Prayers 1 5 2014
*Happy New Year!
*All-Church Leaders Launch is now this Saturday, Jan. 11, 8:30; on the 3rd floor
*Reception Ministry will launch on Jan. 18th at 3:00 PM; come and participate in this official occasion to welcome visitors to our church
*Honoring James Chuck, Saturday, Feb. 8th at ABSW, Berkeley; see me if you are planning to attend (Albe and Barbara catering the event?)
*CCU Thanksgiving and Fundraising Dinner, Jan. 19, 5:00, at Far East, see David Wong or Dick Wong for tickets
Prayer Concerns
*Tin Choy’s Memorial Service, Jan. 18, 11:00am,
Crosby N. Gray & Co.
2 Park Road
Burlingame, CA 94010
Tel: 650-342-6617
Condolences can be sent to:
The Choy Family, 1550 Los Atlos Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010
The Jang Family, 4325 Country Lane, Grapevine, TX 76051
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Mrs Tin Choy can be made to:
1) Sunset Ministry, 3010 Noriega Street, San Francisco, CA 94122, 415-753-3950
2) National Kidney Foundation, 5429 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy Ste 250, Dallas, TX 75240-2617, (214) 351-2393
*Ed Lui passed quietly at home on New Year’s Eve; pray for Sally Lui
*Steven Lee announced the birth of his new baby daughter, Sonia Lee on Dec. 9th
Prayer of God’s People
Holy God, you knew our need to see you in human form, to feel your love through a human heart, to know your will and purposes through a human life. And you came to be among us in Jesus, to live and love, suffer and die, and rise again as we now know we will rise.
We praise you; we glorify you; we give thanks to you for the outpouring of yourself to us and to all humankind. Illumine our minds by the light of your presence as we pray this day, that we may more fully comprehend your meaning and message revealed through Christ, that we may more deeply love you, and more faithfully serve you, in Christ’s name.
Today, we pray for others who look everywhere for you, that their eyes be opened to see and know Jesus. We pray for the families who are grieving over the loss of loved ones—for Martin Choy and Florence Jang whose mother, Mrs. Tin Choy who returned to you; for Sally Lui and her family in the sudden passing of Ed Lui this past week and is with you in Paradise. We lift up others…
God of Creation, we also pray for ourselves at the beginning of this New Year that we keep our focus upon Jesus, remembering who and whose we are as persons and as church, and to find guidance for ministry. We pray that we be sensitive to your ongoing revelation in Christ Jesus as we listen and connect with him in daily life. As we follow closely after Jesus, may we be molded in accord with his Spirit and express the life of Christ in us.
O God, you sent your only Son into the world that we might live through him. In Jesus, you assure us that we who have made a sincere confession are indeed forgiven. We pray all these things in the name of Christ Jesus who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”
The Lord’s Supper
Many of us have a GPS in our cars with voice commands. We just speak the command, and the system pulls up the appropriate route on the in-dash screen. Some of these commands are: roadside assistance, nearest coffee, nearest gas, even where am I?
But another command is “go home.” Having such a command is necessary, apparently because we occasionally have gone to a place in the city or the country that has involved so many twists and turns that getting home is a problem. We simply say, “go home” and eventually we get there.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a GPS in the sky to help us get “home” to God when we feel lost and alone? The truth is that we do in Jesus Christ. He came home to us on Christmas so that we will have a way home to God.
Benediction
Jesus wants to come home in your heart.
May the blessing of God who is the infinite and invisible creator,
Incarnated and present Christ,
And the activating Holy Spirit, be upon us today.
Amen.