Prayers 3 1 2015
*Welcome—Joint English worship today
*Melanie Baggao, endorsed ABC Missionary to Lebanon and the Middle East; you may choose to support her individually by completing one of her prayer cards
*Biennial Mission Summit Information Meeting, 1:00 today, Fellowship Hall
*Regional Affiliation Q&A Forum, 1:00, Fellowship Hall
*BASS Conference, Friday and Saturday
*Next Sunday, March 8, Pastor Visal will be preaching at 11:20 when I am attending the memorial service for Bud Carroll, my former colleague and good friend in Valley Forge
*Senior Center, Wednesday, March 11—Brain Fitness by Kaiser
*AFC Offering today and the March to support ABC home missions
*Daylight Savings Time, Saturday night—one hour forward or you would be late!
Prayer Concerns
*Mary Lee is recovering from knee surgery
*Barbara Chan from TIA minute strokes
*Melanie Baggao for her upcoming mission work in Lebanon and the financial support that she would need to be sent
Prayer of God’s People
Holy and Mighty One, you are the great creator and sustainer of the universe, beyond all that is. Your being is beyond our comprehension, yet you have said we are made in your image as spiritual beings, made for relationship with you. This truth and blessing we can only receive through faith. And so, by your gift of faith, we pray to you for all your mystery, for the revelation of yourself in Jesus our Lord, by whom we draw near to you today.
Guide your church to remain faithful to its mission in the world and particularly in Chinatown. Reveal to us the value of covenanting with other American Baptist churches that we have common convictions to reflect closer to the Body of Christ. And in this time of transition, we pray for unity in the life of the church, dedication from all who proclaims Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and the conviction to become the hands and feet of Christ in compassion and love. We lift up the call of Melanie Baggao as she dedicates her life to be a messenger of hope and reconciliation to Lebanon and other places where the peace of Christ needs to be share.
Lord, we pray for those who are in need of encouragement and the miracle of healing to be upon them. Lead us to offer caring and love especially to those who are alone and separated from community. Continue to strengthen the healing of Mary Lee and Barbara Chan as their health and vitality return.
Show us how to take up the cross as did Jesus and become followers wherever Christ leads. We pray that our commitment to ministry in Chinatown will proclaim Good News to those who haven’t heard about Jesus yet; welcome and hospitality to those who are without a home and a place to belong; peace and forgiveness to all who are in need of your grace and mercy. This reality, O God we see in ourselves as well.
We pray, dear God in the name of Jesus Christ who invites us to bear our cross to follow him, we pray together, “Our Father…”
The Lord’s Supper
There’s nothing magical about the cross as a Christian symbol. It’s two pieces of wood nailed together, an instrument of torture. It’s meaning is simple and understandable by all: Christ died here. Sin died here, Death died here.
We bear the cross because it’s the church’s revolutionary participation in the victory of Christ over earthly powers. The cross is a sign of what happens when one takes God’s account of reality more seriously than Caesar’s. The cross stands as God’s (and our) eternal no to the power of death, as well as God’s eternal yes to humanity, God’s remarkable determination not to leave us to our own devices.
The cross is God’s way of taking away all of our accusations, excuses and arguments. The cross is God taking on flesh and blood and saying “Me too.”
When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we say to Jesus, we are willing to bear our cross in your name too.
Benediction
As we go forth from this place on our Lenten journey,
Let us be mindful that the cross of Christ calls us to rise to our greater selves.
Pick up the cross, my friends, and follow faithfully this week in the footsteps of the one who has gone before,
The one who is, who was and who forever shall be, Christ our Lord.
Amen.