Lakeside Community Presbyterian Church

We “reinstated” something in our worship service the last couple of weeks. It is the “Passing the Peace of Christ” where we say “May the Peace of Christ be with you” and the reply is “And also with you.”

The passing of the peace is an ancient Christian tradition that goes back to Jesus’ words when we greeted the disciples after His resurrection and said to them “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). In a way, we are recognizing Jesus’ presence with us.

Now let me say a couple of things as we pass the peace of Christ in worship on Sundays at LCPC. First, you are going to have to work at passing the peace. By this I mean that you will have to physically move from your seat to pass the peace. If you are an introvert, this is going to be terrible but think of it as an act of worship, where you are demonstrating in a small way, the love, grace, and peace that Christ gives to those who follow Him. You are imparting those characteristics of Christ to those that you greet.

One other thing, we have a number of people (many of whom you know) that are unable to attend a worship service, and they are watching our service on-line. Let me encourage you to reach out to someone that you know who is unable to attend an in-person worship service and pass the “peace of Christ” to them over the phone or by a text or email.

As we “Pass the Peace of Christ” treat it as a somewhat sacred act. You are asking that Christ be present in your interaction with that person and in a small way, you are demonstrating Christ’s love to another.

Have a great rest of the week, I hope to see you on Sunday and “May the Peace of Christ be with you.”

Hooray for Fat Boys!

You may be wondering what are Fat Boys? Well, they are the best tasting and most delicious ice cream sandwiches that you will ever have, and we are celebrating our dad’s this Sunday by having Fat Boys after church.

So, bring your dad and enjoy a Fat Boy with them after our worship service.

We are also starting a new Sermon Series, Walking in the Light, a study in the book of Ephesians. It is a “bring your Bible to church” series as we look at this letter that Paul wrote and learn from him how we can “walk in the light of Christ” in our lives.

So, I hope that you will come to church this Sunday as we celebrate dad’s and study the book of Ephesians.

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, a day that celebrates the birth of the church when the Holy Spirit breathed life into the believers gathered in Jerusalem.

It also is the end of our sermon series on The Lord’s Prayer as we have studied this model prayer phrase by phrase, digging deeper into the meaning of how Jesus wants us to pray.

These two things come together as we begin our summer of praying together as a church 3 times a day.

You see it is through prayer, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, that our lives and our church will be more and more in line with what Jesus wants for us, and it all begins with prayer. When we humble ourselves and talk with God about our desires, remembering that He is the sovereign One, things change. People meet Jesus through us. We become a church that makes a difference in our community and around the world.

So, once again, I want to invite you to join our church in praying throughout the summer months 3 times a day.

Below are the simple prayers that we can pray together:

Morning Prayer
A Prayer of Relinquishment
“Today, Lord, I yield myself to you.
May Your will be my delight today.
May You have your perfect sway in me.
May Your love be the pattern for my living.
I surrender to You my hopes, my dreams,

my ambitions.
Do with them what You will, when You will, as You will.
I place into Your loving care my family,

my friends, my future.
Care for them with the care I can never give.
May You establish Your kingdom through
my words, my hands, my feet, for Jesus’ sake. Amen”

Mid-Day Prayer at 12:12pm
Our Father
“Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors;
lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom and the power

and the glory. Amen.”

Evening Prayer

A Prayer of Examen
“O God, we thank You for this day and for meeting our needs

and the needs of our neighbors.

We give to You our unmet needs and concerns, for we know that You are a good Father.

We give You our thoughts, feelings, and actions of our day.

We remember Your goodness. May we remember our shortcomings.

We ask for Your forgiveness.

We ask You Lord to take away our worries and concerns,

trusting in Your provisions for our future.

Thank You God for being with us through-out the night, so we might awaken to Your presence and serve You again as the sun arises.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.”

Let’s be a church that makes a difference in our world remembering that it all begins with prayer.

Have a great rest of the week.