Prayers 6 6 2010
*Welcome!
*OGHS Offering for the month of June
*Lanna Coffee available for pick-up and purchase today
*SS Teachers Appreciation today by the Board of CE and Pastor Chris—thank a teacher today!
*Special Membership Meeting next Sunday, 1:00 to approve a full-time position in Family Ministries
*Two Summer Series available this year, 10:30 for training and the option for certification and 11:30 on the theme of “Taking Your Work to Church.” Plan to attend.
*Tennis Tourney, Sat. June 19 and Golf Tournament, Mon. June 21; Still time to sign up
*Special Children’s Presentation at the end of the service today led by Eva Ung
Prayer Concerns & Celebrations
*Lester Hom had successful triple bypass heart surgery on Tuesday; resting and doing well
*Congratulations to Grandparents Fred and Carolyn Hee for Jeff and Kim Hee’s new daughter, Karis Toyomi, born on June 1, 7 lbs, 4 oz., 18 in. long
Prayer of God’s People
O God, you who are present in all moments, the past, and the future, we praise you. Abide with us now as we pray together in your name. We give you thanks and praise for the bright moments of our lives, for the celebrations, the exaltations, and appreciations that become the pleasant landmarks of our life journeys. We thank you for those forgettable moments, for what only seems ordinary, the rising and the setting of the sun, the fruits in their proper season, daily tasks that go unnoticed, miles traveled without appreciation for all there is to see and hear and smell, that we might come to know that there is no ordinary time, but always the extraordinary fact of existence, the un-remarked miracle that we are here.
We pray today for those who are struggling with life and are in need of your caring presence. Give comfort and healing to Lester Hom as his body heals from his heart bypass surgery this past week. Watch over him and his family and bless them in the days ahead. We celebrate the gift of new life in the way you expand the circles of our families to include new generations of faithful disciples. Be with Jeff and Kim Hee as they welcome their new daughter into their family.
Lord, you remind us of how much we matter to you and how much we should matter to each other when you paid attention to people in need. As a church, we are forever grateful for the little children who are in our midst. Teach us to pay attention to them for the many ways they can teach us about the real purpose for life. On this special day of appreciation and recognition, we praise you, Lord for gifting and enabling the many teachers, leaders, advisors, and helpers who make our Christian education the best and most effective that it can be in service in your name.
Giver of life, dear God, we have not thanked you enough for each breath we can take, each moment we live, each experience we enjoy or endure. Forgive us when we complain and wallow in our cries of loss instead of sharing our joy and gratitude. Turn our lives around, O God. We want to experience the confident joy of living for you as we pray together, “Our Father…”
Offertory
Let every action, every thought, and every motive be an act of praise for God’s goodness and grace.
Offertory Prayer
Lord, as each dollar is passed from hand to hand, as value is added to value and love compounds with interest, may we come to see what great things we accomplish together through the partnership you offer us, unworthy as we are. May we be farseeing, and know indeed that our hope is not in vain, but that through your wisdom and strength your will continues to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
The Lord’s Supper
One of last year’s box office hits was James Cameron’s Avatar. Set in the year 2154, the movie tells of paraplegic Jake being sent to the planet Pandora to “inhabit” an avatar, which is a scientifically developed replica of a Na’vi body. Jake’s mission was to interact with the Na’vi people to mine a precious mineral from the planet. As you can imagine, there are some very mean people who didn’t care about the Na’vi people and just wanted to get to the precious mineral at all cost.
Jake in his avatar Na’vi body falls in love with Neytiri and ends up defending the Na’vi people. He paid attention to what he saw in this planet Pandora and discovered its beauty and source of life. Eventually, the way love is expressed between Na’vi people is the simple phrase, “I see you.”
Jesus saw the widow in Nain and had compassion for her. He saw her dead son in the funeral possession and stopped this march of death. Jesus paid attention and brought forth a little of God’s reign to be visible in the world. Jesus sees you today. On the night when Jesus gathered his disciples in the Upper Room, he saw every one of his disciples when he broke the bread and blessed the cup. He sees you today and wants us to see him.
Benediction
As Jesus has paid attention to you,
go and pay attention to all those in need.
Tell the people of the world that you see them.
Share the compassion of Jesus with those you meet.
Let God visit them through you.
Amen.