Please find below the notes from the Elder's Prayer this past Sunday.

As we gather here this morning, and as we go to the Lord in prayer, we need not be reminded that 2020 has been a challenging year.

There has been suffering and death caused by the virus that has spread throughout the world.

There has been and continues to be political strife in our nation.

Many of us have experienced personal tragedies.

But, as we gather today, we look beyond all that to our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who has borne our sins on the Cross that we may live, not only in the present, but for eternity.

Let’s pray together giving thanks for the assurance we have in Him:

Father, your word reminds us that there is affliction in this world and while it may weigh heavy on us now, it is light in comparison to the eternal weight of glory that awaits us for those of us who know Jesus as Lord-and for this we give thanks today and every day.

Even so, too often we are tempted to focus all our attention on the things that are seen rather than the things that are unseen.

Help us to overcome this temptation and remind us that the things that are seen are transient-they are always changing and will ultimately pass away.

But the things that are unseen are eternal and as followers of Christ, that is where our hope and assurance lie.

The world may despise us and leave us, but our Lord will not when we take up the Cross and follow him.

Sadly, there are many who reject the free gift of salvation secured for us on the Cross-many of them are our friends and family, perhaps they are with us here today.

To them the gospel is veiled-they are perishing, blinded by the god of this world-they have yet to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.

Lord, we pray that your light would shine into the darkness of their hearts so they may see the glory of God in the face of Christ.

We pray that the reality of the affliction suffered in this present age would be used by you to draw them to the Cross.

We pray for one another that when we are afflicted, we would not be crushed, perplexed or driven to despair, but instead we would be reminded that we are always carrying in our bodies the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

Whatever we suffer, we know that Christ has suffered for us-he lived-he died and he rose from the grave.

As for us, our earthly missions will come to an end and our hope in the things unseen will change to glad fruition as we are gathered in heaven-our faith will become sight and our prayers will be turned to praise in God’s eternal glory.

We look humbly and expectantly to that day and give thanks for the assurance of it that you have given us in Christ.

In whose name we pray, Amen.