Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Their mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, they seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).
Invitation to Prayer ... TODAY
Hi Friends,
If you're in Midland this week, we'll be meeting at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 23 - TODAY - for prayer. We meet in the prayer closet at First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Please join us in lifting up the needs of vulnerable children in our community and around the world!
Blessings,
Carrie
Dear Intercessors,
If, like me, your kids are home from school or you don't have work, it's easy to simply think of today as an extra Saturday. A day off. A good day to binge-watch Netflix and perhaps toss up some inspirational MLK quote on social media and go on about the day.
But if you reduce King's writings to simple Instagram-square soundbites, it's easy to internalize them as an encouraging pat on the back. His words become tame and harmless and even a little benign.
And that's not what they were at all.
So for the last few years, I've tried to make a practice of re-reading King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail on his birthday. I first encountered the letter in a college civil rights class, and I can still remember where I was sitting and the way I held my breath as I took it all in. I still remember the feeling of deep conviction settling in my stomach as I considered that when it came to the headlines of my day, in many cases I was closer to being one of the "white moderates" King described than a defender of justice.
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I particularly value his call to the church, as his letter was directed to clergy. In one section Dr. King says:
"In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church. How could I do otherwise? I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson and the great grandson of preachers. Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists.
There was a time when the church was very powerful--in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators."' But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests. Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent--and often even vocal--sanction of things as they are.
But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust."
So today, if you admire and respect Dr. King and find his words inspirational, I pray you'll also allow yourself to be challenged by him. And I pray we'll let his words guide us in our prayers for children in our communities and around the world... for as Dr. King says, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
Whatever affects one child directly, affects all of us indirectly.
As the church, let us recognize injustice and not turn away. May our prayers be a first step in the fight to help the church reclaim its power and authority in the culture, not as the "archdefender of the status quo," but as a beacon of light and hope for those suffering and denied justice today. And as we pray, may we allow God to work on our hearts and move us to love and to action.
Blessings,
Carrie
Carrie J. McKean
Faces of Children Director
First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas
(432) 684-7821 x153
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