Welcome to a Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg
Tribute in Light Memorial (2004)
Here is our Order of Worship
9 / 11 Memorial Prayer link
On the morning of September 11 2001, 2,976 people from 93 nations lost their lives in New York, at the Pentagon, and on Flight 93.
Today, fifteen years on, we pause to remember that moment of horror and pray for those left scarred by those terrible events."
We remember the first time we heard the news.
We recall the first time we saw those images.
We remember the way our thoughts and prayers were with those families who lost loved ones.
Our thoughts and prayers are with them again today.
O God of Comfort – fifteen years have passed.
Yesterday, today and forever;
let your love and peace endure.
We remember those who survived.
We recall their heart-breaking stories.
We remember that their lives are forever scarred by those moments.
Our thoughts and prayers are with them again today.
O God of Healing – fifteen years have passed.
Yesterday, today and forever;
let your love and peace endure.
We remember the pain we felt.
We recall the bereavement and bitterness of the aftermath.
We remember that you are a God of redemption and restoration.
Help us forgive those who caused so much trauma, and that we may find release in that forgiveness.
O God of forgiveness – fifteen years have passed.
Yesterday, today and forever;
let your love and peace endure.
We remember that you love the world.
We recall you sent your Son to bring reconciliation and salvation.
We remember your Spirit inhabits your Church.
Help us bring your comfort and peace to all.
O God of hope – fifteen years have passed.
Yesterday, today and forever;
let your love and peace endure.
Prayer of Confession link
Loving and gracious God, you are so patient with us.
We run away, and you seek us.
We make foolish choices, and you teach us the better way.
We hurt you and others, and instead of hurting us back, you forgive us.
Help us, we pray; help us reveal your glory and goodness in our living,
That we will bear the imprint of Christ throughout the world. Amen.
Scripture Reading: Luke 12:31 (NASB Bible Gateway)
But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace
Saint Francis of Assisi link
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console,
not so much to be understood as to understand,
not so much to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.
Benediction
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father,
who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,
comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
Prayer Requests and Needs:
*Dee from The Wartburg Watch. Ailing elderly relatives in hospital. Lots of responsiblities. Pray for her husband and family.
*Tim Fall (blogger and commenter here sometimes). His 92 year old father has moved closer to Tim and his wife after a head injury from a fall, surgery, and hospitalization. Please pray for Tim’s dad’s recovery, physical therapy, etc. For the stress level that Tim and his wife have been under and other family as they attend to his dad.
*NMGirl. For provision. She needs work, money, and a new roof for her home which she can’t afford.
*Ishy. For the sale of their home.
*Former CLCer. Recovering from eye surgery. For ability to do job while dealing with healing eye. (Praise: Successful surgery.)
*Billy in Texas and his mom Marquis. (Dee wrote about this Texas case.) Billy has started high school. He and his mom continue to need, and appreciate, financial contributions to the GoFundMe account that Dee set up for their food, gas, and other bills.
Billy is growing and is a young man and likes to eat nutritious food. Thank you.
Here’s the link to contribute: https://www.gofundme.com/pxs5dk
*Jeannette Altes. She needs $440 in her gofundme account to pay monthly bills. She is being treated for a tumor, was laid off from her job, and is looking for work. She also needs help buying food. Thank you. https://www.gofundme.com/ljahelp
*Nick in the UK. For his Diabetes to be under control, etc. He made a nice post about this and about how he (and many of us) try different things until they work.
*Harley. In Texas. Recovering from bone fusion surgery.
*Anyone else I missed for prayer needs, please post. Thank you. We also use the Open Discussion thread for prayer requests.
^Clarifiction: Harley had foot surgery.
Thank you for this help, VELOUR.
Christiane wrote:
You are welcome, Christiane. Thank you for always being someone I can count on to pray for the needs of others! I love you, friend!
@ Velour:
Love you back, and pray for you. Am so thankful for your strong gift of compassion for people who suffer.
@ Velour:
Thanks for keeping these prayer requests coming, Velour.
Velour wrote:
We have moved my parents to supportive living and are trying to get their house cleaned up to put on the market.
My father was diagnosed with dementia in July of 2015 and his financial situation shows it. 5 liens against their house by the IRS. It is a mess.
Also, while I’m going through this, the husband and I have finally decided to call it quits after nearly 30 years of marriage. But we are holding off until we get him through his workman’s comp situation and my parents situation under control.
Lots of gory details I’m leaving out. But our marriage has been struggling for years. With our last child off to college and this stuff going on with my parents I no longer have a reason or any strength to hold things together.
@ Mara:
Keeping you in my prayers.
@ Mara:
Mara, you have my prayers most certainly. Been there with parents needing to move to assisted living, their home to be brought up to ‘code’ for sale, and the process of selling it. None of this is easy, but on top of it, you are bearing another terrible burden. God give you strength and inner peace at this time.
@ Deb:
🙂
@ Christiane:
Thanks.
Tim wrote:
Welcome, Tim. (AKA Mtn Shepherdess on Twitter.)
Deb wrote:
Me too, Mara. And for your husband. And for your family. And the IRS issue.
If there are any resources your parents have, or siblings who could help out with this,
hire a good tax attorney (estate planning).
I also refer people to Debtors Anonymous for help regarding debt, under earning, stressors around money, and self-care. They have in person meetings in most major urban areas.
They also have phone-in meetings.
http://www.debtorsanonymous.org/
Velour wrote:
Thanks. I think we are beyond this.
We are trying to get my parents on Medicaid to pay for their supportive living and having those 5 liens might actually work in their favor at this point.
It was just a shock to find out how bad things really were. And I have a brother and wonderful sister-in-law helping me though they live a state away.
The parents needed to move to supportive living way before they did. They fought it and insisting they could stay in their home, all the while the big, old house, it stairs and upkeep, was slowly killing them both.
The hardest part is having to focus all my time on that ginormous task rather than figuring out how to best end this marriage in such a way that neither husband nor I are financially devastated. It is and has always been a stressful relationship.
@ Mara:
Keeping you on prayer, Mara. Sorry to hear you are dealing with so much at one time.
@ Mara:
I’m glad you have support from your brother and sister-in-law in dealing with your folks.
I’m sorry you’re going through all of this, including having a marriage that has always been stressful and needs to end.
I just got my copy of Love Warrior, that Glennon Doyle Melton book that is Orpah’s book club book. Glennon discusses tough issues, including marriage. (I needed to do some new things and joining a book club to discuss with other readers is a positive for me.)