Prayers 1 18 2015
*Welcome
*Reception upstairs following this service to recognize my 40th Anniversary of Ordination; all are welcome!
*CCU Dinner tonight; if you are still able to come, see David Wong
*Photo directory—last call before publication; Annual Meeting is 2 weeks from today; plan on attending
*RMMO Offering—thank retired servants for their faithfulness
*2015 Biennial Mission Summit, June 26-28, Overland Park, Kansas; see me if interested
*2015 Yosemite Trip is April 18-20; David Louie
*Congratulations to Howard Lee for his election as the new president of the Wu Sung Community Club; installation this Saturday in Alameda
Prayer Concerns
*YA Retreat taking place this weekend
Prayer of God’s People
God of presence and promise, your word was made flesh in Jesus the Christ. As Jesus listened to you, O God and lived his life according to your will, so we listen this morning and long to deepen our awareness of your nearness and sensitivity to your voice in our lives.
Teach us to tune into hearing your voice and having heard you speaking, O God, help us to answer you by praising you with our lives of dedication and service. We pray for the world that you love and are deeply troubled and saddened when we see people doing violence upon other people who are all created in your own image. Show us to respect each other’s beliefs and ways of life even if those beliefs and ways don’t necessarily agree with ours. Because only you, O God is the one who judges and leads us to live according to your will.
For those who are in need of your mercies, we pray for those who feel lost and lonely and are silently crying in search for love. We pray for those who are afraid of what the future may bring for today is not offering them much hope. We pray for those who are suffering from diseases and this year’s flu that they would find health and strength soon. We pray and lift up ourselves to you in need of the reassurance that Jesus Christ who came on earth to live and die as one of us and then to rise again in glory, is with us and promised us everlasting life.
We continue to pray for the vitality of our church to be that shining witness in a darkened world. Thank you, O God for leading young adults to our church to become believers, disciples, and leaders who are on retreat this weekend. May their time away be a blessing to them and a praise to you. We confess that we have a temptation to only think about our own needs that leads us to become inward and withdrawn from each other and the world. Invite us to “Come and see” what you have done and lead us to follow you to “see greater things than these.” We pray, in the name of Christ Jesus who taught us to say together, “Our Father…”
Offertory
Jesus poured out God’s holy love, teaching and healing, words and deeds. Through our giving, lead us on to perfect faith in Christ, our Lord.
Offertory Prayer
O God, you have called us to be disciples of Jesus, to be faithful to dialogue with you, even as your disciples did when you were walking on this earth. And we would answer by making an offering of our lives and our resources for your saving purposes, that your realm may be furthered and your people blessed. Amen.
Benediction
God is blessing us so that good things can come from FCBC!
God is lighting your way on this journey.
God’s word is spoken into your heart in peace, love and power. Amen.