Prayer & Praise
Collect
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
1 Samuel 3:1-20
Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.
At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.
Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, âHere I am!â and ran to Eli and said, âHere I am, for you called me.â But he said, âI did not call; lie down again.â So he went and lay down.
And the Lord called again, âSamuel!â and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, âHere I am, for you called me.â But he said, âI did not call, my son; lie down again.â Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, âHere I am, for you called me.â Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, âGo, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, âSpeak, Lord, for your servant hears.ââ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, âSamuel! Samuel!â And Samuel said, âSpeak, for your servant hears.â Then the Lord said to Samuel, âBehold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.â
Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, âSamuel, my son.â And he said, âHere I am.â And Eli said, âWhat was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.â So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, âIt is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.â
And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord.
Ps 63:1-12
O God, you are my God; * early will I seek you.
My soul thirsts for you, my flesh also longs after you, * in a barren and dry land where there is no water.
Thus I have looked upon you in your holy place, * that I might behold your power and glory.
For your loving-kindness is better than life itself; * my lips shall praise you.
As long as I live I will magnify you, * and lift up my hands in your Name.
My soul shall be satisfied, as with marrow and fatness, * when my mouth praises you with joyful lips.
When I remember you on my bed, * I meditate on you in the watches of the night.
Because you have been my helper, * therefore under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.
My soul clings to you; * your right hand has upheld me.
Those who seek to destroy my life * shall go down into the earth.
Let them fall upon the edge of the sword, * that they may be a portion for jackals.
But the King shall rejoice in God; all those who swear by him shall be commended, * for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
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 1 Corinthians 6:9-20
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
âAll things are lawful for me,â but not all things are helpful. âAll things are lawful for me,â but I will not be dominated by anything. âFood is meant for the stomach and the stomach for foodââand God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, âThe two will become one flesh.â But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
John 1:43-51
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, âFollow me.â Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, âWe have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.â Nathanael said to him, âCan anything good come out of Nazareth?â Philip said to him, âCome and see.â Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, âBehold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!â Nathanael said to him, âHow do you know me?â Jesus answered him, âBefore Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.â Nathanael answered him, âRabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!â Jesus answered him, âBecause I said to you, âI saw you under the fig tree,â do you believe? You will see greater things than these.â And he said to him, âTruly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.â
please remember in prayer
Dan from Georgia -My father-in-law passed away earlier this afternoon due to COVID-19. He was 77. Prayers appreciated for wife and I and my sister-in-law and her daughter.
Captain Kevin -Please continue to pray for my GI issues. Seems to be getting worse. Trying to get in to a clinic or a dr who will charge on a sliding scale. Many just arenât taking new patients due to Covid.
Mike E.-May I ask for prayer for my daughter and her young family? There are four of them. They all have Covid. My grandsons, a13-year-old and a one-year-old have Covid, as do both her mother and father.
Duane Arnold -Please pray for the repose of the soul of Sir Brian Urquhart, a friend from New York days who has died at 101. A founding member of the United Nations, he was the intelligence officer who tried to prevent the Arnhem campaign in WWII. A lifelong and faithful Anglican, he lived out his faith in managing peace keeping operations around the world.
Duane Arnold â my mother is in assisted living. Current statistics
113 residents
56 recoveries from Covid
22 deaths from Covid
0 Testing positive today
The staff are heroic..
Martin Lutherâs Disciple â my 96 yr old mother in law is in a similar situation in SoCal.
Jlo â my niece and her husband both have covid. My niece is recovering her case was mild. Her husband Aaron is having a tougher time of it. Has a persistent cough and fever. He has new meds today so hopefully he has a breakthrough.
Michael â Ray Garza is in the hospital with Covid 19
Michael â Tom Stipe is in the hospital with kidney failure from sepsis
Captain Kevin â 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 â 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.
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
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
sarahmorgan – .my Dec surgery was cancelled and rescheduled to January, and now due to continuing covid cases overwhelming the county, the January date has now also been cancelled and I was told it will be several weeks before they can talk about setting a new dateâŠ.last fall, when I learned I needed surgery, I asked, âCan this wait until spring?â and was told that there were too many red flags for possible cancer for that to be a good idea.
Sarah, continuing to pray for you
Joining in prayer for Sarah – you, too, Captain