Amber Congregational Church
Loving relationships that are committed to God, accountable to each other, involved in Christ’s transforming work in our world.
Praying the Psalms for One Another
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Using the pamphlet "Praying the Psalms Daily" and combining it with our "2022 Amber Church Prayer Reminder" which lists all the members of the church family, we encourage you to pray for each other every day. Below is the list of daily Psalms and the office or mission and the individual for each day. Perhaps after praying for the person of the day you could call, text or email them and let them know you prayed for them.
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September
1 Psalm 63:1-11 Minister – Jack and Janet Seymour
2 Psalm 64:1-10 Elders – Mel Simmons - Jenn Lawton
3 Psalm 65:1-13 Trustees – David and Roxann Bailer
4 Psalm 66:1-2 Clerk – Scott Trendowski
5 Psalm 67:1-7 Treasurer – Andy and Linda Henderson – Alex Henderson
6 Psalm 68:1-35 Financial Secretary – Jason Wright
7 Psalm 69:1-36 Ministerial Relations Chair – Jenny Wright, Alex Wright
8 Psalm 70:1-5 Worship Director – Jim Seymour – Andrew Henderson
9 Psalm 71:1-24 Worship Services – David Angelo. – Dawn Grace Simmons
10 Psalm 72:1-20 Sunday School – Chuck and Sue Ellen Harris
11 Psalm 73:1-28 Bible Studies – Teal Trendowski – Karen Swierk
12 Psalm 74:1-23 Youth Group – Mike and Cheryl Curtis
13 Psalm 75:1-10 Christian Education Director – Kim Vile
14 Psalm 76:1-12 Men’s Club – Mark and Brenda Henderson
15 Psalm 77:1-20 Women’s Fellowship – Rick and Lois Chaffee
16 Psalm 78:1-16 Church Growth – Garrett Crysler – Dan and Alex Southard
17 Psalm 78:17-55 Outreach Director – Rich and Lisa McVicar
18 Psalm 78:56-72 CCCC – Viola Darling
19 Psalm 79:1-13 CNY Congregational Churches – Adele Reagan
20 Psalm 80:1-19 Neighboring Churches – Barbara D’Aiutolo
21 Psalm 81:1-16 WMHR (Wayne Taylor) – Jeff and Debi Southard
22 Psalm 82:1-8 RBC Ministries – Jim and Gail Frary
23 Psalm 83:1-18 His Mansion – Matthew Henderson
24 Psalm 84:1-12 Teams 4 Medical Missions (John Heater) – Marilyn Fish
25 Psalm 85:1-13 New Hope (Kathy Jerman) – Dave and Kristin Heath
26 Psalm 86:1-17 Men’s and Women’s Conferences – Laura Isgar
27 Psalm 87:1-7 Search Committee – Nancy Barber
28 Psalm 88:1-18 Schools for Haiti (Carla Flesch) – Faith Stopyro
29 Psalm 89:1-18 Adult & Teen Challenge (Dave Pilch) – Carole Ianuzi
30 Psalm 89:19-37 The ShoreLight – Mike Wheeler
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Prayers for the Day – September 10, 2024
Psalm 72:1-20
Our prayer-psalm begins with the superscription “of Solomon” and ends with the note “This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse” (72:20). How can both be true? Well, the superscription may mean it was written by Solomon or perhaps about Solomon, and verse 20 registers the end of the work of collection that David was doing of the Psalms at that point. Not all of the first 72 Psalms were written by him, and in fact he wrote some of those numbered between 73 and 150. The collection of prayer-psalms was organized into five books. Psalm 72 concludes Books I and II.
Our prayer is really very appropriate for Solomon and reflects his desires to be the kind of King that God would want him to be. 1 Kings 3 tells the story of his request of God to be a wise and discerning leader. God was pleased with his prayer and granted him wisdom beyond his years. Psalm 72 sounds very much like that story. “Endow the king with your justice…with your righteousness. May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice” (72:1-2). The newer edition of the NIV makes all of these lines requests whereas the older edition makes them statements. “He will defend the afflicted” becomes “May he defend the afflicted” (72:4) and so on. It is a good reminder that our prayers are to be requests of God and not demands that he must grant.
The result of becoming the person God calls us to be is that others are also benefited. Because “he will deliver the needy who cry out…and take pity on the weak…and rescue them from oppression and violence” then they in turn will pray “May his name endure forever, may it continue as long as the sun” (72:13-14,17). The end is that all will sing God’s praise. “Praise be to the LORD God…who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen” (72:18-19). May this be true of us as we seek to follow God by serving others.
We pray today for our Sunday School and for Chuck and Sue Ellen Harris.
Let’s pray together.
Father, we acknowledge before you that we have received good from your hand. We thank you for the gifts of your grace. And as we remember your goodness we pray that we will be sensitive to share what you have given to us with those around us. May this be true of our resources, our time, our talents, but most importantly of ourselves. May you bless others through us.
We pray today for all those who come regularly to our Sunday School class. We ask that you give each one the desire for your wisdom and for your will to be done in their lives. We pray that all of us will be open to finding and following you. We ask also for your grace and provision to Chuck and Sue Ellen. They have often led our Adult Sunday School class. Thank you for their compassion, make us all more so for those around us who are in need in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Prayers for the Day – September 9, 2024
Psalm 71:1-24
There is a repeated word in our prayer-psalm today that seems foreign in our present culture. It is the word “shame.” Our prayer begins, “In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame” (71:1). Later we read, “May my accusers perish in shame” (71:13), and our prayer ends with the words “My tongue will tell of your righteous acts…for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame” (71:24). Shame is a very strong word but sadly its force seems to have diminished. I suppose it is not a new thing. Jeremiah spoke of the lack of shame in his day. “Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush” (Jeremiah 6:15). The Apostle Paul wrote, “It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret” (Ephesians 5:12).
We live in that kind of culture where the abandonment of God and of his moral teaching is considered liberty and a freedom that is to be guarded and respected. Shame on us if we succumb to this level of ethics. Instead, we must continue to affirm the message that has not changed since God first gave it. Our whole lives should be devoted to him. “From birth I have relied on you…I will ever praise you…do not cast me away when I am old” (71:6,9). We pray it again, “Since my youth, O God you have taught me…when I am old and gray, do not forsake me” (71:17-18). It is our responsibility to “declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come” (71:18). It is then that we can live a life free from shame.
We are to pray today for our Worship Services, and for David Angelo and Dawn Grace Simmons.
Let’s pray together.
Lord, we are surrounded by a world that refuses you. We are like Lot, whose story is told in Genesis and who was referenced by the Apostle Peter, “Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men, for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard” (2 Peter 2:7-8). To us Lot was not a very righteous man but then again neither are we. Make us like yourself we pray. Disturb us when your ways are ignored or profaned. Keep us on the straight and narrow all our lives so that we need not be ashamed.
We pray that as we worship together each Sunday that we will glorify you and aid one another in the spiritual growth we all so desire.
We pray also for Dave and for Dawn Grace and ask that you will sustain them and use them to assist others in their relationships with you. Thank you for their lifestyle of faith. We offer to you our praise in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Prayers for the Day – September 8, 2024
Psalm 70:1-5
The superscription of our prayer-psalm today in the NIV says that it is “a petition.” There is an alternate inscription which a few other translations offer us. They have “for the memorial sacrifice” or “to bring to remembrance.” Not knowing which is the original one I will simply say that our petition today should remind us to offer God a proper sacrifice of worship for what he has done for us.
The text of the prayer asks for God to come to our aid. “Hasten, O God, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me” (70:1). The reason for our request is because there are those “who seek my life” (70:2), and those “who say to me, ‘Aha! Aha!” (70:3). In other words, some folk either want to hurt and discredit us or perhaps make fun of us apparently because of our faith. So we pray for escape and deliverance and we ask that we will not be put to shame but that they will. And “may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you” (70:4).
As we conclude our prayer we have yet to see an answer but we are confident that God is “my help and my deliverer” (70:5). We offer this prayer as we remember and worship.
Our prayers today are for our Worship Director, Nancy Barber, and for Jim Seymour and Andrew Henderson.
Let’s pray together.
Lord Jesus, we need your help every day. We have experienced the struggle of trying to live a Christian life in the company of those who find faith a foolish superstition. Some have made teasing and hurtful remarks to us. We confess to not knowing how to respond. So we pray. Help us, Lord. Come to our aid. Silence those who make these remarks and help us to live faithfully. We make this request with the determination to worship and to remember you.
We pray for our church family as we seek to understand better the message of your Word. Give guidance as we worship you together. We pray too for Jim and Andrew. Help them to know your truth and apply it. Strength and protect them and draw them closer to you through the experiences of their lives. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Prayers for the Day – September 7, 2024
Psalm 69:1-36
This is a longer prayer-psalm than usual, 36 verses. Our prayer starts with a feeling of being overwhelmed, “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck” (68:1). This is not an uncommon experience for most of us, we are in over our heads and have no idea how to escape. In this prayer we become aware of people that are upset with us “without reason” (68:4). It is impossible to deal with what we don’t know, so we pray for God to intervene. Still there may be some justified reason for this person’s anger at us so we pray “May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me…may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me” (68:6). Our lives are a testimony and a reflection of the God we profess to worship.
As the prayer continues things don’t get any better, if anything they seem to worsen. “Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me” (68:15). What we are reminded of as Christians as we say this prayer is that this was the experience of our Savior Jesus Christ. Verse 21 is quoted in Matthew 27 about his crucifixion: “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.” There is also a quoted reference to his betrayer Judas Iscariot. Verse 25 is quoted in Acts 1 as justification for electing someone to take Judas’ place in the twelve disciples. “May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.” Whenever we feel that the stresses of life are too much for us to handle, we remember what Jesus did for us and say thank you for all he bore in saving us from all the effects of these things. Our prayer ends with a song of praise, “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving” (68:30).
We are praying this prayer today for our Ministerial Relations Chair, Mike Wetherell, and for Jenny Wright and Alex Locke-Wright .
Let’s pray together.
Lord, all of us have felt overwhelmed at times. We have known the angst of life and have often been angry and upset about how others have treated us, and perhaps how you have not come to our immediate defense. Today as we pray, help us to see some truth to the criticisms of others and with your help to both rise above the injustice and to change the things in us that need changing.
We pray for those Mike and his role in helping to insure a good transition from one minister to another. Help us as a church to be open to change and the growth in knowledge and in character that this offers us all. We thank you also for Jenny and Alex. Continue to give them your guidance that they may learn and grow in their faith. Walk with them as they seek to walk with you and share that life with others. Amen.
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Prayers for the Day – September 6, 2024
Psalm 68:1-35
Our prayer-psalm today is written by David. It references the mountain of God, Jerusalem, and the temple which makes me think that it was written about the time when he was assembling the sanctuary furniture, bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and gathering all the building materials for the construction of the temple. Those stories are in 2 Samuel 6-8. But there are abundant allusions to the exodus and the early victories of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt, crossed the wilderness and settled in Canaan. These are stories from the time of Moses and Joshua. They are stories of God’s deliverance.
The prayer begins with the words of Moses spoken every time that the people moved across the wilderness following the cloud and fire of God. “May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him” (68:1). This is a direct quote of Number 10:35. It is God whom they are following. It is only with his guidance that anything positive happens in life’s journey. And the prayer-psalm tells the story of that journey. As they traveled, due to their own disobedience, they lost an entire generation of people, all of whom died in the wilderness. Yet God promised to be “a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows…God sets the lonely in families” (68:5-6). He will care for us in just the same way as we journey through our lives.
There are so many other historical references made in this prayer-psalm that demonstrate and remind us that God remains faithful to us even when we wander. The Apostle Paul will quote a line from this journey to refer to the church and its gifting by God that enables us to care for one another in the power of the Spirit. Ephesians 4:8 quotes Psalm 68:18. He leaves off the end of the verse “even from the rebellious,” although it is comforting to know that when we sin we are not excluded from God’s family, although there will be correction. There is so much to ponder in this psalm but I hasten to the end where people who are not followers of God come to worship him as his people praise him and lead the way. “Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord….you are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!” (68:32-35).
Our prayers today are for our Financial Secretary, Faith Stopyro and for Jason Wright.
Let’s pray together.
O Lord, may you lead us through life as you led the children of Israel through the wilderness. We know that your plan was a direct route to the land of promise for them, but they lacked faith, they disbelieved, they didn’t follow your direction. We are so like them as we wander through our lives. Thank you for the weekly reminder and refocus that Sunday Worship provides for us.
We pray today for Faith and Jason. You have given them many blessings in their lives, and they have also had their share of difficulties. Please sustain them with your grace and enable them to sing your praise from a full heart. Hear us and protect us we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Prayers for the Day – September 5, 2024
Psalm 67:1-7
Today’s prayer-psalm begins like a benediction, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us” (67:1). This is the kind of prayer that one speaks for another, including oneself in the corporate prayer. It is a prayer about “us.”
But it moves from that kind of public statement to a direct prayer to God to do something. “May your ways be known on earth, your salvation among all nations” (67:2). If God answers this prayer then it would follow that praise would be the natural result from all the people. “May all the people praise you” (67:3).
Another request mixed with the reality of what God is doing is spoken in verse 4, “May the nations be glad and sing…for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations.” It is not so much a prayer for the individual but for the corporate group. That brings the same result that was spoken back in verse 3. “May all the people praise you” (67:5).
The conclusion is that “then the land will yield its harvest, and God…will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him” (67:6-7). This little short prayer moves from the requested action of God to the response of the people to the resulting blessing of God continuing to the ends of the earth. Surely we can find ourselves in this prayer with both the spoken word and the appropriate praise response.
Our prayers today are for our Treasurer, Gail Frary, and for Andy and Linda Henderson and Alex Henderson.
Let’s pray together.
Father God, we do pray a prayer of blessing on our church and its families. We number ourselves in this so that we are not only blessed but are consciously praying for your blessing to be on others as well. With that in mind we pray for Gail. Give her strength and energy to do all her tasks in the love and grace of Jesus. And for Andy, Linda and Alex we pray as well. Bless and keep them safe and provide their needs as you draw them closer to the realization of your hand in their respective lives. We commit them all to you, along with ourselves, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Prayers for the Day – September 4, 2024
Psalm 66:1-20
This prayer-psalm today seems to reverse the normal order of our prayers. Generally they begin with a personal story and then because of the acts of God on the individual’s behalf an appeal is made to the larger group to join in and share the salvation story. This time, however, the prayer begins with the general call to praise. “Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing to the glory of his name; offer him glory and praise!” (66:1). “All the earth” is called in here and they are mentioned again in verse 4. They have witnessed God’s acts whether they recognized them as such at the time or not.
The story that follows is a kind of retelling of the exodus account. “He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the river on foot” (66:6). It is the salvation story of the Old Testament, the liberation of those held in bondage. It was the literal story of the Israelite nation, and it is the spiritual story of all who turn to God from their bondage of sin. It is a reminder here that every one of us who is a Christian has a salvation story. It is good to remember it and to share it with others from time to time.
The story continues with the Israelites through the wilderness wanderings. “He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping…he tested us, refined us…but you brought us to a place of abundance” (66:8-12). Because of all of this the whole world should join in God’s praise. “Come and listen…let me tell you what he has done” (66:16). Our prayer now gets to the personal part and ends with the keeping of our vows…the sacrifice of our offerings…and the praise to the one “who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” (66:20). That which is general and available to all must be applied and appreciated by us as individuals.
We pray today for our Clerk, Cheryl Schulte, and for Scott Trendowski.
Let’s pray together.
Lord Jesus, we are thankful as a church family for your protection and provision. Thank you for preserving our lives and our health in these last few years of the covid pandemic. Thank you for your patience in carrying us through our often wayward and inattentive lapses. Help us to fulfill our vows and in doing so to call the world to recognize your grace.
We pray today for Cheryl and Scott. Lead them and guide them as they walk through their individual faith journeys. We ask that you would remind them of their own personal salvation story and reinvigorate their faith. Hear their prayers and meet them in their need. Fill them with thankful hearts we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Prayers for the Day – September 3, 2024
Psalm 65:1-13
Our prayer-psalm today is a harvest song of celebration. But before getting to the joy of that season it begins with the giving of our praise to God for the forgiveness of our sins. “When we were overwhelmed by sins, you atoned for our transgressions” (65:3). As a result of this we sing praise and promise that “our vows will be fulfilled” (65:1). “We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple” (65:4).
Having our sins addressed is like the experience of having “stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves” (65:7). This then “calls forth songs of joy” (65:8). We experience God’s care for us just as he cares “for the land and waters it; you enrich it abundantly” (65:9). We are like the “grasslands…the hills…the meadows…the valleys…they shout for joy and sing” (65:12-13).
Our prayer today gives us a mental picture of fields of grain growing to an abundant harvest. As we look forward to the bounty of God’s supply for our physical needs let’s thank him for the way that he provides and cares for our spiritual needs every day.
We pray today for our Trustees and for David and Roxann Bailer.
Let’s pray together.
Father, we are so grateful for the new life that you have given us. Thank you for the forgiveness of our sins. We sing to you songs of praise because you have cared for us and nurtured us and brought us to a place of productivity. Please remind us daily of your benefits to us both spiritually and materially.
We pray today for our Trustees and for David and Roxann. Help them to live today in the forgiveness of their sins so that tomorrow and all the days to come they will be joyfully reaping the benefits of your grace. Make them aware of all your gifts and blessings to them. Remind them of your presence through the difficult and dark times of the past. May they each know the song of your present provision and the hope of your future blessing. Hear us all as we sing your praise in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Prayers for the Day – September 2, 2024
Psalm 64:1-11
This prayer-psalm is by David and as many of his it is a complaint. “Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint” (64:1). We certainly feel that we have a host of criticism to tell God about regarding the condition of things in our world. The complaint here is about a conspiracy. “Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked” (64:2). It is hard to resist the thought that he is writing about political situations, and certainly in our world today we have a host of conspiracy theories about almost every issue and from every imaginable perspective. Some of them seem to make sense while others are completely farfetched. Yet discerning the difference seems to reside in the mind of each of us and often we don’t agree.
How do we pray in the midst of the news that seems completely unreliable? How do we know who is telling the truth, and what side we are supposed to be on? “Surely the mind and heart of man are cunning” (64:6). But even if it doesn’t give us great discernment Psalm 64 gives us words to say as we voice these concerns to God. We pray that “God will shoot them with arrows…turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; so all who see them will shake their heads in scorn” (64:7-8). In other words, there is a time when the best we can do is ask God to intervene and to show the difference between truth and error by publicly shaming those who lie and deceive. Lord, we commit ourselves to you. Protect us from the confusing world of national and international politics.
We are to pray today for our Elders, Mel Simmons and Jenn Lawson.
Let’s pray together.
Lord, we are small town folk with small town perspectives. We don’t pretend to know and understand the complexities of issues in our world. Politics, health care, economics, and so many other areas of everyday life for us are crowded with conspiracy theories from both the left and the right. Our complaint is that we don’t know who to believe anymore. We ask for your protection. We pray also for the people of the Ukraine where it is far easier to see the right and wrong of the actors but more difficult to see the right and wrong of international response.
We pray for those on the Board of Elders. Give them your wisdom as they seek to provide spiritual guidance to our church family. We also ask for Mel and Jen. Hold them close to yourself and give them confidence and assurance in the areas of faith that are most essential. Thank you for our salvation in Jesus. We pray in his name. Amen.
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Prayers for the Day – September 1, 2024
Psalm 63:1-11
Our prayer-psalm today is another one on the run. The superscription says it was written “when David was in the desert of Judah.” There were two occasions when he fled to the desert. Once was when he was hiding from Saul (1 Samuel 23:14f) and once when he was running from Absalom (2 Samuel 15:23f). In both cases people were seeking to do him harm.
The desert is a dry, hot place and the prayer begins “my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (63:1). But even from this place we can rest assured of God’s presence because we “have seen you (God) in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory” (63:2). Because we have had a good worship experience, we know that God’s “love is better than life” (63:3).
I have often read this psalm and prayed this prayer for folk in the hospital. I have done so particularly because of verse 6, “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” My prayer has been that those who are confined to their beds and may have difficulty sleeping will know the presence of the Lord and be able to say, “because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings” (63:7).
Our Prayer Reminder has us praying today for our Minister and for Jack and Janet Seymour.
Let’s pray together.
Sometimes, Lord Jesus, it feels like we are on the run. Sometimes this is because of conflict with others, other times it may be the pressures and stresses of everyday life. Whatever the cause may be it is an uncomfortable thing to feel dry and thirsty emotionally. We are reminded that even on these days that you have told us to come and drink from you and you will satisfy our dry and parched hearts (Isaiah 55:1, John 4:14, John 7:37-38).
We pray that you will satisfy the longing of our souls, and we pray that especially today for Jack and Janet. Restore to them the joy that they knew as children when they first learned to follow you. Satisfy them so that they may have sufficient strength to endure the dry times and enough resources to share their spiritual life with others. We also ask your direction for the choice of our new minister and for the retirement of our "old" minister. Prepare us for the future we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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