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Mini-Worship
September 5 - 10, 2022
1. Take a deep breath and center yourself
2. Enter the presence of the Lord
(All) Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song.
(M) He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
and plants for people to use,
to bring forth food from the earth,
and wine to gladden the human heart,
oil to make the face shine,
and bread to strengthen the human heart.
(W) When He send forth our spirit, we are created;
and he renew the face of the ground.
(M) O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
(W) Bless the LORD, O my soul.
O LORD my God, you are very great.
3. Praise song
How Great Are Thou
4. Adoration prayer
God of work, you are amazingly wise and powerful. When you are working, all things are transforming to better. I praise that you are the cause of all goodness. Come to recreate me, renew me and strengthen me. In Christ Jesus’ name. Amen.
5. Confession
The most loving and merciful God, I confess that I do not feel that great. I need you to recreate my spirit, to bring your spiritual food to strengthen my inner person. Be gracious to me and give me peace. Guide me in the new week’s life, study, work, and relationships. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
6. Scripture reading
Genesis 1:26-27
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 2:10-14
A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
7. Thoughts to share
We live in a colorful world. What is your view on human races? Where do you see their commonness and their differences? Human hatred and violence in human races exists everywhere. Are we enemies? Do we have to be enemies?
These two passages showed God’s heart and design. First, we all are made in the image of God. This is our likeness. This is our essence. We are noble. We are marvelous. Secondly, the river in Eden Garden was known as a river of life. There were 4 branches. They flew to today’s Africa and Asian Minor. God prepared His caring for the basics of life to all peoples. Later, God sent his people to those lands and to populate them and to extend them.
So, in the beginning, God desires that human beings will be having commonness. He cared for them. He allowed diversity and creativity in human society development. Today, we live in a very diverse society, especially in the big cities. People often fussed about one another. It is hard to find acceptance among peoples, not speaking of peace.
In God’s salvation plan, He recognized that all human beings were short of God’s glory. He sent His own son Jesus to save us. One thing that salvation changes us is to accept God’s view toward human races: one human family, many cultural expressions. Being an Asian in this country, we can find comfort that God knew us and remembered our life needs as early as in the Eden Garden. Meantime, we can use God’s view to respect other races, understand their cultures and keep peace with them. We also know that all are fallen and all need God’s salvation. We’ll have prudent wisdom to keep proper relationship with them.
8. Prayer suggestions
Dear God, thank you that you open my eyes to see the design and heart from you for races. Help me to have peaceful and prudent relations with other races. Protect me from the hatred from others who do not have such vision. Amen
9. Benedictions
May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.
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