Grief

"While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, 'The Chaldeans
formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them
off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has
escaped to tell you!'

While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, 'Your
sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's
house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the
four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and
I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!'

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he
fell to the ground in worship and said: 'Naked I came from my mother's
womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.'

In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." - Job
1:17-22

This came to mind as while pondering the carnage in Mumbai over the last
few days. We grieve with India, but there is so little we can do.

For Job, bands of foreign terrorists unexpectedly attacked, killing Jobs
servants and stealing his property, while another tragedy killed all his
children. There are so many reactions to unexpected and wanton destruction.

The Bible says that Job's friends wept, sat on the ground, and accompanied
Job for seven days and nights without saying a word (Job 2:11-13). Job
and his friends could have raged against the Sabeans and Chaldeans, but
instead we find them reflecting on the nature of God and our relationship
to our Creator. It is easy to pass condemnation on someone, but so hard
to just say, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of
the Lord be praised".

HIGHLIGHTED PRAYER OF THE WEEK
From the latest news, it seems that much of India, like America after 9/11,
is responding with anger. Pray that God would cause all of us to pause
and ponder our Creator instead, but hopefully in a way that honors Him for
the blessings He has given us, rather than those which we no longer have.
Pray that God would bring comfort to those who lost loved ones in Mumbai
over the last few days. Pray that God would teach us better how to respond
to Him and to others who are grieving over losses. Finally, we should always
remember that we too were enemies of God, but God loved us while we were
still sinners and sent Jesus to die for us (Romans 5:8). May we always
give thanks to the Lord for this and strive to be forgiving of others as
Christ has forgiven us.

PRAY FOR OUR CONGREGATION
We are trying to re-enter the story of Christmas and celebrate it differently
this year: Worship More, Spend Less, Give More, Love All. Pray that we'll
find a way to live out Christmasùas a church with our own familiesùin a
way that will help Christmas "change the world" again.

Give thanks for the new little ones God is bringing into the world and pray
for the health of the children and parents: Little Darius who just arrive,
and there is a little girl who is still comfortably inside of his mother
Kathy. Pray for the Hui's as they are about to have another addition to
the clan that they would all be healthy and able to adjust to the new work
load.

Ponder the Winter Retreat and pray for this also - pray for your involvement
as well as the involvement of others. The experience and memories from
these are always a blessing as we grow closer to the Lord while getting
to know each other better, but it always seems like such an easy thing to
shove aside and say to ourselves, "I will do it next time". How about this
time?

Pray that others from our congregation will join us in by signing up for
the prayer list and participating.

PRAY FOR THE REST OF OUR CHURCH
The Mandarin group is planning to hold evangelical meetings during the
Christmas Holidays season. Pray that God's hand would be with them as they
reach out to others to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The Cantonese congregation has two sisters who are facing life challenges:
Mui Kwok who is recovering from a heart attack and Hon Ying who just returned
from the hospital. May God comfort them, grant them a quick recovery, and
provide for their families during this period.

Time to plan for next year's Taiwan mission trip! Pray for the planning
of this and that God would be preparing His mission field in Taiwan and
our church to participate..
PRAY ABOUT HOW GOD IS LEADING YOU ON HIS MISSION
PRAY FOR THREE (3) OF YOUR UN-CHURCHED FRIENDS/FAMILY

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Amen