Day 4 of "27-Day Prayer & Fasting Journey" with Rev. Rob Townsend

Greetings in the name of Christ.  

My name is Rob Townsend and I am the Presiding Elder of the Maryland North district in the Northeast Conference of the Global Methodist Church.  Welcome to Day 4 of 27 Days of Prayer as we prepare for our Annual Conference gathering on May 8-10 in Cortland, NY.

The 10 churches of the Maryland North district are located in Cecil and Kent Counties in the state of Maryland.  What I love about our district is we are in God’s Country of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Prayer from here is a local call to the Lord. We are very close together and have been doing ministry together for a long time. There is quite a bit of fruit produced from our work together and we are grateful for the trust in each other God has blessed us with.

Our churches are 

▪ Bethel Church North East

▪ Ebenezer Church

▪ Leeds Church

▪ Moores Chapel

▪ Rock Hall Methodist Church

▪ Shelemiah Church

▪ St Johns Lewisville Church

▪ Union Community Church

▪ Wesley Chapel of Rock Hall

▪ Wesley Church of Elkton

Pray for us today, that we would faithfully live into our shared mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to spread scriptural holiness across the globe.

We in the Maryland North district are eager to see many of you at Annual Conference in May.  We encourage you to use these days of preparation to hear God’s Word and pray with us as we prepare to fan the flame that the Holy Spirit has kindled in us all.  

Here is today’s focus Scripture passage from Psalm 118:19-29: 

19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.

22 The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

25 Lord, save us!
    Lord, grant us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.
27 The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up to the horns of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you.

29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

This is the Word of the Lord.  Thanks be to God.

Today’s Prayer Focus

The word Hosanna comes from the Hebrew word for “save us” in Psalm 118:25. This is what the crowds in Jerusalem shouted when Jesus entered the city on Palm Sunday. Importantly, Jesus did not live in Jerusalem. He was a visitor. In fact, many in the crowd were also visitors to the Holy City, there from faraway places to observe the Passover Feast. Center your prayers this day on the delegates and observers who will be traveling from distant places to Annual Conference in Cortland, New York. Pray also for the worshiping congregation of Grace Christian Fellowship, our gracious hosts for this event. 

Today’s Suggested Prayer 

Lord, you know our going out and our coming in,
and you know the journeys we must take to do your will.
Guide those who will soon travel to Cortland, New York.
Calm any anxieties each may have about the cares of work and home
that for a short while must be left behind.
Speed each along the way without undue delay or trouble.
Let each be fully present upon arrival
to do the work of this Annual Conference.
So, too, bless the labor of Grace Christian Fellowship,
that their hospitality to pilgrims in need
be richly rewarded by you,
for they saw strangers, and welcomed them
and blessed those who come in your name.
In that name we pray. Amen.

You can find this prayer, and all the other prayers of the 27 Days, on the Conference website, northeastgmc.org.

May the Lord richly bless your faithful prayers. Amen.