Strength

Psalm 124 New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 124

A song of ascents. Of David.

1 If the Lord had not been on our side—
    let Israel say—
2 if the Lord had not been on our side
    when people attacked us,
3 they would have swallowed us alive
    when their anger flared against us;
4 the flood would have engulfed us,
    the torrent would have swept over us,
5 the raging waters
    would have swept us away.

6 Praise be to the Lord,
    who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird
    from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
    and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

Through our Christmas Alternatives, St. Mark Presbyterian supports two PC USA mission families.  They are there helping those who need someone by their side to guide them in farming and developing income.  For more information on the Hare family, click here and the Koballs, click here

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Hope

LIGHTING THE ADVENT WREATH  

   

Reader 1    Watch and wait for Christ’s coming!  Light candles of hope, peace, joy, and love, remembering the promises of God with prayer.  We light this candle in hope.

Reader 2    Hear God’s promise of hope from Jeremiah 33:14-16:

                  “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.  In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.  In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety.  And this is the name by which it will be called:  “The Lord is our righteousness.”

All             Faithful God, out of death you bring life.  Renew us in hope, that we maybe alert to the burgeoning of Christ’s advent among us.  God of promise, God of hope, into our darkness come.

Advent Devotional: God Lifts the Lowly

About the devotional "God Lifts the Lowly"

When planning Presbyterians Today’s 2018 Advent devotional, verse 52 from Mary’s Song of Praise, also known as The Magnificat, which is found in Luke 1, kept coming to me: He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.

I began thinking about those times God had lifted me. I began thinking about those who have gifted me with their songs of praise — beautiful notes of God looking on them with mercy. I also thought about our world so in need of a Savior. And so, this year’s devotional is for you, for your friends and family, for the stranger next door — it’s a reminder that God has a song for us all.

Just ask Andrew Weatherly, who wrote the poems and created the artwork for this devotional. Andrew was in my Sunday school class while I was interning at a church during seminary. Even then, I could see more to him than his disability. Born with Down syndrome, Andrew hasn’t let anything stop him, and he now uses his art to raise awareness of the capabilities of those with special needs.

Krin Van Tatenhove joins me in writing this devotional, sharing his thoughts in Weeks 1 and 2. The father of a son with autism, Krin knows what it is like to fight “the system” so that his son can have the same opportunities as those who are labeled “normal.”

As for me, this project is close to my heart. I have a special-needs brother who struggles to find his place in the world. His time of Advent waiting seems endless at times, but God is working on his song of praise. May this devotional, inspired by Mary’s song, be an Advent blessing to you. May it be the reminder we all need that no matter what, God lifts us up.

Donna Frischknecht Jackson Editor, Presbyterians Today

To download this devotional provided by, Presbyterian Mission PC USA, click here or you can find it in the centerfold of Presbyterians Today magazine

Daily Prayer for Nov. 30

FRIDAY

God is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for God's good pleasure.

Zechariah 14:1-11; Romans 15:7-13; Luke 19:28-40

God our creator, yours is the morning and yours is the evening. Let Christ the sun of righteousness shine forever in our hearts and draw us to that light where you live in radiant glory. O Lord, our creator, by your holy prophet you taught your ancient people to seek the welfare of the cities in which they lived. We commend our neighborhood to your care, that it might be kept free from social strife and decay. Give us strength of purpose and concern for others, that we may create here a community of justice and peace where your will may be done God of glory, you see how all creation groans in labor as it awaits redemption. As we work for and await your new creation, we trust that you will answer our prayers with grace, and fulfill your promise that all things work together for good for those who love you. (Add your prayers.) Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

(Opening sentences, prayers, and blessings are from the Book of Common Worship. Readings are from the daily lectionary in Daily Prayer. Both are published by Westminster/John Knox Press.)

Advent Bags

 The Caregiving Committee at St. Mark Presbyterian assembled Advent bags for many of our elderly members.  Sara L. made lovely bags in which we placed a wrapped item for each day in Advent. Items included ornaments, candy canes, hand lotion, mugs with hot chocolate, a Christmas card, cookies, lip balm, gum, tea, tic-tacs----25 items in all---one to be opened each day.

They will then be delivered to members living in Senior housing---those who don't get the Care Meals which we provide twice a year to our elderly living in their own homes. Our Caregiving Committee also assists at funerals and sends out cards.

Christmas Alternatives

Luke 6:30-31 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Because we are blessed with many material possessions, when Christmas comes around, we encounter a huge challenge selecting gifts for family and friends. Finding the perfect gift for someone who has many wonderful possessions is a difficult task! With this in mind, in 2001 the newly formed Mission Committee at St. Mark created “Christmas Alternatives.” 

After much research the Mission Committee selected three international and four national missions to support during the first St. Mark Christmas Alternatives. A shopping list was created that included items such as: school supplies, chickens and other animals, scholarships to train nurses, vaccinations for villages, drilling a water well and more. Purchasing a gift through Christmas Alternatives not only honored the recipient, but also aided other deserving people.

During Christmas Alternatives 2018, you will be able to give support to our mission co-workers Jed Koball in Peru and Mark Hare in Haiti. You might select to purchase ducks, goats or seeds for farmers in Haiti. Perhaps the person you honor with a gift would appreciate knowing that their gift would be building a well, supporting a health clinic or training a nurse. Medical Benevolence Foundation and Marion Medical Mission will apply your gift to make this possible. This is our third year with “Give a Child Christmas” a component that we developed with Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services. This gift allows children to celebrate Christmas at a modestly priced restaurant and receive a gift of new clothing such as a sweater or shirt.

Thank you for your support during the past 17 years. Our displays will be in the Narthex in December. We look forward to helping you select the perfect gift!

Scripture for Nov. 25

John 18:33-37 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Stained glass window of Christ the King, Tipperary, Ireland 33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters[a] again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”  Footnotes: John 18:33 Gk the praetorium New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Daily Prayer for November 23

FRIDAY

Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Malachi 3:1-12; James 5:7-12; Luke 18:1-8

O God, whose presence is veiled from our eyes: Grant that when we do not recognize you, our hearts may burn within us, and when feeling is lost, we may cling in faith to your Word and the power of bread broken. Eternal God of unchanging power and light, look with mercy on your whole church. Bring to completion your saving work, so that the whole world may see the fallen lifted up, the old made new, and all things brought to perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. God of grace and hope, we thank you for life, love, and good memories, for the gift of age, and for the wisdom that comes from experience. We bless you for your constant presence, for with you there is fullness of joy. Give us the courage and faith to accept life as it comes, confident that the future is yours and that we belong to you forever. (Add your prayers.) Amen.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

(Opening sentences, prayers, and blessings are from the Book of Common Worship. Readings are from the daily lectionary in Daily Prayer. Both are published by Westminster/John Knox Press.)

Worship Prayers from Nov. 25

CENTERING PRAYER  "Gracious God,help me to receive this day as gift: in the tasks for which I do not feel prepared, in the needs I am not strong enough to meet.  In my caution and in my confidence teach me to listen for your voice and to watch for your provision.  Grant me the gift of life in community, that I might witness your desire flowing through others, that I might be joined to greater service, for I pray in the name of Jesus, whose every breath was praise.  Amen."

CALL TO WORSHIP

Grace to you and peace from the one who is and who was and who is to come,

        and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead,

        and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.                                        

           The whole earth is full of God’s glory.

Come!  Let us worship our King together!

                                                                           

   PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Eternal God, we confess we fail to seek your will.  You come to us in glory, yet we hide our faces from you.  You speak to us in truth, but we close our hearts to your word.  Forgive us, God of grace.  Release us from sin, restore our lives, and rule in our hearts, this day and always; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  (Silent Confession)

SCRIPTURE READING                                                           John 18:33-37

                                                                                                                   

  For the Sermon "Who is the New What", Click here.

Thanksgiving for Earth's Bounty

Psalm 65:5-13 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Corn Harvest

5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
    O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
    and of the farthest seas.
6 By your[a] strength you established the mountains;
    you are girded with mi
7 You silence the roaring of the seas,

    the roaring of their waves,
    the tumult of the peoples.
8 Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

9 You visit the earth and water it,
    you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
    you provide the people with grain,
    for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
    settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
    and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
    your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
    the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
    the valleys deck themselves with grain,
    they shout and sing together for joy.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 65:6 Gk Jerome: Heb his

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.