Prayers 11 7 2010
*Welcome
*For November, we’ll receive your gifts for the RMMO Offering
*Thank you for your generous gifts toward the WMO Offering
*Gift Planning Sunday; read and take with you the new Gift Planning brochure; if you would like to visit with Joel Jang, Wendy Quan, or Steven Ng on making a planned gift, they would love to hear from you
*2011 Canvass Update; if you haven’t submitted your pledge for next year, we encourage you to do this; remember it’s not the amount that counts but rather it’s the fact that you made a pledge—we are interested in increasing the number of pledges this year; we are nearly 50% toward our goal
*Thanksgiving Luncheon tickets for purchase today; the luncheon is only 2 weeks away
*Fall All-Church Clean-Up, Saturday, beginning at 8:30; represent your fellowship group!
*Senior Center, this Wednesday, “Yoga for the Eyes”
This week’s program is called “Yoga for the Eyes”….emphasis on EYES. Yes, it is not the how to be a human pretzel, but how to exercise the eyes, a muscle we often neglect. Hear and see Dr. Meir Schneider, born clinically blind, underwent several cataract surgeries as a child, declared hopelessly unsighted in his teens, but today, has a valid unrestricted CA drivers license!!! via diligent eye exercises. Anna will facilitate this session.
Be sure to come! Bring a friend! RSVP this email, or phone: 661-8784….by Monday evening or earlier, so Jimmy Yee, our food specialist, can order the food!!
*Bowling Tournament, Sunday, Nov. 21, Pacifica, 3:00-5:00, $12 to play; Registration forms in the vestibule
*Operation Christmas Child video (2 minutes)
Prayer Concerns
*Search Committee and the upcoming interviews
*The life of Jane Wong’s mother, Betty Fong who passed two weeks ago will be celebrated this Saturday, 10:00, Halsted, between Larkin and Polk.
Prayer for God’s People
Ever Active, Always Present, God Forever and Always, we pray for your presence in our midst. Help us to see a world of hope, and a history that leads to glory. Open our eyes to see your vision become ours. Show us your will for our lives and your plans for our church to remain healthy, strong, and a faithful witness of our Lord, Jesus Christ in the world.
During this season of harvesting the fruits of our labors, we pray and discuss the importance of giving and receiving. We are thankful for our abilities to support missions overseas, gathering treasured items for the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, saying “Thank You” to retired ministers and missionaries. Inasmuch as we have received so much from the gifts of others who believe in the mission of this church in the past, we pray that we may also do our part in making promises and commitments to give in the future. Lead us to make our 2011 pledges and contributions and when it is possible to consider making a planned gift from our estate to ensure the ministry of this church for future generations. Thank you, O God for granting us the joy of giving to you.
Guide the work of the Pastoral Search Committee as they begin to interview possible candidates to serve as our Pastor of Family Ministries. We trust you, Lord that you are preparing and leading the right person to strengthen this ministry that we have and to begin expanding our work in the days to come.
Now that the mid-term elections are over, we pray for our civic leaders who will be making decisions on our behalf on how our state and our country will function in the next 4 years. Teach them to be compassionate to those who require help and assistance. Watch over them as they make policies and pass legislation that will bring wellness and wholeness to our communities. Guide them to be mindful of the beauty and richness of our diverse communities that are a reflection of your beautiful creation. And empower us, Lord to do our part in becoming good neighbors with all who come in contact with us.
We pray for those who are sick, discouraged, and challenged by the demands of life. Bless Jane Wong as she and her family celebrate the life of her mother, Betty Fong. We pray for miracles of healing, the comfort of a new day, and the confidence that you will never fail us according to your will. In the name of Christ who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”
Offertory
Great treasures have come to us from God’s hand. The air we breathe, the lives we treasure, the love we have known are all gifts from our Creator. We dedicate a portion of our resources for the ministry and mission of the church.
Lord, we dedicate our gifts for the future glory of your church. O God of all the ages, show yourself to us in our time. Work within us individually and among us as a community of faith, that we may experience resurrection and carry your good news into our world. Amen.
The Lord’s Supper
When people rebuilt the temple during Haggai’s time, it was not as splendid as the one Solomon built. It’s like those home renovation magazine pictures of a kitchen “before” and “after” pictures. The old kitchen looks pretty drab but the new one looks great and modern. But in the case of Haggai, the after picture was not as nice as the before one according to the people. Haggai told the people that it’s never how grand the temple needs to be but rather it’s more important to make God the priority in their lives. By putting God first, everything else will also be okay.
When we come to the Lord’s Table, we are invited to give Christ priority over everything else in our lives. After all, it is the new covenant that Jesus Christ established in his blood on the cross. The “before” reality was the Old Covenant but now the “after” reality is the
New Covenant in Christ. By putting Christ first, God will care for everything else in life. The “after” reality is newly improved life and we believe that God is always working to improve our lives in him.
Benediction
Your life is building for God.
In Jesus Christ, our house is greater than the former
and to this place, God will bring peace and love.
Go forward to see God’s will done even more remarkably than before!