A United Methodist Pastor's Theological Reflections

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory (nikos) through our Lord Jesus Christ." - I Corinthians 15:57


Monday, September 18, 2017

Pastoral Prayer (Sept. 17) Athens First UMC


[It's hard to believe but the photo above was taken exactly one year ago. It was our first worship service in Fellowship Hall due to the sanctuary renovations. We worshipped in this space for twenty-one Sundays which took us into February. Yesterday, it was in this same space that our children assembled 114 hurricane relief hygiene kits during our Sunday School hour. See photo below.]


Gracious and heavenly King, thank you for forgiving us our trespasses as we have forgiven those who have trespassed against us. Remind us that your grace is like currency and is meant to be received and shared with others.

Thank you for the currency of grace and love that flows through this church family in so many wonderful ways; like through our children and youth Sunday School classes who assembled 100 hygiene kits to help with the Texas and Florida hurricane relief; like through those who prepared and served a wonderful chicken and noodles meal at our Monday Lunch outreach, like through our prayer team who prayed over several prayer needs this past Tuesday morning, like through our dedicated Growing Tree pre-school teachers who provide a safe and loving space for our children to learn and grow, and like through those who blessed us with their inspiring testimonies during last Sunday’s worship services on what it means to them to have a loving, learning, and living faith.

Gracious King, thank you for the positive energy and movement of your Holy Spirit that is flowing freely through this place. Thank you for teaching us as a church that the more we allow your love to flow through us, the more that we are able to see your kingdom made evident here on earth, and right here in our Athens community.

May your freeing love that is present in this place continue to flow freely beyond these church walls to the homebound who are unable to be here in church today, to the people in the south who have lost their homes and their belongings from the hurricanes, and to the children in Honduras where Sophie Mather from our church is serving in mission work this fall.

Whenever we see your cross, may it remind us of the incredible debt you paid on our behalf by sending us Jesus Christ. Thank you that 1 Cross + 3 Nails = 4 Given.


It is in his name that we pray together saying, “Our Father, who art in heaven…”


[Hurricane relief hygiene supplies waiting to be put into bags by our Sunday School children yesterday in church. Following Sunday School, Martha Sloan invited the children to bless these 114 hygiene kits during worship. In addition to these kits, we also dedicated 75 school supply bags, and thanked God for the $3,800 that our church raised that will all be given toward hurricane relief efforts. Way to go, church!]

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