OPENING PRAYER
Heavenly Father, Creator of Life and Healer of the afflicted,
On this National Cancer Survivors Day, we come together in prayer, gratitude, and hope. We thank You for the strength and courage You have bestowed upon those who have faced the battle against cancer and emerged as survivors. We celebrate their resilience, their spirit, and the precious gift of life that You have granted them.
We ask for Your continued guidance and protection over these brave souls. May they find solace in Your loving embrace and be filled with the hope that only Your divine presence can provide. Grant them the grace to live each day with gratitude, embracing the beauty of life and cherishing the moments spent with loved ones.
We also pray for the families and friends of cancer survivors who have been steadfast in their support and love. Bless them with the strength to continue being a source of encouragement and comfort, and may they find solace in Your presence as well.
Lord, we ask for Your divine intervention in the lives of those still battling cancer. Grant them the strength to endure the challenges of treatment and the courage to face each day with hope. May they feel Your healing touch and be comforted by the knowledge that they are never alone in their fight.
We pray for the medical professionals, researchers, and caregivers dedicated to finding a cure for cancer and providing compassionate care to those affected. Bless their efforts, Lord, and guide them in their pursuit of healing and knowledge.
Finally, we pray for a future free from the pain and suffering caused by cancer. May Your divine wisdom inspire new discoveries and breakthroughs that will lead to a world where cancer is no longer a threat to our health and well-being.
In Your loving and merciful name, we pray. Amen.
SERMON
POINT: In every situation and circumstance of our lives, God is always
Genesis 3:6-10 NRSV
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
Ezekiel 37:27 NRSV - My dwelling place shall be over them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Matthew 1:23 NRSV - “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”
POINT: Just because it may feel like God is absent doesn’t mean God is absent.
“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito.” —C.S. Lewis, A Mind Awake: An Anthology of C. S. Lewis
Genesis 28:13-16 NRSV
And the Lord stood beside (Jacob) and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring, and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!”
QUESTION: Where is it difficult for you to perceive and believe that God is truly present and at work?