Prayers 12 2 2012
*Welcome to the 1st Sunday of Advent!
*Membership meeting next Sunday, 1:30, 7 testimonies for baptism & church membership, election of officers, board and committee members, and adoption of the 2013 budget
*2013 pledges; please turn them in today; we need your support
*Lanna Coffee available for purchase today; half pound red bags for Christmas gift giving, $7
*Christmas Eve Pot-Luck Supper, 6:00 followed by Christmas Eve service at 7:30; see Diana Lee to coordinate the supper
*Special guest—Nate Lee who will be sharing his one-year Mission Year in Chicago this morning
*Love Gift—Sheryl Chan on behalf of the Deacons
Prayer Concerns:
*Mrs. Chin
*Celebration of Rosalind Wong’s life will be on Dec. 15, Noon, Halsted, in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Chinese Congregational Church or the Pathways Hospice Foundation
Prayer of God’s People
In this season of Advent, we come to worship with great anticipation of what you have in store for us, O mighty God. When the world has become ordinary and routine, Advent is the time when we expect the extraordinary. When we might see that time passes without any hope, we now know that hope has come with the coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Lead us to believe that there’s hope not just for us but also for the rest of the world. Show us that our lives are examples of hope of a promising tomorrow when others are experiencing hopelessness. Infuse us with the Good News that our world desperately needs to hear.
Lord, we your people do have hope of another year of faithful ministry when we make our pledges for 2013, when we elect new church leaders for the years to come and when we hear testimonies from others who have accepted Christ into their lives. Grant us the vision of trusting our lives in your hands as we hope for a new year to come.
We pray for those who are in our midst, in our homes, significant members of our circle of family and friends that they be encouraged when they are down, that they receive signs of health when they are sick, that they are cheerful and positive about life especially during this season when others seemingly are celebrating. Be present with Mrs. Chin as she continues to make progress toward being stronger and healthier. Bless those who care for her needs. We lift up the life of Rosalind Wong who has returned to you in eternal life. May her going home service reminds us of her faithfulness and trust in your will. Be with…
Dear Lord, we seek your forgiveness when we have disobeyed your commandments and will for our lives. We are sorry when we go against what you teach us. We are sorry when we put ourselves first when it is you who first loved us. Grant us mercy and grace leading us to love others as much as we are endear with ourselves. We pray all of these things in the name of Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”
Read Luke 21:25-36
On this first Sunday of Advent, we are reminded that so many times, we have bungled our attempts to get close to God. The good news is that we don’t have to come close to God. Advent is the season when the church imaginatively focuses upon the wonder of God drawing near to us.
Jesus speaks of “signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress” when the earth shall be radically changed, a time when “your redemption is drawing near.” God is coming to save us. The Son of Man is coming because your redemption is drawing near.
The Lord’s Supper
When early Christians spoke about the return of Lord Jesus, they thought of the great Day of Judgment. When we hear Jesus knocking, we ask ourselves, “Are we rightly prepared?” Is our heart capable of becoming God’s dwelling place? Thus Advent becomes a time of self-examination.
Today, we have become so accustomed to the idea of divine love and of God’s coming at Christmas that we no longer feel the shiver of fear that God’s coming should arouse in us. We are indifferent to the message, taking only the pleasant and agreeable out of it and forgetting the serious aspect, that God of the world draws nears to the people of our little earth and lays claim to us. The coming of God is truly not only glad tidings, but first of all frightening news for everyone who has a conscience.
Only when we have felt the terror of the matter can we recognize the incomparable kindness. God comes into the very midst of evil and of death and judges the evil in us and in the world. And by judging us, God cleanses and sanctifies us, comes to us with grace and love. God makes us happy, as only children can be happy. God wants to always be with us, wherever we may be—in our sin, in our suffering and death. We are no longer alone; God is with us. We are no longer homeless; a bit of eternal home itself has moved into us. Therefore we adults can rejoice deeply within our hearts when we are under the Christmas tree, perhaps much more than the children are able.
Christ is still knocking. It is not yet Christmas. But it is also not the great final Advent, the final coming of Christ. Through all the Advents of our lives that we celebrate goes the longing for the final Advent, where it says, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5). Jesus stands at the door and knocks, will you call to him, “Yes, come soon, Lord Jesus, come!”
Benediction
Now may God the Creator and our Redeemer Jesus direct our way to the bright center of history that is found in the manger;
May the Savior who reigns increase our love for each other and for all;
And may God so strengthen our hearts in holiness that we may be blameless before our God, together with all the saints around the world. Amen.