Prayers 1 20 2013
*Welcome!
*Give to the RMMO offering and help us to attain our goal
*Church Annual Meeting, two weeks from today, 1:30
*CCU Dinner today, 5:00, Far East; available seats if you are interested in coming; see Dick Wong
*Opportunities: Yosemite, April 20-22; Germany, April 29-May 9;
Prayer Concerns
*Celebrated the lives of Ellen Ung and Donna Quan yesterday
*Former Pastor Jane Lam’s grandmother, Chang Shih Kwok Shing, passed peacefully on Jan. 5 at the age of 103; memorial service today, 3:00 at the Presbyterian church on Stockton St.; IMO of Shih Kwok Shing, gifts can be made to a fund; payable to David Chang or Ruth Lee
Prayer of God’s People
All we want today is to glorify you, O God. All we desire is to see your name made great. You have worked miracles and transformed our lives and so today, we invite you to come that we may celebrate you. We are your bride, and we wait in eager anticipation for your return. Until the day we worship you face to face, we will gather here as your people in worship.
Lord, you are a God who intercedes, a God who acts. At the wedding in Cana, we reflect on the faith of Mary, who insisted that it was time for Jesus to take action to preserve the joy of an occasion. Enter our hearts, set us on fire with your love, fill us with your purpose, that we too may take advantage of those ministries that come our way. Do not let us sink into apathy and disinterest. Light a fire of joy in our lives that we may shine in the darkness, serve in places abandoned by others, and intervene as Jesus did in Cana.
We lift up those loved ones who are no longer with us but in your presence in heaven. Be with the families of Ellen Ung, Donna Quan and Chang Shih Kwok Shing as they mourn this day but at the same time, receive your hope and reassurance of everlasting life. Bless us and grant us the hope that when that day comes to each one of us that we would also be received into the loving embrace of Jesus Christ.
We pray for the far-reaching ministries of our church as we remain dedicated to proclaiming Good News in Chinatown and through our many missionaries around the world. As we look forward to the Annual Meeting, we give you thanks, dear God for strengthening our abilities to serve you and to invite people to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It is only when we trust our lives in you that all things that are impossible with us are now possible with you.
Forgive us, dear Lord when we fail to live up to your expectations of us and grant us more time so that we might see in your light the purpose you have etched in every life. Let your will be done more perfectly as we come to know each other more fully. Jesus, Savior, Redeemer, these things we pray in your name who taught us to pray together, “Our Father…”
Benediction
Mary told the servants at the wedding banquet, “Do whatever Jesus tells you to do!” Let us all do the same.
Let the peace of Christ envelopes you,
The joy of the Spirit enfolds you,
The strength of God the Creator sustains you.
Amen.