Prayers 12 28 2014
*Welcome
*Thank you for your generous Love Gift to the church staff this year! We are very grateful for your prayers and support
*All-Church Leaders Launch, Saturday, Jan. 10, 8:30 with coffee; all boards and committees will meet to elect chairs and set meeting dates in 2015; plan to attend
*CCU Thanksgiving Fundraising Dinner, Sunday, Jan. 18, 5:30, Far East; see Dick Wong to purchase tickets
*Next Sunday, Jan. 4—Pastor Peter will be preaching and leading Communion at the 11:20 Service while I’ll be in Portland, Maine leading a weekend conference; I hope to share with them our success in attracting and maintaining a strong group of Millenials and Gen X Generation young adults; please come to support Pastor Lee and to pray for my trip
Prayer Concerns
*Pauline Chin’s younger sister, Marlene Hoy at age 81/82 passed on Christmas Day after suffering from cancer that she discovered earlier in the year and at first thought she was cancer free but it came back. Marlene was active at FCBC during the years when Debbie Allen was here; she was active in the SS and sang in the choir; she is survived by her husband Walter, and children daughter and twin sons; no plans set yet
*
Prayer of God’s People
Loving God, we gather in prayer ever grateful for the gift of your Son. We celebrate with joy the holiday: the time of family gatherings, of food prepared and gifts created in love. And now we want to linger at the manger. We want this feeling of joy and completion and satisfaction, and, most of all, gratitude to remain with us before the hectic pace of our lives begins again. So, grant us the grace to stay by the stable a bit longer in awe and delight at all; that we have received in the gift of the child. Let us breathe in the serenity of Mary and the steadfastness of Joseph. Let us become attuned to the obedience of the shepherds who heard the angel voices and journeyed to Bethlehem. Let us, like the wise men, bring gifts worthy of a king as we kneel in the radiance of love come down to give us new life through Christ our Lord, the newborn king.
We thank you, O God for the gift of time that we have to live on this earth so that we may have the opportunity to give you praise and honor, to possibly make a difference in the lives of others, and to fulfill the purpose that you have given for us to live. We thank you for the life of Marlene Hoy, Pauline Chin’s sister who is now with you in the heavenly places. Comfort her husband Walter, their family and Pauline as she offers guidance to them at this time of need. As this year comes to an end and we look forward to the New Year in 2015, we ask for your watch over us and to protect us from all harm. We pray that we may faithfully serve you to bring about spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ, our Savior born to make us free of our sins.
We pray for the work of this church and the witness of peace and reconciliation in Christ that it preaches week after week. We commit ourselves to advancing God’s kingdom in what we may do in our daily living. May others whom we meet see that the love of Christ is in our hearts and that together we may all learn how to pray the prayer that Christ Jesus taught us, saying, “Our Father…”
Benediction
Go out from here with enthusiasm that Christmas is also for us as grownups.
May the blessing of God who gathers us as family,
who comes to us and grows with us in the Christ Child,
who invites us to joyous celebration,
goes with us and remains with us always.
Amen.