Prayer & Praise
Collect
Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and the comfort of your holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. âAmen.
Isaiah 40:1-11
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
A voice cries:
âIn the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.â
A voice says, âCry!â
And I said, Â âWhat shall I cry?â
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty  is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
âBehold your God!â
Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
Psalm 85
Lord, you have been gracious to your land; * you have turned away the captivity of Jacob.
You have forgiven the offence of your people * and covered all their sins.
You have taken away all your displeasure * and turned yourself from your wrathful indignation.
Restore us then, O God our Savior, * and let your anger cease from us.
Will you be displeased at us for ever, * and will you stretch out your wrath from one generation to another?
Will you not turn again and quicken us, * that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us your mercy, O Lord, * and grant us your salvation. I will hearken to what the Lord God will say, *
for he shall speak peace unto his people, and to his saints, that they turn not again.
For his salvation is near to those who fear him, * that glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met together; * righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall flourish out of the earth, * and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Indeed, the Lord shall show goodness, * and our land shall give its increase.
Righteousness shall go before him, * and he shall direct his going in the way.
 +Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirt as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
2 Peter 3:8-18
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,  waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,  as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Mark 1:1-8
 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
âBehold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
âPrepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,ââ
John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.  Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, âAfter me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.â
The collect is one of the classics from the Book of Common Prayer…
please remember in prayer
Captain Kevin – job related difficulties, housing situation, pain everywhere, depression, Please continue praying for me. My GI issues are getting worse. Not sure if the symptoms are related, but Iâm also having low back and pelvic floor pain. Iâve lost 26 lbs in the last 5 months, and not because Iâm trying. I had been wanting to lose weight, but not this way. Honestly, Iâm afraid. There are a few free clinics around here, but most are not taking new patients due to Covid. Iâm calling a nurse practitioner tomorrow. A friend recommended her and thinks sheâll only charge $80 for a cash-pay visit (Most are $150). Of course if labs are ordered, Iâll have to pay cash for those as well.
sarahmorgan – would greatly appreciate prayers from this community; my surgery is scheduled for mid-December, I wonât know if I have cancer until after the surgery, and all of the local news says that time will be the height of the pandemic here, so thereâs a chance my surgery will be delayedâŠtrusting God is very difficult right now, sigh.
Em â Victoria, homeless with a cat, shelters wonât allow the cat in and the cat is all she has.
Erunner- Our brother in law who is in his early 50âs has learned that his carotid artery is 70% blocked. It appears he will be undergoing surgery. They have also found an issue with his heart. Heâs a believer with a gentle and wise spirit.
Please pray for him, his wife, and their three grown children.
filbertz -praying for POTUS & FLOTUS and others around them as theyâve tested positive for Covid-19
London â My brother, a healthcare provider, and SIL tested positive for covid
Raina R.-Please pray for my sister-in-law. She has been having horrible headaches and is recovering from surgery
Em â Would appreciate prayer for my nurse daughter. The company she works for have scheduled her for 11 days straight 12 hour shifts and many of the critical care dialysis patients are covid positive from outside the area⊠Humanly speaking, this schedule is impossible. .
jtk â I request prayer for our outreach to the university. 25% of those 18-23 have considered suicide in the last 30 days. This is so urgent in my heart and spirit.
Em â Prayer for my daughter on city council would br appreciated, received 24 plus threatening Emails demanding that they disband their police department
Our Phoenix Preacher family, health, healing, joy, peace
Kelly -I have a real need to continue to see my counselor. In addition to the other reasons I see him for I have been having day long panic attacks, on top of the depression and PTSD-C symptoms.
Alissa-My sweet husband has Autism and was let go from his job yesterday.
Patrik -Pray for me, an ER nurse in Indianapolis.
Dan form Georgia- I work in aviation/transportation. We are getting hit HARD as many of you know. I am not even confident when I go into work everyday that it will be my last day (layoff or termination). Also struggling a lot with anxiety.
Chris -My wife started her second career as a nurse this week on the hospital floor that they treat the Covid patients.
Linneia â joint and muscle aches
Nancy â prayer for her discernment of an unexpected opportunity to become a more public advocate for the homeless,
Em â daughter is healing from fracture spine
Michael â I would appreciate prayer as wellâŠlife is pretty overwhelming right now.
Linnea â Would you pray for Greg? He was treated for an aggressive brain cancer and thought he was clear, but it has roared back. Please pray for healing and that he and his wife come to know the Lord. Thank you!
Xenia- Pray for the churches of Sri Lanka
Paige â Asking for prayer for a family issue⊠God knowsâŠ. and the silencing of a lying gossip who is spreading slander about me to family members and others. Itâs an on going issue that is quite perplexing, and apparently demonic. Twisted, delusional and strange.
cash â depression , PTSD
David H â I could use a prayer. I was diagnosed with Bellâs Palsy . Right side of my face is paralyzed. Prednisone and an antiviral.
Michael â heart aneurysm and a bad valve, bad back and neck issues.
JD â Marshal whose mother told him that she doesnât love him
Linnea â Jon and Sarah. Please pray that they would know Godâs love and would follow Him out of horrible lifestyles to freedom.
Michael, Rick, Joel, Dan, capt. Kevin, Owen â wand to hear from God in their prayer life
JTK- ongoing back issue.
David H â Aunt Ramona has Adenocarcinoma primary lung cancer.
Victor- chronic back pain
Linnea- sister salvation
Paige- 4 boys to be pleasing to God
Father please hear our cries for mercy. We beg of You to show Your love and grace. Be our strength, our salvation, our light in this dark world. Let us just touch the hem of Your robe and we will be healed. Be with us today and though the darkness of night. Heal us mind, body and spirit. Be our Strong tower. We need You. We worship You and You alone. We depend on You. Save us oh Lord from our enemy. Shower us with Your grace and love. Remind us that You are always with us. Remind us of the good You have given us. You are good. You are loving. You are merciful….remember Your mercy Father. Look upon us with Your favor….Jesus pray for us….Holy Spirit give us the words to pray.
My dear dear brother Captain Kevin, I am with you in prayer and always praying for you. I weep with you for strength and encouragement. I am with you begging our Lord and Saviour for peace of mind and comfort during the difficult, trying, and tortures of times you are dealing with. Praying for strength of mind, body and spirit. Praying for unyielding faith. Praying for a major breakthrough of this storm you have been in for such a very very long time. How do you endure? By the Grace of God, you still praise His Name. By His might you still call out to Him who is your God. You inspire us to seek Him more. We love you brother and stand as one with you as you cry out to our Mighty God for mercy.
Holy Spirit, fall upon us. You see our needs in the prayer requests above. Help. Please help. We need You Father. We need saving. We are drowning in pain, sorrow, and despair. Keep us on the narrow path. Keep us faithful to Your Holy Name. Keep us always dependent on You, Your love, Your mercy, Your kindness, Your grace. let it be sufficient for us. We bow our face to the ground at Your blood stained feet, Lord Jesus. We love You and the sacrifices You have made on our behalf. Let us be worthy in Your sight.
Thank you, Dusty…much love to you and yours.
praying for you always big brother. lots and lots of love and prayers for you and your family.
Always thankful for you and the family of friends , the safe home you have created here
xoxoxo
Praying for you, dear Michael. May God take you by the hand and lead you. May he show you His power. May He heal your wounds. May He protect your heart, mind, body and soul. May He hold you up by his mighty right hand and show the world your heart. May He hear your cries.
So many of us here are standing in agreement with you in prayer. and standing for you in prayer. be encouraged big brother, be encouraged.
We love you! God loves you! ((((((hugs))))))
Thank you, Dusty….much love to you always.
Miss Kitty took ill overnight. I’ll be taking her to a vet we’ve never seen before, but the only one that had an opening. Pray if you’re so inclined…for both of us.
Praying as i read… Lord give Miss Kitty a competent vet…
We face putting down a horse.. as a neighbor was just forced to do and another neighbor a dear faithful old dog… It goes with the responsibility of pet ownership, but it hurts… And it is hard not to hope for a resurrection of good ones…
Is it, somehow or other, our reminder that God takes no pleasure in the deaths of wicked humans? Dunno, truly don’t..
Miss Kitty has a UTI and may have the beginning of kidney failure. She also has cataracts and possibly feline senility. They gave her fluids, antibiotics, and eye drops. They also noted that she is sweet and patient …and she is. We may not have many days left, but they will be good days and I will be thankful for them.
Em…nothing hurts me worse than putting down a friend…and I believe with all my heart in resurrection…
praying for miss Kitty…..and you big brother
praying for you Em….((((hugs))))
continuing to pray for your daughter. You two are such strong women.
Thank you, Michael and dusty (you give good hugs đ )….
Strong women? Faith in the the Father’s grace and mercies, perhaps and i, too, hope to see some good pets in Eternity – for certain God CAN do it, if He so chooses…. Miss Kitty and a dog named Skipper and a couple horses, Suds and Gracie and….. đ
It sounds like Tom Stipe is hospitalized with sepsis and is in danger of kidney and liver damage. Could we pray for him? Many may remember him when he took a stand against the previous damage incurred by CC ABQ.
Linnea, the name does strike a bell – will join you in prayer. …