Good
afternoon, welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries. My name is Rev. Laura A.
Neff, the Rainbow Minister. The choice for Rainbow has to do with the fact that
the rainbow symbolizes a promise made and one that can and will be kept. I
made, long ago, a promise to God that I would do all I could to keep that faith
within me. We are normally posted on Sundays for sermons and Wednesdays for
studies. You can find these posted in the following locations.
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.
- Please pray for a colleague of my daughter’s who lost a family
member this past week.
- Please pray for a friend Susie Bartholow as she is in hospice.
She is in very grave condition with cancer. Hospice care is in her home with
her family. Keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.
- Please pray for my family members far away as chaos continues
in their lives. The outcomes of so many things have worn them to a frazzle and
they are seeking answer in prayers from near and far.
- Please pray for Elder Cal Jennings as he is going through a
whole lot health wise and emotionally as well. Please pray that he will be able
to find and follow inspiration still.
- Please pray for a friend of ours,
Lucy, whose liver is failing. She is going to be on medication but may need a
transplant. Pray that the first option works and she returns to health.
- Pray for a friend of my brother’s,
who is far from home right now. There have been many problems for her right
now. It is our hope that she will return and be here to complete her healing
and more.
- Pray for our members Theresa and
Wayne who had a very rough year last year. May some of their trials and
tribulations end in time for our celebration of the birth of Jesus.
- Pray for those near and far who have
been suffering in battles that do not have to be. Pray that peace can be found
amidst the fear and anger, frustration and more. May hope blossom and bring
that peace once more.
- Pray for our friends and our
enemies, may they all find that the gift of God’s Son, Jesus, holds the hope
and faith everyone seeks.
- Keep hope alive in your prayers no
matter the pain or strife we might suffer.
- May God bless every one of us as we
continue on.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank You for this day and for
these who are here to share it with us. We thank You for the blessings brought
and for those yet to come. We pray that You can remind us always what we should
be looking forward to. We bring prayers for those who have been seriously ill.
Help those who are working to fight serious illnesses the ability to find
solutions. We pray for those lost and those who mourn. We pray for all those
who are victims of violence. We pray for patience and courage for those we love
and care about, and ourselves as well. We pray for peace to reach out from the
heart and be heard, felt, and understood. We pray that Your grace and love
would fill the hearts of the many in this world. We pray all this in Your Holy
Name through the Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and
so it shall be.
Opening Song: Kindness Changes Everything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKTGyNJBvgs
Sermon: Good afternoon. Today’s inspiration came due to a verse found in my email. It is a familiar verse, one of the Beatitudes found in the gospel of Matthew. This particular verse relates to one in Hebrews and that will be included. The first of those verses would be here.
Matthew 5:9 KJV
– Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children
of God.
Peacemakers,
there are a lot of views for these types of men and women, even children. Yes,
I said even children. What does it take to be a peacemaker? Listening, hearing,
understanding, and wisdom are just part of the needs for being a peacemaker. We
have to be willing to first listen, then hear, then understand what each side
would be talking about, even fighting about, before sharing wisdom within the
argument. It isn’t easy to be a peacemaker. Many are often caught in the crossfire.
Here is another view of peacemaking.
Hebrews 12:14 KJV
– Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one
shall see the Lord:
Now, quite a few years back
there was a movie named Pay It Forward. The movie was based on a true story. A
young boy with his classmates was instructed to find a way to make a difference
in the world. Well, he did, in the ideal of pay it forward. One person helped
another in some way. Then that person who was given that gift would then pay it
forward to the next. That continued until it came all the way back to the boy. The
young man did the one thing no one would expect. He gave his life to save two
others from their anger, their fear. When the two boys realized what had
happened as a result of their anger, they did everything to help save the young
man’s life.
Jesus taught. He went
everywhere, even where some would say angels feared to tread. Yes, He went to
talk to Satan himself, and put his point across. You see, Jesus was willing to
prove His point with the moneychangers, the ones who were ready to stone Mary
Magdalene, and so many others. He did so, and yet, even when they tried,
convicted, and crucified Him he begged God to forgive them for not knowing what
they were doing. What is it like to be willing to go to those kinds of lengths
as a peacemaker? When one does so they don’t have to be a minister, or anyone
of power. They can be anyone, like that young man who spent his last year on
earth paying it forward. Jesus died so that the Apostles and others could pay
it forward, bringing His love, His path, His wisdom to those who would follow
after them. In many ways He is, as He was, successful. Now,
that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer that Jesus brought us.
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)
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)
Closing Song: Glen Campbell ~ Try a Little Kindness
~Shalom~
Rev.
Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister
Covenant of Hope Ministries
Main Site:
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.
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Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible
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Sermon or
Study Copyright © 2015
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.
This mission statement speaks of the rainbow in the darkness.
Every time I would have a seriously traumatic thing happen in my life I would
wake in the middle of the night. When I do I see a rainbow at the end of my
bed, or even through the window behind my head. I’ll see that rainbow in a dark
room even during the day. It will hover in the shadows and reassure me that God
is with me.
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