Commissioners Abide Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5 Various presbyteries have different ways of choosing their commissioners from. Some commissioners will know well in advance that they will be traveling to Pittsburgh in 2012 others will be elected months later. Whether they are named or not yet named at this time, our God knows them. And now is the time to begin praying for each one. Pray that each commissioner will be drawn into a closer relationship with our Savior a true abiding relationship. The responsibility of serving as a commissioner is huge it can be overwhelming for most. Only as commissioners abide in Christ will their special time of service bear fruit. Apart from Christ, none of us can do anything to bless the Church. Lord God, we pray that every commissioner who will be attending GA is abiding in Christ and listens to the Holy Spirit before and during this important and challenging time of service to the church. May the Truth be made clear to them, and may love and obedience grow daily in their lives. In Jesus name, Amen.
Commissioners Health Jesus welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. Luke 9:11 As we remember Jesus healing mercy and compassion toward the crowds long ago, we must pause to think about the crowd of commissioners, guests, advisors, and volunteers at our upcoming. Many of those may find that the long hours, the fast pace, walking around town and sitting for a long time to be physically challenging each day. Let us begin praying for their strength and health now. As Pittsburgh Presbytery hosts the may we keep a compassionate eye out for all those who will be visiting Pittsburgh for the 220th GA. May our kindness to them bless Jesus our Lord. Jesus, we lift up people in need of your healing mercy now. We pray for those who struggle daily with physical, mental, and emotional problems. We pray for those weakened by cancer treatments, for those who cannot walk without pain, and for those whose blood sugar is such a challenge to stabilize. We pray for a special, wondrous outpouring of your strength for those participating in the GA who need your healing touch. And may those of us who are healthier be as sensitive and merciful as our Savior. In His name, Amen.
Commissioners Listen You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God s righteousness. James 1:19-20 Those who have participated in gatherings in the past know that it does not take long for tempers to flare in committee meetings, conversations in the hallways, and in plenary meetings. Even the most dedicated presbyters will find themselves tired, confused, and sometimes appalled by the volume of business to be discussed and the variety of opinions that are discussed and reviewed. Let us begin praying, even now, that each commissioner will be so strengthened by the Holy Spirit that listening will become easier, speaking will be less impulsive, and the fruit of self-control will be clearly evident. Holy God, as our time draws near, please implant these words into our hearts: be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. We pray for the Holy Spirit to be strongly present in all of us, so that we will be able to control our tongues and our tempers. We desire to honor you, Lord, by our thoughts, our words, and even the expressions on our faces. In Jesus name, Amen.
Commissioners find Welcome Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26 I enjoy relaxing in my sunroom, where I look through a large window and see the abundance of our Lord s creation and provision. Birds of all sizes and colors are flitting through the trees, nibbling in bushes, and sometimes feasting at the feeders we ve provided. I see chipmunks and red squirrels, rabbits and gray squirrels, a groundhog and occasionally a wild turkey. I am so grateful for the wonders of creation so grateful that all these creatures have decided that our backyard is a good place to be. My thoughts jump to the wide variety of people who will come from near and far to join us in Pittsburgh for the GA. I hope we will delight in their presence with us. I hope they will delight in Pittsburgh. I pray that they will find the provision they need while they are with us: good food, good places to rest and sleep, a warm welcome Our Father, from the city as well as from Pittsburgh Presbytery. Creator of this Each person is a special gift, a child of God. May world and our part they find Pittsburgh a good place to be. of it: we thank you for the missionaries, the guests from other churches in other nations, the theological students and other visitors who will fly or ride into Pittsburgh for the GA. We pray for their safety and health as they travel and while they are with us. We pray that our city and local communities will be joyful and gracious to them throughout their time here. We pray that all their basic needs will be met. And we pray for blessed opportunities to pray, study, worship and share our faith in Christ together. In Jesus name, Amen.
Commissioners and Technology Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 In June of 1999 I joined several other GA commissioners in struggling to board a jet bound for Fort Worth, Texas. Finally in my seat, I wondered how the jet would get off the ground. The problem? Each one of us was carrying over 40 lbs. of printed papers instructions, background information, vast committee reports and explanations of overtures. Just a few years later the church leaders decided it was time to use the new technology available to us: laptop computers! All reports would be presented online, even voting would be done by computer. Hooray! Commissioners could avoid chiropractors and trees could live longer. But the change did not come easily. Sometimes screens froze, or reports didn t show up, or response time timed out. And though many commissioners were computer savvy, many were not. Merciful God, we do believe that you can help us in all things. With faith and with thanksgiving, we pray for the computer technology and the computers that will be used during our upcoming GA. May the technology serve as a blessing, not a curse. Give wisdom to all those who will be working on and with the computer systems. We ask you to reveal the possible glitches and the right ways to fix them. And we pray that your peace, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. The apostle Paul assures us that in EVERYTHING we can let our requests be made known to God. Does that include concerns about technology during meetings? Let s hope so! And let s remember to pray for those special saints who will be planning, setting up, and running the computer systems for GA, as well as the Commissioners who will be using the system some of them for the first time.
Youth and Seminary Delegates Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-16 As crowds pour into the GA area in Pittsburgh next summer, many of the faces will be young. Youth Advisory Delegates (fondly called YADS ) are students just finishing high school or already in college. Theological Seminary Advisory Delegates (awkwardly called TSADS ) come from the variety of theological seminaries which serve our part of the Church. They come with energy, enthusiasm, laughter and goodwill. May they also come prepared and strengthened. For those new to the GA experience (the vast majority of YADS and TSADS), there will be surprises. They will find a wide variety of good people who disagree intensely about many things. They will find long hours and a lack of free time. Some meetings and discussions will seem boring and meaningless. GA is not easy for anyone. Our hope is that their time of service at GA will strengthen their faith in Lord God, we thank you for the YADS and TSADS who will Christ and their love of our part of His be chosen to serve church. The time to pray for them as advisory delegates to this need our prayers, our love, is now. YADS and TSADS. And we do and our encouragement pray that their experience in long before they arrive Pittsburgh will be spiritually in Pittsburgh. uplifting and will inspire a lifetime of faithful service to Christ. By the power of your Spirit, prepare them. Give them wisdom not only during GA, but in the months leading up to it. Draw them deeper into the study of your Word deeper into prayer and worship. Give them hope, and comfort their hearts before, during, and after the gathering in Pittsburgh. Strengthen them and the rest of us in every good work and word. Amen
Missionaries & Ecumenical Delegates Friend, you have no idea how good your love makes me feel, doubly so when I see your hospitality to fellow believers. Philemon 7, The Message One of many blessings of hosting is that we will be given the opportunity to extend Christian hospitality to missionaries and ecumenical delegates from our own country and around the world. They will not be able to vote, but they will be given opportunities to share their wisdom and discernment. Part of our hospitality will involve providing housing and food that will be comfortable for them, as well as help with language issues, if needed. Good directional signs are essential. But part of our hospitality will be deeper more of an openness of heart. We need to be ready to listen to them, to enter into meaningful discussions and to show respect for their insights. They are a gift from God, being sent our way for a special time. Look for them. Talk with them. Pray with them. And rejoice in the Lord with them. Wise and gracious God, we thank you for each one of the missionary and ecumenical delegates you will lead to our. We pray for good health and safe travel for each one. We pray that you will anoint each one with gifts of your Holy Spirit. May none of them feel as if they are decorations on the sideline, but instead sense that they are an important part of our family appreciated for their work in your service and for the wisdom and discernment you have given them to share. Above all, may they experience the powerful love of Jesus during their time in Pittsburgh. In His name, Amen.