Prayer for All Saints Sunday

Prayed at Lakebay Community Church 11/7/10

Almighty and compassionate God,
in Christ you have known the sorrow of our days.
Our losses are your losses, our pains are your pains.
Our grief is your grief.
In faith we believe that you know our tears,
that you hear our crying, that you know the
darkness stalking our dreams.
You who have known death, rejection,
pain and misery watch over us day by day.
Offer your comfort, O Lord, to those living
in the land of darkness. As you guided those who
have gone before us into your blessed home, guide
us through this dark and mysterious land.
Remember in your mercy those who have left us,
lead us into your Kingdom and grant us your peace.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Thursday Stuff

Maestro Louis Labayan, conductor of the Gig Harbor Peninsula Symphony Orchesta, has asked Manny Garcia (First Chair Trumpet) and myself if we could come up with some exciting music for trumpet and organ, to be performed at our Holiday Concert in December.

So yes, that is Christmas music playing in the background. I was going to hold off until late November, but this is an unfortunate research-related necessity.

Currently, I'm listening to Brass Mosaic's A Brass Christmas.
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I was playing around with some ideas for an updated church bulletin, and came up with a new revised version of the Covenant Affirmations. What do you think?

As part of the Evangelical Covenant Church, we affirm:
1. People ought to read the Bible
2. People need to get converted
3. People need to listen to the Holy Spirit
4. We need to do stuff for God
5. The Church is God's people
6. We all need to play nice
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This morning, Wes, Tammy, Ron and I went and toured Camp Colman, in preparation for our Alpha retreat there in a couple weeks. I'm excited. . .
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The Gig Garbor Gateway published a very nice article about last Sunday's Blessing ceremony for Fire, Law, EMT, EMS personnel, and included a lovely picture of Olivia and Clara climbing into a fire truck. The only problem was that the Gateway gave our girls boys' names on accident.

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Lakebay people: we're going to be singing a new song on Sunday. If you want to learn it ahead of time, watch this:

Liturgy for Troubled Times

These were used in last Sunday's worship celebration at Lakebay Community Church:

Call to Worship
Leader: Whenever we gather together, we come to praise our God.
All: We praise our God, the one who reigns over all!
In times of joy and gladness,
We praise our God, who is good and kind!
In times of doubt and fear,
We praise our God, who is faithful and sure!
When bad news assails us, and dread stalks our homes,
We praise God, who protects and delivers us!
Whatever our lot, God has taught us to say,
"Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!" Amen.

Affirmation of Faith (from Habakkuk 3)
As God has been good to us, he is good to us still.
Though the stock market crash and cost of living rise,
though the paycheck is small and the bills grow large,
though enemy advance and foe prevail,
though trial and uncertainty remain;
'Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will exult in the God of my salvation.'
For God, the Lord, is my strength;
he lifts me to the high places.

Congregational Response to a Sermon on Mark 13

We know not the day nor the hour.
It may be tomorrow, it may be 500 years hence.
We live in the now and the not yet –
the Kingdom has come, is coming, and
is yet to come.
Troubling signs abound: wars, rumors of wars,
famine, flood, earthquake and storm,
evil is strong and destruction abounds.
Troubling signs are all around us, and yet. . .
and yet we cling to this truth:
God is still on his throne,
God is still in control,
and justice and righteousness will prevail.
Good will win in the end, for God will win in the end.
And so we wait, in faith and anticipation,
enduring hardship and calamity,
rejoicing in suffering,
working to see God’s Kingdom Come on earth
as it is in heaven;
working for peace and truth and righteousness,
so that, should Christ return tomorrow or in
ten thousand years, he will find us faithfully
at his work. And in that day we shall see the
final victory and vindication of God’s rule,
and the fulfillment of all our hopes and dreams.
Amen

Resources

WorshipTogether is giving away free music for Easter. You can download the .mp3 of the song "The Power of the Cross," by Keith and Kristyn Getty, and the sheet music to four Easter Songs - "The Power of the Cross," "Crimson Stream," "How Deep the Father's Love For Us," and "See What a Morning (Resurrection Hymn)."

Note: you must register with WorshipTogether to take advantage of this opportunity.

Congregational Response to a Sermon on the Importance of Studying God's Word

We believe that God has spoken to his people in the past;
We believe that God still speaks to us today.
We believe that the story of our God is written within his Holy Word,
The Bible, God’s gift to God’s people.
We believe life is illuminated, Truth is revealed, Hope is restored,
God is known through his Word.

We commit, therefore, to the study of this book – the stories of our
spiritual ancestors, the history of God’s work in this world –
in order that we may live lives pleasing to God, obedient to his call,
worthy of serving him in our world today. Amen