Doug Stringer

THE WHOLE EARTH GROANS WITH BIRTH PAINS - When Creation Groans, Shouldn't the Church Be on Its Knees?

by Doug Stringer

“For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” Romans 8:22

My heart continues to be burdened by the suffering we see around the world.

Fires.
Floods.
Earthquakes.
Hurricanes.
Typhoons and cyclones.
Droughts.

And other disasters that can devastate communities in moments, leaving families suddenly without homes, livelihoods, and sometimes even loved ones.

For more than forty years of ministry, I have pondered, observed, processed, written, and taught about what Scripture describes as creation groaning and the shakings taking place around us.

And after personally walking through many disaster-stricken communities over those decades, these things are more than headlines to me.

THE NUMBERS REPRESENT PEOPLE:

Sometimes the sheer magnitude of human suffering can be difficult to comprehend.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' World Disasters Report 2026 reports that between 2020 and 2024, disasters affected approximately 697 million people worldwide.

Think about that for a moment.
Nearly 700 million people affected by disasters in just five years.

During that same period, disasters caused approximately 105 million displacements and claimed some 271,000 lives. The report also notes that the number of people needing humanitarian assistance increased from approximately 192 million in January 2020 to more than 433 million by the end of 2024.

Those are staggering numbers.
But we must never allow statistics to become so large that we lose sight of the individual.

Behind every statistic is a person.

A mother.
A father.
A son.
A daughter.
A grandparent.
A family.
A neighborhood.
A community.

Someone who may have gone to bed expecting tomorrow to look much like yesterday, only to discover that everything could change in a matter of moments.

The IFRC's reporting describes hundreds of disasters around the world involving floods, cyclones, wildfires, droughts, earthquakes, and other crises. Its 2024 reporting alone recorded 559 disasters worldwide, noting that communities on every continent were affected.

These numbers should do more than impress us.They should move us.

They should remind us of the extraordinary amount of human suffering taking place around the world.

And for those of us who profess to know Christ, perhaps they should also drive us to our knees.

CREATION IS GROANING:
Paul wrote:
“For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”

What an extraordinary description.
Creation groans.

And Paul compares that groaning to birth pains.

Birth pains have intensity.
They have travail. They demand attention.

Yet they are also pointing toward something beyond themselves.
I don't pretend to know why every natural disaster occurs.
Nor do I believe we should presumptuously declare that a particular earthquake, flood, hurricane, wildfire, or other tragedy is God's judgment against a particular people.

Jesus cautioned His disciples against simplistic assumptions about suffering.

But surely there is another danger as well:

That we can witness extraordinary suffering all around us and never allow it to get our attention.

We can become so accustomed to the headlines that another earthquake becomes just another story.

Another flood becomes another video.

Another fire becomes another image we scroll past.

Another devastated community becomes another statistic.

But nearly 700 million affected people are not merely a statistic.

They represent an extraordinary amount of grief, displacement, loss, uncertainty, and human need.
Perhaps creation's groaning should cause God's people to groan in intercession.

WHEN THE EARTH GROANS, THE CHURCH SHOULD PRAY:
There were moments throughout Scripture when famine, pestilence, drought, war, and calamity caused people to stop what they were doing and seek God.

Not because they always understood exactly what was happening. But because they recognized something we desperately need to remember:

We need God.
We need His wisdom.
We need His mercy.
We need His grace.
We need His intervention.
We need His direction.
We need His Presence.

Perhaps instead of only asking,
“Why is this happening?”
we should also be asking:

“Lord, what should our response be?”

“How should we pray?”

“Where should we serve?”

“Who is hurting?”

“How can we become Your hands and feet?”

And perhaps even:
“Lord, is there anything You are trying to get our attention about?”

THE GROANING SHOULD BRING US TO OUR KNEES:
There is something fascinating later in Romans 8.

Creation groans. Then believers groan.

And then Paul tells us:

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought…” Romans 8:26

What a progression!

Creation groans.
God's people groan.

The Holy Spirit helps us in our groaning.

Maybe the groaning around us should produce deeper intercession within us.

When we see communities devastated by earthquakes:

Lord, have mercy.

When we see families fleeing floods:

Lord, have mercy.

When we see homes consumed by fire:

Lord, have mercy.

When hurricanes and typhoons devastate communities:

Lord, have mercy.

When first responders and relief workers are exhausted:

Lord, strengthen them.

When churches and ministries are trying to serve overwhelmed communities:

Lord, provide for them.

When families are grieving:

Lord, comfort them.

And when we don't even know what to pray:

Holy Spirit, help us.

Prayer is not our last resort after everything else has failed.

Prayer is our acknowledgment that we have always needed God.

DON'T JUST WATCH THE GROANING—ENTER INTO IT:

For decades I have been involved in disaster and crisis response.
I have stood in places where devastation could not be adequately captured by a photograph.
I have walked among people whose lives changed overnight.
And I have learned that when someone has lost everything, they don't necessarily need us first to explain theologically why the disaster happened.

Sometimes they need us simply to be there.
To listen.
To weep.
To pray.
To bring water.
To provide food.
To help find shelter.
To encourage exhausted first responders.
To put our arms around someone who has lost a loved one.
To become a tangible expression of Jesus.

Compassion is theology with work clothes on.

The groaning of creation should not merely drive the Church to its knees.
It should eventually get us back onto our feet to serve.

We pray. Then we go.

PERHAPS GOD IS TRYING TO GET OUR ATTENTION:

In my larger teaching on these things, I have often returned to Hebrews 12:

“Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.”

Scripture tells us that things which can be shaken will be shaken so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

I began writing about the Lord's provision in times of shaking back in the 1980s. More than forty years later, the question still confronts me:

What are we building our lives upon?

Our technology cannot save us from everything.

Our wealth cannot insulate us from everything.

Governments cannot prevent everything.

Human ingenuity cannot control everything.

There are moments when creation itself reminds us how small we really are.

That realization doesn't have to produce despair.

It can produce humility.

Maybe we need moments that remind us again:

We are not God.

And perhaps some of what we see around us should bring us back to the posture of 2 Chronicles 7:

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face…”

Before pointing fingers at everyone else, perhaps God's people should first bend our knees.

THE SHAKING IS NOT THE DESTINATION:
But I want to emphasize something I have learned through the years:

The shaking is not the destination.

Haggai speaks about God shaking the nations, but the same passage also speaks of His Presence, glory, and peace.

God tells His people:

“I am with you…My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!” Haggai 2:4–5

That's where our focus must remain.

Not fascination with disasters.
Not fear.
Not sensationalism.
Not prophetic speculation.

His Presence.

When the earth groans, seek His Presence.

When circumstances shake, seek His Presence.

When you don't understand what is happening, seek His Presence.

When people around you are afraid, carry His Presence to them.

The shaking is not the destination. His Presence is.

THIS IS AN OCCASION FOR OUR TESTIMONY:

Jesus described times of extraordinary turmoil in Luke 21…nation against nation, earthquakes, famines, pestilences, persecution, and fearful events.

Yet right in the middle of that description He said something I have quoted for years:

“But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.” Luke 21:13

Whatever our eschatology may be, Jesus has already given us our assignment.

This is an occasion for our testimony.

When people are frightened, we can carry peace.

When people despair, we can carry hope.

When people are suffering, we can carry compassion.

When communities are divided, we can become ministers of reconciliation.

When people feel forgotten, we can remind them:

Somebody cares. His name is Jesus.

The whole earth may indeed be groaning with birth pains.

And perhaps that groaning should get our attention. But may it do more than get our attention.

May it bring us to our knees.
May we pray for those who are suffering.

May we seek God's mercy and intervention.

May we ask Him for wisdom and discernment.

May we humble ourselves and seek His face.

May we allow the Holy Spirit to search our own hearts.

And then may we get back on our feet and go into a hurting world as tangible expressions of Christ.

Creation is groaning.

The Church should be praying.
And a hurting world should find God's people serving.

For in the middle of the groaning, the shaking, and the uncertainty, Jesus reminds us:

“This will be an occasion for your testimony.”

Doug Stringer

Speculators, Spectators, or Doers of the Faith? - Doug Stringer

There is a significant difference between mere opinionated speculators and pontificators, and those who are doers and practitioners of their faith.

Some live to pontificate, railing from the grandstands with lofty opinions, while others choose to be in the fray.

It’s easy to speculate, to spectate, and to pontificate. But there are those who become living testaments of the Gospel, bearing the battle scars of a consistent life message. Those who bear fruit that remains.

Leonard Ravenhill used to ask:

“Could a mariner remain idle if he heard a drowning cry?

Could a doctor sit in comfort and just let his patients die?

Could a fireman let people burn without lending a hand?

Can you sit at ease in Zion while the world around you is damned?”

These words still pierce with conviction today.

A Window of Opportunity:

Paul declared in 1 Corinthians 16:9:

“For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”

We, too, live in a moment of great opportunity. The Church has a message of hope to deliver, but distractions, disappointments, discouragements, and temptations can become tools of the adversary to hinder us.

Sometimes distractions come in the form of comfort and ease, or the cares and securities of this world. When these fail us, disappointment sets in, disappointment in people, and sometimes even in God. If left unchecked, disappointment leads to discouragement, and discouragement tempts us to compromise our convictions.

But God gives us a different response: to call on His emergency hotline. His throne of grace, where we find peace, mercy, and strength. He promises us “a future and a hope” Jeremiah 29:11–12.

He is still able to turn around economies, circumstances, and even global situations.

God can do exceedingly beyond all we can ask or imagine. He opens doors that no man can shut. But we must not miss the moment and look back only to say, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” Jeremiah 8:20.

Even in worldwide crisis, Jesus tells us in Luke 21:13, “This will be your opportunity to bear testimony.” What a time for the Church to rise with a message of hope!

True Intercession:

Joel 2:17 paints a vivid picture of true intercession:

“Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar. Let them say, ‘Spare Your people, O Lord. Do not make Your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?’”

The world is desperate for answers. Why should they say, “Where is their God?”

God is looking for modern-day heroes of the faith, who like Moses and Aaron, are willing to stand between the living and the dead to stop the plague of sin and destruction (Numbers 16:43–48).

This is not a comfortable place to be. Most would rather spectate from the sidelines: shouting “Hurrah for Jesus!” from padded pews or worrying more about the trivial, or the newest Hollywood gossip, rather than a world in crisis. Instead of running into the flames to rescue souls, we hide in our stained-glass coffins.

Scottish preacher George MacLeod once wrote:

“I simply argue that the cross should be raised in the center of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church… Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves… where cynics talk s**t, thieves curse, and soldiers gamble… That is where He died. And that is where the church must be, and what the church must be about.”

C.T. Studd echoed the same heart:

“Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.”

My friend, Pastor Dale Bronner of Atlanta, reminds us: “Our passion for Christ must be greater than our passion for anything else.”

And evangelist Winkey Pratney said, “When God finds someone with courage to pray, preach, and live a life before Him of holiness and compassion, He can literally change the face of a nation.”

Courage and character shine brightest in times of crisis.

Answering the 911 Call:

The alarms of our day are sounding a resounding cry: “Spare Your people, O Lord.”

We are living in a time of emergency. In America, we dial 911 in moments of crisis, when urgent intervention is needed. The same applies spiritually. We must call upon the Lord, not only for our needs, but for the rescue of nations and the salvation of souls.

While many remember “9/11” as a day of tragedy and despair, may the Church remember that God can bring triumph out of tragedy, victory out of crisis, and hope out of despair.

He still answers when we call. The question is: Will we answer His call?

I am often reminded and challenged by what my friend, Gary Miller says, “Talk Less- Pray More.” I would also add, “Stay Low in Humilty, Be a Doer - Not Just a Talker.”

Doug Stringer

originally posted on Sept. 27, 2025

STRAINING AT GNATS, SWALLOWING CAMELS… Recovering Kingdom Perspective in a Shaking World

by Doug Stringer

“Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” Matthew 23:24 (NKJV)

I’ve gotta tell you, it really can be frustrating. We are watching a world in tremendous upheaval. Nations are raging. Creation is groaning. Jesus spoke of birth pains. The writer of Hebrews describes a shaking in which everything that can be shaken will be shaken.

Yet in the middle of all this, so much of our public conversation has become consumed with the petty and frivolous.

And I’m not speaking only about politicians, commentators, or social media personalities. Sadly, the same spirit can find its way into pulpits, ministries, churches, and Christian conversations.

We can spend enormous amounts of emotional and spiritual energy arguing over comparatively small things while enormous matters are unfolding around us.

We can win arguments and lose relationships.

We can prove our point and lose our witness.

We can become experts at identifying what is wrong with everybody else while failing to recognize what God wants to address within us.

We can become so preoccupied with being right that we fail to ask whether our spirit is right.

Jesus had a vivid description for this kind of misplaced spiritual emphasis: Straining at gnats and swallowing camels.

MAGNIFYING THE MINOR WHILE MINIMIZING THE MAJOR:

The imagery Jesus used was deliberately startling. The Pharisees were so meticulous about ceremonial purity that they would strain their drinking water to avoid accidentally swallowing a gnat - an unclean insect. Yet Jesus said that while carefully avoiding something so tiny, they could “swallow a camel”- also ceremonially unclean, but enormously larger.

Jack Gutknecht, pastor and graduate of Arizona Bible College and Dallas Seminary points out the irony: they could be meticulous about the smallest details of outward ceremonial cleanliness while losing sight of the much greater issue of inward purity. They noticed the gnat but missed the camel. Outwardly careful, they could remain inwardly corrupt.

Similarly, according to the late Dr. Warren Wiersbe in his book, “Index of Biblical Images,” he associates “Gnat” to mean “Hypocrisy” and “Overscrupulousness,”…and he goes on to say that “Camel” can symbolize 3 things:

1. Lusting after sin (Jer 2:23)
2. Impossibility (Matt 19:24; Mark 10:25; Luke 18:25)
3. Hypocrisy (Matthew 23:24) and that’s what it means here.

In other words, they had magnified the minor while minimizing the major. But we should also notice that Jesus was not saying details do not matter. He said, concerning justice, mercy, and faith:

“These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.” Matthew 23:23

The problem was not attention to detail. The problem was a loss of spiritual proportion and priority. And therein lies a warning for us today.

We can become consumed with secondary arguments, petty disagreements, personalities, preferences, and controversies while neglecting the very things Jesus calls “the weightier matters.”

We can win an argument and lose our witness. We can prove our point and reveal the wrong spirit. We can strain at someone else’s gnat while remaining strangely unaware of the camel we ourselves have swallowed.

At a time when nations rage, creation groans, people are suffering, and so much that can be shaken is being shaken, surely this is not the hour for the Church to become distracted by the petty and frivolous.

THE WEIGHTIER MATTERS:

We need discernment to know the difference between what is important and what is weightier.

Justice. Mercy. Faith.

These are not excuses for ignoring truth. They are a call to carry truth with the heart, priorities, and character of Christ.

Jesus said:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cu**in, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” Matthew 23:23-24

One of the most sobering things Jesus confronted in the religious leaders of His day was not that they were completely ignorant of Scripture.

In fact, they knew Scripture.
They studied it.
They quoted it.
They debated it.
They meticulously observed many of its requirements.
Their problem was not a lack of biblical knowledge.
Their problem was a loss of biblical perspective.

Jesus confronted people who could become so consumed with the smallest details that they neglected the things that mattered most to God.

They were straining at gnats while swallowing camels.
And then Jesus identified what He called “the weightier matters”:

Justice. Mercy. Faith.

That should cause every one of us to stop and ask:

What have I made important that God has not made ultimate?

What am I fighting over while neglecting what is weightier?

What am I defending while failing to demonstrate?

What am I demanding from others while overlooking in myself?

What have I become so passionate about that I have lost sight of the heart of God?

(To be continued in a part 2)
Doug Stringer

Contending for the Faith: Are We Spiritually Fit for the Days of Apostasy?

by Doug Stringer - Originally Published April 2014

(Extrapolated and Refocused Edition: Based on the Book of Jude)

A Call from Jude for Our Generation:

The short epistle of Jude, though only one chapter long, is strikingly relevant for our day. Jude wrote with urgency, calling believers to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” Jude 3

Why? Because apostasy was rising, false teachers were infiltrating the church, and the truth of God was under attack.

We are living in a time much like the one Jude described. Apostasy is no longer subtle, it’s loud, public, and even celebrated. Truth is redefined. Biblical convictions are dismissed as hate. And many within the church are growing weary, disoriented, or compromised.

In this cultural and spiritual storm, God is calling His people to spiritual fitness - to be prepared, pruned, and focused for the days ahead.

1. Apostasy Is Rising: Are You Awake?

Jude describes those who distort the grace of God as:

“ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” Jude 4

These false teachers don’t just twist doctrine, they reject the Lordship of Christ and undermine the authority of Scripture. Today, we see the same pattern: Biblical morality is ridiculed. The definition of marriage is challenged. The sanctity of life is debated. And those who hold to Scripture are labeled intolerant.

We must not be surprised by this. Jude warned it would come. Our response must not be fear or silence, but preparation. Spiritual compromise is not an option in this hour.

2. Fitness Through Pruning: God’s Way of Preparing Us

In John 15:2, Jesus says:

“Every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Pruning is painful, but it’s not punishment, it’s preparation. It’s God’s way of strengthening those who remain faithful in a time of great falling away. If you are experiencing hardship, refinement, or loss, understand this: God may be pruning you for fruitfulness in a barren generation.

Spiritual fitness in an age of deception means walking in:
• Deep intimacy with God
• Discernment in truth
• Holiness and love
• Resilience in trials

We can’t afford to be spiritually flabby when spiritual warfare is intensifying.

3. Building Ourselves Up: The Only Way to Stand

Jude gives us a survival strategy:

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God…” Jude 20–21

We must be intentional about building spiritual muscle. This is not passive. We must:

• Build ourselves up in faith through the Word
• Pray in the Holy Spirit for strength and clarity
• Stay grounded in God’s love while the world grows cold

Just as athletes train for endurance, so we must train for faithfulness in the midst of spiritual decay.

4. Don’t Look Back: Focused and Fit for the Kingdom

In Luke 9:62, Jesus warns:

“No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

To endure the rising apostasy, we must stay focused. Spiritual half-heartedness won’t survive in days of deception. Like runners training for a marathon, we need to:

• Fix our eyes on the goal
• Let go of distractions
• Refuse to turn back when the path gets difficult

The pruning we undergo and the discipline we embrace are meant to make us fit for the kingdom, not just for our sake, but for those we’re called to influence.

5. Will You Receive and Obey God’s Word?

In Jeremiah 42–43, the people said, “Whatever God tells us, we’ll do.” But when God’s word came back through the prophet, they rejected it. They didn’t want truth - they wanted affirmation of their own desires.

We see the same today. Many say they follow God, yet reject the authority of Scripture when it confronts their lifestyle or worldview. As Jude said:

“These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts… they speak great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.” Jude 16

Are we willing to obey even when God’s Word offends our preferences? Are we willing to stand when it’s unpopular—even costly—to do so?

6. Press On Through the Pressure

Jude’s entire letter is a warning, but also a call to perseverance. In this generation, you will be misunderstood. You may be mocked. But you are not abandoned.

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ…” 2 Corinthians 2:14

Even in times of deception and discouragement, God leads His faithful ones in victory. We must not give up. The heat of the battle is where our training pays off.

7. Dispensing the Fragrance of Christ

2 Corinthians 2:14 continues:

“Through us [God] diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.”

In the midst of corruption, we are called to carry a different aroma - the fragrance of Christ. Like spiritual air fresheners in a world growing darker and more toxic, we carry God’s presence, peace, and truth wherever we go.

Even when rejected, our witness still matters. God is looking for people who will dispense the fragrance and presence of Jesus because they’ve been with Him.

8. Bearing Fruit That Lasts

Why does God prune? Not just for our benefit, but for multiplication and enduring fruit.

In a world embracing apostasy, God is raising up a remnant - pruned, refined, focused, and fruitful. If you’ve felt cut back or misunderstood, remember: you’re being prepared for lasting impact.

Contending for the Faith:

The spirit of Jude’s message to us today is clear:

Contend for the faith. Be spiritually fit. Refuse compromise. Stand for truth in love.

Let us pray together:

“Prune me, Lord. Strengthen me. Make me spiritually fit. Help me to stand in truth, walk in love, and bear fruit that remains. Let me be ready for the greatest harvest You are bringing- even in the midst of great deception. Amen.”

The book of Jude is not just a warning, it’s a wake-up call. Apostasy is real. False teachers are increasing. God’s truths are under attack. But for those who stay rooted in Christ, God is making us fit, faithful, and fruitful…for such a time as this.

Will we be among them?

Doug Stringer

“To compromise our moral and biblical convictions is to sell our birthright and spiritual inheritance for a morsel of flesh.”
- Doug Stringer

This is not a time for us to become complicit with sin, whether sins of commission, knowingly and actively doing what is wrong, or sins of omission, knowing to do what is right but failing to do it.

We cannot afford to live in complacency or compromise.

If the broken cisterns and foundations of our nation are to be repaired, then we, the Church, must awaken our hearts and return to our spiritual moorings and biblical principles.

To compromise our convictions is to sell our birthright and spiritual inheritance, just as Esau did, for a morsel of flesh.

CULTURAL DRIFT WE MUST FACE HONESTLY:

In recent decades, hostility toward biblical faith has become increasingly visible in public life.

We must recognize this cultural drift honestly - not to condemn people, but to understand the hour in which we are living.

Those who oppose faith are people in need of prayer, truth, and the tangible love of Christ expressed through our lives.

We are not called to respond to darkness by becoming dark ourselves.

We are called to carry the light.

JUDE’S WARNING AND THE COURAGE TO CONTEND:

Scripture prepares us for moments like these.

The Book of Jude warns us about increasing apostasy, false teaching, and hostility toward the truth of God. Yet Jude does not call believers to retreat.

He calls us to “contend earnestly for the faith” Jude 3

That means we must contend with courage, clarity, conviction, and love.

This is not a season for disengagement or discouragement.

It is a time to awaken.

A time to examine our hearts.

A time to return to truth.

A time to lay aside compromise.

A time to become spiritually sober and prepared.

We are called to be mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepared, with our eyes fixed ahead and our hands firmly on the plow.

May we refuse to trade our birthright for a moment of gratification.

May we refuse to exchange eternal inheritance for temporary comfort.

May we allow God to break the flesh off of us so that He can do a deeper work in us, and through us.

Doug Stringer

Preparing Our Hearts for Communion Houston - Citywide Communion Service - Friday evening, September 25, 2026 (First night of Sukkot - Feast of Tabernacles)

The last few nights, I've been preparing my heart for the Communion Houston gathering at Houston City Hall, as we join together with many others. I've been asked to assist in the breaking of bread portion of the communion. Over the years, I've written on communion, including the article "Communion – Whose Table Do You Choose?", but realize the significance of this particular time together this evening.

If you join us in person or from your church or home, may we all recognize the importance of joining in agreement.

Here is what I jotted down in personal preparation:

Tonight we join in Houston and in cities across the nation…in a powerful convergence of the beginning of Sukkot - the Feast of Tabernacles, and the breaking of the bread in Communion: God dwelling among His people, Christ giving Himself as the Bread of Life, and the Cross making a way for us to dwell in His presence.

Tonight, as we gather together across the city and around the nation as one Body of Christ, we find ourselves entering a very significant biblical season.

At sundown, we also enter Sukkot 5787, the Feast of Tabernacles, a time that reminds us of God’s faithfulness to His people, His provision in the wilderness, and His desire to dwell among His people.

Sukkot 2026 takes place from sundown on Friday, September 25, 2026, and concludes sundown the evening of Friday, October 2, 2026.

And what a beautiful picture this is as we come to the Table of the Lord.

Because tonight, as Christians we are not simply remembering an event. We are remembering the Person.

JESUS - THE BREAD OF LIFE:

The One who came from heaven.

The One who tabernacled among us.

The One who gave His life for us.

The One who is still our Bread, our Provision, our Life, and our Portion.

Jesus said:

“I am the bread of life.” John 6:35, 48

He also said:

“I am the bread which came down from heaven.” John 6:41

And

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” John 6:51

JESUS IS OUR BREAD FROM HEAVEN:

Israel knew what it meant to receive manna in the wilderness.

Every morning, God provided what they needed for that day.

They could not manufacture it.

They could not earn it.

They could not store it up as though they were independent of God.

They had to receive His provision.

And Jesus comes to us and says, in essence:

I AM your provision.

I AM your sustenance.

I AM your daily portion.

I AM the Bread of Life.

We don’t merely need something from His hand. We need Him.

He gives us life.

He gives us purpose.

He gives us covering.

He gives us strength for the journey.

He is our manna in the wilderness and our daily bread in every season.

When we are weary, He is our strength.

When we are wounded, He is our healer.

When we are bound, He is our deliverer.

When we are oppressed, He is our liberator.

When we are confused, He is our way.

When we are empty, He is our fullness.

When we are afraid, He is our peace.

When we don’t know what tomorrow holds, we can know Who holds tomorrow.

THE BREAD WAS BROKEN:

And now, as we hold this bread in our hands, we remember something sobering and sacred:

Jesus was broken for us.

The bread reminds us of His body given for us.

Isaiah tells us that He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities.

At the Cross, Jesus gave Himself completely.

He didn’t simply give us something.

He gave us Himself.

And because of the work of the Cross and the power of the Resurrection, we have access into the presence of God.

The veil was torn.

The way was opened.

We who were once separated can now draw near.

We can come boldly to the throne of grace.

We can become the dwelling place of His Spirit.

And ultimately, the promise of Sukkot points us toward the great reality:

God desires to dwell with His people.

Jesus is Emmanuel - God with us.

He came and tabernacled among us.

And now, through the finished work of Christ, He makes His dwelling place within us.

REMEMBER HIM:

Paul reminds us that when we partake of Communion, we do so “in remembrance of Me.”

So tonight, as we break this bread, let us remember.

Remember His body.

Remember His sacrifice.

Remember His blood.

Remember His Cross.

Remember His resurrection.

Remember our salvation.

Remember our freedom.

Remember that we were lost, but He found us.

Bound, but He set us free.

Broken, but He redeemed us.

Far away, but He brought us near.

And tonight we don’t merely remember what He has done.

We remember Who He is.

Because He is worthy.

He is worthy of our worship.

He is worthy of our adoration.

He is worthy of our gratitude.

He is worthy, not merely because of what He has given us, but simply because of Who He is.

JESUS IS OUR BREAD, OUR PORTION, OUR LIFE:

So as we take the bread tonight, let us allow this moment to become more than a religious ritual.

Let it become a declaration:

Jesus, You are my Bread of Life.

You are my daily portion.

You are my provision.

You are my salvation.

You are my healing.

You are my deliverance.

You are my freedom.

You are my hope.

You are my peace.

You are my purpose.

You are my covering.

You are my life.

And as we enter this Feast of Tabernacles, may we remember that the greatest blessing is not merely what God provides.

The greatest blessing is God Himself.

We don’t simply want His hand.

We want His face.

We don’t simply want His provision.

We want His presence.

We don’t simply want His blessings.

We want the Blesser Himself!

Tonight, across this city, may we come together as one Body, one Bride, one people, centered not around our differences, but around Jesus.

The Bread of Life.

The Bread from Heaven.

The Living Bread.

And may our response be the cry of our hearts:

Jesus, You are enough.

PRAYER BEFORE RECEIVING THE BREAD:

Father, tonight we come before You with humility and gratitude.

As we enter this Feast of Tabernacles, we are reminded of Your faithfulness, Your provision, and Your desire to dwell among Your people.

But tonight, we fix our eyes on Jesus.

Jesus, You are the Bread of Life.

You are the Bread that came down from Heaven.

You are the Living Bread.

Thank You for giving Yourself for us.

Thank You for the Cross.

Thank You for the blood that was shed.

Thank You for the body that was broken.

Thank You for the price You paid for our salvation and freedom.

Thank You that through Your death and resurrection, the way into the presence of God has been opened to us.

Tonight, we remember.

We remember what You have done.

We remember what You have purchased.

We remember who we were without You.

And we remember who we have become because of You.

You are our Savior.

You are our Healer.

You are our Deliverer.

You are our Liberator.

You are our Freedom.

You are our Hope.

You are our Peace.

You are our Portion.

You are our Daily Bread.

Lord, forgive us for the times we have tried to live on something less than You.

Forgive us for looking for life in things that can never satisfy.

Tonight, we declare again:

Jesus, You are enough.

As we receive this bread, let faith arise in us.

Let gratitude rise in us.

Let worship rise in us.

Let our hearts be reminded that we belong to You.

And as one Body across this city, we receive this bread in remembrance of You.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

AFTER RECEIVING THE BREAD:

Take a moment before we move on.

Don’t rush this.

Look at the bread.

And remember:

This is not merely about what Jesus gives us.

This is about Jesus Himself.

Jesus, the Bread of Life.

Jesus, the Bread from Heaven.

Jesus, the Living Bread.

Jesus, our everything.

Let’s worship Him simply because He is worthy.

Amen.

Doug Stringer

The Table for Communion Houston is at 7pm at City Hall.