Prayer for Today, Friday, September 30

Eternal One,

We seek You with our whole hearts, O Lord. You are like the vast ocean and we are but small drops, longing to be with You. Our journey is toward You. Forgive our detours we pray. Your Loving Presence invites us to surrender, to be devoted, and to commit our lives to service in Jesus name. Today, O God, we surrender. We pray You will embrace us, lift us up, forgive us and make us new creations in Christ Jesus, in whose name we pray. AMEN.

Bill Batchelder had carotid artery surgery on Wednesday. He was released from Bass yesterday and is recovering at home. Please pray for Bill and for Jackie as she cares for Bill. Jackie is still wearing a knee brace after her surgery.

Birdene Schoonover is hospitalized at St. Mary’s. Please pray for Birdene.

Ruby Manahan still needs our prayers. She is in rehab at St. Mary’s.

Tomorrow is the big Youth Garage sale from 8 – 1. Bert Sims celebrates his 90^th birthday with a tea in the Parlor at 2. Joe Capra and Jade Hiland will be married tomorrow evening in the sanctuary.

Sunday is World Communion Sunday . It will be a full day and will conclude with the first session of ‘Does God Exist?” at 6.

Bob Emery will have hip replacement surgery at the McBride Clinic on Monday. Please pray for Bob.

Dona and Tary are taking a few days of vacation. Danny Corn begins his vacation today.

The scripture for today is 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17:

But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.

¹⁶Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, ¹⁷comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

Grace and peace,

John McLemore

Prayer for Today, Thursday, September 29

O Rock of Our Life,

We give You thanks for our family and friends. It has been said that You are experienced in the depth and breadth of human relationships. We are blessed by those in our lives with whom we can confide, who love us, who accept us, and who stand by us. May the blessings we receive from these relationships, O God, be passed on by us, so that others may experience the love and grace which, ultimately, you have authored. We also give thanks for those who have gone before us, those who mentored us, encouraged us, lifted us up when we were down, and pointed us in the right direction. We are blessed by their influence. Empower us, Loving God, to look around us and identify the ones we might mentor. May we find ways of connection, witness and influence. In all things, Gracious Lord, we seek to honor You in word and deed. Bless us we pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN.

Birdene Schoonover was taken to the ER at St. Mary’s yesterday evening.

Paul Sprat and Ruby Manahan are still hospitalized. Please pray for Birdene, Paul and Ruby.

Terri Galer has asked us to pray for Bradley Gilbert. His leukemia has returned and he is going through hospital stays and treatments.

There will be a Youth Garage Sale on Saturday from 8 – 1. Bert Sims is celebrating his 90^th birthday with a tea in the parlor Saturday afternoon from 2 – 4. There is a wedding Saturday evening. The Sunday morning worship schedule is  the same. The Horn of Plenty drive is Sunday afternoon. The “Does God Exist?” study is Sunday evening at 6.

Mary Garrison passed on the following link about church organization that was in an Albuquerque  church newsletter. It is a long, but interesting read.   http://dmergent.org/2011/09/12/killing-church-committees-and-other-reflections-on-church-organization-2/ . Thanks, Mary.

Please pray daily for our church. May we grow in the Spirit through our collective and individual prayers and devotions.

The scripture for today is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12:

As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.

³Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed when his time comes. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders, and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false, so that all who have not believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.

Grace and peace,

John McLemore

Prayer for Today, Wednesday, September 28

O God Our God,

We live in a world that is focused on the present moment. While we live, work, and play in the here and now, there is so much more to human experience. We are defined by the past, our individual and communal history, and all those situations that bring us to today. We also plan and dream for the future. While it is unknown, we find hope in the new possibilities that lie ahead. Forgive us we pray, for being one dimensional. Help us to understand that You, O God, are the with us in the past, through the present and into the future. You hold all time and experience in Your hands. We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before and we are building a legacy for those who will follow. May our memories of You sustain us. May we experience You in the present, and may we be drawn into the future of Your reign. This we pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN.

Our prayers go out to the family of Lucille Melot, Larry’s mother. Her funeral will be Friday at First Methodist Church.

We pray for the family of Carol Layman, Sandra Justice’s sister-in-law. Her funeral will be Friday at the Lutheran Church in Covington.

Tonight is WWNF. Pancakes will be served at the meal.

The Chancel Bell Choir will rehearse tonight at 7:30 p.m.

The youth are having a Garage Sale this Saturday from 8 until 1. If you have items for the sale, please bring them to the Fellowship Hall.

Sunday is the Horn of Plenty Food Drive. Pick up your routes.

Sunday the Adult Bible Study Small Group will host a series entitled “Does God Exist?” at 6:00 p.m.

The scripture for today is 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12:

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

¹¹To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace,

John McLemore

Prayer for Today, Tuesday, September 27

Compassionate God,

 

It seems we live in a world filled with hatred, strife and violence. We see war and conflict in other countries. In our own we witness virulent political rhetoric, anger, and division. Sometimes in our neighborhoods, our homes and even in the church, we observe boorish behavior that leads to separation and shattered spirits. Forgive us we pray. May we be instruments of Your peace, O God. As St. Francis said, where there is hatred, let us sow love; where their is injury, pardon. May we seek, not to be consoled, but to console. O God, may we be vehicles of Your grace and love. May we be bridge builders and may others know we are followers of Jesus by the way we love one another. In His name we pray. AMEN.

____________________________________________

 

We have two unspoken prayer requests this morning. Please pray for God's peace and love to abound in the hearts of those for whom we are praying.

 

Please pray for the family of Carol Layman who died yesterday. She is the sister-in-law of Sandra Justice.

 

The final showing of our 9/11 Prayer Vigil will be today at 6:30 p.m. on Pegasys Channel 11. Special thanks to Max Johnson for recording, editing and scheduling the service to be shown.

 

May we seek God's blessing as individuals and as a church.

 

The scripture for today is 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4:

 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: ²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing. ⁴Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.

 

Grace and peace,

 

John McLemore

 

Prayer for Today, Monday, September 26

Generous God,

We confess all our worries and cares to You, O God. Life takes unexpected turns. We make poor decisions. Those around us involve themselves in troublesome behavior. All are reasons for concern. There are demanding times and we are disquieted. In such moments we pray Your presence may bring us a sense of calm and peace. In the midst of life’s storms, Loving God, You are there. Our lives may still be in an upheaval, but You hold us in Your embrace. You help us find our inner strength. We weather the tempest as we trust in You. Hear our songs of thanks and praise we pray. AMEN.

Ruby Register’s graveside is today at 2:00 p.m. in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Please pray for her family.

I, once again, lift up an unspoken situation. May Your prayers be for God’s love and peace to prevail.

The scripture for today is 1 Thessalonians 5: 12-28:

But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; ¹³esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. ¹⁵See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.

¹⁶Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray without ceasing, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not despise the words of prophets, ²¹but test everything; hold fast to what is good; ²²abstain from every form of evil.

²³May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. ²⁵Beloved, pray for us. ²⁶Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. ²⁷I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all of them. ²⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Grace and peace,

John McLemore     

Prayer for Today, Sunday, September 25

Dear Heavenly Parent,

We pray, O Lord, that You will cleanse us with Your abundant grace. Often we feel we do not need to repent, yet there is much in our lives that separates us from You. Even though our sin is not excessive, we are still called to confess. Many times we have chosen our own way and turned our back on You. There are times when we have been seduced by the easy, self-centered life offered by those elements in our culture that only want our time and money. Please forgive us, O God. May we truly turn around and be open to Your embrace. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.

I have received an unspoken prayer request. Please offer prayers. God knows the situation.

The Mason family is travelling to Pine Bluff, Arkansas today. Please pray for their journey to bury Ruby Register.

See you in church.

The scripture for today is 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11:

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.

⁶So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.

¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

The Psalm for this week is Psalm 76:

In Judah God is known, his name is great in Israel. ²His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. ³There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. ⁴Glorious are you, more majestic than the everlasting mountains. ⁵The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil; they sank into sleep; none of the troops was able to lift a hand. ⁶At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse lay stunned. ⁷But you indeed are awesome! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? ⁸From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still ⁹when God rose up to establish judgment, to save all the oppressed of the earth. ¹⁰Human wrath serves only to praise you, when you bind the last bit of your wrath around you. ¹¹Make vows to the Lord your God, and perform them; let all who are around him bring gifts to the one who is awesome, ¹²who cuts off the spirit of princes, who inspires fear in the kings of the earth.

Grace and peace,

John McLemore

Prayer for Today, Saturday, September 24

Dear God,

It is a BEAUTIFUL day and are hearts soar. May this be a day when we open our eyes, embrace the beauty of creation, and give You thanks. Help us to pause, even for brief moments, to celebrate Your love and grace. Forgive us, Dear God, when our focus is on clocks, green lights and speed limits. Forgive us, we pray, when our concern is on tomorrow’s deadlines and we fail to appreciate and bask in the beauty of the present moment. Open our eyes, Lord, and slow us down. This is our prayer in Jesus’ name. AMEN.

Please pray for Judy and Gene Mason and their daughter as they travel tomorrow to Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Ruby Register’s graveside service will be in Pine Bluff at 2:00 p.m. on Monday.

The 9/11 Prayer Vigil will be broadcast on Pegasys Channel 11 again on Monday and Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Remember to make regular worship a part of the rhythm of your life.

The scripture for today is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.¹⁵For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died.¹⁶For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Grace and peace,

John McLemore

Prayer for Today, Friday, September 23

Ever Living God,

Memory is a powerful gift. Current experiences often trigger strong recollections of family, friends, vacations, jobs, first time situations, baptisms, new learning, births, deaths, sorrow and happiness. There are memories that bring tears to our eyes and memories that cause us to laugh out loud. As we reflect and remember, O God, may we recall those moments we were closest to You, those times when our experience of You was palpable. May we remember when our hearts were warmed by Your grace and we confessed Jesus as Lord, then, as we remember, may we find ways to share those experiences with those around us. Help us to articulate why we believe and have faith in You and why being a Christian is important to us. We thank You, O God, for our memory of You, we celebrate our experiences of You, and we now live life expectantly in Your embrace. In Jesus name we pray. AMEN.

  

I misspoke yesterday. Clo Rine celebrated her 96^th birthday. She is in good spirits in St, Mary’s hospital. Her son is here from Texas.

Ruby Manahan and Paul Spratt are still hospitalized. Ruby was doing occupational therapy yesterday and had a big smile on her face. Paul is very weak and it was difficult for him to talk. Please pray for our hospitalized.

The Women’s Walk to Emmaus began yesterday evening. Please pray for the servants and the pilgrims. A number of our people are involved as we host this walk.

It is a beautiful day. May we rejoice and be glad in it.

The scripture for today is 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12:

Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more. ²For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. ³For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication; ⁴that each one of you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor, ⁵not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; ⁶that no one wrong or exploit a brother or sister in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. ⁷For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. ⁸Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.

⁹Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; ¹⁰and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, ¹¹to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, ¹²so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be dependent on no one.

Grace and peace,

John McLemore

Prayer for Today, Thursday, September 22

O One Who Holds The Future,

We go through life often wondering what is “around the bend ahead”. We dream. We Plan. We save. We prepare. We worry. We strive to be responsible, yet in our planning we often rely only on the temporal and fail to place our ultimate trust in You. In all of life’s circumstances, O Lord, You are there. As we reflect on the past we can see You sharing the journey with us. Help us to project that expectation into the future. Jesus told us to “Seek first the Kingdom of God”. May we realize when seeking You is our prime objective all the other matters of life fall into place. Today we place our trust in You, O God. We pray You will draw us unto Yourself and Your future. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.

  

Clo Rine is in St. Mary’s hospital. She turns 97 years old today.

Birdene Schoonover has moved from the nursing unit back to assisted living at Greenbriar.

Ruby Manahan and Paul Spratt are still hospitalized. Please pray for Clo, Birdene, Ruby and Paul.

The Women’s Walk to Emmaus begins today.

There is a Stewardship Meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m.

We rejoice in the rain and the cool weather!!!!!!!!!!

The scripture for today is 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13:

But Timothy has just now come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love. He has told us also that you always remember us kindly and long to see us—just as we long to see you. ⁷For this reason, brothers and sisters, during all our distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you through your faith. ⁸For we now live, if you continue to stand firm in the Lord. ⁹How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? ¹⁰Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.

¹¹Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. ¹²And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. ¹³And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Grace and peace,

John McLemore

Prayer for Today, Wednesday, September 21

Gracious God,

 

It has been said we meet You in the thin moments, times when the veil between this world and the other world is thin; the other world being the place of Your Divine Presence. This is yet another way of expressing the mystery of “God With Us”. Today, O Lord, may we seek to experience, not to explain. May those things that block our encounter with You be lessened. May we move into those moments where little separates us from You, where our hearts are warmed, where our love is enlivened, and where we catch glimpses of Your eternity. This we pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN.

 

Please pray for the family of Ruby Register. Ruby died yesterday morning in her daughter, Judy Mason’s, home. There will be a graveside service for Mrs. Register in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on Monday afternoon. Please pray for Judy and Gene as they travel to Pine Bluff this Sunday.

 

Terry Jones received very good news yesterday. The doctor said that when he got into Terry’s chest, there was nothing to biopsy. Please celebrate the news and continue praying for Terry as he now deals with the brain tumor.

 

We celebrated Dorotha Immel’s life and faith yesterday. Please continue to pray for Terry, Becky and their families.

 

BOARD MEETING tonight at 7:30 p.m.

 

The 9/11 Prayer Vigil will be broadcast on Pegasys Channel 11 this Friday at 5:30 p.m. and on Monday and Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

 

The scripture for today is 1 Thessalonians 2:17 – 3:5:

As for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a short time, we were made orphans by being separated from you—in person, not in heart—we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face. ¹⁸For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, wanted to again and again—but Satan blocked our way. ¹⁹For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? ²⁰Yes, you are our glory and joy!

3Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we decided to be left alone in Athens; ²and we sent Timothy, our brother and co-worker for God in proclaiming the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you for the sake of your faith, ³so that no one would be shaken by these persecutions. Indeed, you yourselves know that this is what we are destined for. ⁴In fact, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we were to suffer persecution; so it turned out, as you know. ⁵For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith; I was afraid that somehow the tempter had tempted you and that our labor had been in vain.

Grace and peace,

 

John McLemore

Prayer for Today, Tuesday, September 20

Loving God,

There are days when our prayers come easily because life is good. There are other days when the prayers get stuck in our throats because we are overwhelmed by trials and tribulations. May our strong prayers of praise and thanksgiving lift up those among us who cannot pray. May the prayers of others lift us up when we are frail and broken. God of all life. You are profoundly experienced in community. We pray You will forgive our rugged independence and help us realize You are most often present, revealed, and experienced in community. This we pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN.

Please continue to pray for Dorotha Immel’s family as we celebrate her life and bury her mortal remains today.

Terry Jones is having a surgical procedure today at Bass Hospital to determine the type of cancer that is in his lung.

Jim Goodrich is having an outpatient surgical procedure at a dermatologist office in OKC.

Gene Mason and Ruby Manahan are still hospitalized. Please pray for Terry, Jim, Gene and Ruby.

A belated congratulations to Chester and Doris Ross. They quietly celebrated their 65^th wedding anniversary on September 15^th.

There is a worship committee meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. The Board meets tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

The scripture for today is 1 Thessalonians 2:9-16:

You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers. As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

¹³We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers. For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you suffered the same things from your own compatriots as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out; they displease God and oppose everyone by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. Thus they have constantly been filling up the measure of their sins; but God’s wrath has overtaken them at last.

Grace and peace,

John McLemore

 

Prayer for Today, Monday, September 19

God of Life and Death,

We are profoundly impacted by the death of someone dear to us, whether that loss was moments or years ago. The sense of separation causes us grief and we are led into mourning, but You are our God. Help us to understand You embrace us in life and in death.  You are present in our first breath and when our breathing is no more. We pray Your comforting spirit surrounds us and those near to us when we journey through the valley of death’s shadow. May we be sustained by our faith and trust in You, during our moments of living and in our moments of dying. When that time comes for us we pray You will welcome us as You have welcomed those who have gone before. In Jesus name, AMEN.

Dorotha Immel’s funeral is tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. Please pray for her children and their families.

Central Christian Church was blessed with the addition of two families yesterday. Don and Twyla Provost joined during the 10:15 a.m. sanctuary service. Bill and Polly Maxwell joined during the 10:15 a.m. R & R Service. We are honored by their decisions. Please welcome the Provosts and Maxwells.

Tonight we have three committees meeting: Christian Education at 6:30 p.m., World Outreach at 6:30 p.m., and Christian Action and Community Service at 7:00 p.m.

Our Board Meeting is Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

The scripture for today is 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8:

You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others,

⁷though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

Grace and peace,

John McLemore

Prayer for Today, Sunday, September 18

O Divine Heart Who Beckons To Our Hearts,

Today we open ourselves to You. We put away our calendars, our smart phones, and our agendas. Our focus is on You, O Lord. We confess all that we are before You. We bring our worship to You. We surrender our hearts to Your love. May we experience the peace that comes only from You on this Sabbath day. In Jesus name. AMEN.

Please pray for our sick, for our church, and for our ability to discern the future God is inviting us to embrace.

The scripture for today is 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10:

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

²We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.

⁶And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

The Psalm for the week is Psalm 50:7-15:

“Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.

⁸Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.

⁹I will not accept a bull from your house, or goats from your folds.

¹⁰For every wild animal of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.

¹¹I know all the birds of the air, and all that moves in the field is mine.

¹²“If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all that is in it is mine.

¹³Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.

¹⁵Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Grace and peace,

John McLemore