MESSENGER

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Reasons to Be Thankful for God’s Gifts of Love


Covenant of Hope Ministries Sunday Sermon_11_25_2012
Good afternoon, and welcome to this Sunday Sermon for Covenant of Hope Ministries. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff, and the ministry knows me as the Rainbow Minister. These are our locations online only:
Rev. Laura’s Other Sites: Facebook & Twitter & Google+ & Blogspot
Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope (currently out of use but may be used at another time.)
We have email and Instant Messenger available Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday 10AM to 2PM ET US via Yahoo IM. We’re still working this out between the three of us as to what will happen, our Elder, Cal Jennings, our Apostle/Shepherd, Mary C. Michel-Lynch and I. The IM is available if you ask first and identify the reason as being part of the ministry. This IM is connected through Facebook as well. I will be informing you further in regard to changes being made. These changes were made due to health reasons. There will be live sermons, and the sermon length will be shortened dramatically, but we are unsure as to when that might be.
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.
Continue your prayers for Sister Mary. She has improved enough to transition to 24/7 care in place of hospice after her stroke. Please continue your prayers as she gains in ability and strength. She still eats just a few bites of mushed up fruit or pudding, and even sherbet, but not much more. She loves to take spa baths, and is more alert after them. She is also staying up longer, praise God. Due to several issues that are going on, I have not been able to visit as I should be.
Pray for our family. There are several things weighing us down, and they don’t all include my health, or that of any member of the family. Though, those don’t hurt.
Pray for Elder Cal, as he has still been feeling pretty rotten. May God provide him wellness, and bring that flicker of hope into a bright and roaring flame.
Pray for friends Karen, Christie, Art, Heather, Chris and his family, especially his father, Debby, Tom, Teresa, Hope, Christie, Joe and his family as they lost his mother-in-law, Robert’s brother and his brother’s fiancee suffering some serious chaos, and several others.
Phoebe Fair and her family need more prayers for her sodium levels rising and her potassium dropping. This is especially difficult in the upcoming chemotherapy treatment. Keep her family all in prayer as well, that they might celebrate the next set of holidays coming up at home, in place of the hospital.
Pray for our soldiers as they work so that we might celebrate all holiday celebrations here in the US.
Pray for safe voyage home for all as they celebrate Thanksgiving here in the US.
Pray for our outreach ministries, and all on their separate prayer lists, no matter where in this world they would be.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. We bring into prayer all those who are on this prayer list and our personal ones as well. We pray for our friends, our siblings, our parents, our spouses and our children that all would be safe and secure, loved and understood. We pray for our enemies that we both would learn that which is in the eye of the beholder. We pray in thanksgiving for life and the living of it as the gift which You have given through Christ our Savior and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amein and so it shall be.
Opening Song: Thank You Lord http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/b5a391d72
Sermon: Thanksgiving, a celebration that is reserved for a single day here in the United States, but, in truth, it should be every day, because miracles and love exist every day, in too many ways to describe. So, we should do as our first verse here shares in Psalm 69:30 KJV – I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

There are so many ways to be thankful and celebrate that fact, some of us praise God and are thankful for family, friends, and more as we go through life. Other times we sing those praises, as would be seen here in Psalm 95:2 KJV – Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
There is one thing we must think about as time goes on. We should think about the fact that there will come a day when we would walk through the gates of heaven. We should be thankful and feel blessed, willing to sing praises to His name. That’s what Scripture shares in Psalm 100:4 KJV – Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name.
In our celebrating just a few short days ago we thought about, and prayed for our friends and family, praying they were safe and more. Our ministries didn’t bring bad things to any of us. Several prayers were answered. So we have many things to be thankful. But, that doesn’t mean we should stop praying or being thankful for those good things, as we see here in Colossians 4:2 KJV – Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
We see that same sentiment as shared in I Timothy 4:4 KJV – For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving:
Isn’t it nice to be considered good in God’s eyes? Isn’t it a true blessing that nothing and no one would be refused, as long as we are thankful and celebrate thanksgiving, not just one day, but every day.
Revelation 7:12 KJV – Saying, Amen: Blessing and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Yeah, we could all say just what is shared. So it is, Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might, if we should see them, own them, should be realized as gifts of God, and we should be thankful, grateful, that He would give us these very things. Now, isn’t that something to look at? We see this same thing in so many views, as to whom we should be thankful for, just because we receive these gifts. There is a reason we should be giving thanks, and this last verse shares just that here in Revelation 5:13 KJV – And every creature which is in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
It is something to be blessed, yet another to give blessings. All of us worthy of blessing, should reciprocate toward He who would bring us blessing. That doesn’t just include mankind, every creature, every plant, everything in the world and around it should be seen as receiving blessing. If you’ve ever listened to the sounds around you, of the birds, and other creatures around this world, you’ll see a whole lot, hear so much more, and realize we should all be thankful for each and every gift we are given. Now, that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer Jesus taught us saying: After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV)
Closing Song: Because He Is  http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/b6799b872
Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister Facebook & Twitter & Google+ & Blogspot & Multiply
Calvin Jennings ~ Elder Facebook & Twitter & Blogster & Multiply
Mary C. Michel-Lynch ~ Apostle/Shepherd Facebook & Blogspot & Multiply
Covenant of Hope Ministries
Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition:Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2012 http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.

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