Prayer of Adoration, January 11, 2015

Heavenly Father, today we gather to worship You as our creator. The one who loved us even before the world began. We thank you God for how the Water reminds us of new beginnings.

Today, God, we worship You as our refuge and our strength. Just as you made the way for your people in the Old Testament, You do the same for us today. Make a way, Lord, where there seems to be no way.

Today, we worship Jesus as your only son and our only way to your perfect love.  We praise you for your steadfast love in providing the sacrifice for our sins. We will not take that for granted and will hold Jesus ever closer in our hearts and fix our eyes on His example.

Finally, God, we praise you for the living water and the living Word that guides us in our walk with you. 

Please speak to us today.  Make us one in Your love and prepare us to shine for you.

In Jesus' name I pray,

Amen

Prayer of Adoration
The Lord's Baptism Sunday
January 11, 2015

Prayer of adoration- April 19, 2015

Father,
We come to you this morning as witnesses-those who have seen and know that Christ arose victorious! Let us live as those who have seen and KNOW that Christ is victorious.

We praise you Lord for setting us apart for your purposes and your ways. Just as a tender plant will lean to light to gather all that it can....Let us lean in to hear your voice and obey your Word so that we may find peace in our lives and impact the lives of those around us.

Thank you God that you HEAR us and that you are the one and only in whom we can put our trust.

Father, today as we contemplate the victory Jesus has over the grave, and over sin, and over all the trials we may face, let us find a time of refreshing. Give us a renewed sense of your resurrection power in our lives TODAY.

Fill this place with your love and let the Holy Spirit move in our hearts to prod us on--to walk in victory with our Lord!

In his name we pray,
Amen

Prayer of Adoration
April 19, 2015
Fernwood Baptist Church

Children's Sermon-Creating Beloved Community

Children’s Sermon~ Relating to the Traveling Exhibit of Photos Showcasing the Ministries of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship through Global Missions

Begin with a discussion of the idea of KINGDOM as God’s intent for the way people love. God wants us to live in a way that shows that we love God and love one another. Even though we sometimes treat each other wrongly, forgiveness and care for each other can make God’s dream come true in our world.

Relate to how parents care for us and how we treat others in our family.

This resonates with the ways the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) lives out a commitment to creating BELOVED community. (quiz them to see if they recall what CBF stands for)

Here is a good way to remember what BELOVED means: 

1. You BELONG to God and His world family.
2. You are LOVED by God and we show His love by caring for one another in the family.

Draw attention to three gift boxes. Discuss how receiving a gift is one way we feel we belong and are loved.

Open your boxes— Inside your box is a description of one of the concepts of how CBF helps us live out our commitment to create beloved community around the world. Please read your description aloud.

1. The gospel invites us to follow Jesus’ model of caring and welcoming all people. Forming beloved community compels us to offer radical hospitality to outsiders, because we were once outsiders.
2. The gospel calls us to acts of reconciliation because Christ has broken down walls that divide people.
3. Community grows from our life together in the local church where we seek to be like Christ and seek to use the gifts He has given us to help each other along the way.

Keep thinking this week about how we can help other people around us know that they are part of God’s beloved community.
They BELONG
And they are LOVED.

Offertory Prayer-November 18, 2018

Today in our flow of worship, we have offered praise, adoration, and confession. We have received pardon and a word of encouragement. We have bathed in His Word and been challenged by His Spirit. Now, we come to a time for us to respond- to look for ways to apply this challenge, give around the edges, and join God's story.

Let us pray:

Oh God of hope and peace, help us this day to trust in you. Overflow our hearts with the power of the Holy Spirit and provoke us to obey. Thank you for the best of gifts that are ours from Your hand-those you give us so freely with such generosity. We cast our cares on You and seek diligently to walk in your way. Today, we make known our needs to you. Help us love unconditionally and openly as we make all things good our goal so that we let truth and righteousness and grace in peace possess our souls so that we reflect who You are in our service to you and in our giving of tithes and offerings so that Fernwood can shine our light-your light of hope and peace to all.
In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Prayer structured around the text of the anthem "The Best of Gifts" by K. Lee Scott.