I started this week’s devotional with the thought that I would give you a new year’s prayer. I started working on one. As I didn’t seem to be particularly creative (probably as a result of my turkey hangover) I thought then that I would take a Biblical prayer and rewrite it in my own words. But here is where I ended up: taking Paul’s famous prayer from Ephesians 3 and giving it poetic phrasing.

I have been moved and inspired by this very simple process, taking the ancient words and repeating them once more — noticing everything that is there. I give it to you as a new year’s prayer.

Saint Paul’s Prayer (Ephesians 3:14-21, New Living Translation)

I fall to my knees
and pray to the Father,
the Creator of everything
in heaven and on earth.

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources
he will empower you
with inner strength
through his Spirit.

Then Christ will make his home in your hearts
as you trust in him.
Your roots will grow down into God’s love
and keep you strong.

And may you have the power to understand,
as all God’s people should,
how wide, how long, how high,
and how deep his love is.

May you experience
the love of Christ,
though it is too great to understand
fully.

Then you will be made complete
with all the fullness of life
and power
that comes from God.

Now all glory to God,
who is able, through his mighty power
at work within us,
to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Glory to him
in the church
and in Christ Jesus
through all generations forever and ever!  Amen.

On behalf of all of us at Westside King’s Church, have a blessed new year!

We hope to see you this Sunday as we begin a new series we are calling Synchronize: reconnecting with the core teachings of Jesus. As always, the time is 9:29 or 11:11, and as always, the coffee is hot.

Bob Osborne