October 25, 2016 – The Peanut Gallery

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Psalm 90:17 (ESV)

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

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Prayer for Work: (USCCB)

Creator God,

Thank you for providing us with the gift to share our talents.

Provide our community, our nation, our world the fortitude to provide work for all which is decent and fair.

Make us faithful stewards of your creation to enhance the human dignity of our global family.

We ask this in the name of Jesus, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit now and forever. Amen
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Creator God:

Americans have prospered because of their work ethic. It’s consistent with the way you have made us – to live with dignity and self-respect, to provide for ourselves and our families, and to build a better future for our children.

But now, record numbers of Americans are unemployed without hope of finding work. American jobs have been shipped overseas, American factories have been abandoned, American cities have been decimated, and American middle-class families have born the brunt of it – all at the hands of multi-national corporations and globalization.

Creator God: look with favor on America’s workers and the efforts of Donald Trump to bring their jobs back. I ask specifically that –

+ America’s international trade deals, e.g. NAFTA and the TPP, be abandoned or renegotiated to benefit American workers.

+ America’s new Secretary of the Treasury identify China as a currency manipulator.

+ America’s new Secretary of Commerce and Trade Representatives identify all foreign trading abuses that unfairly impact American workers and take appropriate measures to remedy them under international law.

+ America’s energy production restrictions be lifted creating trillions of dollars worth of job-producing American energy reserves, including shale, oil, natural gas, and clean coal.

Creator God: Put America back to work again.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit – one God forever. Amen.

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Opening Sentence

I have come to seek You, O God, just as I am I come.
I have come to be sought by You, just as I am I come.

I will wait for the Lord. My soul waits, and in His word do I hope.

Reading: Psalm 119:137-140 (NLT)

O Lord, you are righteous, and your regulations are fair. Your laws are perfect and completely trustworthy. I am overwhelmed with indignation, for my enemies have disregarded your words. Your promises have been thoroughly tested; that is why I love them so much.

Reading: 2 Kings 10:16-17 (NLT)

Then Jehu said, “Now come with me, and see how devoted I am to the Lord.” So Jehonadab rode along with him.

When Jehu arrived in Samaria, he killed everyone who was left there from Ahab’s family, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

Reading: Matthew 23:1-13 (NLT)

sara-hudson-in-panama — Senior friend In Panama helping Christian mission to indigenous mountain people.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.

“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’

“Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.
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Prayer: Ita (480-570) – in fostering courage

I have set my heart on going forward,

+ do not ask me to turn back. Traveling uncomfortably in the right direction, I will not let middle age overtake me; I will not let old age overcome me.

+ Keep me out of any rut of my own making, and from the grave of habitual failings.

Keep me flexible and eager to serve.
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“I Will Follow” – Chris Tomlin

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!