PLC’s prayer blog (week of December 2, 2013)

An Advent hymn/prayer: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

by John Mason Neale and Henry Sloane Coffin

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to thee o Israel!

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

O come, Thou Wisdom, from on high, and order all things far and nigh;
to us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go. R.

O come, o come, Thou Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times did give the law, in cloud, and majesty, and awe.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse’s stem, from ev’ry foe deliver them
that trust Thy mighty power to save, and give them vict’ry o’er the grave.

O come, Thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heav’nly home,
make safe the way that leads on high, that we no more have cause to sigh.

O come, Thou Dayspring from on high, and cheer us by thy drawing nigh;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death’s dark shadow put to flight.

O come, Desire of the nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind;
bid every strife and quarrel cease and fill the world with heaven’s peace.

 

Prayers for the week…

As Presbyterians who are for renewal:

It is with grief tempered by faith that we celebrate the life of our colleague Henry Greene. His memorial service is livestreamed here:

As people of the world:

• As neighbors and citizens: Pray for your neighbors, that when they see the “baby in a manger” in nativity scenes, their heart would be inclined to ask, “What’s all the fuss about a baby?” Then, having asked that question, pray that the Spirit and the Word would join together to bring them to Jesus, the light of the world. The same Jesus who was laid in a manger was also raised up on a cross — and Christmas can be a point of entry for Gospel light.
• Pray pro-life prayers. Pray for women who have undergone an abortion but now live with shame and regret over that decision — or for the men who assisted in bringing the woman to come to that decision about the child they had fathered. Pray that they would look to Jesus for His mercy and forgiveness.
  • Continue to pray for people throughout the world who have been hit by weather and water and natural disasters this year. Pray for their physical survival and comfort. Pray for these trials and devastations to be used to bring them to the arms of the Creator … the God in the Whirlwind (Job 38:1).
  • Continued prayers for the people of Syria and for Christians caught in the crossfire: http://www.pcusa.org/news/2013/11/18/children-killed-attack-near-damascus-church-and-sc/

Pray for the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) ministry taking place at the University of Alabama — Huntsville — led by Reid Jones:

Reid and Kelli Jones, together with their 2-year-old Lucy, recently moved to the Huntsville area all the way from West Jordan, Utah, where Reid was an assistant pastor at a PCA church in the Salt Lake Valley. Since they arrived, the Jones family expanded to four as they recently welcomed their second daughter, Jordan.

The Joneses are glad to be back in their home state of Alabama after several years of being away for a few different ministry opportunities. Reid and Kelli met while attending Troy University (Go Trojans!) more than 10 years ago, and they’ve been married for seven years. Reid received his Masters of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) in Charlotte in 2010.

They are excited to be working with RUF, serving the students on the campus of UAHuntsville!

 

 

Using the 2013 “watchlist” produced by Open Doors, we pray for the persecuted Christians of a different country each week.

Teachers/parents, consider this a great way to introduce geography into the weekly lessons. Show students where the nation is, then pray for Christians in that place.

This week we pray for the Christians of Malaysia, which ranks No. 45 on the watchlist.

Being Malay is synonymous with being Muslim. Chinese or Indian citizens can choose their religion, but it is almost impossible for a Malay Muslim to convert to Christianity. Yet still Muslims come to know Christ. Officially, the constitution provides religious freedom. However, in recent years, judges have offered personal interpretations of parts of the constitution. People who want to change their religious affiliation on their ID cards from Islam to anything else now have to go to Sharia courts.

PRAY:

• For Muslim-background believers (MBB); once discovered, an MBB can be sent to a re-education center until they agree to reconvert
• For church leaders who have to be very cautious as their services are watched
• Outreach to Muslims is strictly forbidden. Pray that persecuted Christians will have courage and wisdom to know how to share their faith.

Prayer for the nation – focusing this week on South Carolina.

• Prayers for the PCUSA: Pray for the presbyteries of the Synod of Covenant: Cincinnati, Detroit, Eastminster, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Mackinac, Maumee Valley, Miami Valley, Muskingum Valley, Scioto Valley and Western Reserve.

• Prayers for Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC): Pacific (Ron Bengelink, Stated clerk).

• Prayers for the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA): the churches of the Fellowship Presbytery (parts of South Carolina).

• Prayers for ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.

• Prayers for The Fellowship of Presbyterians.