Prayer Guide November 2015
Love Lansing: Christmas Love Lansing: Christmas grows out of a simple mission: Involve the community actively in the Ongoing Story of a Sent Savior to the Spiritually Lost and Physically Forgotten of Greater Lansing at Christmas. In Luke 4:18-21, Jesus, the Savior God sent to the world, declared He had come to spiritually lost and physically forgotten people. We want to join Him in His mission to proclaim good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind! We are calling our church families together to carry this out in four ways: Pray (Month of November) During the month of November, churches have an opportunity to join together in prayer for the people of Lansing as we move toward Christmas. Give (December 5/6) Churches have an opportunity to collect and give financially to support Love Lansing: Christmas. Serve (December 12) Churches across the community will meet to serve those who are often physically forgotten at Christmas. Churches will gather at Trinity Church on Saturday, December 12, at 9:00 am to pack and deliver totes filled with helpful items or boxes filled with food to the following groups of people in Lansing on a single day of love, generosity and service: o Seniors living in state-assisted nursing homes o School Teachers in under-resourced public schools o Residents of low-income housing complexes Celebrate (December 18) Churches across the community will meet to proclaim the Gospel story of a Sent Savior called the Lansing Christmas Staycation at The Lansing Center in downtown Lansing from 6:30 9:15 pm. This event will combine music, comedy, games and prizes, family fun and the Christmas Story. We invite you to join us in all four expressions of the mission, beginning with prayer. Page 1
How to Use this Prayer Guide God has always called His people to pray for their cities: If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 For the month of November, use this guide to focus your prayers for the people of Lansing and our neighbors all around the Lansing area. Be creative in how you make use of it the only limits are your own imagination! For example, consider doing any or all of the following: Pray through that week s Scripture passage every Monday morning Pray through the week s Scripture passage every morning all week Pick a community that we will be serving on December 12 and pray for the people within the community (see the list on pg. 3) Take a weekly prayer walk and pray for your own neighborhood Get your small group out to prayer walk through a neighborhood you select Work through each week s questions on your own Talk through each week s questions with a small group or prayer group If you re not sure what to do, we suggest choosing one morning every week when you will spend at least 15 minutes in prayer. Start your prayer time with centering prayer, then move on to the Scripture passage and pray through it; finally, answer the questions as you talk with God. Page 2
Here is a list of the communities we will be serving on December 12 through Love Lansing: Christmas (Serve): Nursing Homes The Pines Rehabilitation and Health Center Holt Senior Care & Rehab Center Medilodge of Capital Area Schools Attwood Elementary Gardner Middle School North School Wexford Montessori Magnet Cavanaugh Elementary Forest View Elementary Kendon School Lyons Elementary Mt. Hope STEAM Magnet Pleasant View Magnet Beekman Center Low-Income Housing Communities Arbors at Georgetown Pinebrook Manor Somerset Apartments Southbrook Villa Summer Place Townhomes Washington Woods LaRoy-Froh Millpond Village Park Place Apartments Arlington Apartments South Washington Park Apartments Page 3
Centering Prayer Centering prayer is an ancient form of prayer that joins meditation on Scripture with more free-flowing prayer. Centering prayer is a way of being with Jesus and receiving His life in us. We focus more on what the Holy Spirit has to say than on our own words or thoughts. How do you engage in Centering Prayer? Set aside at least 15 minutes. Prayer is a discipline, a habit that you intentionally build into your life. Settle into a comfortable position. Intentionally place yourself in the presence of God by slowing down, quietly relaxing your body, and acknowledging to Him that you know He is with you. Choose a passage to read. Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight one word or phrase from the passage for you. It is not unusual for the first few minutes to be filled with many noisy thoughts. Acknowledge the distractions and let Jesus draw you back to your prayer word or phrase. Don t worry about the distracting thoughts. Let them go. Be with Jesus. Listen. Meditate on the one word He pointed out for you. Be still. Rest in the center of God s love. Trust that the Holy Spirit, who dwells in the depths of your soul, can and will connect you to God. Come out of your time with God slowly and let that phrase or word center your heart with Jesus for the rest of the day. You can use any Scripture for Centering Prayer, including our focus Scriptures for each week in the prayer guide. Here are some additional passages we recommend for this month: Matthew 6:9-13 Psalm 113 Psalm 119:33-40 Psalm 119:73-80 Page 4
How to Pray the Scriptures 1. Use the passages we have provided, or select a passage that intersects with your life right now and that really speaks truth to you. 2. Ask God to bless your time in Scripture, to keep you focused, and to help you to pray through His Word. 3. Start reading through your passage slowly, meditating on each word in the passage. 4. Pray as you go through the passage, bringing ideas and words from the passage into your own conversation with God. 5. Use your time praying the Scripture to let God encourage, convict, and guide you. How to Do a Prayer Walk 1. Choose a neighborhood to pray for your own or an area you feel God is calling you to pray for. 2. Go on your own or with a friend. Pray for the people who live in each household as you pass by. 3. If you re not sure what to pray, carry this prayer guide with you and pray through one of the passages for the people you re praying for. Worship Playlist To go along with your Prayer Walks or prayer throughout the week, we have created a playlist that reinforces the themes of the month. The playlist can be found here on Spotify. Page 5
Focus: We are all image bearers of God. Week One: November 1-7 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:28-29 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear. Matthew 13:1-9 Questions to pray through: 1. What does it mean to you to recognize that every person you meet, every day, bears the image of God? How would recognizing each individual as an image bearer change the way you interact with others? 2. What does it mean to you to realize that YOU bear the image of God, and that you are being shaped to be in the image of Christ? How could this realization that you are an image bearer change the way you think, speak, and behave every day? 3. Pray that each person in Lansing, or in the neighborhood you are praying for, would be awakened to Jesus and see the image of God in themselves, their family members, and their neighbors. Pray that the Lord will transform whole neighborhoods as our churches spread His light and His love to Lansing. Page 6
Week One: November 1-7 Give at Love Lansing: Christmas Love Lansing: Christmas is a sizable financial undertaking at a time of year when needs (both our own and others ) can loom large. Please join us in praying that the people of God across the Greater Lansing area will come together to give generously toward the stated Mission of involving the community actively in the ongoing story of a Sent Savior to the Spiritually Lost and Physically Forgotten of Greater Lansing at Christmas. Specifically, please note the following regarding your prayer time for the Give segment of Love Lansing: Christmas: Where? Your own local church When? The weekend of Saturday, Dec. 5th - Sunday, Dec. 6th We are convinced that God does great things when His People come together in one accord, both in Spirit and in Action! We hope that you will consider being part of the Give segment of Love Lansing: Christmas both individually and collectively as part of your local church. Page 7
Week Two: November 8-14 Focus: Who is my neighbor? For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatians 5:14 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor? Jesus replied, A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back. Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? He said, The one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him, You go, and do likewise. Luke 10:29-37 Page 8
Questions to pray through: Week Two: November 8-14 1. Jesus answered the man who asked Him, Who is my neighbor? by sharing the parable of the Good Samaritan and then asking, Which of these three proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? Which of the people in the parable do you most identify with, and why? How could you be more of a neighbor to the people you spend time with at work, school, in a social setting, or in your neighborhood every day? 2. Spend some time asking God, Who is my neighbor? Ask Him to identify one or two people you are in relationship with that you can consistently pray for, serve, and bless. Share the names you came up with with your group or prayer partner. 3. Pray for the people of Lansing (or in your prayer-focus area) to experience our churches as neighbors who extend mercy. Pray for our churches to discover practical ways to bind up the wounds of hurting people in our city. What practical steps can we take? 4. There are over 60 different people groups represented in the South Lansing region, many of whom come from nations where Christians experience significant persecution. November 8 is the International Day of Prayer for the persecuted Church. Along with praying for our local community this week, pick a nation that God is drawing you to and pray for our brothers and sisters in that nation as the Holy Spirit leads you. (See operationworld.org for more information) Page 9
Serve at Love Lansing: Christmas Week Two: November 8-14 On December 12, we will gather together with our partner churches to serve our neighbors in South Lansing in a practical way. We are focusing on what we call the Kingdom Rectangle, the region from Dunckel to Waverly and from Holmes to Willoughby. We will pack and deliver totes and boxes of needed items to nursing homes, schools, and low-income housing communities (for the full list, see page 3). Here are some statistics to consider as you pray about our local community and the Serve component of Love Lansing: Christmas: WHEN? Saturday, December 12 WHERE? Trinity Church, 3355 Dunckel Road, Lansing, MI 48911 WHAT TIME? Rally begins at 9:00 am - delivery completed by about noon NUMBER OF TOTES/BOXES WE ARE PACKING: 2,150 650 tote bags (300 for nursing home residents, 350 for teachers) 1,500 food boxes NUMBER OF PEOPLE BEING SERVED: 5,000+ 10 schools approximately 400+ staff people 3 nursing homes approximately 300 residents 10 housing areas approximately 1,500 families NUMBER OF TOTAL ITEMS PACKED: 33,100 14 items in each tote 16 items in each food box SQUARE MILEAGE OF KINGDOM RECTANGLE: Over 14 square miles Page 10
Week Three: November 15-21 Focus: Words of blessing in our relationships Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Proverbs 16:24 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Romans 12:1-13 Simon Peter replied, Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God. John 6:68-69 Page 11
Questions to pray through: Week Three: November 15-21 1. Look back on your words for the past 24 hours. Have your words given others grace, sweetness, health, and life, or have they stolen them away from others? If your thoughts and words have not blessed other people (either to their faces or behind their backs), confess this to God and ask His forgiveness. How can your words become channels that allow the grace, goodness, and life of Jesus to spill out to others? 2. John 1 says Jesus is the Word. He perfectly expresses who God the Father is, revealing His Father s heart and mind. Romans 12 encourages us to each use our own gifts well, to serve the Father. How can you join with other believers (for example, in your church or small group) to combine the gifts He has given you and collectively express your heavenly Father s holiness, grace, and sacrificial service to people in our city? What words will this express to others about who God is, and about who they are in His eyes? Page 12
Week Four: November 22-28 Focus: The Spiritually Lost If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father s will that even one of these little ones should perish. Matthew 18:12-14 And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20 Questions to pray through: 1. Who in your life is spiritually lost? What does Jesus desire for this person, and in what practical way could you join Him this week in seeking this person out? (Come up with a specific plan of action for contacting the person He brings to mind.) 2. Lansing Christmas Staycation, on December 18, will share the story of the sent Savior. Who in your life needs to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ? Would you consider inviting them to the event? 3. Please pray for God to be at work to prepare the hearts of people who would respond to the Message of a Sent Savior at Christmas by accepting the invitation to follow Him. Page 13
Week Four: November 22-28 Lansing Christmas Staycation at Love Lansing: Christmas What better way to celebrate than by hosting a party? We love the idea of throwing a giant party for our community on Friday, December 18! Here s a challenge for all of us: Let s all bring as many people who are spiritually lost (not yet aware of the Sent Savior) as we can to party with us. When? Friday, December 18 Where? The Lansing Center, 333 E Michigan Ave, Lansing, MI 48933 What Time? 6:30 7:30 pm (Inflatables, games, and giveaways), 7:30 9:15 pm (Music, MSU, and Michael Jr.) The evening will feature a number of people and activities that we are hoping will speak Life and Love to our community. Here are just a few of the things we currently have planned: Inflatable games for children Prizes and giveaways for families A Living Nativity Story for families to enjoy (live-action Biblical characters telling the story of Jesus birth) Local Music from The Root Doctor MSU starting Defensive Linebacker Joel Heath Comedian and actor Michael Jr. Because we want to prioritize the missional nature of this event, we re asking that those of us who are followers of Jesus come to the event only if we re bringing friends who do not yet know the saving Love of the Sent Savior. If you re inviting friends who are far from God, fantastic! If not, could we ask you to pray for the guests who will come to the event? Reserve your free tickets beginning on November 20. Text TXTL2C to 313131 for ticket information. Page 14
Week Five: November 29- December 3 Focus: Unity of the Body of Christ Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Don t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Romans 12:4-13 NLT For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26-28 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:25 Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:37b Questions to pray through: 1. What gifts has God given you and your family? How does God want to use your gifts to practice hospitality to others? Page 15
Week Five: November 29- Beyond... We hope you have enjoyed spending time with God, praying through the Scriptures and the prayer requests associated with Love Lansing: Christmas. We re excited to see what the Lord will do through the faithful prayers of His people. Don t stop just because November is coming to an end. Continue the lifestyle of prayer you began this month! Talk to Jesus all day long. Use the tools in this guide -- centering prayer, praying the Scriptures, going on prayer walks, and listening to worship music and find other ways to interact with Him, too. Remember, God loves it when His people humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn away from wicked ways. Keep seeking Him in prayer, and we hope to see you when we Serve and Celebrate Him together! Page 16