Evangelicals aren’t exactly known for their attention to the liturgical calendar, but I’ve found that it often provides helpful goals and a much needed rhythm for my spiritual life. This year, I decided to follow the Advent Scripture readings from the Book of Common Prayer. Each morning, I read a Psalm, a passage from the Old Testament, a passage from the New Testament, and a passage from the Gospels. At night, I read an additional Psalm. I love seeing the harmony of the Gospel story throughout the Scripture– that it’s not just a story found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John but one that is written across every page of God’s story.

Earlier this week, I ran across this prayer in 2 Thessalonians:

“asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

That’s the prayer I pray for those I have the privilege of doing life and ministry with.

Not that we would focus primarily on knowing the call we are to pursue…but that we would live a life worthy of it…whatever it may be.

That our faith would prompt us to do things that are impossible without the power of God active in our lives.

That God would be honored because of the way that we live.

That any honor we receive would come to us only because we have honored Christ.