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 in regard to our family as we mourn
the loss of our faithful dog, Little Bear. He left this side of existence on
Thursday just before 2 AM. My children
ranged in age from six to twelve when he came into our family. It is suspected
that he died from liver failure. That was the diagnosis from the veterinarian.
- Please pray that the good tidings which have
occurred for my family far away from me would continue for as long as it can
be.
- 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.
- We
keep our prayers up for those who are traveling this weekend for Memorial Day
here in the US.
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. We are thankful for Your
comfort in times of loss and sorrow. We pray for those lost and those who
mourn. Help those who are working to fight serious illnesses the ability to
find solutions. We pray for those who suffer pain, that their pain be relieved.
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: Rainbow Bridge to Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3COrHRJuo9Y
Sermon: Good afternoon. Today’s inspiration came through a
tragedy in our family. Well some wouldn’t consider it a tragedy. Our faithful
dog Little Bear died within days of a diagnosis leaning toward liver failure,
liver cancer, or bone cancer. He suffered seizures for four days before he took
his last breath. Yet, we held him, comforted him, through the death process,
each of us sharing time with our faithful friend. There are many who wonder if
our pets, or any animals, are shown in this light in Scripture. Well, they are
in several locations. Let’s take a look.
Genesis 7:1-4 KJV – And the LORD
said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen
righteous before me in this generation.
Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, male and his female.
Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and his female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, male and his female.
Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and his female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
These days’ people keep all
types of animals as pets. There are dogs, cats, mice, rats, hamsters, and
larger ones like horses, sheep, goats, and so on. The fact that we have pets
shows that we can have companions of various shapes and forms, human and
animal. Like we do for our family and friends regarding food and drink, here we
see where animals are included.
Psalm
147:9 KJV – He
giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
Notice, he gives to the
beast and the birds who are hungry. This time we’re talking about God. He feeds
any creature the grass, the trees, the worms, and more. If God is willing to
feed anything or anyone, we should as well. Any creatures, big or small, would
be included. Sure, we might not like to consider lions, tigers, or bears as a
potential friend. Many don’t, in fact. In the news I have seen people who
raised a lion, others who have raised chimpanzees, and so forth. These
definitely don’t qualify as conventional pets. Yet, just like humans, these
owners, caretakers of these creatures would care enough to protect them from
hunger, fear, and exposure to the elements.
Proverbs
12:10 KJV – A
righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the
wicked are cruel.
People can be cruel to
animals. The animals have been left out on the roadways, in horrible conditions
out in barns or pens, even in a house that has been neglected for far too long.
It doesn’t matter the type of animals either. There has been, in the news, dogs
of all breeds, cats, horses, and more. We have seen this fact in the news with
dogs, and many others. Over the centuries we have seen the cruelty toward
elephants and the ivory tusks, and so on. The cruel nature of humans isn’t
restricted to animals. We must consider murderers, rapists, thieves, and more.
Yet here we go, the cruelty exists. Jesus warned us of it. God did as well.
There are too many points of view in both the Old and New testaments. Friendship
isn’t restricted to humans. When we lose one of our pets it is like losing
family. Jesus said something about that. Let’s look here.
Matthew 10:29 KJV – Are not two sparrows
sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your
Father.
Notice how even the birds of
the air, as seen in early views, are important to God as they are to Jesus.
They are worth more than money. Our pets or the animals in the wild are worth
our respect. This is one thing people don’t always realize. That’s why God
gives us His Word, and Jesus confirms it. 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: Ben https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRTJ2xVr0PA
~Shalom~
Rev.
Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister
Covenant
of Hope Ministries
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 © 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.
