[This past Thursday through Sunday, our church hosted 28 youth and adults who are part of the Rocky River UMC in Cleveland. We provided lodging for them and also made them a taco meal on Friday evening which they loved! They did home repairs for an elderly woman in Athens County and some projects at Camp Otterbein. They attended our 9 am worship service before leaving to go back to Cleveland. The picture above is one of the youth wearing a mission t-shirt that says, “Our Faith Can Move Mountains.” Below is a picture of their group when they arrived at our church on Thursday evening.]
O Lord, who calls us based on our heart, not our height; our readiness, not our resume; our humility, not our heredity; our openness, not our opinions; our devotion, not our degrees; and our trust, not our talk; like David, use us to be part of the building of your kingdom here on earth.
When you call our name to follow you, remind us to simply say, “Here I am, Lord. Use me.” Use me to pray. Use me to worship. Use me to give. Use me to serve. Use me to witness. Even with all of our imperfections, insecurities, and uncertainties, thank you for calling each one of us; young and old, rich and poor, tall and short, to follow you and to live out our faith.
On this day, we are especially grateful for fathers who have given us life and love. Our hearts go out to fathers who have lost a child through death, that their faith may give them hope, and their family and friends support and comfort them.
We also pray for men without children of their own who like fathers have nurtured and cared for us. And we pray for fathers who for whatever reasons have been unable to be a source of strength, who have not been responsive to their children, and who have not sustained their families.
God, our Father, in your wisdom and love you made all things. On this Father’s Day, we ask that you would bless all men. Let the example of their faith and love shine forth. And grant that we, their sons and daughters, may also aspire to be the people you are calling us to be.
Lord, we thank you for the Rocky River United Methodist Church mission team who stayed at our church this past weekend and served in your name. Thank you for empowering them to bless our community through their service. Our faith really can move mountains!
And Lord, on this Sunday following the summit between our President and the leader of North Korea, we join all of our Korean brothers and sisters who worship here in our church, in praying for a more peaceful and just world.
We pray this in the name of the Prince of Peace, who taught us to pray together saying…
“Our Father, who art in heaven…”
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