A Prayer for the Redeemer Fambly

Heavenly Father, Abba, Daddy,
And Holy, Awesome, Fiercesome Almighty God,

You have woven our spiritual fambly together in Jesus Christ, and called us together in this City of Indianapolis,

As a spiritual family we share in this one core value and allegiance - to your Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

He is the beauty above all beauties;
He is the strength above all strengths to us.
He is our inheritance forever.

But Father, though you, the Holy God, are our father,
and we are your children, we are still so broken and dysfunctional.

So much of our lives is motivated or paralyzed by fear,
So much of our actions are clouded with guilt and shame,
So often we live completely self-absorbed, self-centered lives,
Even our deeds "for others" is secretly for our own name's sake.
Our lives are full lust, greed, and unforgiveness.
We are a broken people, a dysfunctional spiritual family.

Yet you love us. You have poured out the blood of your own Son to wash us and make us pure.
You sing over us, you treasure us, and you draw out - in spurts to be sure - real holiness and godliness. You will never forsake us. Our names are written on your hands. Our names are written on your heart. You are a fierce Defender God. You fight a war with the sin within us, and protect us from the Devil who wants to destroy our lives. You ponder our ways, and think about us at all times; you know every hair of our head.

Who are we to deserve this?

Now, Father, remind us of these great truths.

Grant us your fierce love for each other. Give us wisdom and discernment in our love for each other so that we will move beyond flattery to truth telling and real, sacrificial love. Give us an allegiance to You first, then to each other as brothers and sisters so that we will learn to forgive each other, that we will learn how to carry each others burdens.

Father, our highest honor in life is to be your Children. Our high nobility is to bear the name of Jesus Christ: Christian.

By your grace, let us be a model spiritual fambly - broken and beautiful, modeling a whole new way of being human.

All this I pray in Jesus' name. Amen