Prayers 11 21 2010
*Welcome to Thanksgiving Sunday!
*Welcome to Dr. Jim Lindgren, Director/Chaplain of the Seafarers Ministry of the Golden Gate!
*Thanksgiving & Seniors Appreciation Luncheon beginning at 12:30 today
*RMMO Offering
*2011 Pledges—“Who Is My Neighbor?”
*Bowling tournament this afternoon in Pacifica; see registration forms
*Christmas Workshops & Lanna Coffee, next Sunday, 1:00; Hill Tribe crafts & jewelry—Shirlene Leong Nakano
*SF Advent Bible Study at Dick and Anna Wong’s home begins on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 7:30; See Lea Wong for a book
Prayer Concerns
*Doris Yim passed on his past Monday; her funeral service will be on Wednesday, Nov. 24th, 11:30, McAvoy Evergreen, Geary and 10th; memorial gifts can be made to FCBC or VNA Hospice
*Anne Lee who will be having surgery on her thyroid on Tuesday, Nov. 23rd
*Walter Owyang will be having another MRI for his cancer diagnosis this Monday
*Pastor Peter Lee’s father who is hospitalized as the result of heart disease in HK
Prayer of God’s People
Our baskets are full, gracious God, with the bounty you have provided. Our hearts are full of thanksgiving and praise. We are eager to learn from you, to be changed by you, to become more fully the people you intend for us to be. Show us how to do the work you have planned for us. Equip us as your faithful stewards.
O God, we like to think we have nothing to confess. If our thoughts are pure, our actions kind, and our thanksgiving genuine, have we not lived up to your standards? Yet you call us to put you first in all things, and we have not done that. You call us to be peacemakers, but we do little more than to try to avoid conflict. You call us to a passionate faith and compassionate sacrifice, and both are difficult for us. You call us to welcome the stranger among us, but we often feel uncomfortable and insecure in what to do. Feed us, God, with food that endures for eternal life and answer our thirst with life-giving water.
You have blessed us with opportunities to serve in life-changing ministries through the life of this church. We pray for those who are preparing for baptism and church membership, the commitments we make through our 2011 pledges, the mission support for the Seafarers Ministry of the Golden Gate and the Lanna Coffee project with the Hill Tribes in Northern Thailand. In gratitude, we are blessed to be able to share the resources that you have given so that we may make your name known in all places and at all times.
We praise you for the life-long dedication of your humble servant, Dr. Jim Lindgren who is making a difference in the lives of strangers who have come from a different shore to our shores. We lift up in prayer for those who are in need of your healing miracles. Be with Anne Lee as she has thyroid surgery this Tuesday and that her recovery will go smoothly. Be with Walter Owyang as he continues to seek remedy from the cancer and the hope of long life. We pray for Pastor Lee’s father in Hong Kong as he recovers from heart disease. Make your presence known to the family of Doris Yim as they celebrate her life and are reassured that she is with you in everlasting life. We pray for…
On this Thanksgiving Sunday, we rejoice in this opportunity to thank you for the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ who saved us from our sins and taught us to pray, “Our Father…”
Offertory
The Bible speaks of first fruits offered before the altar of God.
Offertory Prayer
Gracious God, we thank you for the portion of the bounty you provide for our use. As we share materially in the work of your church, we are on a spiritual quest to discern your will for us and our world. Thank you for pointing us beyond food that perishes to feed on the bread of life in Christ that is eternal. Amen.
Benediction
Go forth with the good news about the Bread of Life in Christ.
Pass on the gift with joy to neighbors and strangers near and far.
We will bless the world with acts of love.
This is our highest thanksgiving to God. Amen.