Thank God for Doug O’Donnells’s sermon on Sunday from Job 42:7-17, and for his now-completed series on the Book of Job. 

Pray for our Thanksgiving Eve service as we thank God for His blessings. May our giving of thanks encourage our hearts and draw others to Him.

Ask the Lord to draw people who don’t yet know Christ to NCC for the Christmas season. Pray for our Sunday service this coming November 30, which is the First Sunday of Advent. This week, Pastor Chris will preach from Colossians 1:15-20 with a message titled “The Invisible Made Visible.” Ask for the Spirit’s anointing work on the preacher and His illuminating work on the listener. 

Praise the Lord for the baptisms performed Sunday evening, and especially for the people who took this step of faith and obedience. Ask God to fortify them in their faith for the days ahead. 

Thank the Lord for our third and final Gospel Conversations class that was held on Sunday. Ask the Lord to make us a people who are eager to declare His praises to our friends and neighbors. 

Pray for all at NCC facing medical issues, recovery from surgery, lack of sleep, and other challenges. May we learn to trust God more during times of stress and uncertainty. Ask the Lord for patience … and healing. 

Pray for those who have recently lost loved ones—including Darlene, Katie, and Pat. May the peace and hope of the gospel be theirs. 

Pray for Bob and Diane in their continuing journey with cancer. 

Pray for our upcoming NCC Forums: Handel’s Messiah with Camerata Chicago on December 13th, and the Lessons & Carols for Advent on December 21st. Ask the Lord to bless and draw our neighbors to Himself during the Christmas season.

Today’s congregational prayer is based on Psalm 100. 
We will also be praying today for our missionary partner Wayside  Cross Ministries in Aurora. Wayside Cross ministers to the  abused, the addicted, and the impoverished by providing shelter,  mentoring, and structured recovery programs.  

Psalm 100 
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 
Worship the LORD with gladness; 
 come before him with joyful songs. 
Know that the LORD is God. 
 It is he who made us, and we are his; 
 we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving 
 and his courts with praise; 
 give thanks to him and praise his name. 
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;  his faithfulness continues through all generations. 

Let us pray. 
Dear Heavenly Father, our gracious and sovereign Lord, 
We come before You today with humble and joyful hearts to  praise your holy name and to worship your beloved son, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Savior of the world. 
We enter the court of Your presence today with thanksgiving, not  because of our own worthiness, but because You have called us  to Yourself, Your very own people, purchased by the blood of Your  Son Jesus.

Lord, we proclaim that every good and perfect gift comes from  You. You are the One who sustains our lives, who provides our  daily bread, and who surrounds us with mercies that are new  every morning. In this week of Thanksgiving help us to see Your  hand in both the joys we experience and the trials we face, for  You are present in all circumstances and faithful in all seasons.  Teach us to remember that gratitude is not merely a sentiment for  holidays, but a proper daily response of redeemed hearts who  know that You are God! 

We thank You, Father, for the gospel of Your Son Jesus Christ – our greatest gift of all. If You give us nothing else in this life, you  have given us all we truly need and far more than we’ll ever  deserve.  

We pray for Your means of grace on this fallen world, filled with  sin, brokenness, confusion, and hostility. May the world see Your  glory and be drawn to You.  

In these uncertain times help us to abide in Your presence, to rest  in Your love, to proclaim it to others, to bear witness to Your  Gospel, and to live lives transformed by repentance, gratitude,  humility, obedience, and active service to Your church.  

Father, we confess our own sinfulness. We confess that we have  sinned against you and against others both in what we have done  and in what we have failed to do.  

We confess quietly now to you our individual sins. (PAUSE) Lord, we pray for your forgiveness and for your mercy.

We pray for your missionary servants around the world who bring  your Gospel of grace and the love of Your son Jesus Christ to the  nations.  

Today, we pray specifically for Wayside Cross Ministries. We pray  that You will continue to bless, equip, sustain, and direct their  efforts to continue loving and serving others who are lost,  afflicted, and marginalized. We pray that their Christ-likeness will  point the lost to You. 

We pray for the newest member of our church family: baby  Magdelene Rae Mor, newborn daughter of James and Abigail  Mor. We praise You, Father, for creating and knitting baby  Magdalene together so fearfully and wonderfully made in Your  image. We pray that you will guide Magdalene’s steps throughout her life according to Your perfect Will, drawing her to Yourself,  granting her the gift of eternal salvation, and sanctifying her into  the likeness of Your Son Jesus. We pray that Magdalene’s life  will be fruitful and truly worth living to Your glory and honor. 

We pray for our brothers and sister is Christ who will be baptized  later today: Ryan Andrews, James Muir, Lee Paterson, Maili  Winnes, and Malachi Castaldo. May Your Holy Spirit abide deeply  in their hearts, drawing them closer to you, and enabling them to  live wisely and to love well as Your children. 

We pray for Doug O’Donnell as he preaches today from the Book  of Job. May the Holy Spirit guide Doug to preach Your Word with faithfulness, clarity, and understanding. 

We pray all of these things in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.