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)
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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+ 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!
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Jeremiah 5:1-2 (NLT)
“Run up and down every street in Jerusalem,” says the Lord . “Look high and low; search throughout the city! If you can find even one just and honest person, I will not destroy the city. But even when they are under oath, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ they are still telling lies!”
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Prayer:
Lord God:
The corruption and special interest collusion in Washington, DC has poisoned every branch of our government to the point where the concerns of ordinary people are completely ignored until the next election when politicians need our vote.
You have established a government in America – “of the people, by the people, and for the people” – and Donald Trump has proposed sweeping ethics reform that will return the government to the people.
Lord God: I ask that you will raise up Donald Trump as our next president so that the expression “honest politician” may no longer be an oxymoron and that you will find honest men and women serving in government when you search Washington, DC in the coming years.
Specifically I ask for:
+ Term limits – to replace professional politicians with citizen legislators who have a life and career outside of Washington.
+ Federal employee hiring freeze – to reduce the bloated federal workforce through attrition, with the exception of military, public safety, and public health.
+ Reduction in federal regulations – to stimulate entrepreneurship and economic growth that has been strangled by special interest lobbyists.
+ Lobbyist 5 year-ban – to prevent White House and Congressional officials from exerting undue influence and profiteering after leaving government service.
+ Foreign Lobbyist lifetime ban – to prevent White House officials from representing foreign governments and profiteering after leaving government service.
+ Foreign Lobbyist fundraising ban – to protect the integrity of American elections.
Lord God: You are searching for justice and honesty in our land. May you find them in the Office of the next President of the United States.
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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 119:136 (NLT)
Rivers of tears gush from my eyes because people disobey your instructions.
Reading: Isaiah 5:1-4 (NLT)
Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.
Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between me and my vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?
Reading: Luke 13:34; 19:41 (NLT)
Statue of Jesus Weeping at St. Joseph’s Church near the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me….”
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But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep.
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Prayer
Lord God:
Fill me with your sorrow and compassion for those who disobey and even flaunt your law.
+ Touch my heart with the sorrow of your broken heart, that I may love the lost.
Your law is good, and just, and given to care for and tend the people you love.
+ Conform my life to your Kingdom rule, that I may demonstrate your love to the lost.
Call out in me again a willingness to love and serve you.
“Sovereign Over Us” – Worship Mob
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!
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
God is merciful to all who humble themselves before him.
Opening Prayer:
O God, who alone can probe the depths of the heart, you hear the prayer of the humble and justify the repentant sinner. As we stand before you, grant us the gift of humility, that we may see our own sins clearly and refrain from judging our neighbor. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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“How great is our God” – Chris Tomlin
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A Reading from the Apocrypha: Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18 (USCCB)
[The Lord is not deferential to the powerful but takes the side of the powerless.]
The LORD is a God of justice, who knows no favorites.
Though not unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed. The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint.
The one who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens. The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal, nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds, judges justly and affirms the right, and the Lord will not delay.
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 34:2-3, 17-19, 21-22 (NLT)
I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart.
Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.
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The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.
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Calamity will surely destroy the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished. But the Lord will redeem those who serve him. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
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“The cry of the poor “
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A Reading from the Letters: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 (NLT)
[Paul speaks of his imminent death and reflects on his own deep faith.]
As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
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The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death. Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
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A Reading from the Gospels: Luke 18:9-14 (NLT)
[Jesus gives an example of humility before God – the Pharisee and the tax collector.]
Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
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“God of Mercy and Compassion”
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Intercessory Prayer:
God of justice and mercy, you know no favorites but are partial to the prayers of the powerless and broken-hearted. In humility, and total dependence, we come before you –
+ For all civil leaders, that their governance may reflect your justice and mercy…. Lord, hear us.
+ For all religious leaders, that they may lead your people with humility…. Lord, hear us.
+ For believers facing persecution, that their faith may be strengthened and their religious freedom respected…. Lord, hear us.
+ For all who feel broken-hearted and powerless, that they may recognize your presence with them…. Lord, hear us.
+ For our families and especially for people who are sick or troubled…. Lord, hear us.
+ For believers whose life on earth is over, that the crown of righteousness may be theirs…. Lord, hear us.
Compassionate God, you rescue your people in all their distress, hear the prayers we offer in humility and truth, through Christ our Lord.
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“Ever Be” – Kalley Heiligenthal | Bethel Music
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Benediction:
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. – 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Peanut Gallery 