Prayers: November 28, 2021

Prayers

Always be joyful. Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

• Thank God for the wonderful blessings of spending time with family and friends, eating, and relaxing or whatever else we had a chance to do this past Thanksgiving week, but also for the little details He orchestrates in our every day life.
• Thank God for the fall season whose vibrant colors bring joy.
• Thank God that many in our CCC family are such an encouragement with their generosity of time and talents. 
• Thank God we have earthly shepherds in our pastors.
• Pray for folks who have longstanding illness or frail conditions, that God will bring them peace as they deal with their circumstances.
• Pray for our health care workers still overworked with Covid caring.  
• Pray that we will have a heart to take care of each other, even before we think of ourselves, just as Jesus did.
• Pray for the Holy Spirit to enable us to do more than we think we’re capable of.
• Pray that we are silent when we need to hear God’s voice.
• Pray that we will have a ready answer when anyone asks how we became a believer.
• Ask God to help us with frustration when others don’t act the way we envision.  Help us to see that God has all the answers and we only have a limited few.
• Thank God that He is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”  Psalm 18:2 
• Pray that our outreach truly helps to make disciples as we are commanded.
• God, remind us that You’re the Source of the wisdom we need.

To Think About: First Sunday of Advent

During the church season of Advent which begins today, we focus on the birth of Jesus and the four things which God gives us through his Son’s birth: hope, peace, love and joy.  We light candles signifying that God has found a way to bring us out of the darkness which we deserve as sinful people.

Hope is not just a “maybe” kind of optimism.  In Scripture it is a certainty as we learn from the story of Zechariah.  After giving up hope that he and his wife would have a child, an angel appeared to Zechariah.  13“Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John…. 18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”  19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!  Luke 1.  May we live with expectant hope like Zechariah, that everything God has promised will come true.  

The baby Jesus brings us hope, not wishful thinking, but confidence that God has defeated Satan, and in God’s plan we are welcomed into God’s presence forever because Jesus has paid the price for our sin.

禱告事項

要常常喜樂，不住地禱告，凡事謝恩，因為這是神在基督耶穌裡向你們所定的旨意。

帖撒羅尼迦前書 5:16-18 •

• 感謝神不僅在剛剛過去的感恩週末賜予我們機會與家人和朋友一起吃飯、休息，共度美好時光；也感謝神精心策劃我們日常生活中的點點的的。
• 感謝神賜下秋季的絢麗色彩，使我們歡心鼓舞。
• 感謝神鼓勵我們中間的許多弟兄姊妹慷慨奉獻時間和才幹。
• 感謝我們的牧師做我們的的牧羊人。
• 為長期患病或身體虛弱的人禱告，求神賜他們平安度度過醫治和恢復的過程。
• 為照顧新冠病人而過度勞累的醫護人員祈禱。
• 求神幫助我們有彼此相愛的心，就像耶穌那樣先人後己。
• 祈求聖靈幫助我們能夠做超出我們能力的事情。
• 願我們在需要聆聽神的聲音時能沉靜安穩。
• 願我們時刻準備好了回答我們成爲基督門徒的緣由。
• 當別人沒有按照我們想像的方式行事時，求神幫助我們克服沮喪，讓我們能看到神有所有的答案，而我們的能力是有限的。
• 感謝神，耶和華是我的巖石，我的山寨，我的救主，我的神，我的磐石，我所投靠的。他是我的盾牌，是拯救我的角，是我的高臺（詩篇 18:2）
• 禱告我們的外展真正有助於合乎神給我們的命令：引領他人成為耶穌的門徒。
• 謝謝神提醒我們：你是我們所需智慧的源頭。 

思考：將臨期的第一個星期日

        在今天開始的教會將臨期期間，我們專注於耶穌的誕生以及神通過他兒子的誕生賜給我們的四樣事物：希望、和平、愛和喜樂。我們點燃蠟燭，象徵神已經找到了方法將我們帶出黑暗。我們這些罪人原本應當落在黑暗中。

         希望不僅僅是一種“可能”的樂觀主義。在聖經中，這是確定無疑的，如同我們從撒迦利亞的故事中所學到的。在放棄了他和他的妻子會有孩子的希望之後，一位天使向撒迦利亞顯現。 13 天使對他說：「撒迦利亞，不要害怕，因為你的祈禱已經被聽見了。你的妻子伊利莎白要給你生一個兒子，你要給他起名叫約翰 …… 18 撒迦利亞對天使說：「我憑著什麼可知道這事呢？我已經老了，我的妻子也年紀老邁了。」 19 天使回答說：「我是站在神面前的加百列，奉差而來對你說話，將這好信息報給你。（路加福音第一章）. 願我們像撒迦利亞一樣懷著期待過有希望的生活，神所應許的一切都會實現。 

        嬰孩耶穌給我們帶來希望，不是憑空想象，而是一個堅定的信念：神已經擊敗了撒旦；并且在神的計劃中，神永遠、隨時歡迎我們來到他面前，因為耶穌已經為我們的罪付出了代價。