With the Prayer God of New Life You Are Invited to Respond

(Congregation may be invited to be seated for prayer.)

With the prayer “God of new life” you are invited to respond

HEAR OUR PRAYER

1. Led by the Spirit, let us join the whole people of God in Christ Jesus in praying for the church, those in need and all of God’s creation

A brief period of silence.

1. May the new Fall programs of this congregation and of each congregation enhance the faith and the discipleship of their members. In particular we pray for our partner Anglican Church of Canada and for the congregations of our BC Synod. At this time we pray for Faith Lutheran Church in Powell River and their pastor,Brenda Nestegaard Paul; and for Our Saviors Lutheran in Prince George, and their pastor, Fleming Blishen. May the mission of this congregation, with its ongoing ministries of stewardship, fellowship, outreach and worship lead each of us to be beacons of your love.

God of new life: HEAR OUR PRAYER.

1. For the leaders of this world: for presidents, prime ministers, premiers, mayors, elected representatives, and heads of corporations, we pray that you would inspire them to do and to speak out for what is right and just even if it looks foolish in the eyes of their friends.

God of new life: HEAR OUR PRAYER.

1. For all who suffer in mind and body, for those who are bullied, for the brokenhearted, the sick and the dying give all the encouragement of your presence and the assurance of your care. We pray especially for those we name aloud or quietly at this time ….

Help us in this coming week to respond to those who are suffering.

God of new life: HEAR OUR PRAYER

1. God, we thank you those special and unexpected blessings throughout our life:

- we thank you for the gift of a suffering Lord who in his suffering offered hope to the world;

- we thank you for friends who have encouraged us in our pain and in our suffering;

- we thank you at this time for those who have known the gift of another birthday, another anniversary, or

the gift of new life;

- finally, we thank you for those special blessings we name at this time….

God of new life: HEAR OUR PRAYER.

1. We pray for all creation: for seeds that are sown, fields that are harvested, winds that blow, rains that fall, animals that roam, and for the fruit of the earth. Fill us with thanksgiving for all the gifts of your creation.

God of new life: HEAR OUR PRAYER.

1. We thank you for the blessed dead, for those who died alone and those who died tragically, and for thosefor gave their lives as they sought to care for the victims of the ebola virus. And we thank you for those whose memories continue to bless us. May the day come when we and all the saints are lifted in glory without sin, without suffering and without disease.

God of new life: HEAR OUR PRAYER.

1. Into your loving hands, gracious God, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your abundant mercy through Jesus Christ our savior AMEN.

Numbers 21:4b-9

4From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea,* to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. 5The people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.’ 6Then the Lord sent poisonous* serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7The people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. 8And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a poisonous* serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.’ 9So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

Praise the Judge of the World

1 Corinthians 1:18-24

Christ the Power and Wisdom of God

18For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written,
‘I will destroy the wisdom of thewise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’
20Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

John 3:13-17

13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.*14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.*

17‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.