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
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.
December
1 Psalm 123:1-4 Minister – Tom Fetterman and Cheryl Schulte
2 Psalm 124:1-8 Elders – Joelle Howlett – Danielle Mudge
3 Psalm 125:1-5 Trustees – Deb Eibert
4 Psalm 126:1-6 Clerk – Nancy Simmons – Cathy Smith
5 Psalm 127:1-5 Treasurer – Eric and Christine Robinson
6 Psalm 128:1-6 Financial Secretary – Margaret Isensee
7 Psalm 129:1-8 Ministerial Relations Chair – Cameron and Alex King
8 Psalm 130:1-8 Worship Director – Tom and Noreen Schmidt
9 Psalm 131:1-3 Worship Services – Dorothy Herold
10 Psalm 132:1-18 Sunday School – Mike and Kristin Wetherell
11 Psalm 133:1-3 Bible Studies – Donna Sundwall – Kris Volles
12 Psalm 134:1-3 Youth Fellowship – Gary Sanford
13 Psalm 135:1-21 Christian Education Director – Dawn McDonough
14 Psalm 136:1-26 Men’s Club – Roxanne Pikarsky - Karen Harvard
15 Psalm 137:1-9 Women’s Fellowship – Nancy Frost
16 Psalm 138:1-8 Supper Club – Deb O’Brien – Alyse Bradley
17 Psalm 139:1-24 Outreach Director – Barbara Kittelson-Webster
18 Psalm 140:1-13 CCCC – Linda White
19 Psalm 141:1-10 CCCF Congregational Churches – Connie Amidon
20 Psalm 142:1-7 Neighboring Churches – Angela Trendowski
21 Psalm 143:1-12 WMHR (Wayne Taylor) – Caitlin Sarantis
22 Psalm 144:1-15 RBC Ministries – Laurie Just-Torrance
23 Psalm 145:1-21 His Mansion – Jodi Green
24 Luke 1:46-55 Teams 4 Medical Missions (John Heater) – Cindy Casler
25 Isaiah 9:2-7 New Hope (Kathy Jerman) – Doug and Lynn LaFrance
26 Luke 1:68-79 Men’s and Women’s Conferences – Jenn Schultz
27 Psalm 146:1-10 Choir – Connie Carlton
28 Psalm 147:1-20 Schools for Haiti (Carla Flesch) – Melanie Shelley
29 Psalm 148:1-14 Adult & Teen Challenge (Dave Pilch) – Peter Barnes
30 Psalm 149:1-9 The ShoreLight – Larry Wheeler
31 Psalm 150:1-6 Samaritan Committee – Jared Locke
Prayers for the Day – December 1, 2024
Psalm 123:1-4
I lift up my eyes to you,
to you who sit enthroned in heaven.
As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
for we have endured no end of contempt.
We have endured no end
of ridicule from the arrogant,
of contempt from the proud.
Glorious God, let us lift our eyes up to You in Your heavenly majesty with the knowledge that You have come down to us. Clothe us today with mercy, bring forth within us a new heart ever inclined to the ways of Your Son our Lord Jesus Christ. Today, O Lord, we lift up Tom Fetterman and Cheryl Schulte in prayer. Be with them and all of us as we walk this incredible journey of Advent together. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Collect First Sunday in Advent (Book of Common Prayer)
Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.
Prayers for the Day – December 2, 2024
Psalm 124: 1-8
If the Lord had not been on our side—
let Israel say—
if the Lord had not been on our side
when people attacked us,
they would have swallowed us alive
when their anger flared against us;
the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,
the raging waters
would have swept us away.
Praise be to the Lord,
who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird
from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Today, we come before the Lord, knowing that it is He who is our help. I think often when I read this Psalm of the hymn by Isaac Watts that goes, “ O God, our Help in ages past, our Hope for years to come, our Shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal Home." We see in our Psalm for today and that wonderful hymn the same sentiment that through all the challenges, turmoil, ups and downs of life, if we put our trust in God, we find him there willing to see us through. It is an essential part of our daily walk as Christians to reflect on passages like this and remain committed to growing ever closer to the heart of God. So, when the things that cause us pain, sorrow, and despair come, we look to the Lord Jesus and our brothers and sisters in Christ for help and comfort instead of pulling away, leading us into the dark places where it is hard to see the light of God's love.
Prayer for the day: Holy God, we come before you today with the knowledge that no matter what we are facing, if we do so with you and strive to lead lives in accordance with your will, you will always be our help. Through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, you have freed us from the snares of sin and death to live with you in the glorious promise of eternal life. Today, Lord, be with us and give us the hope to know that no matter what the storms of life bring in Christ, we can find joy, peace, and freedom. In particular, Lord, please hold our Elders, as well as Joelle Howlett and Danielle Mudge close to your heart in Jesus' name. Amen.
Prayers for the Day – December 3, 2024
Psalm 125:1-5
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.
The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
for then the righteous might use
their hands to do evil.
Lord, do good to those who are good,
to those who are upright in heart.
But those who turn to crooked ways
the Lord will banish with the evildoers.
Peace be on Israel.
Today, we see a message similar to the one we received in our Psalm yesterday. Focused on putting our trust in God. Trusting God can be a challenging thing. We often think we know what we want or need at the moment and are impatient to wait for the outcome. Perhaps, if you’re like me, you naturally think there is always something more that can be done on your end to fix, find a resolution, or move along whatever is going on in your life. However, I invite us to reject this and not worry about things out of our control. The providence of God and the love of Jesus Christ are at work in our world. Sometimes, we are called to slow down, take a breath, fortify the foundation, which is our faith in the Lord, and simply trust that in God’s good time, all will work together as God intends it. We see this quite clearly in Matthew 7: 24-27. Jesus says, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” This is our calling today: to build our house on the rock, align our lives with the words of Jesus, and live in accordance with God’s will. If we do this and put our trust in the Lord our God, then we have nothing to be anxious about or fear.
Prayer for the day: O God, in whom we put all our trust, be with us today as we walk through this world. In times of uncertainty, call us to rely upon you; in times of peace and love, let our hearts leap with joy at your blessings. Today, push away, Lord, all of our anxieties and the things that keep us from your abundant love. Let us notice the little things, the laughter of a friend, the beauty of falling snow, and the gentle peace of a morning blessed by the knowledge of your presence. Today, in a particular way, we pray for our Trustee’s as they meet this week to discuss the budget of our Church, and we pray for Deb Eibert for any and all intentions that are on her heart. We humbly and trustingly ask all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Let’s pray together.
We are determined to walk with you, Lord Jesus. We choose to sing your praise and to seek your face. Help us to follow through with this desire and not become distracted and forgetful. We need your Holy Spirit’s help.
What we pray for ourselves we pray for others in our church family. We pray this especially for Dawn. Keep her from troubles of both mind and body. Help her to be safe and protected, provide for her both physically and spiritually. Keep her growing in her faith and walking with you. We pray your comfort and peace on us all as we seek to follow you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.