Mosaic Lincoln

Eric Smith, Founder of Pillar Seminary in Omaha, NE, shares with us from Matthew 11

Colossians 3:3-4:1

Mosaic Gathering Prayer/Proclamation: October 27, 2019

What marvelous love the Father has extended to us!

Just look at it—we are called children of God!

That’s who we really are.

But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously,

because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to.

But friends, that’s exactly who we are: loved children of God.

Dear loved children of God—

I hope you let go.

I hope you let go of holding yourself to impossible standards. Lower the bar. Receive grace.

God delights in who you are.

And while you’re at it, I hope you let go of ignoring your beauty and strength.

The mirror is tired of your harsh words, for you are made of star stuff and music.

You are the only you there is, and you. are. simply. stunning.

The tape in your head is tired of your harsh words.

You are a gift to this world.

May you have respect for your individuality and difference.

And I hope you’ll consider letting go of certainty.

For the sun will always rise and set, and you will always be loved.

What more do we really need to know than that?

So let go of your fear.

Let go of perfection.

Let go of busyness as a sign of your self worth, And the notion that creativity is a luxury.

Be wild and free.

Plant roots like a redwood,

And a spine like a sunflower;

For the days are short, and you are beautiful.

I love nothing more than to see you happy.

So don’t be afraid to let go.

The only thing you cannot lose is my love…God’s evergreen love.

What wondrous love is this? 
Love that ate with sinners. Love that welcomed children. 

What wondrous love is this? 
Love that healed the lame.
Love that listened to the silenced. 

What wondrous love is this? 
Love that died for us.
Love that rose for us.
Love that still forgives and knows us. 

Family of God, we are in the presence of such wondrous love. Let us worship God together. 

Colossians 2:20-3:4

Mosaic Gathering Prayer: October 20, 2019

We believe in God, the Great Sewist— Who weaves us together in community,
Collecting our loose ends and turning them into belonging.

We believe in the Holy Spirit— Who hems us in before and behind, 
Catching us when we fall and writing us into God’s holy story. 

And we believe in Jesus Christ— Who loved and claimed the people society had thrown out, refusing to disregard anyone as scrap.

We believe God has woven part of God’s self into the fiber of our being,
Making us inherently worthy of love and belonging. 

We believe the fabric of our lives are weak, 
That we are prone to error and need God’s handiwork to remind us of love. 

We believe in the Church, and that like a quilt of different fabrics,
She is designed to be as diverse and beautiful as God’s creation. 

And we believe that when life unravels, God is there to stitch our wounds together, 

To hold us in the palm of God’s hand, to tell us of love,

And to invite us into a new journey. Amen. 

Colossians 2:6-19

Mosaic Gathering Prayer: October 13, 2019

Gracious God,
For the morning dawn, which promises new life;
And for your love, which knows our name,
We give you thanks.

For a place to belong—for this place to belong—
And for grace that is always bigger than we deserve,
We give you thanks.

For the promise of justice that will roll down like a mighty stream
And light that shines in the darkness,
We give you thanks.

We have so much to thank you for, gracious God, so in gratitude, we offer you these gifts. May they help cultivate your promised day here.
May we help cultivate your promised day here

In this world some walk with arrogance. Some walk proud. Some walk angry. Some walk defeated. Some walk alone.

Teach us to walk in Jesus, rooted and built up in his love.

So as we come to you today in prayer, we ask once more for your help.
Cultivate in us a persistent energy for justice.

Cultivate in us a resilient determination to show grace.
Cultivate in us the heart to claim one another—even when we come from different places, people, religions, political opinions, or beliefs.  Cultivate in us the sunrise.

And when we fall short, when we keep your light to ourselves, when we find ourselves caught in the monsoon of our own doubt, when we choose ourselves over belonging to others, forgive us. 

Find us in the rain. Find us in the dark. Find us in the seas of our hurt and suffering and speak poetry to us. We are convinced that with just one taste of your love, we will be artists and dreamers, believers and optimists, once again. 

God of grace, you deserve our very best.

Thank you so much for accepting our best, worst, and everything in between. 

In deep gratitude we pray, Amen. 

Colossians 1:1-20, 28-2:3

What does the letter want to convey?
A reality enveloped in Jesus the Christ is a reality saturated in liberation and love.

"We need to know that God can not help because he is the God who was, is, and is to come. God does not have to help us in the ways we think we need him to help because the help he can offer is exceedingly better. We are asking for finite helps. He offers the infinite. In this life, then, as it can be known now, we can learn to live with God knowing that he is the God who was, is, and is to come, and therefore a God who can not help. We can learn a Spirit-led helplessness, to embrace futility without in any way refusing responsibility to do good or lessening our efforts to obey God. There is powerlessness in the blood. Wonder-working powerlessness."    -Chris Green

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John 1:43-51

Mosaic Gathering Prayer: September 29, 2019

God of the seasons—
You hold together the past, present and future.

Help us to let go of the need for certainty,
So that we can hold onto you.

Help us let go of fear and comparison,
So that we can hold onto you.

Help us to let go of to-do lists and anxiety,
So that we can hold onto you.

God of the seasons, as we enter this space,
We strive to let go of everything that keeps us from being with you.

With honest hearts and open minds, we pray—
Let us worship, You, Holy God.  Create in us a curiosity for your ways.

God, you invite us to cultivate compassion, 
But too often we hold grudges and keep score. 

You invite us to cultivate justice, 
But too quickly we forget that we belong to one another. 

You invite us to let go of judgment, 
But we find stones are too easy to throw. 

You invite us to let go of what others think, 
But so easily we hold our worth in another’s eyes. 

Guide our feet, our hearts, and our minds to a better world. 
Forgive us when we lose our way. 

We ask for the grace we need to be people who cultivate life in a world of sin and death.
Thank you for the abundant grace you give as we ask to receive.

Thank you for the gentle invitation of Jesus to come and see his way of life.
Keep our eyes open to Jesus, the One who gives life abundantly.

Thank you for a Story of good news in which we find our home.
Create us to be people of your good news Story.

God of grace, you deserve our very best.
Thank you for accepting our best, worst, and everything in between. 

In deep gratitude we pray, Amen. 

"I have come that (whoever comes to me) may have life, and have it to the full."
John 10:10b


Mosaic Gathering Prayer: September 22, 2019

Father, as we gather here in each other’s presence today, we bear witness to ourselves and to each other that You are among us. 

You are God for us, and that is the Gospel

Jesus, clothed in human flesh to experience Union with us, we assent that You have brought us into Union with the Godhead.

You are God with us, and that is the Gospel

Winsome Spirit, we submit to Your mantle of love that covers our hearts and minds.

You are God in us, and that is the Gospel

God of freedom, we proclaim that Your message of deliverance has been misunderstood and misrepresented, and we are each somewhere on the journey towards a healing of our understanding of You. 

You are the God of truly good news, and that is the Gospel.

God of restoration, we confess that we have each to some degree misrepresented You to others, and we ask Your forgiveness for that and Your healing of any wounds that may have caused.

You are the God of restoration, and that is the Gospel.

As we prepare our hearts for this time of active openness to You, we ask that You remove any barriers in or around us that are blocking us from truly drinking deeply of Your gift of Life.

You continually offer us Life to the Full, and that is the Gospel. Amen.

0:00-13:05: Interview with Liana McCain about Young Life at Lincoln High.

13:05-46:53: The Story of Good News

-Acts 3:11-21
-Acts 10:34-43

Mosaic Gathering Prayer: September 15, 2019

Lord, we come to You today from many places. Some of us come from places of brokenness and hurt, some from places of overflowing gratitude, and others of us come from places somewhere in-between extremes.

Whatever place we’ve inhabited this week, we recognize the power of Your story at work in our lives. We gather here to partake in this one enduring story and to take up Your good news for ourselves and our neighbors.

God, give us Your good news - fresh - this morning. 

In the hustle and bustle of our daily routines, in our too-often- stagnant mindsets, we have the tendency to overlook the power of Your story in our lives.

We seek life where life cannot be found. We stumble. We blunder. We fail. By all definitions, we are imperfect. In our brokenness, we turn to You. 

God, You make beauty of our messes. 

At the core of our lives, Your story is at play. In our comings and goings, You are present. We thank You for inviting us to live our humanity purposefully. It is not always easy, yet in Your goodness alone, we find true life.

God, You are good. 

You have been writing Your story forever. To the people of Israel, You announced peace through Jesus. In Judea, You spread the news of Jesus’ baptism and Your miraculous workings in His life.

You fulfilled Your story in Christ’s death and resurrection. Even in this present age, Your good news spreads. Your story is the best story ever told. Your gospel is the best news the world has known. 

God, may we know the power and beauty of Your story at work in our lives. Amen.

Betsy Miller shares her story of evangelism.


Mosaic Gathering Prayer: September 8, 2019

God, we come to you this morning, seeking your voice.
Through the fog and the noise of life, we seek clarity.

May we know you in the darkness and may we find you in the light. 
Synchronize our hearts to the rhythm of your love.

There are times for everything, times to rejoice and times of sorrow
In these times, we often turn from you.

We close off our hearts to your voice and calling.
It is easier to question your promises. 

There are parts of ourselves that we keep locked away 
even though you have access we don't allow you to enter.

We run to and from our despair
we overlook your understanding.

May we know your heart
overflowing with love and mercy.

May we seek your truth
in the things we cannot see.

May we feel your presence 
In the moments we feel alone.

May we hear your words
over the lies we tell ourselves.

To know you, is to love you. 
To seek you, is to find you. 

May we hold close your promises
Of Love, Hope, Freedom, and Grace. Amen.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins
And restore the places long devastated;
They will renew the ruined cities
That have been devastated for generations.

Isaiah 61:4

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"This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong
Seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.

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This is my Father's world,
The battle is not done:
Jesus who died shall be satisfied, 
And earth and Heav'n be one.
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This is my Father's world
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King, let the heavens ring
God reigns, let the earth be glad."

-"This is My Father's World"