryland have been a great comfort. Many have included a dollar bill, which Ryland is saving to get a go-cart when he gets out of the hospital. Ryland also really loves getting photos of other kids and their pets.. Send cards, along with a dollar and photos of your kids and pets, to this address: Ryland Ward P.O. Box 174 Sutherland Springs, Texas, We can t replace what Ryland lost, but we can brighten his hospital stay and let him know that the world is full of good and caring people. UPDATE: The Right Scoop has information on another easy way you can send some Christmas cheer to little Ryland. Shutterfly has set up a special page where you can create a digital card to send him. Just visit that link, create a custom card, enter the code CARD4RYLAND, and enter his address above. You will still have to pay for the shipping and taxes, but Shutterfly is waiving their normal design and printing fees. GO HERE to watch video! (Excerpted from RedState, by Sarah Rumpf.) REJECTING THE PERFECT GIFT Pray for the advancement of free speech rights in general and for a judgment in favor of the Archdiocese of Washington in this case involving Metrobus Christmas ads.... your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel. (Luke 2:30-32)

3 The rate at which Christmas is being leached of spiritual meaning and replaced with frenzied online shopping isn t increasing fast enough for some. In Washington D.C., the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) rejected a Metrobus advertisement from the Archdiocese of Washington that encouraged people to Find the Perfect Gift, and showed the silhouettes of three shepherds with their sheep on account of the ad promoting religion. The imagery of the ad is not Christian on its face, nor even shows the baby Jesus, and the context would escape anyone unfamiliar with a relatively minor detail of the birth-story that of poor and lonely shepherds surprised on a cold night by a sudden, unexpected happiness. If you go to the advertised website, you ll find ways to bring happiness this Christmas to the needy and desolate, with charitable outreach to the poor and marginalized, and the most important gift the joy and community of a welcoming and inclusive Christmas mass. The archdiocese has, in turn, filed a complaint in federal court alleging a violation of its First Amendment rights of speech and exercise of religion by the government transit agency. By taking ads from retailers but not from the archdiocese, the government is discriminating in favor of ads for costly material goods, and against ads for free spiritual goods. Ed McFadden, communications secretary for the archdiocese said, To borrow from a favorite Christmas story, under WMATA s guidelines, if the ads are about packages, boxes or bags if Christmas comes from a store then it seems WMATA approves. But if Christmas means a little bit more, WMATA plays Grinch. As the season gets underway, the frantic ads vying for our attention and the money in our wallets will yell at us ever more loudly from our televisions, the sides of buses and, seemingly, every other flat surface: Buy and buy more things your loved ones don t need, because that is what the season is all about! (Excerpt from Grazie Pozo Christie's article in The Washington Times entitled "Find the Perfect Gift." - Grazie Pozo Christie is a policy adviser for the Catholic Association.) ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ PRAYER FOR JERUSALEM Pray in agreement with Anne Graham Lotz. The Lord had said to Abram, I will bless those who bless you (Gen 12:1, 3) [1]God of Abram, Isaac, and Jacob. Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are the Eternal I AM. The One who is age to age the same. There is no shadow of turning with You. You are fully present in every generation past, present, and future. You are the All-Mighty. Your power has not been deleted or depleted over the millennia of human history. We know that You so loved the world that You gave us Heaven s treasure when You sent Your only Son two thousand years ago to be born as a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. When we join the shepherds and gaze into that manger bed, we find ourselves looking into the face of God. Thank you for the wonder of Christmas! Thank you for the Gospel that tells us that anyone and everyone who places their faith in the Baby who grew to live then die as our Savior who now sits on Heaven s throne who is soon to return and rule the world will not perish but have everlasting life. Heaven s miracle available to little dust people!

4 While our hearts are overflowing with humble gratitude for Your amazing grace, we also know that Your great heart of love still longs to pour out Your blessing on the City and the people that You have uniquely chosen as Your own. Jerusalem. The House of Israel. The Jews. In this present worldwide climate where evil seems to be unrestrained nations are unraveling wars are raging arms deals are being struck behind the closed doors of our enemies there are rumors of more wars breaking out in the Middle East and in Asia where kingdoms are rising against kingdom where threats are backed by weapons of mass destruction our spirits feel the turmoil and agitation that surely is a reflection of the warfare being waged in the invisible realm. Yet in the darkness, we have experienced an explosion of light! President Trump has affirmed America s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel s capital! He has vowed to move our Embassy there! Thank You for all the work You have done behind the scenes to bring this to a decision. While the enemies of Your people may rage, we rejoice because we understand that in our blessing of Israel, we will be blessed! We suddenly find ourselves on Your side once again, aligned with the nation and the city on which You have placed Your name. We humbly turn to You now. We turn away from our responsibilities and routines, our busyness and our business, our own problems and pressures. We turn away from focusing on the turmoil in our Capital and even the needs of the church. We turn away from any self-reliance or self-interests. We turn away from our Christmas shopping and wrapping and baking and planning and partying as we look up! To You! We join together with one heart and one voice to pray to thank You for the President s decision and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. You alone are the One who makes us to dwell in safety. You alone are the One who makes us secure. You alone are God. And You alone are our God. We turn to You, deeply aware we do not deserve in ourselves to address You, yet boldly confident of access into Your most holy presence through the blood of Your Son and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We ask that the fear of the One, True, Living God would fall on us, on Israel s neighbors and on Israel.[2] We ask that the ancient prince of the Persian kingdom and every other demonic force vowing to come against Your City be bound and rendered powerless in the face of the hosts of Heaven.[3] We ask that the days of rage which are threatened would not materialize. We ask for supernatural wisdom for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his Cabinet, his counselors, and all government officials, so that they make decisions in line with Your perfect will. Draw the Prime Minister into Your Word. And then, when he opens and reads it, speak to him through it. We ask that You use President Trump s decision to encourage Israel s leaders and her citizens, while putting her enemies on notice that America has her back. We ask that You bless The Beautiful Land and all those who live there, both Jews and Arabs, with Your peace. We ask especially that You woo Your people to Yourself. Draw them to put their trust in You, so that they experience peace without and within.

5 We ask that You bless President Trump. Thank You for his courage. His boldness. His leadership in the world. Make his enemies, both here and abroad, to be at peace with him. We ask that You bless the President s family, his cabinet, and his staff. Protect them, while giving them unity, loyalty, and a shared vision. Lastly, we ask that You bless America. Our beloved nation. Protect us. Defend us. Unite us. Please continue to use us as a force for good in the world. Keep us steadfast in our commitment to be a friend to Your people. You are a great prayer-hearing, prayer-answering, covenant-keeping, miracle-working God. Hear our prayer! Listen to Your children as we pray for the peace of the city on which You have placed Your name. Answer us! For the glory of Your great name, Yeshua! Amen Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls, and security within your citadels. Psalm 122:6-7 [1] This prayer has been adapted from our prayer initiative: 911: A Recall to Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem, which was first issued in August [2] 2 Chronicles 20:29 [3] Daniel 10:12-13 (By Anne Graham Lotz Prayer for Jerusalem)