December 30, 2015
Merry 6th Day of Christmas to all! As the season of Christmas continues, I offer you this Christmas Prayer:
God of all Creation,
Who comes to earth in the form of a vulnerable child,
We wonder again, with amazement, at your actions.
We who long to be independent; who long to be invincible;
Have much to learn from you who chose mortality.
The mystery of Christmas stuns us once again:
That you would choose to live among those relegated to the barn,
That you would choose to depend on others to meet your needs
That you would choose the limits of humanity, that we might know the love of the divine.
The mystery of Christmas is that you indeed dwell among us
In the midst of all our drama, all our short-sightedness, all our self-absorption,
That you come to us, as we are – vulnerable and dependent
And completely loved by you.
If we can accept your outrageous claim,
We will be able to transcend our limitations and love others.
The mystery of Christmas is that your love breaks through.
May we know this mystery anew, as we continue to celebrate your birth.
Amen.
Allison
Prayers of the Congregation
- All Who Are Grieving
- Nedra Hathaway as she recuperates from surgery
- George and Sandra Lee for George’s brother, Herbert
- Declan and Sheila Brown for Baby Henry, parents and grandparents
- Joel Reyes for his father entering hospice care
- Mary Anderson for her caregivers and her healing
- Cecil White
- Michele Austin for her father
- Doris and Ted Evans
- Katrina Lau (health concerns)
- Virginia Damretsky (Greenridge Care Facility, El Sobrante)
- Edie Parrott as she recuperates (at home)
- Sandra Dunn for her family and for herself
- Kay Baxter – encouragement for Stacey, continued recovery for Jamie, continued strength for Kay
- Cordia Lee – strength for John and Paige, healing for Christopher, unity for Alta Bates -Summit, thanksgiving in all things
- Gloria and Phil Meads – school success for Alfonso
- Marie Johnson for her co-workers and their families and for Donnie and Nicole as they prepare for the birth of Donald Lee Johnson III
- Roy Browner and Al Johnson for Roy’s family (his sister is very ill)
- Joan Patten for Peter and Paula
- Sydney Webster for her cousin Symba
- All who are traveling
- Ann Fields for the family of Jenoise as they mourn her death, for friends Valerie and Jenoise, for her family
- Yvonne Young for justice and peace in the world and for justice in family matters
- Our Sponsor-A-Family Ministry
- The Muhler family (friends of the Hopkins and Ash families) as they mourn the death of Dede
- Alean Saunders-Coffey for the Gaskin and Dunn families
- The Seafarers Ministry of the Golden Gate and all to whom they minister
Announcements
Next Sunday is Epiphany Sunday. Join us as we sing the last hymns of the Christmas season and celebrate the journey of the Magi. Pastor Jim’s sermon, referencing Matthew 2:1-12, is “The Star Still Shines, The Star Still Guides.” Please stay after church and help us take down and store away the Christmas decorations. An hour of TLC for our church home would be greatly appreciated.