December 5, 2021
Very Brief Post this week due to illness and hospitalization . . .
peace . . . Gary
READINGS FOR THIS WEEK FROM THE RCL
Malachi 3:1-4
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; 3 he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
Luke 1:68-79
68“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. 72 Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. 78 By the tender mercy of our God,the dawn from on high will break upon us, 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Philippians 1:1-11
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 4 constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5 because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me,both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Luke 1
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; 6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
[ideas for General Intercessions
These ideas are designed to be starting points for the prayers of a particular community of faith.
Ideas for General Intercessions
These ideas are designed to be starting points for the prayers of a particular community of faith.
--Joe Milner]
For the Church:
that we may make ready a way for the Lord in our time and make a straight path for God in our hearts, our families, and our workplaces
For the gift of hope: that the Word of God may bring new hope and courage to us so that we may cooperate with God in confronting evil and working to heal the brokenness in the human family
For the grace of insight: that we may see the work of God in the events large and small in our lives and cooperate in bringing God’s love where it is most needed
For all who are called to live and speak the truth:that they may courageously wpitness to the way of Christ when confronted by the powerful of society
For a leveling of the obstacles in our hearts: that God will remove from our hearts resentments and prejudices, free us from vices that blind us to God presence,and dissolve our inability to forgive others
For a reawakening of our hearts: that we may embrace a new vision for our lives and courageously live as disciples who bring good news and compassion to others
For this community of faith: that our love for others may grow in depth and sincerity and that God’s work in us may bring us ever closer to God
For freedom and healing: that God will fill in the valleys and make level the lives of all who struggle with depression, addictions, or pride so that they may experience freedom and wholeness
For all who are suffering:that God may smooth the pathways of those fleeing oppression, guide refugees to places of safety, renew the spirits of those who have experienced abuse, and free those unjustly held
For all children:that the hope that fills their hearts this season may become firmly planted within them and sustain them throughout life's journey
For all who are ill: that God will heal the sick, strengthen their caregivers, and inspire all who are seeking cures for disease
For all whose faith has grown cold: that God will stir up the flame of faith, help them to turn toward God, and help us to welcome them warmly into our faith community
For all who are experiencing a rough time in life: that God will open opportunities for those who lack work, give comfort to those who are grieving,and guidance to those who have lost direction or purpose
For wisdom:that God will give insight to the members of Congress as they consider ways to address the needs of society
For peace: that God will inspire us to respect the dignity promote justice for one another in our families, faith communities, and workplacesrayer of Intercession
by Joe Milner
For the Church: that we may make ready a way for the Lord in our time and make a straight path for God in our hearts, our families, and our workplaces
For the gift of hope: that the Word of God may bring new hope and courage to us so that we may cooperate with God in confronting evil and working to heal the brokenness in the human family
For the grace of insight:that we may see the work of God in the events large and small in our lives and cooperate in bringing God’s love where it is most needed
For all who are called to live and speak the truth:that they may courageously witness to the way of Christ when confronted by the powerful of society
For a leveling of the obstacles in our hearts: that God will remove from our hearts resentments and prejudices, free us from vices that blind us to God presence, and dissolve our inability to forgive others
For a reawakening of our hearts: that we may embrace a new vision for our lives and courageously live as disciples who bring good news and compassion to others
For this community of faith: that our love for others may grow in depth and sincerity and that God’s work in us may bring us ever closer to God
For freedom and healing:that God will fill in the valleys and make level the lives of all who struggle with depression, addictions, or pride so that they may experience freedom and wholeness
For all who are suffering:that God may smooth the pathways of those fleeing oppression, guide refugees to places of safety, renew the spirits of those who have experienced abuse, and free those unjustly held
For all children: that the hope that fills their hearts this season may become firmly planted within them and sustain them throughout life's journey
For all who are ill: that God will heal the sick, strengthen their caregivers, and inspire all who are seeking cures for disease
For all whose faith has grown cold: that God will stir up the flame of faith, help them to turn toward God,and help us to welcome them warmly into our faith community
For all who are experiencing a rough time in life: that God will open opportunities for those who lack work, give comfort to those who are grieving, and guidance to those who have lost direction or purpose
For wisdom: that God will give insight to the members of Congress as they consider ways to address the needs of society
For peace: that God will inspire us to respect the dignity promote justice for one another in our families, faith communities, and workplacesthat God will inspire us to respect the dignity promote justice for one another in our families, faith communities, and work places that God will inspire us to respect the dignity promote justice for one another in our families, faith communities, and workplaces
